Due to the recent situation surrounding the author, I don't feel comfortable reviewing this book anymore.

I just have one word for this book….oy. The description was intriguing but the execution was very subpar. Undeveloped characters, a ridiculous “spooky” arc, and maybe the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard a ghost be described as doing. Ectoplasm took on a whole new meaning in this book. If that wasn’t enough, I read that the author was lying about her native background, which is rich considering all the lecturing she does about how to be a good indigenous writer. I’m being generous with my rating because at least the sex was kinda hot (though the descriptions of being turned on were most decidedly not.)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyable travel romp. Fun characters. Surface-level story. An easy read, that I'd recommend as a solid beach read.

Such a cute title and I genuinely wanted to love this. However, I DNF'd at 40%. Three stars simply because I understood the vision. The execution was just not there. Maybe I'll try it again next spooky season!

It took me several tries to get into this book. I found the characters to be annoying and one dimensional and the plot line sounded like it would be good but just fell short to me. I think the ghost was the most interesting character but she got short changed with an odd ending and not enough development. I also wasn't a huge fan of the author's writing style and found myself wanting more. All that said I didn't dislike the book, I just didn't feel like i gained anything from reading it and won't be reading more from this author.

I'm scoring this book based on reading, which I completed before the allegations about Colby Wilkens' heritage came out. I truly loved this story. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm run in the same literary circles, but cannot stand to be around one another. At least Penelope can't stand to be around Neil. They're lured under false pretenses to a Scottish castle for a writing retreat, and come face to face with a lot of their own personal fears as well as their conflict with one another. Penelope struggles with her identity and Neil does a lot to affirm her-it's jarring to see this same identity issue called into question regarding Wilkens herself.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my review.

The female main character in this was too juvenile for me to take seriously. The side characters served no purpose. Ultimately this book was difficult to get through because it didn’t hold my interest.

If I Stopped Haunting You was a fun read with a cool mix of romance and spooky vibes, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The enemies-to-lovers angle was entertaining, and the haunted castle setting was perfect for adding some tension. However, the back-and-forth between the main characters felt a bit repetitive at times, and I wasn’t fully sold on their emotional growth. I wish the spooky part of the story had been a bit more intense too. Overall, it was a fun, light read, but I was hoping for a little more depth and development.

I love the native American representation in this book. It's well written and is the a fantastic read for the fall months.

I ended up not finishing this one. It wasn't because I didn't like the story. It was the very helpful author's content and trigger warnings at the beginning of the book that gave me a warning that this might not be the book for me. And because of that warning I am able to give the review of even though this one wasn't for me other rom com readers will enjoy it.

When I read If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens, I was immediately drawn in by its unique mix of romance and supernatural intrigue. The story follows Penelope Skinner, a horror writer in a slump, and Neil Storm, her rival author. Their snarky, tension-filled relationship takes center stage when they end up at a writers’ retreat in a haunted Scottish castle.

What I loved most was the humor and how the setting added a cozy, atmospheric vibe to the story. However, I found Penelope’s character to be a bit inconsistent—her shift from anger to romantic interest in Neil felt rushed to me. At times, the romance and the spooky elements didn’t mesh perfectly, with steamy scenes cropping up during moments when I was more invested in the ghostly mystery.

Still, the witty banter and creative premise kept me entertained. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted read with a touch of ghosts and romance, this book is worth a try. I’d give it a solid 3.5 stars—perfect for fans of romantic comedies with a supernatural twist!

I chose not to review this book either way due to the ongoing publishing/social media discussions with and about the author.

Penelope looked up to Neil as a fellow Native American writer, until he lost his authenticity - that’s when she began to despise him. Frustrated with the outcome of her book, she publicly lashes out and it all goes downhill. A writing retreat is exactly what she needs to inspire a new book, except she could’ve never guessed the events and outcome of the retreat. Enemies to lovers but like truly ENEMIES, I feel like the FMC was a bit childish in her grudge, Neil was way too nice for her. Overall, I think the book was just not my cup of tea, I found myself losing interest.

One star review due to the author being in trouble for lying about their heritage. The audacity of people is absolutely insane to me.

It is difficult to review this book based off of the deception of the author and their behavior. I will not be reading this book or supporting the author.

Romance, authors, horror, haunted mansion!? Literally what more can you want! This was a super fun read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I so wanted to love this, but couldn't finish it in October. I finished not long ago for the sole purpose of writing a review. My main problem is that while flawed main characters are great, they need to at least be likeable, and sadly the FMC is not. Her behavior at the beginning is also never redeemed in my eyes, which makes her undeserving of the MMCs love.

Then I found out the author is allegedly pretending to be indigenous and profiting off of telling stories about native peoples she has no relation too. That just leaves a bad taste for the author and novel.
https://nypost.com/2024/10/21/us-news/author-colby-wilkens-says-shes-native-american-tribal-alliance-disagrees/

Romance and horror blended together, had me requesting this really fast. Unfortunately it wasn’t as good as I had hoped. The relationship felt forced and fast as they went from enemies to all of a sudden hooking up. The horror in the story wasn’t all that horror. This just wasn’t it for me, and it hurts to say that.

It's difficult to review this book in the context of what has since come out about the author. As such, I won't be. I am frustrated and disappointed in this book.

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I didn't find the main character Pen very likable and found myself not itching to pick up the book because of that. The story itself also felt a bit tossed together and I had to power through to finish the book. I considered not finishing it due to the lack of interest I had in the story overall.