Love the cover and the description seemed lovely and just the perfect amount of creepy that I thought I would like it. Sadly, it didn’t go that way. This book is 80% FMC and MMC fighting or stressing over the same fricking argument/issue over and over and over. And then they hook up and completely forget about their previous issue they couldn’t let go of? 👀 it just didn’t make any sense and felt like there was a ton of filler with the aforementioned issue and then they’d hook up again. This book didn’t live up to expectations and had very little depth because it was hyper focused on this one issue between the two main protagonists.

I really loved this. It was great and has got such a unique plot that I knew I would like this but I was unprepared for how happy the ending to this made me.

3.5 stars rounding up! This was a pretty entertaining read! There was mystery, spookiness, spice, and a delightful enemies to lovers relationship. I think this is the first horror/romance book I’ve read, and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed that combination of themes. The ghosts are creepy, and the danger/scariness of the story was actually a little heavier than I initially thought it would be. I was expecting this to be pretty light in terms of the ghosts. I won’t be having nightmares, but some of those scenes would’ve made me jump if I’d seen them on screen.

I loved Storm as a love interest. And Pen was not the most likable or relatable, but she grew on me. The other two main living characters really felt like they were just there so that other people would be around, like it wouldn’t have made sense for just Pen and Neil to go on a retreat together since they hated each other, so two other people have to somehow be involved for this to make sense. These two extras really added so little value to the plot and they were very one dimensional. I would’ve liked more from them.

And I read the ARC so maybe this will be changed by the final version, but in the beginning there were two fight scenes between Pen and Neil that felt super repetitive. The second fight was in chapter 7 and the first one was a few chapters before. Both fights were about the same things and the characters essentially said the same things they’d already said. I think that the story got more interesting when the shift from enemies to lovers became more apparent because watching them fight a bunch in the beginning was a little boring.

I still really enjoyed this story and would love to see what the author does next!

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I liked it. It had a good concept, I liked the insight into what it's like to be a minority race in the publishing world, and I liked the mix of horror/paranormal/mystery vibes and romance.

It had so much potential to be great, but it just fell flat and there was quite a bit that bothered me...

First thing that bothered me were the characters. They felt shallow and not fully fleshed out. Some of their inner monologuing got very repetitive and for two characters who were supposed to be enemies and hate each other, I expected way more conflict instead of the insta lust we got. It would have been way more fun for me seeing the two of them growing closer because of the mystery of the haunted castle and having to work together rather than the sudden attraction they're both feeling. This book didn't make me feel the tension that a lot of the enemies to lovers romance books I've read have.

The second thing that bothered me was that it was very unclear what would happen if they didn't solve the mystery and the end seemed to wrap up rather abruptly. There was nothing really driving them to solve the mystery other than a few spooky occurrences. I would have liked there to have been a stronger motive for them to have to solve it. It would have been better with more spooky scenes versus lustful thoughts if I'm being honest, and this is coming from someone who reads books on occasion that are all spice and no plot and usually avoids horror at all costs. 😆

I think I just wanted this book to be MORE than what I got. I did like it enough that I will be keeping my eyes out for other books by this author to see how her writing style grows.

I picked up this book on NetGalley as an ARC. Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book! <3

I was really intrigued by the romance/haunted house combination. While I really enjoyed the prose and the author’s ability to write details and descriptions in really entrancing ways, I found the romance element to be a bit lackluster. The “enemies” seemed very immature, which is enough to put me off a book. Though it wasn’t my favorite romance of all time, I did have fun with it.

This is the first horror and romance book I've ever read. There should be more books like this! At first I felt thrown into the story and was a bit confused. I felt like the introduction needed more help but 4 authors are renting a castle for a writing retreat. Most are friendly with each other, except Penelope and Neal. She even threw a book at his face once. In the castle, only Penelope and Neal see strange occurrences and at the same time begin having feelings for one another. I like how there were excerpts from all their books except for the other female author.

I think the idea was great and the premise was solid, but the writing felt a little immature and it felt hard to follow. Additionally could not stand the FMC sadly. I think it’s still a fun read and I love the representation, so I hope it was just it’s not you it’s me thing.

This book is now one of my favorites. It was a frist horror-romance for me and I think it was a perfect book for that. It was so easy to read, the enemies to lovers trope was done perfectly and the pace of the book was just right. I grew attached to the charachters and would love to read more about them! Colby Wilkens is now on my auto-read list!

If I Stopped Haunting You is a book with a mix of mystery, horror, and romance. While I typically enjoy enemies to lovers, this wasn’t my favorite but was still an enjoyable read. The slow burn between Pen and Neil was killing me, but it was perfect for the story! And the spicier scenes between the two were definitely delicious!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - I have tried to read this book twice and give it the benefit of the doubt but beyond the first chapter - which is a fantastic dramatic start - this is poorly written. The cover shows two teenagish-characters and while that can come down to the art style, I assure you these two PUBLISHED ADULT AUTHORS act like children. Add on top of that that the plot delivery is soooooo sloppy - who is this random sister of Laslzo that shows up for no reason? - and seems to be throwing the plot at the reader too quickly for anything to matter.

Also I don’t think a grown ass man would yell “IM A NATIVE MAN IN A WHITE MAN’S WORLD” in the middle of a Scottish pub. Calm down, Neil. This is a Wendy’s.

I received a free copy of, If I Stopped Haunting You, by Colby Wilkens, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Horror writer Penelope Skinner is at a writers retreat with her nemesis Neil Storm, in a castle. This was a nice book, a little scary and romantic at the same time.

This was a quick read. It was unfortunately not my cup of tea. I’m sure many others will enjoy it. I normally love an enemies to lovers but this one didn’t do it for me.

I’ve never had a harder time rating a book or trying to write a review. I rated it a three just because of its more original concept.

The cover and synopsis drew me in. The concept was amazing, but…

In my honest opinion I felt this novel was a slow burn of disappointment.

I love the original idea of the concept romance and horror. I feel like I got more romance but it lacked on the horror. The horror seeped in and then I felt like it was rushed at the end for the horror resolution. It was like they just wanted skinner to see the mausoleum and then the ghosts could get it in, leave behind ghost jizz and be done with over 200 years of haunting.

The romance bit I felt like the female character was gaslighting a bit, throwing a fit, a tad abusive, and made the male character question his worth when she lacked the information. Neil pined over Pen for a long time and she was just so jealous and acted like a spoiled toddler.

The spicy scenes were in fact spicy and well written.

I also did not expect the epilogue to be that ending. I was hoping for an excerpt of their joined book or their interview panel of them together of it for her redemption not Daniela.

The final outcome when this novel is released maybe different and I do hope that it is. There is much potential in this novel I just feel it feel short.

3.5/5 stars. This book got off to a very slow start, up until about halfway through. I felt the first half was very wordy at times and was difficult to pay attention to. But once I hit the halfway point I finished it very quickly. Cute concept of an enemies to lovers storyline. A bit of a slow burn too. All it takes is putting these two in a haunted house for a weekend for them to figure out maybe they’re not meant to hate each other. They soon realize that since they’re each the reason for each other’s writing block, perhaps if they stop hating each other they may be able to write again. Seems like it was a plot of their friends who organized this writers retreat. If the whole book had the pace of the second half it would have been a 5 star book. Would read more by this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced release copy of this book!

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover and was surprised ant how much I enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of the ghost element. The characters exceeded my expectations for a romance novel, offering a realistic portrayal of love. The overall plot was engaging, and Colby Wilkens' writing style left me craving more. The enemy-to-lover romance trope was cleverly utilized, and I appreciated the effective portrayal of the haunted house elements. It was entertaining to see the main characters as writers and witness how this aspect was integrated into the story.

If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read, this is the book for you. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and finished the book in 1 sitting!

This is such an easy read by which I meant that it’s so much fun. I read the book in two days, I was eating it up. And I totally found myself yelling at the characters because they are totally misreading each other but not communicating. However what I love most about this book is that it doesn’t have a trope I love to hate (but eat it up anyways) in the middle of it. Side characters are amazing and I love it. The two main characters are Penelope and Neil and they’re both writers. Penelope is headstrong, but she’s scared. Neil is shaken up for once in his life because of Penelope. There’s so much diversity in this book I love it. But I also like how this book questions stereotypes in books as well and how Neil in particular is writing his books and it makes me think how often that happens to authors. Overall, it is a hauntingly beautiful romance book.

Two strong willed writers, enemies going head to head, end up bashing each other's career - and then can't avoid each other. What to do? And what about that ghost?

This book was… interesting. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best. I think it’s mostly because it’s not usually a genre of book I would read, which is my fault. Overall, the writing was very good!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

this one's going to be short. i didn't like this. maybe it might just be me and the timing, but this was not a book for me. i LOVE and KNOW all things paranormal and this just did not hit the way i wanted it to :/