This was SO cute!
Such a cozy-spooky-christmasy all in one?

Lex and James seems to be opposites where Lex is content to stay in her “bubble” James is a paranormal filmmaker and it was amazing watching these two interact around each other!
It’s got the cozy romance vibes with spooky AND christmasy vibes such a fun read, there was a 3rd act breakup kinda but it didn’t bother me as much as normal, overall it was such a fun read!

I loved reading this mainly because age wise the MCs were more relatable

3.5 rounded up to 4. Wow, this one packed more of an emotional punch than I was expecting.

Lex loves her hometown and doesn't want to leave. She lives in the house her grandfather built for her grandmother (even though it's falling apart) and works at the local bookstore (even though her boss won't let her implement any of her marketing ideas). To some, she may look like she's settling, but to Lex, its heaven. When James comes to town to film a documentary about local ghosts, she tells herself it's a bad idea to indulge her little crush. He's only going to leave when the film is done. But Lex can't deny their chemistry.

The set up for Haunt Your Heart Out is so cute. I loved the chemistry between Lex and James and how compatible they were. And the scenes where James was afraid of the 'hauntings' were priceless. But I think my favorite thing about this book was how whether or not the 'hauntings' were real or fake tied into Lex's perception of herself. She thought she was the least favorite daughter, a disappointment, a screw up, only to discover that her sister though that Lex was the golden child, and her parents were proud of her (even if they didn't always show it). I bawled my eyes out unexpectedly and I loved the ending.

This was a cute book and worth adding to your spooky season TBR.

With its quirky characters, witty dialogue, and whimsical plot twists, this novel is sure to cast a spell on readers from the very first page.

This was a perfect little holiday read!

I think most of my indifference comes from requesting it and reading it at the beginning of summer, when it's a halloween-y and snowy vibe in the book, and I just couldn't entirely connect.

The characters were very sweet though, even if Lex got a little annoying at times. I really liked James and Lex's relationship, even if it was a little insta-love, which im not too big a fan of. I feel when it's insta love that the angst and excitement dwindles before the middle of the book, but the pacing was pretty solid for this one. The end got a little long and it dragged but at least it was the end.

The small town vibe was lovely!!! The synopsis refers to Gilmore Girls and the stars hollow vibe served.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Haunt your heart out by Amber Roberts - review

3⭐️
2🌶️

First of all Netgalley and Alcove press thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to read Haunt your Heart out by Amber Roberts in return for a honest review🥰

Haunt your Heart out is a small town romance set in Stowe, Vermont. The home of a witty, anxious, thirty something bookseller named Alex, or Lex in short.
After dropping out of university because of her mental health she decides to work at the local bookstore Dog Eared fulltime. She had inherited the house of her grandpa, which she loved and is quite content with her life.
One night James, an out of towner, paranormal filmmaker drops into the bookstore. He is making a ghost movie with his friend Julian about the ghosts in Stowe, which are slightly based on the youtube videos of Haunted Happenings (Lex’, alterego Luna, and her bestfriend Nathalie’s channel). But is Lex able to resist James’ charm, knowing he will leave and she is not planning on leaving Stowe ever.

I really liked the romance and the background plot of the movie. It is such a fun plot 🎬📽️.

The characters of Lex and James are also so loveable and adorable and their banter was just 🤌🏻. And James’ dog seems like the cutest little bean ever 😍.

I also really liked the main characters both being LGBTQ+, Lex being pan and referring to her earlier relationships which were non hetero and James being bi.

The book is such an easy and fast read and definitely something to read for halloween or Christmas as it is also set during these holidays. Not really the timing for me at the moment 😂, since it is just starting to get warmer and more sunny ☀️ out, and the book mostly talks about snowy ❄️ weather 😅.

Overall a great, fast romance, nothing out of the ordinary but really enjoyable 🥰. I would definitely recommend this read for the more cozy times of the year. Especially if you love the vibes of Gilmore Girls and Hallmark movies 💕✨.

If you're looking for a cozy, Hallmark vibes romance, Haunt Your Heart Out checks all those boxes. The setting, the small town of Stowe, Vermont, was perfect. I loved all the descriptions of the bookstore where Lex works in particular. This was the perfect read for cold winter nights on the couch. Lex and James are super cute together and I appreciated how they helped each other through their respective family situations.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paranormal in the winter with characters in their 30s? Sign me up!

I've never been a fan of insta-love. I like the characters having to work for their happy ending and waiting for them to finally get together. But, I have to say, I enjoyed Lex and James' chemistry and didn't mind that they got together quickly. It may have dwindled a little in the last third and their breakup and getting back together was a little rushed, but I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would.

The book, unfortunately, was a little long. I don't think it needed to be as big as it was. With so many pages, things kind of got repetitive. Overall, though, I liked it! If you want a cute, spooky story for the winter, I strongly suggest this one!

Lex loves living in her small town running a bookstore even though most of her friends and family have moved away. She has a few rules, one being no dating tourists. This rule is tested when ghost hunter James comes to town. He is part of a crew that has been drawn to the area in part due to a fake YouTube series created by Lex and a friend when they were younger. Lex agrees to help James and his team research the ghost stories in town. Problems arise as Lex begins to develop real feelings for James while tracking down the fake ghost stories.

I had a lot of fun with this book! The characters were great and I loved the fake ghost hunting aspect. Lex and James had great chemistry and banter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 38%

I really wanted to love this one - a romance with spooky vibes and small town charm it sounded perfect for my Halloween loving heart. But unfortunately it was a miss for me and after really trying to push through I decided to DNF. 💔 (which to be clear I don’t do.) I saw the author wrote about not liking scary things so I knew not to expect horror content so I expected this to read more like Ghost Whisper or Being Human. (Funny or emotional ghost stories but not scary.) Unfortunately, that was not the case and the ghost stories in this weren’t interesting. Honestly, this story felt like it was dragging from the start and really struggled with its pacing. The relationship between Lex and James was just eh and it didn’t really make me feel anything…I wasn’t rooting for the characters and I wasn’t attached to anyone. Personally, I also think this story coming out so early in the year was a mistake because the fall vibes aren’t here yet to give it that extra oomph.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc and I apologize for not being able to finish and enjoy it. 😢

I love that I’m finding more books with people in their 30s. I will say I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if I had read it during the fall. But I thought this was a quick, cute, fun read!

Lex loves her small town life. She grew up creating ghost stories & now lives in her grandfathers old run down house, despite her parents wanting her to sell it & move away. Loves her job in the local bookstore, even though her boss will not let her take artistic control to bring in more business & calls her everyday to check in. Other than her best friend, everyone in her life has moved away, leaving Lex with a sense of abandonment.
James works on a documentary crew & comes to town to get proof on the elusive ghosts that haunt the town. Lex knowing the truth & unable to be attractive to James's cockiness tags along to help the crew get footage. But Lex tries not to fall for James, as she couldn't handle another person leaving.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. A 30something who runs a cute bookstore & created a vlog about the hauntings of her town who falls for a fellow ghost hunter, who also has a cute dog. And the cover is super cute. I enjoyed the beginning, but about 30%-40% into the story started to feel bogged down & I started to lose interest.
I wish the romance had been a slower burn. Lex & James were hooking up about 25%-30% into the book & wish we had a more of a build up of them exploring their attraction before giving in.
We never forget that Lex has abandonment issues as this is brought up all the time. It became so repetitive, it felt like nothing else was moving forward in the story as was so stuck on this point,
This had all the makings to love this story, but after struggling to get this finished for over a month ended up DNF'ing at 64%. Feel so disappointed as really wanted to love this is.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit I read this in the wrong season - it is definitely more of an autumn/winter book due to the setting of the story but this didn't put off my enjoyment.

Anyway on to the review. This was a really nice romance novel with a slightly quirky mystery and suspense plot running alongside it. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a cosy romance with a supernatural edge to it.

We meet Lex "Just Alex/Lex" McCall and her best friend Nat in a cozy, winter scene in Vermont. She protects her heart and mind by following a strict set of rules. No leaving town, and no falling for tourists. Enter a tall drink of soy, no foam latte. A hero from the beginning, James soon becomes a swoon-worthy crush for Lex and the readers. A part of a ghost docu crew, we quickly learn there is more to James then what's on the cover.
I enjoyed the pacing, as it sit well with the setting. I enjoyed how when we unravel Haunted Happenings and see the depth of Lex and Nat's friendship, the book picks up speed, and more drama ensues.
I found the family arc, which started as the family doesn't understand my life trope, very satisfying as we got closure along with Lex. I did wish the couple conflict was drawn out a bit more, but I almost found it gratifying that the conflict was easy to clear up. It's almost as if conflict can be resolved by communicating. I honestly liked that the heartbreak wasn't long lived.
I also enjoyed the inclusion of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and her back story. I loved that every character had some depth.

This book is great for people who remember early internet videos, those cheesy ghost tv shows, and wholesome Halloween movies year round. Think Hallmark channel makes a haunted rom com.

A big thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily..

Haunt Your Heart Out featured some of my favorite things in life (and in book tropes): a cozy Vermont small town setting filled with holiday charm and an old bookstore filled with used books and coffee. I related to Lex in SO many ways so I’m a tad biased towards her story. I couldn’t help but root for her to take over the old bookstore even if her ways of going about it were a little questionable. (Slight spoiler alert!) I cheered so hard for her happy endings: both in business and in love.
The beginning of James & Lex’s love story was definitely my favorite, and I hated that they fell into the miscommunication trope but such is a romance book classic. I loved the way this wasn’t just a love story between James and Lex, but between Lex and her best friend and Lex and her family. Watching Lex navigate the, at times difficult, dynamics of these relationships truly brought the book home for me. I didn’t expect to love the California scenes as much as I did, but watching Lex and her sister open up to each other was one of my favorite storylines. This book is so much more than just a feel good romance it addresses the challenging ways we interact with people who love us but don’t always show it. I hope we get more from this universe, I would love to read another book by Amber Roberts.
Thank you so much to Alcove Press and NetGalley for letting me review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute and cozy read. I was anticipating it to be a bit more spooky, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ‘snow globe town’ love story. The main character did read much younger than she was, but the story made sense enough for that to not bother me. Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was a really cute love story with the spooky paranormal vibe perfect for reading in the fall. I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between the main characters, Lex and James. I also really enjoyed the small town setting and bookstore. It kind of gave me a Sleepy Hollow feel. The ghost stories were fun and I liked the Halloween and Christmas timeline. Some parts of the book were a little slower and hard to get into, but overall it was a cute romance with a side of ghosts.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book made me smile in so many ways, It was so adorable and the spooky element just oozes pumpkin spice for me!
I definitely enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it to all if you're after a light hearted fluffy romance
Would highly recommend reading it during the autumn season to match those vibes.

⭐️: 3.5

This was a cozy, cute, hallmark romance with a little fun spooky vibe to it! I really like the FMC because I was able to relate to her in many ways and overall, I thought her personality was funny. The MMC was fun too, he was sweet and cute when it came to their conversations with one another. I did feel like, at times the plot would get a little hazy and it felt like a different plot line which would make it feel like it was dragging.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Big thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this arc! (:

This book was cute yet underwhelming. Lex is a relatable FMC, living a relatively simple life as a bookseller and barista. Her small hometown in Vermont seems adorable and especially perfect for cozy winter vacations. Then she meets James, a semi-long-term visitor and fellow admirer of ghost stories and haunted happenings. He's cute and swoon-worthy, and they have great chemistry. It's an adorable set-up, but I still feel like the story was lacking. The background spookiness and Halloween vibes over Christmastime make things a little more interesting, but nothing to write home about, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

This was such a cute Hallmarky romcom! I loved the Halloween/Christmas vibe! Such a cute story and I loved the MCs!