Perfect for fans of the tearjerker You've Reached Sam, this emotional will-they-won't-they romance follows Natalie and Leander, two teens who navigate love, loss, and everything in between during a fateful summer internship.
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?
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.
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"A poignant story that’ll have you clinging to the memory of a loved one and healing from loss. Turk masterfully weaves memories of a rich friendship and a winding journey of grief with gorgeously spooky undertones. You’ll have goosebumps as you return with Natalie to a vivid haunted hotel where she relives the memories of her best friend."
— Ream Shukairy, author of THE NEXT NEW SYRIAN GIRL
Dreamy, atmospheric, and exquisitely tender.
— Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 DaysA poignant exploration of the transformative nature of grief, I’ll Be Waiting for You beautifully blends humor, heart, and pathos. A perfect gem of a book.
— Emma Mills, author of FOOLISH HEARTS and SOMETHING CLOSE TO MAGICThe writing is compelling, sentimental moments with please romance lovers, and the hopeful, yet realistic, ending is satisfying. A love story with a refreshing focus on confronting systemic racism."—Kirkus
A strong portrayal of musical theater, ballet, the arts, and culture all merged into a coming-of-age story that will resonate.
— SLJA nuanced exploration of shattered dreams and new beginnings. Full of pain and beauty, like the best ballet.
— Jenna Guillaume, author of What I Like About Me and You Were Made for MeA captivating story of love, loss, identity and rediscovering your truth. Perfectly en pointe!
— Wai Chim, author of The Surprising Power of a Good DumplingThis tearjerker will make you ugly cry. Be sure to have tissues and ice cream on standby.
— Ronni Davis, author of WHEN THE STARS LEAD TO YOU and THIS NIGHT IS OURSA non-horror novel for horror fans, I'll Be Waiting For You is a tender exploration of grief, deftly balanced with moments of humor and a well-matched romance.
— Miel Moreland, author of IT GOES LIKE THIS and SOMETHING LIKE POSSIBLEA compelling story about ghosts, belief, and the ways in which we grieve. Mariko Turk’s writing is warm and full of heart, with just the right amount of humour. I’ll Be Waiting for You made me smile, shed a few tears, and even gave me goosebumps. Gorgeous.
— Tobias Madden, author of ANYTHING BUT FINE and TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELLBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Mariko Turk teaches writing and rhetoric classes and works as a writing tutor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She received her PhD in English from the University of Florida, with a concentration in children's literature. The Other Side of Perfect is her debut novel.
Adenrele Ojo is an actress, dancer, and audiobook narrator, winner of over a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2018. She made her on-screen debut in My Little Girl, starring Jennifer Lopez, and has since starred in several other films. She has also performed extensively with the Philadelphia Dance Company. As the daughter of John E. Allen, Jr., founder and artistic director of Freedom Theatre, the oldest African American theater in Pennsylvania, is no stranger to the stage. In 2010 she performed in the Fountain Theatre’s production of The Ballad of Emmett Till, which won the 2010 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Ensemble. Other plays include August Wilson’s Jitney and Freedom Theatre’s own Black Nativity, where she played Mary.