Colby Wilkens’ debut novel, “If I Stopped Haunting You,” is an enemies-to-lovers romance set between two feuding Indigenous horror authors staying at a haunted castle in Scotland. The story begins four months prior when twenty-nine-year-old Penelope “Pen” Skinner, author of “The Lies They Told Us,” throws a book at fellow author Neil Storm during an Indigenous fiction panel. Pen has long criticized Neil’s work, believing his bestselling novel panders to mainstream audiences at the expense of accurately representing Indigenous people. To Pen, Neil’s writing relies on harmful stereotypes that misrepresent Indigenous culture.

Fast forward to the present, and the two, along with their friends Lazlo and Daniela, attend a writer’s retreat in Edinburgh, Scotland, where they stay in a haunted castle for a week. While Lazlo and Daniela focus on their writing—Daniela also skyping her girlfriend when the Wi-Fi allows—Pen and Neil experience ghostly sightings of the lady who haunts the castle. These supernatural encounters force them to rely on each other, and over time, they discover unexpected romantic feelings. As their relationship becomes more intimate, Pen and Neil must work together to unravel the mystery of the cemetery remains and the ghost that roams the castle’s halls.

Pen’s character is portrayed as manipulative and narcissistic. She harbors jealousy towards Neil’s success, and her aggression escalates to the point of physically assaulting him by throwing a book at his face, leaving a scar above his eye. Despite this, Neil doesn’t press charges or call the police, which feels unrealistic and troubling. Pen’s anger towards Neil’s portrayal of Indigenous people is exaggerated, bordering on irrational. While it’s reasonable for her to critique his work, her reactions—especially the physical outburst—seem more like a child throwing a tantrum than a professional disagreement. Throughout the novel, she repeatedly berates Neil for his writing, and he constantly apologizes, yet their relationship makes little sense beyond their forced proximity during the retreat. The sudden development of romantic chemistry between them feels implausible and lacks depth.

One of the novel’s major shortcomings is the ironic way Pen, an Indigenous character, is written. Despite being critical of Neil for misrepresenting Indigenous people, Pen herself is depicted using harmful and stereotypical traits—aggression, jealousy, and a lack of self-awareness—without any redeeming qualities. This characterization weakens the narrative and undermines the very critiques the novel tries to address.

Moreover, the ghost story and the detective elements feel disjointed, as if they belong in a different book. While the imagery of the haunted castle is beautifully described, Wilkens offers too few details, leaving readers feeling unsatisfied and craving more depth to the ghostly mystery.

I think this was a good book, I just didn’t quite feel like it was the book that was advertised (or at least my impression of how it was marketed.)

This felt more like a cozy romantic horror light story - while it wasn’t what I expected it still was really solid story. Our two horror writer MC’s end up at an actual haunted castle - I loved the enemies to lovers vibes and the banter.

There are some important and timely discussions of the publishing industry and the experiences of BIPOC authors.

I think where this fell short for me is the horror story. It's not really my genre so it's possible that's why I didn't love this one.

IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU is described as a Halloween-ready romance with horror aspects by the publisher and I did not find much of that in the book at all. I found the book to be a mildly romantic, YA or even cozy tale about two competitive writers who find they have more in common than they do in competition. There are some cute scenes appropriate for older kids or YA but a tad silly for adults, that involve throwing books or actually tantrums at professional events. Otherwise, the book is fairly straightforward with a pair of lovelorn ghosts and a mystery to solve. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as I thought it would be a perfect read for spooky season but unfortunately it fell short. The relationship between the two main characters just did not work for me. I didn’t feel like they had any chemistry.

This was my first time reading this author and I would try again but unfortunately did not enjoy this one.

Horror writers Penelope "Pen" Skinner (female main character/FMC) and Neil Storm (male main character/MMC) are manipulated by a mutual friend to attend a writers retreat together in a haunted Scottish castle, but each is unaware that the other is attending. They have history: they are both indigenous authors which automatically leads to comparisons between them, and Pen thinks Neil sold out to get his book published - her irritation with him, and his antagonism of her, ultimately culminates with Pen throwing a book at him at a conference. Since that moment, neither one has been able to write another thing, so on paper, at least, the retreat is exactly what they need.

The plot can be summed up as a combination of the "enemies to lovers" trope combined with that of "opposites attract." The plot fits in both, and yet, is really neither one. As we get to know our main characters better, we realize they were never really enemies, and they have more in common than it would first appear. There is also a supernatural/horror element (not TOO scary - think more...."pleasantly goth," maybe) that set up the framework for the plot and having the retreat in the castle provided many opportunities for moody, spooky, vibes. I also enjoyed the indigenous author angle of this story. It really made me think about how we categorize our entertainment "tropes" (including literary ones) and in so doing, deprive ourselves of seeing - and enjoying - the individuality of something that defies categorization.

I did not especially care for either of the supporting characters. I thought the mutual friend who tricked them into attending the retreat was pretty ballsy - if one of my friends tricked me into spending a week or two with someone I thought I thoroughly disliked, I would've been really angry!! It smacks of manipulation and dishonesty/lack of consent, but it does make an effective plot device! The other supporting character was just rude and annoying. I'm not even sure why she was included, other than to show that Pen is queer and perhaps to provide a counterpoint to the friend who arranged the retreat? I also thought the description of the setting (the castle) could stand improvement as there was the occasional confusing moment when a trap door didn't align with the room I thought it should or a view out a window didn't make sense given what I thought I knew about the layout, etc. Minor details, but they did take me out of the story a little bit.

I rate each of the individual elements of this book on a scale of 1 to 5 stars as follows:

FMC - 4 stars
MMC - 3 stars
Supporting characters - 2 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Setting - 4 stars
Pacing - 4 stars
Syntax/grammar, etc. - 4 stars
Dialogue - 5 stars
World-building - 4 stars
TOTAL - 3.9 stars, rounded up to a solid 4 stars out of 5.

If you like romances and don't want your horror to be too graphic or bloody, I think you will enjoy this book. Based on this book alone, I would read other books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If I Stopped Haunting You promises a lot, but delivers very little.

Our main characters are Penelope and Neil, our backdrop is a castle in Scotland, they're enemies-to-lovers, and we have ghost story involved. Please tell me that wasn't intriguing? You can't. Ideally, this book would have been perfect for spooky season. I was anticipating it would be one of my favorite books, but it just wasn't,.

What is my issue with this book? Pen doesn't take an ounce of accountability. She simply cannot stand that people love Neil and his work and they don't love her. Besides that, she's a god awful character. I'm not sure how to managed to convince herself that throwing a book at someone's head and causing them to bleed was okay, but she does so without an ounce of remorse. She's petulant, manipulative, and not a good person at all. Somehow Neil just pushes past all of this? No way.

The haunting aspect of it was lacking to. I was expecting an exciting backdrop with ghosts and creepy things, but it was boring. And it was weak, which sucks.

In short, this book was a major disappointment for me. Big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Penelope Skinner is a Native horror writer who gets thrust into the spotlight after throwing a book at fellow Native horror writer Neil Storm and accusing him of perpetuating negative stereotypes. The fallout has her battling writer's block bad enough that she splurges on a last-minute trip to Scotland with her best friend for a writer's retreat in a supposedly haunted castle. The problems begin when she discovers that not only is the castle most definitely haunted, but even worse, Storm is also participating in the retreat.

I enjoyed it while reading, but promptly forgot almost all about it when I finished the story. It's enjoyable but not memorable beyond appreciating that it tries to emphasize the hardships of BIPOC authors and what they have to do to get published.
Wilken's writing is good, but the switching between romance scenes and horror ones felt abrupt enough that I wonder if these were originally two ideas that got meshed into one as both elements feel incomplete.
Then there's the fact that my favorite part of enemies to lovers is the banter and seeing how the characters interact before they admit that they're crazy for each other, but we hardly get any of that as both Penelope and Neil handle things by avoiding each other or keeping quiet when they're forced to be together. Then it turns out it's just a big misunderstanding and insecure personalities and we skip most of the bantery goodness.
In the end, it's a story that I don't regret reading but doesn't stand out from the rest enough for me to want to rave about it. It has its good points but the mediocre ones outweigh it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 10/15/2024. We all love mixed genre books, right? Well, here is one that mixes spice and enemies-to-lovers romance and horror and a bit of mystery. As an extra draw, If I Stop Haunting You also features Indigenous main characters written BY an Indigenous author. This results in a book that feels very real and authentic in a lot of ways so we will start with the parts I dug because while, in the end, this book turned out to be out of sync with me, it is sure to be a lot of other people’s cup of tea.

First, the concept is fantastic – writers with baggage at a retreat in a spooky, haunted Scottish castle. It is atmospheric and author Colby Wilkens takes full advantage of the scenery to boost the mood. She describes the castle in loving detail and, at times, the imagery blooms into something truly malignant and oppressive. Using the caretaker’s unease and evasiveness further sets the mood. On the opposite side of genres, you have the spicy scenes which mix some needed levity into the story, tangling it up with some very energetic and very appreciative sex. Pen and Neil fully sign up for the transition and effectively channel their animosity into some pretty hot sex. What can I say? Library sex. What book lover doesn’t cheer that on? It must be admitted that Neil has an easier swing in this shift because he clearly has an appreciation for Pen even when she is throwing things at him. He is just awkward AF. Read: he could have fixed the situation even earlier if he talked to her… and didn’t let her completely screw up his head while he delayed.

I guess that is one of the biggest problems I had with the book. It eased up and was fixed as the story went on but, for the first half of the book, Pen was so incredibly hostile and aggressive towards Neil. Mind you, he didn’t help issues with his ability to press her buttons. However, she was almost emotionally abusive in some ways. It might be a stretch of the term but it definitely felt like Neil took on every insult she threw at him as gospel truth, sitting passively as it eroded his confidence and pouring on the self-hatred; it almost felt like gaslighting at points. I get that Pen was coming from a place of anger and had her own self-doubt and issues but, wow, anger control issues much? Plus she blamed every bad break she got on Neil (not true), the messed-up and gatekeeping publishing industry (very true), the world in general… It was only when she came to accept some responsibility for her own actions that Pen grew into a more likeable character, an adult, someone I could root for without hesitation. This is a very valid journey and worth reading… I just don’t know that it should have been such an extreme journey in a book that was already trying to merge gothic mystery and contemporary romance and a (rightful!) condemnation on how trad publishing can really smother creativity and diversity. It overpowered the other elements so often and distracted from the other messages.

And the messages surrounding writing and publishing are so powerful! Wilkens points out the ways that writing can get compromised, that authors can get compromised, that unwritten publishing practices and “rules” can stifle the diversity that we so often beg for. Tokenism is not just in the movies and TV; it exists on your bookstore shelves. In this case, it focuses on Indigenous voices but it can apply as easily to other marginalized creators. How to fight it? Be true to yourself, pick your battles, don’t hate voices that align with yours? It is an awful lot of food for thought in a paranormal romance book and it makes me sad that Pen’s anger spirals and blame scattershot murks up the water.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book but I would like it even more if the final version has some of the uneven edges smoothed out. Also… Geez, does Daniela have to be SUCH A BITCH?

This book was so FUN! Set against the eerie backdrop of a HAUNTED castle in Scotland, the novel follows rival horror authors Neil and Pen as they embark on a writing retreat that quickly spirals into a journey of self-discovery and *unexpected* romance.

Enemies to lovers will always be one of my favorite tropes. The tension between Neil and Pen is palpable and delicious and I loved every second of it. 💜🧡

Colby Wilkens, an Indigenous author, brings a unique perspective to If I Stopped Haunting You, infusing the narrative with cultural richness and authenticity. The characters, both Neil and Pen, are also Indigenous. This representation adds depth to the story, as Neil and Pen navigate not only their personal and professional rivalries but also their identities, making the book a poignant exploration of contemporary Indigenous life alongside the light-hearted romance that felt fresh and engaging.

To me, Wilkens skillfully intertwines elements of romance, mystery, and humor, creating a lighthearted read perfect for spooky-season. I found it to be delightful, thought-provoking, and enchanting! I cannot wait for their next book to come out next March!

Thanks @smpromance @stmartinspress for the advanced copy! 🧡

I was really excited to read this one (I LOVE seasonal books) but this was a huge disappointment. The narrative was all over the place, and the main character really bugged me (she quite literally physically abuses her main love interest, like to the point of leaving a SCAR, and refuses to apologize??). The chemistry was not there with the two (I could see how it could've grown, but it all felt really rushed). I finished the book because I was curious about the mystery of the haunted house they were staying at, but even that felt really... dumb? Like what was the point? All in all, this was not my favorite book.

I, incredibly unfortunately, did not download this title before it was archived and missed my opportunity to read it as an ARC reader. I will very likely purchase my own copy, review it, and share it with my followers. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to review this for you.

This is fine; it's a solid read if you're looking for something by an Indigenous author with spooky and romantic vibes for the season. While I wish the romantic moments and chemistry had felt less forced, I enjoyed the gothic setting of the castle and some of the supernatural horror Colby Wilkens imbues in the story.

Romance, horror, and set in the publishing industry? Yes, please! This book was so original and fun (and a little creepy). Loved it.

🏰Book Review🏰
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Summary- It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts- thank you @macmillanaudio for the advanced copy. This was a paranormal romance, heavy on the romance and steam light on the spooky. I wanted to love this one but they were enemies to lovers within the first 100 pages. I wanted to love this one but a lot of it really didn’t work for me. The two main characters didn’t really have chemistry, they just banged a lot. The other friends in the story just made childish immature comments about it and the ghost aspect wasn’t touched until the last 50 pages. This one has so much potential to be the perfect book for spooky season but it was not 🥲.
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QOTD- what is your current read ? Mine is those empty eyes!
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This was an entertaining book. It was steamy, fun and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I was promised a cutesy “enemies to lovers” romance with a blend of ghostly horror, and I did not receive either of those things.

Neil and Penelope are definitely not meant to be, Neil could do better. Penelope is literally the worst. I really want to know how he could just get over the fact that she physically assaulted him in the very beginning of the book, over something that was HER fault, leaving him with a permanent scar on his face. I felt zero chemistry between them. So much so that I, in fact, had to skip through their steamy scenes because I just couldn’t handle the two of them being together.

As far as the ghosties go, I just felt like most of it was rushed and not well thought out. Obviously the backdrop of the haunted castle was a plot device to throw Neil and Pen together, but it just felt so…obvious?

I’m unsure of my thoughts on this book. There’s a lot to like about it (the honesty of BIPOC authors, the humor), but then some of it rubbed me the wrong way (the MCs weren’t very likable, the ghost was weird). I guess that my bottom line is that it was just fine.

Loved the plot and the setting of the book, but the characters and their development lacked for me. Cute, spooky themes and I love anything Scotland, just didn’t quite hit the marks I was expecting.

I loved this book so much! Everything about it was so good! Enemies to lovers! Forced proximity! Haunted castle in Scotland! Steamy!

This book was also written by a Native author and both the FMC and MMC in this book are Native. I absolutely loved this representation!

I loved that it was spooky, but not too spooky. I’m a wimp so I’m not going to lie I still got a little scared when I was reading at night, but I felt like it was the perfect amount of spooky and if you are looking for a romance to read during the month of October this should absolutely be on your TBR!

I would have loved if the book would have gotten a bit deeper into the relationship between Pen and Neil, but honestly I still loved it the way it was and it makes sense that it didn’t because the timeline of the main part of the story was very short.

I did a hybrid read, (audio and ebook)and the narrators of the audiobook were both really great.

Thank you to St. Martin’s for the eARC and
Dreamscape Media for the ALC.