4.5⭐ This was genuinely so hard to put down once I started reading because of how much I wanted to get to their happy ending. I really rooted for Aspen and Brick. After everything they've been through, they deserved their happily ever after 🩵

I think this book had a really good balance between emotional and romantic scenes. It also had a good amount of angst which just made the ending even sweeter.

When I realized that there would be a second book, I was excited. While I patiently wait for Sierra and Kane's book, I might check out the author’s other books too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to share my honest thoughts on this ARC read.

BOOK OF THE MONTH by Jennifer Probst is more than a romance. It is a journey of self discovery wrapped in traditional romance tropes. Fake dating? Small town? Summer romance? Sure, all those things are present, but they are backdrops to the main characters’ personal growth.

Aspen is a best selling author whose debut novel garnered accolades and a near cult following. Her next two books were not as commercially successful. Her fans want a sequel to her first novel, her publisher wants sales, and Aspen wants to recapture the magic. Since her first book was borne of the pain of her personal heartbreak, Aspen believes she needs emotional devastation to deliver another success.

Brick finds himself trying to rescue the floundering local tour business he inherited from his grandfather. In the short time he’s been in Corolla he has developed a reputation as a callous philanderer ruthlessly leaving devastation in his wake.

Aspen sees Brick as the key to unlocking her creativity. She offers a simple business proposal: Brick will romance her for the summer and leave her heartbroken so she can write another great angst-filled novel, in exchange for the funds he needs to save his failing business. What neither counted on was developing real feelings making it hard to walk away.

Parts of this book seemed a bit drawn out and the beginning was slow. The instalust felt a bit rushed, but began to make sense once more was revealed about each character. As the layers are peeled back and truths revealed, we watch both characters undergo significant transformations. Aspen and Brick are complemented by charming, quirky secondary characters who bring humor and insight to the story. I was happy to learn there will be a second book in this series.

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

This is a really great novel. Set in a small beach town in the Carolinas, it has an interesting plot. Aspen is an author facing writer’s block. Brick is a hot single guy struggling to save his business and recover his reputation. The premise of the plot which is a fake relationship that becomes all too real, will see readers drawn into the story. The characters are fun and relatable. Readers will enjoy turning the pages as they dig into the often funny dialogue. You will not regret getting a copy and reading.

Aspen's first book was a bestseller and beloved by so many. Her next, not so much and now she is stuck. Can’t get inspired and has no idea how she is going to get inspired to write and meet her deadline for she doesn’t want to go down in flames as a “one hit wonder”. She concocts a crazy scheme to kickstart her stagnant writing brain. We go along the ride on that scheme and some of it is sweet and funny and some of it not eh, but that leads two a wonderful happily ever after. Easy, fast read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a romance, but not your typical one. Aspen was a successful writer. Well, she had been after her her first book. Her second and third, not so much. They were better but not as appealing. As she thought about it, she determined that the reason the first one was so good is because, at the time, she had been reeling with emotion. Then she had settled. What she needed was another heartbreak, another breakup. She decided to go visit her sister at the beach where she laid eyes on Brick. The man had a reputation and from the looks of him he deserved it. He was perfect. She approached him with her preposition: she would pay him to romance her and then breakup with her so she could feel the pain and then write another best seller. She told her sister but no one else. Her sister thought it was a bad plan, but Brick needed the money and so he went for it. The renovations on his grandfather’s tour company headquarters began immediately and he began romancing her. They were a good pair. They shared a sense of humor and an interest in life. It was working.

Even though she knew it was fake, she was falling for him. This was perfect. She would be miserable. Brick was falling, too. Despite his reputation, he was not a player and spent most nights at home. He had honed his reputation so they would leave him alone. His only real friend was the pothead who had a t-shirt shop next door. Aspen became his friend, too, and helped him with his business. On fact, she helped anyone who asked. The problem was: he was falling in love. This is a fun romance, different than most, simply because of the convoluted plot. The two main characters were excellent and the plot, despite the fact it made no sense, flowed well and had the reader rooting for them. I love romance but I love it more when there are quirks. This one definitely had those. What a fun read!

I was invited to read Book of the Month by Blue Box Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BlueBoxPress #JenniferProbst #BookOfTheMonth

3.5 ⭐️So cute! I loved it! I chose to read this book solely on the cover and it didn’t disappoint. A cute romcom with all the good feels.

Tropes:
Small town romance
Fake Dating
Summer Romance
Author x Tour Guide


Thank you NetGalley for the Arc

"𝑰𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔? 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕? 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆."

I love the chemistry of the MCs to the secondary characters. Although there were few repetitive and lagged moments, I have many great favorite parts especially during the book signing. lol

As a book lover, I love that this portrays the life of an author. It invites us in the insights of becoming a writer, becoming a bestseller, the joys, doubts, struggles of making it big. It is so easy for us readers to judge the book, the author when we don't like the book and even leaving a very hurtful reviews without regarding the efforts they've done during the writing. I know that not all books are for us but to leave hateful reviews just because we hate it is just too much. Reading this, made me love and respect the writers more.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this one.

𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 by Jennifer Probst
Romance/ Women's Fiction
Pub Date: Oct 22, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @authorjenniferprobst @1001darknights_blueboxpress @netgalley

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…

Brick Babel is a romance novelist’s dream: a local heartthrob with a reputation as wild as the horses running free in the town. He’s everything Aspen needs for a muse kickstart—gorgeous, moody, and notoriously unattainable. His affairs are legendary in the small town, and every woman warns her off, including her sister.

Too bad a good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to meet her deadline.

Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters.

#NetGalley #ARCReview #kindle #kindleoasis #strapsickle

Thank you NetGalley, Blue Press Box and Jennifer Probst for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book of the month is about famous author, Aspen, who had a breakout hit about her heartbreak but her two following books have been flops. She flees New York to spend the summer with her sister in the Outer Banks to get a change of scenery and hopefully inspire some quality writing.

Brick is a handsome man who is very misunderstood - from NY, he was brought to this small town after his grandfather leaves his house and struggling tour business to him. Drama quickly follows him to the town and small town gossip takes over leaving him with a reputation of a heartbreaker.

Desperate, Aspen decides what she needs to write her next great book is heartbreak and once she realizes Brick’s business is on the verge of bankruptcy she comes up with a plan that could benefit them both.

I struggled with the start of the book a bit - I didn’t love that Aspen wanted to “seduce” him and use him for her benefit. I also didn’t enjoy the way Brick referenced her looks and how ‘average’ they were compared to other woman.

However, after about 30% things really improved and I got into the book. It turned out to be really cute and I enjoyed the ending. I’m interested to read the next book about Sierra.

Open door.
Fake dating.
Small town.
Former (perceived) player

I was fond enough of the main characters and I really loved all the side characters. Ultimately, I’m glad I didn’t DNF it but boy did I come real close. Idk if it was the silly character names (Aspen Lourde and Brick Babel) or the gross way the mmc talked about women and specially the fmc’s physical appearance or the fact that the book being called book of the month is so shoehorned in, but a lot of the beginning of the book really didn’t work for. Push past that and there is a really cute love story.

When Aspen decides she cannot write another best seller unless she gets her heart broken again, she is not prepared for actually falling in love so quickly or that he will fall in love with her. Good story in a great setting. Quick read.

Aspen wrote a best-selling book, but 2 books later, she still hasn’t been able to repeat her success. She is under the gun to crank out another best-seller but can’t seem to find inspiration. She leaves New York City to stay with her sister in a small beach town in the Outer Banks in hopes that the change of scenery will inspire her.

Aspen's sister Sierra warns her about the town player, Brick, and informs her of the many broken hearts from his hands. Aspen can't help but wonder if a good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to get her creative juices flowing! She offers Brick whatever money it takes for him to save his family business in exchange for a Summer affair that ends in heartbreak! Win-win!

But, as they get to know each other better, Aspen sees the man behind the rumors, and Brick begins to wonder exactly whose heart will be broken by the end of Summer.

I enjoyed Brick and Aspen's banter and friendship that builds. There was a good sense of found family with the friends they make along the way.

4⭐ 2🌶️

I read an advanced copy of the this book, and this is my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the ARC!

Book of the Month is one of those books that proves fiction is still stranger than true even though it is said to be the opposite. Why would I say that/? Well, a writer having writer’s block is not going to make the news. However, a writer practically throwing herself at a local heart throb, hoping he will break her heart so she will have the needed emotional angst to write another blockbuster, certainly would make the news. A player who is not even interested in her or her heart at first, I might add.

Jennifer Probst has written a ridiculously silly story that is well-written, funny and has some unusual characters. It should be a block buster.

I really wanted to like this book but so many things held me back. It was surprisingly spicy, to the point that I skipped whole chapters. The third act break up had me rolling my eyes. The dialogue was cringy at times, and by the end I was skimming to get through it. Sadly, my advice is to skip this one.

I'm not gonna lie...this one started a little rough for me. I am rarely a fan of books whose main characters are authors struggling to write their next book. I always feel like it is a cop out for the actual author who is struggling to write their next book. And those books typically tank for me. This one ended up surprising me. The more I read the more I wondered. This one did feel somewhat autobiographical. In the book, Aspen struggles with writing her next book. She can't quite infuse her story with the necessary emotion to make it great. This one started out the same way. It felt superficial and I couldn't connect...until I could. I don't know if that was an intentional strategy but if it was, it was genius.

In the beginning, the dialogue was stiff and unnatural. The story just didn't have an easy flow and I was certain this was going to be just another cringy, unrealistic romance novel. But... somewhere around chapter 4, something just clicked and I wanted to keep reading. I became invested in this sham of a relationship between Aspen and Brick.I loved their chemistry and the palpable tension in every interaction. Their arrangement was unorthodox and not incredibly realistic but it still worked. It still had me rooting for them and wondering how it was going to play out. I loved the vulnerability in each of the main characters, the romantic beach vibe, and Duncan and Dug were 2 of my favorite characters. I'm not a huge fan of characters with weird names and this one was chock-full of them…Brick, Aspen, Maleficent, Anastasia, Jorel. I rolled my eyes every time a new one was introduced.

I loved the hook for the next book. I didn't even know there would be a next book until that awkward meeting between Sierra and Kane. Now I'm intrigued and can't wait to dive into Reluctant Flirt in June of 2025. I definitely recommend this one to the romantic comedy lovers out there and if you are a little turned off in the beginning, just give it a few chapters.

What do you do when you're out of inspiration? F*ck off to North Carolina.

Aspen fears she is a one hit wonder when her second and third books don't earn out their advances after her bestselling debut. She's under a lot of pressure to Make The Next One Count, and under the advice of her agent, she takes off to spend the summer with her sister on the North Carolina coast. The problem is she wrote that bestselling book after the biggest heartbreak of her life, and she hasn't been able to tap into that same deep well of emotion ever since. She's convinced another devastating heartbreak is the only way to tap into her potential again. Enter Brick, the sulky hotter-than-sin man who moved to town to take over his grandfather's dying touring business and is a known heartbreaker. Everyone advises her against it, and he isn't interested either, until she strikes up a deal he can't refuse.

I'm a little torn on this one, because I feel like it was executed well for what it is, but some of the premises got under my skin a little bit. The setting is idyllic and refreshing, but the gossip mongers in town make it sour. The romance between Aspen and Brick turns out to grow organically, but it's set up under kind of a gross deal they strike up. A lot of things went a little too far over the top for me to give it a full five stars, but I would still recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

I think my biggest gripe is actually with Aspen and her vice-grip on this idea of the suffering artist. That she can only make good art if her heart is in pieces on the floor. This belief is self-sabotaging and was frustrating to see her cling onto it for so damn long.

Once the romance got going, it was a really sweet story. These two characters had a real connection, and it was really nice to read. Their little adventures were so wholesome.

This was my first Jennifer Probst novel, but it looks like she's quite prolific, and I'm excited to see what else she's got on her backlist!

Aspen has struggled to produce another top selling book after the runaway success of her first book that had been spurred on by the bad ending of her first romance. After a lackluster book signing for her recent book, she decides to go spend the summer with her sister in the Outer Banks to see if she can find inspiration for a new book. Soon after arriving, she is drawn to Brick, who run tours to see the wild horses. He is wary because of how an ex trash talked about him. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the next one.

I was so excited when I saw this book on NetGalley because I love books about books. I’m thinking I didn’t read the synopsis and I sorry I didn’t because this was a complete flop for me. I made it 30% before I jumped to the last chapter and called it a DNF.
Aspen is a one hit wonder author. Her first book was a huge hit because she poured so much of herself into it, writing it after a massive break up. Her second two books were huge nots because she wasn’t fully invested. She decides to visit her sister in the Outer Banks and realizes she needs to force a relationship and break up in order to write another hit.
After jumping to the last chapter I realized I called the path of this book perfectly. One of the things I didn’t like was the Colleen Hooveresque feel to it. I am not a fan of CoHo so perhaps readers who are will find this more enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for an advanced copy of this book. Book of the Month hits the shelves on October 22nd.

4 stars

I always enjoy books about books so this was a fun one. The premise was a bit silly but what trope isn't. I wish the MMC hadn't hidden the truth of his reputation for so long and I don't really understand how the FMC believed it for as long as she did. But he was definitely a swoon worthy book boyfriend. I appreciate the reconciliation not being instantaneous. Overall it was good, easy, and enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for providing the ARC.

Aspen Lourde is in a writing rut and only needs to experience a devastating heartbreak to get back to that deeply emotional space she was with her breakout novel. Brick Babel is the small town owner of a touring company on the brink of bankruptcy and dealing with the extensive fallout of his last relationship. He is decidedly not interested when Aspen decides to pursue him in search of this broken heart, but when she shows up with a deal he cannot refuse, he takes her up on it. What starts as a relatively innocuous fake relationship turns very real for both of them when the undeniable attraction they have for each other screams to the forefront. However, Aspen's book deadline is looming which spells expiration for this little tryst they're having, one that suddenly seems so difficult to walk away from.

I really enjoyed the writing for this book and the relationship between Aspen and Brick. She is tender and soft and he is rough with some jagged edges that need to be smoothed out. They complement each other well. My biggest hang-up with this book was how their fake relationship came to be. It felt like extortion, which only made it worse when they ultimately fell for each other. The relationship started out on unequal footing with one person really and truly in control of the outcome. The other party didn't really have a say or they would lose out on a lot of much needed relief. It was interesting that the author chose to go this route when the entirety of Aspen's backstory is enmeshed in a relationship that started out with someone taking advantage of her in a vulnerable position.

Overall, the book was well written and it was very engaging. I loved seeing both Brick and Aspen open up with each other and learn that our life doesn't have to be defined by past mistakes.

The description of this book really sparked my interest, especially as a huge lover of all things books. However, the story started so slow and I was not invested at all in the characters or storyline. I decided to DNF this book at 25%.