I struggled with getting through this. Aspen heads to her sister's house at the Outer Banks to try to recover the magic of her first book after two flops. She decides she needs to enter an agreement with the town hot single heartbreaker - she pays for his business upgrades, and he gets her to fall for him and then breaks her heart.
Sounds to me like a recipe for disaster, but I wanted to see how it played out. Brick hot a bad reputation from the town, so he's not the playboy he was made out to be. Aspen is so convinced in her ways and fairly unaware, so she deliberately makes choices that don't lead to happiness and fulfillment.
The love scenes were a bit awkward. I did love how Aspen had such a big heart to make friends with everyone and help them, and how she stood up for Brick. And I do want to read book 2 - I'm intrigued by what happened with Kane and Sierra.

Any book that takes place in the OBX is one that automatically catches my eye and this was no exception. The author gave great descriptions of the Carolina shore that had the beachfront calling me back there to my favorite spot. There were many places she referred to that I have been so that was fun! The community engagement brought some lightness to what could have been a heavy story. The backup characters also helped to keep it from being too heavy as well.
The male lead Brick, was a gruff hunk who was hiding a tender teddy bear side behind his angry mask. He made the story enjoyable and believable. This was part romantic comedy and part steamy romance and it struck the right balance for me.
The female lead, Aspen, was kind of hard to like in the beginning, but I warmed up to her as the story progressed.
This was my first by this author and I will definitely be looking for more by her in the future.
Thanks to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Aspen is a writer who had the unbelievable luck of writing a bestselling novel right out of the gate. Her readers flock to her signings…but all they are interested in is that first novel. Even though Aspen knows her next one is technically better, it doesn’t have the power of the first one, and no one is buying it.
The trouble is, that first novel came from her own heart… her own agony and he own breakup. She created a character that so many related to, that’s what they want to read. But Aspen got over that heartbreak, and now her writing has lost its spark. And the deadline for her next book, the one she has to succeed with, looms.
Convinced by her agent to get out of the city, Aspen heads to the Outer Banks to spend time with her sister and let the beauty of the beach nurture her muse. Along the way, she determines that the only way to get her mojo back is to fall in love and get her heart broken … again. Then she meets breathtaking Brick Babel, the local bad boy.
This was a different kind of romance, with the pitfalls of novel writing, the fragile environment of the Outer Banks and dealing with emotional fallout of both past heartbreak and reputations. Anyone interested in writing will find it fascinating and may want to take notes! But the writing is great, and I was thrilled to learn that there is another book following this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the introduction to Jennifer Probst’s work. Book of the Month was released October 22, 2024.

Fake dating has become a new favorite trope of mine so I was really excited to ump into Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst. While I found Aspen a bit annoying throughout the entire book, I really enjoyed Brick's character. The times where I enjoyed Aspen the most were when she was with her sister, Probst did a great job at writing their sister relationship. The ending was a bit too predictable for me, but it did get to where it needed to go so props for that. This was my first Probst book and I'd definitely read another one.

Thank you Blue Box Press for the gifted copy.

What a fun read! The characters and the plot were fresh, exciting and relatable. Exactly what I needed!

Fake dating is one of my more favorite tropes. You are always guaranteed to have buildup and tension between the characters. That being said, I was surprised with the spice level! This was a fun, quick easy read!

Fake dating is probably the trope I have the hardest time taking seriously. It has to be done really well for me to like it. Book of the Month has fake dating and it’s done ok. Brock gets money for his business and Aspen demands he breaks her heart so she can write another mega hit book. It’s a very strange agreement.

Once I got past the agreement I liked the book. None of the characters are perfect and the conflicts are kept within a reasonable amount of drama and get resolved and a way that feels nice.

I have enjoyed the author’s books set in Italy and was intrigued by the title of this one. I’m not a spicy romance fan, but I did enjoy the story overall. I’m clearly not the target audience,

This novel follows famous writer Aspen Lourde as she struggles to reclaim the popularity of her first novel. Readers love it so much that her follow up books aren’t hitting the same. Aspen decides to head back home to the Outer Banks to try to spark/recreate the same magic she had when she was writing her first book but that also involves getting her heart broken.

This was my first time reading Jennifer Probst and every time I picked up this book it was so hard to put back down! I loved this book, the story and the characters were so strong that I wanted to know what happened next. I loved the concept of this viral writer trying to navigate how to recreate that magic and then also figuring out so much more about herself as well. It didn’t feel like a lot of other romance type novels there were very predictable. Some romance stories fail at building the very real characters around the main characters but this one doesn’t. So many of the supporting characters are also relatable and stand on their own in the context of the story. It felt well rounded and I was wanting to read more. The end teased another book which I am excited for!

This was a quick, easy read! I loved the storyline & character development, however it was a little too much spice for my personal taste. Overall, a great read!

I prefer my books to be closed door romance stories. Nothing against the author, but I did not complete this book because it was past my spicy level of comfort!

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a unique read that didn’t quite capture my attention. There were parts that made me laugh and that was mainly the banter between Brick and Aspen. Their relationship journey and back and forth was off the charts.

I loved the ending so it bumped up my rating to 3.75 stars. I would definitely try this author again.

This book hits the mark for a fun, spicy read! The chemistry between the characters is off the charts, and Probst really knows how to bring the heat—seriously, this book is steamy! But it’s not all just spice; there’s plenty of heart in the story too, with themes of trust and personal growth woven in. If you’re looking for a romance that’s equal parts fun and fiery, this one’s a great pick!

This was fun. I vacation in Corolla so I could so clearly picture all of the locations. I loved how descriptive the writing was. I love a grumpy, scorned by love misunderstood MC, so Brick was fun. (although calling him Brick took some convincing). Phew I was not prepared for the spice tho. Still loved it. I actually felt invested, usually with a contract style scenario I get annoyed, but this was fun!

Aspen's bestselling book has become impossible to follow. She wrote it after a horrible breakup and now that her next book is due, she's out of inspiration. She decides to take a trip to the Outer Banks for the summer looking for a new muse. Brick Babel is hot, grumpy, and not looking for anything serious. He's perfect for her project but he refuses her at every turn. She's not above a good bribe however and offers to rescue his failing business if he'll fake date then break up with her. But as the summer goes on and the things start feeling too real, Aspen has to decide what's really important.
This was a sweet grumpy sunshine book about books, the perfect weekend escape for me. Aspen seemed a bit flaky through most of the story, but I did start to like her toward the end and I felt sorry for Brick and his situation. They have a great HEA ending however.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

En bref, j'ai beaucoup aimé Aspen et Brick, ils se battent pour atteindre leurs objectifs même si parfois ils ont aussi besoin d'un petit coup de pouce et j'ai aimé la construction de l'intrigue autour de leurs vies qui partent un peu à vau l'eau. Les événements s'enchainent, les personnages secondaires ont leur importance et j'ai adoré faire la connaissance de certains. L'intrigue est sans grande surprise mais j'étais quand même curieuse de voir comment ils allaient pouvoir se sortir de leurs ennuis. Le final répond à nos attentes et c'est avec le sourire que l'on referme cette aventure. Curieuse de lire le prochain, surtout vu les personnages concernés...

I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book, it’s so beautiful! The setting of this book takes place in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A struggling author travels to the Outer Banks and embarks on a fake relationship to find inspiration for her next novel. There are sea turtles and wild horses and a slow burn relationship as the fake relationship starts to become more real. I laughed, cried and just really enjoyed reading this story.

I loved Book of the Month although there were parts of the story that I didn't love as much as I would have liked to. Part of it made me emotional and had me laughing and crying.. Overall I loved it more than I didn't, that's why I still gave it 5 stars. I definitely had a love/hate relationship with Aspen, the FMC, especially once she got Brick, the MMC, to agree to her drunken plan to fake date and then break-up so she could write her book from a broken heart. I found her character to be a bit annoying at times. Loved Brick, especially after he agreed to the deal, and his dog, Dug. Perfect for a light and quick summer read. This is my first book read by Jennifer Probst and I can't wait to read about her sister, Sierra's story. Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a quick, easy, fun read! I loved the storyline (bookish author meets the Bachelor). Fun story to read when you are in a reading slump!

This was an enjoyable read with a great setting and fun characters. I also found the story to be unique from others which is a big plus in my book. Overall good book and worth reading.