The love interest, Neil, is very sweet and deserves the world. The main character, Pen, is shamelessly unlikable. I laughed a lot while reading this book.

If I stopped Haunting You heads into a rocky start with two writers that seem to have conflicting views of life. Heading off to a Castle for a writers workshop would surely fix things, or not. Nothing like creaks and being stranded to send them off to who knows where! Another travel with netgalley well appreciated.

Enemies -> Lovers ❤️
Books about authors
BIPOC
Spice: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

I really had high hopes for this book. I love ghostly books and a little romance is nice too. Bonus points for a BIPOC author. I did enjoy how the story was from Storm's & Pen's perspectives. I'm not prudish by any means, but every other word is f*ck so it's overused on the verge of being annoying. "Hero" was another repetitive word.

There's not much buildup from from the Incident to the time period they meet up in Scotland. It would have been better to know more about them before they reached Scotland. The insta-boner is a bit rushed IMO.

I appreciate the ghost mystery because it would have been smut and I like a plot with my smut, thank you. However the mystery was lackluster. It was disappointing and the author just had the ghosts have sex just for the sake of doing it... What was the purpose?? I'm sorry, why would ghosts have sex?? The ghost cum was ridiculous.

The "payback" at the end was lame... their friends didn't "make them suffer the hauntings all on their own". Neil and Pen purposefully omitted the hauntings to Lazlo and Daniela. Between the actual screwing and thinking about it, everything could have been solved in like 30 minutes. The last twenty pages were a drag and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Honestly, Pen and Neil's novel about Archie and Georgina would have been more interesting.

To sum it all up:
The title, cover art and blurb drew me in. The story itself will not have me recommending it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.

This is easily the worst book I’ve read this year, with the potential to be the worst book I’ve read in a decade.

I don’t know where to start. Do I start with the bland characters, the blatant pandering, the weak storyline, the lack of character growth, or the terrible dialogue? Because all of the above brought this book down from a 5-star to a 3-star..

There are 4 characters to this book, and only 2 of them matter. 2 of them are entirely useless, only popping up randomly to make strange jokes about the main characters having sex. It’s so juvenile, borderline cringey. Other than that, I don’t know why those characters exist. I’d say the book would have been better without them, but they were so insignificant that it wouldn’t have changed the plot at all.

Neil is a fine character. He’s bland, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with him. It’s the female lead that is reprehensible. She starts the book out by physically assaulting the male lead by throwing a book at his head and making him bleed, even leaving him with a scar. Not that there’s ever a reason for physical assault, but she gives zero reason for it. The main character is mad at the male for having written a book she doesn’t agree with. That’s it.

What drops this book from a 3-star to a 1-star is how this is handled. If this was part of her growth it could be interesting, but the author doubles down on excusing this behavior, going as far as to celebrate it by saying there are groups of people who might “have joked that maybe she shouldn’t have thrown the book, but they didn’t blame her for it in the least.” She mentions that a group of people even sided with her. There is no world or situation written that could make me find physical assault silly to begin with, but to actually hail the female main lead as a hero because of it? I’m speechless.

I was lured in by the great cover and fun premise, and left so disappointed and uncomfortable. Huge miss, I cannot recommend this book or this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

If I Stopped Haunting You is a beautiful, haunting contemporary romance with ghosts, a gorgeous setting, and an all-queer cast of lovable characters.

If I Stopped Haunting You was a delightful treat. I loved the queer cast and the loathe-to-love romance. The characters were funny and entertaining, and the spooky scenes with ghosts in the haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands were so fun! It was lovely and interesting to see the main characters (writers) struggling through writer’s block and the business, then finding their story. The diversity in the story and the Native MCs were excellent additions that I really appreciated. I cannot wait to read more by Colby Wilkens!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I almost didn't finish this book. I wish the characters had been more developed. I wish the plot didn't have so many inconsistencies. A lot of good ideas for the plot, lots of good descriptions for the setting but just not enough of everything.

I requested this book because of the premise and the cover (love it!).
However, this was not a hit for me. I couldn't understand why these two characters would be together, I did not read or feel any chemistry between them. Pen as a character was not enjoyable (not always a negative in books, but it did not help keep my interest in this story). I think the book needs additional editing, the writing seemed disjointed...I kept thinking I missed some sentences and had to reread to make sure I understood the abrupt changes.

Sadly, I'm rating this 2.5 stars. It has potential, but was not for me.

I did a buddy read with a friend and had a wildly good time. Some parts had me laughing harder than I have in a long time. If you like an unapologetically flawed main character and a soft, sweet love interest, this would be a great pairing for you! And if you're looking for some smut with your romance, this had several smutty scenes that you don't have to wait long for.

This book initially intrigued me because of the stunning cover and overall, the story was fun all together. It gave me the enemies to lovers trope that i love, plus the horror aspect that really flows well with romance. The characters were interesting enough to root for and I can see myself rereading dare i say, around halloween, and recommending to a few fellow reader friends.


Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Two words. Bet you’ll never guess them, because I sure didn’t: Ghost. Jizz.

The book goes like this:
Two horror writers who hate each other; one who has really good aim, and the other who has an affinity for getting hit in the head (like a lot), find themselves on a writers retreat in a haunted castle (with extremely horny ghosts?) and their two friends that are just… there.
The two MCs are potentially in danger the whole time, but that’s okay because have sex about it and all is well.

This is the first ARC I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, so just that aspect alone had me VERY excited!

All in all, a lot going on, a little misguided, a few inconsistencies, and not as much chemistry between the two main characters that I’d like. However, I did have fun reading this book. I honestly don’t read a lot of horror and i do think this book might’ve been a gateway into that genre. I loved the vibes, spook factor was great, loved that all the characters were bi kings/queens!

The description of this book was right up my alley! spooky, romance, enemies to lovers, what more can I ask? Also the cover? stop. LITERALLY scooby doo vibes and I love it. I think the fact that this book is to be published during spooky season is PERFECT!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review


3.4/5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but I was a little bit disappointed to find myself not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would. I can usually finish a book in one or two sittings because I lean more towards fast-paced books than slower-paced, and it took me about a week to read this one. I didn't dislike the characters, but I had trouble connecting to them. Overall, this was a good read and I would recommend this book if you enjoy spooky romance!

✨️ paranormal/romance
✨️ slow-burn, enemies to lovers
✨️ release date: October 15, 2024

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc copy of this book.

Penn is angry with the world and rightly so. As a half white half native woman she’s felt like an outcast her whole life. Too white to fit in with the native people too native to fit in with the white people. This has carried over into her work and has left her jaded. The story starts at book con where Pen lays into Neil for selling out and writing a book to be popular instead of something with soul. This blow up tarnishes both their reputations and has left them both with a severe case of writers block. Lucky Laszlo their mutual friend has a solution. A writers retreat in a haunted castle in Scotland… too bad neither of them knew they’d have to spend the retreat with each other. Tensions are high in this haunted love story.

The prose is incredible and really pulls you in. It’s hard to find books that make you forget you’re reading but this was one of them. If you like romance with a dash of horror I highly recommend this book!

I honestly am disappointed with how this book did not live up to what I thought it was going to be. The book’s pace in plot was very slow and I had to force myself to keep turning the pages and complete the novel. Penelope’s character wasn’t one I could connect to, which is something that made the book harder to get into. Several of the scene made me gasp due to the absurdity like… who lets someone bleed and leave??!! Crazy. I hope that this book is revised more because the concept is something I think is truly interesting. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book at this time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an arc of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. It is a “classic rom com” but with a mystery and horror twist. I have read anything quite like it.

Pen and Neil are, in essence, rival writers. Pen is struggling to gain traction while Neil has the fame but at what cost? After a very public argument, the two part ways and want nothing more than to never see each other again. Cue their mutual friend Laszlo and a writing retreat in a haunted castle.

This book took me a little bit to really get into, but once I got a feel for it I really enjoyed it. The characters are fun, the enemies to lovers plot had excellent snarky banter, and the side characters rounded out an excellent cast — both alive and dead?

The overarching mystery was well done and kept me curious, and although horror hasn’t been my thing for many years, I surprisingly liked that aspect of the book, too.

If you want to read something a little different but still definitively a romance, I definitely recommend this one.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I was expecting this to be more of a ghost story, but it leans more towards romance with some spicy situations that you should probably read at home in case they leave you feeling hot. I do like paranormal stories, but the story was very loose compared to the romance of the main characters. I don't think I'm the best audience for this book since I wanted a tighter story and it felt a bit loosey goosey to me. I did like that it had some controversy (in the book) over Native writers since I don't see that a lot. Pick it up if you like romance with some graphic scenes.

This started off a lot like The Haunting of Hill House (the book not movie), but at least things actually happen here, so it one-ups Shirley Jackson. There are actual paranormal elements rather than the suggestion of them and I appreciate that. I also appreciate the friendship dynamics, although near the end, it was a bit odd. At one point, our lead goes running out into the snow and her love interest, who may have a concussion, goes to run after her. The friends are so nonchalant about this that I literally wondered if they or maybe the mains even existed or ~were dead all along.~ Also, this was the most annoying enemies to lovers trope. She hated him for the dumbest reason, most of which was her fault, and then they are alone in a house for four days under the guise of a writing retreat and they're all over each other. On that note, it's not a writing retreat. They just spent a bunch of money to go to Scotland, not leave the house, and pretend to be doing a few writing exercises. And then about 70% of the way through, the haunting and the writing fall completely into the background because the two mains are too busy getting into bed every other chapter. And lying to their travel companions about seeing ghosts, which they think are trying to kill them, which is arguably way more interesting but no, let's just sleep together again. Honestly I'll be impressed if this ends with one of them being dead all along or better, they're both possessed by the dead and doomed couple who died before getting to grow old together and once they exorcise them, the mains will go back to the way they were.
Also at the end she and Neil pull a prank on said silent friends and say its because they "left us to be haunted alone" when it was YOU who kept the damn secret!!
The ending kind of saves it because it was sugary sweet I like that all the writers got to write and be happy, which I somehow hope to do one day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this enemies to lovers, spooky rom com novel. The slow burn was *chefs kiss*. This reminded me of one of my favorite novels, Beach Read, but add ghosts and spooky elements. A haunted castle? Getting snowed in? Forced proximity? All amazing tropes.

I’m so glad I was able to be an ARC reader for this fun book. Here’s my favorite quote: “I just got finger-banged and a ghost watched.” 🥵🌶️😂

It was a quick and entertaining read that I recommend for those who love spooky rom com novels😁

I love this paranormal romance! This was so good. I really love the cover of this book; it's so gorgeous and drew me in. I also loved the Native American representation and the LGBTQIA+ representation. This book is heavy on the romance, with some comedy, paranormal and horror mixed in. There's a few tropes in here that I know others will love, like forced proximity, enemies to lovers and instalust. I do think it would have been better in first person POV or dual POV, but instead was in third person POV. I also think the book could use some better editing, because there was some grammatical errors, as well as the pace and flow were off. I think this would be a great sexy and spooky read for the fall vibes and around Halloween.

Thank you to NetGalley, Colby Wilkens, and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

A solid three stars, I'll admit I did not read the summary for this one. I saw the title, laughed, and requested it. I then went in completely blind (as one does) and I'm surprised to say that I liked this story.

Before I get into the review, I do wanna say that I think this book could use some more editing. I found a lot of typos and other grammatical errors. At one point "Franny" went to "Fanny" and I found that there were a couple areas where the scene didn't make sense how it went from A to B. Like the ghost being behind one of the characters to suddenly being under them to being under something else? That was weird and I had to shift the scene in my head a few times because of it.

Now for the review.

I'm not usually one for romance books, nothing wrong with them, they're just not my speed normally as an ace. But I needed a break after all my other reads this year, the books I read are usually super intense and I just needed something to break the rhythm for a change. This one did a fantastic job of that.

This book is advertised as a romantic, horror, comedy and I would say it leans more on the romance than the horror elements. Sometimes I wanted to roll my eyes at them and just be like "oh for fucks sake just kiss already!" and other times I was like "They're dumb. I love them."

As for the horror elements, when they did show up it was surprisingly effective. But maybe its just because they always seemed to pop up when I read at night. Either way, the horror was weirdly effective in this book.

If you're looking for something light hearted I def recommend this!

» 3 stars ᯓ★

→ i'm so conflicted on what to rate this because on one hand i did enjoy the romance and discussion on the publishing industry's discrimination. but then the rest i was just kinda like .. okay? cool?

🧸┊there's kind of a lot going on here but i'll try my best to explain it – a few months ago, pen and neil were on a board/panel of native writers answering questions, and long story short pen gets angry and throws a book at neil. she faces backlash, gets shunned from the industry, and then falls into a bad case of writer's block anyway. so when her friend laszlo invites her to a writer's retreat to a haunted castle, she goes but finds that neil (man she now hates) is also there. and then they have to stay in the castle together with ghosts and end up falling in love ig.

💐┊my thoughts: there's a lot of them so bear with me for a sec! i didn't love our main characters, they felt shallow and just overall undeveloped. it felt like they had 2-4 personality traits and that's all we learned about them. laszlo and daniela, the two other writers/friends on the retreat with them, served essentially no purpose and were entirely unnecessary to the story despite them constantly being brought up. they had such potential to be the funny side characters but they were more like an intrusion to the story instead.

this is a romance mixed with horror elements, which i was pretty iffy on when i started but i did end up liking the concept! just not this particular story. these ghosts haunting the castle have some backstory that pen and neil have to figure out or else what? they'll be killed? even though there wasn't anything that indicated they would be? this kind of takes over the story in the last 40ish percent too which lost me. it was anticlimactic.

and then the romance was suuuuper lusty. i mean, literally 24% in we get "neil had a boner. for penelope skinner." sir what?? for two people who allegedly hate each other's guts they got over that real fast. within the first day at the retreat they're already on their way to madly in love somehow. the progression just didn't make sense. good spice tho.

and then the commentary on the publishing industry, i appreciated that. maybe rf kuang started something with yellowface idk but i do like seeing authors write about the darker sides of the industry. in this case, the two main characters were both of native american heritage and they talked about how they had to fight hard to get to where they are as authors.

wiiiith that being said, the nativeness felt a little random in the bigger picture. there's constant discussion on the discrimination they face but outside of that i feel like it's kind of a forgotten detail? it's brought up in the context of spiritualism and the way they were raised a bit but honestly the two characters could've been white, black, red, purple, blue, anything really from the way they were talked about. i wish the native culture(s) and beliefs would've been highlighted more, as someone who's unfamiliar with it.

→ if you're looking for a really quick, spicy, spooky read then this is the book for u. i don't regret reading it but i also probably won't remember that i read it at all by the end of the year.

🏷️┊tw: racism, sexism, death (mentioned), war/violence (mentioned), haunting. keep in mind there may be more that i forgot here! ur mental health matters <3