“If I Stopped Haunting You” feels like someone bottled heartbreak, sarcasm, longing, and shoved it in your face with a sticky note that says deal with it. Colby Williams delivers beautifully tortured vibes, the kind where you want to scream “get over them!!” while also clutching your chest because, oof, relatable. It’s moody and dramatic in a quietly unhinged way, like if a Radiohead song wrote a love letter at 2 a.m. then ghosted you. I laughed, I hurt, I considered texting my ex for science… 10/10 emotional damage, would haunt again.

I was unable to finish the book at the time I downloaded. Since then I have attempted to read it again and still couldn't manage. Well-written, but not for me.

Always here for a soookt season read but this one was not my favorite.

The romance was super flat for me, it just felt kind of flat but also all over the place. I did like the more series topics of him being Native and stereotypes, etc.

Definitely makes me want to take a. Trip to Scotland!

If I Stopped Haunting You is a beautifully emotional and haunting story about love, loss, and healing. Colby Wilkens’ writing is raw and heartfelt, capturing the complexity of grief and the power of connection in unexpected ways. The characters felt deeply real, and their journey pulled me in from the very first page. This book is both a heartbreaking and hopeful read that lingers long after the last chapter. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC—I highly recommend this to anyone who appreciates emotionally charged contemporary fiction.

When I started this one I thought it would be right up my alley! I just didn't like the FMC Penelope or how she treated Neil. I then read that there is some controversy surrounding the author and it made me not want to continue reading. This is quite the bummer as the premise of this story sounded right up my alley since I love paranormal/ scary/ and dark comedy.

This just didn’t work for me. The writing felt forced, the characters were flat, and the whole thing was awkward to read. I’m fine with fluff in romance, but this was… boring. The horror didn’t horror either. 👻

Also, as an Indigenous woman, some of the dialogue felt weird from the start. Finding out the author was pretending to be Indigenous made that make a lot more sense. It felt uncomfortable.

Not something I’d recommend.

i had some high hopes for this book, seeing how the premise was enemies to lovers/horror/romance, but every aspect fell flat.
ghosts? not scary. spice? felt forced and rushed and just made super uncomfortable in a way. the “haunted house” felt like a cliche, and i definitely felt like Pen was abusive towards the MC and was kinda gaslighting him??? don’t love that. enemies to lovers is one thing, but i can’t stand too much bullying/hatred. it just felt disjointed and there were tons of plot holes and inconsistencies that didn’t make sense.

I couldn't fully connect with this for some reason. While I really enjoyed the premise of the novel and both our main characters, the relationship itself fell a bit flat for me and not fully fleshed out

Two rival authors end up at the same haunted castle for a retreat. There was angsty banter and tension as Pen and Neil each try to find their writing groove back. I wanted to really like this, a romance with added haunted elements, but I found that I couldn’t connect with the characters and the plot didn’t hold my interest. It took a while to get through this, unfortunately.

I've really fallen into the horror, romcom genre lately and this was the perfect addition. Between the haunted castle elements, and the enemies to lovers dynamic, this book really was so much fun to read.

I was really interested in the premise of the book but it fell flat for me. The writing was good but the plot and characters struggled. The FMC was insufferable and the MMC had no backbone. It took one day to forgive her and have sex with her after she screamed at him in public and threw a book at him? That’s insane. She never even apologized. Their love story felt forced. And far too fast. The only reason I continued the book was for the ghost story and that let me down. It was very unsatisfying and left a lot still unanswered. Overall the whole book let me down but I’ll give it 2 stars because there was potential in the writing.

DNF @ 20%

I really wanted to like this book. The premise intrigued me. The cover is beautiful. Unfortunately, the story felt flat to me and I honestly couldn't care much about the characters as they seemed one dimensional.

I was really excited for this book but in the end it didn't live up to my expectations. It was still a fun read, but I felt in some areas it fell flat especially with the main characters relationship. I did enjoy the horror elements of this book, and they did help bring me back into the story.

The premise of this book sounded excellent. So it's a great idea! I love the idea of a mix of romance and horror. Unfortunately both kind of fell flat for me.

I loved this spooky‑season rom‑com way more than I expected. Everything about their dynamic is deliciously messy, and I was here for the drama.

The ghostly atmosphere was legit chilling, and once their tension and banter finally land, the chemistry definitely sizzled. The romance occasionally felt rushed and Pen’s attitude was harsh early on, but Neil grows on you with his quiet peristence.

Perfect paranormal romance with steamy enemies‑to‑lovers energy and a castle that might eat you alive. A fun, fast escape.

I will not be continuing to read this book due to the controversy surrounding this author. I no longer feel comfortable doing so.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

I’m very sad to hear that this author was falsely claiming indigenous status, and for that I cannot in good conscience read this book. It’s unfortunate because it sounded right up my alley.

I was really excited for this book when it was originally announced, however due to the controversy surrounding the author I feel uncomfortable continuing with this arc. I held out on submitting anything to see if there were any updates, but I haven't seen anything. Thank you for the copy, and my honest feelings.

I liked this book okay but found myself putting it down a few times and coming back to it. The writing style wasn’t my thing which is probably why it took me so long to finish it. But I did think the plot was good and I liked the paranormal romance aspect of it.

Native authors Pen Wilder and Neil Storm have a legendary feud that nearly ruined both of their careers after Pen through her book at Neil during a book conference. Many months later, they are reunited by their mutual friend Lazlo for a writer’s retreat at a supposedly haunted castle in Scotland. They can barely be in the same room without yelling at each other, but time spent together as they solve an unexpectedly real haunting reveals a strong attraction and an authentic affinity between them.

I enjoyed this book. The writing is captivating and the representation of Native voices in the literary world is very welcome, especially in the horror arena, one of my favorite genres. The author captures the nuances and considerations that people who are of mixed white and Native descent live with, such as Pen’s being treated as an outsider because she doesn’t look native and she isn’t officially registered with a tribe. Also the look at the struggles that Native authors face in the publishing industry to compromise on their writing and vision to be more palatable was enlightening.

Pen is not always likable. She takes her insecurity out on others, and she can be vicious about it. However, I appreciated learning what made her tick and why she was so strongly opposed to Neil’s writing. Neil actually won me over pretty fast. In the first scene he comes off as arrogant, but seeing the vulnerability and gentle nature beneath that mask made me a big fan of his.

The journey from hate to love is actually very believable, despite the short time span, and truths are revealed about both character’s feelings for each other. This book gets very erotic and sexy, and it is well done, since this is shown through the understanding of the character motivations.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the haunting aspect was very strong in this story, and some parts were downright creepy. It was fitting in that they were both horror authors. I couldn’t help but think of Stephen Graham Jones as I read this book. Overall, I think the setting of the castle was well-used, and I did feel like I was inside the haunted castle along with the characters.

I did really quite like this book. It’s a good choice for readers who like romance and a bit of spooky thrown in. And the author doesn't compromise on either. Also, characters who are quite flawed in realistic ways with plenty of insecurities that they need to resolve. It’s not a sweet romance, so be prepared for some steamy scenes and strong language.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.