I liked the overall message of this book - telling the story of an indigenous people and not dressing it up so it will "sell." I'm not certain that a rom-com is the way to get that message out there. The ghost story was interesting, but I didn't really care for any of the characters especially Penelope, Pen or Skinner. She is referred to by all 3 of these names. I could and would recommend this to a friend depending on the friend.
Thank you St. Martin's Griffin, Colby Wilkens and NetGalley for an advance copy of If I Stopped Haunting You.
#IfIStoppedHauntingYou#ColbyWilkens#St.Martin'sPress#NetGalley

I had high hopes for this novel. It had an interesting premise, loved the cover art and different representation, but it fell kinda flat for me. The internal monologs were very repetitive and the enemies to lovers plot happened overnight. I understand there was history between the MCs but to go from hating someone one day and wake up the next loving them, it didn't feel organic. I did enjoy the gothic feel of the haunted Scotish castle.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. It's an enemies to lovers/paranormal romance rolled into one, and the concept is really great! Pen and Neil are essentially sworn enemies after an incident at a book conference, and they end up stuck on a writing retreat together in a haunted castle. The romance honestly happened so fast, it was basically instalove and it felt super rushed especially considering the relationship between the two of them before the retreat. I'd say a large portion of the book focuses on their romance.

Then there's the paranormal aspect. It's talked about throughout the book but the last 25% of the book really focuses on it, and you almost forget that this was a romance book too. The mystery didn't really feel like it had super great closure to me, but it's hard to explain why without spoiling anything!

There were also times where the book just jumped really fast. One second they're running to escape a haunted corridor, and the second they get through the door they kind of go well, may as well have sex against this wall! I sort of felt like the main characters were almost not taking the mystery seriously.

Overall, I'd say this book is worth a read!

It's also important to note that this book talks about indigeneity, the struggle of being white passing and not taken seriously, and conflict between indigenous authors both struggling for the spotlight.

⭐⭐⭐.5

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc!

#book #booktok #bookstagram #indigenousauthor #bookreview #netgalley #enemiestolovers #paranormalromance #instalove

I wanted so badly to love this, it being one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but it just didn't work out for me.

This needed to be more of a slow burn across the board. Instead, the ghost story was figured out after two days (and I'm still not sure it made sense to me) and the romance was too horny. I personally don't enjoy romances where everything is a trigger for spice. Oh my god, that was a ghost, let's have sex. It forced chemistry and character development that did the characters a disservice.

I adored the wonderful Indigenous rep and critique of publishing's treatment of BIPOC authors. The difference in success between Neil and Pen, how one sacrificed so much of their identity's integrity to appease the white-lens of publishing while the other held firm to theirs is so important to highlight. Although I didn't like how Pen handled her frustrations, it's subjective and not worth getting into detail about.

A riveting and engaging debut! Romance is my most read genre, and ghosts/the paranormal are my favorite subgenre of horror, so I was very excited to see how this blended the two!

DNF. The premise was sound, but the execution was poor. The characters felt like caricatures. The descriptions were stilted or awkward. There was a lot of telling vs. showing.

Colby Wilkens' "If I Stopped Haunting You" promises an enemies-to-lovers romance with a spooky twist but fails to deliver. Penelope and Neil's rivalry lacks depth, and the haunted castle backdrop feels underutilized. Despite potential for spooky chills and sexy thrills, the narrative meanders between unresolved character dynamics and a lukewarm attempt at solving the ghostly mystery. Overall, while the concept is intriguing, the execution falls short, making it a disappointing read for those expecting a compelling blend of romance and mystery.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It was my first book I read by Colby Wilkens but I loved the characters and was immediately drawn in and invested. I love an enemies to lovers romance and the addition of being in a haunted house was so fun! A little spooky and a lot sexy!

I have mixed feelings. I loved the characters and the initial premise, the storyline got a little lost as it continued. Im just a little lost on the 'Georgina' and 'Archie' plot line. Ghosts haunt due to unfinished business- but they just wanted someone to know their story? That's where Im lost. Overall I enjoyed the story :)

Loved the book! The Characters are very like able and the enemies to lovers was so good. The characters on their own were easy to understand and like.

Such a cute and fast paced enemies to lovers romance with a bit of horror thrown in. It is a good balance of both genres and both stories are told exceptionally well.

I didn't love this book. I love horror and I love romance, so this seemed like it would be a fun read.

However. I thought it was formulaic and silly, and I didn't particularly like any of the main characters. The ghost story was lame, and I actually skimmed over the last few chapters because I felt no emotional investment at all.

2.5 stars for me.

Like everyone else I wanted to love this read, the premise was so fun, and being native myself I loved the opportunity to represent but it just fell flat for me.

I didn't love the main characters and I think that was my biggest issue. I couldn't get over how Pen made everything about her when it came to her career being ruined and the fact she got everything she wanted in the end honestly irritated me. She was so dead set on pinning all of her problems on Neil, and she never explicitly apologized to him for her hurtful actions. Their romance also felt a bit out of nowhere. The last time she'd seen Neil prior to this writer's retreat was when she was storming off stage because he was getting more attention. I just didn't love her overall.

But let me tell you, the spice was spicy and was incredibly well done!

I really wanted to like this book - it fell flat for me. The title is intriguing, the cover is cute, and premise... I'm game. But then the story just didn't all come together for me. The rivalry between the two characters didn't feel earnest (nor was there witty fun rival banter that makes you yearn for the slow burn). Then we throw the characters into a Haunted Castle in Scotland? Ok... but then the side characters didn't seem fully developed and we get this mystery ghost story but instead of being thriller-esque or eerie, it jumps around between the rivals working through their issues and insecurities and then horniness... but let's solve a ghost story here and there..
I don't love to give low stars as a review but this one was just a miss for me. I kept hoping I'd suddenly get hooked by the storyline or enjoy a quirky funny side character or pine for the two main characters to finally ignite that slow burn, but it never happened. Even the ending didn't give me enough. Again, I really did want to like this one.

ARC generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A writers retreat at haunted Scottish castle and two of the writers are “enemies”, this had all the components of romance I would love but this unfortunately for me fell flat.

The enemies aspect seemed strange they only disliked each other because they are writers in the same genre, it just seemed childish and immature, which is also how I would describe the FMC it was bit exhausting being in her head.

Mostly I found the pacing to be off, the romance and horror aspects never seem fully developed. The main love interests very quickly stop hating each other, them getting together didn’t seemed earned. The haunting also seemed undercooked and not fully explained. There was some quirky humor that some readers might enjoy but overall it wasn’t enough to make me care about these characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Not a great read for me sadly, but it has such promise!

Pros:
Unique setting in that you have paranormal writers retreat + ghosts + mystery + romance
BIPOC representation and in depth look at BIPOC author experience in traditional publishing
Spice

Cons:
Deeply unlikable fmc. Like I hated her so much and it made it hard to finish the book at all
Rushed mystery element made it seem perfunctory
Whiplash from how quick the plot went from literally anything to spice

DNF'd at 37%. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get myself to keep reading. While I was enjoying getting to know Neil, Pen was just too frustrating of a character and the constant we're friendly/ we hate each other just wasn't vibing with me.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-ARC!

I really wanted to like this but it was almost painful to read. The premise was intriguing and I thought this would be the perfect palette cleanser book but it sadly wasn’t. We follow two rival authors, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm play out the enemies-to-lovers troupe in a writer’s retreat in Scotland. They eventually find themselves experiencing mysterious paranormal activity while reluctantly finding each other attractive.

This sounds super promising. But I couldn’t wrap my head around how insufferable our female protagonist is. Not only does this book completely dismiss the gravity of Penelope THROWING a book at Neil and leaving him bloody, but she takes no accountability and gaslights Neil into thinking it’s all his fault. Her constant “woe is me” personality further distanced me from the story.

While I appreciate the BIPOC representation, it’s overshadowed by the toxicity of the central relationship. Even though most contemporary romances are fairly predictable, they are still enjoyable. But this fell short because of the underdeveloped suspense. The setting and the idea of rival authors trapped together held so much potential for a fun, cozy, and suspenseful read, but this sadly missed the mark.

"If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkens, readers are thrust into the tumultuous world of two feuding writers, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm, as they navigate a writers retreat at a haunted Scottish castle. While the novel delivers a fast-paced and engaging read, offering insight into the challenges faced by BIPOC authors within the publishing industry, it ultimately falls short in several key areas.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of the publishing industry and the hurdles BIPOC authors encounter in gaining recognition and representation. Wilkens adeptly sheds light on these issues, adding a layer of depth to the narrative that resonates with contemporary concerns.

However, despite its timely themes, "If I Stopped Haunting You" struggles to escape the trappings of predictability and surface-level storytelling. The horror elements, set against the backdrop of a haunted castle, feel cliché and fail to deliver the spine-tingling suspense expected from such a setting. Additionally, the relationship between Pen and Neil, central to the story's progression, feels forced and lacking in authenticity. Pen's abrasive and at times abusive behavior towards Neil makes it challenging for us to empathize with her character, detracting from the emotional depth of their dynamic.

The supporting cast remains underdeveloped and largely absent from the narrative, leaving us questioning their significance to the story. This oversight contributes to a sense of disconnect and leaves characters feeling like mere placeholders rather than fully realized individuals.

Overall, while "If I Stopped Haunting You" offers a quick and entertaining escape, its surface-level exploration of themes and predictable plot may leave readers craving more depth and nuance in both character development and storytelling.

It's a great premise: two rival horror writers with a conflicted past, end up at the same writing retreat in a haunted castle, when sparks fly between them. Interesting plot point that both are Native American writers focusing on indigenous characters in their works, and their differing experiences as authors definitely fuels their interpersonal conflict. Dual POV enemies-to-lovers story with elements of romance, horror, and mystery. This book had a lot of potential, but for me it just never clicked. I didn't find the characters to be very sympathetic or likeable and I found it hard to invest in their outcomes in the beginning. That struggle continued as I got further in. As the book went on, I grew farther away from the fmc, and some of her behaviors towards the end of the book felt self-serving and callous. Actually, the actions of both main characters frustrated me during events towards the end of the book. I think there was promise to this story, but it felt unevenly written. Almost like the book wasn't sure what kind of narrative it wanted to be and the plot got spread a little too thin in trying to cover multiple angles well. It also takes a while to get moving and, for me, dragged during the first 25-30 percent of the story. Thankfully things started moving more quickly in the second half of the book. This is a debut novel by this author so hopefully these are just growing pains for her. I do like that the main characters evolved to be supportive rather than adversarial. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.