This is a book that I quickly had an opinion on. It was not for me. I was turned off by the characters. Other than writer's block, it seems like the only thing that Neil and Pen have in common is a strong attraction to each other. I also didn't like their friends Daniela and Laszlo, who I found a little immature. It was only one sentence, but I thought that it was unnecessary to the story to mention that Pen had a brief previous sexual experience with Daniela. I lost interest in the book about 20% in and didn't finish it. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

If I Stopped Haunting You is a enemies-to-lovers romance with paranormal elements. It follows Penn and Storm who are both Native American writers. They have a dispute at Book Con and both suffer consequences for it. Mutual friend organize a writing retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland and the two are forced to deal with each other.

As expected with these books, the two start to develop sexual tension then eventually feelings for each other. While doing this, they start seeing strange things in the castle leading them to believe that it is truly haunted. Their mission then changes from writing a book to finding out who is haunting the castle and why.

Overall, this was an easy read but didn't really capture my attention. The ghost aspect was kind of disappointing once they revealed the identity and relationships.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3 ⭐
1 🌶️
tropes: enemies to lovers, cozy, he falls first


Author rivals Neil and Pen, who hate each other, are both convinced by a mutual friend to sign up for a writing retreat at a supposedly haunted castle in Scotland. Obviously, they are not happy about the situation, but attempt to make a truce for the sale of the retreat.


For the most part, I liked the book. The story line was interesting, but I don’t think the author made full use of its potential though. I have a lot of thoughts on this book that I will attempt to put down in a coherent review lol.
-I think the author brings up a lot of important topics surrounding cultural identity, and what, if any, obligations our heroes have toward us.
-It tries to be a spooky book. There were a few times I had to put it down while reading late at night 😰 but when I picked it up again the next day it didn’t end up being that spooky.
-Pen is a whiny narcissist, and I got tired of her constant gaslighting of Neil
-I wish there’d been more character development for the secondary characters
-Every time I started to get into the book they went off on a “fuck the colonizers” rant and it pulled me out of it. It felt like the point of the book was more to make a social/cultural/political statement then tell a story.
-The end/explanation of the ghost story was chaotic and confusing, and I found myself saying “that was it?, that’s how they fixed the problem?”

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read If I stop haunting you by Colby Wilkins. I thought this would be a great spooky romance, but it fell short on both. It's not often I prefer (although not by much) the MMC to the FMC, but I thought Penelope was mean and obnoxious. I am sorry to say this came close to being thrown on my DNF pile, but I managed to finish it.

~2.5~

So I think I'm really just confused.
Two Native American authors have a sort of rivalry after a Book Con because Penelope, or Pen, blew up on N- and told him he was a sell-out basically. And threw a book at him... and only four months later, they meet again through scheming from a friend at a writers retreat in Edinburgh. The only thing is, it's in a haunted castle, and they're the only two who have noticed anything strange.

The first (roughly) 40% of the book had me so intruiged, and I did end up finish the whole thing in one day, but the back half didn't match almost. The tensions and the enemies to lovers was great and wonderful until you take a look at after they became lovers.

Now, on to why I'm confused...

So she went from hardcore hating him, assaulting him, demeaning him, to watching to f*ck after a day of being around him? And him pining for a woman who had literally abused him and told him his works were an insult and worthless and overall that he sucked as a person... now I can't comment on the validity of any of the parts when it comes to the Native American treatment because that is not apart of my culture, but I'm just talking about a little self respect here sir...

Like I said earlier, the tension was good in the beginning, but once they became lovers it felt so forced. And the HORROR. It could've been SO good but it was so silly! The whole reason the ghost had stayed and haunted was because she wanted someone to speak her name? And he got thrown down the stairs once, wow. I wish that element would've been brought out more if this is marketed as a romance horror.

I don't know, this book just wasn't for me, even though I really wanted it to be

I got this book for the cool cartoon cover... sadly that was the best part of the book for me. It either had nothing going on or way too much all at the same time. I found the main FMC to be irritating and it took them way to long to just get it together.

I really wanted to like this one. An enemies to lovers set in a haunted Scottish castle? Count me in! And while the mystery of the haunted castle was creepier and more entertaining than I expected from the cartoon cover something just didn’t hit for me with this one. I think separately there were some great elements: the haunted castle, the mystery, the spotlight on the hard aspects of being a bipoc author, but together I wasn’t feeling it. But that could totally be a me problem!

4.25🌟
I was unsure where this book was going ... was it a literal or metaphorical haunting? Was it horror or Gothic? Where was the romance gonna be? I am pleased to report that it was a great enemies to lovers romance, but I'll leave the determination of the "haunting" part up to you. 😊 I loved the Indigenous rep and respected the hard conversations. What I really loved was the way the protagonists came to really see one another. ❤️

I was excited about the premise but this wasn’t for me. The enemies became lovers with very little actually happening - they just kind of were near each other and realized “hey I want to bone them”.

Also the stakes seemed so high a yet these crazy horn dogs can’t prioritize the wellbeing of themselves or those trapped with them for two minutes. They have to have wild sex multiple times while ghosts look on.

AND can you call it a writing retreat with FOUR people and zero structure?

It was a DNF for me.

If I Stopped Hating You was a book I was really looking forward to. Thrilled to read a queer indigenous romance. I really liked the setup of the book and the plot surrounding the ghost stuff was interesting. I didn’t love the romance though, I wasn’t really vibing with them as a couple or feeling the chemistry. It was a fine book I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped that I would.

“An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland”

I really wanted to love this one. And it was ok. But I just don’t think it was for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Some parts felt repetitive. Others left me with major questions.

The MMC wasn’t too bad, but the FMC and I didn’t quite click. There’s being strong and independent, but sadly she just came off as mean most of the time.

I can see how some would like the book, but it was just ok for me. A very special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️
This book was an absolutely perfect fall read! I loved the setting of Skinner Castle, it created both a creepy yet still romantic atmosphere. I thought the horror writing retreat was such a clever idea to bring all the characters together! Pen and Neil's chemistry was off the charts and they made such a fun couple! I loved reading about them going from rivals to lovers while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery of Skinner Castle and come up with their next book ideas. I thought all of the main characters being writers created such a fun dynamic throughout the book! The scenes with the ghosts were so spine chilling and the banter was so fun! The book explores more serious topics, such as identity within indigenous communities. Colby does a beautiful job of balancing the romance and thrills while leaving room to explore this important topic. I am so excited for her next book, "If I Dig You" to come out next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I really struggled with Pen the FMC. She didn’t act like an adult and she wasn’t willing to own up to her mistakes. I found it hard to believe the love story between her and Neil.

I don’t like to give low reviews, but this book just wasn’t for me.

I wanted to love this so hard. I loved the concept and the representation for the Indigenous community. But this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I think though that this book would be a perfect fit for someone looking for a paranormalish romance book! This just wasn't a right fit for me and I struggled to finish it. 3 stars out of 5 stars!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: If I Stopped Haunting You

Author: Colby Wilkens

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Spice Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Indigenous main character, Indigenous Bisexual main character

Recommended For...: Adult Readers, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Genre: Contemporary Romance Horror

Age Relevance: 18+ (Racism, Slight Violence, Language, Romance, Sexual Content)

Explanation of Above: There are moments of racism mentioned in flashbacks and shown slightly in the beginning. There is some slight violence, a book thrown at someone’s head and being pushed down some stairs. There is some strong cursing in this book. There are romance scenes and sex scenes and mentions of sex in this book.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Pages: 320

Synopsis: It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true. Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her. But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.

Review: So I think outside of paranormal romance books where one or both of the characters are obviously a paranormal creature, I don't think I've read a book quite like this. This book was so good. It featured two Native main characters and they basically are looking into the history of this Castle and stumble upon ghosts that are haunting them. I thought the story was really good and the romance was super cute. It was a really good enemies to lovers romance. I think sometimes contemporary books have a little bit of issue playing with. I also really like the story itself and I felt very satisfied by the end. I also really loved all of the great points about publishing male vs female and white vs BIPOC privilege and about how publishing harms BIPOC rep or sometimes doesn't want authentic new stories from and for BIPOC audiences. I think that’s a very solid message that needs to be heard.

However, I do feel like the characters got together a little bit too easy for an enemies to lovers romance. I also feel like there were some little moments of pacing slow downs in the book.

Verdict: I loved it and highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! It was great to watch both main characters grow and learn from each other.
The ending made my heart melt and I LOVE no 3rd act break up. I'm excited to read more from Colby Wilkens.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

I really enjoyed this novel! It was a great mix of chaos, a little bit of horror, and a lot of romance!

This book isn’t like anythIng I’ve read before and I really appreciated that! It did not necessarily follow what I have come to expect out of a romcom and I loved it!

Two writers who can’t stand each other after a falling out are stuck together on a writers retreat in a haunted castle!

I also appreciate how they weren’t romance authors, I feel like that has been what I expect when the MCs are authors. They were both mystery/horror writers and kept away from one talking badly about romance authors to the other, which I feel is often over done.

This book was definitely giving spice! And I thought it was done well, the characters had so much chemistry!

It felt like this book was trying to do too many things. It started off with the feud about indigenous authors between Pen and Neil which was super interesting, then immediately when the ghosts were introduced that whole plot line was dropped and very briefly mentioned at the end. Nothing was really woven together. It just felt like reading two different books at times

This book is an odd mix of spooky and romance, and I often found myself struggling to switch between the two. One moment, you're reading about a ghost with an unsettling stench, and the next, you're thrown into some unexpectedly steamy scenes. The spice felt oddly out of place, especially considering the setting—a haunted castle. If I were staying in a creepy, ghost-infested manor, trying to seduce my archenemy would probably be the last thing on my mind!

The tension between the paranormal and romantic aspects made it hard to fully immerse myself in either. The ghostly atmosphere was well done, but every time I started to get into the spooky vibe, the romantic elements would swoop in and break the mood. It felt like the book couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a haunting mystery or a sizzling romance, and the balance between the two just didn’t sit right.

That being said, if you don't overthink the plot and are looking for a fun, easy read with a little bit of everything—spooks, humor, and romance—this book still delivers. It might not be the most memorable story, but it’s enjoyable for those looking for something light and a little spooky.

First, thank you St.Martin’s Press|St.Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley for the e-ARC. To LibroFM for the audio file with the beautiful narration by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia.
This is an enemies to lovers, horror romcom. I never thought it would be a perfect combination but it somehow clicked well. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm were literary rivals who ended up in the same writers retreat in no other than the creepiest, eerie castle in Scotland. The set up was perfect for the vibe, for the writing inspiration and well, if I must say, the much needed clothes optional activities. Yes! It has steamy pages to flipped through. Side characters were portrayed okay but i would wish for more swoon worthy connections with Neil and Pen. Their banter get to be a little redundant and that is the only thing that did not get me to fully love the piece.
Trigger warning as it has sensitive issue but it was presented well. It is my first Colby Wilkens read and I am interested to pick up her other work.