Wonderful and entertaining. Easy-to-read writing style with adorable characters makes it a lovely book. Aspen and Brick both are so good together and their banter, chemistry and romance with lots of sweet moments are the highlight of the book. Love to read a book about writing a book. If you are looking for a fun, cozy and relaxing read, it's recommended. Thanks a lot to @Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I found the plot of the book interesting, but I disliked the characters. Both Aspen and Brick were annoying, which led to my disappointment. I wanted to enjoy the book, but it fell flat for me.

This book was a welcome surprise. I seriously love this author, her books that are set in Italy are some of my favorite reads, so now we're moving to the East Coast!

Brick and Aspen are definitely two unlikely people to get together, but boy when they do it's something special. I loved everything about this book. You tend to wonder when authors write books about being an author how true to fact their difficulties are, I'd tend to think the struggles are real, which makes this book even more interesting in parts. Loved the characters alot! Dug was hysterical, you didn't want to like Maleficent but in the end you really did, Marco and the boys, (OMG the brownies), the Bad Ass Bitches Club, and the horses and baby turtles just brought this amazing story together like this author tends to do. Very well written, very entertaining, and I loved the ending. Really looking forward to Sierra and Riley's story next year!!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

This is an interesting spin on a plot, fake relationship wrapped up in a breakup to be used in a story.

Brick is like the mythical creature of the OBX. The unattainable sexy <insert random profession> who can deliver unbelievable pleasure. Who doesn't want to sign up for a big helping? Only predicament is that it is built on mostly exaggerated scenarios, but it adds to his mystery. Yet he agrees to the totally insane plan because he's desperate. Only the outcome is not what he planned (of course).

If you weren't screaming at your book version of choice during parts of this book, did you enjoy it fully? Honestly, Aspen is great at giving advice and total crap at taking it. She was clearly miserable trying to recreate her past success, but stubborn and determined to proceed despite the damage she left behind.

I'll be honest I put the book down several times, it was slow at places and I never really connected with Aspen and wish Brick showed his true self to more people earlier on.

This is a summer read and in a way it was kinda nice going back for a glimpse during this fall season.
I enjoyed all the author fourth wall discussion and the third person narrative. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance in third person, and if I have I don’t remember. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought, it fit the characters and theme.
I enjoyed the fake dating, it’s a trope I’ll always love, and I cared how their love blossomed.
I also really liked that that relationship itself had open communication all the way through and it was mature, particularly from one character.
The secondary characters were also entertaining and made the read fun. It was an enjoyable read.

I did have some issues with it though. The setting itself had some nice imagery at moments but it did lack sometime. I saw the house and the beach and the bar, but everything else felt blank. I would’ve loved to see more of the town in detail because this town is a big part of what the series is. This town is what makes people stay or leave or change. The town is its own character and it lacked. Maybe I’m nitpicky but that’s how it felt. There were also some moments that felt rushed, and too on the nose.

But i still enjoyed it! That’s why it’s a four star. Will I continue the series? Maybe. I’m curious. 😌

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aspen is a novelist trying to make book 3 into a Bestseller. Will she, or is she one hit wonder. or will a new romance stand in her way.

Pick up your copy to find out Apsen future.

"Book of the Month" by Jennifer Probst is a total page-turner! It’s a grumpy/sunshine, fake dating romance that I couldn’t get enough of. Aspen, fresh off her best-selling debut, which was written from her heartbreak after a messy breakup, is totally stuck with writer’s block. She heads to the Outer Banks for the summer, hoping the change of scenery will kick-start her creativity. Enter Brick, the town’s most eligible bachelor and heartbreaker. The chemistry between them is instant, and Aspen convinces him to play along in a fake relationship—with some pretty strict rules. But of course, things get complicated fast. With plenty of twists and a hilarious supporting cast, this book is the perfect, fun read!

Thank you @authorjenniferprobst @1001darknights_blueboxpress @getredpr for the #gifted book and gift. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you @netgalley and Blue Box Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun and light read. Fake dating. Small town romance. Grumpy sunshine. It also had the infamous third act break up and miscommunication—-two of my least favorite tropes. Open door romance—though I prefer closed.

The FMC is an author who basically has writers block. She decides to visit her visit in the OBX and decides to have a summer romance with the intent of having her heart broken so she could write a novel with strong emotions. The premise was unique I like that; even if it was a bit unbelievable. I was not a fan of the FMC’s decisions and assuming so much.

Overall, it’s a cute beach read. There’s going to be a book with two side characters (who I actually prefer over the FMC and MMC) from Book of the Month. I’m invested now and will read the next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars!!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time connecting with our narrator. I absolutely love the Outer Banks and was very excited to read this book, however, the main character just came off as a bit whiny for me and it just ended up putting me off from really caring about the story.

Aspen Lourde wrote a bestseller when she poured her heartbreak onto the page. Now, her readers are only interested in a sequel to that book and her career is in trouble if she can't find the headspace to write another book like it. A plan to stay with her sister in the small town she calls home gives her a chance to do it with the resident 'bad boy' Brick Babel, except Brick isn't the man the rumors make him out to be and what starts as fake quickly turns into so much more. Will Aspen choose her career over the possibility of so much more with Brick?

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because it's really well written but it was honestly a little bit boring in its predictability. I'm not going to go into details because I did enjoy how Probst set things up, just know that if you've read a small-town contemporary romance in the last five years, you've read this one. Even the surprise setup for the next book's couple was easy to figure out as soon as the second character was introduced.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the read!

This is a fun one!

She is an author with writer’s block…she thinks her formula for a best seller is to have her heart broken. It’s worked in the past and she’ll try anything to get her creativity going again.

He has inherited a tour guide company on OBX that is headed straight to bankruptcy. If he doesn’t get a plan for cash flow, his dream of a successful company is over.

She has a plan…she pays him to break her heart…then they both get what they want. She gets a story and he gets to keep his business.

Let the fake dating begin!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC! I recommend it for sure.

Loved the ending.
I wanted to read this book because it’s set in North Carolina on the Outer Banks (OBX) and touches on the wild horses located around Corolla. After visiting the area, I am familiar with both the location and the horses. Both were treated accurately. Our two main characters are Aspen Lourde, a writer of one best selling fiction book that was based on her breakup with her boyfriend, and Brick Babel who has returned to the OBX to run a horse tours business he’s inherited from his grandfather. Side characters include Aspen’s sister Sierra who lives on the Outer Banks, and Brick’s best friend Kane who arrives late in the story, along with others who provide interest and color. Aspen is desperately trying to write a follow-up to her first book using the plot of a fake boyfriend, which turns into real feelings and then a break-up.
While the writing is excellent, the middle part of the book dragged for me. It seemed to repeatedly cover the same themes, with Aspen becoming more and more desperate to write the follow up to her first best seller. A plus is that Brick is also given a voice which I find lacking in other books. Knowing more about his history and his thoughts did add to this slow part. Once the plot has moved to the last quarter of the book the story picks up and brought me back into the story, and the ending is excellent.
Both main characters are well developed, maybe Aspen to much so, and the secondary characters detailed enough for the reader to care about them also. Along with a dog, who plays an important part, the parts about the horses ring true to their existence on the Outer Banks. This would have been a 5 Star read for me, except for the middle, which slowed down the story. I like Jennifer Probst’s writing and have already found the next book by her to read. And hopefully, she’ll write more set in the OBX.
I was given and ARC of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Book of the Month by @authorjenniferprobst

Thank you Jennifer and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was a great romcom pallet cleanser in between my fall fantasy books! It’s been a minute since I read a romcom so I was so happy to be back.

Struggling author Aspen moves to OBX for the summer to stay with her sister. She meets sexy heartbreaker Brick and decides he is just what she needs to get on track.

She agrees to help his business if he will break her heart so she can write another hit book.

Was this predictable, yes…was I mad about it…absolutely not! I liked their relationship, it was fun and light and sexy.

If you like:
Small town
Misunderstood MMC
Wildlife
Fake Dating
Love Deadline
Fun Side Characters

Give this one a try! Book of the month is out NOW and Audiobook is also available!

#bookofthemonth #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bookreview #arc #advancedreaderscopy #romcom #romcombooks #bookstagram #books #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookrecommendations #booklover #bookaddict

3.75 ⭐️

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. First of all I love books about books and this book takes place on the Outer Banks of NC which is one of my favorite places!

This book follows Aspen, she is an author who had viral success with her debut novel and her last 2 books were not successful at the same level. Now she is desperate to write a best seller, but when she wrote her debut novel she was heartbroken and that is what fueled her book. She decides she needs a change of scenery and moves to NC for the summer to live with her sister. There she meets Brick, the playboy of the small town who has a reputation as a heartbreaker. Aspen decides Brick is exactly what she ;needs to get back to the success of her first book. She needs Brick to break her heart.

I loved Brick in this book. I loved his grumpiness and the guard he had up. I even enjoyed the ridiculous rumors about him, even though it was actually horrible for him. But they were so crazy it was amazing people actually believed them. Once Aspen got to know him, she was really able to discover who the true Brick was. He was kind and supportive and so very sweet. I know I would've fallen for him.

I had a bit of a harder time liking Aspen, she was really chasing the fame instead of writing what she wanted or was comfortable with. She didn't really seem to like writing during parts of this book. I did grow to like her character more as the book went on. I loved how she started to make friends in this small town, she helped people and she worked with Brick to help him with his business.

I did not like the third act conflict, but it goes back to the way I felt about Aspen in the beginning, her reasons for the conflict were really selfish and it kind of made me angry. The author did bring it back at the end and I was satisfied with how it ended.

I will also say this took me a minute to get into because it was told in third person and that always takes me longer to get into a book, but that is a personal issue. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the romance between Brick and Aspen, and I loved Brick's character. There were parts of this book that were really funny, and it was surprisingly spicy. I also loved the setting and made me wish for summer days on the Outer Banks.

I am putting this down at 50% because I found myself skimming for the majority of what I have read so far. It is just not for me, though I hope it finds its audience.
It has elements that would appeal to me, such as the little nods to Disney characters and the main character being an author. However, the Disney references were so random that it took me out of the story and the main character was a bit insufferable so it didn't really matter what her occupation was. She felt very immature for her age and life experience. Also, the two main characters were instantly lusting after each other, which is not necessarily a bad thing but they also had a weird dynamic that didn't feel genuine.
I liked the setting on a coastal island with wild horses, the tour company element could be a fun way to set up more scenes, and if there was more to the Disney touches other than random names I would have ate that up.
Not for me, but I would still recommend this to someone looking for a lusty summer beach read.

Book of the Month has so many things I love in a book – stories about authors and writing, the Outer Banks, specifically Corolla (which is one of my favorite places in the world), and a small town filled with quirky characters.

I loved the plot. I love a good fake dating-ish story. Brick and Aspen had amazing chemistry and they both had previous experiences that were affecting them greatly.

While Aspen drove me a little crazy with some of her decisions, I enjoyed seeing her growth and healing at the end of this book. Her past was definitely affecting her and I felt really proud of her for overcoming that. I did get frustrated with the back and forth at the end.

Aspen’s first book is a best seller. But her second and third book leave a lot to be desired. She feels the pressure to write another hit. She comes up with a plan to fall in love and have her heart broken. Enter Brick, he has a reputation as a heartbreaker. They make a deal, and the outcome isn’t exactly what they had planned.

I love books about books and writers, so I jumped to read this. While I loved a glimpse into the writing process and Aspen’s dilemma, I found the character’s solution shallow. I really had a hard time getting on board with it. Too much in this book was unbelievable. A totally made up support group? Paying to have your heart broken? Totally understand writing what you know, but I have too much respect for writers to believe this. This had a little more spice then I usually read, so I can’t comment to the exact level. I did find it annoying that certain words or actions were repeated throughout. I bought into the friendship between Aspen and Brick more so than the relationship. I did enjoy the OBX location and the sister relationship. The book sets you up for the sequel. While the plot didn’t work for me, I did enjoy the writing and character development and would give this author another try.

Thanks to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

This book was absolutely so fun! I adored it. Fake dating (but also… real??) turns into feelings… excellent dialogue, great characters… I could go on and on…

I didn’t love the “support group” - the only reason this lost a star. Otherwise, fabulous read.

I found the book to be an entertaining romance. While Aspen's reasons for starting the romance with Brick was unusual, their connection was very real. I found the story a little slow to start, but I became invested in their relationship and knowing how it would work out. I enjoyed the story more with each chapter. I liked the supporting characters and am interested in what is in store for Aspen's sister. There were plenty of laughs and lots of emotions through the story. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The beginning of the book was slow. It took me a while to get into, I almost DNF'D. This book was very predictable and over the top, pretty much too perfect. I think so much time was spent on building Brick's business, and not enough time was spent on the other characters. I would have loved more about Aspen's and the "arch nemesis", especially their conversation and when she was supposed to go to her office, but we never got the rest of the story there. I didn't find the romance between the main characters believable. It felt over the top, and in the end, it was too perfect.