I'll Be Waiting For You

Mariko Turk

I'll Be Waiting For You
Format
Paperback
Publisher
A&U Children's
Country
Australia
Published
30 April 2024
Pages
320
ISBN
9781760526603

I’ll Be Waiting For You

Mariko Turk

Readers of Emily X.R. Pan, Nina LaCour, and Dustin Thao will fall for this story that explores what it means to believe - in ghosts, in the people you love, and in yourself.

Natalie and Imogen are inseparable, and wildly different - Imogen is infuriatingly humble and incredibly intelligent, while Natalie is brave, jumping into danger and new adventures. Still, one thing ties them together: their love of the supernatural. Every summer, they vacation with their parents at the famously haunted Harlow Hotel. Imogen is a true believer, while Natalie sees ghost stories as nothing but pure fun.

Then, Imogen suddenly passes away from an undiagnosed heart condition that no one saw coming, and Natalie is left to take on the summer before senior year alone.

Without Imogen, Natalie throws herself into her senior project. Her passion is still horror, so she plans to spend her summer back at the Harlow Hotel recording fun fake footage that will get her on the teen ghost hunting show of her dreams. And her plans would be a lot less complicated if Leander, her irritatingly attractive arch rival from school, wasn't working on his senior project at the very same hotel.

The longer Natalie stays at the Harlow Hotel, the more she realizes that Leander might be helpful for her project. After all, she could use an extra hand to help record her fake footage.

But, when strange things start happening at the Harlow, Natalie wonders, could there really be something to these ghosts after all?

Review

Natalie and Imogen are best friends who couldn’t be more different. Natalie is brave and always on the hunt for a new adventure. Imogen is gifted and constantly under pressure from her parents to succeed. Every summer, the girls and their parents stay at the haunted Harlow Hotel. Natalie loves a ghost story, but Imogen is a true believer. When Imogen passes away from an undiagnosed heart condition, Natalie’s world is shattered. Now, a year later, Natalie is ready to return to Harlow Hotel to film an audition for a teen ghost-hunting show. There, she is thrown together with Leander, the annoying but kinda attractive boy from school who has a superiority complex. And strange things are happening at Harlow Hotel; Natalie wonders if ghosts are real after all.

I adored this book! What first appears as a paranormal and spooky story, is really one of loss, grief and never wanting to say goodbye. Although it’s such a heartbreaking subject, Mariko Turk never lets the story get too heavy.

Natalie is incredibly relatable as the girl who’s afraid to pursue her own interests and feels inferior to her intelligent friends. Turk does an incredible job developing Natalie’s character throughout the story and I just adored her.

My only issue is, although I loved the romantic storyline, it was described as enemies to lovers which is my favourite trope. It was definitely more a ‘slight annoyance to love’.

This beautiful story of the power of friendship, family, hope and love will leave a lasting impression. For ages 14+.

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