I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Waiting Game by Jessica Thompson
Published by Coronet on August 13, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

'The moon was speckled like a bird's egg. It hung reliably in the blackness above Will Turnbull and Nessa Grier who sat side by side on a bench as the leaves fell around them, landing softly on the thick, wet grass. Their knees were just touching, hearts pounding hard.'
Nessa Bruce waits for her husband to come through the double doors. She'd waited for him to return home from Afghanistan for what felt like forever, and now the moment was finally here. But Jake isn't... Jake Bruce hasn't come home, and it looks like he never will.
Nessa's life - and that of her daughter Poppy - is turned upside down in an instant. What has happened to the elusive man at the centre of their world? They hold onto the hope that he is still out there somewhere, alive... but as time passes by, Nessa is forced to look at her life, at the decisions she has made and the secrets she has kept. For maybe somewhere within it all lies the answer to the question she's desperate to answer - where is the man she loves?
The Waiting Game is perfect for reading groups with lots of twists and turns, and big topics such as mental ilness, discussed in a fresh and sensitive way.

I adored Paper Swans so for me picking up The Waiting Game was a no-brainer, and while I didn’t enjoy this book as much, I was glad to have read it.

Jessica Thompson manages to deal with the themes of PTSD, mental illness and the effects of losing a loved on sensitively and poignantly. There was not one character I didn’t care about. I was rooted for Jake to be alive, but I was also rooting for Will to get the girl and for Poppy to mature. For Nessa to deal with the past as well as the present.

This is not what I’d call a happy book. There is sadness interwoven throughout, but that is just life? Nothing is truly perfect and I liked the honesty and realism that occurred.

What annoyed me a bit was the love thread (I guess that we could call it that?) that ran through out the story that left me a little conflicted and at the end confused as to whether to be happy or disappointed. I don’t know how it could have been written differently (ok I do but then there would be serious spoilers) and after all this isn’t my book. I just want to have a fairy-tale ending but maybe this book is too real for that?

Another thing that really bugged me was that (in this edition at least) that Poppy’s age changed. One moment she’d be described as fifteen and the next she would be nearing her twelfth birthday. How old is this kid? I also wish that I’d have more about Poppy, more about how she was coping and changing and just growing up.

The Waiting Game was a great read. My heart kept getting broken and repaired, I was swallowed up by the story and became completely engrossed. I couldn’t have asked for a better read!

Subscribe to Blog via Email