Aspen and Brick are single people in town and she strikes up a deal with him. They both get something out of the deal but they definitely get more than they bargained for! The chemistry between them is off the charts and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop once all the cards were on the table. No pressure! I really enjoyed this read.

**Review of *Book of the Month* by Jennifer Probst**

Jennifer Probst's *Book of the Month* is a delightful and engaging read that beautifully blends romance and self-discovery against the stunning backdrop of the Outer Banks. The story follows Aspen Lourde, a once-celebrated author struggling to replicate her previous success. As she grapples with writer's block and the pressure of expectations, she embarks on a summer adventure that promises not only inspiration but also a chance to find herself.

Aspen's quest for a new bestseller leads her to the enigmatic Brick Babel, a local heartthrob whose wild reputation makes him the perfect muse. Their initial arrangement—a fake summer romance—sets the stage for an entertaining exploration of love, vulnerability, and the fine line between fiction and reality. Probst masterfully captures the tension and chemistry between Aspen and Brick, creating a dynamic that keeps readers invested in their journey.

The writing is sharp and witty, with Probst’s trademark humor shining through. Aspen's determination to chase her next big story, even at the risk of her heart, adds a layer of complexity to her character that is both relatable and inspiring. As the plot unfolds, the stakes rise, and the characters must confront their own feelings and fears, leading to poignant moments of growth and revelation.

What I particularly loved about *Book of the Month* is how it transcends the typical romance narrative. It’s not just about finding love; it’s about understanding oneself and embracing the unpredictable twists of life. The themes of identity and resilience resonate deeply, making this book not only entertaining but also thought-provoking.

Overall, *Book of the Month* is a charming, heartfelt read that will leave you laughing, swooning, and contemplating your own story. Jennifer Probst has created a captivating tale that celebrates love in all its forms while reminding us that sometimes the best stories come from the unexpected chapters of our lives. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a refreshing romance with depth and warmth!

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
#romcom 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Great banter. Great characters. Even the supporting characters are great. This looks like it's going to be a series bc JP is already working on what looks to be focused on the sister of this FMC, Aspen. Yes, most of the characters have no traditional names in this book. But at least they are easy to pronounce, unlike fantasy names. Lol.

This book is about Aspen and Brick. They have a deal that he will make her fall in love with him and then break it off to break her heart. So she can write her next best selling book. YES, this premise is a bit ridiculous, thus why it lost a 1/2⭐ from me. But this is a romcom. So we all know it's doable. 😂 BUT we also all know how this one is going to turn out. Predictable. And I can't usually predict stories well. Bye-bye to another 1/2⭐.

ALL OF THAT SAID... this surprisingly spicy book was really great! Loved the dialogue. The side stories that we know will someday be their own main stories. And funny thing is that there are lots of great ideas for marketing a business in this book. I will definitely choose another book by JP!

#blueboxpress #netgalley
#bookofthemonth #jenniferprobst

This one was an unexpected surprise, and now I’m most definitely a fan! It’s my first book by this author. Now I’m looking for more!

Aspen is a writer, a successful one by any yardstick, but now she’s chasing her next bestseller. Her first book was a huge hit, and she followed it with two more novels that were well-written, but they seemed to fall flat. When she goes to her book signings, the readers are asking for a sequel to the first offering. Her agent, her editor, her publisher are all encouraging, pushing, and pressuring her for the same thing. In desperation she leaves her apartment in New York City and goes to stay with her sister who lives in the Outer Banks. She devises a plan that she believes will lead her to be able to have the heart necessary to pen a sequel that will satisfy everyone, especially her self, but it involves getting her heart broken. She thinks she can endure this, but oh boy! She bites off more than she can chew.

This covers so much growth, experience, hurt, and love! I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s a tale that I loved and Aspen is a very endearing character. There’s a small plot line about another endeavor that I really liked and a teaser for another book featuring Sierra, the sister.

Can you tell I loved it? 4.5 stars! Highly recommend!

A great story by Jennifer Probst! I couldn’t stop reading once I started. I enjoyed these characters and going on their journey.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Book of the Month had all the elements I usually love: it’s a book about books, dives into the publishing world, has a fake dating trope, and explores themes of grief for both main characters. On paper, this should have been a win for me. But in execution, it felt more like a Hallmark version of what it could have been. The story touched on their grief and struggles, but it didn’t go as deep emotionally as I’d hoped, and everything seemed to fall into place a bit too easily.

Aspen and Brick were likable characters, and I enjoyed the premise of their staged romance, but their connection felt rushed, and the romance didn’t have the emotional depth to make it feel truly real. For readers who enjoy light, feel-good romances, this book could be a great fit. For me, it was an entertaining read, but I found myself wanting more complexity and depth to fully connect with the story.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I honestly did not like the main character, Aspen, and the lengths she would go for her next novel.

I would have much rather had the entire story in Brick's perspective, as I found him endearing and likable.

As a big fan of books centered on authors, I was thrilled to dive into this one. With a struggling writer, a picturesque North Carolina beach town, and a charming local trying to save his family business, it seemed to have all the right ingredients. And there were some standout elements—I really enjoyed the male main character (Brick) and the delightful business owners next door.

However, the story didn’t quite deliver as I’d hoped. I found it difficult to connect with the female main character (Aspen) and struggled to understand her motivations. The premise of her needing to live out every fictional situation before she could write about it felt like it undervalued the role of imagination in the creative process, making her actions feel forced. There seemed to be a dozen ways she could have solved her problem that didn’t involve hiring someone to break her heart. Additionally, a few plot points felt unresolved, leaving loose ends that left me wanting a more cohesive ending.

While there were some enjoyable aspects, I ultimately finished this book feeling underwhelmed.

Aspen needs to write a sequel to her best selling novel Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover - quick! So she hires the local bad boy, Brick to be her muse. Lots of witty banter and plenty of spice lead to love and now Aspen has to make a choice…love or her book. Really enjoyed this story and all the characters. Set in Outer Banks the connection with nature felt real.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a reader I love anything with a reader or author. Seriously it feels so right.

This was my first book by Probst and I really enjoyed it. The author did a great job with descriptions and details of the setting. I felt like I was in The Outer Banks (minus John B). I love any romance story with a sense of community which this one contained!

I am not a fan of the FMC. She just gave me the ick, but we love Brick.

This was a fun! It was nice to keep it sunny and summery while it gets cold outside. I think the setting really is the best, and she was great at describing it, making it feel like a character on its own.
The story was sweet and spicy, funny and heartfelt. It was the perfect summer read, or book to keep you warm for the upcoming winter!

This was a delightful read and now I want to go to the Outer Banks and see some sea turtles hatch. Brick and Aspen are great characters with a fantastic cast of secondary characters to provide some laughs. How can fake dating ever go wrong? My only question is, did he pay the money back because he broke the rules.

Jennifer Probst's "Book of the Month" is a captivating romance novel that follows the story of two strangers who are brought together by fate. As they navigate through unexpected challenges and confront their pasts, they discover a deep connection that transcends time and space.

The author skillfully weaves together themes of love, redemption, and second chances, creating a touching and heartfelt narrative that will resonate with readers. Probst's vivid descriptions and well-developed characters make it easy to immerse oneself in the story and become emotionally invested in their journey.

Overall, "Book of the Month" is a beautifully written and emotionally engaging novel that explores the complexities of human relationships and the power of love to heal and transform. It is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance and those looking for a heartwarming and uplifting story.

Book of the Month is a summer rom-com that takes place in OBX. Aspen Lourde is desperate for another bestseller and terrified of becoming a one book wonder. Though she’s published other books since her debut they have not had the same success. In a final Hail Mary attempt to recapture that first book magic she decides she must get her heartbroken again to tap into those emotions that led to the success of her debut.

Aspen heads to OBX to visit her sister for the summer and she soon meets the town bad boy, the ultimate heartbreaker. She convinces him to enter into a contract with her to break her heart but along the way their emotions start to take over.

This was adorable and I loved the characters, love story and setting. Thank you to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for my copy; all opinions are my own. Out now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blue Box Press, and Jennifer Probst for providing this advance reader copy (ARC) of the book. My honest review is below.

I have a headache. Trying to like a book because you like the authors previous work is exhausting. I've picked it up and put it down several times and just can't get into the characters. I don't find Aspen likeable, she's a neurotic mess with no discernable moral compass. Her pursuit of Brick as a way to get a book out of a relationship is bad, that she wants a bad relationship is worse. Brick may be handsome but he's not likeable either. Surly and disinterested in most things going on around him and he's not nice to his dog. How these two characters are supposed to come out smelling like roses is a mystery. I skipped to the end to see if I was just being picky but no, it's a cliché that doesn't ring true. My opinion is the book is a mess from page one.

#BookoftheMonth #NetGalley #JenniferProbst #BlueBoxPress

What a fun book. I had a good time. I enjoyed the setting and really could picture OBX. Fake dating and romance. Definitely a quick read.

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.