Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I love the behind the scenes look into the publishing industry. I think "Book of the Month" gives us a good viewpoint on how an author may feel when it comes to their writing and sales. The chemistry between Aspen and Brick was pretty good. The ending was predictable but overall, the story was enjoyable. I can't wait to read Sierra & Kane's story!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I took a bit to get into this one, but it was worth it.

Aspen is struggling to write her next book. After massive success of a book she wrote following a personal heartbreak, her next books have not done well. And her fans are anxious for a sequel to her first book, wanting to see her FMC get her HEA. Her publisher is also champing at the bit for a sequel.

But Aspen has not been able to tap back into those emotions. She escapes NYC to visit her sister in a small town and comes up with a plan. She’ll have a fling, get her heart broken again, and be able to finally write another hit.

Enter Brick. His less-than-stellar reputation with the women in town makes him the ideal candidate. Brick is trying to save his family business, so when Aspen approaches him with her offer, he agrees, yet insists that the money Aspen wants to pay him is a loan.

Things go to plan, until they don’t.

I loved getting to know these characters as the facade of their initial arrangement faded away and we got to see who they really were, flaws and all.

I overall liked the book, but there were some cringe sayings that had me rolling my eyes at times. I appreciated the setting and all together would recommend for someone looking for a HEA.

Not a bad read, but not a great one either? I didn't DISLIKE this book, but I felt like I was struggling to get through it at certain points. I enjoyed the chemistry between Aspen and Brick, and all of the side characters fit really well in this story and were quirky and funny and interesting to read about. But the plot (the idea of essentially paying Brick to date her and break her heart so she can write a good book) I personally didn't love. And there being entire club of people that are dedicated to bashing Brick/protecting women against him was WEIRD. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I wish this book didn’t end! Solid 4.5 stars! I want to move to OBX and be friends with these characters!

Here’s to hoping for a sequel !!

Aspen needs some inspirational heartbreak to write her next book. Enter the town playboy who will woo her and hurt her and she will pay him for the plotline. Thing is, this is romance, so nothing ever goes according to plan. The setting of the Outerbanks was felt through the pages and these characters were great together. Aspen's desperation felt real, and so did Brick's anger, but together they presented an emotional, steamy story that gives us the happily ever after both so needed. Books about books are one of my greatest pleasures, and Book of the Month was a good one.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

This book was truly so cute and I really enjoyed the story the Jennifer created. I can always rely on Jennifer Probst to write a story that will leave me wanting more.

This book will make giggle with the thought of Aspen chasing down the hottest bachelor all for her new book and I love the banter these two have.

If you need a story that will give you a good time you need to check out Book of the Month.

Author Aspen Lourde is feeling the pressure to write another best selling book, but cannot seem to find the inspiration. She heads to the Outer Banks for the summer hoping inspiration will strike. Enter Brick Babel.

I always enjoy any story about an author and the writing process. I don't think I have read many books that take place in the Outer Banks, so it was a nice change of pace for me. I grew to really care for the characters and wanted to see them both succeed in their businesses. I am even more excited for the next story in the series that will focus on Aspen's sister!!

Aspen Lourde is struggling to produce another hit book. Especially when the one hit wonder was based on her own tragic love life. Aspen desperately needs to get away and figure out what to write, so she heads to the Outer Banks for the summer in hopes of finding her next big idea.

Brick is every girl's dream. He's a heartthrob with a wild reputation. Could he help Aspen get ideas? The only problem is everyone tells her to stay away from him. Aspen doesn't care and tries anyway.

When he doesn't hall for her advances, he learns that his business is in danger of bankruptcy. He decides to go with her plan in hopes of saving his business. will they call in love in the process?

A cute and fun romance set in my favorite place (North Carolina)!! Can't wait to recommend this book to others.

After the success of her first book Aspen is left wondering if that is where it ends as her subsequent stories have not held the same appeal. Needing to get inspired she decides to spend some time with her sister and when she meets Brick, he is exactly what she believes she needs in her hero.

With the family business in jeopardy that is where Brick needs to be focused and not on Aspen. It begins as a simple arrangement that will allow them both to get what they need however it is not long before breaking up is the last thing that either of them wants.

Brick has a reputation he has not been able to live down and that is what draws Aspen to him however the more time they spend together she realizes he is not that man. In addition to Aspen and Brick there is an eclectic group of secondary characters that make this heartwarming story even better.

I enjoyed this book. It's a bit cliche but oddly that really worked for me. It's also a combination of first person/third person that I don't normally love but it didn't bother me. It was a seamless transition. I loved the laid back town and characters. There are some really quirky folks that had me laughing. The brownie scene was hilarious. Brick and Aspen are quite the match. It's a fake dating/with an on purpose break up story that goes awry. There are going to be more stories in the world which are set up in this book and I am here for it. I was able to listen to this on audio and the narration was fantastic. In fact, it made it more enjoyable to listen to them all come to life.

So after I got over the fact that the main character's love interest's name really is Brick I quite enjoyed this book. Even though I think it is truly a summer book so I see myself grabbing for it again when the summer season starts as it's an nice holiday read.
Somehow I kinda like stubborn characters that take time to realize themselves what they are feeling and here the stubborness was shown for both in different moments and I enjoyed it because they managed to overcome it and slowly but surely crack the facade they put up to the world in order to really show themselves to eachother.
I also think it was kinda a cliche that the main character tries to serve themselves while helping struggling bussiness but her being writer and kinda aware of it herself made it more okay for me.
Overall I really enjoyed this read and I cant wait to see what happens with Sierra and Kane.

Such a cute read. It’s good to switch up genres sometimes. This one wasn’t one I’d typically pick but I’m glad I did because it was enjoyable!

This book struggled with a lot of overly familiar tropes and not knowing what genre it wanted to lean into.

It felt that the protagonist’s struggles were very clearly a mirror for the author.

Unfortunately, I felt very disconnected from this book.

Thank you to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Aspen is down in the dumps after another book she's written is not successful. If she doesn't pull off another bestseller, she going to need to re-think her career. Deciding to get out of the city, she drives to her sister's. Aspen is convinced that her heartbreak and grief at the loss of a relationship is what spurred her to write the bestseller. Brick is running a business that is failing. He doesn't have the money to renovate and revamp his business. Aspen somehow convinces him to be her fake boyfriend and she'll give him the money to reno. But, he has to break up with her so she can write the next bestseller. Neither one expects to fall in love. Being together was so much better than being apart. These two characters needed each other to push themselves to try new things, to take risks, to dive into something they loved. They encouraged each other and had great camaraderie that turned into so much more.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Jennifer Probst’s Book of the Month is a contemporary rom com about a writer, Aspen Lourde, who wrote a smash hit, Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, based on her own breakup with an ex who left her at the altar. Years later, Aspen finds herself in a rut with her writing. Her new books are not selling because they lack the emotion and depth of her first book. To give her fans and the publishers what they want, Aspen decides to leave New York City for the summer and travel to the Outer Banks for some inspiration. While there, she concocts a plan. She is going to ask the local heartthrob, Brick Babel, to date her and ditch her. Then she can finally write another impassioned best seller that will have her readers lining up for her books again.

Brick is a local tour guide who inherited his grandfather’s run-down business. When Aspen propositions him with a summer of swoon and spice in exchange for a hefty sum of money, he feels like he can’t refuse. This is exactly what he needs to save Ziggy’s Tours and keep himself afloat financially. He takes the money and turns on the charm. Time to break some hearts.

What I liked about this book:

Great setting and side characters: We get a big-city-to-beach-town vibe in this book with classic small-town characters to match. Plus, there are wild horses, baby sea turtles, and all-night picnics on the beach. It is a perfect setting for romance.
The spice: Brick and Aspen get into the fake dating game and seduction is definitely on the table. Brick coaxes Aspen out of her shell and they have a lot of *ahem* fun together. He gives her plenty to write about in her new book.
However, I just couldn’t get totally into Book of the Month. The pace was slow. The dialogue between Brick and Aspen was a bit clunky. It was difficult for me to buy into the building chemistry between them. In some instances, it almost felt like the fourth wall broke as the author was trying to describe the world of publishing and book promotion through Aspen’s point of view. For example:

Curiosity lit his eyes. “Was there a book club or influencer that made the difference in it going viral?”

She smiled. “I like to say it was the perfect storm, where every good review or shout-out counted, but there were certain influencers who were next level. For example, @jens_toweringtbr, @2babesandabookshelf, @secretreadinglife, @megsbookclub, and @nurse_bookie created videos that made readers want to click.”

Did I just read a not-so-subtle shout-out from the author to her own favorite influencers? Even if fictional, this exchange yanked me right out of the story.

I also wished for a more developed backstory for Brick. I liked him as an MMC. He is spicy and sweet. Yet when we got to the point in the story where the reader learns if Brick is truly deserving of his reputation as a heartbreaker, I felt Probst’s explanation fell flat.

While Book of the Month may not have been the right read for me at this moment, I’m glad to have been introduced to Probst’s writing and spend some time with the characters on the shores of the Outer Banks.

I was straddling the line of loving this book and hating this book lol
Some parts were pretty cringe and the FMC reeked of desperation ... it was not appealing. Brick was a decent MMC, but I was put off by how much they discussed him in reference to hookups (or lack of).
The summer romance idea was nice, though wish the execution could have been a little better. felt this one dragged a bit too much for my liking.

I had a hard time buying into the premise of this book at first, but quickly fell hard to the characters, and was desperately rooting for Aspen & Brick.

Aspen is a best-selling author struggling to come up with a story her readers will love again. Brick is a jaded bachelor with a crumbling family business he's working on bringing back to life. The two meet and agree to an interesting deal that will work for both of them.

Set in the Outer Banks, this is a great summer love story, with just the right amount of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review

This is a book about Aspen Lourde, a best selling romantic author living in New York. She is an author and is suffering from writer's block. She goes to spend time with her sister who lives at the beach in hopes that it will inspire her to write another best selling book She then crosses paths with Brick Babel, one of the most talked about town bachelor. Sparks start to fly. Aspen gives Brick an offer he can't refuse and the fake dating relationship begins. But what starts out as fake suddenly turns real.
This book is heart warming and packed with lots of emotion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this advanced copy.

I give it a 3.5 stares

A book about books.... yes please!
A wonderfully written, captivating read, with a storyline I easily lost myself within.