If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC, here is my honest review!
⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️
My thoughts: I tried my hardest to enjoy this one, It was everywhere, so much was going on at once. They’re enemies basically forced to stay in a haunted castle as a writing retreat. Both have their own struggles with writing and their feelings towards one another. Of course their feelings change drastically and they also have to survive their stay at the haunted castle.. This wasn’t my cup of tea but I did like the horror aspects. They weren’t super entertaining but it was enough to keep me curious about the ghosts backstory. I feel like this plot would make a good comedic movie. I very much kept imagining Scary Movie 😂 Do I recommend this? No, maybe.. probably not.

I really don't like giving books a one-star review, especially for an author's first book, and even more especially when I have written exactly zero books myself. However, this book just wasn't for me.

The main character was insufferable. Full stop. Creating an entire personality out of hating a fellow-author, even if the underlying points were valid, doesn't leave much room for growth. As a corollary, if someone belittles you to the point of a complex, you are not going to become romantically involved with them. Needless to say, the chemistry was not believable, and thus the HEA felt forced.

As for plot? A solid idea that enjoyed the ability to have unexplained phenomena push the narrative. I am okay with ghosts dropping the right book, or pointing to the right window. That suspension of disbelief is part of the fun. However, the plot line fell short and finished quickly in a spew of exposition. (This is a personal pet peeve of mine, so others' mileage may vary.)

Other review are mixed, so I will acknowledge that some of this personal preference. Overall though? This could use some polishing of the character arcs and plot progression before it can be great.

I really wanted to get into this but it was not working for me. The main character was honestly abrasive and I really didn't care about what would happen to her. I don't like reviewing without finishing, but this was just so hard to get through I had to DNF. This book had such an interesting concept, I just wish it was executed better.

This was a different type of read for me so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It follows a MMC and FMC who are at odds because she thinks he sold out natives when he published a book catering to stereotypes so she throws a book at him at an event. Flash forward to when they end up on the same writing retreat and are snowed in at a creepy castle. I’m not sure how I feel about the creepy aspects of it. On the one hand I really enjoyed the suspense. But I also sort of expected more? I’m not sure if it was supposed to be scary or not. Beyond that I thought the romance was really well done. And I enjoyed seeing each of their struggles with their own identities and how that impacts their writing in different ways.

Unique plot, execution not so much

If I stopped haunting you, it’s about rival writers who ended up on the same writers retreat since they have the same friends. I would not promote this as enemies to lovers because they are not enemies just rivals and they had a disagreement on the same genre that they write about. They both believe the downfall of their writing..

They end up in a Scottish castle that is haunted and basically they both solve the reason why they are being haunted because these ghosts ended up kind of targeting them and they feared their lives teamed up to figure it out.

When I was reading this, I wasn’t necessarily very invested in anything. Was already falling for her because he was re-watching the video nonstop of their disagreement that was broadcasted. so he was already liking her. It just took her liking him back. I do see why they would have some kind of a chemistry, but it was it. You could definitely tell that he liked her, but it was very lusty from her side. I will admit that when the smut scenes came up. It did kind of catch me offguard. They were very lusty in this castle and just trying to get it on whenever they could, even though they are being haunted by ghost.

I think this was a very chill book to read. It’s not one for harsh criticisms honestly because I don’t think that it needs to be harshly criticized. It’s just read it if you want a quick fun time because it’s not complex and it is not scary. I’m very sensitive to Ghost Stories and I was very hesitant on picking this one up, but this was not scary in the slightest bit and I’m not sure if the author intended it for it to be because then that’s pretty lackluster cause there’s not a big component to it.

But I still enjoyed reading it. It was very chill. It was very quick. It was fun. I love the concept and I think it was still kind of cute.


Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review

A light and haunting romance.
I loved the haunted Scottish castle setting. A tense forced proximity of these two characters, they both had to learn to dig a little deeper into themselves, acknowledge their own baggage to move forward. I love ghost stories and Scottish castles so it was right up my alley. I thought the ghost story was a little light in some areas, it was a bit more romance than ghostly. All in all a good storyline and dialogue that kept me engaged from beginning to end. This is a stand alone story. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t finish it. I tried to keep going, but I couldn’t focus or follow along with the book. I tried, but it was just way too slow for me. The description pulled me in, and the cover, but trying to read the book wasn’t hitting. I wish I could have finished. I skimmed through the rest of the book after reading up to 50%, but it was dragging for me, and I couldn’t pull through. I'm sure this book is for someone else, but it's not me, unfortunately. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, but from the beginning, the main female character was a mess and honestly annoying to listen to. I apologize if this seems too harsh, but everyone has different tastes.

Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I felt like the main character, Penelope, was just awful. I have a hard time rooting for someone who is so bad. I also felt like the horror wasn't really there either.

This book was just bad and I couldn't finish it.

Unfortunately, this was not for me. The writing is very YA, until it’s not. Explicit scenes between two consenting adults, but the rest of the dialogue feels immature and petty. Despite having no redeeming qualities and her being overtly disrespectful and rude to him, Neil develops an attraction to Pen within hours of arriving at the castle. I ended up speed reading through the second half until I got to the last couple chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book was so promising. I enjoyed the mystery and the spicy scenes were solid. But the main character (although the struggles and the points she made were 100% valid) still came off as somewhat childish. It didn’t really match the age range for her. I also wished there was a little more to the mystery at the end.

BUT the imagery was so amazing! I loved how the castle was described. It was like I was there myself and I knocked this book out in 24 hours.

Thank you to the author and publisher for granting me this as an ARC!

A slow-burn romance between horror writers in a Scottish haunt? Count me in! 🏰 Both protagonists are a delight, and the blend of romance and horror hits just right. Following Pen and Neil as they navigate both the mysterious Woman in Black and their own tangled emotions is a rollercoaster ride I'd gladly take again. The opening scene made me so excited for what was yet to come. 🧛‍♂️👻 The characters are as captivating as they are enigmatic, weaving through a plot that keeps you guessing, albeit with occasional pacing hiccups.

Now, about that ghostly conclusion... it lacked the sinister punch I craved. 😈 But hey, the romance may have sparked faster than a bonfire in a blizzard, yet it's not devoid of flavor. 🌶️ While the characters weren't exactly my cup of tea, the book's concept and storyline kept me hooked. Although, let's be real, Penelope's character arc had me begging for more... and not in the best way. She had zero growth throughout the story.

While the mystery side kept me turning pages, the romance felt like a sprint through a haunted maze with no payoff. 💔 For two supposed enemies turned lovers, the chemistry felt more like a chemistry experiment gone awry. And as for the haunting? It started with a bang but ended with a whimper, leaving much to be desired.

Despite its shortcomings, the premise of literary foes entangled in a haunted Scottish retreat promises an adventure worth embarking on. But be warned, this ghostly escapade may leave you longing for a spookier climax. 👻 A solid 3.

This was an interesting and entertaining read. I’m always here for an enemies to lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted arc.

Oh how this book had so much potential! Unfortunately, it fell short for me. It had all the makings of a great story but somewhere along the way it lost its appeal.

i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.

if this book has no haters, i am dead.

so, they’re enemies because he wrote characters in a way she didn’t like, which prompted her to literally assault him while they were both attending an event. after her showing off her book throwing skills that ended up burying her career, she somehow has the audacity to blame the guy for it. as if her anger issues are his problem, you know? granted, there’s a bit more depth to the issue with the native characters that were, in her eyes, bad representation, but i still don’t think it justifies playing baseball with someone’s forehead and a book. and besides the physical assault, she also dragged his career through the mud at every given opportunity, while the dude was just existing. and then all is forgiven, and we’re supposed to root for their relationship?? if someone hits me to the point i need a hospital trip and i fall in love with them, please whack me again. it’s the concussion talking.

“and there you were, sitting with your glowing stack of books before you, and all I had was a measly copy of my one and only, and I just…” – part of her answer as to why she threw the book.

the dialogue was so awkward sometimes it hurt to read. for example “we don’t mean your castle any harm, brother protector ghost! she called. it’s just a silly game, a very foolish mistake, we won’t be making again! please, don’t kill us.”. sometimes it felt like some lines were said just for the sake of it, without having the character saying said line in mine, because i would not believe you if you told me it’s penelope that’s talking like that – the penelope that’s allegedly some sort of writing goddess from what neil’s been saying.
i wish neil was allowed to be his own character, but every single bit of information about him is given in the context of “was penelope justified in her hatred?”, which is annoying to say the least. he’s got the personality of a cardboard cutout and he’s constantly being gaslit – to the point he himself thinks penelope had some sort of motive for acting like a child for a bunch of years. we also get crumbs of backstory for each character, so we only see them as they are now with no motive behind their choices and beliefs.

their so-called friends simply push them towards each other and that’s it, that their only role here. literally they add nothing else to the story and i could not point out a single trait they had besides “horror writers”. laszlo has one scene in which he tells penelope that she’s being absurd to hate someone for playing the hand they were dealt, but daniela was a completely useless character. you could’ve taken her out of the story, and nothing would have changed. she’s the text-book definition of a filler character.

the fact that the romance develops in a maximum of 36 hours is also incredibly hard to believe because would you not have at least a little bit of self-preservation and question the other person’s motives considering they’ve been vocal about literally wanting you dead?? truly a romance that gives you whiplash, cause you blink and they’re in love! the spice was also interesting to read but i will keep my thoughts to myself because i think it’s a matter of personal taste, therefore other people could enjoy the way it was written. it’s also quite funny how this is marketed as “slow burn”, yet the action takes place in like 3-4 days. and they also make-out at the worst possible time, like a ghost nearly went chomp on you, can you at least wait a bit??

another poor choice the characters made was not telling the other two what was going on because they weren’t seeing the ghosts, which is stupid considering they’re very worried about the spirits in the castle possibly hurting them. so, you think they have the ability to harm you, but you’re not warning your friends about it? ok.

who decided mention ghost cum was a good idea? just, this book went through multiple hands, and nobody looked at that passage and asked themselves if that’s a good addition to the story? i cringed so hard, i nearly went to another dimension.

the horror that was promised did not deliver at all. this had crumbs of horror, if anything and i think the story wasn’t given enough time to develop and the characters ran in circles for like half of the book. we barely got any answers, and the ending was so anticlimactic, it was borderline funny how everything was resolved, no questions asked. there are things randomly added just so the story can be wrapped in a pretty bow – like at some point a magical torch appears and nobody bats an eye, nor did we get any explanation as to how that’s possible. just magic ✨

and towards the end they pull a little prank on their friends (that had no clue what was going on, let me reiterate) and blame them for “leaving them with the ghosts”. the ghosts you didn’t mention that they were somehow suppose to magically know about? mhm, right right.
the pacing was all over the place with things barely happening in the first 30-40% to suddenly being thrown into a paranormal scene to them doing the deed in the next page. so, we didn’t have the time to sit with anything and everything felt either too slow or too rushed, no balance in-between.

i do have to mention, this has native representation, so maybe someone will be able to see themselves in these characters, i cannot comment on that. the book also tried to touch on the issues within the publishing world, but i think it would’ve done better if it didn’t pit these authors against each other. the publishing world is the true villain here, not the guy that had his worked chopped until it didn’t resemble the original story at all because he felt he simply could not speak-up against it.

so, i have been, once again, fooled by the pretty cover. i think this could’ve been a nice book had the author spent more time polishing its timeline. we definitely needed more time seeing the characters be friends before jumping into a relationship. i also think penelope’s character didn’t really have any sort of a redemption arc, since she constantly pushed the blame on other characters. granted, she did wake up towards the end, but it’s a bit too late to make it credible.

Summing up the plot of If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens: It's a whirlwind romance that uniquely blends a modern-day retelling of Austen's Pride and Prejudice and a gruesomely haunting mystery.

At the beginning of the story, I had some plot point confusion, which persisted throughout, but I was captivated once I reached the middle. The mystery, while not as satisfying as I had hoped, was in line with the book's romantic comedy genre. It was an easy read, with a dash of spice, and a unique narrative. While I didn't fully connect with all the characters, it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment of the book.

Thank you, NetGalley, author Colby Wilkens, and the publisher St. Martin's Griffin, for the opportunity to read and give my honest opinion on this book.

Fabulously done, characters were a delight and the story pacing was perfect. Excited to read more from this author in the future!

This was cute and fun - it reminded me more of Rosie Danan's Do Your Worst than, say, Isabel Canas Vampires of El Norte, even though I think both could be loosely fitted into the horror-romance genre. I feel like this focused a lot on the romance between our two main characters with the horror/mystery taking a backseat, which I was fine with! Just need to know it up front. It's not going to force you to keep the lights on due to how scary it is, is what I'm saying.

I thought u would like this book but I didn’t expect to completely love it the way I did. It’s such a great mix of dialogue and mystery and writer life and romance. Totally fun and somewhat emotional too.

Its got enemies-to-lovers, its got a haunted-house AND it has horror!! What more could a spooky romance lover like me ask for. This one although cute was definitely different from other spooky romances in the same genre. I loved it so much I read it in 2 days flat (that's with breaks for work and food - which tells you how much I did not put it down!). Thank you so much for the advance copy, and I can't wait to read more from Colby!

If I Stopped Haunting You
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5
🌶️🌶️/5
Penelope Skinner really dislikes Neil Storm. He is everything that she views as wrong in an Indigenous author. It’s not the competition between them, or the romantic history they share but the fact that he sold out and changed so much in his best-selling book. She has dwelled on it for so long that now she’s having writer’s block.

Imagine her surprise when he shows up at the same writers retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland! Will Pen and Neil survive not only each other, but also the haunted castle which may or may not be trying to kill them?

This book is the perfect cozy fall read. It’s got enemies, a haunted castle, and a mystery that needs to be solved. Cuddle up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and enjoy!

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC