4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If I Stopped Haunting You
Author: Colby Wilkens
Spooky Romcom

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC! Perfect read for the month of October. If you want a cute, spooky romcom to kick off Halloween month go preorder this now! Two feuding authors end up on a writing retreat in a haunted castle. They have a really bad history and pretty much loathe each other. Somehow they end up being forced together at every turn in this haunted castle. Both have also been suffering writers block since their on live television argument. It was silly and definitely a fluffy read but exactly what I was looking for right now! Loved the cute scary stuff. 👻. Enemies to lovers meets grumpy sunshine meets Halloween. Add to cart. ✅

Between the description and hype from author authors, I really wanted to like this one
Unfortunately, it set off badly from the prologue.

The FMC assaults the MMC, a fellow author at a conference, by throwing a book - at his face! - with enough force to draw blood

Reading on further we find out that not only doesn’t she show any remorse for the action, or any gratitude he didn’t file charges, she’s still somehow framing herself as the victim in it all.

If it was an argument, making a scene, I could have gotten on board. Throw the book on the ground, he’ll swipe his books off the table. Unprofessional still? Sure. But it is enemies to lovers, so obviously they weren’t going to start off getting along.
And the disagreement has merit.
But I’m not getting past her thinking people should support her physically attacking him. And the thought of that being the origins of a future relationship does NOT sit right with me.
(I also suspect if the places of the fmc and mmc were reversed, this would cause a lot more outrage, but that’s a whole other topic)

Thank you NetGalley and st Martins press for the arc, but I’m afraid this one isn’t going to work for me.
DNF @ 16%

3.5/5 ⭐️s

Penelope Skinner, an indigenous horror author, is absolutely miffed that her peer, Neil Storm, has been intentionally writing novels to be palatable to a white audience. She has become a vocal critic of this disservice to her community...so vocal that at a book convention Pen ends up hurling an annotated copy of her novel at his face thus becoming a social pariah. Newly scarred Neil Storm has been mulling over Penelope's words for months. He has a severe case of writer's block and a bit of an identity crisis that he cannot seem to shake. A mutual friend invites them both on an intimate writer's retreat in a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands without informing the other of their rival's presence. It takes less than twenty-four hours before they realize that there may be more than a rivalry simmering under the surface.

After reading the premise of this book, I immediately requested an ARC. The story itself did not disappoint. As an avid kissing book reader and spooky gal, I thought this book had a great balance between romance and the paranormal. It never felt like too much time was being devoted to one part of the plot, so it was a very satisfying read.

I will preface this next part by saying that I am a white woman so I absolutely cannot and do not claim to understand the indigenous experience at all.

My main issues were with Penelope who I think could have benefited from a little more introspection and definitely a therapist. She really used our boy Neil as a whipping board for her insecurities to the point where he was questioning every single part of his identity as both an indigenous person and as a writer. She railed at him for perpetuating harmful stereotypes while simultaneously tearing down a fellow indigenous author without considering the difficulties he may have also experienced getting a book published. Throughout the story Neil really takes everything she says into consideration and thinks about ways he can try to become a better champion for indigenous voices. Meanwhile Penelope is sort of just like "oh huh maybe I treated you poorly because I had a less successful career and a boatload of insecurities?" near the end. I would have liked to see just a little bit more of her internal realization that the conflict she exacerbated could have probably been resolved via a good 'ol author coffee date and therapy session.

Overall I did enjoy this book! I cannot emphasize that enough. The story was great and it was a pretty quick read. It's abundantly clear that Colby Wilkens is a talented writer, and I will absolutely be checking out whatever she writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I think I have to DNF. I won't rate it because i don't think that's fair 12% in. The premise of this was interesting, and there's something to be said portraying to make a point about writing from the perspective of a Native. But so much of this is heavy handed. The confrontation at the castle doesn't feel earned because we barely know them or their relationship. I'm still annoyed at Laszlo for forcing them together because it was entirely self-serving and manipulative. They could have spun it as a PR thing for them both if they really needed the retreat to write.

Hopefully someone enjoys this more than I did! Just not for me, I'm afraid.

[NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this title.]

These are my notes on this book:
There is a dude named Laszlo.
They decided to be nice to each other way too soon and wayyy too easily.
Ghosts?
The word gurgle is just the best word ever.
Who questions renting a haunted Scottish castle? It's literally the greatest idea ever!!!!
This is the greatest book ever!!!!!
Ahh yeah, they did stuff. They're totally in love. They better hold hands. If they don't hold hands I will die.
Yeah they're soooooo gonna be in love forever.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Spooky, ghosts, love. The perfect romance.
Final conclusion: I bought copies for my bestie and sister. This book is like soup when you're sick.

This cover tho!

I thought it was a cute lil romcom with a horror aspect. Authors
Penelope and Neil have been “enemies” since a bookcon where Penelope gets in a fight with Neil about his book and ends up throwing a book at his head. Neither of them have been able to write anything since. Their friend Lazlo sets up a writing retreat in a haunted castle in Scotland. Will they make it out alive?

It was decent. I really liked the discourse on BIPOC authors in the publishing industry. Overall the romance and horror aspects were largely forgettable but it was a fun little palette cleanser.

Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for an alc and eARC.

I really wanted to like Colby Wilkens upcoming enemies to lovers contemporary romance If I Stopped Haunting You as it seemed like a great set up perfect for supernatural season. Unfortunately, it feel short of the mark for me. I had a hard time believing the two main characters, both of whom remained fairly unlikable throughout the book, would be involved in any way. Ultimately, I chose not to finish it. Hoping other books by this author will be more by speed.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read If I Stopped Haunting You if you like:
🪶 Indigenous Stories
📚 Authors
😡 Enemies to Lovers
👻 Ghost Stories
🏚️ Haunted Houses

This book is an enemies to lovers meets forced proximity story with a sprinkle of haunted house vibes mixed in!

Pen and Neil are enemies in the writing scene as Pen has stayed true to her indigenous culture in her writing which hasn’t gotten her far, while Neil has bent to the whim of his publisher and white washed his books to make them more palatable and has become a best seller. So when they are put on a panel together and it heats up when Pen can’t help but share her opinions they both have ramifications from that day and the publicity of their public battle.

Then when their mutual convinces them to go on a writers retreat and they are now stuck in forced proximity in a haunted house, what truly could go wrong?!

Overall, for me the pacing was a bit slow and wanted more spooky vibes with the haunted house and ghosts, but what I think was done best was the discourse around minorities and expectations to white wash for public consumption as this was so well done!

Thanks so much to SMP for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

What an absolute delight! I really enjoyed the mix of romance and paranormal - and I really want to read a horror book by Wilkens. Maybe for book two???

The relationship between Neil and Penelope was true enemies to lovers and very well executed: even when happening in such a short time frame, it’s always nice to read about character development when they grow independently and also together. Realizing that they didn’t have to be competitors, that they were both working towards the same goal but in different ways, set them both on a path of change.

And also a good ole haunted castle in Scotland. If ghosts don’t force change, I don’t know what will.

Thank you to NetGalley, Colby Wilkens, and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dnf at 10%. I literally couldn’t get into this. It’s written in 3rd person. Which I’m fine with if it’s written well. But this was not. I love spooky paranormal romance but this was just written so badly and so slow I couldn’t.

There were so many aspects of this book that I loved, and it is definitely perfect for “spooky season”.
To begin with, the romance between Neil and Pen is amazing and I loved the rivals to lovers dynamic they had! Their story was so cute and felt more real as they worked through their problems and what had caused them to hate each other so much.
The next aspect of the story I loved was the paranormal mystery. The setting of a haunted castle was amazing and so descriptive I felt like I was there with the characters. I loved that we followed Pen and Neil as they attempted to find out what was haunting the castle, and why.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to romance readers for the fall time!

Slow in the beginning, spooky throughout and steamy eventually
This was a well-written spooky ghost story with a romance between former enemies. The spooky parts, once they were introduced, were quite thrilling. I really did need to find out what stories led to the haunting of the castle where the writers’ retreat was being held. And, truly some parts were scary. The love story between Penelope and Neil took a while to develop, but was steamy once acknowledged. Honestly, this was a good book but slow in the beginning. I liked the ending, but I am not sure if I want to read another book by this author. The price is pretty steep for a good book. Now, if it were a great book, I would be willing to pay that amount. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Cute and spooky- just in time for the Halloween season. Two enemy horror writers- Neil and Pen- find themselves at a writing retreat together in Scotland. Neither wanting to be near the other but enjoying being submerged in a haunted castle place but also unable to write anything.

Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers

Enemies to lovers plus a haunted castle in Scotland? This sounded like the perfect cozy romance to start the fall season! However, this book fell flat for me.

I have a hard time loving a book if I don’t like the main character and unfortunately in this book, I did not like our FMC. If you do enjoy an aggressive heroine, you’ll probably like her more than I did.

The first half of the book was a little slow for me and I didn’t really care for any side characters. The book picked up when the ghost/ mystery part of the plot kicked in about halfway through and I did enjoy that aspect of the book.

Some things I enjoyed about this book

-the setting was great! A Haunted Castle in a Scotland and the author really delivered here for me
- the theme of BIPOC authors and Native representation. I wish this went deeper and was explored more because I wanted more of this in the book
-spice! When the spice hits, it was well done!

This may not be the book for me but I would recommend it to fans of enemies to lovers or to anyone looking for a cozy spooky romance for their TBR!

I am unsure of how to rate- but maybe a 2.5 and rounding up because I do think there is an audience for this

👻If I Stopped Haunting You by @colbywilkens out October 15, 2024

Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are rival authors turned enemies after a very ✨public✨ outburst & book yeeting experience at a book con. Whoops! Down the drain goes Pen’s very (already) pathetic career as an indigenous author. Now she’s stuck editing other’s books to perfection while hers sit on the shelf. But Pen wasn’t the only one who suffered. Neil is now out of ideas after his public tongue & book lashing by Pen. In an effort to get the creative juices flowing Pen and Neil are unknowingly BOTH invited to a writing retreat in a castle in the Scottish Highlands by their mutual friend Laszlo. While very tense relationship between Pen and Neil offers plenty of haunts & creepy sensations itself, but the castle seemingly has even more in store. In fact, the castle needs help from its occupants. Will Pen & Neil be able to learn to get along to solve a mystery that the castle brings them? Or will their distain overtake the whole trip leading to being haunted even further by the one another?

This book offers a cozy, spooky escape to the Scottish Highlands. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also doesn’t make a spectacle of the relationship between Penelope & Neil. The tension between the two was absolutely delicious. Wilkens built it gradually, teasingly pushing readers to the edge & bringing them back before the pay off. She doesn’t do so unnecessarily. Pen & Neil need time to turn hate into love. Watching Neil fall first & hardest was delightful. At one point he follows Pen around like a golden retriever, “So, he trailed after her, four feet and ten inches between them, because five feet was simply too far.” We love a lovestruck MMC. Pen, herself, is utterly overtaken by the whiplash from utter distain to utterly infatuated. I love that Pen was more hardshell with a gooey center while Neil was unabashedly an ooey, gooey cinnamon bun. Now, don’t let this budding romance fool you, the spooky elements were so well done. Wilkens doesn’t shy away from showing the ghosts! They’re plenty sneaky & spooky, causing mischief wherever they go. The pace was also excellent. It flowed nicely & never had any lulls. I found it to be a perfect blend of spooky & sweet 🫶🏻

A HUGE thank you to Colby Wilken, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, & NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy of If I Stopped Haunting You in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I received this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publishers for the Netgalley.

I just did not love this one, y'all. The premise of the book had me so interested, two writers going to spend a week in a haunted Scottish castle? Sign me up (but not really, of course)!

Let's start with Penelope. I thought her character was very one-dimensional and didn't see much growth for her throughout the book. She starts off with physically assaulting the MMC (Neil) at a book conference because he received more accolades than she did, and because she believed he sold out. Then, pan to the castle week, and they jump into bed like incredibly fast an she no longer hates him? I thought the timing was off, not to mention at the most inappropriate times (i.e. after a big ghost scare they get frisky right afterwards?), just not the most believable.

I think pacing for this story didn't work for me since the actual ghost element of the book doesn't get wrapped up until almost 90% into the book. I found myself confused at times and would backtrack to see if I missed things.

👻 If I Stopped Haunting You 👻

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Finished: 08/16/24


As a fellow Native, I really wanted to love this book and support a Native author. But this book was not very well written or well thought out.

The spooky vibes we were supposed to get gave me no chills while reading. The tension between the main characters and their relationships progression wasn't great. I think it made no sense that they were just off by themselves a lot of the time and not even remotely working at their writing retreat and how the other two writers just had no idea what they were up to. As well as how they set up how the people on the internet was rooting for Penelope after hitting another person in public but she never saw it since she disabled all her social media accounts after it happened. 😵‍💫

I do want to try out her next book, but I definitely won't be getting my hopes up.

I do not believe my expectations for this one were high, but I am pretty sure I expected more than what was delivered. The protagonist, Penelope, did not seem genuine and I could not connect to her at all. I could not love or her hate her, it was a feeling of extreme indifference. The relationship also did not feel meaningful in any way and I found that I did not care one way or the other about the characters or their relationship. To be fair, I didn't not like Neil, he was fine, but the story, the steamy, and the spooky in this one were not for me.

So the argument that this book is centered on was weak. Pen’s anger with Neil is weak. The insta-attraction didn’t bother me, the continued bickering did. And it was really hard to like Penelope. I guess the biggest problem with this novel was the believability factors of the main events. Would this have happened in real time? And can someone be successful, be in a relationship and carry on like this?
It was not horrible but it wasn’t great.
I did listen to it also as an audiobook and thought the narrators, Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia were good. They were a good fit together.
Thanks Dreamscape Media and St. Martins Press via NetGalley.

I had so many issues with this story I struggled to get to my usual 20% cap before "DNFing".

The enemies-to-lovers in this one is not structured well at all. These characters truly hate each other in such a negative way it is impossible for me to root for them. They were so immature and the constant rollercoaster of “I hate them, I feel guilty for hating them, I want to strangle them, but also I kind of want to kiss them” was difficult to read. Especially due to the fact that we don’t get any background on them before the *hidden feelings* start to arise almost immediately.

The main character, Pen, was absolutely insufferable. We start off with her throwing something at the MMC hard enough for it to scar him and every interaction after that within the 20% I read she gaslights him, while secretly has wet dreams about him - this just didn't sit well with me.

Unfortunately I could not get through the whole novel because I was not enjoying the read at all.