I like this book enough. It was cute, would be a nice Halloween read. But I didn’t love it. The main couple were in a relationship so soon into the book a (mostly) heathy relationship. Which yea! But also I wasn’t drawn in enough to really be caught up in the story. It was too easy to put down.

This book never hooked me and was too predictable. And me saying it's predictable means the reader was basically clubbed over the head. I'm the type of reader who takes everything at face value and doesn't try to deduce anything. The third act break up/conflict was no surprise (though not necessarily logical). The writing isn't terrible but I was told a lot of things rather than felt them so I wasn't invested in these characters. There is a small amount of smut. The way it was written was strangely a bit explicit but lacked the feeling to make it spicy or titillating.
Random pet peeves -
Nibbling, nipping, and bottom lips between teeth (both their own lips/teeth and the other's) happened an inordinate amount. The author mentions condensation leaving oily droplets on the main female character's "eyeglasses' lenses" but she never cleans them. And the glasses are never mentioned again??
Sadly, this author is not for me.

This is a fun, low stakes romance with some paranormal elements. Perfect for fall reading! It was a tiny bit insta-love for me, but I grew to like both the characters and appreciated that they were (mostly) honest with each other and tried to avoid the dreaded miscommunication trope.

I didn't get too far into this one, because the arc was a bit messy and it threw me off too much.

I was jazzed by the general idea of a local dating a ghost-hunter and hiding the fact that most of the stories were ones that she made up in high school and put on her old blog - but I couldn't get past the messed up formatting.

I wanted to like this book, but the pace was just not my style. And this is not a slow burn romance. At 30% of the way through, I thought, "Well, what the heck is happening the remaining 70% of this book??"

I just personally felt like I had nothing really to look forward and I didn’t care about the characters. The FMC and MMC, their banter was excellent at first, but it just kind of loss the fun of it quickly.

I loved the idea of this book, but in reality - I just got bored because I wanted more build up, more tension, and I wanted to care more than I did.

The ghost stories were fun, I would have liked that to be more of a driver than it was

Quite a fun little romance, with not too much angst between the two characters and they worked well together. I liked the idea behind this, Lex used to have a blog where she set up and told ghost stories and now James and his friend are there making a proper film after being inspired by her. I think we're supposed to think that James completely believes everything that he sees, which is a bit ridiculous really, but it doesn't really detract from the story.
A fun, quick and romantic read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I’m on the fence with this book. There were parts of it that really worked for me and parts that really didn’t. One of the books mean selling points is that it takes place in a very quirky small town, but I felt like the main character hardly interacted with any of the other townspeople throughout the book, which I think would have sold that better. Additionally, the fake ghost hunting stuff really didn’t work for me but luckily wasn’t a very large part of the overall plot…despite being the main plot point. Worst of all, I found the main character to be annoying most of the time which I think caused the book to really suffer for me. While there were times in the book that I did like her, and overall I was in her corner hoping that things would work out for her, it wouldn’t be long until she was back to annoying me. She is so stubborn and at times is very petulant in spite of being in her 30s. While I think that some people will really love this book, as the romance between the two main characters and the story with her grandfather are endearing, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun spooky but snowy read, so perfect for any time of year. This was a small town romance between a bookseller and a ghost hunter. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who loves paranormal or spooky contemporary romances.

2.5/5 ⭐️
The story had all of the elements that I could have asked for: small town romance, librarian, ghosts, oh my! However, the storyline fell flat. I did not think there was enough of a background story for me to feel compelled to keep going. There was no banter or chemistry that I could feel for the main two characters. The book felt like it was dragging on. When I got around 70%, I did think the book started picking up more; but the first half did not set the story up for success. Maybe I will try reading again in the fall to see if that helps my review!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is if Halloween and romance had a wonderful, amazing, and lovable baby. I am here for it. I will be recommending this book to all my customers!

This book follows Lex McCall, a homebody who loves her small town and job at a bookstore. She has a rule against dating tourists or newcomers but meets James, part of a ghost-hunting crew. Lex interferes with their research to protect her secret, leading to consequences. The dynamic between Lex and James is engaging, with banter and chemistry keeping the reader hooked.

I loved how the author portrayed serious and sensitive topics! Lex, struggles with anxiety and change, clinging to a store and house she can't afford. Her relationship with James starts with conflict due to her feelings rule.

However, I did find the plot slow. Lex faking ghosts for James, which kinda removed the suspense. Communication between Lex and James was lacking as well, with an underdeveloped third act conflict.

But this book is a feel-good romance with themes of love, hope, and healing, with including sensitive topics like family tensions and anxiety. Despite faults, the book is a delightful read with a surprising twist and a message of overcoming fear. Recommended for those who enjoy romance with mystery in a small-town setting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Haunt Your Heart Out is a touching story of two people who come together over the love of small towns and ghost stories. The setting here is so lush and cozy and I really fell in love with both Lex and James. Chef's kiss!

Between repairs to her deteriorating house and saving to buy the bookstore she manages, Lex is barely keeping afloat in small town Stowe, Vermont, when documentarian James enters the scene. He's in town to film a ghost hunting documentary, and it just so happens that Lex used to film a ghost vlog and knows all the supposedly haunted spots in town. After some miscommunication and family drama, can James and Lex's romance survive beyond the holiday season?

The cozy winter vibes are immaculate in this book, and I love the haunted locations aspect. The ghost stories that Lex has created in her town feel very real and nuanced and were some of my favorite parts of the story. The conflict between the two main characters feels a little forced, as it is very much centered on the validity of the ghost stories Lex brought to the documentary when it was made clear from the beginning of the novel that James and Julian had already been making up ghost stories for content. The conflict between Lex and everyone else in her life felt a little more real, and the depictions of her anxiety disorder felt very true and accurate.

Overall this is a fun spooky read for wintertime, and will definitely appeal to a wide range of romance readers for the paranormal and small town aspects.

This was just not for me. While I can appreciate a small town romance, the romance was half-baked and something about the family problems felt difficult to connect with, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. It could be a problem with the rather lukewarm POV from an equally lukewarm character, or it could be that the only plot within the book was the suspense-free, hastily developed romance and the suspense-free, equally hastily resolved family issues. I would argue that the author could remove the family problems and nothing about the book or main character would change (at least based on how quickly her family issues seem to resolve). The whole book felt like everything was done adequately (if not a bit clumsily), but I didn’t like that the main character only came to life because of a man. It just didn’t feel like enough. That said, the base idea for the book was fun and I did like the idea that a ghost hunter would come to town to unwittingly chase ghosts his love interest made up when she was young. I really enjoyed this base idea, but the reading experience just felt very dull to me.

The perfect spooky, snowy small town romance you’re looking for! I really enjoyed it. Full of charm and rom-com! Lex and James’s banter towards one another was perfect and couldn’t help but to bring a smile to my face! It was a light but quick read, just be sure to check out the content warnings!🫶🏻

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy of this novel.
I love this kind of reading, I had high expectations and it lived up to them.
Haunt Your Heart Out" is a gripping and exciting contemporary romance novel that will grab you from the very first page.
I loved the story, the setting, the characters, everything!
It's a cozy romantic read that warms your heart.
This book is wonderful inside and out (the cover is beautiful, I need this book in physical format).
Amber Roberts creates a unique and captivating story, I really enjoyed her writing, it's a light read and perfect for a blanket and rainy day.
I really enjoyed this read.
If you are a lover of contemporary romance, with a cozy setting you have to read this book.
5/5 stars.

I had a lot of fun reading this charming and cozy rom-com! I loved the Vermont setting and the bookstore where Lex works. The banter between Lex and James brought a smile to my face. They were a sweet couple. (I also loved James’s dog, Lulu!)

In addition to the romance, the book explores some complicated family dynamics. Lex has always felt like a disappointment to her parents, while her golden child sister can do no wrong in their eyes. This has led to a strained relationship between Lex and her parents, who left Vermont for California when her sister moved there. But it turns out all is not what it seems, as Lex learns in what turned out to be one of my favorite scenes toward the end of the book. I was happy to see Lex move toward healing her family relationships, especially with her sister.

Overall, I thought Haunt Your Heart Out was delightful. If you’re looking for a read to curl up with when the weather is cold, look no further.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has been bingeing ghost-hunting shows for nearly two decades (October 2004, to be exact - the release of Season 1 Episode 1 of Ghost Hunters), this book was a delight. I wish there was more ghost-hunting involved, but that is just because I love a good ghost hunt, and that is nothing against this book whatsoever.

I read this book in one day, in the middle of a Canadian Prairies winter storm. While not nearly as delightful as a Vermont mountain town's winter, it certainly did set the vibes.

At times, I was quite frustrated with the FMC. Her internal monologue felt much younger than her 33 years and felt very selfish. I wanted much more groveling from her, I felt that the conflict was wrapped up a tad too easily and didn't trust that she would make long-term changes to her behaviors.

Overall, I'd consider this a light-hearted popcorn read and would recommend it as a winter vacation read to anyone looking for lighter romance with good banter and a cozy setting. There was very little angst and the stakes were relatively low. The steam was light though enough to give it some *pizzazz*.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wanted to like this book but was neither spooky nor cute and rather boring. It all just went nowhere.

This was a great book. The setting was so perfect and I absolutely loved the romance and the banter. The writing was very good. I would highly recommend!