This one sadly missed the mark for me. It was a little jarring - part ghost story, part romance, part representation about native writers and the push back from the industry but none of those storylines felt fully fleshed out to me. Hard to be invested in the romance when the moment before they were being accosted by ghosts. Also for a writing retreat very little writing or discussion about writing was happening. I also didn’t love the fmc and didn’t seem a ton of growth. Overall just not for me. 2⭐️

Good stuff overall. Lots of repetition in spots.
~~~~~~~~~~
I was looking for something a little different to read and this one landed for perusal. I really like the concept of a bit of romance and some ghost story vibes.

The opening scene is quite memorable between the two leading characters. But what I found interesting as the story continued to develop is that the female lead character was really kind of a jerk.

While her initial anger at Neil could’ve been justified, the fact is she did not articulate it to him at all. It was a burst from nowhere as there was not any in-depth backstory.

There were other parts of the story that just didn’t jive well. The building romance started rather abruptly after the female lead had so much anger towards him. That was odd. Plus, she was a little wishy-washy when deciding between her anger and lust.

Speaking of lust, some of the romance pieces, (of which there were quite a few, Hooray!), appeared at weird times in the story. Like here, we’re going to be haunted, but let’s get hot and heavy. It was kind of odd.

Another portion that struck me was the haunted house itself. The concept is great, the plot was well thought out and worked. But I would not categorize this as horror in the least.

Overall, I did like the story as it is entertaining and different. With some tweaks, I think this could’ve been a 4-5 star read. Maybe the other two supporting characters could have more valuable input into the story. They really did not impact the book other than some comic relief. Not memorable characters.

If I Stopped Haunting You reminded me of a cozy mystery with hauntings and sexy times. There are plenty of entertaining parts for a well-rounded good story.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars. I was excited to see an Indigenous-written and -led romance, and this did not disappoint. I loved this slightly creepy, very steamy romance! I think the horror subplot could've been fleshed out a little further, and I'd have loved if Penelope and Neil's cultures were a bigger part of the story. I'm excited to see what this author writes next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an amazingly original blend of rom-com with paranormal elements, featuring Native characters. The story revolves around Penelope Skinner, who threw a book at Neil Storm, a successful Native writer at a panel for Indigenous writers. Since then, social media turned against her, and she's turned into a pariah. Her friend invites her for a writers' retreat at a haunted castle, but she surprisingly runs into Neil. Then, it turns out the castle is actually haunted with ghosts!

Here is a humorous excerpt from the Prologue, which is from Penelope's point of view:

"Pen wondered how drunk she must have been when she accepted this invitation, because it was a disaster in the making. Her sales had never been great, but she couldn't simply revitalize them with a Book Con appearance and some plastered-on smiles, not when he was in the room with her.
She sweated through the polyester of her blazer as she fiddled with the warped cover of an annotated copy of her book. The edges had since yellowed, and the flags denoting her favorite passages poked out from between pages that were bent and ripped. She'd thought it would make a nice giveaway, but the audience didn't even care that she was there.
All they cared about was him."

Overall, If I Stopped Haunting You if a rom-com with a paranormal twist that will appeal to fans of Divine Rivals or My Roommate's a Vampire. One highlight of this book is how original this book is. It seamlessly blends romantic comedy with paranormal elements. It also has one of my favorite subgenres: books about writers. Another highlight of this book is that it is an #ownvoices book by a Native author. I am so happy to support an #ownvoices book by a Native author, since there are so few in mainstream publishing.

There's a lot to love about this book. I was so conflicted giving this book 4 stars because there were parts of the book that I liked a lot. I did take off 1 star because the dual 3rd-person POV (Penelope and Neil) got confusing at times. Penelope is referred to as Pen, Penelope, and Skinner, and Neil is referred to as Neil and Strong - with the names changing sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. In addition, the LGBT representation felt shoehorned in. This book is very much a heteronormative romance, but multiple characters mention in passing that they've kissed people of the same gender, and then they never talk about it again. However, if you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms with paranormal elements, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Womp. I was really looking forward to this book and it fell pretty flat for me, unfortunately. I've been dipping my toe more into paranormal fiction because I've read a couple titles that I actually enjoyed, but this felt really really campy to the point of just being really cheesy and not in a good way. It did have a decent pace which was good, but that was really the only redeeming quality for me. These two main characters had a lot of miscommunication that felt really frustrating as the reader and it felt like filler to elevate the plot when it did the exact opposite. I will read the author again, but sadly this was not for me.

In If I Stopped Haunting You, Penelope is a determined and strong-minded Indigenous author striving for success in a literary world where her voice struggles to be heard. Her journey to represent her people authentically has been challenging for a number of reasons. Enter Neil, the seemingly undeserving recipient of the success Penelope craves. His widely acclaimed novel resonates with readers, casting a shadow over Penelope's aspirations, upsetting Penelope to no end.

After an initial Incident they are once again brought together to go on a writing retreat at a supposedly haunted castle in Scotland. I loved that premise so I was excited for where it could go. I enjoyed reading from both Penelope and Neil's perspective as I usually do in contemporary romance. However, while their perspectives provide insight into their motivations, their personalities lack depth. This extended to the supporting characters, who were also quite one-dimensional. The main characters had chemistry overall so that was nice. I understand why some might say Penelope is unlikeable and I agree she had her moments, but I felt her passion and could understand where she was coming from with some of her feelings and decisions.

The central mystery of the novel promises intrigue but ultimately falls short of expectations. It was predictable and I think I was expecting a bigger shock or surprise. At the same time there were elements of the mystery that were not fully answered or resolved which was really frustrating.

In conclusion, this novel offers a blend of mystery, romance, and Indigenous representation, albeit with some shortcomings in character development and plot execution.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

I really wanted to like this book. The enemies-to-lovers trope, Indigenous representation, and the Scotland setting are all things I was excited to read about, but this book just didn't deliver a satisfying story. Neil and Pen's relationship just felt forced and awkward. No tension, no buildup. One day they hate each other, the next they're hot for each other and somehow have real feelings for each other, too...? It just jumped way too fast to be believable.

I also didn't like Pen's character. She's just downright mean and vindictive. She's so convinced that she's right, won't entertain other outlooks, and is really hard to root for. There also isn't any growth or personal accountability on her end so the story just fell flat.

I wanted to like this book and I believe it could've been great. It just needed more romance and less spite.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a hard one to review. While I enjoyed the indigenous representation and the fact it was a horror romance, it felt off. I wasn't really into the "enemies to lovers" aspect but there were some cute moments. The setting of the plot was fun and the cover is adorable! I think this writer has a lot of potential for future books.

Even though this wasn't my cup of tea, I think others will find it fascinating!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I found this book to be extremely irritating. I didn’t like that the main characters kept calling each other by their last names and I didn’t find it spooky at all, even with the haunted castle setting. I also think literal physical abuse is not a good look - even if it’s in a book and it’s “enemies to lovers”. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Due to the SMP boycott I will be refraining from publicly reviewing SMP imprint books. Once #boycottSMP demands are met, I will share my review publicly.

ᴘᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇɪʟ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ʀᴇᴀʟ-ʟɪꜰᴇ ɢʜᴏꜱᴛ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴏʀʀɪꜰʏɪɴɢ, ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ꜱᴛᴜᴄᴋ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ꜱʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ (ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ʜᴏᴛ) ᴀʟᴍᴏꜱᴛ-ᴋɪꜱꜱ ʜᴀꜱ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʀᴇᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ… ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ?

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

🖤 Indigenous American/Native Representation
🖤 Rival Writers to Lovers
🖤 Ghosts and Mystery

I will not be posting a star rating for this ARC for a handful of reasons:
1. I really want to support this author, and am hugely supportive of books surrounding Indigenous American stories
2. I think this author has a lot of potential for future works!

I enjoyed several aspects of this book, including the dialogue around problems with publishing and making your culturally influenced book 'digestible' and the Indigenous American/Native representation. The spicy romance scenes were well done, and I love a split POV novel!

There were a few things that held me back from a high star rating on this book, however. I think the pacing was a little off throughout, for both the romance and the mystery (though, I think it was a little better for the mystery portion). For me, I think the core of this book had a ton of potential with a few different pacing options.

I also felt like scene transitions were awkward and could have used some hard cuts to transition. This could help with some of the pacing issues I mentioned as well.

I wish the conclusion to the mystery had been a bit more in-depth. I wasn't particularly shocked by the ending at all, and I felt like something more intricate could have been woven to make that moment a bit more exciting.

Overall, I think this novel has a great heart, and I think this author will produce some awesome work in the future as they continue to write!

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I'm a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story, but this one fell short.

The characters were very one-dimensional, and I found them all to be rather unlikable. The queer representation felt like the author was just checking off a box, and didn't lend anything much to the development of the characters. I could say the same for the Indigenous representation in the story. Other than giving the characters a subject to battle over, it felt really forced, and not at all fleshed out.

I was really hoping for a good ghost story, and was sort of left with a soggy romance?

I do appreciate getting the chance to read it in advance, so a big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is an enemies-to-lovers romance that also involves some piteous and terrifying ghosts in an old castle. The romance aspect feels hurried and pretty unbelievable, the characters are a little flat, and there are some motivations that aren't clear. Everyone is queer, which is great, but I felt like the bi representation was just added to tick off a box. They've all had romantic interludes with at least one other member of the four-person party before the events of the book, but that really doesn't matter. The author also tries to bring in Native American representation, and while it's the subject on which Pen has battled Neil, it too feels like it's pasted in to check another box. I loathed the manipulative friend--Laszlo--who forced everyone together and would 100% have walked away if I'd been Pen, one of the protagonists. That is no friend. I'd requested this more for the gothic and supernatural aspects, but the ghosts' story is never fully explained or resolved, and Pen and Neil do a lot of work hunting for information that they've already been given, all of which is very frustrating.

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"If I Stopped Haunting You" deserves a solid four stars for its entertaining blend of romance, humor, and spooky thrills. The setup of two writers at odds with each other stuck in a haunted Scottish castle is unique and engaging, drawing readers in from the start.

While the ending feels rushed, and some plot points remain unresolved, the journey is delightful, filled with laughter and tension. Colby Wilkens excels in crafting witty dialogue that keeps the banter between Penelope and Neil lively and engaging.

Although the supernatural elements may become somewhat predictable, the chemistry between the characters is undeniably captivating, making it easy to overlook any minor shortcomings. Overall, "If I Stopped Haunting You" offers a thoroughly enjoyable escape into a world of romance and mystery, perfect for a spooky season.

This was cute. Did I get engrossed in it? Not particularly. Nothing really stood out and grabbed me. I read it. Enjoyed it but I forget any emotions it evoked in me beyond “it was cute”

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I love a good enemies to lovers book, who doesn’t? And combining it with horror sounds like something right up my alley. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and the idea of this book was super fun.

I liked the concept and execution of this story. The use of indigenous Americans as the main characters is quite refreshing. The mystery involved with the Scottish castle at the writer's retreat is very intriguing; especially since all the writers write horror and thrillers. The overlaps with names and circumstances, I thought, added more depth to the story. The writing style and character development were done well and the story was fluid.
Penelope feels like she has to prove herself as a writer to everyone; she has some pretty deep self-esteem issues. I like how the author used the tension and rivalry between her and Neil to help them help each other; once "the gloves were off". This is a story of acceptance and most importantly self-acceptance; needing to establish and bolster up a persons self-esteem without detriment to anyone else.

My only personal issue with this story is that the sexual tension is sufficient to get the feelings across without the detailed "romantic encounters". In my humble opinion they didn't add any more substance to the story. That being said, I did enjoy it and would read additional works by this author.

This was an interesting read. I had never read a book like this one. I’ve never read a horror and romance book. I think it was so funny when Penelope threw the book at Neil at the beginning. It was a great enemies to lovers book.

This hauntingly beautiful tale by Colby Wilkins, "If I Stopped Haunting You," left me utterly spellbound. From start to finish, it's a gripping slow-burn romance that delicately hovers over every curve of its journey, leaving you longing for more. Wilkins' prose is exquisite, her humor a delight, and her ability to blend horror and romance is masterful.
While the pacing may feel slow at first, the gradual buildup of suspense adds to the overall experience, keeping you eagerly flipping through the pages. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, the lines between reality and fiction blur in a spine-tingling exploration of love, betrayal, and the power of storytelling.
For fans of slow-burn romance, spooky tales, and thought-provoking storytelling, this book is a must-read.