A movie crew has come to Stowe Vermont to capture haunted places, and hopefully ghosts, on video. Lex McCall loves her town and works at the bookstore, which is where she meets James, a gorgeous guy who’s part of the film crew.

When they were younger, Lex and her best friend created a bunch of videos about “Haunted Stowe”. They made up scary stories about places around town and used special effects to make the videos scarier. She’s shocked when she discovers that James and are using those videos as a guide!

She and James have fallen for each other, but Lex is scared he’s going to leave her like everyone else did. She knows she’s got to tell him but doesn’t want to give him a reason to leave.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Small town 30-something Lex is essentially running a second-hand book store for her absent boss and dreams of buying it but all of her money is going into repairs on her home, which she inherited from her grandparents.

Enter: James, who is in town filming a documentary surrounding local ghost stories that Lex herself helped create years and document years earlier as a vlog.

There is a lot of push and pull with the pacing on this one, as Lex and James have great chemistry and banter, and Lex's best friend Natalie have a fun bestie relationship as well. There is a lot of family drama and tension surrounding money problems and mental health issues as well.

Overall though, this was a really fun read that works perfectly for November into December, as the characters are ghost hunting AND shoveling (plowing) snow, riding in horse-drawn sleighs, and eventually celebrating Christmas!

I enjoyed this Vermont-set romance. It's perfect for spooky season (and also the holidays!) I'm always a sucker for a good ghost hunting setup, and this one didn't disappoint.

This book just didn't hit the way I'd hoped. I had it in my mind it was going a specific place, which seemed awesome....but it never did. It was just boring. The characters were flat, the story was plain and uneventful, it has no flare to it. There wasn't anything about the book that had me holding on.

It wasn't a bad book, but lacked that little bit of spark to make it worth picking up.

As someone who loves small-town stories with quirky characters, "Haunt Your Heart Out" hit a lot of the right notes for me. Lex McCall is a relatable and endearing protagonist—her love for her cozy Vermont bookstore and her determination to stay rooted in a town others have left behind really resonated with me. I couldn’t help but root for her, even when her decisions were questionable (okay, tampering with ghost-hunting research isn’t her best moment).

The romance with James, the ghost-hunter, was sweet and engaging. I appreciated the slow build of their relationship, and it was fun watching Lex’s no-tourists rule crumble as she let her guard down. Their banter and growing connection gave the story its heart.

The ghost-hunting subplot, with its mix of spooky and ridiculous, added a unique layer to the story, even if it occasionally felt a bit far-fetched. I also loved the little nods to Lex’s Haunted Happenings vlog—it’s a clever way to explore the consequences of past actions catching up in unexpected ways.

While there were moments where Lex’s choices frustrated me, they made her feel real—flawed, human, and trying her best. And the ending left me smiling. Fans of flirty romances and cozy, small-town settings will likely enjoy this one as much as I did.

This is a feel-good book where halloween meets hallmark. Fans of Gilmore Girls will enjoy this cozy small town romance. I enjoyed the anxiety rep in Alex, one of the main characters but felt the book was a little slower than I would have liked.

This is a fun book from Amber Roberts!

Overall, I enjoyed it, but there were some parts I was unsure about. I wasn't too keen on the FMC, Lex, knowingly leading the MMC, James, on with respect to his job and the presence (or lack thereof) of ghosts. I just really don't like pranks/jokes that impact on someone's employment.

I did like and appreciate the growth that Lex goes through in the book, of being a misunderstood daughter who desperately needs support and encouragement and just can't find it from her family, to really taking ownership of her life, career, and her place in the community.

This was a fun, cozy read, that gave me Hallmark movie vibes (which works for me).

Thanks to Alcove Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.

This was such a sweet and spooky book. It was so swooony but also so spooky and the perfect fall read. I am so thankful for the opportunity to read it early!!

I was actually surprised that this ended up feeling very Hallmark to me.
I did expect a bit of generic rom-com vibes going in but the wholesomeness was surprising for sure.
It was a cute, post Halloween, waiting for Christmas read and a good pallet cleanser for sure.

HAUNT YOUR HEART OUT manages to be both an enjoyable cozy holiday read AND a spooky-vibe Halloween read. Great for this time of year!

Bookstore employee and former hobby-vlogger Lex McCall loves living in her small, sleepy Vermont town in the house her grandparent's left her. While facing the costly repairs her home needs and wanting to buy the bookstore from its curmudgeonly owner (who wants to offload the building after hearing it's haunted), Lex meets just-passing-through James, who's in town filming a documentary on haunted happenings in the area. Soon, she's having to confront her fabrications and her attraction to James, and what those truths mean for her future.

I love Amber and I thought this was a really cozy, fun debut.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the e-ARC, and Amber for the finished copy. HAUNT YOUR HEART OUT is out now!

thank you everyone for this copy, really fit the season well and really enjoyed picking it up when i did - gave all the halloween vibes i needed :)

This book was EVERYTHING. It's the perfect fall or Halloween read! I will 100% be buying it physically so I can annotate it!

I had a hard time with this one. There was very little build up to Lex and James it was insta relationship. The banter was fun but it felt like they had been dating for years not days. Don't even get me started on the sex tape.
Anyway it was cute but didn't blow me away

I couldn't connect with the characters. From the cover to the first chapters I was drawn to the story and kept reading hoping to get to a point but I felt like the rhythm was lost.
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And there was nothing to hold my attention, it was difficult for me to finish it and stay until the end.
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Alex suffers from anxiety and after having a difficult time at college, returning home to her hometown was the perfect treatment, now all she needs is a relationship with someone who is not passing through. But when James comes to town she can't resist being intrigued and attracted to him.
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and when she discovers that he is with a recording team collecting all information about paranormal events, it seems to be a sign of destiny to try it. But with the complicated relationship she has with her parents and her boss about to sell the business, she has too much on her plate.
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I really wanted to love this book, but it was difficult for me to connect, although throughout the book I thought Alex was Lorelai Girlmore without a kid, working in a used book store and with a penchant for the supernatural who can’t stop falling for the golden retriever and adventurous new guy in town. And maybe is because I am not a fan of Lorelai, or the slow pace but I couldn’t connect with the characters and that is what got me with three stars.
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Thanks to Amber Roberts and Alcove Press for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.

This was just the feel good spooky winter romance I needed. The characters are so charming together and the small town vibes felt so authentic. Keep ghost stories in our hearts all winter long. And I loved the ending.

Ps I’m not saying this book is what powered me through the hike to Everest base camp. But I’m not NOT saying it either 👀👻

This is another very cute supernatural, Halloween-perfect romance, with an oh-so-cute small town New England setting and a ghost hunter love interest. It seems like that particular twist on the subgenre is really popular of late, and this book executes it better than most. A very fun time, highly recommended.

I think this had a fun setting with the Halloween and Christmas vibes throughout. The pacing draaaaaagged too much and while the witty banter between Lex and James was fun, it did not make up for a story that felt like a student trying to hit a page requirement.

This book is perfect for the time between Halloween and Christmas.
Spooky-Time to Christmas season is perfect, no? For me it was a lovely, sweet read.
Plus the characters were in their thirties AND represented the LGBTQ+ community, which is quite refreshing.
I loved this so damn much!

It was tough to get into. I really wanted to enjoy it as the synopsis was intriguing but this book fell short for me. The banter between characters was fun but otherwise it was slightly boring :(

This was a just a great read. I was just all in the story.
Loved the MCs. Lovely written book. i enjoyed more than I expected I would