Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Kit is looking to be alone after a tragic event occurs. She leaves her boyfriend, and stops contacting her sister and parents. She needed time to regroup, so when she won a home in a nearby town Kit tried to embrace this as a fresh start. She found a new waitress job, made friends with a neighbor, got a dog and tried to start a new life. However, she couldn't help but feel that there was someone always around in her new home, someone haunting her of her past. We go back and forth with Then and Now to better understand what Kit was running from and it was not what I was expecting! Kept you on your toes until the last chapter!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 21, 2022

Kit’s life is changing for the better. She’s just received some unbelievable news that should have taken all her worries away, but she can’t help but wonder if she really deserves it? What happened in the last month to completely upend her formerly stable life…and who wants to make sure she gets punished?

PROS and CONS:
Some really great writing in this one…for me, the beautiful words and descriptive passages really elevated my reading experience. The plot however, left a little to be desired. Hinting constantly at the bad thing that happened, but never revealing it…just served to frustrate me, and made me want to skip through to the end. I didn’t do that…but the feeling was definitely there!

READ IT?
This one was just ok for me…I enjoyed the ending and the beginning but felt the middle dragged in most parts. Would definitely try reading another one by Manning though!

3 Stars

Packed with suspense and so many twists. The mystery unraveled piecing together with present answering why she's hiding and what from. The past always rears its ugly head, he'll bent on revenge and this story proves the point. Great read.

This book had me hooked from page one! My favorite part of reading this genre is when there are unexpected twists and turns, and the author of this novel delivered. Would recommend!

Kit is a waitress but she’s done something to make her a criminal. She moved to a different restaurant, trying to keep her secrets hidden.

What was so bad that Kit has done that she has to suddenly keep on the down low?

Right away, I resonated with the first sentence of the first chapter. Being a waitress myself, I was already intrigued!

The story is told in the ‘then’ and ‘now’. Both past and present, have so much suspense in them. Trying to figure out what Kit did that was so bad, and now it’s coming back to haunt her.

I loved the short chapters, the jammed pack suspense and the very few characters, it was easy to keep track of everyone.

As the book went on, it was more predictable, and nothing to make me jump out of my seat at the end, but I still enjoyed it.

3.5 stars


Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Waitress publishes July 21.

This book was a little bit of a slow burner to begin with but stick with it because the ending is great! We meet Kit who’s a waitress. She has just won a big house in a raffle, which she moves into on her own. The story is told from differing timelines of now and then, and it’s clear from these that something has happened in Kit’s past which she’s trying to keep a secret. Despite weird things happening in the house, Kit sticks it out and begins to make friends, particularly with her neighbour. I have to admit I wasn’t sure where the ‘then’ storyline was going initially, but little by little Kit’s secrets are revealed as the book moves on. I did, however, prefer Kit’s ‘now’ storyline and found that it was filled with lots of suspense and tension.

I liked Kit’s character but felt quite sorry for her at times. What had happened to her in the past had obviously changed her life and it was quite sad to see how it had changed herself as a person. As unexplained things begin to happen in the house, you can feel your heart beating faster with the anticipation of what is going on. I don’t think the book is meant to be scary, but I have to say I did find it a little on the nerve-wracking side at times! It is filled with heart-stopped moments and scenes which don’t want to get to because you just have an idea of what’s going to have happened!

The ending was unexpected, and I certainly didn’t see it coming! It was cleverly written with lots of little twists and turns throughout, with just the right amount of ‘on the edge of your seat’ moments! An unusual storyline, which did take a little getting into, but once it had warmed up, I was well and truly hooked until the end! Make sure you’re kind to your waitress next time she’s serving you as you never know what’s going on in her life! A great thriller of a read!

I finished this book in a few days, very engaging and wanting to unravel the mystery. What a ride, although this book would have been better renamed as The Cottage, with the focus on her winning the cottage but how. The story is about a waitress who loves her job, but not sure how based on reality this is, as most waitresses complain about long hours, rude customers but in this fairy tale world she loves her job, loves her attention to detail and loves her customers. Not sure if this is where my cynicism fell since this is a psychological thriller but it was surprisingly not scary at all. I found myself laughing like in those satire horror movies when you know the character is scared but knowing it’s anyone out to get but feels like once you know what to look for it’s not scary. There were a lot of false scares which made the story drag.

The way it is written shifts back and forth and hard to tell whether it is happening currently. A huge suspenseful story with every character is suspect. It was a bit predictable in my opinion, nothing too shocking, alot of hints to throw you off. What is this huge secret? I am still processing whether this made any sense since it felt oversimplified.

Waitress Kit is happy with her job as it allows her to keep her secrets hidden. Then she faces a dilemma, revels who she is or stay quiet. But it seems like there is someone wanting to make her pay for what she did... a thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages.

This was a very tense book with interesting characters and full of intrigue in the first half of the book . Why was she the one to win this house ? I think I would be a bit dubious and check it out a bit more first but anyway , she moves in and bad luck happens. Pity about the fate of the animal again , getting fed up of reading this all the time . I did predict the ending but it was still worth a read still .

Thank you to NetGalley for this thoroughly enjoyable ARC.

The Waitress was a good read, you will spend a lot of the book inside Kit’s head as she slowly reveals her secrets. The story flips between the present and the recent past but it’s never confusing.

A good reminder that if things seem too good to be true, there is probably a reason! Kit has a lot of internal guilt and struggles, it was an interesting journey to watch, at times she feels overwhelmed by it all and I felt the author described those emotions brilliantly.

A definite page turner, mild suspense I would say. I did see some of the plot twists coming but that in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the story.

The Waitress is released on 21st July and would make an excellent holiday read.

Nina Manning's book The Waitress is a slow burn with a zinger ending. Manning does an incredible job setting up atmospheric scenes in a large house where weird things occur. The author allows readers to discern the feelings and behavior of the main character without divulging the plot's dark secrets until the end.

Synopsis:
Waitress Kit Lowman suffers from depression and low self-esteem. Her job as a server is something she loves but feels that other people look down on her because of it. Kit tries to maintain her anonymity and keep her secrets safe by remaining a nameless faceless person in the crowd. Kit knows that secrets won't stay secret forever and the longer she tries to hide them the more she realizes that someone is out to get her.

I enjoyed the tense and creepy moments in this book. My attention was captured in The Waitress during several striking moments that had me quickly flipping pages to see what happened next. While it felt a tad slow-paced at times, I love reading books that scare me. (4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Trigger Warnings: Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Animal Cruelty

The Waitress by Nina Manning is available on July 21st.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books. I appreciate the opportunity to read this mind-bending thriller. I look forward to reading more from the very talented Nina Manning.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Boldwood Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Creepy, suspenseful thriller I didn’t want to put down.

Another literary winner for Manning!

I eagerly accepted Manning’s invitation to get inside the head of a waitress. I had absolutely no idea about the skills a great server uses in providing a fantastic dining experience! We could all do with being more appreciative customers, both in how we treat servers and the value of the tip we leave.

Manning takes advantage of her story’s natural twists and turns and enhances them through her artful organization in presenting it. She’s made a game of it - instead of telling readers what’s happening in chronological order, she teases us with what appears to be a tragic accident in the prologue and then slowly, chapter by chapter, reveals information in a way that matters to her story. By revealing information like this, she makes her readers eager and committed! Following the mystery, both about what happened to the waitress and the house enhances the story because readers need answers. What happened to the waitress? What did she do? Why does someone want her to pay for it? Why does she want to be anonymous?

Manning is skilled at making one character make observations about another character so that her readers will intuitively understand the importance of the tidbit of information. The further I got into the book, the thicker my ‘back pocket’ got as I continually stuffed it with clues.

My takeaway: Fantastic flawed protagonist and a brilliantly plotted, fast-moving and suspense-filled mystery.

I was gifted this advance copy by Nina Manning, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I wasn't sure this would be for me but boy was I wrong. I absolutely loved it and was hooked throughout. The characters are all just so developed and well rounded, that it's impossible not to become invested in theta happens to them. O thought this would be predictable and the same as a million others I'd read but it is a unique storyline and had me absolutely hooked. I couldnt wait to see how it all unfolded and what was going on. Its just the perfect summer read!

Nina Manning did it again! Count me in as one of the millions of people who enjoyed The Bridesmaid! I knew The Waitress wouldn't disappoint! What a joy, this book kept me on the edge of my seat!! A total page turner!!!

I’ve really enjoyed Nina Manning’s other books so I was very excited to read this new offering. I certainly liked the book but it’s probably not my favourite as at points, I found it a little slow and predictable.
That being said, it’s an easy and enjoyable read and one I’d recommend for anyone who likes this author or genre of book.

OMG! What a fantastic read - I think this is my favourite so far by Nina Manning. An easy 5-star read that every thriller fan should read, whether you are a fan of this author yet or this is the first read written by her!

The Waitress is an intriguing, addictive, tense story that keeps the reader guessing till the end. A true classic page-turner with impressive plot twists and dual timelines. The writing style is what I have come to expect from this author, keeping the reader engaged and invested in the characters.

Kit is a complex yet exciting protagonist, her flaws are deep-rooted, and as the story progresses and unfolds, more information about her is revealed. This book had me gripped from the beginning few chapters, until the very last page.

A bonus of this book is that the cover matches all the other books, so looks brilliant on the bookshelves with the rest of Nina Manning's collection, and although I have been gifted an ARC copy of this, I will be purchasing a copy for display purposes!

I cannot recommend this new release enough, it is a flawless read, and one for pre-ordering today!

The Waitress by Nina Manning is a thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages until the end. Full of twists and turns and shocks, this is a brilliant novel.

What a page turning thriller which held my interest from the first page until the last, full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed reading about Kit.
The characters were well developed and I really thought I had got it all figured out, but sadly not. What can I say about the ending, just brilliant!.

As Manning surprises her readers with her different takes on domestic situations, her ability to create spellbinding characters with a dissolving sense of reality stands out in this gripping book.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Boldwood Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Around this time last year I read and enjoyed The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning so I was so happy to get this one from NetGalley. I am unhappy to report that The Waitress did not meet my expectations. It isn't a bad book but it was really slow-paced and I just could not get into it. Were are told the story from Kit's point of view with then and now chapters, I usually love this format but it got really bogged down with a lot of descriptions and feelings. I found the atmosphere of the book, while Kit was in the house, very creepy though. We know Kit is hiding something but we don't know what and it seemed to take forever to get there. The book is very much character-driven as it all revolves around Kit's thoughts, feelings, and inner dialogue. The whole time I was reading there was a feeling of foreboding and it is intelligently written and I liked that about it. I just found that this fell a little flat for me and it was real slow burner but not in a good way.

Wow! Nina Manning does it again with this thrilling and shocking tale. It hooked me from the very first page and kept me on my toes the whole time!