Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, this one wasn’t for me. The main character came across quite abusive. The relationship was toxic. I hate to give a bad review but this one wasn’t for me. :(

This book is a spooky romcom perfect for this fall. I love reading these kinds of books during the chilly season. Thanks netgalley and st martins press

Loved the premise but unfortunately I had to DNF at 25%. Pen just wasn't working for me I didn't like her attitude or how she spoke to people, the scene was not set up at all which left me lost on the whole reason they are at this writing retreat, and the reasoning behind being enemies??? Girl that is you're fault not his like it just didn't feel that serious (maybe I am wrong and it is, that is totally fine I just don't feel the need to stick around and find out).

The premise of this book sounded so cute and fun. I was excited for a romcom set in a haunted castle with two enemies/rivals romance.

So, what made this not work for me? The assault right up at the front. When someone intentionally throws a book hard enough to leave a scar? That’s honestly unsettling. If the roles were reversed and he hit her? Would that be okay? No. This could’ve been done with Pen missing Neil — but no.

I really wish things were done different but she gaslights and blames him. And I just feel it was toxic and not cute. Also way too many usages of “fingers”

This book, and this author aren’t for me.

This was not at all what I expected or wanted this book to be. I was hoping for a fun, paranormal romance but got an obnoxious, annoying main character that I did not want to read about.

If I stopped Haunting You follows two Native authors who are rivals turned enemies on a writer's retreat in a haunted castle. This book has so much potential. It was a mix of romcom and spooky haunted vibes that could have been a very cool combination. Unfortunately for me I think this fell short in the writing. A lot of showing, not telling. The issues were resolved so quickly and we were left with a still snarky FMC who was also mushy gushy somehow. The romance didn't work for.

I did enjoy that the two MCs were both Native and navigating what that means within the publishing world, and how they even had preconceived notions about the other.

This one was ok. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers plot. I also enjoyed the haunted location. The ghosts added a fun twist. I just thought the story was a little slow. I was glad to get a resolution on the ghosts backstory by the end though.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found it incredibly hard to get through, and the characters were giving me *nothing* when I wanted them to give me everything.

I have been in a huge fantasy/paranormal/magical realism mood, and I figured this would scratch my itch for a paranormal romance, but I was just disappointed.

ended up DNFing :( cover is gorgeous tho!

I do not like writing negative reviews for books because guess what, a person spent a lot of time and wrote a book! This isn’t something I can say I have done, so I always try to keep things lighthearted.

I really struggled with book. I’ve read supernatural romances before, but I felt like the author was just doing TOO much. Some things I did nothing for the plot and really just made it seem like she was checking boxes. I also still don’t totally understand the main conflict with the ghost and what needed to be resolved. Things were repetitive and it took away from the story.

I think that there are good bones to this, but as it currently stands, this book was not for me.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is lyrical and evocative, making every moment feel almost tangible. The tension between holding on and letting go is palpable, and you can’t help but feel invested in both characters’ journeys. The supernatural elements are woven seamlessly into the story, enhancing the emotional depth without overshadowing the human experiences at its core.

*If I Stopped Haunting You* is a touching, unique take on the romance genre. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy stories with a bit of the paranormal, but it’s the emotional resonance that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. This book is a five-star read that will haunt you—in the best way possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 30%

I was really trying to hold out in hopes the characters would suddenly stop being insufferable. Alas, here I am.

This book is based on the premise of a lot of publishing drama and began with the FMC throwing a book at the MMC's head? Honestly, that all I was able to retain from what little of his book I did read.

I tried.

“If I Stopped Haunting You” is a paranormal romance following two Indigenous authors, Penelope and Neil, both struggling with writers’ block, who attend a writers’ retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland. The two are bitter rivals, as Penelope criticizes Neil’s choices to make his work more palatable for white readers and also throws a book at his head, and Neil makes cutting comments about Penelope’s lack of sales for her own book. Brought together by happenstance and well-meaning friends, they go through the enemies-to-lovers storyline at this retreat, which is also haunted. I was hoping for a fun spooky atmosphere but was sorely disappointed, as everything describing the setting fell completely flat. I also couldn’t stand Penelope’s egregious levels of immaturity and defensiveness. Romance novels usually require some sort of miscommunication or misunderstanding in order to have a functioning storyline, but her complete inability to consider that other people might have thoughts and feelings was just excessive.

I wanted to like this book so much. The author clearly has talent and good ideas. I think a good editor could have helped whip this story into something more presentable, but as it stands, it’s disappointing. I don’t believe the “enemies” part of this enemies-to-lovers romance AT ALL, because once they reach forced proximity with each other, they immediately switch to insta-lust. That’s all it took? Then y’all were never enemies to begin with, if you ask me. Still, it’s 60% before we get spice, and by the time we get there, I’m rolling my eyes too hard to enjoy it. She’s spent her savings to come to this “writing retreat”, they’ve only been in the castle for a day, there’s still five or six days left, but they haven’t done hardly ANY writing and they’re humping each other in the library already. I feel like this is a DNF… Maybe I’ll finish it? But I already see the flaws and don’t see how with what’s left of the book they could be satisfactorily resolved without a rushed conclusion. Again, the right editor could help clean this mess up, but it’s not presentable just yet.

thank you SMP for the chance to review If I Stopped Haunting You. This is a nice entry into the gentler spooky season reads, a nice blend of paranormal with romance that will appeal to fans perhaps of Erin Sterling's books and similar reads. It wasn't quite for me but I am also not the target audience for these themes/tropes. I love a romance read but I don't lean into supernatural themes and I found myself at odds with wanting more from the romance and plot and fighting to appreciate the supernatural themes.

It was okay, plot was nice. I thought of it as a comfy read. But I honestly wouldn’t pick it up again.

DNF. I'm super disappointed because this sounded so interesting, it's enemies to lovers, just in time for spooky season, and it has great representation, but there is just way too much swearing for my liking. Character Neil uses the f-word as an adjective in nearly every sentence, and this word appears on almost every other page. It's way too much. There are better ways to get strong opinions across that don't use curse words.
The setting of a writing retreat in Scotland is very unique, though. I just couldn't bring myself to like any of the characters except Laszlo, and even his character is a bit flat.
I'm sure this book will have its audience, but unfortunately that audience is not me.

The ghost story portion of this story was so well done. The tension and suspense in those scenes had me on edge and shivering with anticipation. I felt the relationship could have been fleshed out a bit more between the two leads.

Thank you St. Martin's Grffin and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this book, but I really disliked it. I am not sure if it was the audacity of both of the characters, but I just could not buy their love story. It seemed like too much hate to get past, too much animosity to be believable that they would fall for each other. Sadly, this one was not for me.

Thank you for the ARC!

What a fun and spooky read. I was immediately taken in and couldn’t put it down! I love a good romance with paranormal side.

2.5
This book has all the right descriptors and still missed for me. Given the haunting setting, I went in with the highest of hopes and excited. Not to mention the MCs being Native and the representation being there. Sadly it wasn’t enough.

I found myself completely bored and the spice was thrown in so awkwardly it felt weird and misplaced. I was in no hurry to finish. I might go back in and try to reread it with lowered expectations and a different mindset but I feel this one officially missed the mark for me.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.