Thanks for the ARC from NetGalley.

I loved how the author started off the story going back and forth with some backstory while introducing the characters. It made me feel for both Penelope and Neil and gave to some interesting moments that you wished would have been followed up on and glad for when they finally did.

Once I got to the end I wanted to know more and see what would become of their next chapter. Please let there be more of them.

Snagged this on Read Now, but after reading the opening chapters...I just have no interest in this couple. Their dynamic is already so immature and off that I have no curiosity to find out what happens. From the mixed reviews here, it sounds like there's not much to look forward to.

Not the book for me. I think that the overall premise is interesting, but the start just felt really slow and as the story progressed, I found myself disliking the main characters and not really getting engaged in their story. The overlap between romance and gothic mystery was fun, but I don't know if it was as well executed as it could have been. I also found it really distracting how the main characters kept alternating between first name and last name. Yes, I get that it was part of the POV and initial "we don't like each other much" vibe, but it grated on my nerves and actually made it hard for my brain to follow. I'm getting old maybe, but I really to appreciate not having quite so much flip flopping on key details so that I can just read and not have to think "who is this again." I mean, sure, it was only really 2 characters, but it still confused me. The other elements of the story that irritated me are the whole book incident at the beginning. That just basically painted Penelope in a negative light to the point where I couldn't get past it. And I felt like the introduction of Neil and Penelope as Indigenous did nothing other than try to throw in something for all audiences. The same goes for Penelope's mention of a "fling" with Daniela; it felt like that was there just so that Penelope's sexuality could be more fluid.

The writing is good. Wordy but good. And there is so much potential. Just didn't deliver the way I wanted and ended up disappointing me a lot.

After throwing a book at the beloved author Neil Storm, Penelope Skimmer, a horror author, finds herself shunned in the publishing world and frustratingly has had a case of writer's block ever since. When her friend and fellow author invites her to a haunted castle in Scotland for a writing retreat, she jumps at the chance to get some inspiration. This was supposed to be an exciting opportunity for her to get some new ideas, however when she discovers Neil Storm is also going to be on this retreat, she seems to be living a nightmare. Speaking of nightmares, the haunted house seems to actually be haunted. Neil and Penelope might have to put their differences aside in order to survive this ghost story they seem to have gotten themselves stuck in...

I love the enemies to lovers trope. I did enjoy the discussion on Native voices in publishing and how Penelope learned that in order to succeed, Neil had to compromise his story to get it published. I think these types of discussions are important for society to see in books, tv, movies, and media. I enjoyed getting the perspectives from both Neil and Penelope. I do think that the ghost story felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying, but the romance part of the story was better. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins' Press for an advanced copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 rounded up.
Pen and Neil are writers at a retreat in a haunted castle. Marketed as a spooky romance, I did not find the book to be very spooky and the romance was lacking.

Transitions were abrupt at times from horror to spice. The relationship between the female and male main characters was rushed overall. I’m not sure what they found appealing about each other based on what we learn early in the story.

The side characters were not fleshed out and I wanted to see more of them, especially Laszlo and Fanny the caretaker.

I did want to find out the mystery side of the story of why the castle was haunted but the reveal was a let down. There were vague connections made but it didn’t really feel resolved as to why the two main characters were seeing ghosts and the other guests were not.

I appreciate the authors discussion of the publishing industry, representation of BIPOC issues, and the sacrifice authors may have to make when getting material to a broader audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

→ I am conflicted on how to rate this book because I loved the discussions about the publishing industry and how the characters fought to represent their communities and yes I would also love to go on a retreat to a scottish castle, yet I found the timeline and certain issues including the romance itself to feel rushed? Just not very believable at times.

🔆| SO the plot……. The main characters Penelope (Pen) and Neil are both horror writers and while on a board/panel with fellow native writers answering questions she gets so mad at the so-called “prince of horror” that she actually ends up throwing her book at him (and yes it makes contact). Now a few months later, due to the rivals mutual friend Laszlo’s organization they find themselves at the same writing retreat in a Scottish castle that is rumored to be haunted. Snowed in with a serious case of writer's block, they find themselves fighting their attraction to each other while also trying to solve the story behind the haunted house they are staying in.


🎀| my thoughts: okay so I will start from the beginning because you’re telling me she threw a book at Neils head hard enough that it drew blood and left a scar behind and was not charged with assault??? They could have made the book almost hit him instead because imagine the roles were reversed here, I’m pretty sure Pen is a gaslighter and deserved to be shunned after literally assaulting him with a book over a differing of opinions.

I was obsessed with the main storyline taking place in a haunted Scottish castle as the two rivals see each other for the first time since the incident, it had such great potential. What I wasn’t expecting was how rushed I felt the timeline itself to be once they arrived including the romance. I wouldn’t call it insta love, more of an insta lust and while it is advertised as fast pace romance there was barely any tension or buildup to their first kiss everything in the whole story happened in under one week I believe? Even if it was fast paced I did enjoy the mystery of the ghost and the haunted mansion aspect of the story more than the romance itself, there might be a few plot holes but they were easily overlooked for the enjoyment of the storyline.

While the characters often acted immature for their age I loved how they fought to have their voices heard and to represent their communities. The depiction and representation of the publishing industry for native authors and how they can be pitted against each other or forced to change their narratives for publication was by far my favourite part of this story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

An entirely fun premise, but I think it just tries too hard. I think I would liken it to the story of The Little Engine That Could in that you can literally hear this story chug chug chugging along the track chanting I think I can, I think I can...and it finally does. I know I'm probably babbling incoherently. Let's just say, I didn't love and I didn't hate it.

This book is a delightful blend of Haunting Of Hill House and Hot British Boyfriend with author main characters.

Four friends/enemies/writers decide to go on a writing retreat together in Scotland. Much to our main characters' horror, their author rival is there too. Through hauntings, mystery, and attempts to write, they eventually realized they work well as a team. And a team becomes much more.

If you're looking for a spicy horror abroad with writers as the central pillar, this book is for you.

Hmmmm. This is a toughie. I enjoyed the ghost story in this and all of the mystery, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance.

Penelope was a little much for more for most of the book. She spent most of the first section of the book just blaming Neil for her problems in a really aggressive way for no real reason other than he was succeeding… it just felt very immature. Yes, they reconciled, but it all happened so fast. It didn’t feel like Penelope ever really grew or developed as a character.

I feel like Neil, the much less flawed character, had much more substantial character growth. I really wanted to like the story, but I just don’t think the romance was for me unfortunately.

This book is an enemies to lovers with a haunting twist.

Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are Native authors who seemingly despise each other. The book starts off with a scene where Penelope chucks a book at Neil’s head at a public event. She’s fueled with rage over Neil’s success and deems him to be a sellout. When Penelope’s author friend invites her to a writing retreat to help her get her head back in the game after being outcast as a. social pariah ever since the book throwing incident, she is surprised to discover none other than Neil Storm in attendance. This is not just any writing retreat either. They are staying at an old, creepy, haunted mansion. Forced to spend her time with Neil, Penelope learns more about the author and his decisions in his writing career. Naturally, the tensions start to build, in true enemies to lovers fashion. But along the way there’s plenty of ghosts and haunted mysteries!!

Without giving too much more away, I’ll say that I’m a big fan of an enemies to lovers trope. Colby Wilkens does a great job at combining paranormal and romance. There’s some decent spicy scenes. It was also interesting to learn a little more about Native writing culture. I would have loved to see more of a slow burn and side character development but overall I enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading more of Colby Wilkens work in the future!

3.5 Stars

I've sat waiting to finish this review for a week after I finished it because I'm so torn on how I want to rate this book.

On one hand, I liked the idea behind the plot (to scrape it down to bare bones: rival writers at a writing retreat in a haunted castle) and I liked the commentary on the trials of being an indigenous author in the publishing industry, and having to change writing to be easily digestible by the masses, when the original drafts hold so much more soul. I also liked the concept of the romance, it was a fun read, and I enjoyed Colby's writing style.

But, on the other hand, the horror elements of this book felt rushed and out of place. There were too many ideas going on between the romance, writing and publishing tension, and the horror story that the paranormal element felt rushed and muddled. I also didn't love the manipulative characteristics of the FMC. I feel like I read the same conversation between the two main characters at least three times, after the MMC explained his perspective the FMC still kept bringing up the same argument over and over again. She blames him for the downturn in her career, like she didn't make him bleed by chucking a book at his head in a public forum. The points she brings up (at least in the first iteration of the same argument) are valid, but overshadowed by her childish and frankly violent behaviour. I would've liked to see these same discussions from a more mature FMC who is willing to view both sides and not be stubbornly stuck in her own point of view.

Overall, if you're looking for a contemporary rivals romance, this is a solid choice. If you're a fan of a slightly spooky book for the fall season or you're looking for a sprinkle of paranormal, you'll likely enjoy this book, but if you're looking for a horror this is likely not the book for you.

Sometimes you read a book that is everything you didn't know you needed. That was If I Stopped Haunting You for me.

Pen and Neil are literary rivals after an explosive public blowup that ended with Pen practically destroying her own career. Neil thinks she is a hothead and Pen thinks that Neil has let down his fellow Native authors by acquiescing to the demands of his publisher despite the harm she feels it does to other Native writers. After Pen agrees to go on a writing retreat, she is not happy to learn that Neil will be coming along. Soon they find themselves snowed in a creepy "haunted" Scottish mansion. As they begin to draw closer to one another and let down their walls, they also find themselves on a path to discover the mystery surrounding the castle's hauntings.

Colby Wilkens writing style is unique and engaging and I loved the authenticity of Native queer voices in this novel. The tension from their rivalry combined with the Haunting of Hill House vibes makes for a creepy yet interesting read. I enjoyed the journey the characters went on as they discovered more about themselves as writers. The only thing I couldn't get past was that Pen threw a book at Neil in the beginning of the novel, which scarred his face- it made it hard to truly emphasize with her motives as a character. Despite this, I enjoyed this book immensely and expect further great things from Colby Wilkens.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Dual point of view romance with some paranormal and spice. I actually loved that the female lead chucked a book at the male lead. It really started the book off with great tension but then it fell short for me. I thought I'd get the chance to really feel the motivation and passion behind her outburst but it didn't happen. I never really connected with any of the characters much less the leads. I'd give this a 3.5.

This one sadly missed the mark for me. It was a little jarring - part ghost story, part romance, part representation about native writers and the push back from the industry but none of those storylines felt fully fleshed out to me. Hard to be invested in the romance when the moment before they were being accosted by ghosts. Also for a writing retreat very little writing or discussion about writing was happening. I also didn’t love the fmc and didn’t seem a ton of growth. Overall just not for me. 2⭐️

Good stuff overall. Lots of repetition in spots.
~~~~~~~~~~
I was looking for something a little different to read and this one landed for perusal. I really like the concept of a bit of romance and some ghost story vibes.

The opening scene is quite memorable between the two leading characters. But what I found interesting as the story continued to develop is that the female lead character was really kind of a jerk.

While her initial anger at Neil could’ve been justified, the fact is she did not articulate it to him at all. It was a burst from nowhere as there was not any in-depth backstory.

There were other parts of the story that just didn’t jive well. The building romance started rather abruptly after the female lead had so much anger towards him. That was odd. Plus, she was a little wishy-washy when deciding between her anger and lust.

Speaking of lust, some of the romance pieces, (of which there were quite a few, Hooray!), appeared at weird times in the story. Like here, we’re going to be haunted, but let’s get hot and heavy. It was kind of odd.

Another portion that struck me was the haunted house itself. The concept is great, the plot was well thought out and worked. But I would not categorize this as horror in the least.

Overall, I did like the story as it is entertaining and different. With some tweaks, I think this could’ve been a 4-5 star read. Maybe the other two supporting characters could have more valuable input into the story. They really did not impact the book other than some comic relief. Not memorable characters.

If I Stopped Haunting You reminded me of a cozy mystery with hauntings and sexy times. There are plenty of entertaining parts for a well-rounded good story.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars. I was excited to see an Indigenous-written and -led romance, and this did not disappoint. I loved this slightly creepy, very steamy romance! I think the horror subplot could've been fleshed out a little further, and I'd have loved if Penelope and Neil's cultures were a bigger part of the story. I'm excited to see what this author writes next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an amazingly original blend of rom-com with paranormal elements, featuring Native characters. The story revolves around Penelope Skinner, who threw a book at Neil Storm, a successful Native writer at a panel for Indigenous writers. Since then, social media turned against her, and she's turned into a pariah. Her friend invites her for a writers' retreat at a haunted castle, but she surprisingly runs into Neil. Then, it turns out the castle is actually haunted with ghosts!

Here is a humorous excerpt from the Prologue, which is from Penelope's point of view:

"Pen wondered how drunk she must have been when she accepted this invitation, because it was a disaster in the making. Her sales had never been great, but she couldn't simply revitalize them with a Book Con appearance and some plastered-on smiles, not when he was in the room with her.
She sweated through the polyester of her blazer as she fiddled with the warped cover of an annotated copy of her book. The edges had since yellowed, and the flags denoting her favorite passages poked out from between pages that were bent and ripped. She'd thought it would make a nice giveaway, but the audience didn't even care that she was there.
All they cared about was him."

Overall, If I Stopped Haunting You if a rom-com with a paranormal twist that will appeal to fans of Divine Rivals or My Roommate's a Vampire. One highlight of this book is how original this book is. It seamlessly blends romantic comedy with paranormal elements. It also has one of my favorite subgenres: books about writers. Another highlight of this book is that it is an #ownvoices book by a Native author. I am so happy to support an #ownvoices book by a Native author, since there are so few in mainstream publishing.

There's a lot to love about this book. I was so conflicted giving this book 4 stars because there were parts of the book that I liked a lot. I did take off 1 star because the dual 3rd-person POV (Penelope and Neil) got confusing at times. Penelope is referred to as Pen, Penelope, and Skinner, and Neil is referred to as Neil and Strong - with the names changing sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. In addition, the LGBT representation felt shoehorned in. This book is very much a heteronormative romance, but multiple characters mention in passing that they've kissed people of the same gender, and then they never talk about it again. However, if you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms with paranormal elements, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Womp. I was really looking forward to this book and it fell pretty flat for me, unfortunately. I've been dipping my toe more into paranormal fiction because I've read a couple titles that I actually enjoyed, but this felt really really campy to the point of just being really cheesy and not in a good way. It did have a decent pace which was good, but that was really the only redeeming quality for me. These two main characters had a lot of miscommunication that felt really frustrating as the reader and it felt like filler to elevate the plot when it did the exact opposite. I will read the author again, but sadly this was not for me.

In If I Stopped Haunting You, Penelope is a determined and strong-minded Indigenous author striving for success in a literary world where her voice struggles to be heard. Her journey to represent her people authentically has been challenging for a number of reasons. Enter Neil, the seemingly undeserving recipient of the success Penelope craves. His widely acclaimed novel resonates with readers, casting a shadow over Penelope's aspirations, upsetting Penelope to no end.

After an initial Incident they are once again brought together to go on a writing retreat at a supposedly haunted castle in Scotland. I loved that premise so I was excited for where it could go. I enjoyed reading from both Penelope and Neil's perspective as I usually do in contemporary romance. However, while their perspectives provide insight into their motivations, their personalities lack depth. This extended to the supporting characters, who were also quite one-dimensional. The main characters had chemistry overall so that was nice. I understand why some might say Penelope is unlikeable and I agree she had her moments, but I felt her passion and could understand where she was coming from with some of her feelings and decisions.

The central mystery of the novel promises intrigue but ultimately falls short of expectations. It was predictable and I think I was expecting a bigger shock or surprise. At the same time there were elements of the mystery that were not fully answered or resolved which was really frustrating.

In conclusion, this novel offers a blend of mystery, romance, and Indigenous representation, albeit with some shortcomings in character development and plot execution.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

I really wanted to like this book. The enemies-to-lovers trope, Indigenous representation, and the Scotland setting are all things I was excited to read about, but this book just didn't deliver a satisfying story. Neil and Pen's relationship just felt forced and awkward. No tension, no buildup. One day they hate each other, the next they're hot for each other and somehow have real feelings for each other, too...? It just jumped way too fast to be believable.

I also didn't like Pen's character. She's just downright mean and vindictive. She's so convinced that she's right, won't entertain other outlooks, and is really hard to root for. There also isn't any growth or personal accountability on her end so the story just fell flat.

I wanted to like this book and I believe it could've been great. It just needed more romance and less spite.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.