A review by alxisrae
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious fast-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? No

4.0

I am so happy I signed up for this on NetGalley! This book was truly a treat. The first thing that caught my attention about this book was it

A. Was a romance with Native representation
B. Super spooky haunted castle in the middle of Scotland?!? Sign me the fuck up πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ‘πŸ½
C. Enemies to Lovers - Author Rivals

Colby really gave me everything I loved with this one. Not only do we get the enemies to lovers romance but there is also the mystery that comes with the castle they go on a retreat from. 

I really related to Pen. Off more than also being Native - the time we meet her and  Neil at the authors panel I could feel and relate to her so hard. Like homegirl we have all made rash decisions we later regret. But that perfectly sets up the tension with her and Nick. I even related to Nick which I wasn’t expecting but I adored his character. Also how OBSESSED and damn near feral this man becomes for Pen…*chefs kiss*. 

But the part that really hit me was how Pen talked about not feeling like she fit in due to being mixed and I have struggled with that too. Like you’re not β€œNative enough” cause of XYZ. And how Neil validated her in that moment really hit me in a good way. 

”𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 π‘΅π’‚π’•π’Šπ’—π’†, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 π’π’π’π’ˆ 𝒂𝒔 π’šπ’π’– π’Œπ’π’π’˜, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 π’†π’π’π’–π’ˆπ’‰β€ -Neil Storm (like fuck πŸ₯Ή)

When it came to the romance I liked how the two MCs were forced to talk it out and come together despite the β€œhate” and rivalry going on. And how it didn’t take long from that to crumble with the forced proximity. Cause deep down they don’t hate each other - just misunderstood. Even the secondary romance was a joy and I loved learning the truth at the end. So sad but still so good!