I really wanted to like this one. An enemies to lovers set in a haunted Scottish castle? Count me in! And while the mystery of the haunted castle was creepier and more entertaining than I expected from the cartoon cover something just didn’t hit for me with this one. I think separately there were some great elements: the haunted castle, the mystery, the spotlight on the hard aspects of being a bipoc author, but together I wasn’t feeling it. But that could totally be a me problem!

I was excited about the premise but this wasn’t for me. The enemies became lovers with very little actually happening - they just kind of were near each other and realized “hey I want to bone them”.

Also the stakes seemed so high a yet these crazy horn dogs can’t prioritize the wellbeing of themselves or those trapped with them for two minutes. They have to have wild sex multiple times while ghosts look on.

AND can you call it a writing retreat with FOUR people and zero structure?

It was a DNF for me.

If I Stopped Hating You was a book I was really looking forward to. Thrilled to read a queer indigenous romance. I really liked the setup of the book and the plot surrounding the ghost stuff was interesting. I didn’t love the romance though, I wasn’t really vibing with them as a couple or feeling the chemistry. It was a fine book I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped that I would.

“An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland”

I really wanted to love this one. And it was ok. But I just don’t think it was for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Some parts felt repetitive. Others left me with major questions.

The MMC wasn’t too bad, but the FMC and I didn’t quite click. There’s being strong and independent, but sadly she just came off as mean most of the time.

I can see how some would like the book, but it was just ok for me. A very special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️
This book was an absolutely perfect fall read! I loved the setting of Skinner Castle, it created both a creepy yet still romantic atmosphere. I thought the horror writing retreat was such a clever idea to bring all the characters together! Pen and Neil's chemistry was off the charts and they made such a fun couple! I loved reading about them going from rivals to lovers while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery of Skinner Castle and come up with their next book ideas. I thought all of the main characters being writers created such a fun dynamic throughout the book! The scenes with the ghosts were so spine chilling and the banter was so fun! The book explores more serious topics, such as identity within indigenous communities. Colby does a beautiful job of balancing the romance and thrills while leaving room to explore this important topic. I am so excited for her next book, "If I Dig You" to come out next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I really struggled with Pen the FMC. She didn’t act like an adult and she wasn’t willing to own up to her mistakes. I found it hard to believe the love story between her and Neil.

I don’t like to give low reviews, but this book just wasn’t for me.

I wanted to love this so hard. I loved the concept and the representation for the Indigenous community. But this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I think though that this book would be a perfect fit for someone looking for a paranormalish romance book! This just wasn't a right fit for me and I struggled to finish it. 3 stars out of 5 stars!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: If I Stopped Haunting You

Author: Colby Wilkens

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Spice Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Indigenous main character, Indigenous Bisexual main character

Recommended For...: Adult Readers, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Genre: Contemporary Romance Horror

Age Relevance: 18+ (Racism, Slight Violence, Language, Romance, Sexual Content)

Explanation of Above: There are moments of racism mentioned in flashbacks and shown slightly in the beginning. There is some slight violence, a book thrown at someone’s head and being pushed down some stairs. There is some strong cursing in this book. There are romance scenes and sex scenes and mentions of sex in this book.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Pages: 320

Synopsis: 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.

Review: So I think outside of paranormal romance books where one or both of the characters are obviously a paranormal creature, I don't think I've read a book quite like this. This book was so good. It featured two Native main characters and they basically are looking into the history of this Castle and stumble upon ghosts that are haunting them. I thought the story was really good and the romance was super cute. It was a really good enemies to lovers romance. I think sometimes contemporary books have a little bit of issue playing with. I also really like the story itself and I felt very satisfied by the end. I also really loved all of the great points about publishing male vs female and white vs BIPOC privilege and about how publishing harms BIPOC rep or sometimes doesn't want authentic new stories from and for BIPOC audiences. I think that’s a very solid message that needs to be heard.

However, I do feel like the characters got together a little bit too easy for an enemies to lovers romance. I also feel like there were some little moments of pacing slow downs in the book.

Verdict: I loved it and highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! It was great to watch both main characters grow and learn from each other.
The ending made my heart melt and I LOVE no 3rd act break up. I'm excited to read more from Colby Wilkens.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

I really enjoyed this novel! It was a great mix of chaos, a little bit of horror, and a lot of romance!

This book isn’t like anythIng I’ve read before and I really appreciated that! It did not necessarily follow what I have come to expect out of a romcom and I loved it!

Two writers who can’t stand each other after a falling out are stuck together on a writers retreat in a haunted castle!

I also appreciate how they weren’t romance authors, I feel like that has been what I expect when the MCs are authors. They were both mystery/horror writers and kept away from one talking badly about romance authors to the other, which I feel is often over done.

This book was definitely giving spice! And I thought it was done well, the characters had so much chemistry!

It felt like this book was trying to do too many things. It started off with the feud about indigenous authors between Pen and Neil which was super interesting, then immediately when the ghosts were introduced that whole plot line was dropped and very briefly mentioned at the end. Nothing was really woven together. It just felt like reading two different books at times

This book is an odd mix of spooky and romance, and I often found myself struggling to switch between the two. One moment, you're reading about a ghost with an unsettling stench, and the next, you're thrown into some unexpectedly steamy scenes. The spice felt oddly out of place, especially considering the setting—a haunted castle. If I were staying in a creepy, ghost-infested manor, trying to seduce my archenemy would probably be the last thing on my mind!

The tension between the paranormal and romantic aspects made it hard to fully immerse myself in either. The ghostly atmosphere was well done, but every time I started to get into the spooky vibe, the romantic elements would swoop in and break the mood. It felt like the book couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a haunting mystery or a sizzling romance, and the balance between the two just didn’t sit right.

That being said, if you don't overthink the plot and are looking for a fun, easy read with a little bit of everything—spooks, humor, and romance—this book still delivers. It might not be the most memorable story, but it’s enjoyable for those looking for something light and a little spooky.

First, thank you St.Martin’s Press|St.Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley for the e-ARC. To LibroFM for the audio file with the beautiful narration by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia.
This is an enemies to lovers, horror romcom. I never thought it would be a perfect combination but it somehow clicked well. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm were literary rivals who ended up in the same writers retreat in no other than the creepiest, eerie castle in Scotland. The set up was perfect for the vibe, for the writing inspiration and well, if I must say, the much needed clothes optional activities. Yes! It has steamy pages to flipped through. Side characters were portrayed okay but i would wish for more swoon worthy connections with Neil and Pen. Their banter get to be a little redundant and that is the only thing that did not get me to fully love the piece.
Trigger warning as it has sensitive issue but it was presented well. It is my first Colby Wilkens read and I am interested to pick up her other work.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC. Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I loved the premise of this book and the setting. The storyline felt fresh and I loved the mix of horror and romance. I will say that the spicy scenes felt crammed into the book and made it seem a little odd at times. I liked the characters and the haunted storyline was fun to follow. It was almost Haunted Mansion-y. The ending felt rushed to me and I wish we had a little bit more exposition into the conclusion of the paranormal aspect. Overall, this was such a great read especially for spooky season so I would definitely recommend it!

DNF at 20%. I instantly disliked the main character and the dynamic of the relationship. I gave it til 20% to see if things would change but at that point I had to stop.

I unfortunately had to DNF this read. Although the premise originally captivated me, I did not feel connected to the characters or story enough to continue. Thank you for giving me the chance.

Penelope Skinner hates Neil Storm (for reasons that were never entirely clear to me), so when they both end up on a writer's retreat in a haunted castle they find that proximity and a mystery can change the way they see each other.

There were a lot of storylines in this novel: the enemies to lovers romance, both protagonists dealing with writer's block, the writing retreat, and the haunted castle. It left me confused on what was really going on throughout the book. I enjoyed the ghost story, and wished there had been more focus on that storyline; though, I felt the ending of it was a little unsatisfying.

I really enjoyed this story! Two writers who despise each other, yet can't stop thinking about each other, wind up at the same writers retreat. They write horror, so what could be better than staying at a haunted castle in Scotland? Oddly enough, the two are the only ones who can see and experience the ghosts. Neil and Penelope have to solve why the haunting is happening and why the antipathy for each other.

1/5 ⭐️ 1.5/5 🌶️
I just...wow.
At this point, I just hate-finished the book. The writing was sloppy and the story needed a formal outline with major changes. Where is Wilkens' editor? How did THIS get traditionally published? This is writing I would expect out of a Kindle Unlimited author who one day decided they wanted to be an author and now puts out 6+ books a year.

This had the potential to be SO GOOD. Like soo good. The synopsis and cover art reeled me in, but literally not even after the first chapter ended, I knew this one was going to be hard to finish.

#1. Penelope is insufferable. Yes her reasons for hating Neil are justified, but she needs THERAPY. She has like, zero redeeming qualities. And then once Neil realizes he likes her, he just completely bows down to her and barely thinks for himself. Both of them suck, like majorly.

#2. Penelope and Neil have zero chemistry. It's like Colby Wilkens was wondering: how do I make a paranormal romance spooky and sexy? And she failed to achieve either of these goals. "Enemies" to lovers except both have been lowkey obsessed with each other for months/years? BORING. Also, their relationship actually started in the process of 24 hours. I'm not sure if it's because Wilkens shot herself in the foot by giving them a strict timeline (one week at the castle), but it definitely lessened the impact of their relationship.

#3 The paranormal "mystery" was contrived and Wilkens failed to make any sort of atmosphere of a horror novel. The descriptions were so bad. Like, no originality. I could see what she was trying (and failing) to do, but jesus. The fact that this is getting published. Honestly, if Neil or Penelope's writing is anything like Colby's, they would be FLOPS.

I REALLY wanted to like this more than I did. The best part of this book was the enemies to lovers storyline and the sexy parts. BUT in concept the rest of the book fell flat. I don’t feel like the ghost story elements ever really came together. I obviously kept reading to see if it did but i was sorely disappointed. Was hoping for a fun romance/ghost story and left without feeling scared or even spooked! Where’s the ghost story in that?!