What a unique twist on romance meet-cutes. I enjoyed the characters and the story quite a bit.

Aspen is going about this all wrong. She's convinced that the only way to get another best seller is to get her heart crushed again. That's how she got the really genuine feels in her first book. Her second and third books got good critical reviews but failed to sell well. She's made a lot of money off the first book and the movie rights so her motivation is for the acclaim of a successful book. To be recognized for her talent. To be validated as a writer. Brick has achieved fame as a heartbreaker. Gorgeous, he's easy for Aspen to be attracted to. Nice, he's even easier for Aspen to like him. He's the perfect guy to help Aspen get the intense emotions to make her next book gut wrenching. She strikes a deal with him to do just that and she'll help him with the funding he needs to really make his business take off. Brick is fascinated by Aspen. She's not like the girls who are spreading the rumors about him. She's also not chasing him. She's different. He takes her deal because he really does need the money. He considers it a loan even though Aspen doesn't want repayment. He's had an important career in the big city. He's a good businessman and a detailed plan of what the business needs to succeed is something he can easily do. He needs a few changes and to alter the way the public sees him and his business. And the wild horses. Aaah. They add lots of emotions for these two to share.

As the two work through Aspen's plan for their romance you know a real romance emerges and the two fall for each other even as Aspen tries to deny their ability to stay together, Brick knows what he wants long term. There's lots of stress and hard headedness to add to the book's tension and keep the reader engaged.

It was fun to watch Aspen very slowly work through her life issues. It's fun to watch Brick win her over. It's frustrating, in a good way, to watch them both struggle career wise. All making for a delicious story.. The HEA is especially; rewarding.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book but felt this premise was just too unbelievable. Aspen really made me crazy sometimes with her thinking about what she needed to write her book, it was incredibly obvious what the end game was going to be

Thank you for this eARC! When I first started this book, I was a bit nervous that I was going to be bored. But once the story picked up, IT PICKED UP!!!!!!! The chemistry between Aspen & Brick was FIRE!!!!!! The way he cared for her even though their relationship started as a "deal" for both was so cute! I loved that right off the bat when they agreed to this "deal" Brick was all in! He treated her like a real girlfriend from that moment on and he took care of her just like a boyfriend should. Plus their sexual tension was everything!!!! I enjoyed the ending and how the whole thing came together! Can't wait to read The Reluctant Flight (coming June 10, 2025).

Cute story about a best selling author, Aspen, who fears she is a one time wonder. To get over writers block, she leaves NYC to visit her sister in the Outer Banks. Coming up with a crazy plan to bail Brick, a handsome local tour operator, out of his financial problems by pretending to start a relationship with her, and then break up with her to give her ideas for her book. However, things get out of control for both of them. There are a lot of appealing and funny secondary characters, like Aspen’s sister, Sierra, and a surfer dude named Marco. The book was okay, out of my usual genres. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

*I received this book free from Blue Box Press via NetGalley*

The first few chapters have little dialogue and spend most of the time wrapped up in Aspen’s head. To say it was a slow start is an understatement. However, it does eventually pick up, though there’s still a lot of time wrapped up in Aspen’s head.

Brick’s character is multi-leveled and was interesting to read, so where many of the others. I found myself cheering for the underdog, like the souvenir shop owners.

"Face with fiction, remember? No way I can kiss you like that without real feelings. Just like you can't write a great book without true emotion."

The unfriendly competition between Brick and Maleficent was odd at times, and how easily Aspen cleared it up was maybe a little too easy. Maleficent’s character just seems out of place to me, maybe a little too aggressive. 

The Brick Support Group was crazy. Those women were just plain sad and made me roll my eyes on several occasions. The only good part is when Aspen and her sister crash a meeting.

The overall storyline is good, but the journey felt forced and did not always mesh well.

So I've had this book for a while and have just been so busy that I couldn't read it, but oh my gosh, wow! It is definitely, for me, a medium speed read, which is a lot slower for me, but it had me able to absorb all of the details and the emotions that came with Aspen giving her story. The slow build of the relationship between Aspen and Brick (which are amazing names by the way) was wonderful, and I was so worried at the end BUT but she got her happy ending! And she rewrote the book of her life. That's great. It's such a great read, and I'm so excited to read the story of Kane and Sierra because WTF happened between those two. I'm intrigued!

In short, Aspen moves to OBX to be near her sister and have a summer break to reset her writer's block. She falls in love with the town hottie, who is reportedly a heartbreaker. Before I give any more of the book away, just go and read it!

This amazing book had it all! The beach, humor, fake dating, loveable characters and a great story. Loved the cute lines and witty banter. Aspen and Brick had a wonderful connection and chemistry. As always, a bit of chaos ensues but the happy ending arrives. I enjoyed every moment of this book. It was fun, interesting and had all the feels with just enough drama to be completely entertaining. 100% recommend!

Loved the storyline! I enjoyed every moment of Aspen and Brick's story, and the secondary characters were great. I can't wait to read Sierra and Kane's story next.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. I liked Aspen, Brick, and the whole host of side characters and I really enjoyed the Outer Banks/small town beach setting. The relationship between Aspen and her sister, Sierra, was a highlight of the whole book for me. I loved how they understood each other and were great sounding boards for the ups and downs and crazy decisions.

The chemistry and spice were really nice and there were a few funny moments as well. It was interesting to read about a lot of the ins and outs of a successful commercial author. I also loved the sea turtle part- those were some beautiful scenes.

My only real issue is with the overall premise. The fact that Aspen felt she couldn’t write another good book without getting her heart broken made me not trust her as a writer and therefore mistrust her entire personality. Brick’s reputation was also ridiculous. The support group was laughable and the fact that he didn’t correct anyone for over a year? Criminal. It made me think he needed therapy if he couldn’t be bothered to stand up for himself and was content to be a hermit. I was happy Aspen finally started working on her trauma and realized she could write without heartbreak but Brick chose the wrong moment to stand up for himself at the end. He chose his pride for like a whole month! I’m glad it all worked out but the characters really frustrated me a lot of the time. This is a couple I don’t see staying together without therapy! They both still have issues and the trust was broken between them and glossed over at the end.

I am excited to read the next book about Sierra and Bricks’ friend, Kane. There is definitely an interesting story there!

This was a fun new romance that I had a lot of fun with! Romance readers will love it! The romance is great. enjoyed the wit and back and forth between the characters

Aspen is a young writer that has a number 1 best seller. This book was written using the pain from a break-up which was full of raw emotion. Since Aspen's best seller she has written another book but seems to have lost that spark. She leaves NY to take a break and goes to NC to visit her sister, Sierra. What Aspen has in mind to write another book with that same raw emotion is crazy! Is it worth it to purposely harm yourself in order to find that same raw emotion she had writing her first book? She and her sister go to a bar so Aspen can pick up a man, she thinks finding a man will get her out of this slump and finds Brick, the known heartthrob of the town.

This book was a page turner for me because I couldn't wait to see how it all turns out. This is such a cute book I thoroughly enjoyed the story line and look forward to reading more of Jennifer Probst books. What I like so much about the book besides the story line is the description of the characters which brought this book to life.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by the story line of this book. I started reading it and the more I read I found I just could not connect or even care about Aspen or Brick. I needed a little bit of chemistry between them and never really got it. The book held my attention long enough to finish the book, but it is not one that is going to stick in my mind too long after finishing it.
Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Probst and Blue Box Press for the copy of Book of the Month. This is my personal review.

This was quite a story. First, Aspen and Brick have wonderful, unique first names, a small thing that I really appreciate in a novel. Aspen is a romance author who is suffering from writer's block, and decides the solution is to move somewhere else. She heads off to her sister's home in the Outer Banks (OBX, as I learned) in search of inspiration. She decides to try and replicate the circumstances of her best seller by having a summer affair that ends in heartbreak, and writing about it. I admit to suspending a lot of disbelief in thinking this was any sort of a good idea, but once the frame was set, the actual events of the situation made for a good read. The small Outer Banks town has a great collection of secondary characters: Aspen's sister Sierra, Brick's friend Kane, Judy of the sea turtle rescue group, and Maleficent, the owner/operator of Brick's competition. I loved that there were animal appearances that weren't just the typical "cozy" sort: Brick's dog Dug, the sea turtles, and of course the wild horses. The feelings of the story kept my attention, which kept me wondering how everything would pan out in the end. This was a creative tale that I truly enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing an ARC with me. I am happy to provide a review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance

Aspen is an author with one hit and 2 flops. Brick ‘s grandfather left him his jeep tour business that is falling apart. When Aspen comes into town to visit her sister she learns Brick has a heart breaker reputation. She concocts a plan to give money to Brick’s business if he makes her fall for him and break her heart. This heart break is supposed to help give her inspiration to write a best selling novel.

I loved the Disney references. He has a dog named Dug and his enemy’s name is Maleficent.

It is set up for a sequel with her sister.

This was such a charming book and I am grateful to have received a copy in order to share my view on it.

I liked the very creative theme, how likeable all characters were, even the mean ones! I liked the ever present animals, like in all Jennifer Probst' s books. Here the turtles and the wild horses' moments were written so, so beautiful! It all was so full of heart and emotions and a sort of real feel that made it all seem possible. But what I liked more than anything was how masterfully the story was crafted in order for Aspen and Brick to be so sincere and so open to one another right from the start.

There is so much heart and goodness here and the fact that this book hooked me up right from the beginning and kept me captivated up until the end is a rare thing. I loved reading this book and I can't wait for the next one in the series!

I enjoyed getting to know both Brick and Aspen through this story. Both characters were fully fleshed out and I could connect pretty well with them. I felt a little disconnected with their relationship, probably because it was supposed to be fake.
I did enjoy the ride and the ups and downs of the story as well as the awesome secondary characters
There's a bit of spice, but it's mostly story

Author Aspen Lourde is desperate for another best selling novel. Unfortunately her last bestseller was based on her own personal heartbreak. Spending the summer at her sisters home in the Outer Banks, Aspen hatches a plan to have a devastating romance. Enter local badboy Brick Babel who needs an influx of cash and agrees to faking a relationship for a loan. Sparks fly and there are no surprises here and although this story plot is totally implausible it was still a sweet and spicy telling.
The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel and I’m intrigued enough to continue.
Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press.

A writer looking for inspiration on her next book, hoping to become a bestseller again, Aspen goes to the beach to visit her sister and get inspired. Brick has a reputation, and that doesn't bother Aspen for what she's looking for in a summer romance. I thought this was a fun read, I enjoyed the writers perspective, of trying to please your readers for what they want, but having to do it your own way sometimes. Fun read, and I can't wait to hear about her sister in the next book.

This book was just okay for me.
I really liked all the side characters, the setting in OBX, the turtle scenes, the friendships, and the book signing situation had me laughing!
I appreciated Aspen’s honesty and straightforward personality, and Brick’s sweetness towards her. I was just incredibly bored/uninterested. It took me almost a month to read, and never really wanted to pick it up.
I do think other will enjoy it, but it just didn’t work for me.

I do look forward to Sierra’s story though! I’d read the next one just to get more from the side characters!

I had a rollicking good time with Jennifer Probst's BOOK OF THE MONTH. I'd never read a book by Probst before and throughout this spirited romp of a romantic story, nodded throughout at her descriptions of a beautiful town, relationships including the priceless and marvelous one between main character Aspen and her sister Sierra. Desperate to save her floundering author career, Aspen flees New York City to spend the summer with her sister. Needing a real-life heartbreak to fuel the emotion in her hail-Mary-pass manuscript, Aspen settles on misunderstood, too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good Brick with enormous money problems and unresolved business of his own. I enjoyed the encounters, the wild ponies, the easy pace and views into a part of the country I don't know and perspectives I felt privileged to share. As a bonus, I discovered a wonderful writer with a shelf of great reads to tear into. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.