Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book.

I do not recommend this book or this author. Please research them.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is a spooky, sexy, laugh-out-loud romance that delivers on every promise—banter, angst, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a literal haunted castle. What more could a romance reader want?

Penelope Skinner is a horror author whose temper (and excellent aim) landed her in hot water—and now she’s creatively stuck. Enter a mysterious invite to a writing retreat at a crumbling, possibly haunted Scottish castle. Sounds perfect… until she finds out Neil Storm is also there. The Neil Storm. The infuriatingly charming, bestselling rival she once lobbed a book at in public.

The chemistry between Pen and Neil is electric. Their banter is sharp, the romantic tension simmers deliciously, and their emotional arcs feel grounded even in the middle of a ghostly mystery. The haunted castle backdrop is gothic and atmospheric without taking itself too seriously—think The Haunting of Hill House meets Tessa Bailey. And the ghosts? Just enough creepy to keep the pages turning fast.

Colby Wilkens perfectly blends supernatural suspense with romantic hijinks and emotional depth. If you’re a fan of rivals-to-lovers with a twist of the paranormal, this one will absolutely haunt you—in the best way.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The book felt disorganized and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I didn't buy the romance between the two MC's, it just felt like something was missing.

I loved this one! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope. This was super well written and a page turner for sure.

I went into this blind, like all books I read.
I was excited that both MCs were indigenous horror authors and adored the little pieces of indigenous folklore worked into the story.
So much so, that 3/4 of the way through the story I googled the author to see if they had any more books that delved deeper in that direction.
This was when I discovered that the book was written by a white woman who claimed to have indigenous heritage, but was proven false by the Trial Alliance Against Frauds.

The story is decent, though it would have been better if the romance had been omitted and focused solely on the paranormal mystery of the castle.

Going into books blind makes read ethically more difficult, but it's important to share our stumbles too.
Would I have read this if I knew about the drama surrounding the author before going in?
Probably not.

I enjoyed the spooky vibes and overall plot of this book. It's not my normal genre go to, but it was an excellent book and one i would recommend!

I really liked the premise of this book and I was interested after the first chapter or two, but this felt really unorganized and the characters were just not likeable. It felt a little like a mashup of scenes that just didn’t flow right. The “romance” wasn’t believable. 2 star is generous and I hate having to give that kind of feedback, Because of that, I don’t feel right posting a review on other networks,

I though this premise sounded fun and intriguing. In actuality, the female lead character is horrible and abusive. She physically assaults the hero in the beginning. The pacing was weird and the dialogue was awkward and cringy. As if those issues weren't bad enough, there has been a lot of controversy regarding the author and her claimed indigenous heritage.

https://nypost.com/2024/10/21/us-news/author-colby-wilkens-says-shes-native-american-tribal-alliance-disagrees/

This book quietly broke my heart in the best way. It’s about grief, love, and the kind of haunting that has nothing to do with ghosts — but everything to do with memory and pain. Colby Wilkens writes with such softness and honesty that it sneaks up on you. It’s not loud or flashy, just deeply emotional and beautifully strange. One of those stories that stays with you long after you finish.

This one was mediocre. Didn’t hook me but I just kept going. Probably won’t pick up from the author again.

I had to DNF this book after finding out the author was claiming native heritage, when she isn’t native at all.

The most absurd part for me: If I Stopped Haunting You is about two Indigenous authors who get into an argument on a panel at a book con about Indigenous representation IN PUBLISHING.

I…cannot think of what to say that fully explain my bewilderment here.

DNF after the prologue. The main character just seems horrible. I have no interest in reading more about her.

Couldn’t get into this book. I struggled staying interested and connecting with the characters. I loved the cover art for this book.

At first, even though I'm not usually into romance, I thought “If I Stopped Haunting You” would align with my interests in horror and dark fiction, but be light and fun enough to be a palate cleanser between heavier novels. There was the promise of a moody setting at a Scottish castle, after all - what wasn't to like?

Turns out, more than I anticipated. I almost sprained an optic nerve I rolled my eyes so much while reading this book. You could tell the author toyed with the idea of substance (tackling the topic of indigenous authors and horror representation, among other things), but it's more often than not overshadowed by the light hearted tone of the plot.

AGAIN, probably not the ideal reader for this novel as I typically go for full-fledged horror, but I also particularly like horror that handles social issues so this seemed like it would tick multiple boxes for me, even if it did tackle them lightly. It did not, however, tick ANY boxes.

The novel got off to a good start in the enemies portion of the enemies-to-lovers. There were challenging dynamics for the characters to deal with and unique situations were presented that frequently upped the ante. But the main characters were so obviously attracted to each other that the animosity the characters aimed at each other lacked that satisfying barb I wanted. Being that attracted to someone while simultaneously hating them can work, but it just felt off with these characters.

The lovers portion of enemies-to-lovers was worse though. It was like once the characters got together finally, there was very anticipation little left in the plot and the author filled it up with sex scenes instead. Not that I have anything against sex scenes, and these weren't poorly written… it was just they came at the most ridiculous moments. Plot getting good? Sex. Plot getting slow? Sex. Tired of the main characters having sex? Get ready for ghost sex. I was so fed up trying to get some sustenance out of this book that I almost didn't finish.

The scary parts would better be described as cozy-scary. There are a few gory descriptions, but nothing to make you lose your lunch or give you nightmares. In the end, not enough to sell an avid horror reader. But if you like your romance with a little something going bump in the night, this is the book for you.

I wouldn't knock this book for the right reader, because I can see how someone more familiar with romance would enjoy this story, but I just couldn't get invested personally.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for advancing me a digital copy for review.

A cozy romance in a truly haunted house. This is a fun and easy read for lovers of slightly spooky romance between enemies turned lovers.

An author that is pretending to be a POC right then there, huge red flag for me!

I wanted to like this book because the premise sounds so great and enemies to lovers is my favorite but this relationship made me so uncomfortable because the main character, Pen, was a borderline abusive, self-centered gaslighter. She assaults the love interest a million times, one time even scarring him, convinces him she's the reason she got canceled as an author (the real reason is because she assaulted him because she was jealous people liked his book more???) and spent the whole book breaking him mentally until he had no confidence and self worth. She has no remorse, no growth, no accountability, and this book ends with her getting everything she wants. It was giving wildly toxic relationship and I'm not here for that

If I Stopped Haunting You really stuck with me. It’s about a girl named Ettie who dies and ends up haunting her best friend, watching everything unfold after she's gone. It’s emotional but not over-the-top, and the ghost angle gives it a cool, unique twist.

The characters felt super real, and I connected with Ettie right away. The writing is thoughtful and a little poetic, but still easy to read. It’s mostly about grief, guilt, and learning to let go.

Definitely one of those quiet, emotional stories that stays with you. I’d recommend it if you’re into reflective, heartfelt reads.

I love a good ghost story and one where main couple was fun!!

This was such a fun read and Penelope was my favorite

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

This was a fun premise! I liked the ghost story as well as the main couple. Penelope was a real one and I enjoyed that!

I was initially interested in the book because the premise sounded so fun! However when I started it was hard to get through and the main character was not great. I put the book to the side for a bit with the intention of coming back to it, but after the controversy about the author lying about her heritage came out I decided not to continue with the book.