Such a fun read enjoyed it
In between a series I’m reading
Fun characters nothing like book club

SPORTOCHICK’S MUSINGS: This book by Author Jennifer Probst will challenge your definition of being successful and if it’s worth the things that sometimes need to be done to stay there.

I have read several books by Author Jennifer Probst and enjoyed them. So, it was not surprising that Book of the Month was delightful and engaging. The reader is taken for a fun ride with Aspen whose first book becomes a success, but she struggles with her later books causing her to become creative at getting her muse back.

The way the author developed the shifts in Aspen’s internal belief system as she experiences real life outside of her author stardom and her self-made protective cocoon touched me. I found it both sad and highly entertaining what she was willing to go through to have another #1 best seller.

Brick is the sexy misunderstood male main character. My original opinion of him was that he was too full of himself but as the storyline progresses the reader will come to have great compassion for him and how his reputation came to be. Having lived in several small towns I understand what it’s like when people decide to spread rumors about someone making it almost impossible for that person to live there so this really hit home for me.

This book by Author Jennifer Probst will challenge your definition of being successful and if it’s worth the things that sometimes need to be done to stay there.

Hm this book was something. While reading it my emotions were all over the place, and the ending left me dumbfounded. I think the pacing through me off a bit, it felt uneven and dragged at times. However, I really enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope, and this book did a good job with it. I also enjoyed that both characters fell for each other at the same time. I feel that doesn’t happen very often at all in romance books, though I’m not entirely sure this one would technically be classified as a true romance. The setting was also amazing and just seemed gorgeous. However, I really didn’t like Aspen overall. She pretty much harassed Brick into dating her. He turned her down and she kept going and wouldn’t stop, and he gave no indication that he was interested at all. The book was also oddly and weirdly descriptive about things I wish it wasn’t (animals going to the bathroom etc.).

As far as a rating, I would recommend this book to certain people. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, I just wanted more overall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️

Although I enjoyed the story, I wasn’t invested in the characters or the outcome. It lacked emotion for me which ironically is what the author within the story was struggling with as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst!

Aspen, a famous author, has writer block and moves to OBX for the summer with her sister. She wants to relax, meet men and have fun. She meets Brick and is turned down by him. Her sister warns her he is bad news and has a bad rep with the ladies.

Aspen convinced him to make a deal with her. She will give him money to renovate his Grandpas tour business and he will date her and break her heart.

Will Aspen be able to write her book and will Brock help her? Definitely read this book to find out.

I thought this book had an interesting premise and as a book lover, I enjoyed reading from the perspective of an author. However, I found the book to be quite slow and I wasn’t fond of the characters. I would try another book by the author though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for providing this book in exchange for a review.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced look at this book. Aspen is a writer that poured out a popular novel after a bad breakup. While facing some writer’s block and an approaching deadline, she goes to visit her sister and see if she can conjure up a summer fling to give her the inspiration she needs for her next book. It took me a little bit to get into this one, but was excited to see there is going to be a sequel, so I guess I liked it more than I thought! I definitely flew through the last 2/3 of the book. It is quite spicy, lots of bedroom scenes, so keep that in mind. I give this book a 3.5 but I’ll round it to a 4 for the likable side characters and the goofy dog.

I really enjoy when we have a forced relationship situation in romances. It creates such good banter and that was what I really enjoyed in Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst. This was the first book that I have read from her and picked it based on the contract relationship between Aspen and Brick. The premise of needing a painful break up to write a new best seller is what starts the premise of a relationship between Aspen and Brick. Brick needs some money to turnaround his failing business and the fake relationship will achieve his goal. Enjoyed the spice between the characters
and their growth during the book. Book of the Month also had great side characters that added humor and perspective. I will be reading more from this author in the future. I thank NetGalley for this Arc.

This was a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Books for providing me with a free Advance Reader's copy of this book. In Book of the Month, the main character Aspen is struggling with writer's block and the challenge of writing another best seller. Her first book was a best seller, but also was autobiographical. Her other books have not been successful, and she is under pressure to write another successful book. Brick is the "hottest bachelor in town", so she sets out to date him to help her write her book. A number of things didn't work for me with this book, but I really felt Aspen, and Probst's writing of her character and struggles is very real and authentic. I felt like Aspen pursued Brick in multiple ways, and he wasn't interested. This was depressing as it made her seem desperate. I enjoyed Aspen's relationship with her sister Sierra, who was a really fun character. The setting of Corolla really appealed to me as I have been there multiple times. Overall, this was a fun summer read and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.

Aspen Lourde is a best selling author whose stuck in a bit of writers block after some lackluster sales. She decides to spend the summer with her sister away from NYC and hatches a plan to fall in love (and heartbreak)to fuel her next book. Brick Babel is living in OBX trying to resuscitate his grandfathers business. He's running out of time and money to turn it around, while facing some pretty foul rumors of being a womanizer and heartbreaker. Aspen offers Brick the money his business needs in exchange for the relationship her next book is relying on. But what happens if they really fall for eachother? Will she end up choosing the guy or the book?

This is my first Jennifer Probst book and I can honestly say not my last. I was cheering these characters on, laughing at them, and crying for them. The spice was also delightfully spicy and not cringe. I highly recommend Book of the Month. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this.

3.75
This book started slow- The middle was great and the ending upset me. It did get the emotions going though.
I liked it.
Give it a go and let me know what you think.

Maybe it’s on me that I thought this was less of a romance, but wow was this smutty and not what I expected (or really wanted). Aspen acts like a child; the way she approaches the entire setup and how she interacts in the publishing world is so vastly immature and unrealistic. I was not rooting for her and it made it hard to give a shit about anyone else (like Brick, what an absolute stupid name). Also felt a bit icky how they gloss over the fact her only other relationship experience was being groomed by her professor in what seemed to be a very ethically wrong situation???

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the more i read, the more i discover how emotional i am toward books. character can literally say “i’m sorry” in a very dramatic way and i’m sobbing. interesting is… i’m a complete opposite in a real life. guess that’s why i like reading 👀 i’m mentioning this because i had tears in my eyes for at least 4 times while reading. the ending was too emotional for me and i definitely didn’t expected it; i thought he would take her back…

main characters chemistry. it was immediate but overfictional. i can’t quite understand how he turned into being obsessed with her so quickly. it was weird but considering it’s a fiction, i think? i’m okay with it. i found enjoyable side characters and the whole aesthetic of small town. the store and backgrounds of all characters were great developed and i’m actually so ready for sierra’s book. brick was soo sweet and i was so sad for him at the end.

club for people who brick rejected? that was sooo weird and a little cringy. i’ve never heard of that and i was laughing every time they were mentioned. to add, sometimes i wished this book was smaller because i was loosing interest in the main couple with 60% as nothing much was happening

I was excited to dive into Jennifer Probst’s latest novel, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. While the premise had potential and there were a few moments that shone, overall, the book felt predictable and lacked depth.

The characters, while charming at first, quickly became one-dimensional, and I found it hard to connect with their motivations. The romance, which is usually Probst’s strength, felt rushed and lacked the emotional build-up needed to make me care about the outcome.

The pacing also dragged in places, with repetitive dialogue and scenes that added little to the plot. I kept waiting for something to grab my attention, but it never quite got there.

I wanted to love this book, but in the end, it just didn’t stand out for me. Fans of the author may still enjoy it, but for me, it was a miss.

*Book of the Month* by Jennifer Probst is a captivating romance about a bestselling author who needs a fresh heartbreak to fuel her next novel. Aspen Lourde’s plan to use local heartthrob Brick Babel as her muse takes a twist when their fake romance turns into something real, challenging both their lives and careers. Probst skillfully blends humor, passion, and emotional depth, delivering a story that explores the price of love and the search for true inspiration. This book is a delightful read for fans of romantic escapades with a touch of self-discovery.

4⭐️ arc review - thank you to net galley for this advanced copy!

Book of the Month was my first Jennifer Probst book and definitely will not be my last! I loved her writing style and loved the adventure she took the reader on until the very last page - you really had no idea which turn it was going to take.

I agree with other readers, I needed more about Sierra but cannot wait for a book telling us the real story with Sierra and Kane!

Book of the Month follows an author a few years after her debut novel was a viral hit. Her last two books were a huge flop and she is grasping at straws. Aspen is stuck and believes she needs a change of pace and specific formula to create the sequel that her readers, agent, and publisher are needing. On the advice of her agent, Aspen moves to her sister's beach house in North Carolina for the summer, looking for inspiration and finding exactly what she thought she needed...

I saw this book and was immediately drawn to the cover and description. It hinted at the rom-com style of books that I have been devouring lately. All in all, it proved to be just that! The setting in OBX, NC among the wild horses was a charming choice and gave lots of plot worthy details. I loved the main characters' witty banter and how they were able to stand alone. The secondary characters were full of personality and extremely memorable. There are quite a few spicy scenes (about a 3.5/5 on the spice scale) and the plot moves along at a medium pace to keep me interested. The additions of current BookTok culture and even Duck Donuts made my little millennial heart so happy!

There were just a few things about this one that were not my favorite- overall, I truly liked reading this book and will happily pick up the sequel. Some of the phrasing surround the MMC was repetitive and off-putting at times, (specifically mentioning his "masculine energy" and "primitive, caveman brain" too many times for my liking) and the forced southern nuances because of the setting in the Outer Banks, NC were just a little too unbelievable for me at. (The mention of sweet tea as "cool, sweet liquid trickling down" everyone's throats was a little shutter-worthy.)

Overall, this book gets a 3.5 from me and I am looking forward to reading about Sierra and Kane in the future!

Desperate for another bestseller… and will go to any length to get it. Even if it means chasing the hottest bachelor in town...

Once a golden girl, Aspen Lourde can’t seem to produce another successful book. Her bestseller was a heartbreak hit, straight from her own love life disaster. Aspen needs inspiration.

Brick Babel is a romance novelist’s dream: he has a wild reputation. He’s everything Aspen, gorgeous, moody. His affairs are well known in the small town, and everyone warns her off. She needs it to write her book.

When Aspen hears Brick tour company is going bankrupt she offers him a deal: pretend a summer romance.
Brick need to save his grandfather’s business, he agrees. What starts as a fling, real feelings come out.

Book of the Month isn’t about finding love, t’s about finding yourself.

I picked up this book first because the cover reminded me of “The Seven Year Slip”, which I absolutely loved, second because I can never say no to a book about books, and third because a story about a struggling author thinking she needs a heartbreak in order to write another bestseller sounded to good to pass on.
Although the beginning felt a little slow to me, I really liked Aspen and Brick’s story. I think the part where things started to click for me was when they went on their first tour and we got to see the horses (I’m a horse girly at heart) and a slightly more vulnerable side of Brick.
I loved that all the characters felt very real and flawed, that make mistakes and struggle with their life decisions. Also, it was supposed to be a fake relationship but I liked that it felt real from the beginning, making me doubt as much as the characters if it was real or not.
All the side characters were really funny and I can’t wait to know more about Sierra’s story!
Overall, I think it’s a great story in a cozy summer setting with relatable characters, and if you like romcoms that may also break your heart, then this book is for you 😄

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read, and enjoyed, several other books by this author. I enjoyed this one as much as the others that I have read!