I always look forward to a new release by Kelly Armstrong and this one was definitely worth the wait. This story starts out sad. Nicola Laughton has always known her life would be cut short, since her diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis so when she fell in love with Anton she thought he would one day be living without her. Life unfortunately had other plans and she lost him when they get into a car crash. He promised to wait for her so she is hounded by psychics and spiritualist promising her closure. When a reputable medium decides to help they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned. Things start getting really weird and creepy fast. This was a fast paced book that will take you on a wild ride. Kelley kept me entertained and held my attention throughout this book. The characters and the story are well written. I would definitely recommend this book and anything else Kelley Armstrong writes.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

This book had me hooked!! Ghosts, seances, possession, you name it and I was here for it!! There were some great twists too!! Towards the end it did get a little far-fetched, but I still enjoyed it!! 🙌

Definitely recommend to lovers of ghosts, haunted houses, the paranormal! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kelley Armstrong for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors through several series and standalones I have enjoyed everything she’s written and this book did not disappoint me. I will admit I didn’t read the description of this book at all because of the author and I was a little surprised by the amount of grief it punched me with (I shouldn’t have been, it’s clear in the description, this was my stupidity). It was well written, but perhaps a little too close to reality of grief and this is a tough time of year for me, I might have waited a bit but I still enjoyed it.

Nicola lost her husband in a car accident which wasn’t how it was supposed to go, she has had CF her entire life and achieved so much she was told she’d never have, but she always knew she would die and leave her healthy husband behind. After his death she is desperate to communicate, but she knows all of the mediums and clairvoyants she went to were scam artists feeding off her grief and taking advantage. She and her closest supports, her brother Keith, his wife Jin, and Keith’s ex-wife Lori all decide she needs to give it one last attempt. I did find the plot of the story to be fairly predictable, but it was very creepy and a fun ride. I was completely surprised by the midges!! While they seemed bigger than what I’ve seen clouds of bugs that cover everything is accurate and they are completely creepy. Definitely upped the atmosphere for me. Overall I gave this 4.5 stars rounded up because the story was very fun.

I pretty much started reading this book without having a clue what it was about. I had read the blurb at one point but didn’t reread it before starting reading. I chose the book because of the author more than anything. This is a well written haunting story. Mediums, seances, contacting the dead and murder. And can’t forget the clouds of swarming bugs! (Shudder!) Thank goodness there was no use of an Ouija board! That would have pushed the creep factor over the top for me. If you’re looking for a book to read around Halloween, this would be a good choice!

The fascinating premise of this one drew me in, and I stayed for the eerie vibes and incredible narration.

Nicola’s husband died too soon, and he told her in his last words that he would be waiting for her. Desperately needing closure, Nicola visits psychics and spiritualists looking for contact with Anton across the veil. On one parapsychologist’s suggestion, she and a few friends gather at Anton’s old family home for a weekend seance, and things get spooky quickly.

A blend of horror, supernatural thriller, and even a love story, I’ll Be Waiting is full of creepy moments that gave me goosebumps. Something otherworldly is clearly lurking, and the creepy moments bring up memories of a terrible night in Nicola’s past. The book was fast paced and suspenseful all the way to the gruesome climax and shocking finale.

Narrator Jennifer Pickens gives the story a sense of urgency and a wry tone, and she was wonderful to listen to. The audiobook flew by and had me glued to my headphones while listening,

Thank you to SMP for the ARC. All opinions are my own,

Being a big fan of KA, her newest title did not let me down!
I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong is an enthralling new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood.

I'll Be Waiting is an engaging and atmospheric supernatural horror that delivers on its promise of atmospheric and sinister!
Armstrong’s writing is vivid and immersive, painting a very detailed picture.
A slow-burn story that has a natural and fantastic build-up.
The characters were fun, engaging and well developed .
This was a perfect Halloween read, filled with creepy, unexplainable events that keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and so I stepped out of my comfort zone to read her latest book, I’ll Be Waiting. I’m not generally into horror or whatever genre this might fall under, but I figured I’d give it a try because of the author. And it was really quite good!

This is more of a ghost story than horror, although there are some pretty gruesome things that happen along the way. Nicola has cystic fibrosis and wasn’t expected to live to adulthood but here she is, married to Anton and in relatively good health. She has a new medication and some fancy gear that combine to help her handle the CF. I didn’t know that much about this illness so this was quite informative. Because of her CF, she and Anton never figured that she would outlive him, but she does, because of a terrible car crash. As he’s dying, he tells her “I’ll be waiting”, which is where the title of the book comes from. Bystanders video all of this, and her story goes viral.

Everyone grieves in a different way and Nicola becomes obsessed with Anton’s last words. She consults mediums and go to seances and tries to contact Anton. I enjoyed the first seance described and how Nicola figured out how the charlatan was doing things.

The later sections got a bit convoluted and left my head spinning. The bulk of the book leads you through a multi-day retreat in an effort to reach Anton, guided by a professor who she believes is the real thing, not a charlatan like so many others. In addition to Nicola, a younger woman from her grief group comes along, as well as Nicola’s brother-in-law Jin. There are a lot of weird and spooky things that go on - including a massive swarm of midges, which sounded absolutely disgusting - and we gradually learn about something tragic that happened when Nicola was in high school.

If you enjoy ghost stories and don’t mind some violence and gore, you should definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. It was beautifully narrated by Jennifer Pickens. All opinions are my own.

This was a really fun, spooky read with just the right amount of horror. I found myself super drawn in by the mystery of the first half, but the story did become a bit drawn out and repetitive in the second half. The ending was somewhat unexpected for me and did tie up loose ends nicely, which is something I always appreciate!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. Publishing date October 1, 2024.

KELLEY, you have done it again! I fell in love with her books when I read the Rockton series.. over the years I read anything by Kelley that I can! This book was a horror filled work of art!

This was a fun horror read if you like ghost stories that have seances in them. But beware if you are squeamish about bugs! I enjoyed this book, although the main character annoyed me a bit. There was a surprising amount of body horror and gore in this novel, so be aware of that as well.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Oh this one was GOOD. It was the perfect balance of atmospheric & creepy. The perfect release for October, once I picked this one up, I physically couldn't tear my eyes away. At first the start is slower, but once you get into it, the action picks up more. I had a great time throughout though. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This book was so good! I had a really hard time putting it down. It was scary, it was sad, it was mysterious. There were secrets that had you anticipated for basically the whole book. This was such an engaging and fast paced read. I read this over a few days before bed, and would have scary dreams each night, so the scare factor was definitely there and left me thinking about it until I could read some more. I highly recommend this one to all Paranormal lovers. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm a big Kelley Armstrong fan. She's a versatile writer who writes fantastic stories across different genres. This one is horror, with a paranormal element, spooky vibes, and atmospheric setting. There are seances, a haunted house, dark secrets from the past, and an old mystery. There is also chronic illness rep, specifically Cystic Fibrosis, diagnosed in Nicola, the FMC, who is grieving the loss of her husband Anton and has a dark event in her past that she has tried to outrun.

The pacing is slower initially, with most of the action in the second half. The setting and supernatural phenomena are vividly described and become increasingly creepy. I figured out one big twist, but I still enjoyed myself as I felt the rising tension and wondered what Nicola had gotten herself into. But I also wondered what she was hiding. This was an enjoyable read for spooky season, with some chilling scenes and gore.

Jennifer Pickens narrates the audiobook, and I loved her performance! She's become a recent favorite of mine, and I thought she nailed Nicola's introspection, emotions, and suspicions. I initially alternated between the book and the audiobook, but Pickens brought out so many nuanced aspects of the story that I went straight audio through the second half. She also helped build the suspense and creepiness, making this an entertaining listen.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted ARC

*3.75 rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy.

This book was out of my normal wheelhouse but I thought it sounded fun. This is going to sound way off based on the description but this felt like a 90s slasher movie in all of the best ways.

Anton and Nicola were blissfully married and while planning off items on their imminent bucket list due to Nicola's cystic fibrosis moving up their timeline, they get into a fatal car accident and Anton passes after promising that he'll be waiting. Someone filmed his final moments and they aren't exactly what Nicola remembered happening. She decides to go to a seance so officially say goodbye to her husband and things go off the rails.

If there's a dumbwaiter and a main character doesn't immediately flee from the property, just assume I'm standing nearby shouting at them.

This book has a creepy feel to it that makes it a great book to come out in October. The house that this takes place in is definitely creepy and I don't think I want to stay at any house that has a room of dolls. The main character has CF and I feel like I learned a lot about it from her. This is a good book for anyone who is looking for a spooky mystery.

I'll Be Waiting is a spooky, atmospheric read perfect for fall. The story follows Nicola Laughton who just lost her husband Anton and is obsessed with finding a way to communicate with him. She is a noted sceptic who wants to believe that her husband is still there, but also notes when she is being played by mediums. She decides to try one last time with a professor of parapsychology coming to help. They go out to a remote house which Anton used to stay in. As they try to reach out to Anton's spirit, strange things begin to happen around them. The story begins to connect what is happening with a tragedy from Nicola's past. As things start to escalate, Nicola finds herself in danger. Is it her husband who is the threat or a darker presence?

Kelley Armstrong's new supernatural thriller had a great start. The atmosphere was dark and creepy and it started as a spooky atmospheric read. The story, characters, and mystery had you engaged for the first 2/3 of the book. However, in the last 1/3 of the book, it felt like the story got flipped on its head. There wasn't much happening outside of creepy vibes and mystery and suddenly the book became much more violent and horror filled. I really enjoyed Nicola's character. She was the type of person who always tried to make the most out of her life while dealing with a chr9nic illness. She portrayed a picture of grief when you lose a loved one in such a senseless way. Especially as she never expected her husband to go before her. Her trying to find a way to connect with her husband and make sense of what happened was so well done. However, the book felt like it started getting too convulted as more threads were weaved into it. I think the book was more compelling when it was just the simple storyline, but it felt like it struggled with trying to cram too much into it. The last third of the book felt like a completely different story and it just didn't meld well with the rest of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

The first half of this book was a quick read as I did not want to put it down, second half was a little slow as the storyline at times dragged a little....But still enjoyed the overall theme.

chilling ghost story.
secrets
engaging

Author is an excellent writer and storyteller. And I enjoy all her reads

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Perfect time of year for this spooky book! It honestly kept me second guessing the entire time I was reading it. I wanted to put it down because I got scared but it was so good that I couldn’t. Highly recommend! I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll Be Waiting draws you in with its spooky, atmospheric setting: a potentially haunted lake house with a dumbwaiter and floorboards that creak in the night, unrelenting swarms of midges, ghostly whispers…

Sprinkle in several seances, a hefty dose of paranoia, a missing neighbor, and decades-old murder mysteries, and you get a sense of foreboding that mounts with every chapter. You’ll be wondering alongside our protagonist, Nicola, whether she was successful in conjuring the spirit of her dead husband or if there’s something more sinister afoot.

In theory, the plot recipe sounds like perfection, however it unfortunately falls victim to repetition that becomes monotonous, especially in the first half of the novel. There’s only so many instances of disembodied-shuffling-footsteps-in-the-hallway that I can take. I found myself dreading picking up the book at times because I was afraid that I’d succumb to sheer boredom.

The second half of the novel is where all the action happens, spiraling into a supernatural gore-fest. The second half of the novel will also answer all your questions. As someone who personally prefers ambiguity, I was disappointed with every single loose end being tied up in a neat little bow. But if you’re into knowing the EXACT who/how/why, the ending should satisfy your need for closure.

Overall, this book was very middle-of-the-road for me. Not a standout, but not a snoozer either.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for the ARC*

Kelley Armstrong delivers another gripping paranormal horror!

Nicola knew that her marriage wasn't meant to be long, but she thought it would be her going first due to her cystic fibrosis - not her husband being taken early by a fatal car accident. Desperate to connect to his spirit and gain some closure, she hires the best of the best and sets up a secluded seance.

I thought this had some fun twists, and I love a good MC with a sketchy history. The past and present chapters were done very well and there was the perfect amount of bumps in the dark. The ending verged on the brink of a little silly, but this is a great fall spooky read and definitely keeps you flipping pages!