Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC of this book.

I was looking for a super easy holiday read and that’s exactly what I got.

I really liked the characters in this book - both the MMC and FMC were likeable and there were some great secondary characters, like Marco, who really added to the story.

I do think the initial attraction could’ve been drawn out a bit more as it felt a little unrealistic with how fast it happened. I was also a little unsure about all the references to the literary world and author-isms at first, but grew used to this as the book went on.

Overall though, I did enjoy the story and do want to read Sierra and Kane’s story too.

Jennifer Probst is a new to me author and I wasn’t even halfway through the book before I was already queueing up her backlog of books. I LOVED this book and it will not be my last Jennifer Probst book that is for sure!

Aspen is a well-selled author who got popular after writing one book. Now her work is not-that-popular and she will do anything to jump back on the popularity wagon. Like everything, including her heart getting hurt all-over again. Is she that desperate to be willingly putting her own feelings at the stake?

Brick is a hot piece of a body and known heartthrob in a small village. His reputation is big, but not on the positive side. Everywhere he goes, there is one broken heart left. Is he the perfect match for Aspen, who just happens to need her heart to be broken?
It sounds like good plan. Like a good transaction, even.
But can you fake your feelings and try to not get involved? Is there something more to just a stories about an ass'hole who wants nothing from all the woman from his (and out of) town?
Is a bestselling book worth more than your own feelings?



<i> 'Just remember this, baby. I didn't break your heart. You broke mine'.</i>

I really enjoyed this one. I liked that it showed us the worse part of being a popular author - once you're on top, the pressure to stay right there and produce hit after hit is big. I always wanted to know that about authors - how do they feel after making a top-of-the-top book and then not being able to rise to their own expectations? Bookworld is hard. Like Aspen said, you never know if your work will be a top or flop, in a wordl with so many works being published daily, sometimes it only take a lucky shot to get on top of the lists. It was nice to see the real struggle of being a writer.

I really liked all the side characters and i would LOVE to see more of them (especially after reading the small peak into the second book), so i hope i will be able to snatch myself an ARC of another one. Now i want to move into a small town with house on the beach so i can also save some turtles and wild horses. Great.




<b>Thank you Jennifer and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book before its release!</b>

<i>PS: all of my opinions are my own</i>

I have a bit of a hate love thing going on for this book. I want to start by saying i did completely enjoy reading this book and reading it was definitely a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the writing style as well as the general plot! I think Aspen was quite relatable, and Brick likable.

However, i had a few "icks". The first one beind how the writer constant felt the need to describe Bricks masculinity. Another thing i had a small issue with was the insta-love happening, just because it didn't really make sense in this setting and just made me feel disconnected from the characters. So i think the story could have benefited a lot from a buildup instead of the insta-love.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was fun read and I did enjoy it however I struggled a bit getting attached to any of the characters and some of the conflicts felt very forced - third act breakups ugh. I did still finish it and had a good time plus I think others might like this more! Will be adding to our library.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

I had mixed feelings about this one. Aspen’s drive to replicate her success after Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover felt a bit too self-centered, and her sister Sierra only seemed to enable her. It was hard to relate to Aspen’s all-consuming ambition, especially with how it affected those around her.

On the other hand, Brick was such a solid character. I felt for him, especially with this line:
“Just remember this, baby. I didn’t break your heart… You broke mine.” 💔

In the end, things work out, but I struggled to get behind Aspen’s journey. Fans of Probst might still enjoy it!

I loved this book! From start to finish I had no idea what to expect and the storyline wasn’t predictable. It kept me on my toes! It was the perfect beach read!

I was really drawn in by the title and cover of this one. It brought Emily Henry’s Book a lovers to mind, and I love when the author and writing process is a part of a story.

However, I just could not find “the thing” about this book to keep me interested. The MMC is horrible when we first meet him- incredibly unlikeable and almost distracting from the plot because his bad attitude sticks out. By the end of the book, Brick was the only character I cared about. I found the FMC Aspen to be selfish and conceited. She was willing to pay someone to “love her” and break her heart so she could write a book. But she wasn’t willing to take feedback from her editor or publisher to make it happen. Just kinda seemed like a flawed plot.

This book could have done with some additional editing, especially in the second half of the novel. The secondary characters were enjoyable, although they spent a little too much time setting up the story of the next book in the series. The main characters of this book had enjoyable banter with each other, but their inner dialogues were repetitive and melodramatic. I also cringed at the use of words like swollen and impaled during romantic scenes. It's not horrible, but I don't think I would seek out the next in the series.

Really enjoyed this cute story I haven't read many fake dating books and eat them up every time I will admit I don't like when she does what she does and I don't like bricks ex but I do feel for the fact that she's having such a hard time connecting with her story.. this was such a short fun read and I can't wait to read the next one

Book of the Month
Jennifer Probst
Pub: 10/22/24
3.5-4☆

Blurb:
Once the literary world’s golden girl, 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. But there’s a catch: her bestseller was a heartbreak hit, straight from her own love life disaster. 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. 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.

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?

Because Aspen’s finally found her muse, but some stories may be too true to share.

My Thoughts:
If you’re in the mood for a funny summer romance about finding love and finding yourself, this will hit the spot. Overall it was an enjoyable read with a unique premise, a fantastic setting, and fun side characters.

What I enjoyed;
✨ Beach Town Setting
✨ Grumpy X Sunshine
✨ Baby Sea Turtles
✨ Dual POV
✨ Book Publishing Talk

Thank you NetGalley, Blue Box Press, and Get Red PR Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. .

This book was a very cute Summer beach read! I know exactly who I would recommend it to. I thought the story, while still using popular tropes, felt really fresh. I personally didn't love the 3rd act breakup and had a difficult time wrapping my head around WHY exactly the conflict was such a big deal. Overall though, it was a cute and fun romcom.

"She’s 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…" In this book, we follow Aspen - a writer - as she gathers inspiration for her next book, which she wants to be a bestseller like her first book.

I really felt like I would be able to enjoy this book a lot more. The first chapters, where we read about Aspen's struggle are very good, and it does resonate deeply, the feelings of wanting to succeed in your work, but not being able to. But as the book progresses, Aspen's character takes a turn, and she starts to get very selfish and irritating. The insta-love romance was also something that I didn't enjoy.

Over all, I felt like the idea was very good but the execution, not so good.

p.s. I cringed a bit every time I heard the MMC name...

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Aspen is an author struggling to write another best seller after a smash hit success. Desperate for inspiration, she heads to her sister’s house in the outer banks and decides she’s going to win over the local heart throb for emotional inspo.

Grumpy/sunshine + how to lose a guy in 10 days ish vibes and strong sister relationship

I enjoyed reading about Aspen’s struggle with the publishing industry and disconnection from her craft after pouring herself(and her breakup) into her first book, but unfortunately that was about it that worked for me in this book. This is probably more of a “me”thing than necessarily being the book’s fault- as I found a lot of the descriptions kind of cringey. A lot of her curls refusing to be tamed in the wind kind of stuff.

Thank you to Blue Box press and Netgalley for the early release copy in exchange for my honest review

This was such a sweet romance! The main characters had chemistry that was to die for! The “third act breakup” had me wanting to tear my hair out in frustration (in kind of a good and bad way.) An overall great read! And I’m very excited for the next one!

Oh how I loved this book.

An author who is struggling to write her next best seller (following a couple duds), Aspen heads down to the OBX to get away from the city and get some new perspective. Staying with her sister, Aspen meets a local hottie (Brick) who runs a beach tour company he inherited from his late grandfather. With a scandalous past, Aspen is made aware that Brick is bad news bears. Exactly who she needs to help write her new best seller.

With sexcapades galore (this book was spicier than I expected it to be - that is, not spicy at all 😂), and great banter - this book left me wanting more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

There is no question that the genre of steamy fiction is not for me. I need to week these types of books out of my suggested reading list. This book has an acceptably romantic story for light women's' fiction. The characters are not very well developed, but the protagonist is likable. The names given to the primary characters are silly and should be changed prior to publication. If you are looking for a steamy, sexy book, I guess this is the book for you? Like men and Playboy - I read it for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! The topic of the book and cover caught my eye. However, this book was a bit of a slow burn. I didn't find either main character very likable until I was more than a quarter of the way through. The supporting characters brought good energy to the storyline and I would definitely be interested in future books following them. Aspen as a main character felt really closed off and dialogue around her writing became really repetitive. Brick really grew on me as a reader and his character development was appreciated. All in all, a quick cute read and loved the setting. I don't think it will be super memorable in the long run but overall was likeable.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book is about an author who is trying to jump start her creative muses so she can write another best seller. Her first best seller was written after her heart was broken, so she enters into a deal with a local man who has a reputation for breaking hearts. She hopes that once her heart is broken again, she’ll be able to write another hit book. As you can imagine, they both get more than they bargained for.

I always enjoy Jennifer Probst’s books. They tug at my heartstrings and pull me into the story. This one is no different. While there are frustrations with the main female character, that’s to be expected, as she had a lot of growing to do. The beach community and the conservation projects described in the book were so well written and contributed a lot towards understanding the main male character. This story had good pacing and there weren't any surprise crazy twists thrown at the characters in the last few chapters of the book.

I really liked the supporting characters as well. So much fun dialogue! They all contributed to the story perfectly. (As a side note, I can’t wait for Sierra’s book!)

I’d recommend picking this book up!

Author Aspen Lourde is in a panic. Her book FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER was a bestseller. But what if she’s a ‘one book wonder?’ Desperate to write another big hit, Aspen needs inspiration, a relationship to make her feel true emotions again. Another heartbreak—that would cause the muse to return and her words to flow again. So she concocts a plan to use the town playboy as the fast train to her faltering writing career.

BOOK OF THE MONTH, Jennifer Probst’s romantic comedy, has something for everyone. It’s a contemporary love story with the perfect number of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Then, the writer adds in humor and spice, and the result is downright intoxicating.

I loved the fact that this story is appealing and still realistic, with every scene believable. Jennifer’s descriptions of both setting and character are clear and beautifully written without wasted words. It’s an ideal weekend read.