I absolutely loved the New England vibe in this new romance by Amber Roberts. She does an incredible job portraying the life of a small town, and I appreciated how well she handled the MC's anxiety. And I loved the love story! (Could that cover be any cuter?)

I was fortunate enough to read an early version of this story, and I immediately fell in love with the characters (especially James, who is mine, and no one else can have him). I also love the setting so much. I mean, bookstore, ski resort town in Vermont, wintertime?? Can you get any cozier than that? Amber Roberts has a talent for coming up with unique takes on beloved tropes, and that really shines through in this one. And of course the narrative voice is perfect, per usual. Very excited for this one to hit shelves!!

This was certainly a delightful read. This book follows the story of homebody Lex McCall, who loves her small town and quiet job at a bookstore. After being left behind by her family, friends, and exes, Lex has one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone who is bound to leave her behind. But when the opportunity to buy the bookstore she works at arises, she can't resist putting down roots and making a permanent home in her beloved town.
Just when she thinks she has everything figured out, handsome stranger James walks into her life. At first, Lex assumes he's just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he's part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew investigating the many 'verified' ghost stories in town. As a former hobby vlogger of ghost stories herself, Lex can't resist getting involved and tampering with the ghosthunters' research to protect her secret. But as she spends more time with James, she starts to develop feelings for him and realizes that her interference may have bigger consequences than just losing his affection. I loved the dynamic between Lex and James. Their banter and chemistry kept me hooked from the very beginning.
Although the book is marketed as a romance, it also has a hint of mystery and suspense woven into the plot. The twist towards the end caught me by surprise and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I also appreciated the message of not letting fear hold you back from following your dreams and taking risks. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance with a touch of mystery and a small-town setting. It's the perfect book to curl up with on a cozy evening.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy of this novel!]

Just off the bat, this book has such a cute cover and title! I enjoyed the premise that this is about ghost hunting. Instead of the expected spookiness of Halloween, we get horse-drawn sleigh rides, hot chocolate, and holiday shopping since it takes place in December. It's also nice that the FMC and MMC are in their 30's and don't have their lives 100% figured out.

The FMC, Alex, was a little too contradictory for me. She had a rule about not dating any tourists or newcomers, thanks to her fear of being abandoned, yet had no issue dating James - someone who wasn't from town and actively spoke about traveling the world. The couple are vague about defining their relationship but meet each other's parents early on. I still haven't figured out why Alex felt the need to fake ghost encounters when she and James started spending time together. The third act breakup was also a little bit odd because even though they stopped talking (James wasn't even returning her calls!), James just decided to stay in Stowe.

In all honesty, the majority of communication between all the characters is a little unsatisfying. Alex does start to have healing conversations with her family. One thing that stood out to me was Alex explaining her anxiety and depression. I do think Roberts did an excellent job with that.

This was a nice, cozy read, perfect for when the weather starts to get cold. I think there are a lot of great pieces to this book, but there were too many things that made it hard for me to get absorbed into the story. I don't feel strongly in either direction.

CozyGood if you love:
Small Town Romances
Holidays
(Fake) Paranormal

Haunt your heart out was a feel-good romantic comedy set in spooky season. I had such a wonderful time coasting through this book. I think it might also fall under cozy, comfort read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, Thank You Netgalley for the ARC granted. I came to read with one expectation and got another one, but not as a negative feeling. On the contrary. The plot is pretty real and compelling. the characters were well built and enjoyable. I liked it!

Flirty and fun, HAUNT YOUR HEART OUT is everything its premise promises. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This seemed like a book I would love. Main character works in a bookstore and had a ghost vlog back in the day. Except this is so, so boring. The main characters, Alex and James, are in their 30s and are just coasting through life. Not attractive. The chemistry is forced. And the ghost stuff wasn’t ghost stuff. Not for me, at all. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Haunt Your Heart Out was so fun that I kept wishing ghosts and love were real

A rompy read that will delight fans who love this paranormal cutesty vibe the romance world is riding!

Dnf at 20%

Was really looking forward to reading this one as the concept sounded right up my alley but the writing and characters felt incredibly bland along with the love interest and main character having zero chemistry.

Everything about this was quirky, spectacular and spooky treat. This was all romcom-y and I ate it up! I will definitely be putting this on a display come fall for a spooky cute reads!

This had all the cozy autumn vibes and I’m kind of wishing I read this in the fall! It was cute but could have used more romance.

i have been looking forward to this book and it was absolutely worth it i loved every single second yessssssss

This story follows Alex who works at a bookshop in a small cozy town and her love interest, a tourist visiting to film a ghost encounters documentary. Through the story we follow the two as they navigate their relationship, his project, and her future.
The first 25% of this book had me sold with the budding romance but it gave HEA by that quarter way mark, and the rest of the book felt a bit like a drawn out epilogue. There wasn’t much plot wise to keep me interested once the main characters were together, and it got lengthy and repetitive. While the writing style was sweet, the story just felt disjointed with odd pacing for me! A cozy gently-spooky read for the coming fall nevertheless!
Thank you Alcove Press via Netgalley for an ARC!

Amber Roberts’ second romance starts out with all the strappings of the perfect spooky season read, adds in just the right amount of small town charm, and finishes with the warm-and-fuzzy, feel-good ending of your favorite Christmas movies. Lex’s anxiety, insecurities, and self-doubt bring appealing depth and dimension to the story, and I found myself cheering for her to overcome her own demons. Plus, her relationship with James provided plenty of witty banter and sweet moments. This is an awesome feel-good romance for any time between late September and New Years’ Eve—crossing my fingers for a sequel featuring Natalie and Julian!

Alex, 33, is working at a bookstore and living in the house her grandfather built. She’s terrified of change, struggles with anxiety, and has a fraught relationship with her parents. She is desperately clinging to a store that’s not hers and a house she can’t afford to care for. She meets James pretty early on, and he starts coming by the store to see her. He’s in town working on a documentary about the town’s haunted history. This sets them up for a bit of conflict from the start, because Lex is solidly against developing feelings for anyone that isn’t planning to stay.

The plot was slow. I didn’t understand why Alex felt the need to insert herself into their documentary so much if it made her feel guilt to lie. She was actively pursuing a role and asking to be credited. James didn’t even seem to know she was the person behind the vlog that inspired some of their content until she told him. He was interested in spending time with her prior to that conversation, so Alex had no true need to start faking ghosts for him to get him to hang out with her.

Since Alex was faking the ghosts and everything was from her point of view there was no suspense or spooky vibes. The choice to set this story in December also removed the possibility of Halloween shenanigans in favor of Christmas trees and gift shopping.

Communication was lacking. The situation between Alex and James was weird—they’re jumping in and meeting each other’s parents after a few weeks, but they were still tiptoeing around what to call each other. They had banter and chemistry, but needed to have a conversation about what they were doing and wanted from each other. The third act conflict was underdeveloped. He left, stopped taking her calls, and then just decided to stay in Stowe?

Alex opened up to her family and had some healing conversations with them. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything particularly romantic or spooky about this book.

3.5⭐️

Amber Roberts truly is the ghostess with the mostess in this spooktacular romcom!

Haunt Your Heart Out is a beautifully written snowy romcom about Lex, whose dream is to own the bookstore she works at in lovely Stowe, VT, and a gorgeous stranger, James, who shows up to film a ghost documentary.

They grow close as she rehashes her past as a vlogger who faked hauntings, but the chemistry and the banter are as real as it gets, even if the ghosts are not. Roberts deals beautifully and gently with Lex’s struggles with anxiety and depression, reminding us that characters who grapple with lows still deserve romance and happiness. Both main characters unpack some of the damage of misunderstandings and childhood, and in the same vein of Roberts’ first book, this is as charming and healing as it is hilarious and full of fun romance moments and steam.

Roberts will make you laugh, and smile, and smirk at those moments, and then walk away a little more at peace with the world than you were when you started reading, and a lot more in need of maple syrup candy, snow, and the state of Vermont in general.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Amber Roberts for the eARC of this book!