Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts is just a downright adorable book. Spooky vibes during Christmas time, yes please!
It was a fun read with very easily lovable characters. I would definitely recommend.

2.5 Rounded up. Hm. I liked this book at the start. Without the convoluted mess of Lexs problems, I liked the book in general. I think that these people were too old to be having the problems that they were having. Not only that but I think that all of lex's problems were pretty much in her head and non-existent and even after she found out that her problems were basically nothing compared to other people's, she still complained to James that her family was an absolute nightmare even though her family wasn't really that bad and clearly just wanted her to be around them. And she made a big deal about it as if her family was so awful for wanting her to come down and visit them more than once a year. she made her family out to be the villains when they were not in fact villains and someone else could see that and could tell but she still wasn't buying it and was making herself out to be the victim. It got to be a little bit too much for me to really fully enjoy the book with how much she was complaining about things that really did not need complaining over. And not only that but her parents seemed more than willing to help her out with the money aspect of things and yet she acted as if they were trying to control her entire life by offering to help get her money that they did not have to help her get. I also felt as if the diversity was a little bit forced in that she was pansexual and it was mentioned that she dated a man a woman and a non-binary person and I kind of feel as if the author is trying to say that pansexual people also like non-binary people as if bisexual people cannot? I don't know It just felt like some of the representation was a little bit forced in there like it was placed in there and you could definitely tell it didn't belong. Like maybe it was just a cash grab. I like the fact that James was unabashedly bisexual though. The difference for me is that James simply said and I'm bisexual and that was it but lex being pansexual was more... heavily showcased in that it was explicitly stated the different genders of people that she dated. I really would have loved this book more if it took the same direction as it had in the very beginning. It is also worth mentioning that the synopsis of the book does not match the inside of the book and is also very confusing. The synopsis makes you think that lex gets an offer for the bookstore from her boss and then meets James and then realizes that she needs to stop James from filming at the location because if he kept filming then it would ruin her chance to buy the bookstore but in reality the plot was that she meets James and then way later her boss offers her the bookstore and then she realizes she needs James to continue with looking into ghost hunting because it will get her the store if it seems to be too haunted for the owners liking. I've heard a lot of really good things about this book so I was really excited for it but I ended up disappointed in the end which is really sad.

Big thank you to the publisher for the ARC Widget.

This was a great fall read. The banter was everything! However the pacing felt off in my opinion. Still worth the read this spooky season though!

Not what I was expecting or hoping for. Could not finish it as it did not engage me. Will try it again maybe at a later date.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

Alex McCall is the textbook small town homebody. She lives in the house her grandfather built, works at her local bookstore, and has a found family with the people of her town. Most importantly, she doesn’t get involved with tourists or those who don’t stick around. When a handsome stranger enters her bookshop, her predictable life is thrown for a loop.

This book was super cozy and cute. I liked watching our characters’ slow decent into love, and some of the spice was steamy but still pretty PG-13. I liked our FMC’s journey with her mental health and learning to advocate for her feelings with her family. I really, really liked out MMC and found his steadfast character to be super endearing and adorable.

Tropes in this story:
✨Small town romance & cozy vibes
✨Strangers to lovers
✨She works at a bookstore; he’s in town for work
✨Anxiety rep

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley, but my review is all my own.

This cute Halloween book was fun to read. The fake hauntings were a bit far fetched.....and the notes of the teenage Youtube videos for Lexa nd Natalie appeared out of no where and didn't really contribute to the story. As well, I was confused about Lex. Most times she's shy around James but other times she was flirty and not shy sexy dialogue. Which one is the true Lex? This book didn't take itself serious which was a fluff read and the cover was gorgeous!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to Amber Roberts, Alcove Press, and Netgalley for the ARC of Haunt Your Heart Out. The opinions on this book are entirely my own.

This book was difficult to get through to say the least mostly because I read it during the time I was pregnant and was not motivated or willing to get sucked out of my anxiety and into a good book. It could be said that the timing may have lead to my overall opinion of this book so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

Overall, this book was a solid 3 stars for me. Not great. Not horrible. But not a book I am willing to re-read or even remotely place on my top 5 list. I did really like the premise. Girl owns bookshop and dinky house in cute Vermont town. Boy is a visitor, only staying until he finishes his documentary. The meet cute was....well cute. The characters were likeable though I struggled to find the antagonist. There are of course the overbearing, controlling parents but I had a hard time believing they were the villains of the story. Sometimes the main character felt like her own villain and her self sabotaging came off as selfishness and an unyielding desire to avoid change.

The story was well paced and interesting though I found the ghost stories dispersed in to be a bit distracting and oddly placed. All of the sudden a scene would change to the ghost vlog and it was confusing to say the least.

Overall, all I can honestly say about it is: I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. It just existed for me.

I don’t know where to even begin with this one. I Requested it because the cover was adorable, And it looked like a great spooky season read. The only good thing about this book is the cover. I wish I was the type to DNF, Because I was ready to do that less than 10% of the way in.

The “romance” between the two characters felt so rushed and lacked any kind of substance. It was very hard to root for them, Especially because the guy had no personality in the girl was just absolutely insufferable. Her abandonment issues and gaslighting everyone around her into thinking that they would ruin her life if they weren’t by her side constantly was really gross. Multiple times in the book she tells a character that they’re ruining her life because they want to go off and do something in their own lives and that is just so unhealthy. She makes her parents out to be these giant villains and then after you find out more about them, you actually realize that Lex is the villain. She’s a mean, miserable girl, and I truly hated reading about her.

This isn’t a love story. This isn’t a spooky mysterious read. This is just a jumble of really bad characters, Repetitive writing, and a book with absolutely no substance. This book Made me not want to read any other spooky theater romances this year, and that is such a shame.

3.5/5 ⭐️

Lex is fine, thank you very much. She's got her bookstore (well, it's not hers). She's got her own home (that's falling apart). And she's got her family (across the country...and it's pretty dysfunctional). She's happy ENOUGH, and does NOT need cinnamon roll, hot-as-can-be James tugging at her heart strings and being the latest "love me and leave me" person in her life. But their chemistry is just too good. They have the same love of books, and the same fascination with ghosts, too. But can they make it work if she's as set on leaving as he is on going?

Amber Roberts is a great writer. I really enjoyed the way she wove a yarn. Her characters were messy and real. The plot? Also messy and real. I was really drawn to the themes in this story. A person so successful at self-reliance is in danger of never experiencing deep relationships. Preoccupation with nostalgia can stop personal growth in its tracks. Resentment is a poison that lies to a person about what his/her life truly means.

I fear, that with as much as this book has to offer, it's been mis-sold. For starters, it's more of a Christmas book than the spooky Halloween story it might lead readers to initially believe. I really enjoyed the romance between Lex and James in this book, but the love story that actually takes center stage is Lex's love for her bookstore and her grandparents' home. I'd probably refer to this as fiction rather than romance, which isn't a criticism. There were a few plot points that left me scratching my head, such as, "How strongly should one stick to the 'facts' when presenting entertaining local myths/legends?"

Bottom Line: Anyone who enjoys small town fiction with some spicy romance, a fantastic hero, and scads of personal growth will absolutely enjoy this book.

Trigger warnings: anxiety/panic attacks, dysfunctional family dynamics, cheating, fear of abandonment

I'd like to thank Alcove Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun and cute read that gave me all the feels for the winter season. It was Halloween meets hallmark Christmas movie and it Actually blended together nicely. It was the perfect small town good feels book for the cozy season.

Haunt Your Heart Out is a cute Halloween AND Christmas read if you can believe it. It’s a fun book to get you in the spirit for the ‘ber’ months if you’re just looking for something easy with major small town vibes.

That being said, I didn’t really love the plot of this book. The fake hauntings were a little goofy. The transcripts of Lex and Natalie’s teenage Youtube shows seem to come out of nowhere and never connected in anyway with the story other than showing you the fact that they were being mischievous teens.

One moment Lex is shy and awkward around James, the next she is hitting on him and making sexual innuendos to flirt which kind of gave me whiplash. James and Lex’s relationship needed more development, and unfortunately I wasn’t totally in love with them by the end of the book.

Although it wasn’t a fave of mine, I still thought it was cute for what it was!

DNF at 41%

This may be a case of right book wrong time but I just had such a hard time getting into this one. I didn't really care about the characters and was annoyed with the FMC's constant lying. Ultimately I just have too many other books to read to continue to read a book that I'm not really enjoying and I'm forcing myself to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun, cozy, and delightful romance set in a charming small town in Vermont, where ghost hunting adventures and a quaint bookstore bring magic to the winter season!! The story is filled with witty banter, crackling tension, and a heartwarming sense of found family. Tender moments and wonderful secondary characters enrich the narrative, while it thoughtfully addresses heavy topics like family relationships, abandonment, and mental health struggles, all handled with sensitivity and care. These deeper themes are balanced beautifully with humor and lighter moments. Honestly, this story felt like being wrapped in a warm hug, offering all the feel-good vibes with a sprinkle of spookiness! I was completely captivated from start to finish and highly recommend this book! 👻💜❄️💜⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cozy, sweet, and delicious - loved this spooky season read for the Vermont history, ever more complicated shenanigans, and heartrending family dynamics.

Haunt Your Heart Out
Amber Roberts
⭐️⭐️⭐️

SYNOPSIS
Lex loves her small sleepy town in Vermont and the quiet cosy bookstore that is her whole life. After her whole family and all her exes up and left her, she sets one rule. She does not date out-of-towners or tourists who are bound to up and leave eventually. That is until a handsome stranger stumbles into the bookstore. James is in town filming a documentary about the towns ghost stories, most of which he seen on YouTube channel back in the day. The same YouTube channel that just so happened to be Lex's high school entertainment, which involved staging ghost stories with her best friend Natalie. Worried her ghost-faking secrets will get out & ruin her chance of buying the bookstore, she picks up right where she left off and does what she can to skew James' results for the documentary. Because after all he's only temporary....or is he?

THOUGHTS:
This is book is definitely a blend of Halloween and Christmas, with the snowy setting and the spooky atmosphere. At times I really enjoyed this story and at times Lex really annoyed the hell of out me. I found her extremely childish at certain points. I liked the relationship between Lex and James and the easy back and forth. However what I did struggle with was the lack of communication towards the end of the book which didn't feel in character for what we'd seen so far. I also felt like the decisions Lex came to at the end of the book were far too fast and felt like a flip switched. And I felt like the conflict was sorted very easily.

I loved the setting and the atmosphere of this book though. A snowy small town, with plenty of spooky locations - sign me up! Lex describes it as a "snow globes" small town in the book & that just feels like perfection.

Thank you to Netgallety, Amber Roberts & Alcove Press for the e-arc.

This has everything in it that I love yet I really wasn't a fan. I couldn't connect to the FMC or MMC. The lying also felt childish to me. The setting was super cozy cute and perfect for Halloween.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Amber Roberts for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this cover art, it’s so cute and fits well with the plot.
I found this one difficult to read, purely because it felt so ‘insta love-ish’ the plot seemed like it was on x2 speed in a bid to make romance happen faster.
It felt rushed and kind of like when you force two Sims to get married by dragging their ‘relationship’ bar to 100 after they’ve just met.
I liked the premise of this, but it just didn’t feel believable based on how quickly everything happened.
It’s not a bad book, but more time developing the relationship would have made this better, in my opinion.

MY THOUGHTS?
MEH. This seems to be a cycle I'm stuck in. I'm not loving anything I'm reading currently,which is a real bummer.

This one did get better as the book progressed,but overall it wasn't a memorable read for me.

I did enjoy the whole "spooky ghost locations at Christmas," though! I was expecting a Halloween story, but was wrong!

You can't love em all right? But maybe you will love this one!

Hey @alcovepress and @netgalley -thanks for the arc opportunity! Always appreciated!

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

⭐⭐⭐

I was hoping for a mix of spookiness and romance in this book, but it focused more on the romantic aspect than the paranormal. I liked the exploration of family relationships, but the main character was sometimes difficult to empathize with. If you're looking for a romance book with lots of excitement and a spooky, occasionally holiday-themed setting, then this book is for you.