First, I want to thank NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really struggled with this book.
The beginning is set up in a way that you think this is a terrible idea and then thankfully they correct that pretty quickly. And although I had a little bit of time where I started enjoying it, as the book went on, it felt more and more like it was written in the early 2000s when these type of quirky plots and cliche characters would take over movie romcoms. Also, the cringe factor during the steamy scenes was hard to read.
Overall, it didn’t feel fresh or modern, and the couple was just fine. I felt like this book was also predictable and that they were trying really hard to set up a possible sequel with the other side characters.
I did like the writing around the wild horses and the sea turtles though and I actually wish they had continued to talk about the horses throughout.

This one was for people who:
-like a slow pace
-enjoy reading about authors
-the woman being the one pursuing
-lots of description


Thank you to Negalley the author and publisher for letting me read any early copy of the book’

This is my first Jennifer Probst book and I'm definitely a fan! I love books about writing and protagonists who are authors, especially if they are writers struggling with their muse. The love story between Aspen and Brick (the name, ha!) was convincing and their chemistry was sizzling. Witty banter and amusing situations made this book an easy, fun read. I love the grumpy/sunshine and fake dating tropes. A winner!

I was interested in this one based off of the title alone. Unfortunately, it was a little bit of a letdown. I was hoping for a fun story about an author and their writing journey, but this just didn't meet my expectations and was significantly more focused on the romcom aspect of the story.

Aspen Lourde’s debut novel was a hit. Fresh off a heartbreak, the words just flowed. Now she can’t write anything to give to her publisher and she is panicking. Deciding heartbreak is the key to her literary success, she goes looking for someone to break her heart.
Brick Babel has a reputation for being a bad boy and when he walks into the bar where she is visiting her sister, Aspen decides Brick is the perfect man for the job.

Aspen goes to Brick’s tour company and her attempts to attract Brick’s attention don’t go anywhere. When Aspen learns his tour company is about to file bankruptcy, she offers to pay him to date her then break her heart. Brick is devastated to lose the company his grandfather started and he reluctantly agrees to Aspen’s plan.

While Aspen is inspired to write, Brick - the unattainable playboy - starts to catch feelings for Aspen. As she gets to know the real Brick, she can’t reconcile the man she is “dating” with the rumors. Even if she likes him, she is determined to follow her plan and deliver their story of heartbreak rather than see if there is a future for them.

I did not love Aspen’s character. She was not likable at all. Brick’s story (and the company’s wacky neighbors) was good, but not good enough to make A Novel Proposal one I would recommend. The idea was good, but Aspen seemed both sleazy and inexperienced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for an advance copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you Jennifer Probst and NetGalley for this eARC.

Aspen is a successful author who has been in a bit of a lull after publishing a successful book focused on a past break up. To spark some creativity, Aspen goes to visit her sister and retreats to a beach town for the summer. Aspen has to really think, is the only way to write a successful book by having your heart broken?
In walks Brick. The town bad boy with a reputation of breaking hearts. He sounds like the perfect fix for inspiring a new book of the month.

I enjoyed Aspen's relationship with her sister and was excited to read Sierra's book is coming next summer. Some parts of this book dragged for me and it took me longer than it typically does to finish a book. I did enjoy the story, but not a fan of a 4th act break up...

3/5 Stars

I’m always drawn to books with an author as the main character, so I grabbed this one as soon as I saw it on @netgalley. What I really enjoyed was the behind-the-scenes perspective it offered, and the author did a fantastic job of showcasing that. The chemistry between Brick and Aspen was both genuine and compelling, making their banter and connection really stand out. If you're longing for summer to stick around, this is a perfect pick—it’s a heartwarming summer romance set in a charming small town, complete with delightful secondary characters. All in all, it’s a fun and steamy read!

This book was an adorable romance. I enjoyed the themes of repeating the past hoping for the same results and finding out that maybe the path forward is different then what you expected. Grumpy and sunshine vibes all the way. The characters immediate connection was great but they really got into things very quickly. The mystery aspects and wanting to find out more about their pasts was good and kept the intrigue there. It was cute and I was rooting for the characters. Thank you NetGalley, Blue Box press and the author for allowing me to read this book.

This story is about an author, Aspen Lourde, who is a best-selling. Only now, she seems to be in writers block as her last 2 books published did not do well! She thinks it's because she poured her heart, soul, betrayal, and tears into her first book after a nasty breakup! In come Brick Babel hot throb of Outer Banks with a reputation as a womanizer. Aspen thinks that if she can fall for him and then get crushed by him, she'll be able to write another best-selling book! Brick inherited his grand father's tour company which is going bankrupt and he needs the money to renovate it and get it of the ground. The deal is bate Aspen for the summer and get the money then break her heart so she can write her book! Too bad breaking your walls down is not that easy!

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The beginning was a little rough. Aspen puts herself down a lot and has a hard time putting emotion in her books. But I love her character growth. She is beautiful and confident by the end. The bond between her and her sister Sierra is great i love their dynamics.

Brick he's a gorgeous man with a beautiful heart who has been slandered and hurt by someone he broke up with. His reputation is all lies and he hasn't opened up to a woman in years.

I love Aspen and Bricks love story. They are so good for each other. He shows her how stunning and impressive she is and she shows him how he's a good man. It's fun to read about their banter and their teasing.

I loved a lot of the side characters too. Marco, patsy, and burger the T-shirt owners are adorable. DUG the big is so cute! The horses that Brick takes care of. The community of Outer Banks is so great.

I liked the premise of this book but it didn’t really work for me at all. A best selling author that is in a rut and needs a heartbreak for inspiration? Love it. Aspen and Brick and their strange relationship? Not it for me.

First of all, the guys name is Brick. Brick Babel. Really? We couldn’t think of any other names? There were some aspects that were also really cringy - like a club of women that had their hearts “broken” by Brick… just really strange. I didn’t feel invested in the characters and didn’t really like Aspen as a FMC.

Overall this one didn’t really do it for me unfortunately. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Blue Box Press for my honest review.*

Aspen's third novel isn't selling well and she is on the brink of being dropped by her publisher. She had a breakout debut that every reader loves and asks for the sequel. Unfortunately for Aspen, the debut was written after her first huge breakup and she hasn't dated much at all since. So all of her work seems flat and emotionless. Aspen decides to visit her sister for the summer and notices the hot guy around town who has a bad reputation for using women and she gets the idea to get her heart broken by him to feel the angst to write and have it show in her book.

A different take on the "paying for a wedding date" trope. But it works. There is a lot of info about writing and things not flowing well onto the screen/paper. It got to be a little repetitive considering there hadn't been a break up throughout the book. I did feel like Aspen and Hot Guy seemed to fall into a situation-ship way too fast, in my opinion. But I enjoyed all the characters throughout the story and how Aspen seemed to handle things that Hot Guy was struggling with. It was a solid story.

Questions were also left unanswered about her sister strange behavior. Another book in the series? I need to read that one, too!

cardboard characters with no depth, repetitive dialogue, a plot that didn’t move the story anywhere & was unable to hold my attention. the in-depth discussions of the publishing process was also so dry & uninteresting.

This read follows Aspen, a burned-out author desperate to reclaim her spot on the bestsellers list. Seeking inspiration, she retreats to a small coastal town, which leads her to a summer fling with Brick Babel, the town's well-known bachelor, for story inspiration.
 
The grumpy sunshine dynamic was TO DIE FOR. I was cracking up practically the entire time! The humor, banter, and the playful push-and-pull between Aspen and Brick kept a smile on my face.
 
I have the biggest soft spot for heroines that are authors, and I love that the author of this gave us a peek behind the curtain into Aspen's writing style and her ways of outlining her books!
 
Though I loved the characters steamy chemistry, I just couldn’t get past the hero’s name—“Brick” just feels ridiculous to me. The only downside of this story was that some parts felt overly corny to the point of secondhand embarrassment, but ultimately that didn’t stop me from being able to enjoy myself with this delightful read!

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!

i loved this one- the setting, the ease of writing, and i found myself rooting for the MCs! I also loved that it wasn’t slow- I was always wanting to turn the next page and didn’t get bored!

Jennifer's books always tug at my heartstrings and this one is no exception. Brick and Aspen's story is a beautiful dedication to staying true to yourself and giving yourself and others a chance to love you and surprise you. The setting in the Outer Banks is truly a lovely spot for romance and my husband and I have enjoyed many trips there. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job bringing on all the emotions needed to make this novel a completely immersive experience.

This was a great story about finding out what's really important to you in life, and Aspen realizes that, but could it be too late?
Aspen wrote a best seller from what she experienced and felt after her breakup. She's written other books since, but none have hit the best seller list since her first. She has another book to do, but the words just aren't coming, so her agent suggests she spend the summer with her sister in the Outer Banks to get her mojo going, so she does. When she meets Brick, everyone tells her to steer clear of him, but he's just so good looking, and she doesn't want to admit it but she's attracted to him. She devises a plan to help him with his tour business and he in turn helps break her heart so she can write another best seller. Simple plan right? But when true feelings get involved, it makes for a messy situation.
These two are soulmates, but can Brick convince her that their story is the prize, not the best seller? Read along and find out, you will love these two and how hard they fall!

I couldn't even get past the first couple of chapters. It felt very self insert and cringey. I normally love a book where the MC is an author but in this case, it felt like a woe is me sympathy grab better suited for the author's private group chat.

Desperate for another best seller and believing her heart must be broken to do so is a recipe for disaster or is it? A unique twist on romance I loved it

Aspen hasn’t had a bestseller since her debut - and because that novel was the product of a broken heart - she’s convinced another devastating breakup will help her write her next hit.⁣
⁣
So she strikes a deal with the hottest bachelor in town, with a reputation for breaking hearts so notorious that there’s even a support group for his victims.⁣ She will help fund his struggling business - he will break her heart.
⁣
Steamy, swoony, and unexpectedly sweet, Book of the Month has a fictional romance that takes fake dating to a whole other level. With lovable characters, the most dreamy summer setting, and all the feelings to get you right in the feels - it’s a fun ride as Aspen’s looming deadline closes in and things don’t go exactly to plan. Because it’s kind of hard to purposely break the heart of the one you ‘pretend’ to love.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This was a very cute and fun rom-com. I was a bit skeptical at first but I couldn’t put it down. I liked the characters. Storiyline is eh it is a rom/com. But little details were funny which is important for me. It almost reminded me of my high school crush and yes we actually had a secret group called “RBAP” as “Rejected By AP”. Overall I thought this was a light and fun read. I would recommend to take this for traveling!!