This book is about a writer who wants to write another best seller so she decides to go to the outer banks to get some inspiration and ends up faking dating the local hottie . It will make you laugh and cry it’s a good summer read

Aspen Lourde, once a literary darling, is desperate to write another hit. Her last bestseller was inspired by heartbreak, and now she’s creatively stuck. So she heads to the Outer Banks and strikes a deal with Brick Babel—a local heartthrob with a bad-boy reputation—to fake a summer fling that ends in heartbreak. The plan? Use the emotional fallout as writing fuel. But as their “contractual” romance unfolds, real feelings start to blur the lines.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for this ARC!

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst had a cozy setting and a heartfelt message about grief, healing, and second chances, but it didn’t quite reach my cup of tea level. I appreciated the bookish backdrop and emotional themes, but the pacing felt uneven, and the romance didn’t fully sweep me in. Some moments stood out, but overall, it lacked the spark I was hoping for. A decent read, just not a standout for me. 3.5

Aspen Lourde is a NY Times best selling author for Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover. She wrote it after her heart was shattered by her professor in college that she was supposed to marry. She's written 2 books since then That just haven't hit as well and this next book has to be perfect Or she's just going to become a has been. As pen decides to spend the summer with her sister Sierra by the beach to relax and try to write.

Brick Babel has a reputation in town and its not a good one. He ruined his fiance and drove her out of town. According to a bunch of women, he broke their hearts. He now has a big warning label on him. Brick doesn't much care what people think. He's just trying to save his grandpa's tour company that he was gifted. If he doesn't come up with some money soon, he'll be forced to close. Enter Aspen.. She wants to hire Brick to date her so she can fall for him and he can break her heart. Then she can write the sequel to the book.that everyone is begging for from the pain she feels. In return shell pay whatever he needs to fix his business.

This book was incredible. The angst and chemistry between As pen and Brick was off the charts. I loved how the relationship was so real even though it was supposed to be fake. Sierra was such a great side chart and I can't wait for her story. I know that will be explosive. She's so feisty but she's such a great sister. It is on it how much they both have each others backs. The author also does a great job letting the reader into the nitty gritty world of a writers life. I loved reading about their fears at signings and their daily writing struggles. All in all I ate this book up and I can see myself reading this book again.

i love the premise of this one! a writer hires the famous heartbreaker of a small beach town to make her fall in love with him and break her heart so she can write her next best-selling book? amazing! all the conversations leading up to this and her proposing him the idea were so fun to read and as someone who's always wanting more dating scenes, it definitely delivered!

it was interesting to have a character discuss the publishing industry in all its little details, including her own struggles and insecurities stemming from it. on that note, i love how women's fiction adjacent this romance book is, not a surprise considering the author, but it's lovely to read either way!

however, this story didn't stuck out to me very much. it was very easily to put it down and not think about the characters. i surely had fun reading it, and i'm planning on reading the next installment of the series because i'm excited to see how that story is going to play out and i did love the town and all the secondary characters, but i know by next week i'll have forgotten the main characters names.

Thank you to Blue Box Press for the eARC of this one via NetGalley.

This was a cute book about a FMC who is an author struggling to write the next big book, who goes to visit her sister in Outer Banks, and decides she needs to fake date the town heartbreaker in order to inspire her next book.

This book leaned more women's fiction than romance to me. The romance was heavy, but it took too long to get to that point, and I found the set-up kind of dragging. After awhile, the "reasons" for everything not working out felt repetitive.

Book of the Month was a love letter to the life of an author, though. I found the interesting tidbits about the publishing world to be interesting.

This book gets a very solid 3 stars. It will absolutely be someone else's cup of it... it just wasn't entirely *my* cup.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of this book! I loved the setting and the overall story-line! Both main characters were likeable and felt realistic to me. I liked that we got both of their view points. This was a quick easy read and would be the perfect beachread! Looking forward to more books by Jennifer Probst.

I finally got around to reading Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst—yes, I know it came out last fall, but as a true mood reader, I was saving this one for summertime. Something about the Outer Banks setting, the promise of a slow-burn romance, and the wild horses running along the coast just felt like it needed to be read under the sun—and I was right. 🌊☀️📖

This book had everything I love in a beachy romance: a down-on-her-luck author chasing her next big story, a broody local tour guide with a soft heart, and a fake dating plan that spirals out of control. Aspen and Brick’s dynamic was full of banter, slow-burn tension, and some surprisingly emotional moments that gave this rom-com a lot of heart.

But what really made me fall for this book? The setting. Jennifer Probst brought the Outer Banks to life in the most vivid way. I could practically smell the salt in the air and hear the wild horses running in the distance. It was the ultimate escape read, and now I’m more obsessed with the OBX than ever.

I also just found out this is a series (!!) and book 2 follows Aspen’s sister, which makes me so happy because I loved their sibling dynamic.

Book of the Month is more than just a love story. It’s a reminder that inspiration doesn’t always come from heartbreak—it often comes from healing. Add this to your Summer TBR if you want to experience this one 📖

Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pick this up for steamy summer vacation read. The characters are pretty cliche but they are fleshed out well and the story is easy enough to drop and pick back up at any point without getting lost (perfect for the beach/pool/summer interruptions). There are several steamy scenes even before the couple actually gets steamy - lets just say there is a lot of fantasizing going on.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Aspen is a strong & caring woman that has been hurt by her last boyfriend. She is struggling to write and thinks Brick the answer. I really enjoyed this book.

I will always read (and love!) books about writing books--this one did not disappoint! This was such a cute and fun read, and the characters felt real and three-dimensional.

Ahhhhh. This was such a cute book to read. I live close to the OBX so I loved that the Corolla Wild Horses were included. This would be the perfect beach read. I felt so many emotions while reading and could feel the chemistry between Brick and Aspen. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is looking for a fun Summer read. I cannot wait to read the second one when it comes out this month.

I thorughly enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, fascinating world building, and entertaining. . I liked the good storytelling
Highly Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was such a beautiful and mature picture of what real love is like! And the characters are equally real and three dimensional I loved that this was not a cookie cuter romance of two perfect people tripping across each other who can't find someone to love them. This is a story that will have any mature reader smiling while they look out the window and think summer thoughts!

Pretty early on in Book of the Month I realized it wasn't for me. The insta-love hit fast and hard. I found the dialogue to be cheesy and overdone in places. What kept me reading were the side characters, to be honest. They carried a hefty amount of the book while the main characters felt like cardboard cutouts. The story within the story premise is novel, but got old fast. I'm a bit disappointed I couldn't enjoy this more. 2.5 stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I couldn't get into the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review.

DNF. This was so cringy that I couldn’t finish it. The first thing that caught my attention was that the MMC was a grown man, running his grandfathers business into the ground and as he ends his day discouraged (it wasn’t doing well financially)…he goes and gets drunk. How is that desirable? Lol. The language was so cringy.
Examples:
“ Yet some undercurrent in her tone was like a laser slamming into his dick”
“ The scent of her caught on the wind and filled his nostrils. Why was he analyzing her laugh and scent like a drunk poet?”
“Back atcha. Now, let’s get smashed.”  

I think I ended it after his own dog humped him.

Thank you NetGalley and BlueBoxPress for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sorry it wasn’t a good one.

I tried really hard to get into Book Of The Month, but it seemed to drag on forever. It was a fun premise, Typical rom-com about a fun and flirty summer romance. The insta-lust really just made it fall flat for me. There was little buildup and even less character development. Maybe it was rushed?

This was a cute little romance. The characters were really fun and made me laugh. The main characters, Brick and Aspen, make a deal to help each other out with certain aspects in their life by faking a relationship. But when their deal comes to an end, they realize that they are real feelings there. Although this was on the predictable side, it was still a fun, quick read.

This was super cute! A good read when you want something to just have fun and enjoy. Would recommend for anyone looking for something cute to read!