This book was an interesting premise but the author's conduct makes it hard to separate the art from the artist

This book was just okay for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. There was just too much going on. Was it a mystery? Was it a romance? Was it both? I feel like it had a bit of an identity crisis. The main characters were okay. They started out as enemies, and that usually leads to the spicier romances, which it did, but I wasn’t convinced that they one hundred percent were into each other. And the supporting characters were just there - they didn’t impress me much.

To be honest, I never really got over the fact that the heroine physically assaulted the hero to the point of drawing blood within the first chapter. It was a tough sell after that, and it was difficult to get into the romance.

This was okay, not my favorite. I love a steamy romance with a mystery included, but I felt like the plot was choppy and there was a lot of depth lacking as to why the ghosts were haunting the place? I think I just had a hard time fully committing to the plot of the story, although I did love the characters!

I will not be reviewing this book due to the recent information that has come to light about Colby's Indigenous background.

I started this title and was disappointed to see the heroine throw a book at the hero's head in the first scene. I don't think a book would ever have been published where the hero did this to heroine. I took a break and was going to come back to see if the incident was addressed well but other reviews have addressed the issue and said it was not so I don't believe this book will be for me. I have also been disappointed by how the author reacted to the recent allegations against her.

On the one hand, I enjoyed IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU. The banter was fun, it was sexy as hell, and I loved the spooky castle setting. On the other hand, I can't support a book written by someone who claims to be an Indigenous author when they're not an Indigenous author, especially given that related issues are heavily discussed in the novel between the two Indigenous main characters. I've read through the report Tribal Alliance Against Frauds put out and it seems like Wilkens genuinely didn't know she wasn't of Cherokee and Choctaw descent, at least based on what was written there. However, I feel like you should do your homework if you're going to make such a lineage claim. In this day and age, there's no excuse for ignorance on either Wilkens' or St. Martin's Press' part. Wilkens and St. Martin's should take a note from the novel and re-release IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU without the Indigenous elements.

So I ended up DNFing this in chapter 4. The characters are too whiney and blame everything on their ethnicity instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

I'm of two minds about this one--on the one hand, I enjoyed IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU. The banter was fun, it was sexy as hell, and I loved the spooky castle setting. On the other hand, I can't support a book written by someone who claims to be an Indigenous author when they're not an Indigenous author, especially given that related issues are heavily discussed in the novel between the two main characters who are Indigenous. I've read through the report Tribal Alliance Against Frauds put out and it seems like Wilkens genuinely didn't know she wasn't of Cherokee and Choctaw descent, at least based on what was written there. However, I feel like you should do your homework if you're going to make such a lineage claim. In this day and age, there's no excuse for ignorance on either Wilkens' or St. Martin's Press' part. Wilkens and St. Martin's should take a note from the novel and re-release IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU without the Indigenous elements. F*ck the colonizers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I’ve found the FMC so terrible I haven’t made it past the Prologue. Combined with the controversy surrounding the author at this time it’s a dnf from me.

An author who identifies as Native American has been called out by a research group who claim she has “no genealogical connection” to any indigenous tribe.

I can't support this author with a review.

This was really cute! I was originally drawn in because of the cover and boy, did it give everything I wanted it to!

Due to recently discovered actions by the author, I will unfortunately not be giving feedback on this title.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We need a petition started for GoodReads to give us half star ratings. This book is the perfect example of why. This was a 0.5 star read for me and that is very generous.

The whole plot was all over the place. Penelope, our FMC, was a writer who had a major grudge and hatred against our MMC, Neil. Don't really know why and honestly it is briefly discussed and then glazed over. There's no real reason for their feud save for Pen needed someone to blame for her lack of success as a writer. Neil had no good qualities about him and was very one dimensional. After the Incident, both writers completely lost their touch with writing. That's when Laszlo and Daniela step in.

One trip to Scotland later, we are still no closer to understanding why Pen is so horrible to Neil. But yet, now they can't hide their undeniable attraction to each other. Wait, Neil has been attracted to her since the first time he saw her. Why, with how bad she treats him, I'll never understand. She is always talking down to him and is very gaslighting in any of her interactions with any of the characters, honestly.

The so called horror aspect? HA. What horror? There was not a single strand of it and what the author tried to pass off as horror was PG at best. It was supposed to feed in to the plot line, or so I assume, and then all of a sudden the ghosts want to hurt the characters? It was out of nowhere that Neil and Pen were like "oh we could die because these ghosties want to kill us." I'm sorry but what?

In my opinion there was no consistency to the plot line. Pen and Neil's "love story" should never have happened. I hate writing bad reviews but honestly, I cannot find one single redeeming quality about this book. Even the background characters were pointless. At times it felt like I was reading a first draft of the novel, not the finished product about to go to the shelves. Could this book have potential? Possibly, but not without a major overhaul.

Sadly, I will not be recommending this book to my friends and fellow readers. If I cannot literally think of one single positive aspect of this book, why would I recommend it? I wish there had been more to it and had received a better editing process. This will definitively fall on my worst books of the year list for 2024.

Please note that this is my thoughts and opinions. This is in no way a dig or insult at the author. It takes courage to put your work out there. Also please take my review with a grain of salt. What may have not been for me, may be for you. Unfortunately, I cannot get behind this book and probably wouldn't read another one of Wilkens' works. I wish the author the best and congratulations on your release.

Felt like a rushed collection of tropes rather in a full book made it quite difficult to buy into as a reader

Through chapter 9, I’m finding myself a little bored and disengaged with the story. I’m 30% in & I’m going to DNF. I don’t want to put myself in a slump haha and I’m *trying* to DNF more if I’m not vibing. I think it feels more insta-love/lust than enemies to lovers and I just don’t understand their attraction or their beef. The jealousy and bickering all feel juvenile to me and like small potatoes. If that makes sense. I was hoping the Scottish castle and ghosts would bring in some fun dynamics, but so far that is also coming in flat for me.

And aren’t we supposed to be on a writing retreat? I feel like we haven’t really gotten any of that.

Thanks, St. Martin's Griffin and Libro.FM, for the arc and ALC.

It wasn't until after I read/DNF'd the book that I discovered all the controversies surrounding the author. I'm just slow with reviews currently due to a constant eye migraine. This review was written before knowing anything about the author and their controversies.

IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU by Colby Wilkens sounds like an incredible premise and book I would love, but sadly, it does not live up to the incredibleness that it could have been. There were too many ideas in one bucket and too much repetition. And with wishy-washy characters who didn't make up their mind until it was bizarre moments like Penelope deciding to hook up with Neil before they went ghost hunting because what if they didn't make it. I get that it is like a tropey scary movie thing, but a few chapters prior, she hated him. Maybe I just never believed their relationship?

That's when I DNF'd at 68%. I wasn't sold on everyone there being an author. I wasn't sold on the scary house. I wasn't sold on Pen and Neil's relationship. I just wasn't sold. And it wasn't written well enough to keep me intrigued even though the premise interested me. Good idea, lousy execution.

I wanted to love this one- I love horror and ghost stories! I love smut! I love BIPOC characters and authors and love some reality thrown in!

This book was fine. With a lighter romance like this, I'm usually done in a few days but this one took me three weeks to get through because It really dragged in places. I almost gave up but glad I didn't as the action in the last quarter was good (though the ending was only meh).

Wilkens did the horror/ thriller parts well. She can paint a creepy atmosphere! The smut was fun. The characters were insufferable. It was hard to believe the MCs were around 30 with the childish ways they carried on. The book could've used a bit more editing to really flow well, not unexpected for a debut.

I loved the fact that the MCs were Native and there was commentary on the struggles they had in the publishing industry, and I particularly connected with Pen’s feelings of being “not enough” as a mixed woman…BUT then I learned about the controversy about the author and it left an icky taste in my mouth. YES, she may have experienced all these feelings herself if she has lived her entire life thinking she is Native. I DO appreciate that she has now updated her information to reflect that she has no known Native ancestry and that she will no longer write Native stories. She did have important commentary to make, I just wished she had gone through the process before writing this book from this perspective.

I don't normally read romances, but one set in a haunted castle was right up my alley. Neil and Penelope are Native authors--but Neil is categorized as a popular sell-out whereas Penelope categorizes herself as an authentic author...but rarely published. And it doesn't help that Penelope through a book at Neil's head during a conference. Enter a writer's retreat set in a so-called haunted castle. The only thing worse than these two being stuck together...is an actual haunted castle. And they're the only two that can see the ghosts.

In typical romance fashion, they overcome their differences, help the ghost, and have a little heated sex along the way. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers, heartfelt confessions, and romance set against a backdrop of institutionalized racism, then this book is for you.

All reviews of stories are just an individual's opinion, this is a vanilla/ chocolate thing. Although I found the story ok, it just didn't make me want to pick it up and keep reading it. Because I was given this book to review, I did finish the book. It was ok, I can't point to one thing that made it an ok read for me though. Would I read more books from this author, absolutely!

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.