This is a hard one to review. While I enjoyed the indigenous representation and the fact it was a horror romance, it felt off. I wasn't really into the "enemies to lovers" aspect but there were some cute moments. The setting of the plot was fun and the cover is adorable! I think this writer has a lot of potential for future books.

Even though this wasn't my cup of tea, I think others will find it fascinating!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I found this book to be extremely irritating. I didn’t like that the main characters kept calling each other by their last names and I didn’t find it spooky at all, even with the haunted castle setting. I also think literal physical abuse is not a good look - even if it’s in a book and it’s “enemies to lovers”. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Due to the SMP boycott I will be refraining from publicly reviewing SMP imprint books. Once #boycottSMP demands are met, I will share my review publicly.

ᴘᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇɪʟ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ʀᴇᴀʟ-ʟɪꜰᴇ ɢʜᴏꜱᴛ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴏʀʀɪꜰʏɪɴɢ, ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ꜱᴛᴜᴄᴋ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ꜱʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ (ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ʜᴏᴛ) ᴀʟᴍᴏꜱᴛ-ᴋɪꜱꜱ ʜᴀꜱ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʀᴇᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ… ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ?

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

🖤 Indigenous American/Native Representation
🖤 Rival Writers to Lovers
🖤 Ghosts and Mystery

I will not be posting a star rating for this ARC for a handful of reasons:
1. I really want to support this author, and am hugely supportive of books surrounding Indigenous American stories
2. I think this author has a lot of potential for future works!

I enjoyed several aspects of this book, including the dialogue around problems with publishing and making your culturally influenced book 'digestible' and the Indigenous American/Native representation. The spicy romance scenes were well done, and I love a split POV novel!

There were a few things that held me back from a high star rating on this book, however. I think the pacing was a little off throughout, for both the romance and the mystery (though, I think it was a little better for the mystery portion). For me, I think the core of this book had a ton of potential with a few different pacing options.

I also felt like scene transitions were awkward and could have used some hard cuts to transition. This could help with some of the pacing issues I mentioned as well.

I wish the conclusion to the mystery had been a bit more in-depth. I wasn't particularly shocked by the ending at all, and I felt like something more intricate could have been woven to make that moment a bit more exciting.

Overall, I think this novel has a great heart, and I think this author will produce some awesome work in the future as they continue to write!

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I'm a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story, but this one fell short.

The characters were very one-dimensional, and I found them all to be rather unlikable. The queer representation felt like the author was just checking off a box, and didn't lend anything much to the development of the characters. I could say the same for the Indigenous representation in the story. Other than giving the characters a subject to battle over, it felt really forced, and not at all fleshed out.

I was really hoping for a good ghost story, and was sort of left with a soggy romance?

I do appreciate getting the chance to read it in advance, so a big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is an enemies-to-lovers romance that also involves some piteous and terrifying ghosts in an old castle. The romance aspect feels hurried and pretty unbelievable, the characters are a little flat, and there are some motivations that aren't clear. Everyone is queer, which is great, but I felt like the bi representation was just added to tick off a box. They've all had romantic interludes with at least one other member of the four-person party before the events of the book, but that really doesn't matter. The author also tries to bring in Native American representation, and while it's the subject on which Pen has battled Neil, it too feels like it's pasted in to check another box. I loathed the manipulative friend--Laszlo--who forced everyone together and would 100% have walked away if I'd been Pen, one of the protagonists. That is no friend. I'd requested this more for the gothic and supernatural aspects, but the ghosts' story is never fully explained or resolved, and Pen and Neil do a lot of work hunting for information that they've already been given, all of which is very frustrating.

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"If I Stopped Haunting You" deserves a solid four stars for its entertaining blend of romance, humor, and spooky thrills. The setup of two writers at odds with each other stuck in a haunted Scottish castle is unique and engaging, drawing readers in from the start.

While the ending feels rushed, and some plot points remain unresolved, the journey is delightful, filled with laughter and tension. Colby Wilkens excels in crafting witty dialogue that keeps the banter between Penelope and Neil lively and engaging.

Although the supernatural elements may become somewhat predictable, the chemistry between the characters is undeniably captivating, making it easy to overlook any minor shortcomings. Overall, "If I Stopped Haunting You" offers a thoroughly enjoyable escape into a world of romance and mystery, perfect for a spooky season.

This was cute. Did I get engrossed in it? Not particularly. Nothing really stood out and grabbed me. I read it. Enjoyed it but I forget any emotions it evoked in me beyond “it was cute”

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I love a good enemies to lovers book, who doesn’t? And combining it with horror sounds like something right up my alley. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and the idea of this book was super fun.

I liked the concept and execution of this story. The use of indigenous Americans as the main characters is quite refreshing. The mystery involved with the Scottish castle at the writer's retreat is very intriguing; especially since all the writers write horror and thrillers. The overlaps with names and circumstances, I thought, added more depth to the story. The writing style and character development were done well and the story was fluid.
Penelope feels like she has to prove herself as a writer to everyone; she has some pretty deep self-esteem issues. I like how the author used the tension and rivalry between her and Neil to help them help each other; once "the gloves were off". This is a story of acceptance and most importantly self-acceptance; needing to establish and bolster up a persons self-esteem without detriment to anyone else.

My only personal issue with this story is that the sexual tension is sufficient to get the feelings across without the detailed "romantic encounters". In my humble opinion they didn't add any more substance to the story. That being said, I did enjoy it and would read additional works by this author.

This was an interesting read. I had never read a book like this one. I’ve never read a horror and romance book. I think it was so funny when Penelope threw the book at Neil at the beginning. It was a great enemies to lovers book.

This hauntingly beautiful tale by Colby Wilkins, "If I Stopped Haunting You," left me utterly spellbound. From start to finish, it's a gripping slow-burn romance that delicately hovers over every curve of its journey, leaving you longing for more. Wilkins' prose is exquisite, her humor a delight, and her ability to blend horror and romance is masterful.
While the pacing may feel slow at first, the gradual buildup of suspense adds to the overall experience, keeping you eagerly flipping through the pages. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, the lines between reality and fiction blur in a spine-tingling exploration of love, betrayal, and the power of storytelling.
For fans of slow-burn romance, spooky tales, and thought-provoking storytelling, this book is a must-read.

This was almost what I wanted it to be. There's definitely a lot of potential here and a really fun idea overall. However, the romance felt a bit forced and unrealistic for supposed enemies, or any real relationship for that matter. Fantasy doesn't have to be unbelievable. I loved the commentary on Indigenous authors and their efforts in the publishing industry. The spooky atmosphere was fun. The background characters were flat and I feel like the story would have been the same without them. I'd recommend this to someone looking for a quick, cheesy romance. Overall I felt that it was pretty okay. It was very redundant in parts where Pen would think something, then say the idea aloud, and then think about it again, meaning I had to read the same passage three times. Some parts jumped around a lot, and were hard to follow. One moment the ghost of Georgina was sitting at a desk writing in her journal, and without mention was suddenly shoving Neil who was across the room. Some flowing details would have made scenes like this more believable. Also, we don't have to use the characters full government name every time they're mentioned. It gets tiring. So does the term "folds" for vulva.

This was not romantic. It was not scary. It wasn't anything really. It didn't deliver anything it said it would. The female main character is unlikeable in a bad way (because I do think you can be unlikeable and still be good). They were not enemies to lovers. I don't think you can really do that in modern contemporary setting. Pen is an awful character

Horror and romance combined in a book, sounds amazing doesn't it?

Sadly, this one just isn't that good. The horror wasn't scary at all and the romance had absolutely no chemistry. I'm all for open door romance, but only if it's written good and this one made me cringe more than anything.

I honestly could not envision our two main characters together. It felt so forced and fake, even at the end I wasn't even rooting for them!

The plot fell flat for me and I couldn't care less about anything that was happening.

I was really excited for this book, however I'm 68% through and I'm just not sold on the story. I was most excited for the haunting and the spooky vibes this book would provide however I'm 2/3 through and I feel like it's just not getting properly addressed? I also am not sold on the main characters enemies-to-lovers romance. I feel like they truly hated each other which excited me, but nearly overnight they decided they wanted each other and to get it on and that they actually had feelings for each other and the L-bomb was starting to be thrown around? I just didn't buy it.

I also feel the "hatred" they had showed such great promise however the FMC's arguments was just the same statement reworded every time the two main characters were in the same room.

After reading the marketing description, I was looking forward to snuggling in with this book.
The synopsis sounded like a good haunting and love story.

I regret to say that this book was a disappointment on both counts.

The main characters being described as enemies to lovers was believable in the enemies part of the book; a literal book thrown at Neil's head is pretty much enemy territory.
The "lovers" side of the coin was forced, written too soon with no build up, and very shallow.

The castle was intriguing, when we first arrive there.
I've always been a sucker for a good haunted castle.
This one was just okay.
There were no "things that go bump in the night" that elicited any type of emotion in me.
Even after getting the first glimpse of what was at the end of the West Corridor, I never once thought, "What are you doing, Dummy? Under NO circumstances should you even think about going back to the West Corridor!"

While I do not want to sound critical of a young author, I have to mention that this book had several phrases and words used over and over and over again, that made my skin crawl each time she used that same word/phrase YET AGAIN.
Note: As my copy of If I Stopped Haunting You is an ARC, it is possible that the final copy of the book will have edits to correct the number of times a character "Puffs out their cheeks" "sucks on their teeth" and "hisses" at someone. (Do people really "hiss" at one another?)
Nothing distracts me more while reading a book than repeated words and phrases that scream for the use of a thesaurus.

I completed the entire book and I am still not sure why the ghosts were still in the castle.
There wasn't a good "unresolved" reason as to why they remained.
The only thread of this that I could discern was that the ghosts were there to teach Pen lessons for her own life?
I don't think that is how it works.

I was perplexed by the nonchalance of the other 2 writers' attitude when Neil was clearly badly injured with a head injury yet wanted to go out looking for Penelope.
Laszlo and Daniela were cardboard characters throughout the book.

Finally, it drove me a little crazy the way sometimes Pen was "Skinner" and sometimes "Pen" and "Neil" was sometimes "Neil" and then "Storm".
I found this to be very distracting and didn't see a reason for the back and forth use of first/last name, in the context of the use of said names.

The sex scenes felt thrown in so the book would appeal to YA readers looking for "spice".
I skipped through page after page after page of those scenes as they were completely non-steamy.
They were also written into the context of very inappropriate places.
For instance, if the "haunted" castle was truly written as a legit "haunted" castle, I don't think I would be feeling lust over terror if I found myself suddenly trapped in a room where the door was just slammed shut and locked by an unseen entity.

The "revelation" that had Pen back on the right track was as forced as the "attraction" and "spice".

1.5 stars rounded up to 2 because though I didn't enjoy this book at all, I will give credit to a young author who has written at least one more book than I have.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are so many great things about this book, o was impressed by the writing itself. The haunting plot was flushed out and the descriptions were so impressive I stopped myself several times just to reread parts. Unfortunately I also stopped myself to try and remember what the timeline was, days and hours seemed to be compacted and drawn out all at the same time, it’s really the biggest opportunity and I would absolutely reread and hopefully give 5 stars if it were clearer. This book has a great shot at being an indigenous, LGBTQ+ inclusive hit, romance thriller hit with a little structure.

I’m having a hard time engaging with this book. The summary and concept for the book interest me but the execution is not there for me. I’m having trouble empathizing with the FMC, which of course isn’t necessary in a book but is important to me in a book of this genre. The writing can be a bit too on the nose also. Lots of telling and not much showing. Less than 10% in, I’m told that the enemies are very much alike. Don’t tell me, especially this early, show me! At times I was also confused about the setting. Where were we exactly? What does it look like? At this time, I can’t finish the book because it is not sustaining my interest. I do plan to try again after some time though. If I do, I’ll update my review accordingly :)