Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC, and MacMillan Audio (#MacAudio) for the ALC

“We want to believe that luck exists, that science exists and so we find proof…”

Nicola wasn't supposed to grow up and get married. But she defied the odds that her Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis left her when she met and married Anton. After a horrible accident, Anton dies right before her eyes, promising her “I'll be waiting for you”. Someone caught the moment on film and it’s gone public. Now, eight months after, Nic rents a house that used to belong to her late husband’s family and attempts to contact him through a seance.

I have loved every book I have read by Kelley Armstrong (both series and standalone novels), so I was eager to jump into this one. It’s a deeply atmospheric novel, and once Nicola is in Anton’s family home, some crazy things start happening. Especially on audio, the creepiness really comes across. The isolated setting of a lake house in the woods worked really well!

What I was not expecting was for the novel to be so emotional - Nicola’s loss of the love of her life was like a gut punch after all she had lived through. It just didn’t seem fair. And the author did an amazing job at describing what Nicola lived through every day as a CF warrior. But the devotion and love she had for her husband really was the shining star here. That love permeated every creepy page of this story, and it was impressive to see such an emotional story still remain scary! You do need to suspend belief a little bit, but it worked really well.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read the book first, and I really liked it. So I was excited to listen to the audio book. Even though I new what was going to happen I found myself too creeped out to listen to it alone at night, because it was so spooky and suspenseful. The voice acting was top notch. This is the perfect spooky story for the fall season.

Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 10/1
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I’ll be Waiting is a paranormal horror that is absolutely perfect for spooky season. I am pretty sure that Kelley Armstrong can do no wrong. I have loved everything I have read by her and this is no exception.
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Right from the start I’ll be Waiting is absolutely captivating and it will hold a grip on you until the very end. It has so many different elements to it. It’s a horror, with plenty of paranormal, gore and slasher vibes, it’s a mystery, as there is a dual timeline element as we find what happened in Nichola’s past, it is a tragedy, as Nichola living with CF survives her husband after a tragic accident and it’s a thriller, with its face paced suspenseful atmosphere. I loved how Armstrong tied all of these different pieces together. Everything about this story flowed flawlessly from beginning until the end.
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There a re quite a bit of characters in this one, but honestly I really enjoyed every one of them. I felt that there was some great character growth throughout the story.
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There are a ton of twists and turns in this one which will leave you with some serous whiplash, so please buckle upland enjoy the wild ride. I did not see the ending coming and I loved every second of where Armstrong took it.
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I listened to this via audiobook. It was narrated by Jennifer Pickens and she did a phenomenal job at making the unbelievable believable. She created the perfect spooky atmosphere. Highly recommend the audiobook.
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Overall, this book is incredible, its perfect for spooky season and I loved this one so much.
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Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

When Nicola and Anton married, they always thought she’d die first with Cystic Fibrosis, but Anton is killed in a tragic accident and Nicola is mired in grief and haunted by his last word: “I’ll be waiting…” Since then, even though she doesn’t put much stock in spirit mediums, she can’t help holding out hope that she can connect with Anton again. Nic doesn’t let up, because there’s an expehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6517468796rience from her past that leads her to believe there’s more after life, even though this experience went horribly wrong!

I was hooked from the start, as the story starts with a bang! Hints of Nicola’s past is dangled. Her history is slowly revealed, and I was riveted by the mystery! Built up suspense, crazy things happening, an old home with creaks and noises that shouldn’t be possible!

I’ll Be Waiting was spooky, and I was a little jumpy reading late into the night! I wondered if there was someone behind all the scary things or if it was some malevolent, paranormal force at work. I had my suspicions.

Things got wild, just like the ending of a horror flick, and it was a battle for survival! I enjoyed every minute!

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy, and I recommend either version. The narration was wonderful! Loved Jennifer Pickens’ voice, rich, and quietly strong, it fit Nicola’s calm, practical character. Definitely enhanced my enjoyment!

A story on grief and the lengths people are willing to go through in hopes of reconnecting with loved ones. As the story moves along, we are given crumbs in regards to past events that lead up to the current mystery (a bit of a slow burn but good.) Somewhat of a paranormal mystery, which is a first for me. Enjoyed the read!

Nicola Laughton was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. She's maintained a pretty normal life, thanks to modern medicine. Soon after Nicola and Anton are married, Anton is killed in a car accident, which was witnessed and posted online. This leads Nicola to be contacted by many mediums, asking to connect her with Anton. After finally saying yes, she meets a medium at Anton's family's home, where the house comes to life, causing mass chaos.

I liked the first half of the book but had difficulty staying focused because of the repetitiveness in the back half. I very much appreciated all the loose ends were tied up, and I didn't feel like I was left hanging, which you don't always get!

I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. I think she did a great job portraying all the characters and I could easily tell when there was a switch.

Overall, my feelings were neutral towards I'll Be Waiting. If you're super into paranormal reads, I think you'll enjoy this one for sure!

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Kelley Armstrong, for the advanced listener copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this as an arc from the publisher. I would like to thank them but sadly this book jusy wasn't for me. I felt bored and felt myself stop listening halfway through and push myself to finish. I read hemlock island and loved that book but this fell flat.to me, this wasn't scary.

Jennifer Pickens did an amazing job of bringing Nicola and the other characters to life, as well as the creepy atmosphere of the lakeside cottage. I would absolutely listen to another book narrated by her.
This is such a great slow-burn horror!
Nicolas's husband has passed away, and one of the last things he said is I'll be waiting. This has prompted her to find psychics to see if she can contact Anton. Now most of these psychics have been frauds and Nicola was tired of the constant let so she and a couple of her friends along with a professor of parapsychology go to a place Anton loved and try one last time to make contact.
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Voices, bumps in the night, a room full of dolls, dreams of past trauma, the bugs, and the beautiful setting of a cabin on the lake really bring the creepy atmosphere. Sometimes Nicola is sure Anton is there. Other times it feels like something else, and the dreams about her past are becoming more and more frequent.
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There were some surprising twists, and the atmosphere and characters kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next and if Anton was really there.
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I have loved everything Kelley Armstrong writes and I can't wait to read her next book!!

I’ll Be Waiting is perfect for spooky season reading!!

😱𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

I absolutely loved the idea of possessions and all things going bump in the night in a creepy old mansion. Then, add in a past timeline mystery, a few twist, and you have a ghost story that is a must for Spooktober!

✔️𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Dealing with grief and loss
Mystery
Ghosts
Seances
Spooky House
Layered and developed supporting characters
CF Rep
Pinch of magical realism

🎧𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

Oh my gosh! Jennifer Pickens brought the haunting atmosphere to life with her narration.

📖𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

Fast! I was so thankful I had both the audio and physical book so I could alternate back-and-forth since I had to know what was going to happen next.

👻𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

Yes! Overall, this is an edge of your seat story that makes the hairs on your arms stand up, keeps you up late reading, and has intricate storytelling. Go grab a copy and get sucked into this alluring story!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for this gifted copy.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

This was a delightfully creepy ghost story! Having read and loved Hemlock Island last year, I knew I was in for a treat and I was not wrong. I did not know where the story was going when it began but I was hooked from the first scene. This slowly built in intensity, the paranormal element worked well, and while it was a little over the top it didn’t bother me. The audio worked perfectly here, enhancing the creepy atmosphere that was pervasive throughout. I really enjoyed this one and it is perfect for spooky season!

I’m really starting to enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s supernatural thriller books. I’ll Be Waiting had a very interesting storyline and so much happened within it. I can guarantee a wild ride (especially within the last couple hours of reading).

I’ve been seeing posts looking for spooky reads for October and I think this book fits the bill perfectly. The setup of Nicola’s story & what happened to her husband Anton was the perfect pace. Then add in a spooky experience in her adolescence and you get a great addition to the main event, Nicola, her brother in law Jin, a friend Shania & a paranormal psychologist rent a house on Lake Erie that Anton’s family used to own. The bugs, the attempted seance and creepy dolls all around added to the suspense. I am not a fan of stories involving the paranormal especially ouija boards but I enjoyed Hemlock Island last year so I took on this book & I’m glad I did. This was a great spooky story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this audiobook.

I’ll be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
Supernatural horror.
Nicole Laughton never expected to live long enough to love someone, but now she’s a widow. News of the auto accident and photos of a supposed ghost, makes his death into a public interest nightmare for Nicole by psychics and spiritualists. Nicole is now using her skepticism to expose the fakes.
In hopes of closure, family and friends find a reputable medium and they rent the Toronto Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.
The goal is three sessions but unusual things start happening almost immediately. Locked doors mysteriously open, a neighbor is missing, clouds of insects engulf the house, footsteps overhead, and the creak of an old dumbwaiter from an empty shaft. And then a body is found.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The performance is done by Jennifer Pickens and is compelling as the main character goes through skepticism, a little hope, and terror and takes the reader along for the wild ride.
Both the ebook and audiobook are gripping. There are a lot of extended family names and characters which may be slightly easier to follow in the ebook but the pure horror, especially in the last quarter of the story is absolutely riveting.

Nicole works through possible suspects one by one, sure she knows, until something else happens. Riveting horror.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

Happy pub day I’ll be Waiting!

I’ll be Waiting is an atmospheric and eerie supernatural horror. Weaving together Nicola’s past encounters with seances and her current quest to reach her dead husband, the author told a story that was thoroughly creepy throughout. I enjoyed how the interwoven stories came together at the end and loved having a main character that had a chronic illness!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for this Audio eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nic, a woman dealing with the devastating loss of her husband, Anton, in a tragic car accident—a twist of fate made all the more poignant by her own struggle with cystic fibrosis (CF), which she had always assumed would claim her life first. In her hunt for closure, Nic turns to a familiar yet fraught method: a seance. Accompanied by a small group—her brother-in-law, her brother's ex-wife, and Shania, a friend from her grief counseling class— she enlists Dr. Cirillo to lead the seance. Eerie situations start to occur, and it reminds Nic of her complicated past with seances creating the stage for the supernatural to take over.

I enjoyed the first half of this book, but it really fell off for me in the second half. I liked the spooky vibes, but I’d probably pick a different book up if I want a darker book.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader and audiobook 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 have now also listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. It was fun to listen to late at night and get spooked.

The audiobook for I'll Be Waiting had a strong start with an intriguing premise, but it quickly lost momentum towards the middle. Nicola’s grief after losing her husband really comes through, and the narrator did an amazing job bringing her emotions to life, which helped keep me connected. The seances and supernatural elements were interesting at first, but they quickly became repetitive and really dragged the story out, making it hard for me to stay interested in the story.

The pacing picked up toward the end, adding some suspense, but the story felt disjointed, and the conclusion left a lot of loose ends. While the atmosphere and narration were solid, the twists didn’t deliver as much as I hoped. Overall, it was an average listen, with some good moments but not enough to make it truly memorable.

Nicola has cystic fibrosis and expects to live a shorter life than others. She was devastated when her husband, Anton, died in a car accident. His last words to her saying he’ll be waiting for her on the other side. Since the story broke, she receives constant messages from spiritualists who want to help her make contact with Anton. One man stands out as someone more reputable, and they rent a house to do the séance. Things start happening, breaking through anyone’s skepticism, as they determine if they are able to make successful contact with Anton.

If you are looking for a spooky book to start the season off right, this was a great one! I listened to part of it at night and was definitely creeped out. I think the story and plot twists were all well done. I never could’ve guessed how it would end, and I’m happy with it. This is my first experience with this author and I would check out more of their work! Really enjoyed the narrator as well, they kept me interested.

I've been a huge Kelley Armstrong fan for years. I've enjoyed every book of hers I've ever read in all genres, and this one also delivered for me. I loved the creepy Canadian setting in a lakeside home with a history connected to the main character, widow Nicola. She spent happy times in this picturesque home vacationing with her dead husband Anton, and the home also belonged to his grandparents at one time, making it extra special. Nicola has cystic fibrosis and she never expected to outlive her husband. In her grief, she resorted to seances trying to connect with him even though she'd experienced a few disastrous seances in her youth. The wonderful narration by Jennifer Pickens adds to the creepiness. I loved Nicola, the plotting, and the creepy atmosphere. I highly recommend this book to fans of paranormal, ghosts, and horror.