I love reading books by different writers that approach story’s with their own ethnic background mixed in. It gives me a way to learn about traditions and cultures that I otherwise wouldn’t know about.
I shall be doing a white sage cleanse now when something just isn’t right in my home.
This book was cute, and although a bit predictable…. The ghost piece kept me guessing as to how much of the book was in her head vs the entity in the home. It was almost like this ghost was waiting for her to arrive and set them free.

I really really wanted to love this one I feel like it had such a great start but I felt like it was a little slow and fell flat. The haunting could have been more scary. And the steamy scenes just were not it. I feel like there was no real relationship development, it was kind of just rushed and forced.

2/5 read for this one,

I have to say, I'm so disappointed! I had really high hopes for this based on the description. A spooky paranormal romance? A castle in Scotland? Yes. Enemies to lovers? I'm in. The premise seemed fun and unique, which is where the 2 stars come in to play. Outside of that, there wasn't much else I enjoyed. The writing felt a bit flimsy, the plot was a bit all over the place, and the female main character just seemed genuinely awful and unlikeable? Ugh, maybe this one just isn't for me, but it had all the makings of something I would love and just didn't deliver. I'm sad to give this a poor rating.

I have never been a fan of anything horror related, even just haunted places/people. That being said, this was a cute book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of hauntings and romance. I also loved the Indigenous/Native representation. And the just above subtle fact that all the living characters were LGBTQ+.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is a delightful blend of romance, spooky thrills, and rich cultural nuances. This enemies-to-lovers romance with a haunted twist takes readers on a captivating journey through a haunted castle in Scotland, where rival horror authors Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm find themselves not only battling their past grievances but also confronting real ghosts.

The premise itself is intriguing—two feuding writers trapped in a castle with unresolved feelings and supernatural entities. Penelope, reeling from her professional fallout and writer's block, sees the retreat as a chance to reignite her creativity. Neil, on the other hand, seeks inspiration while nursing a bruised ego from Penelope's harsh critique. The dynamics between them are electric, filled with witty banter, palpable tension, and an almost-kiss that leaves both characters questioning their animosity.

Wilkens excels at weaving in elements of suspense and romance, creating a fast-paced narrative that keeps readers engaged. The haunted castle setting adds an atmospheric charm, blending spooky chills with sexy thrills. The plot is well-structured, with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing about the true nature of the haunting. The incorporation of Indigenous heritage and the struggles of being a person of color in the publishing world adds depth to the characters and the story, providing a refreshing perspective that enriches the overall narrative.

However, the writing occasionally falls into repetitiveness, which can slightly detract from the reading experience. Some readers might find the ghost's story resolution a bit underwhelming, lacking the punch that a more intricate mystery could have delivered. Despite these minor issues, the book's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.

The character development is one of the book's standout aspects. Penelope and Neil's journey from adversaries to allies is convincingly portrayed, with their interactions evolving naturally as they confront their fears and insecurities. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the progression of their relationship feels authentic and satisfying.

Overall, "If I Stopped Haunting You" is a charming and spooky romance that balances humor, tension, and cultural richness. While the mystery aspect could have been more complex, the book remains a highly enjoyable read that fans of both romance and horror will appreciate. If you're looking for a novel that offers both laughs and chills, this one deserves a spot on your TBR list.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Colby Wilkens for granting me this advanced review copy.

You can see my full review and thoughts on my blog! I'll be publishing the post on October 14th, 2024, a day before the publishing release date! leylaslibrary.wordpress.com/2024/10/14/if-i-stopped-haunting-you/

*** I received an e-ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***

I had high hopes for "If I Stopped Haunting You," but unfortunately I was disappointed. From the beginning, it became evident that the book missed the mark on various fronts. The dialogue felt clunky, the characters seemed to lack clear motivations and chemistry, making it difficult to engage with the narrative. The opening scene at the convention was particularly awkward and confusing, with Pen's sudden outburst and subsequent dialogue feeling forced and unnatural. The overall tone and character development left much to be desired, making it challenging to connect with the story. Overall, the book failed to deliver on its potential.

✨ Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

I never read horror, so this was slightly out of my comfort zone, but because other reviews insisted it wasn’t *that* scary, I decided to try it. I did have to stop reading it before bed, and finished the next day, just because I am really squeamish about anything even remotely scary. I think trying to do a romance and a horror/mystery is a really ambitious and heavy lift. I think aspects of both for me could have used more development. As someone who’s lived in Oklahoma for the last ten years, I really wish the Indigenous aspects of this book had been more primary in the marketing—I would have read it sooner. More Indigenous authors and stories, please! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC!

Native writers Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm wind up on a writers retreat together after Penelope literally threw a book at him months before because of his stereotypical Native books. Now, they’re stuck in a haunted Scottish castle.

This kind of fell flat for me.

In a Scotland castle, two rival Indigenous authors with deep seated resentment and a violent past incident are tricked into attending the same writers retreat where they come together to solve a ghost story.

She has big feelings, he has big feelings - and I feel that the author does good job expressing where those frustrations come from which is ultimately that Indigenous authors are often watered down to be more marketable to the masses in the publishing industry. If not ultimately making them seem full of emotions that they don't quite know how to direct.

Overall, this was an alright read - definitely on the fence between a 3.5 - 4 ⭐ . There was some slow-burn and the spice was about a 3.

There were parts that were slightly cringe, a lot of repetition going on as the dual POV bounced back and forth. The last 25% of the book was a big of a whirlwind, but there were some solid character growth and dialogue which was nice to read. And it's marketed as a romance infused horror story, but I didn't get that vibe. I would have classified this solely in the paranormal romance category.

Goodreads review has been posted and linked below.
Amazon review will be posted once available.
IG/TT reviews will be posted closer to publication date.

I read If I Stop Haunting you by Colby Wilkens. When Pen and Neil realize they are stuck for a week at a writing retreat at a castle and they have to learn to make the best of it. In between all the sparks flying, the banter back and forth and trying to figure out why these ghosts still roam the halls, they don't get much work done. They had to figure out why Georgina was searching the halls for Archie, and haunted everyone that entered the halls. It was a fun read finding out how they could overcome their differences and get closer for the ghosts.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins’s Press and Colby Wilkens for the ARC.

If I Stopped Haunting You is uniquely entertaining and such a fun read. Perfect for the season, grab a blanket and a pumpkin latte, you’re in for an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley & St Martin's Press for access to this E-ARC! This was so cute! Loved the characters & the spooky vibes. Will definitely read more from this author.

I really wanted to like this book, but right from the start I knew it was not going to be a good time. Every single aspect of this book is What Not To Do When Writing A Novel. Clunky dialogue, awful characters without true depth, telling instead of showing, no true motivation for the characters’ actions, no chemistry, characters without purpose. I could go on.

This book really did not open on a strong note. The entire convention conflict was clunky and awkward to read. Pen randomly exploding at a public event completely unprovoked and then having weirdly broken dialogue with her nemesis on stage had me more confused than intrigued.

Overall the prose itself is fine, but the character decisions and voice are very immature and unnatural. There’s a line with romance novels that separates reality from believability of silly events, but this just soars past that line right out the gate and doesn’t set a good tone at all.

The depth that the author is trying to achieve with the characters identities feels like a caricature rather than something authentic. It’s strange that Pen criticizes Neil for writing stereotypical characters and stories that pander to white audiences when that’s exactly what this book feels like. I was excited to see a romance with two Indigenous leads, but all their identity did was serve as unnaturally forced conflict. It was so flat and lifeless.

Overall this is not the book for me, as I really don’t think it delivers in any capacity.

Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are two Native horror authors stuck in a years-long rivalry. Both are left in a writing slump after their feud publicly reaches a head. Months later, Pen and Neil find themselves coincidentally on the same writing retreat at a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Ugh I wanted to love "If I Stopped Haunting You" so badly but that just wasn't the case. The romance between Pen and Neil is just flat. It's toxic and they jump from enemies to insta-love so quickly in a way that doesn't account for the supposed years of animosity between them. Their characters are also lackluster. The author teases at back stories for both of them (really all the characters) that are never fully developed or even explored.

The same can be said about the horror aspect. The ghost story holds so much promise initially, but instead, it's underwhelming and the resolution doesn't fit all the setup. The story poses so many potential plot points and connections (i.e. Pen's connection to the castle) that fail to go anywhere.

The bones are certainly there. Unfortunately, this whole story feels like an early draft that needs a strong editor to help shape it into something great.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy!

Feuding writers end up together in a haunted castle. What can go wrong? The answer is a lot. The enemies to lovers trope can be difficult to balance between when they stop feuding and when do they fall in love and the timeline was too sped up. There was not enough tension building to make this trope work. We also have the issue of the FMC Penelope having serious anger issues bordering on physical abuse. This is not the way to achieve a successful relationship. This book had a very fun concept but overall fell flat

I just really couldn't get into this, I don't think the authors writing style is for me. I thought the premise sounded exciting and the cover art is gorgeous but it ultimately fell flat

I thought this book was pretty cute. It did take me a while to get into it though. I will say that the story progressed pretty fast once I got into it but it did not captivate me as much as I thought it would.
I thought the premise of them being two Native writers struggling to write and being thrust together on a writing trip in a haunted castle in Scotland was really interesting. I found the ending to the ghost story to be lackluster and I wish there had been more horror elements within the story. I did find the romance to be pretty fast paced, in the sense that Penelope and Neil went from hating each other and ruining one another’s careers to being attracted to each other very quickly but I found they were pretty cute together. I do wish we would have seen more of Laszlo and Daniela as they didn’t seem to be fully fleshed-out characters.
Overall, I thought this book was a pretty quick read and I would recommend it to someone wanting a quick, spooky, romantic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC.

Thank you for the advance readers copy!

Okay, it wasn’t terrible.
But it wasn’t good either? Somewhere in between?
When I was reading it I didn’t find myself just annoyed and forcing myself to get through it. But once I put it down, the want to pick it back up was very slim 😅
The plot didn’t make a ton of sense to me
But the little romance pieces I thought was cute

"If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkens is the book you didn’t know you needed to pack for that weekend getaway where you just want to chill but also kinda want to be on the edge of your seat. Picture this: two snarky writers with a knack for supernatural spooks, trapped in a haunted Scottish castle (because, why not?), figuring out they might just be into each other—amid ghosts and old castle vibes. Penelope and Neil are this explosive mix of funny, irritating, and endearing, turning what starts as a typical enemies-to-lovers trope into a wild, ghostly ride. It's like someone tossed romance and horror into a blender and cranked it up to an 11. The banter is spot-on, the scares are legit, and you'll be rooting for these two not just to make out but also make it out alive. Totally a thumbs-up for a breezy, spooky read!

3.2 stars = it was fine. A lightweight romance in a spooky/horror wrapping. I really didn't have the problem that other readers had with the heroine - yes, she was prickly. But it that prickly based on fear that is not too uncommon in the romance genre. My issues were more that I had the same problem that I often have with romantic suspense and that is the transition straight from the creepy to the physical bits of the romance. It just doesn't help build the romance for me. The other issue is that I didn't really think that the ghost part of the story held together once the mystery behind the haunting was revealed. It didn't seem like the kind of thing that would generate such a spooky manifestation.

The story was interesting as a change of pace though.


ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unpaid review.