Book of the Month was just okay. I always enjoy a love story, but this one felt flat with me. I’m not a fan of romances where the main character is a writer writing about love stories. It’s like the writer only knows anbout love stories. I also didn’t feel the love between Brick and Aspen. This wasn’t a bad book, but I certainly didn’t love it.

Aspen is the author of a best selling novel that fictionalizes her doomed love affair with her college professor. She dumped all of her pain and angst into the book and it resonated with readers because of its raw and real emotions. Her second two books were not even close to the success of her first and she believes that she needs to have another doomed love affair to write another great novel in the vein of her first. Her agent suggests that she get out of NYC for the summer…a change of location may spark her writing. She visits her sister in coastal North Carolina and sees an opportunity to put her plan into action. Brick Babel (I removed a star because of that terrible name!) has moved to the same town to take over his beloved grampa’s tourist business. In addition to inheriting the business, he also inherited a ton of debt and the business is stale, antiquated and failing. Unless he can get some capital quickly, the business with tank and Brick will have let down his grampa’s legacy but the business is so insolvent, no bank will give him a loan. Aspen see a perfect opportunity to help someone else and get what she needs too. She proposes to give the capital that he needs if he agrees to have a kinda fake relationship with her all summer that then break up with her, break her heart and she’ll be able to write about the pain….again. What could go wrong??

This is a quick, easy, laugh-out-loud, feel-good read that would be perfect for a fall night by the fire or a vacation poolside read.

Normally, with a romance book, I tend to find myself thinking "no one would actually say this" but I did not have that thought while reading BOOK OF THE MONTH. Probst does a great job at making Aspen and Brick such a sweet couple and realistic people, not just characters. There are so many tropes that the book touches on, but I am a sucker for a fake-dating trope.

I can't wait for the story behind Sierra and Kane next...

I really enjoyed this one! Aspen Lourde (great name!) is desperate to write another bestseller and thinks the only way to do it is to find a man to break her heart. Why? Because she's done it before. She wrote her debut novel, which was semi-autobiographical and an absolute sensation, after her fiance cheated on her and left her at the alter. She's published two additional novels since, but sales have not met expectations.

Enter Brick Babel (another great name!), local heartthrob and certified heartbreaker. He may be perfect? I feel like this man has zero flaws, and I am not mad about it. He also has a dog named Dug (yes, like Up!), which made me smile so big.

I absolutely adored watching these two fall in love and really appreciated the dual POV storytelling. I can't say much surprised me in this story, but I think it was well executed and was exactly what I wanted. I am 1000000000% ready for Sierra and Kane's story. BRING IT ON.

This was my first Jennifer Probst book, and I am excited to check out her backlist!

FMC Aspen Lourde is looking for inspiration for her next best selling novel. Her last book was based off her real heartbreak following a break up. Problem is, she currently has no dating prospects. So she decides to relocate for the summer and finds just what she is looking for, or so she thinks. Brick Babel is the local playboy and Aspen sets her sights on him. It's only when she finds out his business is in trouble and offers help in exchange for dating her that Brick shows any interest. Their fake dating leads to real feelings that further complicates the premise of Aspen's next book.

Aspen Lourde has a problem. Her first book became a smash bestseller but her next books haven’t attracted the same fierce devotion from her fans. And now her publishing career is at risk. After a change of scenery from the city to her sister’s home in a seaside community, Aspen has found the solution to write the perfect BOOK OF THE MONTH.
Because her first title was filled with romantic angst, Aspen knows a similar situation will be what she needs to strike gold again. And the town even has a resident bad boy with a reputation to love ’em and leave ’em.
Author Jennifer Probst excels at ruining best-laid plans.
Brick Babel, Aspen’s potential muse, is a beautiful character who is far from the one dimension that Aspen assumes. He has his own reasons to go along with her scheme. All goes well until life — and tender feelings — get in a way.
I must admit that, at one time, Aspen truly frustrated me, but we moved past that.
My big sister has told me for years that I need to read Jennifer Probst titles. Now I have no idea how I resisted for so long. Yes, my big sis was right. Probst is a terrific author who creates fun characters and situations that are a delight to read.

Want to extend your summer dreams? Luxuriate in that easy-breezy, carefree feeling that comes from a walk on the beach? This book is IT. Set on the Outer Banks? CHECK. A hunky MMC dedicated to caring for the wild mustangs and sea turtle hatchlings? CHECK. A female writer healing herself through writing? CHECK. A cast of wacky lovable side characters? CHECK. His efffusive support for her feminist dreams? CHECK. Oh, and don’t miss his hot dirty talk. Highly recommend, and I can't wait to read Sierra and Kane's story next!

I honestly could not connect to this story. It was more instantaneous than even the quickest insta-love. We went from a quick sighting of the MMC to full stalking and then coercion in basically one breath. Would have loved a bit more gradual build up. It continued to get more frustrating as the book went on and never worked out to be enjoyable for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Jennifer Probst's Book of the Month is a delightful romance that hits all the right notes of humor, heart, and healing. The story follows a writer who’s desperate to recapture the magic of her first best-seller. Struggling for inspiration, she turns to the town playboy, hoping that a little heartbreak will do the trick. What follows is an emotional and witty journey as both characters confront their past traumas, navigate the complexities of their relationship, and ultimately challenge their own preconceived notions about love.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the sharp banter and hilarious dialogue between the characters. Probst masterfully blends humor with deeper emotional moments, creating a narrative that is both heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny. The chemistry between the protagonist and the playboy feels natural and authentic, making their evolving relationship a joy to follow.

I also couldn’t help but sense that a sequel might be on the horizon, especially with the intriguing setup involving the sister. Overall, Book of the Month is an engaging read that romance fans will love, and I’m already looking forward to what comes next!

Sexy time in the Outer Banks. Aspen Lourde 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… Aspen Lourde can't seem to produce another successful book, and the pressure's on to prove she's not just a one-hit-wonder. Without any fresh romantic turmoil to fuel her pen, Aspen needs inspiration quick enough to create a book her agent can sell to her publisher. So she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks with a plan to live a story worth writing. 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. A good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to meet her deadline and her agent's patience is growing thin.

But Brick refuses to play the game, rejecting all of her advances. When Aspen hears his tour company is on the verge of bankruptcy, she offers him a deal: fake a whirlwind summer romance, then ditch her, drama guaranteed. Desperate to save his grandfather's business, Brick agrees to the ridiculous deal. What starts as a contractual fling spirals out of control as lines blur and real feelings emerge. Brick's falling hard, and Aspen's rethinking her plot twist. The novel might be her ticket back to the top, but at what cost?

Book of the Month delivers an entertaining romance set against the stunning backdrop of North Carolina's Outer Banks. The setting is so beautifully and vividly described that I found myself wanting to pack my bags and visit immediately! Brick, the misunderstood hero, is a standout. The chemistry between Aspen and Brick is undeniable, leading to some steamy moments where Brick's take-charge attitude and dirty talk added spice to their romance. The secondary characters also shine, adding layers of fun, angst, and intrigue to the story. I'm excited to see where the story goes next, especially with Aspen's sister and Brick's best friend gearing up for their own romance in the future. If fake dating, dating the bad boy, small town romance is your thing, definitely pick up this book! I loved it.

"I may not be the one, baby. But I'm the lucky bastard here with you right now, and I'm not letting you go."

I normally hate fake dating with a passion. It never makes sense as to why they are doing it; it feels pointless to me. This one didn't feel pointless. Aspen, seeking to get her heart broken so she can write a decent book, ends up in a fake/real relationship where the point is to devastate her. The local "heartbreaker" (spoiler alert: he's not one) strikes a deal with her to get a loan for his tour business, but of course he ends up falling for Aspen in the process. It's swoony and delightful with some comedy gold.

Quick note: you're going to see a lot of masculine and feminine energy, and it is a lot. They're always smelling of something and sin, and my nose simply doesn't work that way. But when you're a mainstay in the genre like Jennifer Probst, you can get away with it. Enjoy the spice and the banter, especially if you're going on vacation soon. This is a good vacation read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blue Box Press, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars for me

I think this book would have been better if it was written in dual POV first person instead of third person. I found the plot to be rather predictable and if I did not read as part of a buddy read with a friend who also got the ARC I may have DNF'd the book. I will not be continuing the series. Maybe, this book was not for me. I think the premise was interesting, which was why I requested the ARC. I was not able to get attached to the FMC. I did like the MMC, but still was not invested in their love story.

Ok I LOVED that this took place in the Outer Banks!! I liked the book but I didn't love it. The seducing really gave me the ick, that man rejects her and I almost DNF. However I stuck around and the second half of this book really brought me back. I stuck around because I love books written about authors/books. If you do too, then try this book for yourself and give it a read.

4.5 stars

I really loved this one! Full of angst and emotion. Both MCs are dealing with trauma from past relationships. Aspen is endearingly awkward but refreshingly honest. No miscommunication here.
Brick is sweet and caring, perfect book boyfriend material.
I love the cast of side characters: the stoners next door to Brick, Dug the dog, and Brick's business nemesis, aptly named Maleficent.

Fake dating, dating the bad boy, small town.

Aspen Lourde is desperate to repeat the success of her debut novel after her second book was released to crickets. Her fans are only interested in a sequel and her sales are dismal, so she decides a change of pace is necessary and visits her sister in the OBX. While she’s there, she meets Brick Babel, whose tour company is struggling and whose reputation as a ruthless heartbreaker proceeds him. In a moment of clarity, she decides the only way to replicate her first novel’s success is to get her heart broken again - as that was the inspiration in the first place.
What’s in it for Brick? Aspen is willing to fund the facelift his business desperately needs. All he has to do is take her on some dates and eventually break her heart.
While I enjoyed parts of this one, primarily whatever is going on between Aspen’s sister and Brick’s friend - I felt kind of meh about the main couple. The switch from couldn’t care less to love happened so quickly for Brick and a lot of the plot seemed odd (the club of Brick’s former hookups that meets to complain about him??)
Overall, it was a quick, easy end of summer read and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys the fake dating trope!

Calling every woman "females" and making the premise a step down from prostitution that's pretending it isn't wasn't great.

Recommended: no
it made me feel icky

Thoughts:
Let me be clear: I would have DNFd this about 20% in if it weren't an ARC. I kept going to try to give it a shot but was really turned off of it really quickly. Let's review.

One huge immediate issue was the constant references to women as "females." Some quotes I really hated:

Every female in town was desperate to go out with him...

WOMEN, YO! NOT FEMALES! WHAT THE FUCK! This matters to me. "Females" like this feels derogatory and bro-y like drunk idiots in a frat house party who might date rape someone. It feels exclusionary for people who are women but aren't female. It feels just stupid, like someone randomly giving a Latin name for a normal word... and getting it wrong.

It's a female-run local company that donates a percentage to nonprofit women's shelters.

And even more baffling was that sometimes it DID SAY WOMEN? Right here in this very same sentence? So again -- what the fuck?? Also "female-run" surely is not something anyone has ever said. That's a common phrase and it's "women-owned" and even a quick google search for "female run business" only returned results using the phrases "women-owned" or "owned by women."

...and females crowded his once-private space

This just reads to me like he's surrounded by female dogs, or baboons, or something. It feels de-humanizing to me.

So look, I feel strongly about this. This is the reason I did not want to read this book, because it is said so often and it pissed me right off immediately every time I read it. There are 27 chapters and a search shows it appears 26 times in the book plus one time it says females (plural). So on average I was getting pissed off once per chapter. No thanks.

The final straw that made me go GROSS NO UGH THIS BOOK was the proposition that Aspen brings to Brick (his name is Brick. BRICK.). It's real close to prostitution while trying really hard to pretend it's not, where if you just admitted that's what it was and owned it that could be okay. It certainly is gross though. Dude needs money to save his business, his house, his car, everything, and she comes up like "date me and kiss me and I'll give you all that money." A great exercise here is to swap the genders and make it a guy coming up to a woman with a failing business and desperate financial trouble and saying the same, in which case it's very clearly disgusting and taking advantage of someone in a really repulsive way.

There was a lot of that in the book as I continued. It grossed me out and made me feel icky. I skipped every sex scene going "ew ugh no" and really couldn't cheer for them at all. The ending was a big ol fart too as there was no conflict. Just pride and time. What a dud.

I re-read the blurb before writing this review to see if it said anything about the deal they make and how I was okay with it when reading it, but it doesn't really beyond "contractual fling" which is vague enough that I did not expect it to play out as it did. EW. And look I LOVE the fake dating trope, but somehow this felt so blatant where it was 100% just her offering him money to do it that it was not something I was okay with.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC, now I know better. This is my honest review, clearly.

Book of the Month delivers an entertaining romance set against the stunning backdrop of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The setting is so beautifully and vividly described that I found myself wanting to pack my bags and visit immediately! Brick, the misunderstood hero, is a standout. His dedication to his family, friends, his dog, and even the wild animals in his home makes him incredibly endearing. I was rooting for him to find the love he deserves.

Aspen, on the other hand, was a bit harder to connect with. Her stubbornness and materialistic approach to her writing felt at odds with her otherwise generous and selfless nature. Despite this, the chemistry between her and Brick is undeniable, leading to some steamy moments where Brick’s take-charge attitude and dirty talk added spice to their romance.

The secondary characters also shine, adding layers of fun, angst, and intrigue to the story. My only critique is that the ending felt a bit abrupt. However, I'm excited to see where the story goes next, especially with Aspen’s sister and Brick’s best friend gearing up for their own romance in the future.

I like this and I'm glad it'll be a series. Is it serious literary fiction? No. Is it a delightful story with great characters? Yes. It's worth reading and I'm excited about Sierra's story as well. I hate the name Brick Babel though. It's too soap opera in the 80's.

If you’re a romance reader, Book of The Month has all your favourite tropes - small town romance, a business that needs saving, forced proximity, fake dating and a bad boy. Plus, all the spice you could hope for. It’s a unique plot and I enjoyed the glimpses in to being a writer. I enjoyed reading this book but I wasn’t fully invested in the couple. I found the dialogue from the love interest a little patronising/cringy at times. Overall though, I would recommend this to fans of the genre. I think it would make a good beach read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

2.8 stars
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this like I thought I would. I just felt like the characters weren't as interesting or invested in each other as it seemed to be intended.
The worst part for me was that the book lacked emotion, it was all done in a way that didn't allow for much development, it felt like every big moment between them was over in 2 paragraphs, it felt shallow.
It felt as distant as the character seemed to feel about her recent 2 books.