From the book description:<i> Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.” That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned. The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name. That’s when she finds the first body....</i>

I tend to use the book description when the storyline is complex or I don’t want to give away spoilers in my own description of events. This is definitely the latter case. The story is very intricate, with us meeting Nicola months after the death of her husband, meeting yet another spiritualist. Then the plans to hold one last seance are made and the real “fun” begins. It’s not hard to follow the storyline, but you have to follow along and pay attention.

The book is beautifully atmospheric and, pardon my pun, haunting in its simplicity as a good ghost story, complete with a remote location, seances, a medium you can’t get a good read on, etc. But things aren’t really that simple, of course. There’s always secrets and lies that complicate everything, and the characters in this book are no exception.

What’s frustrating, and kept this from a five-star is that the complications got a little too, well, complicated. There was a lot that went down toward the end, and some of it became hard to follow. Especially when Nicola was so quick to blame everyone and everything as soon as she got even a hint of something “off.”

But, in the end all was answered, and in quite an interesting way, I might add. I did enjoy the conclusion once everything was settled.

I highly recommend this book to fans of ghost stories and other horror genres. This is a spooky tale you won’t soon forget.

Most of this book is ghost stories and drama, and the last 4th is pure chaos and gore! Something for everyone? The MC, Nic, has cystic fibrosis, and it was interesting/heartbreaking to learn about that disease through her experiences. She attempts seance to reach a loved one, and someTHING reaches out. I gave it 3 because it was a little too all over the place, but it kept my attention!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC ecopy.

The premise of this book interested, and I knew I had to give it a shot! While the audio narrator was excellent, I did not get invested in the story until about 50% in. It had a very slow start and I had a difficult tome connecting with the character—which wasn’t a deal breaker—I more had trouble with the repetitive events that made the chapters pass a little slower.

At the 50% mark I felt like things were picking up and I was interested to see what was actually going on! The mystery vibes were strong and the chapters keep going. However, the ending of the book felt a little disjointed from the first part. The first part revolved around mystery & grief & a little paranormal questions, but the second part moved into horror. I ended the book with questions and wanted just a bit more to tie things up.

I did enjoy the mental health rep along with the queer rep during the story.

I'll Be Waiting is much more than just a ghost story. The love story between Nicola (Nic) and Anton, turns into a ghost story when Anton unexpectedly dies in a car accident. Nic, who lived most of her life believing she would die young, is now forced to grieve the loss of her husband and move on with her life. In her grief, Nic has participated in a few seances to contact Anton as she is haunted by his final words, and title of the book, "I'll be waiting." Although none thus far have been anything other than tricks and recordings performed by charlatans, when Nic travels to Anton's family lake house her attempt at a final seance may just bring her closer to her husband.

Kelley Armstrong paints a wonderful narrative throughout this story. I was easily able to imagine all the scenes and flashbacks. There are some light horror elements and a lot of whodunnit vibes. I found the narration by by Jennifer Pickens to be really effective, as she was able to create voice differentiations between characters.

There is a whole cast of characters, which I found to keep the book really interesting and engaging. We are often thrown into flashbacks from Nic's earlier years when she first attempted a seance with some friends. There is a whole backstory here that is VERY fun.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, the author Kelley Armstrong, and the narrator Jennifer Pickens for an ARC of the very enjoyable I'll Be Waiting!

I love haunted house books. They are so hard to get right but I love them. I think this is more of a book about grief and loss. It is also a book about coping. Nicola is a survivor. I love the narration and the romance, as sad as it is.
I love the idea of a ghost husband saying he will wait for his bride.
But I don't know about how it unrolls. It was not what I expected but that is not a bad thing.
I am so glad to see a protagonist with CF. I love the romances with these women.

3.5 stars
I’ll Be Waiting is just the spooky ghost story you’re looking for heading into the Halloween season! Nic’s husband died in a freak car accident and she is anxious to make after death contact with him. Cue the scary seance vibes! 👻 I enjoyed the set up and building tension of the story. Though I felt that things started to go off the rails after a time and the ending was a bit rushed, it was still well worth listening to or reading this season!
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press, MacMillan Audio & NetGalley

I really enjoyed this author's horror release from last year, Hemlock Island, so I was excited to pick this one up. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. I never really connected with the main character for some reason. I thought the mediums/seances sounded like a chilling, sinister premise, but it just fell flat for me in execution. I also had the same issue with this one as I did with Hemlock Island, but even more so,. The context of the ending got way too bizarre. I need the weirdness to be built up better from the beginning to really be on board with it. Though the narrator was fantastic, the story just didn't land for me. 2.5 rounded up.

I started the audiobook while working this afternoon and then listened well after I was done working, through dinner, and up to bed time. The narrator is fantastic.

That being said, this was a twisty story with several mysterious elements. We start with a chronically ill grieving widow who wants to contact the ghost of her husband. So, she rents a house they spent time in together, that once belonged to her husband's grandparents. She brings a concerned family member, a new friend, and they're met by a parapsychologist for a series of seances. It's a creepy haunt of sorts. The mystery of a missing boy gets tossed into the middle and insanity ensues.

The ride is tense and wild. I struggled with some of the lengthy flashbacks and thought they could have been shorter. Overall, this was a great listen.

e-ARC from NetGalley.

I loved this. Was it groundbreaking? No. But it didn't have to be.

We follow our protagonist, Nic, as she attempts to deal with the grief of her husband's premature death by seeing mystics and attending seances. After a few charlatans too many, her friends hold an intervention: One last seance, with a reputable scientist this time, and then learn to move on. But things start going wrong early on - a plague of bugs, a missing man, ghostly "pranks" that defy her husband's character. All of this leading to two very important questions: How well did she really know her husband? And what involvement could he possibly have had in the horrific incident that obliterated her childhood?

This book was great. It was twisty and turny. I was never sure what was real and what was not. There were parts of it that were so warm and full of love which quickly transitioned to a cold sense of spreading horror.

What I liked the most was that the author didn't treat readers like we're stupid. Nic is a cynic. She constantly debunks claims and rationalizes the things that go bump in the night. Likewise, we are presented with tiny clues about what's really happening mixed in with the hoaxes and misunderstandings, making it possible to figure out the truth prior to the reveal.

This book was somehow sweet and chilling simultaneously, and I definitely want to check out Armstrong's other work.

I really liked this book, I was unsure as I don't often do horror but the cover was so stunning (I totally judge A book by its cover) I had to try it and omg it was great! It was scary there was mystery it was sad and it was captivating great read for the spooky season I didn't want to put it down.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 My mom was not happy the day we brought a Oujia board into the house. A lot of weird stuff had been going on around the entire neighborhood and so all the kids got together with the board and artifacts we uncovered from the 1800’s and had a seance. One of the questions we asked was the name of the spirit and it spelled out a name…a name of a Confederate soldier who had owned the land and was buried down the street and whose spirit who had been seen roaming the land. It’s been thirty years since she warned me about inviting spirits into our home and I still live in the house; we still experience strange things but have a peaceful coexistence and have spoken with our children about setting boundaries.

What happens when you are dealt a lousy diagnosis yet defy the odds of life yet still end up losing the love of your life in a freak car accident? Grief is unfair and complicated and Nicola is in the thick of it after the death of her husband Anton and looking for answers through spiritualism but that always comes with risks. I’ll Be Waiting is a beautifully cautionary ghost story of opening the portal to the other side and the consequences that follow. Kelley Armstrong writes an atmospheric horror book that arrives just in time for spooky season and Jennifer Pickens does an amazing job bringing this haunting tale to life…. and beyond.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and St. Martins Press for gifting me the audio and ebook for honest review!

I did end up listening to the audio the entire book so my review will be based solely on the audiobook.

3.5⭐️

I’ll be waiting is a thrilling horror including haunted houses, seances, and demonic possession. I will attempt to leave no spoilers in my review.

Brief summary:
When Nicola’s husband tragically dies in a car accident he says the quote “I’ll be waiting for you”. This is heard by a few bystanders who read into the statement, making it out to be ominous and causing a media circus surrounding the event.
Overcome by grief at being widowed when she was supposed to die first, Nic becomes obsessed with speaking to her husband via seances but becomes increasingly disappointed as she discovers hoax after hoax by supposed “mediums” that are preying on others grief.
In a last ditch effort to speak to Anton before giving up for good, Nic contacts a professor to set up a seance at Anton’s old family home. Supernatural events begin occurring and Nic realizes that she may not have the whole story surrounding the ghosts she is encountering and the people who are helping her seance.

Final thoughts:
First, I really enjoyed the narrator. I think she accurately portrayed grief, fear, and love when appropriate and fit the feeling of the book very well. I loved this book from the beginning and anticipated it being a 5 star read. It had all of the spookiness and ghost appearances that I had hoped for. Slowly this book became a little bit repetitive and boring until out of nowhere it sped up and everything seemed to all be happening at once in the last 20% of the book. The pacing is my primary reason for dropping this book to a 3.5 instead of a 4 star read. I found the ending boring compared to all of the events that occurred throughout the book and the last portion turned into more of a slasher than the spooky horror book that I had started reading and had hoped to enjoy.

First and foremost, I’m a bit of a Kelley Armstrong fangirl. This is the 15th book (three series and several standalones) of hers that I have read. Suffice it to say. I think she’s an excellent writer and storyteller. Secondly, I love scary, ghost and supernatural stories, and when I came across this one, I just had to have it. With ghosts, a haunted house, a séance, and even swarms of bugs that surround you every time you walk outside, all of which makes for a great story for the upcoming Halloween season.

The book summary basically lays out the start of the story and introduces the MC, Nic, a Cystic Fibrosa sufferer who has lasted long past her expiration date. However, her healthy and fit husband, Anton, hasn’t. Fast forward seven months, and Nic is volunteering as a mentor for a grief counseling facility. It comes across as a kind of 12-step facility where newbies can partner up with mentors, supposedly those who have succeeded in moving through the stages of grief. Lol😂 While Nic is nowhere near getting through the grieving stages, she does have a lot of experience in getting duped by a slew of charlatans who target the newly grieved in scamming them into thinking they can help them “communicate” with their loved ones. This is the type of mentoring she provides to Shania, a woman grieving her sister.

However, Nic’s brother, Keith, and his ex-wife, Libby, and his current husband, Jin, all think that the reason Nic can’t move on is because she truly believes that spirits can be summoned, because of her own past experiences. So, they’re all, including a “reputable” medium, off to a lake house where Nic and Anton loved to visit, with hopes of conjuring up Anton’s spirit once and for all. It’s not long before creepy and scary things start happening. There is also a secondary storyline of the missing son, Brodie, of the woman down the road, Mrs Kilmer, who provides the meals to Nic and the rest of the guests. The son is a drug addict and has a history of not coming home sometimes, but the woman believes that something is wrong.

Most of the story revolves around all the creepy stuff happening around the house and the creepy occurences of a few seances. They realized that at some point, Brodie, was in the basement of the house because they find his drug kit. They even start to suspect that Brodie might be involved in some of the creepy stuff going on in the house and that he’s trying to get them to leave. It's not long before they discover that is not the case. It isn’t until deep into the second half that we discover what Nic has been hiding about her past and how it may be connected to her present. Some of the chapters flip back and forth from Nic’s present and past.

The character development of Nic, and even Anton to some degree, was pretty good throughout the story. She kind of started out as this troubled and grieving widow who couldn’t move on and by the end…..wow!!! Unveiling the fact and fiction of Nic’s memories, real and imaginary, as well as her past was a shocker. The pacing was steady, the storyline was very interesting, and the writing was crazy, bizarre, good too. Classic Armstrong with an outrageously, creepy and super scary scenes. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.1 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #IllBeWaiting

I'll Be Waiting
A Novel
by Kelley Armstrong
Narrated by Jennifer Pickens

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley

If you’re in the mood for a ghost story that will keep you guessing and re-thinking your guesses all the way through - this book is for you!

As an avid listener of books I often hope to find “the bad guy” so that I can pat myself on the back for figuring out the mystery a la Detective Poirot. But, alas, I am no Agatha Christie awesome sleuth. But, does that ever stop me from trying? Heck, No!

I guessed and then guessed again until I realized I was guessing that most of the books characters were “the bad guy” - both those alive and dead, because it’s a ghost story!

If you enjoy trying to figure out the ending - this book will leave you satisfied like a really fun escape room or spine tingling movie (not horror movies per se, but suspense movies).

I deeply enjoyed this book and I am sure you will too!

This was the perfect book for spooky season! A woman loses her husband in a car crash and starts going to seances in order to "speak" with him. She quickly begins debunking some of the seances as fake and therefore enlists the help of a professor who seems more scientific. She and her friends meet the professor at her husband's lake house and conduct various seances in order to communicate with him. Then chaos ensues. I loved trying to figure out what was happening in this book and who or what was behind strange occurrences. I definitely recommend this book to add to your spooky season TBR.

Kelley Armstrong's I'll Be Waiting took me on a supernatural journey that far exceeded my expectations. The story masterfully blends haunted-house horror, séances, and deep emotional struggles, all while keeping you on the edge of your seat. It follows Nicola Laughton, whose life has been shaped by both her struggle with Cystic Fibrosis and the tragic death of her husband, Anton. When she’s dragged into a séance at a beach house that previously belonged to Anton’s family, eerie events begin to unfold, and a sinister spirit seems awfully ornery to say the least.

The narrator’s performance adds another layer to the story. Initially, her tone felt a little bleak, but that perfectly matched Nicola’s state of mind at the beginning of the novel. As the story progressed, the narrator transformed along with Nicola, making the emotional and supernatural elements even more powerful. Her voice captured the chilling atmosphere of the story while bringing Nicola's complex emotions to life.

Armstrong weaves an immersive narrative, filled with shocking twists, creepy imagery, and tense moments. The haunted setting, combined with Nicola’s past and the ghostly encounters, creates an atmospheric horror that’s both thrilling and unsettling. And while there are plenty of spooky moments, it’s Nicola’s personal journey—her fight for closure and survival—that truly stands out.

I’ll Be Waiting is an incredible blend of horror and mystery that had me hooked from the start. I look forward to seeing what else Kelley Armstrong has to offer in this genre.

Macmillan Audio ALC
What a perfect book for spooky season. Nicola experienced such tragedy in this book. While living with Cystic Fibrosis, she thought she would die before her husband, but a horrible accident takes him first, and she'll do anything to try to reach him beyond the grave - and that's all you need to know. Armstrong writes such creepy, atmospheric horror. This one was so full of is/isn't it scenarios, that I kept going quickly because I had to know what was really going on. I liked how everyone was a bit sketchy because it made me think about all of their different motives and decisions. I thought the suspense and horror elements were so well done. There's believable mysteries here. I even liked the use of flash backs. They were necessary and added just enough to the plot to make it a truly scary story. This one is perfect for fall if you want something a bit creepy.
I also loved the narration. Jennifer Pickens really captured Nicola and this story.

I'm a big fan of Kelley Armstrong's work. She has written a lot of great books in various genres over the years, including YA, urban fantasy, paranormal suspense, epic fantasy, and mystery series. I recently read one of her horror novels, and it was fantastic. The story follows Nic, a middle-aged woman with cystic fibrosis who is mourning the tragic loss of her new husband. Over 8 months, she attends numerous seances in an attempt to connect with him and find closure. The final séance takes a spooky turn in a seemingly haunted house. I won't give away any more details to avoid spoilers.

My thoughts on the book are mixed. I loved the ending where all the suspense finally culminates in an action-packed and intense finale. However, I found the protagonist's indecisiveness to be quite irritating, which made it hard for me to connect with her. I also wished for a spookier setting throughout the story, as most of the eerie events happen towards the end. Yes, there are bugs, strange voices and events, but I wanted more spooks, some jump scares. Despite this, I still found the book enjoyable, especially with its paranormal elements and sweet moments. Overall, it's a quick and enjoyable read, perfect for the spooky season.

I loved this audiobook so much. Perfect for your spooky TBR this should be on everyone’s October list and I’m definitely going to be listening again thank you to the publisher and the author for this early listen! 10/10 stars!

3.5 ⭐️

I think this is a great thriller for those that like a bit milder suspense experience. The story is interesting with good pacing. There is murder and it’s fairly descriptive - I don’t want to think that’s what I mean by mild. The audiobook is nice; the narrator did a good job trying to up the suspense impact. For those that are looking for a more intense experience, this may not be the best choice for you.

Thank you NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, and Macmillian audio for this audiobook ARC.