A friend and I read everything that Kelley Armstrong writes. My friend said I'll Be Waiting had Hemlock Island vibes so I had to read it. Great supernatural mystery! Will be purchasing for the library.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong.

Nicola Laughton has a death on her mind all the time due to her cystic fibrosis diagnosis. But, it is the tragic death of her husband, Anton, that is at the center of the action in this novel. While the main plot centers around the aftermath of the car accident a year before, the heart of the story finds its way back to Nicola’s teenage years when another death occurred that still haunts her. Unable to let Anton’s final words, “I’ll be waiting” out of her thoughts, Nicola tries to reach out to him using seances and other things occult. The “final” try is given over to a paranormal psychology professor who may, like the other participants, not have Nicola’s best interests at heart. Taking place in Anton’s family home by the water, the atmosphere of the place is almost another character in the story. Creepy dolls, a locked basement, things going bump in the attic, night terrors and swarms of flying bugs add to the sense of dread.

The start of the book had me locked in, and I genuinely cared to see if Nicola was able to reach Anton, or at least achieve a level of peace. The center of the novel did get repetitive though, and I felt that the middle third did not satisfy me as much. I’ll admit to thinking of putting this book aside for a moment before the past and present started to cross in a thrilling way. While it took a while, the action and suspicions of who (or what) the big bad would be, managed to suck me back in and I found the last part of the book to be worth hanging around for. 4/4 star read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of ‘I’ll Be Waiting” in exchange for my honest review.

I’m convinced this story was made for me because the main character has Cystic Fibrosis AND red hair and freckles. What are the odds!

I knew very little about this book going into it, and I think that was the best way to go. This book is unique in so many ways and very enjoyable while at the same time, giving you the chills and having you repeatedly look over your shoulder. The characters were all unreliable in different ways and the story goes back and forth between the present day and an incident in the past that changed the FMC’s life forever.

This book was a lot of fun! I really didn’t expect anything that happened, especially the ending! I could picture all the scenes playing out in my head too while being on the edge of my seat, especially with the last 25% of the book.

If you like a good paranormal story that isn’t too intense, this is the perfect book for you. I was really impressed with it and because it represents CF so well, it’ll always have a special place in my heart. ❤️

I’ll Be Waiting is a step in a new direction for Kelly Armstrong as she successfully takes on the horror genre instead of her tried and true fantasy genre. In a spooky and twisted thriller, a widow trying to make contact with the spirit of her husband. Tired of all the fakers and charlatans, Nicola agrees to one last seance before putting her search to bed. In a beach house tied to her husband’s past, it quickly becomes clear that the seance participants have opened the door to something dark and deadly. Nicola is a unique character with a severe disease for an extra twist thrown into whole escaping danger scenarios. The story builds into a scary fight for Nic’s life with the expected chills and hints of gore. Nic can be a little annoying as she mistrusts everyone but misses the obvious answers. Overall the story is dark and eerie for a pulse pounding read. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

So this became slightly ridiculous and wholly over-the-top by the end, but I loved the build-up and the writing. The characters were fun too, though some of the twists weren't very surprising given who was well-developed and who wasn't. It was a fun popcorn read and a solid blend of thriller and horror, along with a meditation on grief and a potentially solid representation of a woman with cystic fibrosis where the plot doesn't remotely hinge around her disability.

I am such a fan of Kelley Armstrong and this book didn’t disappoint. This book is a wild ride from start to finish. If you are a fan of the supernatural and love haunted houses, spirits and seances you will eat up this book.

Nothing beats a good horror novel, and Kelley Armstrong delivered it with "I'll Be Waiting". With an unreliable narrator leading us through this story, readers are kept in constant suspense, wondering if everything and everyone is what they actually seem. Past horrors are uncovered through piecemeal flashbacks, and new relationships are constantly being questioned making the actual moments of terror even more intriguing. Was that real, or was it just a creaking floorboard? Instead of leaning on constant jump scares, there is just a general unease throughout the novel, and a heaping dose of skepticism from both the characters and the reader. This leads to a climax of epic horror movie proportions. The last 10% of the book had me in a chokehold desperate to see how this would all play out. This definitely jumps to the top 5 of my favorite ghost story novels and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next spooky read!

Another great book by Armstrong. She has a talent for making magic feel real, even when viewing it through skeptic eyes. This was story about dealing with the grief of losing a loved while holding out hope for a connection to them on the other side. With a healthy dose of mystery and suspense, this book will keep you hanging on the end.

I have been a long time fan of Kelley Armstrong and this story did not diminish my love of her writing or world building. I was unprepared for the immediate twist this story took, I should have known better than to think we’d ease into the story. Kelley has a way with creating a spellbinding narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Nic was CF (cystic fibrosis) as a child and never expected to live as long as she did or make the memories she was capable of having. Her husband, Anton was always in her corner, those two grew up together. What she didn’t expect was to be the one who survived a horrible accident. Imagine a terminally ill woman, who accepted her fate long ago, having to hold her dying husband. That is how we start this story! The emotional damage was immediate and I needed to find out what came next. Desperate and unable to let her husband go, Nic turns to the occult to stay in contact with her husband.

You get hints of a mysterious thriller with paranormal elements. Secrets are revealed, closure and growth start to unfold before you. This story captivated me. It was able to shed light on CF as well.

This was an absolute page turner! It had me at seances and ghosts! I absolutely loved her characters, and the book was scary and creepy! This was definitely right up my alley! The author knows how to hook a reader and keep them engaged, and the plot was riveting! If you like paranormal novels, definitely give this book a read!

First off thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the free eGalley!

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to see she had a new book coming out. I was even more excited when I was chosen to read and review it. With that being said, I may be a bit biased, but this book was so so very good! From the way it was written, to the characters, to the storyline, and to the very last word! I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish it, because I just couldn’t stop reading! This book would be a great read for many people from young adults to adults.
This book is a horror/thriller that brings witchcraft, ghosts, evil spirits, mystery, and so much more! The main character Nicola Laughton is a newly widowed woman with Cystic Fibrosis. She never expected to live as long as she did. Much less to get married and then outlive her husband, Anton Novak. Her last moments with her husband are now posted everywhere online because of bystanders hearing his last words and then finding out she has CF. After his death she gets many calls from mediums saying they can help her contact Anton. She keeps saying she’ll stop trying to contact him, especially knowing how dangerous it can be from past experience. Still she says one more. She hires a parapsychology college professor and rents out a lake house Anton’s grandmother used to own and they used to rent once or twice a year. She invites her brother-in-law and a new friend who’s mourning the loss of her sister to come along. She keeps experiencing things but not everything she can explain away. Is it her husband’s spirit or something more sinister?

I would highly recommend finding a well-lit corner to curl up and read this book. The further your get sucked into the story the more unhinged it gets questioning what is real and what is just a ghost story. Armstrong writes in a way that will make you question every creak or hushed noise you hear and either send you searching for answers, like the main character Nic, or diving under your covers.
Right from the first chapter you crash into the life of Nicola Laughton. No stranger to tragedies and hardships on her life as someone who has Cystic Fibrosis , she also has a darker past that is literally coming back to hunt her. When she loses her husband, she begins a dark spiral that unearths a part of her life that she would rather forget.
Its easy to debunk the myraid of mediums and charlatans that plague Nic with claims that they can reach her dead husband and she's ready to let sleeping dogs lie. When she's convinced to try one last time in order to give her closure, she is fine with the noises and whispers until she stumbles on the first body. Now she must decipher what's real and what's stranger than fiction.
If you have an active imagination, I would recommend reading this book, just not at night in the dark!

I struggled with wanting to DNF this book. The beginning was very slow for me. About halfway it did pick up though and i enjoyed the 2nd half.

I don't believe in ghosts, but I always love to read great ghost stories, and this book didn't disappoint. "I'll Be Waiting" by Kelley Armstrong is a fantastic paranormal tale involving a haunted house, séances, and murders.

Nicola Laughton was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a child and wasn't expected to live long. Medical advances extended her life. A few months after her marriage, her husband died in a freak car accident, and his dying words were, "I’ll be waiting for you." She never expected to outlive her husband. Devastated, she seeks to contact him via mediums and séances, which turn out to be charlatans.

When her family finds a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology—and proposes a séance at a secluded place, she agrees and decides to give it one last chance. The plot thickens when strange occurrences take place at the Lake Erie beach house they rented, reawakening old nightmares from her past.

I loved the book! There is nothing like a good spooky paranormal/ghost-hunting story to get your juices going. This is not your typical ghost story either! It is a creepy tale full of twists and shocking revelations with a spooky atmosphere. The book is written from Nicola's first-person point of view and combines flashbacks into her past. It explores themes of loss, grief, depression, trust, and family.

The book is well written with an engaging storyline, well-rounded characters, and a unique plot. The dark atmosphere was well sketched and convincing, with the creaking of an old dumbwaiter, creepy porcelain dolls, and eerie voices. The tense atmosphere and freaky supernatural occurrences get into your head and make you begin to doubt your own grip on sanity, along with that of the character, but it wasn't too scary if you get my drift.

The author takes the paranormal and adds it to real, normal life. She makes the unreal believable. The feeling of dread in this book grows with one incident after another. I did feel that the heroine took some unnecessary risks and acted recklessly. There were times I wanted to shake her, and I was afraid for her.

Overall, it was a great tale that kept me in suspense right up to the last page. I loved that we didn't know what was real and what wasn't, and the way the author combined past and present, real and unreal. I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to those who enjoy ghost tales with secrets, intricate relationships, and chilling paranormal activity.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Nic has a terminal illness, so she did not expect to be the one to live when her husband died suddenly. Through her grief she goes on an endless quest to contact him through mediums, and her last attempt turns into a nightmare. This story was definitely horrifying, but I pretty quickly figured out who was the baddie. There were lots of little surprises though, and once I started I didn’t put it down. If you don’t mind sleeping with a nightlight then I definitely recommend.

Creepy!!

The story starts out with a bang. Definitely reads like horror. That ending was a total shocker. I didn’t see that coming a mile away. This is a departure from what I expect from this author. She’s branching out into new horizons. That’s a good thing. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next that’s for sure.
Tell me you are out there, somewhere. Tell me your last words weren’t blind and empty reassurances. Tell me you are waiting.

Emotional drama with paranormal suspense evolving from subtle chills to full-blown horror.

Nicola Laughton, who defied her cystic fibrosis prognosis to find love with Anton, is devastated when he dies in a car crash and leaves her with the promise, “I’ll be waiting for you.” Their private moment is exploited by the media, claiming Anton’s ghost spoke to Nicola. Now hounded by spiritualists, Nicola's friends arrange a final séance with a parapsychology professor at Anton’s family’s old Lake Erie beach house. As the group begins, strange and unsettling occurrences plague the house, dredging up Nicola’s buried past and hidden secrets. Amidst the paranormal disturbances and her own nightmares, Nicola discovers a chilling truth when she stumbles upon a body.

I’ll Be Waiting is a blend of poignant emotion and eerie suspense that will resonate with readers. One of the standout features of the novel is the author’s research into cystic fibrosis, which adds a layer of authenticity to Nicola’s experience. Through detailed descriptions of the symptoms, treatments, and daily challenges of living with the disease, it provides an educational and empathetic portrayal that enriches the narrative.  The novel also excels in its depiction of grief, capturing the raw, heart-wrenching pain of loss with striking effectiveness. Nicola’s journey through her mourning process feels achingly real, offering moments of profound heartbreak that will touch anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one.

As a slow-burn suspense tale, it takes its time to build tension, starting with subtle, almost dismissible disturbances that escalate into genuinely sinister and gory events. This gradual build-up keeps readers on edge, with each new revelation driving the need for answers and heightening the suspense. The novel’s structure is particularly intriguing, weaving together past and present through a paranormal lens. It expertly blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, making it difficult to discern what is truly happening versus what might be a figment of the characters’ imaginations. This ambiguity keeps readers guessing and questioning the motives and trustworthiness of every character.

Overall, this is a beautifully crafted story that combines emotional depth with a chilling, suspenseful plot. It’s a compelling read for anyone interested in a nuanced exploration of grief and the paranormal through a haunted and heartfelt narrative.

Loved reading the engaging and exciting story. When Nicola's husband, Anton, dies in a car accident, Nicola is having a lot of difficulty getting over the death of her husband and wants to contact him. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story by the phenomenally awesome author, Kelley Armstrong.

Nicola Laughton, diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a child, never expected a long life. She also never planned for her beloved husband, Anton, to die before her. A tragic car accident and his mysterious last words…I’ll be waiting lead Nic in several attempts to contact Anton’s spirit. One final attempt using a professor of parapsychology to host a séance in Anton’s family home might provide the answers she’s seeking…or she might have contacted something darker.

I’ll be Waiting follows a woman with a mysterious past seeking answers from the spirit world. I really wanted to love this one as the premise hooked me. One of the things that was disappointing was that the MC is introduced as a sceptic yet as the story progresses she is always the first one to jump to random conclusions of spiritual contact. The reader is told she has a mysterious past involving a seance gone wrong which is slowly revealed throughout the story. Despite many opportunities for this story to wow me it just felt kind of blah. If you’re looking for a quick supernatural read that’s not scary then this might be just the book for you.

This book kept me wondering. I enjoyed the main character being flawed and also her CF. It isn’t a diagnosis you see in books! I appreciate the author taking the extra step to ensure she got all the particulars correct in regard to CF as well!!!