The Waitress by Nina Manning

Kit Lowman is a waitress. She recently won a two million pound mansion – all she had to do is buy a couple of tickets from a tired salesman who visited the restaurant where she worked. Kit also won twenty thousand pounds along with the mansion.

But Kit has a secret. She’s always anxious and must look over her shoulder. She decided to begin her life afresh after what happened at her previous workplace – Mirabelle. She now works as a waitress at Citrus.

The first night at her new house – the same two million pounds worth mansion – goes well. But Kit feels the house is too big for her. She hears a rustling sound outside and prepares herself to strike the ‘perp’ – but it only turns out to be the person in charge of the grains store. He had come in search of a lost puppy. When Kit sees the puppy, she decides to adopt it.

The more Kit tries to hide away from her past, the more ‘reminders’ she gets. Chandelier crashes in the hall and when she rushes in to the room, she sees a car driving by. Then, at the local store, she has a package waiting for her. Kit never told anyone about her winning the mansion. Not even to her parents or her sister. So, who sent her the package? And who was that hooded person in the photo?

What a fantastic, suspenseful, gripping and totally engrossing psychological thriller! Mind blown!

The story begins with Kit winning a two million pound worth mansion. It is the same house that she dreamed of owning since she was a child. It’s like a dream come true. But Kit knows she does not deserve this. Not after what she did in the recent past. She cut all ties with her family, friends and boyfriend. She’s told no one about the mansion.

When she first meets Blake, the man in charge of the grain store, she’s suspicious of him. He tries to make small talk but she’s worried that he’s digging for information. She gets a puppy from him, though. That seems to be a deal-breaker of sorts – Kit is still paranoid about Blake but she mellows down a bit.

The story is divided into two parts – NOW and THEN. NOW tells us about Kit’s current situation – her paranoia, her move to the new house, the ‘accidents’ that make her even more fearful and anxious. THEN is more of a flashback – Kit meeting Tom, how their relationship grows, how her mum and dad come to adore Tom and so on. But we also get to see Kit’s side of the story here – though she and Tom get along well and are in a relationship, Kit is not quite happy with the way things are proceeding.

In the latter half of the story, we see Kit feeling a tad stuffed – things are proceeding at a faster rate than she’s comfortable with (with Tom especially). She breaks up with Tom, cuts contact with her parents and quits her job. She wants to start afresh… and wants to be alone. She feels she does not deserve happiness – not after what she did…

It’s not until the end that we are told of the ‘incident’ that made Kit decide to start afresh. It was a very shocking revelation. I never saw it coming – especially the events that finally leads to Kit facing her worst nightmare.

The story kept me on the edge of my seat. I was curious to know who’s trying to harm Kit and why. The flashbacks gave the reader a glimpse of Kit’s life before the ‘incident’. I was curious to know what made her different now – throughout the story, Kit keeps telling herself that she does not deserve this, not after what she did…

Excellent storytelling and mind-blowing suspense. I was hooked on to the story and could not put it down until the end. I absolutely loved the ending and the twist was OMG!!

If you are looking for a mind-blowing and riveting thriller, I highly recommend you to give The Waitress by Nina Manning a try.

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Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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