Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Hello, my friends! With school back in session for most of us and Labor Day weekend coming up, it is the perfect time to wrap up those summer reads and transition to all the fall reads. As I sit on my couch today, I have my pumpkin-themed pillows and knitted throw blanket already helping to bring in the fall vibes. I have been bringing my own reading over to late-summer and fall picks as well.
On this last Monday of summer, I just finished and had to share with you my latest read, I Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp. I got this one from the folks at Harlequin Audio and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
For longtime readers of my blog, Isabelle Popp may be familiar to you. I read her last fall read, Let’s Give ’Em Pumpkin to Talk About, late last summer, so I was so excited for this year’s release from her, and it did not disappoint!
After her uncle passes away, Thora Williamson decides to move into her eccentric family’s cabin, which has seen better days. She thinks she knows what to expect. After all, she spent so much time there when she was younger with her cousins and all of their childhood antics. Now, as an adult, she wants to settle down and write for herself after years of working for another author before she passed away. She dreams of chilly evenings, warm fires, and beautiful arrays of leaves surrounding the cabin as she settles in to write her own book.
What she gets is Lee Halliday, her ex-husband’s best friend and her nemesis, pulling up in the driveway in her late uncle’s truck. Even worse, it seems like the house is falling apart, there are mysterious phone calls, and unusual things keep happening. Lee is there to help her fix up the house and sticks around until they think she is safe. Along the way, Thora starts to think that maybe “nemesis” was not quite the right word to describe Lee after all.
What a fun fall read! This is perfect for fall and heading into spooky season. If you are like me and are not really a fan of horror but do not mind a cozy, spooky story, this is the perfect book for you.
This book features an enemies-to-lovers story where he falls first, shared grief over the uncle who passed away, a haunted cabin, and forced proximity. If you are a fan of any of these tropes, this is the story for you! Also, it is a quick listen, coming in at just under eight hours, making it a perfect read to get you in the mood for fall. Whether you are in the mood for something spooky, making the drive to leaf peep, heading to Salem for Haunted Happenings, or simply counting down the days until Halloween, this one should be on your list.
Ferdelle Capistrano was wonderful in the narration. While single narration is not usually my favorite, I quickly forgot that it was not my preferred method because I became so involved in the story. I kept trying to figure out if the house was really haunted or if there was some rational explanation for what was happening, just like Thora says she would do in the book she wants to write. Ferdelle’s narration did a wonderful job drawing the listener into the story being told.
I also want to take a moment to appreciate that Thora is a curvy female main character. I really appreciate that about Isabelle Popp’s writing. The only thing I wish is that I could have had more time with these characters after they got together. I can think of a few ways I would have liked to see it play out, but I guess they will live on in my imagination.
I Haunt It That Way is out now. If you are a cozy paranormal romance reader, make sure to add this one to your list.
As always, my friends, I hope you find your own 5-star read this fall. Happy reading!