A sweet and spicy romance set in the Outer Banks. Imagine my surprise when I found it was set in my favorite OBX town, Corolla! If you've ever been the story will bring back all the feels, and have you planning your next trip.

Best-selling author Aspen is having trouble replicating the success of her first book. She escapes to her sister's beach house to hopefully write her next big hit. She decides her writers block is because she wrote her first book following major heartbreak, and the only way to move forward is to get her heart trampled again. Enter Brick, the recent transplant with a bad reputation, who is desperately trying to keep his legacy business alive. Aspen offers a cash infusion to help his business, if only he will break her heart by the end of Summer. What could possibly go wrong?

It's a steamy read filled with thoughtful ups and downs. There were some inconsistencies in the story, but overall I enjoyed the story, hence the four stars. Recommend for a quick beach read.

The "fake" dating trope was handled differently in this one, and sadly not in a way that I loved. It was okay, But, not my favorite. I'm actually more intrigued by the idea of hearing Sierra and Kane's story. I was not as invested in Aspen's story as I would have hoped. I have a feeling the next one in this story will be more compelling for me. I did want to spend some quality time with the wild horses and baby turtles though, GUSH!!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I am a big fan of Jennifer Probst and love her work and once again she does not disappoint. Beautifully written with loveable characters and perfect palate cleanser for in between my fantasy reads!

This book was pretty well written, but I just couldn't buy into the premise. It wasn't at all believable- especially the support group. It was all just a little too far-fetched to me. I will likely read something else by this author as this was my first book that I've read that she wrote, so I'd like to give her another chance.

First and for most thank you to Net Galley. For allowing me to enjoy the love of reading arc's. Anyone looking for a fun end of the summer rom com. This book hit the right spot like drinking a nice, fresh, ice cold glass of lemonade. The storyline & character's were an absolute delight. I love how the author tied in Dug to the storyline. Dug is my favorite character in the book. Lovable, adorable & goofy. Thank you Jennifer Probst! I hope to read more of your books in the future!

“Love isn’t something you just walk away from because you weren’t expecting it.”

Thank you Blue Box Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m a huge fan of books about books and this one was so sweet!

Aspen is an author chasing the success of her first book and determined to not be a one hit wonder. Desperate to recreate the feelings she had when she wrote her bestseller, she comes up with a plan to fall in love with the local heartbreaker. What starts as fake dating soon spins out of control and the line between reality and true love blurs completely.

I have read quite a few of Jennifer Probst earlier books and they always hit just right! This one is no exception -- a perfect blend of spice and sweetness! The setting is also so lovely! If you are looking for a perfect summer into fall romance then this is the one for you!!

Dnf @ 50% I think this was more of a me issue because I wasn’t in a great headspace when I started this. I thought it was fun but I wasn’t attached to it, I do think it’s an easy read and the magical realism side is cool but just wasn’t for me !

This book was so different and fun from the start. I loved both characters and how they grew with each other through the book. It felt more real life situations than some romcoms and I enjoyed that very much. I can’t wait for the follow up with the next characters, the author sets that up really well!

Book of the Month STOLE my heart. It was the most realistic dialogue and characters that I sped through this book eating up every morsel it had to give me. I highly recommend Book of the Month to anyone who loves more realistic characters and yet still loves a good romcom. The spice level was pretty high with this one so I would recommend it only for adults. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my free advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book of the Month follows Aspen and Brick on their adventure in the Outer Banks as Brick tries to save his Grandfather's business and Aspen tries to write her next best seller after her last two books have not hit their marks. While I would say this is book isn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite. I loved the banter, humor, side characters and really liked the setting in OBX. However, I agree with other reviewers that the events in the third act were lack luster and rushed.

I think if you need a quick light read on the beach this one fits the bill. I am interested to read the next book about Kane and Sierra coming out next year!

A few things that were strange...

*There are a lot of obscure Disney references. Bookstore owners name is Ursula and the competition for the Tour company is Maleficent.. Also a weird reference to being dizzy as if on the Guardians ride at Disney World.

*Somehow Brick describes Aspen as completely plain and not his type then all of a sudden is enthralled with her.. it was just a little bit too far fetched for me.

*Fake PTSD?

Thank you to @netgalley and @blueboxpress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a cute, albeit predictable, steamy read following Aspen, an Author who cannot shake the one hit wonder status due to her first novel’s success despite writing two more books since then. She is desperate to rediscover the heartbreak and turmoil which she believes fueled the success of her first book. She escapes to the Outer Banks to visit her sister and focus on writing. When she meets Brock Babel the local heartbreaker with quite the reputation she approaches him looking for some fun, followed by hurt and writing inspiration. Of course she finds so much more in the town and neighbors and in Brick. This was a bit cheesy at times but I really enjoyed it. I loved the side characters especially Marco and Kane. I am looking forward to reading Aspen’s sister’s book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars
The whole idea was interesting but not well executed in my opinion. It started well but then it became slow so i was kinda bored. This is not a bad book in any way i can people liking it, it's just that to me personally something was missing.

Throughout this fake dating romance, Aspen notes that the novels that followed her breakout debut lacked emotional depth. They were more skilled, better written, but heartless. That’s how this book feels - devoid of authentic emotion. From a technical standpoint, it meets the genre conventions, the appropriate timing for the first kiss, for sex-on-page to happen, for the big misunderstanding/break-up/separation, and the HEA. But, there is some truly terrible dialog, whole paragraphs that made me cringe, and don’t even get me started on the completely ridiculous character names.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the ARC. This is the first Jennifer Probst book I have read and I enjoyed it. A fun Romcom. I will definitely look into reading more by this author.

Book of the Month was a fun read. I fell in love with Brick and even though Aspen drove me kind of crazy, I wanted her to have her happy ever after. The dialogue was really strong and created a great picture.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced eARC. I liked this book. Being born and raised in North Carolina, I felt inclined to read this book set in the Outer Banks. I found both Aspen and Brick to be very likable characters, as well as the secondary: Sierra, Marco, and Kane.

The plot was simple and uncomplicated, with some funny moments in between. I’d recommend this book for a quick and light read with a happy ending and sequel that readers will enjoy. I’m looking forward to reading Sierra’s and Kane’s story.

I really enjoyed Aspen and Brick. Their chemistry was so much fun to experience. I also enjoyed them as people, learning more about an author’s world navigating agents and writing and then life as a tour guide and marketing a business. The fake romance trope was fun to watch unravel and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow into their best selves. The ending seemed a little more ok sweet and young compared to the depth of the rest of the book, but I had a great time reading and would recommend for a beach or summer read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @blueboxpress for this ARC! Add it to your lists - coming October 22!

#booklover #bookstagram #bookofthemonth #jenniferprobst #jenniferprobstbooks #netgalley #arcreader #bookreviewer #bookreviews

A big thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 rounded up ⭐

I thought the idea of this book was great, I was looking for a fun summer read. The story interested me right from the beginning, I was enjoying seeing Aspen & Brick finally interact one on one.

I did feel the story was a bit predictable from the beginning but I was interested in seeing how everything would play out. Sadly, the constant back and forth from Aspen not being able to make a decision about her book quickly made the story feel very dragged out. There were times when I would forget she was writing a book. I think the pace of the book also didn't help, there were some slow pace chapters and the next thing you know the next chapter was a few weeks later but there wasn't much progression in the story.

Hoping that I would like the ending of the story, I pushed myself to finish the book. Once we got the third-act break-up everything seemed very rush from that point to the very end.

Aspen Lourde has been struggling to find a novel that speaks to her fans like her best-seller 'Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover' does. With her career on the line, Aspen is desperate for an experience to inspire her next romance novel. Spending the summer in her sister's beach town will hopefully lead her to someone who can do just that.
Brick Babel is struggling to keep his tour company, his late grandfather's pride and joy, afloat. His rival keeps stealing his customers, and his office is falling apart. After he blows off yet another one of Aspen's attempts to hold his attention, she offers to help save his business... for a little drama-filled summer trist that guarantees her the heartbreak to write her next big hit. The only problem is that their fake romance is causing real feelings, and someone is bound to get hurt.

Books about authors finding inspiration for their novels are becoming one of my favorites! I was rooting for Aspen, as well as the character in her book, to get the ending they deserved. Aspen is honestly so relatable, as someone who also currently struggles to find her voice while writing. Her straight-forward nature is refreshing and honestly she is such a badass! I love a female MC who goes after what she wants and isn't afraid to make mistakes along the way.
Brick is such a classic book boyfriend! I love that he is informed of the "magic p*ssy" trope, and then becomes a victim of it himself. The only issue with him that I had was that it was mentioned quite a bit when you first meet him that Aspen is not his "usual type." I think it was used as a deterrent for himself in order to avoid Aspen? But it threw me for a loop and I wasn't sure if I'd end up liking him. (He absolutely redeemed himself, though!)
I am super excited to read Probst's follow up book about Aspen's sister, I absolutely need it in my hands! I loved Book of the Month and am definitely adding more of her books to my TBR list.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the eARC! Projected publishing date: October 22nd, 2024

First and Foremost I would like to thank Netgalley and blue box press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, so this is my first time reading Jennifer Probts novel. I was interested right off the bat, I really related to Aspen struggle as an artist with the ups and downs of the publishing world. Her feelings of inadequacy and fears she is a one hit wonder, and desperation to have another successful book. Her relationship with her publishing agent made me smile! The banter and how she goes to bat for her clients was a nice dynamic to see.

In a lot of ways it is presented as a fun summer read in the Carolina’s shores, with a hot local Brick, witty banter and steamy chemistry. Unfortunately as the book went on I slowly lost interest in the characters and had a hard time relating to them. The steamy bits were a bit cringe for me, and their relationship/how they viewed one another was not one I enjoyed.

In the future I may pick up a different title from Probts just to see if this was a one off. This book didn’t resonate with me but perhaps one of her others will.

Thanks again Netgalley for the opportunity.