What a fun and unique story! Aspen and Brick are both very down on their luck. Aspen is a romance writer who is struggling to find success after her debut novel was a smash hit. Brick is struggling to keep the tour company his grandfather left to him open. When Aspen escapes the big city to visit her sister and tries to write her new novel, she learns Brick is an absolute heartbreaker. She offers him a deal... date her, make her fall in love, then break her heart, so she will have the emotions and heartbreak needed for a new novel. And in exchange, she will loan him the money needed to renovate and revive his tour company.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I was invested in learning more about Bricks past, and seeing Aspen overcome her self-doubt. I loved the setting in the Outer Banks. Incorporating the beauty of OBX into the story really immersed you into it. The beach, the wild horses, even the sea turtles! Aspen and Brick have an amazing connection; it's laughable to think they wouldn't develop real feelings for one another.

Ultimately, I did find the plot to be a little silly and shallow. I would have preferred for Aspen to find her self confidence to write her book through self reflection and personal growth as opposed to being so stubborn about needing a man to break her heart in order to be a good author.

This is definitely a light and easy read, perfect for summer or vacation!

Available 10/22/24, add this to your TBR!

Thank you to Get Red PR and Blue Box Press for the advanced reader copy!

3.5☆

Tags:
-fake dating
-small town
-summer fling

Spice: 3/5

Third person/Dual POV

I have the Italian series of books by this author and I guess I didn't pay attention to the premise of this book as I did not expect this to be a light romance book. Like other reviewers, this one fell flat for me. I did want to see how it all played out, but honestly, I skimmed most of the last 1/3 of the book. It was spicy, with an interesting concept for the story between Aspen and Brick, but I was expecting more. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. I will most likely stick with the meatier books that I know this author writes well and that I enjoy.

The Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a story that resonates with Aspen Lourde, an author struggling to pen her next best seller. Her debut book, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, a best-seller, reflected her love life, filled with heartbreak. Aspen's experience of falling for her professor, Ryan, and the subsequent heartbreak is a tale that many can relate to, as she found solace in pouring her heart out into her work, the words flowing from her like a river of emotions. Ryan stole her confidence and her voice, and she took the power back by writing. Her second book did not do so well on the book charts; her manager and publisher suggested that she try to write a sequel to her first book since that is what her fans wanted. Aspen's journey to write a sequel to her first book and her decision to travel from NYC to the Outer Banks to her sister, Sierra, with a plan to live a story worth writing, sets the stage for a potential sequel that will surely captivate readers.

Brick Babel is the local heartthrob. His affairs are legendary, and everyone warns Aspen to stay away. Too bad heartbreak is what she feels she needs to meet her deadline. Heartbreaker of Corolla, Anastasia Wallace destroyed Brick's reputation, home, and soul while the whole town stood by and watched. Brick inherits his grandfather's bankrupt tour business and a building that has seen better days. His competition is a woman, Maleficent, Maleficent's Wild Tours; she drives a pink Hummer and steals his clients; she loved his grandfather, but something destroyed their relationship before his death. Next door to Brick's business is a tee shirt place run by three guys from Boston, Marco, Berger & Patsy; their greatest joy is enjoying their high on either by smoking or edibles. Long-time friend Kane Masterson has returned home from a prison stint and is couch-surfing at Bricks for now.

Will Aspen write her next best seller? Will she finally find true love? The possibilities are endless, and readers can't help but feel hopeful for Aspen's future. What happens with the tour company and the wild mustangs? Find out what happens to Sierra in Reluctant Flirt coming next year.

This was so much fun to read! It was sweet and fun with just the right amount of spice. I fell in love with Aspen and Brick. It had such an amazing cast of side characters that I felt like I got to know so well through out the story. I think readers who enjoy small town romance with characters who grow and overcome past heartbreak will love this book!

I loved this book. The perfect little romance. I really enjoy a book where it seems like the author took their time to write their book and when it shows through research was done to make it the perfect book. Very cute very realistic shows what would happen on an actual date. Very funny banter. I give this book 5 stars. Definitely need more books like this. Very worth the read!

DNF at 24%

Aspen is a writer whose bestselling book is secretly autobiographical and hasn’t written anything as popular since. She heads to OBX and tries to find a fling that will help inspire heartbreak and emotional depth for her upcoming book.

At a quarter of the way through I still didn’t really care about these characters. I felt like Aspen’s pursuit of Brick was shallow and frankly a little desperate. No good impressions of Brick by this point either. Grumpy characters are fun to read sometimes, but I think the pacing of the story it’s important in order for readers to at least understand them.

I really enjoyed this book. Refreshing premise. Aspen Lourde is a best selling author who has lost her mojo. She “thinks” she’ll only get it back if she experiences another emotional relationship.

This is a fake relationship romance. The Heroine wrote a best selling novel after a devastating breakup, and now, with a bad case of writers block, she's trying to repeat that process, by 'hiring' the Hero to make her fall in love with him, so he can break her heart. The Hero needs the funding, isn't looking for a relationship (after his previous one ended terribly,) so accepts the proposal without a second thought. Well, you can probably guess what happens. The characters are well developed and each is lovable and real. The side characters bring additional humor. For the most part, this is a light hearted read, but there are some heavier undercurrents, things in regards to their pasts. There are laughs throughout, some spice, some emotion (though I wouldn't say it's necessarily tear worthy,) oh, and a HILARIOUS scene involving some brownies. Well written and is easy to read. It alternates POVs.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

I have to admit this book was not my favorite by author Jennifer Probst. I had a hard time liking Aspen which made it difficult to get into the storyline. Brick was much more likeable, even though I did question his supposed behavior given the way the women of town treated him. The idea of Aspen just using Brick didn't set well with me even if she was upfront with Brick from the beginning. As the book progressed, I did grow to like the story more but it was mainly because of the other characters and not Aspen.

˚₊‧꒰ა 3.5 stars ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

༉‧₊˚. « I love you. I’m not sure how it happened or what I’m going to do, but I don’t care. I love you, and I’m yours. » ・₊✧

i was very thrilled to get this book as an arc because the cover was so beautiful and i needed a romance read <3

Aspen Lourde, the fmc, has an original name and i love it!! she’s a writer and her first book was loved by fans, unlike her next two books published. this story revolves around her wanting to write a book that can get her fans’ attention and make herself a bestseller again. in order to do that, she decides to get her heart broken again because it was the thing that helped her write her first book the way everyone loved.

Brick Babel is a guy who lives in OBX and inherited his grandfather’s tour company but the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. he’s known for being a heartbreaker in the whole town. she thinks it’s the perfect guy who can help her write a book filled with emotions. she explains to him her situation and offers him a deal: she would pay for his renovations, he would make her fall in love with him and break her heart.

at the beginning, i was nervous because it felt like i was going to get bored. in addition, brick was being so grumpy it annoyed me. however, the second half was really cute 🥹 i loved how caring he was and their chemistry was amazing!!

i loved the characters in the story. their relationships with each other made the story more fulfilling and wholesome. Aspen and Sierra’s bond as sisters made my heart swell 🥹 Dug, Brick’s dog, had a special place in my heart as well 🤧

it was hilarious that there was a club literally dedicated to Brick being a heartbreaker…. they’re truly obsessed with him 😭

one thing i might point out about this book is some of the phrases giving me the ick and some of them being too repetitive. i can’t count how many times i saw the word “hardened” and i got an ick from the phrase “masculine energy”. other than that, this book was pretty enjoyable!

overall, i loved this book’s vibes and the fact that it takes place in Outer Banks. the plot and the characters made me want to continue the book. now i can’t wait to read sierra’s love story, i’m curious 🤭

Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for providing me this digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a slow book, but I did finish and enjoy it. Both characters were easy to love and I was involoved in their stories. I love a happy ending!

Not all Romance Books are the same, some have different levels of spice and let’s be honest sometimes there is just no real storyline but fluff to build up the story of love.
This was my first book by this author and was truly excited when the only thing that was left open in the book for me and not tied up was now her next book… yippie! I will be reading that too.
For me this book did an amazing job of explaining characters and feelings and as to why they responded in settings and situations that many romance writers leave out. The storyline was great and I was engaged the whole time.

Jennifer Probst’s “Book of the Month” is a delightful beachy romance. Main character Aspen is an author whose debut book, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover,” was a surprise mega best seller. She’s settled in a comfy New York City life, but her second and third books didn’t have the same appeal, probably because the first was emotionally-charged and very autobiographical. Now she’s at her sister Sierra’s out of the way home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where wild horses really do roam, trying to figure out how to recapture the writing magic. Aspen sets her sights on the local notorious heartbreaker, Brick, in hopes of being inspired when he inevitably, um, dumps her. She’ll return to NYC and write her new bestseller.

However, Brick isn’t the awful cad she expected and Aspen slowly realizes that she might need to write from the experience of joy instead of pain. Brick also realizes that even though their “arrangement” requires him to end the relationship, he ups his seduction skills as he starts to understand Aspen. Contractually, this is supposed to be an unhappy ending for them and only a happy-for-now for her, but circumstances are shifting…

Did I mention guarding baby turtle eggs from predators overnight on a beach while dancing to Billy Joel?

I truly enjoyed Aspen and Brick’s banter and the ups and downs of their relationship.The main characters are well written and the supporting cast was a lot of fun, too. This was the quick read romantic comedy I was looking for! 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Turtle protector Judy and Kane have green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The descriptions of the dunes of the Outer Banks was accurate.

Thank you to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

The premise of this book was more interesting than it's execution. An author wants to get her heart broken to write another bestseller and pays a local heartbreaker to do it. Cliché writing, metaphors, tropes abound in this book. I couldn't care less for the characters. This is nowhere close to realistic dialogue or inner thoughts of a man. Who says "she didn't have eyes as blue as sapphires... she was perfectly average, but I like her anyway?" Really? I just cringed too many times. Apparently this writer is a NY Times bestseller and maybe this is a thinky veiled fantasy or exploration of he life but I didn't like all the publishing stuff, mainly because of the lack of introspection and accountability from the FMC.

Perhaps I'm not the best audience for this book, it just wasnt for me. Thanks to Net Galley and Blue Box Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such a sweet romance yet spicy story!

•grumpy vs. sunshine
•fake dating
•small town romance

The main character, Aspen, is so compelling. She is an author who makes a deal with grumpy Brick to help him revive his business in exchange for a heartbreak that she can use as her muse to write her next story.

As they fall head over heels for each other, it’s not enough for Aspen. She wants to finish her book, which results in the biggest heartbreak for both MCs.

I fell a little in love with them reading this story and my own heart broke for them both. 🩷 I really enjoyed this one!

This was just fine. Parts of it were boring, and parts of it were oddly graphic for people who were supposed to be talking in public, and the discussions of book publishing were SO SPECIFIC it felt out of place. But I liked Aspen and I am interested in what happens with her sister and Brick's friend.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, I loved the cover and title of this book. That is what got me excited to read this book. Unfortunately it did not work for me. I liked the concept of this book, but I found the writing and dialogue between the two main characters very juvenile.

Having never read any of Jennifer Probst book I was unexpectedly happily surprised by this cute love story. The fake dating troupe went a step further and took me on a journey of falling in love with two characters I wanted more from. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to gift it to family and friends.

Love this book! Fun read. Characters are interesting and spot on. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I loved it! Heart break = a hit book. No hits since. Guess will have to get heartbroken again for another hit. Loved watching this relationship play out and seeing both sides of it. Super fun read.