Not my favorite Manning novel. Characters seemed too one dimensional. I won’t be leaving feedback on goodreads.

I really enjoy this author...but this one fell a bit short for me. When I read thrillers, I like fast paced & one that I cannot put down. This was slow at many parts and just dragged for me...it may be your cup of tea so I recommend trying it. :)

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry I didn't enjoy this one too much. I found the whole thing a little flat and boring. Sorry.

This was a slow-paced suspense story alternating between then and now in the life of a waitress named Kit. She treasures her anonymity and is hiding from something in her past. She wins luxury house in a contest and moves in. Strange things happen. Not the twist-filled thriller I was expecting but I was mildly interested in both "mysteries", i.e. what happened in her past and what was going to happen in her present.

I enjoyed the past and present chapters, and although I don't normally mind slow burn thrillers, this one fell a little flat. Another disturbing event involved the death of an animal which probably is indicative of my star rating rather than the writing itself. I feel a TW needs to be added.
I will say that the twists were good and I didnt see the final reveal coming. There were enough snippets throughout that gives an air of mystery and kept me invested to read to the end.

This is my first book from this author, I enjoyed her writing style and look forward to reading more from her in the future. Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my advanced ebook.

This is definitely a book of two halves! The first is a very slow burner, to the point where it became difficult to read at times, especially as it is told as a monologue through the eyes of the central character Kit, who is plagued with anxiety, low mood, insomnia and crushing guilt from an unexplained event in her recent past.

However, it’s certainly worth persevering through as the second half becomes a carefully crafted , psychological page-turner that has you second-guessing until the end.

Told in chapters of ‘then’ and ‘now’, author Nina Manning cleverly builds up suspense, tension and intrigue by gradually revealing clues from the past which have impacted on Kit’s current situation.

There are hints along the way as to who may be involved in the mysterious events at Willow Cottage but the ending is woven together extremely well and adds a whole new perspective to the opening chapter.

Trigger warning- there are some harrowing scenes involving the sinister death of a pet dog, although it does add gravitas to the overall story and plot twist.

Worth a read!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

Something Nina does really well in this book is to create a slow paced story to begin, with a seemingly stable environment for a main character that definitely seems to be, for some reason, teetering on the edge and not quite able to enjoy her newfound wealth and her stable job. Nina constantly places seeds of doubt in Kit’s mind, and additional ones in the narration, that all is not as it seems.

This was definitely not a case of who can you trust, because I definitely had my suspicions about all the characters that kept popping up: Courtney, Maisie Blake, Hendrick and then of course Kit revealing that she also cannot be trusted and is harbouring some dark secrets.

The two timelines are effective but they are very jumpy to begin with, which may well have been done intentionally in order to maximise the tension and intrigue.

I personally could not predict where this one was going but I knew I had to find out. This is another great psychological thriller with a unique main character, perfect for fans of Arianne Richmonde, Miranda Rijks and Mary Grand.

This is a slow burn with a superb ending. Manning has done it again and this is an absolute gem. Ku

Kit is an interesting character, I have definitely been intrigued by her. I have felt she is a realistic part of the book.

This is a great mystery, sophisticated and tense. My heart has raced at times and I have been completely consumed and pulled into this one.

This is well written (as all of Manning’s books- because she is BRILLIANT) and filled with creepy moments and twists that really surprise the reader along the way.

I have loved the dual timeline- it’s really given information to the reader. This is a book which I absolutely adore and have no hesitation in recommending.

I already cannot wait to see what’s next.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Waitress by Nina Manning from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This is one crazy ride that will keep you guessing until the very last page and even then you will be left holding your breath! I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more by Nina Manning!

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Kit is a waitress and the narrator of this book. It has a decent beginning and a good ending, but there are a lot of words to wade through to get to the real story in between. I feel like there’s potential, but I just didn’t feel the suspense or Kit’s angst. Part of the reason for that could be that throughout the entire book, she talks about something terrible that she did, but it isn’t revealed until very late.

When authors go back and forth between times, it often works. Other times, like in this case, it went back and forth between Now and Then, and it didn’t work for me.

I am sure there are many readers who will enjoy this book. Personally, long, drawn out descriptions are not for me, and there are a lot of them here.

There were surprises at the end but only one that I hadn’t figured out. It was a good one though!

Kit Lowman, a waitress, wins a two million pound house in a raffle. As she moves in, bad things keep happening. Will she ever be free of her past? What really happened between her and her wealthy ex boyfriend Tom? What is Kit running from?
A twisty thriller that takes us back through Kit's past, building to an unexpected ending, where everything is not as it seems! A really great read, from an excellent author.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This one took me a little while to get into, but it was an enjoyable read all in all. The gradual build to the story worked and I would read more of Nina Manning's books

Love this author! 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. Overall 4 stars.

3.5 rounded up

Check triggers**

Read this if you like: Slow burn, past and present timelines

Waitress Kit Lowman knows that people look down on her and the job she does. Being anonymous offers Kit safety and security. It also allows her terrible secrets to remain hidden. Kit’s luck changes, and she suddenly faces a terrible dilemma: reveal her true identity and accept that life will never be the same. Secrets can’t stay hidden forever. The more Kit tries to hide away, the more someone makes it clear that they are going to make her pay for what she did.

This book was good. The ending was mind blowing. This is definitely a slow burn read. I had no idea where it was going for most of the book. The build was a bit too slow for me but I still really enjoyed it. Get this book now!

Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, the author, and Boldwood Books for the gifted copy!

I was fortunate to receive a space on the blog tour from Boldwood Books.

I found this book to be a gradual build up. At first it's not clear why Kit is living the life she is, but gradually more is revealed. I did guess who was behind the house set up but it didn't detract from the book at all.

My favourite quote:
"When we were driving, it felt as if we were always going somewhere, not just geographically, but as a couple together, on the move, even if in reality, we were two people just sitting side by side in a metal box."

CW: Animal death

TW: Animal death

I can’t resist a beautiful cover and this one is absolutely gorgeous! My TBR list has several of Manning’s books on it but this is my first opportunity to read one.

Can you imagine winning a $2M mansion and how your life would change? Would it be better or worse?

Kit thought winning a mansion was a blessing. Her career as a waitress didn’t bring in a lot of money but she loved it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Now that she’s financially stable, she can enjoy life and work. And try to forget her breakup with Tom and the awful tragedy that isolates and haunts her. Until the strange occurances.

Thank you to #rachelsrandomresources and #boldwoodbooks for inviting me on this #booktour and providing a complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

The waitress was definitely fast paced. Maybe because I was dying to know Kits secret and what she did. I did find one scene heartbreaking and it was terrible for me personally. It did fit in to the whole story with an ending i didn’t really see coming

Kit was living her best life, a job she loved and a boyfriend who would give her everything she wanted; but an accident happens at work and soon she is running from the life she once knew.

I found this novel to definitely be a slow burn, although the narrative and little snippets of suspense kept you going I did find it slow. But this is not a bad thing.

Manning writes intriguing characters while keeping you guessing, as I could never allow myself to trust any of them. My imagination ran away with me to the extent that these characters were not as they seemed.

I did guess the ending, however, I love a guessing game and always try to work a novel out before the end.

This is a great novel to keep you on your toes throughout the summer.

What I like about Nina Manning’s books is that they are addictive and thrilling, while also being easy to read. As I read mostly for entertainment value, it’s great to read a book that isn’t too taxing.

There is a lot of suspense in The Waitress. The author really leaves you hanging as to what was Kit’s secret. Admittedly, it felts dragged out a bit. I was really coming to the point of being annoyed at Kit’s whining without knowing what she was actually hiding. Thankfully, the plot evolved at the right time and I did end up quite liking Kit for the course of the book.

In general, I quite enjoyed The Waitress. Some of the plot was predictable but I didn’t guess the ending (always a fear). Also, maybe Kit’s secret wasn’t the big reveal I wanted it to be, it suited her character and endeared me to her more. Not sure what it says about me, but I like my books a bit darker.

What I actually liked the most about this book was Kit’s love for her job. We should have all learned over the course of the pandemic it was food servers, cleaners, retail workers, etc. who kept this world running. However, they are still unable to get a fair wage and steady contracts. I loved that Kit was so proud of her job and loved it, too. Not everybody wants to be a high-flying CEO working 70-hour weeks. We need to learn to respect other professions more.

This was another exciting story by Nina Manning. The pace was rather slow at times, but because we only know that Kit has done something bad that she is running from, but we don't know what we keep reading. The story moves between then, a few months ago and now after things have started looking up for her. The good luck seems short lived as strange, inexplicable stuff starts happening and Kit is pretty sure her past is catching up with her. This means while reading the book we are constantly trying to find out what was the really bad thing she did and who is out to get her now.

I had correctly guessed what the bad thing was and also some of the other stuff going on, which is quite rare for me. Unfortunately I didn't feel like I had Kit really figured out and I didn't love her, but overall this was a good psychological thriller.

I look forward to see what Nina Manning comes up with next.