“If I Stopped Haunting You” by Colby Wilkens offers a unique blend of enemies-to-lovers romance and supernatural intrigue. However, I personally struggled to fully immerse myself in the writing. While the spooky elements and sexy thrills are present, I found myself disconnected from the narrative. If you’re a fan of fast-paced romances with a ghostly twist, this book might still be worth exploring.

I really was hoping for the best on this book. I normally don't like giving reviews that have low ratings, but I just could not get into this book. I understand the enemy-to-lovers theme in the book, but I had a very hard time getting through it. Pen (or Skinner, as she is called mostly in the book, instead of by her name, which should have been the Chapter names then instead of "Pen"), seemed to really have a lot of rage and then all of a sudden flipped a switch, like she couldn't make up her mind. Plus, I didn't feel the storyline of the haunted mansion for the retreat was relevant. The retreat could have taken place anywhere. I don't feel the haunted mansion theme needed to be in the book.

I was so excited to read this book based on the description about romance as well as a paranormal/horror aspect, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

The beginning starting right with the prologue felt so rushed, it was hard to connect with the characters, Penelope and Neil, which then made it extremely difficult to connect with the characters as they developed throughout the book.

I did enjoy that it was a dual POV and some of the commentary and banter between characters. The spice in the book is well written too!

Although I know it’s supposed to be a romance, haunted house/horror it kind of doesn’t fit any of those genres and just balances a line. I think the book has great potential, it just didn’t do it for me unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the ARC of this book.

I'm so glad I grabbed this book when it was available because it was easily one of my favorites so far in 2024! A mystery/horror book combined with spicy enemies-to-lovers rom-com, sign me up!

I absolutely devoured this book in one day. I loved the Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ representation, and Colby knows how to write a feisty heroine who also realizes their own issues as well. The overall character growth for her in this story was fantastic. Neil and his tender little heart easily won me over. Their romance was swoony and hot at the same time.

I didn't really expect this book to be as spooky as it was (yes, I know it's labeled as paranormal), but that made the mystery element so much more fun! The ghost stories and literal ghosts kept you guessing. I'd say the only thing that was a bit of a letdown was the mystery reveal as it wasn't much of a twist, but that was truly the only part I didn't absolutely love.

Check this one out if you love spicy rom-coms and paranormal romance when it comes out right before Halloween!

I had such an interesting time reading If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens. It's definitely a book that is different from a lot of what is being published today and I applaud it for that. The romance was okay but the characters felt a little flat for me. I just feel like the story needed a little something more and the characters didn't have much chemistry.

I had a lot of fun reading this book! Every part of the story worked well for me, from the mystery of who was haunting the house that hosted the writing retreat, to the enemies-to lovers arc between the two main characters, to the critique of the representation of indigenous people in popular books. Pen was an endearing and relatable main character, and the supporting cast were all well established with clear POVs. Finally, the scene setting in the castle where the story took place was great, and the tone was a good balance of scary, sexy, and silly.

I was so happy to be able to review this debut novel by Colby Wilkens. I was hooked from the first chapter, diving into Pen’s mind of doubt and hurt while wrestling with her own identity was a powerful beginning. Months later and due to a friend’s involvement, Pen and Neil find themselves forced together on a writers retreat turned haunted mystery; full of library shenanigans, not-so-nice ghostly jump-scares, and a need to clear the air between two rivals that had more influence on each other than they would like to admit. Combining horror, romance, comedy, and BIPOC issues into one novel made it an easy read. The burn is slow but the spice is hot and the ghosts will give you the shivers! Coming out Oct. 15th this is a must read for the spooky season! 👻🖤📓

The concept had the potential to be interesting, but the execution fell flat. The characters, relationships, themes and overall plot just felt underdeveloped.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book has a unique concept, two rival authors end up on a writer's retreat in a haunted castle together.

I will start off by saying that I don't regret reading this book, it was fun, spooky, and spicy... I just don't think it was particularly memorable. The main characters aren't likeable and the second half drags on. I get the feeling that the stakes are supposed to be high but they just... aren't.

If I Stopped Haunting You had such great concepts from the horror-romcom genre mashup, to a writing retreat at a haunted castle, to Native characters, to the enemies to lovers trope; however it failed to deliver and left me bored and disappointed.

It started off rough, with a choppy prologue in which protagonist Penelope has a very public explosion of anger that culminates in her throwing a book at rival author Neil. Without the backstory to explain her actions, the prologue failed to have the intended emotional impact and left me both confused and uninvested in Penelope's story. I would have put the book down at this point, but pushed through because it was an ARC.

In general, the book suffers from a lack of explanation, both of character thoughts and actions, and of setting. I was often confused as to why the characters were doing what they were doing and I had no concept of what the settings looked like--a missed opportunity to describe the Scottish landscape and the haunted castle.

The setup (writing retreat in haunted castle), which should have been a goldmine, was confusing--I was left wondering many things about the organization of the retreat, but most importantly, it was unclear whether the characters knew the castle was haunted when they signed up for the trip. The author also failed to create moments of creepiness and suspense, which I was looking forward to, and the characters were often indifferent about the castle being haunted unless it was necessary for plot reasons. Then they went immediately back to being indifferent.

The relationship between Penelope and Neil was seriously underdeveloped, probably as a result of their underdevelopment as characters. Their enmity is based on a single moment that occurs in the prologue. They rehashed the same event over and over, apropos of nothing, without adding anything new. There was no real depth to their enmity and neither developed as individual characters. After each argument, they went back to their inexplicable lust for each other. By the end of the story, I knew almost nothing about who they were as people, their backstories, or what they wanted out of life. I wasn't invested in the characters or the relationship at all.

The less said about the side characters, the better. They were cardboard cutouts and utterly irrelevant to the plot. They appeared when necessary and faded into the background when not. They had barely any personality and no personal goals. They existed only as stage props for the main characters to interact with.

The horror elements were a let down partially because the characters didn't seem to care about the ghosts and partially because the rules of the world were unclear. On a single page, the characters go from knowing the ghosts are bad and that they might die in the castle to wondering whether the ghosts are really malicious, with no explanation for the change. As late as 75% of the way through the book, they were wondering whether the ghosts could hurt them. As a result, there was no urgency and no stakes to the plot at all.

Ultimately, the story had far too little substance, from the undeveloped characters, the underdeveloped romance, repetitious exposition, unclear/nonexistent character goals, and lack of stakes.

I should have listened to my instincts to DNF this book after the prologue.

IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU is such a fun read! It’s a little spooky with the haunted castle atmosphere, ghosts lurking at every turn, and it’s a little spicy with an enemies to lovers arc that’s full of tension. Beneath all of this is the picturesque setting of Scotland which makes the story even more immersive. The blend of horror, tension, and witty banter is tied together nicely in a gothic ribbon and the supporting cast of Laszlo & Daniela are so much fun.

So fortunate to have been able to read an ARC from NetGalley before this story drops and I encourage everyone to add it on Goodreads and keep an eye out for next October!

this had promise but the execution was a little lacking imo. I liked the tension. The writing of the spicy scenes was really good and the dual pov was good. However, the plot felt super forced and I just couldn’t get into it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

3,5 stars, rounded up to 4. I really loved the premise of this book, and the characters and setting all have a lot of potential. The author is very talented at creating atmosphere and interesting characters. I liked the dual POVs, and each character brought interesting perspective to the dynamic of trying to succeed at traditional publishing as BIPOC authors. I would like to read future work by this author, though I ultimately didn't connect to this book as much as I'd hoped to.

It may just be personal preference; the FMC is interesting and well-written, and I didn't mind her conflict with the MMC at the beginning of the book. What I did mind was that he was expected to apologize for their encounter, but she never takes accountability for her role in the conflict. I understand her frustrations with him and the position he holds as a more famous writer, and I can see her feeling driven to call him out on a public platform. Throwing a book at his head is played for laughs, though, when as a reader, it just didn't feel completely justified. In their later encounter, she keeps berating him and telling him he needs to own up for what he's done, but she never acknowledges that she resorted to assaulting a complete stranger over a difference of opinions. This reaction might have made more sense if they'd had more of a backstory, but it just felt confusing that this was their first time meeting each other, and she felt justified to not only publicly call him out and shame him, but also to physically attack him. Again, it might just be personal preference, but it felt hard to route for the main character when she doesn't acknowledge any wrongdoing and maintains a self-righteous high ground for most of the story, that all of the other characters seem to support (including the MMC, who seems to very quickly gets over this person who humiliated him and tanked his career).

I was so excited to read If I Stopped Haunting You, it seemed like it was going to be the perfect read for me. Unfortunately, the trigger warnings page left me thinking this book wouldn’t be for me. I didn’t want to read it, but thought it would only be fair to give it a chance. I skimmed the first 5 chapters and already hated the characters. Pen was extremely unlikable, and I decided to save myself from any further reading. (Upon reading other reviews here, Pen doesn’t get any better and I’m glad I skipped this one.)

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

Decided to skip for now, the chemistry between characters felt subpar at best, and the motivations were hard to at least find something to stick around for.

This was a fun, spooky read and I've really never read anything like it before. It was enemies to lovers and forced proximity (which I have definitely read before), but there was a large sprinkling of horror elements that were done really well.
A group of writers (some are friends, some are not) travel to a haunted castle in Scotland for a week-long writing retreat. Two of the friends (who are enemies, but find each other very attractive) start noticing and hearing things that the rest of the group does not, and decide to get to the bottom of it. The main characters are Native American and touch on how that affects their experience in the publishing world.
The scene is set really well and I enjoyed the Scottish castle -vibes-.
Thank you to Net Galley for the e-ARC!

I enjoyed this book. I found it to be entertaining and it had elements of horror with the haunting of a castle and romance was in there too. I loved the setting being a haunted castle and the mystery of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing company for giving me access! All opinions are completely my own.

I thought was this book was really cute. I enjoyed the banter and the wittiness of the two characters. It's always interesting to see how writers portray other writers. I loved the dynamic between Pen and Neil. I thought they had the perfect amount of chemistry, and the perfect amount of hatred for each other. As for the rest of the plot, I enjoyed the spookiness of the book. At some points, I felt my own heart was racing because of how scary it was! Overall, this books was solid and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this!
First and foremost: the steamy scenes are quite good. The dual POV is quite good. I actually liked some of the commentary regarding race and being an indigenous writer.
But after that I'm not sure what this book wanted to be. Is it a romance? Is it a horror novel? It never really dipped its toes into either but instead sort of straddled a whole bunch of lines. I was never really creeped out, I thought the leads moved a little too quickly from enemies to lovers (attraction only goes so far) and I really wanted some good conclusions on the ghost story. Also, for a book very centered around indigenous writers, I didn't think that story line really got the send off or culmination it deserved either.

This book was amazing! I loved the characters and the plot was very well written. The writer is very talented and the story was very interesting.