I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong was a journey through a woman’s grief searching for confirmation that her deceased husband is at peace. In the aftermath of her husband’s sudden death, Nicola is left shocked and almost unbelieving that he’s gone. Even after his funeral. The whole occurrence just isn’t fair, and doesn’t make sense. Nicola has been living with a terminal illness her entire life. Nic was the one that they expected to die young, Not Anton.
Rational judgment flies out the window when a person is grieving.
Both before and after Anton’s death, Nicola truly believes that contact with the dead is not possible. To her, supernatural mediums are a hoax; however, when pushed to desperation for closure, she finds herself letting “professional mediums” try to reach Anton for her. It’s important to the public, and this story remains a social-sensation, because of the circumstances after Anton’s death. Bystanders caught images after he died that appeared as though he kissed her goodbye, and his final words were heard by several people “I’ll be waiting”.
A secret that Nic keeps to herself, is that Anton was making a confession to her in his final moments. After a pause, his confession was a harmless devotion of love. Nic can’t help but wonder if he meant to make a dark confession, but changed his mind. Trying to reach the truth however possible, she and her friends agree to try one last time to reach Anton. Surprisingly, they do begin to see and hear signs of life after death while staying in a remote cabin. Some of the interactions are positive and appreciated, while others are disturbing and threatening.
Before they know it, everyone in the house becomes suspicious of each other. It’s hard to know what is real, and what is being faked by a living resident. While they make efforts to reach Anton during their cabin stay, we slowly learn about a dark secret that Nic is keeping about her first brush with the dead years before. How these stories merge together in the end is truly impressive, and very well written.
Kelley Armstrong is an author that needs to be on your must-read list!
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Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.