DNF at 47%. The whole plot is too predictable and unbelievable. The weird stilted characters are all so eye roll inducing. The female MC needs a man to solve her problems, the overprotective (though already aware of the situation?!) sibling, the easily reached unreachable man. I just can’t.

Mmm. Not sure how I felt about this one, honestly. The premise sounded really fun, but it fell a little flat for me. I *wanted* to enjoy it more than I did. There were just a few things I wish had been handled a little better.
Overall, it’s not a bad book, so I’ll just say it’s not my cup of tea and a decent 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

too predictable for my taste. put it down after about 20% of the book because i just didnt feel like itd be worth my time.
typical "hes the bad boy who doesnt fall for anyone but everyone tries to change him. she tries not to and is the one to do" cant be bothered

This was a nice palate cleaner read. I was excited by the title as I had never read the author before. The main character I will admit annoyed me when she was writing it seemed like she had no way to use her imagination to write a book, she could only write if her heart was broken. Kind of lost me there. I did enjoy the sea turtle parts as I have a friend who has watched them hatch in FL. In all it was a quick read and I liked it but nothing more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

Things I liked:
-story within the story, reading about the writing process and a writer is always fun
- alternating chapter focus for the characters
- felt like he falls first which I’m always a fan of
- the pre-break-up scenes were very well done, could feel the anxiety knowing it was coming and not wanting it

Things I didn’t love:
- the over emphasis on Aspen’s ‘lack’ of looks versus the men being incredibly hot. Self confidence and comparison is real but the fact that the male characters had absolutely no body issues either was too one sided
- the get back together felt a bit forced, if Brick wanted to trust Aspen, it would have been nice to see that play out
- in general there was a bit of lack of dialogue in scenes, instead it felt glossed over (Brick said some words) rather than explored - maybe 1st person could have helped this?

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were some things I liked about this book like the OBX setting but it wasn’t the book for me. Now most of this is in regards to what I like to read/not read so if it fits into your interests then you may enjoy it more than I did. There were several explicit sex scenes and “dirty talk” throughout regular scenes as well, to the point that if I wasn’t reading an ARC I probably would have stopped reading or had I known I would not have requested the book. While it was more explicit than I prefer to read, it still did have a plot and some entertaining side characters but ultimately fell very middle of the road for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book. At first sight, the cover of this book is eye catching! I love the characters in the story and really enjoyed getting to know each of them. I found this to be an easy and fun read.

The story was fun, loved that it was set around OBX, sandy beaches and summer love. This story has been done before, but this one is crafted so perfect that you forget that its fake dating to love. Looking forward to the sisters' story from Jennifer, I will want to read right away. '

Aspen is writer and she has written on best seller and her fans want more, trouble is she wrote that story with a broken heart. With her love life on the back burner, she suddenly has writers' block. The only cure is to out of the city and go see her sister in the Outer Banks, clear her head get some sea air. But seems even that doesn't help her, so over drinks her and her sister come up with the perfect plan. Date the resident bad boy, have him break her heart and she will put it all into the perfect story yet.

But has fake dating starts to blur to real feelings, can she put her heart back out there and risk her career in the process?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bue Box Press for a copy of this story for my honest review.

This book is very easy to read and get into quickly. I really enjoyed the description of the characters. It was very easy to picture with all the details at times I felt like I was in the book. I would totally recommend this book. For either a book club book or just an easy fun read alone.

El libro es un romance veraniego divertido y coqueto, pero por momentos me resultó frustrante. Siento que la parte intermedia se hizo un poco pesada con la repetición del trope del amor fabricado y la relación en desarrollo. Aprecié cómo los personajes crecieron y se encontraron a sí mismos, pero el romance slow burn podría haber avanzado un poco más rápido para mi gusto.
Tengo que admitir que el título me atrapó de inmediato, y no esperaba una historia tan centrada en el fake dating. Me preocupa un poco esta tendencia en la industria editorial donde, si la palabra "libro" aparece en el título, los amantes de la lectura podemos caer en la trampa de comprarlo impulsivamente.
Aunque la historia no logró mantener completamente mi atención, sí disfruté mucho las descripciones de Jennifer Probst sobre los escenarios y el desarrollo de los personajes. Su estilo de escritura realmente me llamó la atención y le dio un toque especial a mi lectura de fin de semana.

3.5–Brick and Aspen’s story was enjoyable…I loved the fake dating premise that quickly became real. You knew the conflict was coming due to the contract, but I’m glad it didn’t last too long before the HEA came. I do wish their relationship hadn’t felt mostly about the sex in the middle and I could have done without the scenes, but I think this is my first Probst book so I didn’t know what to expect going into it.

"Book of the Month" was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the story line of a book author that will do anything to reach her goals! This was a fun read that you will love!

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a fun and engaging romantic comedy with a clever premise. Aspen Lourde, a struggling author in need of inspiration for her next bestseller, sets out to craft a story by pursuing the town's infamous heartthrob, Brick Babel. What begins as a fake romance quickly spirals into a heartfelt and passionate connection that neither of them saw coming.

The characters are well-developed, with Aspen's desperation and Brick's charm providing plenty of emotional depth. Probst skillfully weaves humor, romance, and real-world struggles into the narrative, making it an enjoyable and satisfying read. While the plot follows a familiar "enemies to lovers" trope, the chemistry between the leads keeps it fresh and engaging.

The book also explores themes of self-discovery, vulnerability, and the cost of chasing success, which adds layers of depth beyond the romance. If you're looking for a light-hearted, yet meaningful story, Book of the Month delivers it with charm and wit.

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.