Unfortunately, due to the lack of response from St. Martin's Press for the racist, Islamophobic, and queerphobic comments made by one of their employees I cannot review this title.I tried holding off on sending this "review" to give SMP time to do the right thing in response to this boycott, but I can't have this continuing to hurt my feedback ratio when it's out of my control.

This book tries to do a lot and none of them really worked. It’s part Yellowface, part ghost story and part bodice ripping romance.
The characters just aren’t well developed and therefore their pre-romance arguments and subsequent make-up sex just aren’t that engaging to the reader. The sex scenes were steamy. Glad to see the nerdy, homebody knows what she likes and how to get there.

If I Stopped Haunting You centers around Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm, two fiercely competitive authors who share a contentious past, highlighted by an infamous incident at a literary event where Penelope threw a book at Neil. Their rivalry takes an unexpected turn when they end up trapped in a haunted Scottish castle, where their professional tension gives way to a different kind of attraction amidst a backdrop of ghostly encounters.

The author masterfully combined elements of supernatural suspense with sharp, humorous exchanges. The narrative was infused with gothic undertones, yet it remained lively and engaging, thanks to the clever dialogue and the palpable tension between the protagonists.! The writing also thoughtfully addressed the challenges faced by underrepresented voices in the literary world.

I also loved that despite Penelope and Neil’s frequent squabbles, their professional struggles and personal growth are depicted with realism. The supporting cast, including Laszlo and Daniela, added depth and humor, making the story richer and more vibrant.

The plot was an intriguing blend of gothic mystery and romantic tension, maintaining a steady pace that kept me engaged! The haunted setting and the evolving dynamics between the characters were well-balanced, ensuring that the story progresses smoothly while maintaining suspense and emotional depth!

Some of the main themes of the book were:-
- professional rivalry
- the challenges of breaking into the literary world as a minority
- the importance of authentic representation.

The combination of a haunting atmosphere, witty banter, and the slow-burning romance between the leads made this a highly enjoyable read! The tension between Penelope and Neil was so captivating, and the supernatural elements add an extra layer of excitement!

All in all, this book is a delightful mix of gothic suspense, sharp humor, and romance. The characters are engaging, the plot is compelling, and the themes are thoughtfully explored. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read that offers both thrills and heartfelt moments!

Thank you Netgalley for a chance to read this arc!

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

Yeeeeah no thanks. Don’t have anything nice to say so won’t drag out a review. But mostly boring and actually not enemies to lovers at all

This book has the perfect spooky setting with a dash of romance. The story follows Penelope Skinner, an indigenous author who, months ago, threw a book at fellow author Neil Storm. Now, she's become the pariah of the industry, and Neil has a serious case of writer's block. So when the two are both invited on a writing retreat to a supposedly haunted castle in Scotland, they immediately clash. However, the horror authors soon have bigger issues when they find themselves in a real-life ghost story.

This book was pretty good. I loved all the rep for the characters, and it was an interesting mix of horror and romance elements. It kind of gave the dynamic of Beach Read by Emily Henry, except with the ghost elements sprinkled in. Overall I think I wasn't obsessed with it just because the ghost element didn't make a ton of sense to me. However, I can see why people would love this one!

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an enemies to lovers, steamy, spooky read. It’s perfect for people who like some paranormal with their romance. In this book, a group of writers go to Scotland on a writers retreat to cure their writers block. Two of these writers did not have a great interaction the last time they saw each other. While there, they find themselves teaming up on several occasions and finding that maybe they aren’t meant to be enemies. At first, I struggled. But I will admit it’s all on me. I think I was too eager for the haunted castle in Scotland. Once I got to the castle, I had a blast. Thank you NetGally and St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin for the advance ebook and the chance to read this story early.

I have mixed feelings! I really enjoyed the book; I think I liked the plot over the spice aspects. I just couldnt get into how fast they went from enemies to lovers. I think the book had a lot of interesting things to say about the publishing industry.

The premise was really good—enemies-to-lovers, haunted castle in Scotland, ghosts but I felt like it was a bit flat and rushed near the end. The side characters didn’t really do much for the story and honestly they felt like terrible friends to the main characters. It’s a quick read so good if you want a spooky rom-com for October.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

I'm not a big fan of druno/alcoholic characters and when it starts off with a boom about it, it's not for me. It's just not a thing I enjoy reading about.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
👻 enemies to lovers
👻 Native representation
👻 books about books 🤪
👻 dual POV
👻 creepy scenery
👻 just a lillllll spice 🌶️

I love a good enemies-to-lovers because I love the snarky banter between the 2 main characters when they are becoming the lovers part. I literally laughed-out-loud a few times while reading this and I love when a rom-com makes me actually laugh 🤪
This author was a little bit raunchy and foul, and I absolutely loved reading it! The swear words and not so nice words made for a delightfully enjoyable, loud-out-loud funny read. I loved it right from the very start 💕
I have to admit that I judge books based on the cover 🙈🙈 and this one jumped right out at me! (The cover thing hasn’t steered me wrong yet 🤪)
I love a cocky a**hole male main character, and this guy was right up my alley 🤪
I love a good rom-com and I also love a good spooky read 👻 so this book was the perfect blend of the 2, and I really enjoyed it!

If I Stopped Haunting You is about two horror authors who can't stand each other, forced into proximity during a writing retreat in a remote and haunted castle in Scotland. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm have a difficult past, but must come to a truce, and perhaps something more, while on a retreat with 2 other authors in Scotland. The book opens 4 months in the past, at the Book Con where Penelope is overcome with anger (and jealousy) and throws a book at Neil. Neither has written a word since and is hopeful the retreat will help them to overcome their writing blocks. In the process, they encounter the ghost(s) of the castle and develop a romantic connection as well.
As I was preparing to read this book, I looked over the reviews and honestly wasn't expecting to like this book based on the overall rating average being so low. And while I would say that I agree with some of the criticisms presented, I still enjoyed the book overall. There was a lot going on between Penelope and Neil, and I would argue they were never truly enemies, but let a simple misunderstanding spiral out of control. I did find Penelope's internal monologue specifically to be a bit annoying at times, but she showed decent character development and some growth as a person as well. The side characters, Laszlo and Daniela were filler that had no real depth and were really a plot device to bring Penelope and Neil together, and then just kind of disappear from the book. The haunting mystery was pretty obvious from the beginning, and not really all that scary, and the characterization of the ghost as malevolent and potential dangerous felt uneven, Penelope and Neil would alternate between being fearful that they were in life threatening danger to not being concerned about being around the ghost at all. So overall, this book had some weak points, but was not completely atrocious, and because I enjoyed it as a whole, I am rounding up from 3.5 stars to 4.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I was not expecting exceptional literature when I requested this. I just wanted a good time with some enemies to lovers tropes.

This book was.... okay. Not horrible but nothing too exciting. There was some problematic relationship dynamics, and a lot of repetition.

Cute, fun & quick read. The story was fun and kept me engaged the whole time. It was slightly predictable, but I still liked it! Would definitely recommend to a friend or patron who is looking for fun kitschy romances.

This book was just not for me. I was expecting something totally different.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for me review.

I f I Stopped Haunting you is cute with a side of spooky. 👻 I'd say it's a light spooky, where the creepy castle, ghosts and paranormal activity is described so well! 🏰 The main characters and their friends all have such fun personalities that I wish I was on the retreat with them! Pen and Neil have started off both grumpy but they get together and are so sweet (with some spice, of course). 🥰 I love that he lets her read his original book without edits and how in awe of her he is!! 📚

I was really looking forward to this. But, unfortunately I didn’t I really liked the premise of the book but did not enjoy the way it was executed. The FMC was incredibly insufferable. I live enemies to lovers but this just didn’t do it for me.

I really wanted to enjoy If I Stopped Haunting You but it unfortunately didn't work for me. I love the enemies to lovers trope but I did not like this one. I felt the main female character was physically and mentally abusive and that didn't sit well with me. She never had to be accountable for her actions. I would not recommend this book to others because it made me uncomfortable and it wasn't scary.

Penelope Skinner is unable to hold her tongue as she sits on an interview panel with fellow indigenous horror author Neil Storm. His “sell out” books are hits while she can’t seem to write anything new. After the disastrous interview, Pen agrees to attend a private writer's retreat at a seemingly haunted castle in Scotland. The last thing she expects or wants is to find Neil Storm at the same retreat.

I found Penelope difficult to like, her reactions to Neil were way over the top. Little by little Neil broke down her prickly defenses and the chemistry between the two was combustible. The peripheral characters, Laslo and Daniela, don’t add much to the story at all. It seemed like I was reading two different books and might have been better if the author had stuck to either horror or romance. I felt the story lost steam at the end when resolving the mystery of the haunting. I'm giving this 3⭐️because it was easy to read, the story flowed smoothly, and the chemistry was written well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

📖ARC Review

✨If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🗓️Releasing October 15, 2024

Months after publicly calling out fellow author Neil Storm, author Penelope Skinner is having a hard time writing anything. So, when she is invited to a writers retreat in Scotland by her friend, she decides to go. Unfortunately for her, Neil is also there. Will they reconcile? And what’s this about a haunted castle….

So this book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Penelope annoyed me a bit - she refused to take any of the blame for her own downfall, when she was the one who called Neil out first (and threw a book at his head). The situation could’ve been handled a different way. I also thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic. The romance in this book was cute, I do love enemies to lovers.

Thank you so much Colby Wilkens and NetGalley for this ARC! If I Stopped Haunting You is releasing October 15, 2024.