I don't know where to begin with I'll Be Waiting! When Nic was a child, she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Although she wasn't expected to live many years, thanks to a new medication she was able to reach adulthood and marry the love of her life. Then he passed in an auto accident, while she survived. What did Anton mean when he whispered "I'll be waiting"? Nic desperately turns to seances to contact Anton.

I enjoyed the first part of the book but then it became too farfetched and too far outside of the type of book I most like to read. I tried to stay with it but found myself skimming. I'm sure I'll Be Waiting will be loved by people who are into paranormal but I'm just not one of them. (I usually love everything Ms. Armstrong writes!!)

Many thanks to both #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of I'll Be Waiting. This book has an expected publication date of October 1, 2024.

#Ghosts #Paranormal #Possession

Uh, what?? I really like Kelly Armstrong, and her dipping her feet into more paranormal/fantasy kind of options has been very fun to read. This is a ghost story, and just like a good ghost story, it's pretty darn scary. A good camping read for sure!!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.

When I read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I needed to read it ASAP. As a lover of horror and creepy ghost stories, this was right up my alley. Not to mention the fact that Kelley Armstrong is a master of writing novels that just *grab* me. When I received this e-ARC I immediately dropped what I was reading so I could get a start on reading it.

This novel had me hooked from the very beginning. It had the most delicious creepy vibes and it felt like I was being told a spooky story while sitting around a campfire late at night. I definitely didn’t find this story to be scary as it takes a lot to scare me because I watch horror movies like it is my day job but it was still a very fun read regardless. I could not put this down.

The novel opens with Nicola visiting a medium to try and contact her dead husband. His last words before he passed were “I’ll be waiting for you”. But what did he mean? Is he stuck in limbo, waiting for her to follow? Has he moved on and is resting peacefully? These are the kinds of answers Nicola is after but with each visit to spiritualists or mediums, she’s disappointed. She has become very good at busting hoax séances.

So when her best friends hold a curb side intervention, they agree to one last séance. A week long event with a reputable medium that will hopefully give Nicola the closure she needs.

I found this novel started off quite quickly and it kept this pace throughout the story. I was completely enthralled and it would be torture waiting to read when I was unable to pick up the book.

I found the main character to be quite believable in how she was dealing with her grief and I never found myself questioning her actions. I don’t know much about CF so I can’t speak to how realistic it was portrayed but it felt very authentic.

If you enjoy creepy spooky novels, this one is for you!

Explore the creation of a folktale as well at its perpetuation, but with a supernatural twist. This is a great story about loss and the quest to find out what lies beyond death. The story is also a mystery about the original crime and similar crimes that span generations. It also makes a statement against life's observers that record the personal and tragic moments in a stranger's life instead of providing aid. Armstrong is skillful at weaving so many different threads into this wonderful ghost hunt.
The main character has Cystic Fibrosis, a terminal disease. She survives many losses in her life but the biggest blow is the sudden death of her new husband - in a relationship that was unexpected and doomed from the start because of her disease, she never expected to be a widow. Their last moments together were shared with the world via the Internet, sparking the unfounded and hurtful comments of trolls. In this world where nothing is private and everyone feels that they must comment on your life, she tries to grieve. Thus starts the ghost hunt to contact Anton's ghost.
Agreeing to one last seance, Nicola is forced to face the tragedies of her past, that dark forces do exist, that everyone has secrets and that CF can slow her down but not stop her.
This was an exciting read, but it was also heart-felt. Nicola is an authentic character that you can relate to on a personal level, because we all have challenges to overcome and a hope to connect to someone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an early reader copy of I’ll be Waiting!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

I was HOOKED on this book from the start. I read the first 60% in rapid time but then it felt like it dragged a bit and I wasn’t getting very far.

This was my first Armstrong book and I did really enjoy her writing style. There are only a couple of bits I would change like the teasing of the past trauma and more character development for the side characters. The twists towards the end kept getting twistier and I think it went one twist too far out of the element.

I found it to be fun and will be a great October read for spooky, haunted house, witchy seance vibes with murder and deceit!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of I'll be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong in exchange for an honest review. This was a new twist for Armstrong and a fabulous standalone book. Armstrong has written urban fantasy, thrillers, murder mysteries and young adult stories. Reading this book, I knew it would be a thriller, but I wasn't sure if it would bring a sense of supernatural or more. I was kept guessing almost till the end. I really enjoyed the questions of is this a haunting, is someone doing this, is it all Nic's imagination, or is she doing it for attention? I won't spoil the ending, cause that's just rude, and it was a lot of fun to find out. I recommend this book and will probably reread it myself multiple times.

I liked this one on the whole. The beginning was fabulous. I was completely engaged and exceptionally curious as to where things were going. I found the back-and-forth narration to be a great way to tease the reader about what might be possible in the story, and where things might be going. Things did shift onto a slightly less plausible track about 2/3 of the way in though, and from there it became a bit of a freight train to zany town... I still enjoyed the book. I'm a long-time fan of Armstrong's work and enjoy the way she tells a story. I've come to expect bizarre things from her stories over the years, so wasn't necessarily surprised when it happened here, but felt like it went a little far given the earlier tone of the book, which was much more methodical in its revelations. It was an enjoyable and easy read though, with plenty of chills and thrills.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an unpaid review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The atmospheric writing and suspenseful plot kept me engaged, but some plot twists felt predictable, and a few characters lacked depth. Despite these minor flaws, Armstrong's storytelling prowess shines through, making this a solid read for fans of ghost stories and supernatural thrillers.

Overall, this is a captivating read that keeps you guessing, even if it falls short in many areas. If you enjoy atmospheric ghost stories with a touch of horror, this one is worth a try.

My Rating Scale:

5 ⭐️ = changed my life
4 ⭐️ = must read
3 ⭐️ = liked it, entertaining
2 ⭐️ = didn’t like, avoid
1 ⭐️ = run. save yourself

A well written ghost story reminding us that life is not always easy or fair. The characters are well developed and bring the story to life. The ending is a doozy! I will always read anything this author writes! She never fails to pull the reader into the story and experience it alongside the characters!

I don't like it when a main plot device is referencing something from before the book, but they're not going to tell you until later. Stop bringing it up then! I know there's a traumatic back story, either tell me at once or not, but don't cookie crumb it around I find it so upsetting !

I have such mixed feelings about this one. One the one hand, a lot of the plot elements on their own are pretty interesting - a terminally ill woman’s husband dies tragically, her survivor’s guilt not the least among her resulting traumas; a mysterious tragedy as a teen left one girl dead and another confined to a mental institution; her gay brother’s ex-wife is best friends with his new husband, etc etc. I just think this book is trying to do too many things at once, and as a result devolved into the ridiculous in the last 2/3rds of the book. And this is coming from someone who regularly reads fantasy series, so if I cannot properly suspend my disbelief I think it’s safe to say it’s the book, and not me.

I’m still rating this 3 stars because I think it has potential, but some things could be addressed, in my opinion:

1. The middle third of the book feels like it drags on and on, and is a bit repetitive. I feel like we could have gotten the information in a more efficient way than it was delivered. I was super bored with the incessant inner monologue of “There Must Be a Logical Explanation For This.”
2. I realize the author needed a mechanism for Nic’s flashbacks, but having her dream them didn’t feel realistic. I’ve ever had a dream that’s a straight memory, or anything even remotely resembling anything factual that occurred in real life. This made me constantly question the accuracy of what we were being told, especially when Nic seemed to be experiencing lucid dreaming. I definitely thought she was only remembering what she wanted to remember. Also, it’s not always clear when she falls asleep and when she wakes. This may well have been intention to give the feeling of confusion and grogginess upon waking but it was distracting for to me try to figure out what Nic’s state of consciousness was at any given point.
3.. I figured out halfway through that Shania was probably behind the “haunting” and was somehow related to one of her teenage friends, but it still didn’t feel believable even after the explanation that she wouldn’t have known about one of her best friend’s siblings.
4. The climax and resolution is just too much, all at once. So now there are three ghosts - Anton, Patrice and this Lori person? It’s ridiculous, even for a book about books and seances. In the last 2 -3 chapters, I cannot count the number of times I muttered “Oh, come onnnn” to myself. Too much.
5. I really liked Nic at the beginning of the book, and even related to her sometimes snarky inner monologue, but sometime around mid-book she just became really unlikeable. I think the author was going for confused, disoriented and exhausted but she just came off as mean and spiteful. Enough so that when she was being tied up in the basement, I didn’t care that much and honestly had a few moments of “maybe she did do it.”

All in all, I really want to like this book. I wish we had more flashbacks of Anton, and I wish we had more of Nic being supported by her friends and family. There’s a compelling tragedy here, and I do think that could have been played up more in favor of ditching some of the sillier plot points.

Side note: seems as though the author enjoyed the movie Jennifer’s Body as much as I did. <wink>.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the pre-release copy. Below is my honest review.

I really enjoyed Armstrong's I'll Be Waiting, but it wasn't as near perfect as so many of Armstrong's books usually are. This one had some predictable twists, and there were some parts that dragged and felt a little repetitive.

Overall though, this one built good tension, set up an interesting plot, threw some entertaining characters at us, and threw some fun twists at us. I give it four stars and recommend it to Armstrong fans and horror fans. :)

Supernatural Horror, Haunted House,Seances, and a nasty spirit looking for payback.

Armstrong has created a spell-binding and chilling story that I raced through.

Nicola has CF. She has already cheated death by living into adulthood. And now, her husband is gone. In a tragic accident that leaves her broken and struggling to find evidence that he really is Waiting For Me on the other side.

As she goes to one psychic after another, she is always disappointed. Her friends think maybe she is sabotaging herself and she is wondering if she really knew her husband at all.

When a past transgression comes through in a seance, we all find out how well we knew anyone. Including Nicola…if that is her name…


Always a good time with this author.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press October 01, 2024

3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this ARC.

I am a huuuuuge Kelley Armstrong fan, and while there have been books that weren't my favourite, there haven't been any that were downright bad. This falls into that category - not my favourite, but definitely not bad. I am coming to learn about myself, that perhaps the paranormal genre just isn't my top pick. Doesn't mean the book is bad, just that it isn't the one for me.

This book was mysterious, creepy, ominous and paranormal, while also being sentimental and full of grief. It felt like it had a strong build at the start, and I did really appreciate the main character and her difficult back story. However, it did feel repetitive at times, and towards the end, the plot became convoluted and somewhat unbelievable. I like a clear, logical ending, and this just felt a little over the top for my taste.

Overall, decent and quick read, and good for people who enjoy paranormal themes, horror lite, decent mystery.

For me, this book was simultaneously slow AND fast-paced? Not quite sure how that works, maybe I was just too impatient to find out what happens at the end. I liked how the author had me second-guessing the characters. Was the husband really as nice as everyone thought? Is the main character hallucinating some of this? Definitely a lot happening towards the end of the book. I did not see that twist coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Excellent ghost story! Nicola has been living with Cystic Fibrosis her entire life and thought she would die before her husband Anton. When he dies in her arms from a car accident, he says "I'll be waiting for you." Nicola has been going to spiritualists to understand his meaning. There is a lot going on and its well worth the read.

This book was riveting! It's been a minute since I've read a really good supernatural/thriller book. I'll admit, it felt kind of slow at first but as I pushed through it became more and more compelling and had me on the edge of my seat before I even realized it! So many twists, turns, and nail-biting moments. Had me feeling so many ways from spooked to angry to scared and even a few sweet and warm moments mixed in between, if you can believe it! Overall, an amazing read and I can't wait to explore more of Kelley’s books! :)

This is the perfect book to read when you want a good scare. There were moments when I was reading this at night when I started hearing noises in my own house and got a little paranoid. In "I'll Be Waiting," Nicola lost her husband in a tragic accident and now she is obsessed with being able to contact him again. She has done numerous seances but they have all turned out to be fake. She decides to have one more in the location where her late husband grew up. Only things do not go as she hoped.

What really makes this book interesting is Nicola's back story. She has Cystic Fibrosis and has already lived longer than expected. There is also something tragic that happened to her in the past. As the pieces of the story were revealed they absolutely hooked me as a reader wanting to know how things were connected. I am not a huge fan of horror but I love Kelly Armstrong's books so I wanted to try this. I enjoyed it even though this is not my typical genre. Readers who love horror won't want to wait for this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I am really enjoying Kelley Armstrong’s new role in the horror genre. I love movies about ghostly hauntings, so I've been longing for more books like that to read. Another intriguing, suspenseful story that pulls you in. The story was getting quite creepy. I was reading the novel before bed and fully expected to have nightmares.

The book feels slightly long at first with how much is going on and getting very little answers with the past and present, but the characters and the story tie well at the end.

I never know if predictability in a novel is a good or bad thing. How do you know if or when an author intends for you to guess and even be correct sometimes. I feel like Armstrong must intend it, because I always guess something, in this case it was decently earlier on. However just when you think you cracked the code, you realize you only cracked 1 of 8 numbers. The mystery just keeps going and the surprises keep coming! You could argue there is more going on than necessary for the story, but if it makes sense, I do not mind.

The characters were interesting, but I feel like we either didn’t go too deep with them or I just did not connect enough with them. The exception being most of us know what it is to grieve someone. The end was good and satisfying, but I kind of wanted it to crush my heart a little bit more.

Thank you to Kelley Armstrong, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read this book ahead of its release date in exchange for an honest review. Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author, and I am always happy to get a chance to read her books!

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong is part ghost story and part murder mystery and an altogether good read. Nicola Laughton is struggling with Cystic Fibrosis, but with the help of a new medicine she and her husband plan a few good years together. When Anton is killed in a car crash Nicola ends up doing a seance with a professor of parapsychology and then the strange things start happening and the bodies show up. The characters and the location on Lake Erie all add to the pleasure of finding out if Nicole and Anton will be reunited.