This was a cute and spooky romcom and I liked it, for the most part. I really liked the relationship between Alex and James. They had great chemistry and banter and worked well together. We also can’t forget about Lulu, who is the most adorable and lovable in this trio. I liked Alex’s character development in this book, although sometimes she did annoy me with her choices, mainly about the ghosts. I feel like there were so many opportunities to come clean from both parties and the further it went on the more annoyed I got, especially if Alex wanted to stay with James. It did all work out in the end and we have an hea, but I was so annoyed with the lies and miscommunication and hiding the truth about the hauntings.

Overall, I did like this book and the relationship but was annoyed but the lying.

If I'm being totally honest, I only really felt invested in this book for the last 30% or so, when all the drama started coming out. Prior to that, I found myself thinking, "I don't really know who these people are beyond their abandonment issues or commitment to home issues." I also couldn't fathom why this woman, who for years has held fast to her no-dating-tourists rule, threw it out the window SO QUICKLY for this rando. Yes, said rando was hot and they shared a connection and obviously he played a bigger role in her life later on. But she didn't know that when she decided to make an exception for this stranger that she believed would be gone in a few days anyway. I just didn't see the logic. The end made up for a lot of the questions I had about James, though—like why Dog-Eared, and why Lex, because that seemed like a lot of unnecessary initial commitment to me. It was mostly just a pacing issue for me. It was cute though, and very hallmark-y. It'll be a cute read for many for both October and December.

A charming blend of Christmas and Halloween. Haunt Your Heart Out is a fun book. I really enjoyed it.

I really liked the main character Lex. I found her struggles to be relatable and believable. I liked seeing how she navigated her problems and finding love too.

The romance here is sugary sweet. I liked that Lex & James bonded over their family issues and loneliness. It helped build the foundation for a meaningful relationship between the two. It felt realistic. They had a lot of chemistry too. I couldn't get enough of their banter!

I enjoyed the small town setting. It felt very Hallmark inspired. I immensely enjoyed the ghost stories subplot. I thought it added a uniqueness to the story and gave it some flair.

Overall, an enjoyable read that will surely charm readers.

I was super excited to read this and I thought by the cover it was going to be a spooky romance…. I was very wrong.

I wanted to love this so badly, I just can’t deal with insta type love and diving in heads first. Then it went completely flat and I was bored out of my mind. I was expecting a bit more ghosts.

Lex, I’m sorry to say but I did not like you, girl.
She was such a pick-me girl. You are 33 and so self-absorbed it’s embarrassing. She annoyed me so much and the way she treated her family??? Who the hell do you think you are? She might be one of my most hated characters and I read horror novels. Also, her whole relationship is based on lies.


Thank you to Netgalley for my arc.

Perfect Halloween read!!! Such a fun ride the whole way! I loved the banter between them and absolutely fire relationship

4 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

Read As An Arc

👻 Halloween
👻 Small Town
👻 Cozy Read
👻 3rd Act Break-up
👻 Stars Hollow Vibes
👻 Hope & Healing
👻 HEA
👻 Family Tension
👻 Death Of Grandparent
👻 Mental Health



OK, so just a start… An owner of a bookstore and a ghost hunter? But this truly is my vibe right here, a perfection in the making? I can say this is not as paranormal, as I would've loved it to be, but it's a cute Halloween romcom.

Lex and James, as characters pull out the steps and each other, bringing the feels when discussing lack of family support, something that I think Lex holds onto more. They without a doubt have the chemistry obviously. The characters bring in an LGBTQ+ aspect, which is great to see – I'll leave that out for y'all to find out.

The read was a bit slow, and what felt like great building and communication between Lex and James, slowly diminished towards the end of the book. – It felt different, and not their true characters comparing the rest of the chapters.

I really related to Lex with mental health and lack of advocating for herself. It's great when I can connect to the characters, it brings me more into the storyline.

I love this book, not as much as a 5⭐️ but I still love this! This is the perfect read in the fall, and I feel like that timeline matches the setting of this book, and would've made all the difference for me.




* Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!


** this will be posted on Goodreads on October 3 @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/170879374-bee?shelf=read

This book was cute and had small town charm. The characters were likable enough but didn’t seem to have much chemistry. I enjoyed the Christmas time setting while dealing with haunting and more traditionally Halloween based books.

I enjoyed this one a lot. It had great banter and a good amount of spice, and I related to Lex a lot with her love for the bookstore where she worked. James and Lex were so great together and I appreciated how well they supported each other and communicated so well. The caveat though, is that because I enjoyed how well they communicated with each other, is that once the conflict happened, their lack of communication was odd. Not to get too spoilery, but they argued, didn't talk for a little while, and then everything was magically better. Sure, apologies were made, but the resolution to the conflict felt rushed, with no room to breathe. Otherwise, I felt like this was a fun, ghostly Christmastime romance that gives you all the vibes of the holidays in New England.

Unfortunately, this was a big miss.
Nothing about their relationship, the story, or the "haunted" aspect was engaging.
There was at best a lukewarm chemistry between the two, nothing particularly amazing or of note.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get into this book. The continually awkward encounters made the first quarter too cringe. I don’t love first person present as it is, and I found the main character annoying and whiny. This is not a good book for me. I will not be reviewing elsewhere.

I enjoyed the overall setting and story of this book. It was a bit slow and the characters felt one dimensional though. I also thought that the constant reminder that Lex has abandonment issues was repetitive. I enjoyed the romance between the two and thought it was a nice cosy read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Alcove Press for my advanced copy!

This was a solid sophomore novel from Amber Roberts! The snowy town of Stowe, Vermont was the perfect place to get lost, and I love a man who goes after what he wants. James was direct and honest about what he wanted, which was a good counterweight to Lex, who didn't always (and paid the price). The family dynamics here were believable and heartbreaking, especially when we got to meet and get to know Lex's sister Jordan a bit more later on. The supporting cast of Lulu, Natalie, Julian, and even Charles were the perfect balance to the seriousness of what Lex was hiding from James. I don't love when relationships start with dishonesty, but somehow Roberts managed to save it for me.

And I LOVED the sprinkles of "fake" dating. One of my favorite tropes, hands down!

Cute fall read? Yes ✅🎃
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a though one to review! I love fall/Halloween/ghosts so it does encapsulate a lot of my favorite things…. But there was just something that kept me from giving it that final star.

From the start, I found it hard to bud with Lex. (Hitchhiking, in 2024?! Yeah, pass) from that point on I was like… okay… I guess I’ll just suspend a lot of my thoughts. Mind you, I know it’s a book but for some reason that just made me side eye Lex from the start.

The book was very much a cozy read and I still am so happy I read it and I’ll prob read again once I get my preorder lol but I felt like some points I prob would’ve skimmed through had i had my paperback first. A bit slow at times and I just felt a bit ‘jerked’ around after the halfway point.

I don’t want to give spoilers since I read an ARC and I’m actually quite curious to see people’s reaction after it’s published. I’ll most likely come back and update my review once I reread it in the spooky season. 👻✨

I love spooky romances, and the premise for this one was so promising! I even really loved the characters and was enjoying the story but the story got really slow and dragged to the point where there wasn't enough story to keep the plot moving forward, either w/ characters or the premise itself. I really wanted to love this one but it ended up being one I had to get through and that was a let down. I'd definitely still try other books from this author in the future but this one isn't for me.

I am so ready for fall & this one proved that! It is literally the perfect "spooky" romance to add to your October TBR shelves. I really enjoyed this one!

Sadly this book was not for me. I made it nearly halfway through, so it was a DNF, but I did skimread through to the end.

I just found the chemistry between the two MCs lacking and the ghost story element just didn't engage me. I also think comparing this book to Gilmore Girls is misleading. It's a small town but nothing like Stars Hollow.

Sadly It just wasn't my cup of tea.

I can't believe that I am doing this! What if the people reading this review hate it? What if they read it, decide to buy it, and then hate the book!?! These types of intrusive thoughts are all too common for the main character, Alex. She is no stranger to crippling anxiety, the kind that forced her to leave college and return to the safety of her hometown, the job she loves at the used bookstore, and the home that her grandfather left her. While her parents don't understand (not that they get a say since they were never around), Lex is happy with her life. She keeps her parents and sister living in California at a distance, shows up to work, and pours whatever money she has into her home. She is satisfied with this life until she meets James.

At first, Lex won't give James the time of day; she has a strict rule against dating tourists, but when she learns he is in town for longer than just a few days, she can't help but fall. He's dashing and complicatedwas making a ghost- and reminds her of the carefree person she used to be when she hunting vlog. James and his crew are in town to document some of the alleged ghosts Lex used to speak about, and she can't help getting involved, especially when they set their sights on her beloved bookstore. Will the two figure out how to communicate what they want and need? Will Lex realize there is more to life than in her small town? Will bridges be mended?

It is a heartwarming, sweet, and, yes, spicy romance, perfect for those who want to curl up with a good book. I found myself relating to Lex on a personal level as someone who also loves my daily routine and suffers from Anxiety, and yet I was rooting for her to grow and step out of her comfort zone. The touch of paranormal, or at least ghost hunting, made the book exciting and made me smile.

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced reader copy of this novel, my thoughts and opinions are mine.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The plot was good and the characters felt realistic. The only reason why I didn’t give this a 5 star review is because after James finds out Lex’s secret, Lex becomes insufferable. Though her actions may be normal for certain people, I found that her behavior was super toxic and if I was James, I would not have chosen her for a significant other. Lex also sees a therapist, I feel like her deep seated dislike of her family could have been addressed in therapy so that her severe self doubt and abandonment issues were not as much of a problem. The ended (like last 20%) did seem a little bit rushed.

All that said though, I did enjoy the book. The setting of the book sounded beautiful, the people of the town give such a small town romantic feel.

This is a fun rom-com if you're looking for a sweet pallet cleanser. She works at a bookstore, he's a ghost hunter. And their chemistry is amazing right off the bat. We love a good spooky time set during Christmas in Vermont. I also love the LGBTQIA+ representation with the FMC being Pansexual and the MMC being Bisexual.

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC

I thought this was a Halloween book, but it turns out it takes place at Christmas! What a fun surprise! Lex works in a bookstore and James chases ghosts. James is the tourist, Lex is the small town girl. They instantly have chemistry, but she knows tourists always leave. A great fall read!