really cute and a perfect refreshing read - I thought the premise was fresh and the entire story was very captivating.

This was a cute, fun read. I liked how it was told from both points of view and the setting. If you're looking for a fun "fake romance" book, then I recommend this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a cute, fun read. I chose it because I like the author and have read some of her other books. If you're looking for a fun "fake romance" book, then I recommend this one.

With her back up against the proverbial wall, Aspen has no choice but to submit a best seller by the end of the summer or she'll be dropped by her publisher and probably her agent. She's desperate to recreate the work that made her 1st book the top seller, award winner and book of the month pick. So much so that she settles on local moody bad guy Brick to help her feel the emotional heartache that made her first book so easy to write. IN the meantime, he is trying to keep his grandfather's business from failing and his reputation, smeared through the town by his ex, isn't helping his cause. With Aspen not only helping him financially but sticking up for him among those who keep spreading lies, it feels like all things in his life are clicking together. All he has to do is break her heart -- that was the most significant part of the deal. But is it really what they both want in the end?

#arc
#netgalley
#bookofthemonth

A great read. I liked how it was told from both points of view and the setting. Can't wait for the next book

This was a cute little love story and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were very likable, and I liked the overall plot. This was a good refreshing read.

The cover of this book and the description drew me to this book.
I usually enjoy a book about an author writing or trying to write a new book and how they get inspiration.
However once I was inside this book I found the 2 main characters unbelievably annoying, and Brick was unlikeable and they lacked chemistry. Brick just seemed like a condescending inappropriate jerk with a leg humping dog.
I felt that many parts of the story were repeating which had me confused as to if I went backward in the book. Because of that and the fact I wasn’t enjoying myself this book dragged to 50% at which point I read the last chapter and was done. Based on other ratings I Amin the minority as many people gave it 4 ⭐️.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Jennifer Probst’s latest novel is a fictionalized depiction of an author’s pursuit of the sometimes elusive second best seller and featured “book of the month”. Her novel crosses the genres of general fiction and romance.

Aspen Lourde poured her heartache out in a “novel” and became a best selling author. She cathartically used her real life experience to not only exorcise her demons but to gain fame and notoriety as an acclaimed author. However, in real life, she has sequestered herself in her New York apartment and built a brick wall around her heart. Her ability to dig deep and create an emotional blockbuster seems to have stalled, so she changes locations and tries to gain new perspective and experiences to push her to her next big hit. A summer spent in the Outer Banks with her sister might be just what Aspen needs…

Between the sauve, sensitive, misunderstood and much maligned Brick Babel, the vindictive, nasty single ladies in town, Aspen’s sister, Sierra, and Marco, the local cannabis store owner, Book of the Month is filled with interesting characters and secondary plot points. The plethora of interesting secondary characters along with the engaging main characters really make the story. The plot premise is unique but the angst/conflict felt contrived. The main characters are engaging but not overly compelling. I did enjoy the subtle shift of the hero falling in love first and being the more vulnerable of the couple.

A fun-enough read that I’m invested in the characters and look forward to the next book in the author’s series.

Book of the Month is a fun twist on the fake dating trope. Aspen is an author and after her mostly-autobiographical heartbreak first novel was a viral sensation she’s struggled to connect with readers. She moves in with her sister for the summer and hires Brick, the local heartbreaker, to be his next victim so she can use those emotions to write another hit. Brick reluctantly accepts, needing the money to save the bankrupt tour business he inherited from his grandpa. While this is a fake relationship, Aspen needs him to make her fall in love for real, and then break her heart, so she can tap into those feelings for her fourth novel. But of course, it doesn’t work out the way either of them expected.

You can expect -
Author x Tour Guide
NC Island Small Town
Wild Horse Refuge
Summer Fling
Grumpy/Sunshine
Fake Dating
Late20s MCs
Dual 3rdP POV

I loved the setting of this book and wish I had read it earlier in the summer. The characters were cute with a good supporting cast. It had a lot of current pop culture references and went into a lot of writing lessons, which made me over analyze the writing in this book and took me out of the story. But that went away more in the last half of the book and I enjoyed the relationship development. The ending was believable and I liked how it all worked out for the best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for providing an eARC for my honest opinion.

I should have counted how many times this book used the words “female” or “animalistic” or “primal”. It was a lot.

The writing was…not good. The sex? Not good either. Character development? Where! Third act break up and make up? Completely unbelievable. Only read this book if you have no desire for anything remotely resembling real people. It was flat and cringey and hard to get through! There were so many plot points that were important for half a second and then never mentioned again. The town and side characters were not well-fleshed out or interesting.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC (and sorry for the bad review but the point is honesty!!)

What a unique twist on romance meet-cutes. I enjoyed the characters and the story quite a bit.

Aspen is going about this all wrong. She's convinced that the only way to get another best seller is to get her heart crushed again. That's how she got the really genuine feels in her first book. Her second and third books got good critical reviews but failed to sell well. She's made a lot of money off the first book and the movie rights so her motivation is for the acclaim of a successful book. To be recognized for her talent. To be validated as a writer. Brick has achieved fame as a heartbreaker. Gorgeous, he's easy for Aspen to be attracted to. Nice, he's even easier for Aspen to like him. He's the perfect guy to help Aspen get the intense emotions to make her next book gut wrenching. She strikes a deal with him to do just that and she'll help him with the funding he needs to really make his business take off. Brick is fascinated by Aspen. She's not like the girls who are spreading the rumors about him. She's also not chasing him. She's different. He takes her deal because he really does need the money. He considers it a loan even though Aspen doesn't want repayment. He's had an important career in the big city. He's a good businessman and a detailed plan of what the business needs to succeed is something he can easily do. He needs a few changes and to alter the way the public sees him and his business. And the wild horses. Aaah. They add lots of emotions for these two to share.

As the two work through Aspen's plan for their romance you know a real romance emerges and the two fall for each other even as Aspen tries to deny their ability to stay together, Brick knows what he wants long term. There's lots of stress and hard headedness to add to the book's tension and keep the reader engaged.

It was fun to watch Aspen very slowly work through her life issues. It's fun to watch Brick win her over. It's frustrating, in a good way, to watch them both struggle career wise. All making for a delicious story.. The HEA is especially; rewarding.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book but felt this premise was just too unbelievable. Aspen really made me crazy sometimes with her thinking about what she needed to write her book, it was incredibly obvious what the end game was going to be

Thank you for this eARC! When I first started this book, I was a bit nervous that I was going to be bored. But once the story picked up, IT PICKED UP!!!!!!! The chemistry between Aspen & Brick was FIRE!!!!!! The way he cared for her even though their relationship started as a "deal" for both was so cute! I loved that right off the bat when they agreed to this "deal" Brick was all in! He treated her like a real girlfriend from that moment on and he took care of her just like a boyfriend should. Plus their sexual tension was everything!!!! I enjoyed the ending and how the whole thing came together! Can't wait to read The Reluctant Flight (coming June 10, 2025).

Cute story about a best selling author, Aspen, who fears she is a one time wonder. To get over writers block, she leaves NYC to visit her sister in the Outer Banks. Coming up with a crazy plan to bail Brick, a handsome local tour operator, out of his financial problems by pretending to start a relationship with her, and then break up with her to give her ideas for her book. However, things get out of control for both of them. There are a lot of appealing and funny secondary characters, like Aspen’s sister, Sierra, and a surfer dude named Marco. The book was okay, out of my usual genres. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

*I received this book free from Blue Box Press via NetGalley*

The first few chapters have little dialogue and spend most of the time wrapped up in Aspen’s head. To say it was a slow start is an understatement. However, it does eventually pick up, though there’s still a lot of time wrapped up in Aspen’s head.

Brick’s character is multi-leveled and was interesting to read, so where many of the others. I found myself cheering for the underdog, like the souvenir shop owners.

"Face with fiction, remember? No way I can kiss you like that without real feelings. Just like you can't write a great book without true emotion."

The unfriendly competition between Brick and Maleficent was odd at times, and how easily Aspen cleared it up was maybe a little too easy. Maleficent’s character just seems out of place to me, maybe a little too aggressive. 

The Brick Support Group was crazy. Those women were just plain sad and made me roll my eyes on several occasions. The only good part is when Aspen and her sister crash a meeting.

The overall storyline is good, but the journey felt forced and did not always mesh well.

So I've had this book for a while and have just been so busy that I couldn't read it, but oh my gosh, wow! It is definitely, for me, a medium speed read, which is a lot slower for me, but it had me able to absorb all of the details and the emotions that came with Aspen giving her story. The slow build of the relationship between Aspen and Brick (which are amazing names by the way) was wonderful, and I was so worried at the end BUT but she got her happy ending! And she rewrote the book of her life. That's great. It's such a great read, and I'm so excited to read the story of Kane and Sierra because WTF happened between those two. I'm intrigued!

In short, Aspen moves to OBX to be near her sister and have a summer break to reset her writer's block. She falls in love with the town hottie, who is reportedly a heartbreaker. Before I give any more of the book away, just go and read it!

This amazing book had it all! The beach, humor, fake dating, loveable characters and a great story. Loved the cute lines and witty banter. Aspen and Brick had a wonderful connection and chemistry. As always, a bit of chaos ensues but the happy ending arrives. I enjoyed every moment of this book. It was fun, interesting and had all the feels with just enough drama to be completely entertaining. 100% recommend!

Loved the storyline! I enjoyed every moment of Aspen and Brick's story, and the secondary characters were great. I can't wait to read Sierra and Kane's story next.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. I liked Aspen, Brick, and the whole host of side characters and I really enjoyed the Outer Banks/small town beach setting. The relationship between Aspen and her sister, Sierra, was a highlight of the whole book for me. I loved how they understood each other and were great sounding boards for the ups and downs and crazy decisions.

The chemistry and spice were really nice and there were a few funny moments as well. It was interesting to read about a lot of the ins and outs of a successful commercial author. I also loved the sea turtle part- those were some beautiful scenes.

My only real issue is with the overall premise. The fact that Aspen felt she couldn’t write another good book without getting her heart broken made me not trust her as a writer and therefore mistrust her entire personality. Brick’s reputation was also ridiculous. The support group was laughable and the fact that he didn’t correct anyone for over a year? Criminal. It made me think he needed therapy if he couldn’t be bothered to stand up for himself and was content to be a hermit. I was happy Aspen finally started working on her trauma and realized she could write without heartbreak but Brick chose the wrong moment to stand up for himself at the end. He chose his pride for like a whole month! I’m glad it all worked out but the characters really frustrated me a lot of the time. This is a couple I don’t see staying together without therapy! They both still have issues and the trust was broken between them and glossed over at the end.

I am excited to read the next book about Sierra and Bricks’ friend, Kane. There is definitely an interesting story there!

This was a fun new romance that I had a lot of fun with! Romance readers will love it! The romance is great. enjoyed the wit and back and forth between the characters