Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Not a great read for me sadly, but it has such promise!

Pros:
Unique setting in that you have paranormal writers retreat + ghosts + mystery + romance
BIPOC representation and in depth look at BIPOC author experience in traditional publishing
Spice

Cons:
Deeply unlikable fmc. Like I hated her so much and it made it hard to finish the book at all
Rushed mystery element made it seem perfunctory
Whiplash from how quick the plot went from literally anything to spice

DNF'd at 37%. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get myself to keep reading. While I was enjoying getting to know Neil, Pen was just too frustrating of a character and the constant we're friendly/ we hate each other just wasn't vibing with me.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-ARC!

I really wanted to like this but it was almost painful to read. The premise was intriguing and I thought this would be the perfect palette cleanser book but it sadly wasn’t. We follow two rival authors, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm play out the enemies-to-lovers troupe in a writer’s retreat in Scotland. They eventually find themselves experiencing mysterious paranormal activity while reluctantly finding each other attractive.

This sounds super promising. But I couldn’t wrap my head around how insufferable our female protagonist is. Not only does this book completely dismiss the gravity of Penelope THROWING a book at Neil and leaving him bloody, but she takes no accountability and gaslights Neil into thinking it’s all his fault. Her constant “woe is me” personality further distanced me from the story.

While I appreciate the BIPOC representation, it’s overshadowed by the toxicity of the central relationship. Even though most contemporary romances are fairly predictable, they are still enjoyable. But this fell short because of the underdeveloped suspense. The setting and the idea of rival authors trapped together held so much potential for a fun, cozy, and suspenseful read, but this sadly missed the mark.

"If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkens, readers are thrust into the tumultuous world of two feuding writers, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm, as they navigate a writers retreat at a haunted Scottish castle. While the novel delivers a fast-paced and engaging read, offering insight into the challenges faced by BIPOC authors within the publishing industry, it ultimately falls short in several key areas.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of the publishing industry and the hurdles BIPOC authors encounter in gaining recognition and representation. Wilkens adeptly sheds light on these issues, adding a layer of depth to the narrative that resonates with contemporary concerns.

However, despite its timely themes, "If I Stopped Haunting You" struggles to escape the trappings of predictability and surface-level storytelling. The horror elements, set against the backdrop of a haunted castle, feel cliché and fail to deliver the spine-tingling suspense expected from such a setting. Additionally, the relationship between Pen and Neil, central to the story's progression, feels forced and lacking in authenticity. Pen's abrasive and at times abusive behavior towards Neil makes it challenging for us to empathize with her character, detracting from the emotional depth of their dynamic.

The supporting cast remains underdeveloped and largely absent from the narrative, leaving us questioning their significance to the story. This oversight contributes to a sense of disconnect and leaves characters feeling like mere placeholders rather than fully realized individuals.

Overall, while "If I Stopped Haunting You" offers a quick and entertaining escape, its surface-level exploration of themes and predictable plot may leave readers craving more depth and nuance in both character development and storytelling.

It's a great premise: two rival horror writers with a conflicted past, end up at the same writing retreat in a haunted castle, when sparks fly between them. Interesting plot point that both are Native American writers focusing on indigenous characters in their works, and their differing experiences as authors definitely fuels their interpersonal conflict. Dual POV enemies-to-lovers story with elements of romance, horror, and mystery. This book had a lot of potential, but for me it just never clicked. I didn't find the characters to be very sympathetic or likeable and I found it hard to invest in their outcomes in the beginning. That struggle continued as I got further in. As the book went on, I grew farther away from the fmc, and some of her behaviors towards the end of the book felt self-serving and callous. Actually, the actions of both main characters frustrated me during events towards the end of the book. I think there was promise to this story, but it felt unevenly written. Almost like the book wasn't sure what kind of narrative it wanted to be and the plot got spread a little too thin in trying to cover multiple angles well. It also takes a while to get moving and, for me, dragged during the first 25-30 percent of the story. Thankfully things started moving more quickly in the second half of the book. This is a debut novel by this author so hopefully these are just growing pains for her. I do like that the main characters evolved to be supportive rather than adversarial. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

Four writers go to a Scottish castle for a writer's retreat. It has romance and horror. It was an interesting read.

First-Nation horror writers on retreat in a haunted Scottish castle, plus romance? That's a fresh take on the romance genre that I can get behind! Represent!

After publicly assaulting Neil Storm, a successful Indigenous horror writer at a panel, struggling writer Pen (who is mixed Anglo and Native) is ready to give up on her already-stalled career. But a friend organizes a writer's retreat in Scotland, where, to only Pen's surprise, the cutie-patootie horror writer is also attending. Along with another Indigenous writer, a woman with whom Pen had a fling some years previous.

Once installed in the castle, Pen and Neil are thrown together by the ghost of the castle. Sparks ensue.

Fans of romance will welcome the enemies-to-lovers trope—and the spice. Both Neil and Pen must overcome self-doubt, and their inner dialogues pepper the narrative, which may or may not appeal.

The genre often requires the willing suspension of acceptable social conventions (assault is NOT acceptable behavior in a mate IRL, as far as I'm concerned), as well as a certain glossing over of details (how many times did Neil hit his head? Why did they reenact the ghosts' haunting in the west-wing bedroom for their fellow writers?), but it's all part of the romance game.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

I started getting jumpy while reading this book which was a good sign to me that it was time to DNF. What I did read i enjoyed however, it wasn't enough to write a decent review.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

"If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkins presents a captivating exploration of love, loss, and the lingering echoes of the past. Wilkins deftly navigates the complexities of human relationships, interweaving haunting elements that add depth and intrigue to the narrative. The characters are richly drawn, their struggles and emotions laid bare in the pages of the book.

However, some readers may find themselves grappling with the pacing of the story. The chapters tend to stretch on, occasionally testing the patience of those seeking a brisker tempo. While the extended length allows for thorough character development and immersion in the story's atmospheric world, it may also deter readers who prefer a swifter narrative pace.

Despite this pacing concern, Wilkins' prose remains evocative and engaging throughout. The author's ability to evoke a sense of unease and melancholy is commendable, drawing readers deeper into the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and redemption.

I was looking forward to reading this book because of the horror and romance aspect! I will say that this didn't disappoint, but it also didn't entertain me as much as I would have liked. I would say this is more spooky rather than horror. It's an enemies to lovers romance that has Penelope/Pen, Neil and friends going to a haunted house on a writers retreat that involves ghosts. I liked that book had a queer FMC and that the characters were Native. Overall, I loved the concept of the book and that it was fun and fast-paced. Even though I'm giving this book 3 stars I would still recommend it to others! I didn't necessarily enjoy the part about the FMC hitting him in the head and making him bleed. Penelope didn't have much character growth besides ending up falling for Neil and vice versa, but for the majority of the book don't enjoy each others company. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liked this one! It has have elements that other readers will like: enemies to lovers, gothic settings, and books! Will be a cozy read and perfect for spooky season!

I obtained a DRC from NetGalley for this book.

Four writers head to a haunted castle for a week-long writer's retreat. This is an enemies-to-lovers romance/horror story.

Starting with the things I liked, I have to say the horror aspects really shone in this book. The suspenseful build-up was really decently written, I kept wanting more in that department. A few moments of levity had me chuckle out loud. I appreciate the main couple are Indigenous, and the FMC is also bisexual although that didn't come in to play as much as I expected it to.

The enemies-to-lovers goes a little too hard on the enemies part for me, I found it hard to believe the lovers transition because of that. I get major red flags on the relationship considering <spoiler>the whole thing starts with one main character physically assaulting the other.</spoiler> If that had happened to me, or if I had done that to someone else, you can be damn sure I wouldn't lock myself in a castle with them for a week, let alone become romantically involved with them.

The FMC growth happens more in spurts than gradually over time, which also made for some jarring reading. I found several plot holes that I hope are sorted out ahead of publishing. At one point <spoiler> the groundskeeper is on the phone with them, and a sentence later she is "suddenly there", with zero explanation as to how or why </spoiler>. The ending of the ghost's story left me feeling bereft too, in the end there just wasn't much to it.

I wouldn't strictly stop someone from reading this book, but I don't think I'd push it as a must-read either.

I enjoyed reading this enemies to lovers book, told from the viewpoint of both main characters. The pace was good, and the writing was very descriptive so that you could really envision the ghosts haunting the castle. Graphic sex scenes. A solid 4 star read, and I would definitely read more by this author. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the digital review copy.

I love the book it was so good I couldn’t stop reading it I love the lgbtq version and that its a haunting romance, paranormal. Thank you for letting me review this book!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

The book’s description was not entirely accurate as an enemies to lovers, with a haunted house thrown in. While that is essentially true of the plot, there was a much deeper under current of the white washing of the native voice in literature as what really set up the two mains as “enemies.” Which made the story of Pen and Neil that more interesting.

The haunted house story is what kind of lost me along the way, but overall enjoyable.

I loved the setting and the premise of rival writers ending up in a haunted Scottish castle together. The representation was also well done. But ultimately I didn’t find the main character very likeable. She was argumentative in a way that didn’t quite resonate with me. The story fell flat to me about 50% of the way through and I had to dnf.

I’d like to thank NetGalley for the digital review copy and the chance to review this book!

A horror rom com with enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers Pen Skinner (FMC) and Neil Storm (MMC) end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland.

Read if you like:
-slow burn enemies to lovers
-he falls fast & harder
-all queer cast
-Native main characters
-a haunted castle in the Scotland Highlands setting
-ghosts + ghost stories
-writer’s retreats
-dual POVs
-snowed in
-main characters who call each other by their last names 🥵

Alright this doesn’t surprise me, but I ate this one up. 😂 Paranormal? Enemies to lovers? Spooky twist? AND set in a haunted castle in Scotland?! Sign. Me. Up. Those are four of my favorite things. And it was such an easy and fun read! I pretty much binged it in one sitting. Colby’s writing made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

I absolutely loved the bickering between Pen and Neil. Their banter was hilarious. I really feel like having each of their POV made this book what it is.

10/10 for the beautiful cover

Add this one to your TBR, especially for spooky season! 👻

Thank you to Colby Wilkens, St Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest voluntary review!

Loved the cover and the premise of this one: literary enemies end up at the same writing retreat in a reportedly super haunted Scottish castle and a bunch of pants-off business ensues.

An enemies to lovers romcom + horror is pretty much my dream combo, but this unfortunately fell flat for me overall. I appreciated the commentary on the publishing industry and the additional roadblocks to publication faced by Native and other BIPOC authors, but the over-the-top rivalry between Neil and Penelope felt forced, and I found both of them to be pretty irritating. The ghost business started out fun but never became particularly spooky, and the explanation for the haunting was lackluster and the whole thing kind of fizzled out by the end.

All of that said, I would really like to read another book by Wilkens - she clearly has a ton of potential for unique storytelling and genre blending that I'd love to see developed further!

I loved the idea of this and the cover is absolutely stunning. This book was a little chaotic for me, but if you sit back and enjoy the ride this was extremely fun!

This book was an equal parts spooky haunted house and spicy rom-com, with a serving of social commentary and a sprinkling of Scooby Doo vibes. It was a highly enjoyable read, and I ended up reading it all in one day.

That being said, I still have a few issues with the book. SPOILERS AHEAD. You have been warned.

First off, I had some issues with the side characters. I wasn't sure there was a benefit to having them not experience the hauntings as well. I think it would have been great to have them all experiencing this together and maybe some of the injuries could have been spread around a bit... poor Neil is going to have lifelong medical issues from all the times he was injured in this book. Having them not all experiencing this made the side characters feel VERY secondary. Every time they popped up I would think "oh I forgot you guys were here".

And then my other issues were minor and mainly personal quirks. I do not consider this an enemies-to-friends romance, I consider it a rival-to-friends. To me, enemies are ENEMIES. Would go to war against each other. Would slash their tires. Would give their phone number to telemarketers. Being rivals in the same industry does not enemies make (in my opinion). And then the classification as horror does give a higher expectation of the scariness of the story. Is cozy horror a genre? If so, I would put this under cozy horror.

All that being said, I quite enjoyed the experience of reading this book. I am not generally a critical reader and tend to rate my books based on reading experience. For that reason, I am rating this a 4-star.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.