I hate when I have to be honest about a book I vehemently disliked, so for that reason I won't be posting this anywhere else online apart from NetGalley.

The premise of this book sounded so fun and promising but I sadly had to DNF at 20%. It was unbearably cringey and not in a sweet Hallmark-y way but in a gross/ slightly disturbing way. The FMC was basically harassing the MCM. The dialogue was painful to read. Any attempt at humor fell completely flat. The characters (all of them) were very unlikeable. I really tried to like this but it was getting worse and worse so I had to stop.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Full of emotion and unexpected turns, this unorthodox romance novel includes some typical tropes and runs roughshod over others. I enjoyed the meta narrative, the beautiful setting, and the surprising plot points.

Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Get Red PR and NetGalley for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was fairly boring for me for almost the first third of the story where not much happened. I seriously considered having to DNF it but it picked up when Brick came into the picture. I really liked his character. Aspen, not so much. She got on my nerves pretty quickly and it didn't let up. Her "woe is me" attitude was annoying and I couldn't understand the insta-love from Brick. The "let's bash Brick club" was cringe worthy. What the heck was that about?? I could have done without that plot line altogether. But, I did like the small town community feel and the side characters, and especially the part about the sea turtles!

Thank you NetGalley for the early read. Aspen is having writer's block and having trouble producing another book that will be as successful as her first. She goes to visit her sister to look for writing inspiration. Enter Brick. He's local heartthrob and known as a player who has left many women brokenhearted. Aspen works out a business proposition: create a fake summer romance and dump her and she will give him money for his failing business. The premise seemed like it had a lot of potential, but there was a lot of repetition and the dialogue was just off to me. I also felt like he overreacted towards the end of the book (which was surprising since he didn't love the way all of the women in town gossiped about him and had a club named after him).

2.5 Stars (I'm rounding up to 3)

Book of the Month 3.5/5

Comfy beach read? Check.
Beautiful love interest? Check.
- Who has a past and isn’t perfect but is working on being better? Now we get interesting.
Wild horses and sea turtles? Check.

Personally I wasn’t as much of a fan of the FMC, who was a little too narrow minded in her focus on her goal, but it was an enjoyable, easy read. Perfect for people looking for a literal beach read while they’re on vacation and looking for a little summer romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
5 stars
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

I feel like I had fallen into another book rut. I was in the swing of parenthood and watching television shows when the kiddos went to bed. Nothing seemed to capture my attention. That changed when I picked up Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst. I always wanted to read this author but hadn’t had the time yet. I’m so glad I did. I absolutely loved this book.

I LOVED that Aspen was an author. I felt like I was getting a tiny peak into the world of being an author, which I hope someday to do. I know this is a book of fiction but I’m sure Jennifer had to pull from experience, right?! Aspen was quirky. She was sassy when she needed to be. I could relate to her in some aspect since she’s used to being a loner.

Brick Babel. Phew, what a book boyfriend type of name. Good job, Jennifer! It couldn’t have been more perfect. I loved his back story, his attitude, and his dirty mouth. So, I imagined Glen Powell as Brick Babel <3 He’s my new crush though.

Jennifer did a great job at creating chemistry between Brick and Aspen. The back-and-forth banter that kept me blushing and turning the pages. She worked us up to the slow burn and kept the sexual tension pulsing throughout the book. Brick and Aspen were on fire, and I was here for it.

The Book of the Month kept me awake way past my bedtime. I wanted more and more with these characters. Jennifer did a great job at wetting our appetite for Sierra and Kane’s story as well. I can’t wait to read the next book. I completely imagined Austin Butler as Kane though!

Tropes:
• Grumpy Sunshine
• Fake Relationship
• Slow Burn
• Sexual Tension
• Beach Town Romance

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A very predictable romcom but with a suuuuper odd premise. I mean how is entering a relationship expecting heartbreak for the premise of a book, with a money transaction.... sensible? Nonetheless, entertaining to read while vacationing in the obx!

Aspen hit it big as a debut author, but her following 2 novels did not meet her expectations or wow her readers. With a looming deadline and high expectations for a sequel, she leaves New York City to stay on the Outer Banks with her sister for the summer while she knocks out her writing task.

While she hopes for a summer fling to provide some writing inspiration, she finds Brick Babel in town - the local heartthrob who apparently has a reputation for breaking the hearts of every lady in town. Her resistance in weak and they reach a deal to provider her some romantic inspiration in her writing.

I was really interested in this book but I fear I couldn't really get into it. I wasn't really seeing the connection or chemistry between Aspen and Brick (why was is his name Brick).

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this but it was very repetitive in the beginning (I feel like there was more description about the MC’s first book than the actual MMC) and the whole ‘contract’ thing sounded more devious than it was marketed to be (she basically pays him to have a relationship with her)? The sex scenes were good but also more than actual relationship scenes.

Aspen needs another bestseller - her last success only happened because her heart was broken and she had to get it all out on the page. Her fans want a sequel to that story but Aspen's life has been 'meh' and she just can't seem to access the emotional depth required to write.

She just needs someone to break her heart again.

Brick is a hot, grumpy guy who Aspen meets when taking some time off visiting her sister's small town. He has a reputation as a heart-breaker but he doesn't seem interested in getting close to Aspen to help her. Until they negotiate - she'll help resuscitate his family tour business and he'll provide her with enough heartbreak to write her book.

There's emotional depth in this story. The characters are complex and very relatable. The only issue I had was with the concept which I just couldn't get straight in my head. I don't want to ruin the plot but I just could not figure out what Aspen was trying to achieve with Brick in the end. The third act break-up just didn't make sense to me and then there was a bit right at the end where I was like 'wha?'

I did like the chemistry between these two. It was great to get Brick's POV and I loved watching him fall for Aspen. The other characters in the book were fantastic. I am really looking forward to reading Sierra and Kane's story. And Dug - I need more of Dug.

The pace is great and the steamy scenes were written well. A solid romantic read if you don't question the character's decisions too much.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this concept and plot. It felt very different and creative. I felt the dialogue was a little clunky or unbelievable in some places but overall I really enjoyed the love story, The side characters were a blast and I’m already curious and anxious to see them in the sequel!

I was gifted this book as an arc reader from NetGalley. From reading the synopsis of this book, I was really interested in the story but it ended up falling flat for me! It follows Aspen who goes to her sister’s small town to get her creative juices flowing to write her new book and Brick who is the most hated man in town (with the women). I found both characters to be a bit unbearable at times. Brick just gave typical jock energy and Aspen was in her own way too much. The conflict at the end which shouldn’t have really been a conflict in my eyes just made the characters harder to root for!

A story about an woman author who wrote a best seller. After her next books flop she decides to go to her sisters and met a man who she makes a deal with. She offers to help him rebuild his business. They fall in love and she thinks the only way she can write another best seller is to have her heart broken by him. Unfortunately she didn't know it was going to be so hard. She writes the book but decides not to publish it but goes back to make amends with the man who was in love with her.

Such a fun, fake romance, read! The characters were well written and it was like I knew them in my life! Loved the words, characters, and plot behind this!

Loved the combo of Brick and Aspen! Both from rough pasts but coming together and learning from those experiences! I love an arrangement for dating and this fit the bill! It was sweet and engaging and by the end I couldn’t put it down. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

What a fun and unique story! Aspen and Brick are both very down on their luck. Aspen is a romance writer who is struggling to find success after her debut novel was a smash hit. Brick is struggling to keep the tour company his grandfather left to him open. When Aspen escapes the big city to visit her sister and tries to write her new novel, she learns Brick is an absolute heartbreaker. She offers him a deal... date her, make her fall in love, then break her heart, so she will have the emotions and heartbreak needed for a new novel. And in exchange, she will loan him the money needed to renovate and revive his tour company.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I was invested in learning more about Bricks past, and seeing Aspen overcome her self-doubt. I loved the setting in the Outer Banks. Incorporating the beauty of OBX into the story really immersed you into it. The beach, the wild horses, even the sea turtles! Aspen and Brick have an amazing connection; it's laughable to think they wouldn't develop real feelings for one another.

Ultimately, I did find the plot to be a little silly and shallow. I would have preferred for Aspen to find her self confidence to write her book through self reflection and personal growth as opposed to being so stubborn about needing a man to break her heart in order to be a good author.

This is definitely a light and easy read, perfect for summer or vacation!

Available 10/22/24, add this to your TBR!

Thank you to Get Red PR and Blue Box Press for the advanced reader copy!

3.5☆

Tags:
-fake dating
-small town
-summer fling

Spice: 3/5

Third person/Dual POV

I have the Italian series of books by this author and I guess I didn't pay attention to the premise of this book as I did not expect this to be a light romance book. Like other reviewers, this one fell flat for me. I did want to see how it all played out, but honestly, I skimmed most of the last 1/3 of the book. It was spicy, with an interesting concept for the story between Aspen and Brick, but I was expecting more. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. I will most likely stick with the meatier books that I know this author writes well and that I enjoy.

The Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a story that resonates with Aspen Lourde, an author struggling to pen her next best seller. Her debut book, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, a best-seller, reflected her love life, filled with heartbreak. Aspen's experience of falling for her professor, Ryan, and the subsequent heartbreak is a tale that many can relate to, as she found solace in pouring her heart out into her work, the words flowing from her like a river of emotions. Ryan stole her confidence and her voice, and she took the power back by writing. Her second book did not do so well on the book charts; her manager and publisher suggested that she try to write a sequel to her first book since that is what her fans wanted. Aspen's journey to write a sequel to her first book and her decision to travel from NYC to the Outer Banks to her sister, Sierra, with a plan to live a story worth writing, sets the stage for a potential sequel that will surely captivate readers.

Brick Babel is the local heartthrob. His affairs are legendary, and everyone warns Aspen to stay away. Too bad heartbreak is what she feels she needs to meet her deadline. Heartbreaker of Corolla, Anastasia Wallace destroyed Brick's reputation, home, and soul while the whole town stood by and watched. Brick inherits his grandfather's bankrupt tour business and a building that has seen better days. His competition is a woman, Maleficent, Maleficent's Wild Tours; she drives a pink Hummer and steals his clients; she loved his grandfather, but something destroyed their relationship before his death. Next door to Brick's business is a tee shirt place run by three guys from Boston, Marco, Berger & Patsy; their greatest joy is enjoying their high on either by smoking or edibles. Long-time friend Kane Masterson has returned home from a prison stint and is couch-surfing at Bricks for now.

Will Aspen write her next best seller? Will she finally find true love? The possibilities are endless, and readers can't help but feel hopeful for Aspen's future. What happens with the tour company and the wild mustangs? Find out what happens to Sierra in Reluctant Flirt coming next year.

This was so much fun to read! It was sweet and fun with just the right amount of spice. I fell in love with Aspen and Brick. It had such an amazing cast of side characters that I felt like I got to know so well through out the story. I think readers who enjoy small town romance with characters who grow and overcome past heartbreak will love this book!