At first glance, this book throws a party with some classic rom-com shenanigans: the fake dating trope and the trend of writers writing about writers. Probst manages to inject a refreshing twist on the usual bad boy archetype and women's gossip, making it an interesting read.

Unfortunately, one of the noticeable drawbacks of the book is the presence of repeated and cliché expressions. This can occasionally detract from the overall narrative, as the writing sometimes lacks originality.

Now, despite the usual grumpy meets sunshine and the battle of experienced guy vs. sweet gal, the chemistry between our leads is delightfully grown-up and healthy! It's refreshing to see the absence of lies, lack of communication, and melodramatic situations often seen in romance novels. The author skillfully avoids the cliché third act breakup due to misunderstandings, which is a rarity and a welcome change. This mature approach might charm readers who want a taste of real-life relationships, though drama lovers might find it a bit, well, “meh.”

And let’s talk about that ending! The standout MMC, despite his cringe-worthy name, Brick, steals the show. He’s a gem, especially compared to Aspen, whose character development takes a turn towards selfishness and self-serving behaviour towards the end.

Book of the Month has an intriguing concept and some witty moments, but it didn’t quite live up to its potential. The plot dragged in places, and the characters felt underdeveloped, making it hard to stay fully invested. While it offers a few clever nods to book lovers, the execution falls a bit short of delivering a truly memorable read. 3 stars, middle of the road for me!

Jennifer Probst books always deliver the fun and romance! If you love literary fun and authors as characters you will adore this book!!

Thank you Blue Box Press and NetGalley for the DRC of Book of the Month. All opinions in this review are my own.

I DNFed this one at 39% and I am disappointed about it. I loved the opening few chapters and the premise, but I felt weird about Aspen paying Brick to break her heart, especially since she already tried to "seduce" him (which bordered on harassment).

Aspen is desperate to write another best selling novel. Her latest two books have flopped and have not had the buzz of her first novel. With her career on the line, Aspen has to tap back into emotions to create the next best seller. She never wanted to write a sequel to her first book based on her own heartbreak and well of emotion. But to get back to the top, she devises a plan for heartbreak.
Brick has earned himself quite the reputation as the heartbreaker of the Outer Banks. Women are scrambling to have their one-night stand with the aloof, small business owner and then be devastated by his break up so they can gossip about him. And that's all it really is, gossip. The truth is Brick is struggling to make ends meet. After leaving the big city to take ownership of a tour company he really wasn't planning on, living in his grandfather's house and caring for a dog who's not housebroken, he doesn't have time to romance the women in OBX. He is the perfect target for Sierra.
Lots of laugh out loud moments and plenty of heat between Sierra and Brick, this was a great, fun read.

This is the epitome of a fun beach read! I loved the main male character, and felt like our female lead was new and refreshing.

The only thing I worried about is how similar to the author the FMC seemed, and with the occupation of a writer it felt like maybe we were reading something that teetered less on fiction. The physical similarities to the author were just too spot on.

Otherwise, this was sweet and had a great fast paced burn and swoon worthy love story.

"This was a man who could force her to feel things she hadn’t in years. This was a man who could shatter, wound, and damage her emotions. This was a man who could storm into her life and cause complete wreckage."

📝My Thoughts:
This was my first experience reading Jennifer Probst, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The story follows Aspen, a writer struggling to create another bestseller while feeling adrift in life—something she shares with the brooding and charismatic Brick, the male lead, who is also trying to rebuild his life. While the pacing started off slow and somewhat uneven, it gained momentum midway through. I found myself invested in Aspen and Brick’s relationship, as well as the vibrant cast of characters that brought the small beach town to life. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with a gradual build-up. The hint of Sierra and Kane’s story intrigued me, and I look forward to exploring it this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst!

Such a cute read, with an absolutely beautiful romance. Reading this book genuinly felt like watching an early 2000s romcom movie, and I lived for the vibes. I loved the plot, and the characters were genuinly entertaining. Overall, a solid read!

Jennifer Probst once again gives us a book that has us wanting to turn the pages to see what’s going to happen next. Book of the Month has a struggling writer looking for her next best story and thinking she needs to be heartbroken again she goes into a contract with the bad boy of the OBX but never realizing that truth blurs the lines of fiction.
Aspen & Brick connect for all the wrong reasons but when they start hanging out and spending time together they realize that they connect are so many levels that just maybe they put aside the contract and live in reality.
Brick & Aspen will have to endure a lot of soul searching and a lot of emotional ups and downs but just maybe they can find the HEA at the end of their story.

I adore books about books, writing, book clubs etc but this felt slightly too dull and expected and variation on a theme. Annoying FMC.

This was fun to read while binging younger due to the fact that it was allll about publishing/writing. That aspect I did find very fun. Overall it’s cute I just am not a smut girlie so that was off putting for me and had me skipping pages.

I really loved this book. I feel like it is not my typical read but it was so so enjoyable. Aspen is a bestselling author that is looking for her next story. She decides to find a guy to date and then break up with to use as inspiration. It felt cliche and trope-y but it worked! Brick (what a silly name….) seemed such an odd character. I didn’t love his dude bro vibe. I didn’t love his heartbreaker persona. I DID love that he was such a sweetie. I am so glad that he finally got a happy love story. Overall, there wasn’t much “plot twist” energy happening, I felt like this story was sweet and fluffy and an easy read.

I really loved the cover, the setting, & the characters in this book. and who doesn't love a book with a dog in it? I thought it was funny they had a Brick hating club lol. Overall i thought this was a cute read and i would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Aspen and Brick were such fun main character names. The characters ended up being likable and having more depth than I originally expected. A very solid enemies to lovers meets how to break up in 10 days energy. Overall a summer fun and easy read that I would recommend for a summer beach or vacation book.

While being stuck inside due to snow and sickness, this book will have you dreaming and full of hope for the summer months. This was such a fun and light-hearted read that will help you kick the dreariness of winter. While Aspen's books are well written, they lack the passion of her first best-selling novel. So, to get in the best book-writing mindset and re-ignite that passion, she decides to take a vacation at her sisters in the Outer Banks. An amazing cast of characters that has me crossing my fingers that Jennifer Probst will be expanding this into a series.

This was really good. Love the plot . The twists and the whole change of scenery for the main character. The romance is on point . Definitely loved everything about this . Totally recommending

"Book of the Month" is about author Aspen Lourde's struggle to keep her failing writing career afloat after her first book was a smash hit, and the next two were stale duds. Her fans have been calling for a sequel to the first book for years, but she believes that the only reason for that book's success is that she poured her heart into every word while still reeling from a horrible breakup.

Brick Babel has recently inherited his grandfather's business and home, along with a Frankenstein dog named Dug. He also inherited the bitter hatred of his grandfather's business rival and bitter enemy, who is intent on running Brick's business into the ground and the man out of town.

When the two realize that there are ways they can help one another get what they each want, they enter a pact designed to given Aspen the writing inspiration she needs and Brick the infusion of cash he needs. But they both get much more than they bargained for in this romance of convenience.

And watching them come to terms with everything is a treat!

I will say that the romance is spicier than I think is necessary, but the storyline was great otherwise. And I look forward to the sequel, to see how Aspen's sister, Sierra, and Brick's best friend, Kane, come to terms with their secret past.

Thank you to Jennifer Probst, Blue Box Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This one caught my attention with the title. The plot was good but also cringey at times. It ultimately felt too long and that parts dragged on causing me to lose interest. All in all, it was fine, but not a favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

It took me a while to get into this book. It was cute and have some conflict but it gave me happy ever after. I love happy ever after. It is a slow burn of an author looking for a hit.