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2.88 AVERAGE
2.88 AVERAGE
Did not/could not finish! This book starts with our female lead throwing a tantrum and hurling her book at a fellow writer during a conference panel, making him BLEED, and she makes herself into the victim! She whines and complains aboutbthe consequences of her own actions and losing her publisher.
THEN when they are put into a forced proximity situation she doesn't apologize and continues to blame him for making her mad because he wrote a book she found to be a bad representation of native Americans (they are both native btw). She uses her status as a woman in publishing and a native ameeican to claim she is essentially too oppressed to take accountability for her physically assaulting him. If the genders were reversed, no publisher would even dream of publishing this. She is entirely insufferably written. I love a good bitch in romance, why should only sweet demure girls get the HEA? But they need to be interesting and she was just a whiny, poorly written brat.
THEN when they are put into a forced proximity situation she doesn't apologize and continues to blame him for making her mad because he wrote a book she found to be a bad representation of native Americans (they are both native btw). She uses her status as a woman in publishing and a native ameeican to claim she is essentially too oppressed to take accountability for her physically assaulting him. If the genders were reversed, no publisher would even dream of publishing this. She is entirely insufferably written. I love a good bitch in romance, why should only sweet demure girls get the HEA? But they need to be interesting and she was just a whiny, poorly written brat.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A super interesting blend of modern horror and romance that I don’t think I’ve experienced before. The Henry James-level spookiness combined with the Ali Hazelwood-esque slow burn made for a truly impressive amount of tension, which kept me hooked (insert corny sexual innuendo/pun of The Turn of the Screw).
Pen and Neil are literary rivals when the story begins, with years’ worth of pent up frustration towards one another that recently reached a very dramatic, very public boiling point at an author event where they were both invited to discuss their work. Sparks, and hardbacks, fly—cementing their status as nemeses.
When a mutual friend tricks them both into joining a writing retreat in a remote, haunted castle in Scotland, they are unable to avoid one another and the stark passion of their feelings for one another—both those of animosity and of attraction. The apparent haunting of their rental brings them closer together as they embark to unravel the mysteries of the estate.
I really enjoyed the discussion of the Native American experience as it related to the writing world. The choices that either character made, which were largely impacted by their cultural identities, served as the basis of the friction between them. Pen’s convictions surrounding harmful portrayals of Native characters and Neil’s early induction to the publishing industry being fraught with Eurocentric pressures come to a head once they’re forced to write alongside each other. Both of their experiences were very compelling, and it was very refreshing and informative to read from their perspectives.
The last five chapters or so felt a bit rushed, packed with action that I didn’t believe fit with the creepy, slow-paced nature of the majority of the book. The characters’ motivations became a bit confusing, and I felt that there were some loose strings/logistical issues that kept me from being wholly satisfied with the ending (small spoiler warning, but Neil was for sure concussed by the end, right? I just didn’t see the need to 1. Make him hit his head so much in a short amount of time and 2. Not treat it as an emergency?).
Otherwise, a very good debut and super promising author. Will for sure BOLO for her next project.
Pen and Neil are literary rivals when the story begins, with years’ worth of pent up frustration towards one another that recently reached a very dramatic, very public boiling point at an author event where they were both invited to discuss their work. Sparks, and hardbacks, fly—cementing their status as nemeses.
When a mutual friend tricks them both into joining a writing retreat in a remote, haunted castle in Scotland, they are unable to avoid one another and the stark passion of their feelings for one another—both those of animosity and of attraction. The apparent haunting of their rental brings them closer together as they embark to unravel the mysteries of the estate.
I really enjoyed the discussion of the Native American experience as it related to the writing world. The choices that either character made, which were largely impacted by their cultural identities, served as the basis of the friction between them. Pen’s convictions surrounding harmful portrayals of Native characters and Neil’s early induction to the publishing industry being fraught with Eurocentric pressures come to a head once they’re forced to write alongside each other. Both of their experiences were very compelling, and it was very refreshing and informative to read from their perspectives.
The last five chapters or so felt a bit rushed, packed with action that I didn’t believe fit with the creepy, slow-paced nature of the majority of the book. The characters’ motivations became a bit confusing, and I felt that there were some loose strings/logistical issues that kept me from being wholly satisfied with the ending (small spoiler warning, but Neil was for sure concussed by the end, right? I just didn’t see the need to 1. Make him hit his head so much in a short amount of time and 2. Not treat it as an emergency?).
Otherwise, a very good debut and super promising author. Will for sure BOLO for her next project.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Pregnancy, Colonisation
Boring and obvious are the words that come to mind with this novel. It's fine to be formulaic, but at least make things interesting. And if you claim to have a "spooky twist", maybe make it actually spooky. I was really hoping for more of the haunting aspect here and was very disappointed.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 ⭐️
ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.
I love a good scary story and the enemies to lovers trope(when done right), but do these two things don’t have anything in common… typically. However, If I Stopped Haunting You puts these two themes together beautifully. It is fun, sexy, and spooky. It was a quick read that I throughly enjoyed and recommend! This was my first novel I’ve read from Colby’s career, it definitely won’t be my last. Her writing was hauntingly hilarious and completely sucked me in from the beginning.
ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.
I love a good scary story and the enemies to lovers trope(when done right), but do these two things don’t have anything in common… typically. However, If I Stopped Haunting You puts these two themes together beautifully. It is fun, sexy, and spooky. It was a quick read that I throughly enjoyed and recommend! This was my first novel I’ve read from Colby’s career, it definitely won’t be my last. Her writing was hauntingly hilarious and completely sucked me in from the beginning.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
After reading the description, I was interested in this book and thought the cover was cute. I loved the concept and "enemies to lovers" is usually my jam. I ended up DNF'ing it in March, I just didn't find the book interesting and it didn't keep my attention.
This week, I thought I would give the book another try and finally finished it, but I wish I left it a DNF.
For me, the thing that bothered me the most was the main character assaulting their counterpart and victim blaming. Perhaps that is a trigger for me. The "to lovers" progress didn't feel organic. I was also looking for the side characters and the paranormal aspect to have more development. The progress felt very rushed.
Ultimately this book isn't for me.
This week, I thought I would give the book another try and finally finished it, but I wish I left it a DNF.
For me, the thing that bothered me the most was the main character assaulting their counterpart and victim blaming. Perhaps that is a trigger for me. The "to lovers" progress didn't feel organic. I was also looking for the side characters and the paranormal aspect to have more development. The progress felt very rushed.
Ultimately this book isn't for me.
True rating 2.5
This book had the makings of a great spooky romcom. I really enjoyed the conversations between Storm and Skinner, the back and forth was exciting to read. The story had a good pace and was well written. It was also far creepier than I was expecting, I am not a horror fan so this caught me a little off guard.
I was disappointed with the conclusion of the “mystery”, there was really no development or surprises. Also, Pen is a manipulative character, she gaslights and physically assaults the MC without ever facing repercussions or developing a sense of conscience regarding her actions.
This book had the makings of a great spooky romcom. I really enjoyed the conversations between Storm and Skinner, the back and forth was exciting to read. The story had a good pace and was well written. It was also far creepier than I was expecting, I am not a horror fan so this caught me a little off guard.
I was disappointed with the conclusion of the “mystery”, there was really no development or surprises. Also, Pen is a manipulative character, she gaslights and physically assaults the MC without ever facing repercussions or developing a sense of conscience regarding her actions.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes