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The Waiting List

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What to expect

'Clever and brilliantly observed' Emily Edwards, author of The Herd
'Gripping, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down' Emily Freud

Whose life means the most?

'Clutched tight in my hand is a scrawled list of names… A list of people who could save my life.'

Liv wants to be the mother she never had

Liv has always dreamt of the moment she will hold her own baby. But just at the moment her new life – as a devoted mother to Max, a loving wife to Justin – should be starting, it looks like it may be ending. An undiagnosed heart condition, worsened by her pregnancy, has thrown her whole future into doubt. If she doesn't receive an urgent transplant, she won't live much longer.

But what if she can't be here for her son?

As she grows weaker, her determination to raise her baby grows stronger. Without her to protect him, what future does Max face? Slowly Liv begins to ask herself a terrible question: she needs someone's healthy heart to replace her failing one. For that to happen, an accident would have to befall someone else. But what if she could engineer that accident herself? What if she could choose someone to die in order that she could live?

If the end of someone else's life offers you the chance of saving your own, whose life means the most?

A powerful and completely gripping novel about love, sacrifice and how life forces you to do the unthinkable.

Critics Review

Wrenching, twisting, love-soaked and tense, Wilding’s debut is everything a thriller should be
Bonnie Burke-Patel, author of Dead As Gold and I Died At Fallow Hall
So clever and brilliantly observed. I felt so acutely [Liv’s] agonising dilemma, her fear for her son and the sometimes brutal nature of love. I definitely let out a few gasps at the end! It reminded me a lot of Broken Country – which I also loved
Emily Edwards, author of The Herd and Private Lives
A devastating moral dilemma that asks how far a mother would go to stay alive for her child. Gripping, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down
Emily Freud, author of Her Last Summer and The Cliffhanger
This taut thriller simmers with the slow-burn tension of a life-threatening dilemma that has no easy answers. Wilding writes vivid prose that elevates a unique scenario to make for a compelling read. Recommended for a deliciously dark book club read that will have you asking ‘What would I do?'
Jo Furniss, author of Guilt Trip
A perfect blend of heart and guts (pun intended), The Waiting List is a deft and sensitive exploration of a horrifying dilemma, and the lengths we will go to protect the sanctity of a much longed-for family. Beautifully written, and searingly insightful, this is an intelligent and propulsive debut balancing all the right elements of a true psychological thriller
Lizzy Barber, bestselling author of Out of her Depth
It is beautifully written, heartbreaking (and at times heart-stopping) with plenty of twists to keep me turning the pages. The raw, visceral emotion of a mother’s love for her child is perfectly rendered on the page and the clever, surprising plot ensured I was invested right up until the very end
Kathryn Sharman, author of The Family at No. 23
This is a stylish and elevated suspense novel with a bold and fresh premise. Wilding captures the experience of chronic illness with sensitivity and insight. I was drawn into Liv's world and rooted for her throughout, even when her decisions were flawed and desperate. This isn't a book you should start when you have commitments because you'll want to hide away till you finish
Chris Bridges, author of Sick to Death
Blisteringly taut and exquisitely written, with twists at every turn. I can’t remember the last time a book delivered so many surprises
Celia Silvani, author of Baby Teeth
When a new mother gets sick and finds herself on the transplant list, there is nothing she won’t do for a new heart. Twisty and tantalising, this original debut takes us into the darkness of human desperation and asks: who would you kill to save yourself?
Sam Holland, author of The Echo Man

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