⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
🌶️🌶️ spice

A wholesome small town romance with a side of ghost hunting. I don't know why I looked at this book and thought "oh cool, she falls in love with him then finds out he's a ghost" 🤦🏼‍♀️ ...I've clearly been reading too much paranormal romance. It's far more cute and less complicated than that, this is all about two would be lovers who come together over a mutual interest in ghost hunting.

The characters were likeable, and the snow capped town and bookstore setting gave us all the cozy, spooky vibes that had me aching for a hot cocoa to accompany me on the read. I could not agree more with what others are saying about this book...it's giving Gilmore Girls. Stars Hollow is exactly how I pictured this Vermont ski town, complete with its own beguiling bookworm. I often found myself reading their dialogue at double pace with an extra dose of sarcasm, in true Gilmore fashion.

The development of the romance was sweet, although I felt like a lot of the tension across the side of the storyline was fabricated for the sake of adding a conflict to overcome. One quick conversation could have avoided drama and the tension was resolved fairly quickly despite it previously being made into a bigger deal, with little explanation for the radio silence.

What I did like in the latter half was the exploration of Lex's family dynamics, battling her crippling anxiety while trying to express her needs to her boomer parents - highly relatable.

Overall a quick read that serves pretty well as a palate cleanser, and perfect for burying yourself in on a winter holiday.

Tropes/Themes:
Small Town Romance
Cosy Bookstore Vibes
Found family
Mental Health Rep

Lex managed a used bookstore in Stowe, VT and is planning to live there in her grandparents home they left to her for life. Even after her sister and parents have moved to the West Coast, Lex has no interest in leaving Stowe. When she meets James, a documentary co-director in town for the haunting, her past vlog Haunted Happenings with Natalie makes a reappearance when James and Julian want to film their ghosts. Lex is falling for James and would like to keep him in town, even if she needs to make things seem more paranormal.

Set in December, this is a nice fall/winter time read. Personally, this story was not a great fit for me. Poor communication as a consistent problem is not my favorite trope and it made for a hard to like protagonist. That said, this will likely be a good read for you if you like a small town romance, used bookstore vibes, and the story line of the love interest visiting from out of town as part of a documentary crew.

Thank you to Alcove Press for an ARC on @NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Alcove Press, and author Amber Roberts for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

A dashing ghost hunter and the bookseller who made up the ghosts he’s chasing wind up entangled in more ways than one in this contemporary romance. This was a spooky and cute book, perfect for the colder months while you sip a hot cup of tea and pretend you’re in cosy Vermont, while you blush and kick your feet. I dare say the romance felt a bit rushed at the beginning of the story, but it got better along the way. Moreover, it also deals with more serious issues, like both characters’ lack of familial support and how they deal with these problems.

This was a quick and fun read perfect for Gilmore Girls and Supernatural fans!

I chose this book based off the cover (yes, I’m that person…but it’s so cute) and the blurb sounded so fun!

This is a good read overall. I loved the main characters. There is such great banter between the FMC and her best friend and the FMC and MMC.

This seriously would have been the perfect fall read.

There may be talk of ghosts but it’s not scary and more fun than anything.

The few steamy parts were nice! I’m also a dark romance readers so they weren’t overly steamy to me. So it depends what your spice level rating is on how steamy you would consider these scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. It’s fun, cute and well written.

"Haunt Your Heart Out" is the first book I've read by this author.

I picked it out because the premise seemed up my alley. I love supernatural and spooky and a good rom com.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't my favorite. The characters are fun, but it was hard to connect. Some of the character arcs are to swift and it's hard to understand motivation.

It was still a fun read and I did enjoy aspects of it.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me have the opportunity to read this! A Gilmore girls meets supernatural! By supernatural I mean the mcm reminds me of Dean and Sam. Cute little read and main characters are easy to fall in love with. Being from Syracuse I instantly fell for James and him being from there. His banter and comments made me fall more. Lex was a sweet small town girl who’s stubborn in her ways at times. You get to watch them grown in love and it’s beautiful! I laughed a lot, there was just enough spice and I needed to know what was happening next and how it ended! Was not disappointed in the ending at all. I actually appreciated how it all came together in the end. Highly recommended, especially for a fall cozy read!

This book made me want to plan a visit to a sleepy Vermont town! The romance and tension between the couple was delectable and the banter was the cherry on top! The keeping secrets did bother me, but I was still able to focus on the book. I love matching my books to the holidays, and this would be a great spooky book for the Halloween season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the eARC!

Haunt Your Heart Out is a fun romance that takes place in a cozy Vermont setting. It touches on themes such as comfortability, anxiety, staying close to your roots, growing up, and more! I thought this had some very humorous parts and very much Halloween cozy fall vibes. I wasn’t obsessed with this book, but I would definitely recommend it for the fall time.

Thank you to Alcove Press & NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I give this book 3.5 stars

Lex McCall loves her life in a quiet Vermont town and her job at the quiet bookstore but all of her friends and family have moved away. She decides that she will no longer date tourists or newcomers because they are more likely to move on and leave her behind. Lex receives an amazing offer to buy the bookstore and she cannot resist a chance to put roots down further. James is a part of ghost hunting crew creating a documentary and stops by the bookstore. Lex actually was the one who created these "ghost" stories about a decade ago. Worried her secret will come out she tampers will James' research and results.

This is a super cute Halloween contemporary romance book, do not go into it expecting real ghosts or a paranormal romance. Saying that it does give amazing witchy vibes set in a small town. I would definitely describe the book as cozy and low-stakes. It gives Hallmark meets Gilmore Girls meets Halloween but not in a way that feels overly cheesy. There are parts of the book that bring more of an emotional depth to the story like when the characters talk about their lack of familial support. Lex in particular felt incredibly relatable to me as she struggles with feelings of loneliness and mental health while also trying to be independent. Both Lex and James are extremely likable characters which makes you route for their relationship throughout the book, it also helps that they have strong chemistry.

The plot overall was super cute and there was an an added subplot of mystery and suspense that I was not expecting. There is also an underlying message of not letting fear hold you back living your life to the fullest. This is a great cozy romance with some emotional depth that is perfect for the fall. I will be re-reading this book in October when it comes out because I feel that is the perfect time to read this book.

I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley.

The positives about this book for me are the setting. I love a cosy book setting in a quirky little town.
Snowing, warm clothes, bookstore with the promise of romance with a sexy out of towner and of course some spooky ghosts. Even the front cover had me, being a bit of a sucker for this newer cartoon type front cover thats donning the books now a days. These were all A +
The promise of this book was all there for me.

Sadly,the fmc could just not be endeared to me. I am actually not sure what it was that made it difficult for me to like her. I understand anxiety as a self admitted anxious person. Family problems , absolutely, we all have them. Rejection sensitive and the "stuckness" that comes from all this because you want to be safe. Everything about her was incredibly relatable and yet, something just wasn't right by me.
Also the attraction and subsequent relationship with James felt a bit forced and meh.

I still read the book and enjoyed the ideas. Maybe I need to go back and read it at another time though and see if it's just been a bad reading day.
3 stars

I was REALLY excited for this one! I tend to go into books blind to enjoy them more so I didn’t thoroughly read the description (on purpose!) I go based on covers and vibes, and this cover was so cute and spooky! This book was okay but I think I expected like… actual ghosts? More spooky stuff? It started off feeling like a Christmas story and didn’t truly contain anything paranormal which is what I wanted to see. The setting was great and the characters were cool. Their banter was my favorite part! Overall, it was fun and I think it will be enjoyed by many even though it fell a little flat for me. I am still giving it 4 stars because it was well written and I would have had different expectations had I read the description prior to reading.

The writing in this book did descriptions and inner dialogue well, and as someone haunted by my cringey old Facebook posts, I thought the use of vlogging as a teenage hobby coming back to bite the main character was an excellent idea. I also particularly enjoyed the depiction of family and healing in the book, and thought that it was realistic and cathartic. Though the conflict of the book is a bit self-inflicted on the main character’s part, it still comes across as satisfyingly tense and complicated.

Though the characters were charming from the beginning, the story took a while to get moving, and the first quarter of the book was weighed down with repetition. The romance felt rushed at the start, which made it difficult for me to really feel invested in the relationship. The story did pick up in the second half, and I liked a lot of what it had to offer from that point on, but the first half unfortunately did not grab my attention. Though this wasn’t really for me, I think fans of cozy, flirty romance may enjoy this read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

2/5 When the “ghosts” of your past come back to haunt you.

This was an easy and quick read. It flowed nicely. I also enjoyed the romantic yet spooky vibes. I liked the main character and her beau. I enjoyed the family dynamic too. A nice escape with a happy ending.

3.5 🌟’s

Very cute book that I honestly wish I read during the fall, it’s got a really cozy setting that makes you feel like you’re in cute little autumn town.

I really loved the fmc in this, I related to a lot of her struggles and understood where she was coming from with her anxiety’s and unwillingness to see change. The romance did feel a little bit lacking to me and the communication between characters was frustrating at times.

Overall really solid book and I had a wonderful time reading it. Thank you NetGalley for this Arc

Okay so this was really cute, but I was alittle shocked that there wasnt any real ghosts. Other than that, I loved the hallmark meets halloween vibes.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The ghost hunting storyline was interesting. I'm glad that there was a very real issue to overcome instead of the usual "meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after" that is common for these books. It made the book more relatable and enjoyable to read.

This was a cute book! There was a lot of banter., some steamy scenes and good conflict.
The relationship seemed to blossom naturally, with shared interests and mutual attraction.
There are some places in the book that does exist in VT, Emily’s bridge being one of them!

Lex is a homebody who works at bookstore and will never leave her small town in Vermont, even if she’s the only one in her family left. It’s there that she meets James, who is working on a documentary about the hauntings in the area. Lex helps him with local lore, after all it’s her Youtube videos she posted as a teen that is their source of inspiration but what she doesn’t say is she made the stories up & as the two become closer, the truth becomes harder to tell.

Honestly … I was expecting James to be a ghost. I think it would’ve been more enticing had he been.

Overall premise was interesting but felt something missing. The keeping secret bothers me, I understand why Lex kept the ghosts secret to herself but ugh. Then she essentially gaslights James when it comes to light.

The Bi/Pan representation was great, I love reading about characters who are LGBTQ+, the typical straight characters become so repetitive at times.

There was a lot to love about this book! Lex is relatable, James is charming. The cozy bookstore and spooky little town setting will be perfect for an October release. I also LOVED that this was a pan x bi romance, AND it was stated on-page. Aahh, a breath of fresh air!

However, I really struggled with the pacing, and the stakes didn’t feel high enough to keep me invested. Lex and James felt like a happy couple by the 20% mark, and I think a little more tension would have helped things along.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Haunt Your Heart Out is such a sweet story! I really loved Lex and how cozy Roberts' made Stowe, Vermont! I've only been there once, but that's exactly how my Gilmore-Girls-brain pictures it. The romance was so sweet and I loved everything about James from his baseball cap to his dog, Lulu! Such a sweetheart! I loved all the ghostlore and friendly apparitions and the cozy bookstore Lex runs. This warm and gentle romance is perfect for the holiday season!