Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Colby Wilkens for providing this advance reader copy (ARC) of the book. My honest review is below.

Cute name, cute descriptive blurb, lots of potential, so I took a chance on the story. It didn't live up to my expectations. The lead female character, Pen, is an awful unlikeable mess. She's a bit violent, snarky, and anti-social and I'm left wondering if she's a decent writer. The lead male character, Neil who's a published successful author, is a glutton for punishment that keeps coming back for more. Their "love" affair is too quick to be anything more than lust, they hate each other and then bam they're having sex & have become a couple. The plot of the haunted castle and solving the ghostly mystery was interesting but everything else was rushed or not fleshed out. The secondary characters are left hanging and you can't like or root for someone you don't know at all. The ghostly characters complete story would have interested me more. I'm giving 2 stars for the haunted castle/ghost part of the tale.

#NetGalley #St.Matrin'sGriffin #IfIStoppedHauntingYou #ColbyWilkens #contemparyromance #ghoststory #writersretreat #mystery

This book didn't click for me. I thought I was in the mood for a "spooky" romance, but I think I'm more of a witchy romance than a haunting romance kind of person. I really could not get into the ghosts. The romance was also a bit off. Enemies-to-lovers tends to be a harder trope for me to buy into. In If I Stopped Haunting You, I fully bought into the enemies piece (at least from the female main character), but didn't quite buy the flip to lovers.

There were aspects of the story I enjoyed. I liked that the book explored the two main characters native identities and how they interact with the publishing world.

Thoughts: Okay, I was really into this at first: we get treated to a ghost haunting written in such a descriptive way that you could feel the ghost running their hands over your neck and you can picture her standing right in front of you with her rotting skin and stench! *chef's kiss* And the chemistry between Pen and Neil gets off to a great start with her throwing a book at him during an author's panel, and learning about the "beef" Pen has against Neil is so relevant and realistic that I was totally binge-reading this story. But then... they turned into horny rabbits. Who is in the mood for dry-humping against a wall when they just saw and SMELLED a ghost?! I know this is fiction, but it started to get ridiculous IMO with how often they couldn't keep their hands off each other despite claiming to be scared out of their minds and scarred for life having seen and experienced the ghost haunting the castle they're using for their writers' retreat. And one chapter, Pen is darting off to get some air while her BFF tells Neil to give her some space, to a short walk in the snow leading to her feeling ready to hit the sheets with Neil. The writing began with such a promise but then fell into a weird pattern of feeling choppy, disjointed, and completely devoid of actual plot. I wish I could say the ending made up for it, but it really didn't. I hate saying this, but what started off so good wasn't worth it in the end. Ugh! I really wanted to like this one!

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review**

2.75
Overall this was unfortunately very boring. I had to switchover to the audio in order to finsih while following along as it couldn't hold my attention. It has a really good premise and I really do love the authors writing style! I hope to see more from her and I'll definitly give them a chance as I so think she's very talented and easy to read. However, the characters weren't very likable and the romance seemed to be purely physical which really didn't feel like a romance novel and more of a smut fiasco.

This was SUCH a cute halloween read! I've been in the perfect mood for fall and spooky reads and picking this one up was so exciting. Wilkens gave me exactly what I needed from these characters and I fell head over heels for them! The banter, the back and forth, the spooky and coziest vibes, what could get better than that?

More than a Romance.
Thinking about this book, I really enjoyed reading it. The story features two writers, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm. Both are Native American, and while Neil has broken into the field of most popular writers, Penelope has not. The two had a public argument at a book convention on how they treat writing about their culture, and since that Penelope has had writer’s block. So, she decides to attend a writer’s workshop being held in Scotland in a supposedly haunted castle. From this beginning, the plot develops into a ghostly mystery with no visible ghosts with a slow to develop romance. Colby Wilkens did a great job of creating two main characters and two supporting characters who are believable. The plot is straightforward in moving Pen and Neil from antagonism to a believable friendship. I have not seen another book that combines a mystery and a romance as the most important elements, but the author makes this work. A bit of Paranormal is worked into the story, but it adds to the main mystery. Hopefully the author will write more in this crossover style.
I received and ARC of the book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

I am not a scary movie or book person at all. But something drew me into If I Stopped Haunting You. It is the story of 2 feuding authors at a writing retreat in a haunted castle in Scotland. A classic enemies to lovers with a spooky twist and creepy ghosts. Full of quirky side characters and some smart quips to overshadow the scary parts. And lots of spicy scenes. What I really liked is that the authors were both Native American and the book addressed the bias and racism that they regularly face. This was a perfect book to read leading into Halloween.

I haven’t had time to read this yet — I’m so sorry. I plan to read it when Libby has the audiobook available.

Eh, I thought this was going to be cute, but did not hit the mark for me. Thought the title was super cute though!
I ended up DNFing at 15%

Two rival authors end up on the same writing retreat... at a haunted castle.... and all of the strange spooky things keep happening to the two of them, and no one else. Will they be able to set their differences aside to figure out what is haunting them before it's too late? Will they be casting aside more than just their differences as they learn more about each other?

I loved the rivals-to-lovers plot happening alongside the haunting. The use of both of these propelled the plot forward and made the book so hard to put down. The gothic vibes of the castle were perfectly moody.

I was excited to receive this ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publishers because it looked like such a great, spooky read for the season!

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an enemies-to-lovers romance set in a haunted Scottish mansion. It follows two feuding Indigenous authors, Penelope and Neil, who find themselves in a forced proximity situation during a writer’s retreat. Neither expected the other to be there, especially after Penelope threw a book at Neil’s head during a very public discussion panel. Since the incident, both writers have been creatively stuck, hoping this retreat will cure their writer’s block. But they soon discover they’re living in a real-life ghost story while snowed in at this spooky castle.

I enjoyed the spooky ghost elements of this book, and the representation of two Indigenous main characters was a major highlight. That said, the characters did feel quite young. Penelope, in particular, comes across as immature—throwing a book and then blaming Neil for the fallout was a bit much. Once they arrive at the castle, the enemies-to-lovers arc kicks in almost immediately, making it feel like an insta-love situation. It did make me laugh, though, when they’d be in the middle of a spooky, haunting scene and suddenly be all over each other.

Overall, this book is a light and enjoyable standalone romance, great if you’re looking for a quick, palate-cleansing read.

I was so impressed by this debut romance! It is the perfect October romance read and I had a lot of fun while reading. I look forward to what comes next from Colby!

What a perfect title to read in spooky season!
"If I Stopped Haunting You' is a enemies to lovers romance that takes us on a trip to a haunted writers retreat.

Fun, romantic, and paranomal thrown in as well has created an easy-to-read fall must have.

I want to first of all say that this was a nice cozy read and a good book to start the fall season. But you’re looking for a book that’s equal parts romance and paranormal, maybe this won’t be the book for that type of vibe. It was very much into the romance portion than paranormal.

I wanted to start by saying thank you to everyone for this early copy of If I Stopped Haunting You.

I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately it kind of flopped for me. I didn’t really like the main character and found her problematic.

This a fun romance mixed with a bit of spooky. It is the perfect read for those who don't like to be scared to death, but enjoy a little fright and some paranormal elements. It was nice to also see native characters take center stage, and honestly talk about representation in the publishing field. (All the main characters are writers.) As for the romance elements of the book, it was filled with some great tropes such as friends to lovers, and forced proximity. While this title wasn't exactly to my taste as a whole I did enjoy reading it, and believe it will be loved by true die hard modern romance fans.

Two Native authors can’t stand each other on so many levels….

….but that’s about to change.

Penelope Skinner is part Native and passionate about how those who share her heritage should be depicted in fiction. She has published one horror novel but it never caught on in mainstream circles, possibly because it made non-Native readers uncomfortable. When she appears on an Indigenous Writers panel at a BookCon with an author who shares her heritage but seems perfectly fine with writing in a way that is palatable to all audiences, she knows it will be a disaster. Neil Storm was someone whose talents she admired, which makes his (in her opinion) selling out his voice for success all the more aggravating. What starts out as a little sniping escalates to a volley of angry, hurtful accusations and to Pen throwing her book at Neil (a direct hit to the head, no less). She leaves the conference having annoyed the attendees and shredded her reputation, and leaving Neil’s confidence shaken by her accusations. Neither one finds themselves able to write after the incident, and a writer’s retreat at a reportedly haunted Scottish castle seems like the perfect way to get the creative juices flowing…but neither is aware that the other will be in attendance until they arrive in Edinburgh. Their mutual friend Lazlo thought that this would be a great idea, so they can resolve their differences and move on (and make his being a friend to both far less stressful). These two avowed enemies find themselves working together when it appears that the rumored haunted castle lives up to its reputation, and a mutual attraction heats up as well. Can they outwit the spirits that seem to be be pursuing them, enjoy their budding romance, and break free of their respective writer’s block?
This is billed as a romance-cum-horror story, but its more the first genre than the second (I didn’t find it terribly scary, more a case of possessing a paranormal element to the story). The plot also touches upon the challenges of BIPOC writers….will one be deemed authentic if one doesn’t look and dress sufficiently Native, for example, as well as how does a publishing industry support addressing issues about which their BIPOC authors may want to write but which may be off-putting to a mainstream audience? There’s also the very real specter of writer’s block, which can be every bit as scary as a haunted Scottish castle. I must admit to finding the main characters more annoying than endearing, although I was glad to see them verbally work through their issues. An okay story, didn’t hate it, didn’t love it….maybe because it was trying to be too many differing things at the same time. It was for me more rom-com than romantic suspense, which made the deeper conversations about identity and the challenges of pursuing acceptance without compromising ideals feel a bit heavy-handed. Readers of authors like Jen DeLuca, Jenny L. Howe and Sarah Hogle might want to give this a try. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for allowing me early access to this story released just in time for the haunting season.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't work for me. I had a difficult time visualizing the setting, the characters were all kind of boring or just not interesting enough for me to like, and the enemies to lovers (my favorite trope) has weird pacing so it didn't land. I didn't enjoy the inner perspectives of Pen or Storm, and I started speed reading at 50% just because I wanted to know about the ghost story, not the romance.

I did like the indigenous persons topics but other than that... I was disappointed with this.

This was an interesting novel. But a little chaotic? The plot was all over the place, and while that may add to the mystery factor for me it took away from the story itself. I found myself not focusing as intently.
Where was some pros, I did enjoy the rivals to lovers dynamic and the overall background story of the two MCs and why they landed in this haunted house together on a writers retreat.

What made me be able to finish this story was the narrators. Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia really did a great job at capturing what Colby was trying to portray.

Penelope Skinner is not a female main character many will be rooting for. The woman threw a book at her rival Neil Storm, and made him bleed! Fast forward a few months & they both end up at a haunted Scottish castle for a writing retreat. What ibliked was the awareness to indigenous authors not getting the credit they deserve & their voices being altered or not heard. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the ghosts. What I didn't enjoy was the romance, it felt very instant & considering how much she hated this man for months, it didn't make sense she was all over him so quickly.