3.75 stars
This was a great book. The main character is an author, her first book was a hit, and she can’t seem to write another one. The catch with her first book was that it was about heartbreak. She is determined to find a way to break her heart in order to write another best seller. She meets a guy and they come up with an arrangement but do they both wind up getting hurt?

While I don't always love the "wanting someone to break your heart" tropes, I still liked this book. Even though I knew there would be an inevitable break up (and getting back together) I enjoyed reading as they built their relationship. I liked the main characters and the supporting characters were quirky and loveable. Plus there was a very entertaining mistaken drugging! I also liked learning about the horses.

It was a good read.

This book was just okay for me. I loved the description of OBX but I wish that we could have gotten some of that for Brick. I also wasn’t a fan of the instalove. The spicy scenes were also a little cringy for me.

A delightful, bookish romance that celebrates love, literature, and new beginnings. Probst delivers a cozy, feel-good read for book lovers everywhere!

Book of the Month was my first book by Jennifer Probst but it will not be my last! I can't wait to go to her back list and see all the gems that are awaiting me! This would make the perfect beach read or anytime that you want to slip out of reality. I love books about authors/books, so I really enjoyed this. Aspen and Brick were a lot of fun to read about and now I can't wait to find out what's going on with her sister Sierra and Brick's buddy Kane. The setting was neat and it was great to learn about the wild horses.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 22 October 2024

BOOK OF THE MONTH - Jennifer Probst

Great characters! - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Aspen is desperate for another bestseller… and she’ll go to any length to get it. Even if it means sacrificing her pride to chase the hottest bachelor in town and get him to break her heart.

Writing - 4 stars - I was drawn into the story right away. It was an intriguing concept, and I enjoyed watching Aspen struggle to overcome her writer's block while also building a relationship with heartbreaker Brick. It was easy to fall into the summer vibe of the Outer Banks, especially when participating in the turtle rescue, seeing the wild mustangs, and visiting with the laid-back Marco and friends in the store next door.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Brick is a great hero. Of course, he's the unattainable man, and his bad reputation precedes him. But Aspen is convinced that he'll be able to break her heart, providing her with the impetus to write a second bestseller. So, she chases him, despite warnings. And it was so fun to watch them learn about each other, grow together, and share themselves. Both of them are broken and wary, but they really work together, and I was definitely rooting for their success. I liked Sierra, Aspen's sister, as a strong backup, supportive even if disapproving. Marco, Patsy, and Burger are terrific as the hippie-dippie T-shirt store owners. They're cool and sweet and surprisingly helpful. Kane is a good friend to Brick, and I suspect (and hope) that he and Sierra will have a future book together. Even the smaller characters added to the story (such as Maleficent the tour guide, Sierra's friends, and the various townfolk).

Title - 4 stars - Aspen made it to the "book of the month" status with her first published book, but she's struggling to repeat that.

Cover - 4 stars - I like the fairly plain cover since it's eye-catching and a beautiful color.

Overall - 4 stars - This was a very pleasant read, and I enjoyed every moment of it. It has a conflict that makes sense (even if pretty unusual), supported by intelligent and caring characters. I loved the relaxed vibe of the Outer Banks, with beautiful descriptions of the area and the connection to nature.

DNF at 47%. The whole plot is too predictable and unbelievable. The weird stilted characters are all so eye roll inducing. The female MC needs a man to solve her problems, the overprotective (though already aware of the situation?!) sibling, the easily reached unreachable man. I just can’t.

Mmm. Not sure how I felt about this one, honestly. The premise sounded really fun, but it fell a little flat for me. I *wanted* to enjoy it more than I did. There were just a few things I wish had been handled a little better.
Overall, it’s not a bad book, so I’ll just say it’s not my cup of tea and a decent 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

too predictable for my taste. put it down after about 20% of the book because i just didnt feel like itd be worth my time.
typical "hes the bad boy who doesnt fall for anyone but everyone tries to change him. she tries not to and is the one to do" cant be bothered

This was a nice palate cleaner read. I was excited by the title as I had never read the author before. The main character I will admit annoyed me when she was writing it seemed like she had no way to use her imagination to write a book, she could only write if her heart was broken. Kind of lost me there. I did enjoy the sea turtle parts as I have a friend who has watched them hatch in FL. In all it was a quick read and I liked it but nothing more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

Things I liked:
-story within the story, reading about the writing process and a writer is always fun
- alternating chapter focus for the characters
- felt like he falls first which I’m always a fan of
- the pre-break-up scenes were very well done, could feel the anxiety knowing it was coming and not wanting it

Things I didn’t love:
- the over emphasis on Aspen’s ‘lack’ of looks versus the men being incredibly hot. Self confidence and comparison is real but the fact that the male characters had absolutely no body issues either was too one sided
- the get back together felt a bit forced, if Brick wanted to trust Aspen, it would have been nice to see that play out
- in general there was a bit of lack of dialogue in scenes, instead it felt glossed over (Brick said some words) rather than explored - maybe 1st person could have helped this?

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were some things I liked about this book like the OBX setting but it wasn’t the book for me. Now most of this is in regards to what I like to read/not read so if it fits into your interests then you may enjoy it more than I did. There were several explicit sex scenes and “dirty talk” throughout regular scenes as well, to the point that if I wasn’t reading an ARC I probably would have stopped reading or had I known I would not have requested the book. While it was more explicit than I prefer to read, it still did have a plot and some entertaining side characters but ultimately fell very middle of the road for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book. At first sight, the cover of this book is eye catching! I love the characters in the story and really enjoyed getting to know each of them. I found this to be an easy and fun read.

The story was fun, loved that it was set around OBX, sandy beaches and summer love. This story has been done before, but this one is crafted so perfect that you forget that its fake dating to love. Looking forward to the sisters' story from Jennifer, I will want to read right away. '

Aspen is writer and she has written on best seller and her fans want more, trouble is she wrote that story with a broken heart. With her love life on the back burner, she suddenly has writers' block. The only cure is to out of the city and go see her sister in the Outer Banks, clear her head get some sea air. But seems even that doesn't help her, so over drinks her and her sister come up with the perfect plan. Date the resident bad boy, have him break her heart and she will put it all into the perfect story yet.

But has fake dating starts to blur to real feelings, can she put her heart back out there and risk her career in the process?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bue Box Press for a copy of this story for my honest review.

This book is very easy to read and get into quickly. I really enjoyed the description of the characters. It was very easy to picture with all the details at times I felt like I was in the book. I would totally recommend this book. For either a book club book or just an easy fun read alone.

El libro es un romance veraniego divertido y coqueto, pero por momentos me resultó frustrante. Siento que la parte intermedia se hizo un poco pesada con la repetición del trope del amor fabricado y la relación en desarrollo. Aprecié cómo los personajes crecieron y se encontraron a sí mismos, pero el romance slow burn podría haber avanzado un poco más rápido para mi gusto.
Tengo que admitir que el título me atrapó de inmediato, y no esperaba una historia tan centrada en el fake dating. Me preocupa un poco esta tendencia en la industria editorial donde, si la palabra "libro" aparece en el título, los amantes de la lectura podemos caer en la trampa de comprarlo impulsivamente.
Aunque la historia no logró mantener completamente mi atención, sí disfruté mucho las descripciones de Jennifer Probst sobre los escenarios y el desarrollo de los personajes. Su estilo de escritura realmente me llamó la atención y le dio un toque especial a mi lectura de fin de semana.

3.5–Brick and Aspen’s story was enjoyable…I loved the fake dating premise that quickly became real. You knew the conflict was coming due to the contract, but I’m glad it didn’t last too long before the HEA came. I do wish their relationship hadn’t felt mostly about the sex in the middle and I could have done without the scenes, but I think this is my first Probst book so I didn’t know what to expect going into it.

"Book of the Month" was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the story line of a book author that will do anything to reach her goals! This was a fun read that you will love!

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a fun and engaging romantic comedy with a clever premise. Aspen Lourde, a struggling author in need of inspiration for her next bestseller, sets out to craft a story by pursuing the town's infamous heartthrob, Brick Babel. What begins as a fake romance quickly spirals into a heartfelt and passionate connection that neither of them saw coming.

The characters are well-developed, with Aspen's desperation and Brick's charm providing plenty of emotional depth. Probst skillfully weaves humor, romance, and real-world struggles into the narrative, making it an enjoyable and satisfying read. While the plot follows a familiar "enemies to lovers" trope, the chemistry between the leads keeps it fresh and engaging.

The book also explores themes of self-discovery, vulnerability, and the cost of chasing success, which adds layers of depth beyond the romance. If you're looking for a light-hearted, yet meaningful story, Book of the Month delivers it with charm and wit.