I really enjoyed the indigenous representation in this and the commentary with publishing. I also liked the ghost! I was here for the romance though and I didn’t really love their connection.

This was such an unexpected adventure. I love the premise of this so much. Writers on retreat in their own story unraveling as they go.

Penelope and Neil have been rivals for as long as everyone can remember. As native authors, the pool has always been small, but instead of working together, they stayed far apart. Until they were forced together by their friends for a writing retreat.

The banter and sass between these two, and frankly all of the characters, was wonderful. The way the ghosts were set up was fantastic and I love how everything meshed together to shape this unique mystery/ghost story/romance novel.

After a major dispute at a book conference, Pen and Neil accidentally end up at the same writing retreat in Scotland four months later. In the tight market of Indigenous horror they both fight for shelf space and Pen feels that Neil has given in to his publisher and reinforced stereotypes, making it harder for other Indigenous authors. After discovering that the remote haunted castle really is haunted, things become interesting. This book grew on me as I read it and I would give it 3.5 stars.

This is a enemies to lovers in a haunted house, and it is entertaining. The main characters are horror genre authors, and I liked the perspective that the main characters provided. As the characters end up at a haunted house for a retreat, it is a fun play on the stereotypical haunted house tropes with the internal narration from the characters. There were moments where I forgot about the romance building as I was captivated by what was going on in the haunted house, and overall this was very enjoyable!

A spicy horror romance about writers from Seattle on a retreat in Scotland sounded exactly like what I was craving for spooky season.

The conflict in the very beginning set my teeth on edge, but I hoped the reasons for it would be better justified. As much as I liked the setting, the characters and plot left a lot to be desired. I found the protagonist difficult to root for as she had very few redeeming qualities and was borderline abusive to the love interest. Therefore, her swift change from hating him to lusting after perplexed me. The spicy scenes were spliced between the horror elements, affecting the pace. Those romance outweighed the horror elements, which fell a little flat plot-wise. Although an HEA was imminent, it didn't feel like the MC deserved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I Stopped Haunting You wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into the story. The pacing felt a little off to me. By the time I hit the 20% mark, I thought (and hoped) I was way deeper into the story. I didn't really care for Pen and Neil's relationship. Pen's behavior around Neil was not okay. Her actions and words came across as gaslighting. I didn't feel the quick chemistry between them. I also found the horror wanting and the writing a little weak. I was annoyed with all of the "green eyes" references. I'm bummed out that I couldn't get into this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the haunted castle setting was creepy, but also found it entertaining how jumpy Pen, a horror author is. I didn't think the central relationship was enemies to lovers, more like rivals to lovers, and more of a one sided rivalry. Overall I thought it was a fun and easy read perfect for October.

This story has a unique premise and I liked the idea of horror writers having a writing retreat in a haunted castle. I found the characters hard to connect with though and their romantic chemistry fell a little flat for me. I did enjoy the writing style and I'm looking forward to giving this author another try with their next novel. The audiobook worked well for this book and the narration is well done.

This was a fabulous #ownvoices enemies to lovers, dual POV romance debut that sees Neil Storm and Penelope Skinner, two Indigenous horror authors who had a public altercation, months later attending the same writer's retreat at a haunted Scottish castle.

Set in a creepy crumbling castle with a sinister ghost, the two struggle to resolve hurt feelings, get over writers' block and solve a centuries old mystery. I loved the discussions in the book about being true to yourself, feeling like you're enough and the realities of the publishing world for Indigenous authors.

Great on audio narrated by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia, this book makes a great addition to the romance genre written by and featuring Indigenous people. Like Penelope, Wilkens is a multiracial queer author of white and Choctaw-Cherokee descent.

Highly recommended for fans of books like The truth according to Ember by Danica Nava or Sex, lies and sensibility by Nikki Payne (two other contemporary romance books featuring Indigenous main characters). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I absolutely did not like this book. I hate to give negative reviews, but I have to give honest reviews.

I felt like she was so abusive, and I am not here for that type of relationship. Not only does Penelope throw a book at his head, but she’s also very manipulative and she seemed very immature. Her character needed a lot of work.

I didn’t find this scary or creepy at all. I think I was so distracted by the fact that I couldn’t stand their relationship that I couldn’t get anything else out of the book.

The romance felt very forced and rushed and not real. I just felt like this had a lot of potential, but it definitely wasn’t for me.

This was a 1 out of 5 stars for me strictly because I don’t do toxic relationship books and this is what this one felt like.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Colby Wilkins for this ARC.

“If I Stopped Haunting You” has a fun premise: rival authors get stuck on a writing retreat together at a haunted Scottish castle. Forced proximity. Enemies to lovers. Scottish castle. I'm sold 🤣

My favorite thing about this book is the representation of native writers and their struggles in the publishing industry. Seeing how Neil felt pressured to change his story so it was “marketable” is deeply unsettling but very realistic. These discussions truly were the shining star of this book.

Okay, the romance is where I have a bit of an issue with this book. Neil, I loved. Penelope was a problem, though. From physically assaulting Neil to gaslighting him to not taking ANY accountability for her actions, I just could not get behind her toxic relationship with Neil. I wanted to hug him and tell him he could do better—to please find someone better.

This will be a wildly unpopular opinion, but this book was not for me. Penelope needs therapy (seriously), and for an eerie, haunted Scottish castle, the ghosts felt flat. The spice was fun if I just ignored the huge red flags of our FMC.

Overall, I am an outlier here as I've seen people who love this book. So try it and see if you feel differently from me.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC of If I Stopped Haunting You! All opinions in this review are my own.

My favorite part of this book was the setting. I love a bunch of writers get snowed in a haunted castle in Scotland to write their next thriller or horror novels! It reminded me a lot of the conditions that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in!

I enjoyed the haunted house/ghost story aspect of this book, but I wasn't a huge fan of the romance because of the characters. Pen is too immature and Neil is too arrogant. I feel like the characters never really evolved beyond the caricatures that they were in the beginning of the book.

Overall, a really fun read, but the romance characters needed more work.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Great premise, but this fell unbelievably flat. I found myself bored, everything was very surface level. It wasn't "enemies to lovers" so much as it was.... well idk what it was honestly. There were multiple inconsistencies and plot holes, and just awkward moments. The FMC was manipulative and just kind of mean, not to mention the fact that she literally assaulted him because she was jealous of his success??? I was with her a bit, when she was explaining it but then she assaulted him and blamed him for her being canceled? Absolutely not. The characters fell flat and tbh I'm not sure why some of them were there? It just was. Not my cup of tea at all.

Unfortunately this was a DNF. Within the first few chapters as well. It was incoherent and needed another round of editing or three. I was confused off the bat and immediately did not like the writing. It felt very unfinished and the voice was odd.

This book had a bit of everything I want in a book recently. Scotland setting. A spooky mystery with ghosts and some spicy scenes when the characters finally realize enemies can be lovers. I think Pen and Neil had a lot to work through at fiest but once they found their stride I was obsessed. I love main characters who are authors and this one definitely fits the bill.

The premise and location should have made this book an instant win. But the unbalanced characters, flat tropes and particular scene had me going nope, not for me.

I had a hard time getting past Penolope's annoying personality. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I just didn't. I give this 2/5 stars. It was not for me but, as always, try it in case your tastes differ.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to review If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens.

3.75 stars

While I was excited for a horror romance, this book was hard to get into at first and that's mostly because the FMC threw a book at the MMC's face at a book convention panel. I was instantly turned off from the FMC because that is an insane thing to do. The MMC ends up with a scar from this! And then, she keeps blaming him for her publishing failures when SHE WAS ABUSIVE!

Despite this insane interaction, the rest of the book was actually quite fun. The horror/paranormal parts were written quite well. I will say the spicy scenes felt out of place at times (they JUST saw a ghost and then suddenly they banging, just don't think seeing an actual ghost would have me in the mood anytime soon) and didn't feel at all necessary to me. And I like spice, don't get me wrong, it just felt off. I also was confused on why they kept not telling the others in the house about their experiences. I think having them more involved could have been a really fun addition to the story. But overall, it was a good spooky season romance and I would be interested in more horror romance stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I was intrigued by the premise of this one but I just never really got hooked. I didn’t connect with the characters and the plot.

If I Stopped Haunting You is a standalone paranormal romance and the debut novel by Colby Wilkens. Set in Scotland, the majority of the book takes place in a haunted castle. The novel begins with the two main characters, Pen (short for Penelope) and Neil, at a panel during a book conference. Both characters have Native American heritage and are horror novelists, placing them in direct competition. Neil, is a bestselling author while Pen’s only book did not achieve nearly the same level of success. During the panel, tensions become escalated when Pen accuses Neil of “selling out” by relying on stereotypical Native American characters and ending with Pen throwing her book at his head.

The story then jumps forward four months, with Pen now in Edinburgh, Scotland, joining up with her close friend Laszlo for a writers’ retreat located at a haunted castle in a remote area of Scotland. Unbeknownest to Pen, Neil—who is also friends with Laszlo –was invited as well. At the castle, Pen and Neil are haunted by its resident ghost forcing them to decide whether they will work together to uncover the ghost’s story. Along the way, they will question if maybe they should rethink their feelings for one another.

The book starts off a bit slow but then picks up pace once the group reaches the haunted castle. The plot follows two main threads: the evolving relationship between Pen and Neil, and the paranormal mystery within the haunted castle. Personally, I found the mystery element far more engaging than the romance. The eerie atmosphere of the castle and the gradual unfolding of the ghost’s backstory were equally captivating and I eagerly anticipated getting to those sections of the book. While the mystery plot was, for me, the stronger of the two, I believe that it could have been even more compelling if it had been the novel’s main focus rather than the romance.

In terms of the romance element, I struggled to feel the romantic chemistry between Pen and Neil, partially because their relationship progressed so fast. I felt more connected to the characters while they were solving the mystery, where the author was able to display their personalities more distinctly. The two supporting characters, Laszlo and Daniela, were well-developed and brought additional depth and humor to the story, particularly Laszlo, who added some lightheartedness to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed If I Stopped Haunting You. It’s a good debut novel for Corey Wilkens and an atmospheric read for the fall season, particularly for October. I rated this book a 3.5/5, which is my average rating for romance novels, the mystery aspect pulling it up from a 3.0/5. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a touch of the paranormal alongside their romance. The romance is definitely spicey and the author includes some trigger warnings at the start of the book. While the author’s next book is also a romance, I’d love to see Colby Wilkens take on a purely paranormal mystery in the future—perhaps featuring a character like Laszlo at its center! Thank you St. Martin’s Press, for providing this book for free in return for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.