Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This was a fun & quick easy read. Another perdictible rom com but I was invested in the characters & their outcomes. I'm looking forward to the next book coming out that explores the relationship between Sierra & Kane. I love it when there is a second book that delves into more of the characters. I'm curious to see how that develops.

I gave the book a 3.5 review based on the predictability and the crass words. I do enjoy the steamy scenes & have no problem reading those. However, I felt some of the word choices in those scenes were too crude.

2.5/5 stars

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early read in exchange for an honest review!*

I really enjoyed the characters in this book but I didn’t enjoy the last 100 pages or so, especially as it was so obvious that Brick and Aspen were going to end up together, so I found the conflict unnecessary. Also, the fact that Aspen refused to publish the sequel was fair as she didn’t want to hurt Brick’s feelings even more, but she then proceeded to publish it once they got back together which, again, I knew was coming and it just felt predictable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book of the Month follows Aspen Lourde, a bestselling author who can't quite reach the accalim of her debut novel. Her sophomore and junior novels are not selling well, and readers are not connecting with the material. Her first book was a raw, cathartic release after a terrible relationship and break-up, and she decides that she needs to go through that same experience again to replicate the magic of her first book.

Enter Brick-- the player of the Outer Banks, where Aspen is staying with her sister for the summer. Naturally, he is the perfect candidate to break her heart. She proposes that he dates her and breaks her heart by the end of the summer, and in return she will bankroll the rennovation of his grandfather's flailing touring company.

As the summer progresses, Aspen realizes Brick might not be who she thought he was--but can she write a bestseller without breaking her own heart?

I really loved this one! I would definitely recommend. 4/5

Overall, it was a decent read, a small-town romantic comedy. The story is about a writer who is desperate to write a best-seller like her first book but needs some inspirational heartbreak. She ends up using the town playboy for inspiration, and he was a much more interesting character compared to Aspen.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

Thank you Blue Box Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Book of the Month in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Aspen is a best selling New York author and doing everything she can to not be a one hit wonder. After the sensational success of her first novel, her second two books have been a flop, and she’s grasping at strings to make this next one a success. In hopes of breaking her writers block (and ultimately her heart), Aspen decides to spend her summer in the Outer Banks, where her older sister lives, looking for inspiration.

Aspen fears that what made her first book so successful was that it was written on the heels of absolute heartbreak. She poured her soul into that book and not only did it bring her back to life, but it made her an overnight success story. After one drunken night with her sister, Aspen decides that’s exactly what she needs again to make sure this book is a success. She needs to fall in love and then have her heart broken into a million pieces in order to write the next book of the month best seller.

Enter OBX’s moody, mystery town heartthrob: Brick (because of course that’s his name). Owner of a local tour company, Brick is a thing of legend around OBX for breaking hearts and not looking back. After much consideration, Aspen hones in on Brick for her summer heartbreak. Aspen gives Brick the money to renovate his struggling business and in turn, Brick makes her fall in love with him with the agreement to break her heart (how does no one see that this will not end well?). Over the course of the summer, Aspen and Brick take the plunge and unbeknownst to them, fall in love. Will Aspen be able to handle the heartbreak in order to write her next best novel. Or more importantly, is it even worth it??

In complete honesty, I thought the premise of the book was just stupid, putting it bluntly. The entire idea was a terrible idea and anyone with eyeballs and a brain could see how this was going to end. HOWEVER, I absolutely loved the connection that Brick and Aspen create over the summer. Their ability to be open and raw and build off each other’s encouragement and ideas only made them stronger. This book also sets up Aspen’s sister, Sierra, for her own book with Brick’s roommate and potential love interest, Kane (again, of course that’s his name).

In looking back over the book as a whole, despite the premise, I actually really, really enjoyed it. The writing was solid and the sex scenes were spicy. They had a real connection that was never forced and I loved watching Aspen come out of her shell. Her character is such a sweet soul and we’d all be so lucky to have a friend like Aspen (and a partner like Brick *cough*). I will absolutely pick up the next installment of this what I expect to be series!

Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC of this book.

I was looking for a super easy holiday read and that’s exactly what I got.

I really liked the characters in this book - both the MMC and FMC were likeable and there were some great secondary characters, like Marco, who really added to the story.

I do think the initial attraction could’ve been drawn out a bit more as it felt a little unrealistic with how fast it happened. I was also a little unsure about all the references to the literary world and author-isms at first, but grew used to this as the book went on.

Overall though, I did enjoy the story and do want to read Sierra and Kane’s story too.

Jennifer Probst is a new to me author and I wasn’t even halfway through the book before I was already queueing up her backlog of books. I LOVED this book and it will not be my last Jennifer Probst book that is for sure!

Aspen is a well-selled author who got popular after writing one book. Now her work is not-that-popular and she will do anything to jump back on the popularity wagon. Like everything, including her heart getting hurt all-over again. Is she that desperate to be willingly putting her own feelings at the stake?

Brick is a hot piece of a body and known heartthrob in a small village. His reputation is big, but not on the positive side. Everywhere he goes, there is one broken heart left. Is he the perfect match for Aspen, who just happens to need her heart to be broken?
It sounds like good plan. Like a good transaction, even.
But can you fake your feelings and try to not get involved? Is there something more to just a stories about an ass'hole who wants nothing from all the woman from his (and out of) town?
Is a bestselling book worth more than your own feelings?



<i> 'Just remember this, baby. I didn't break your heart. You broke mine'.</i>

I really enjoyed this one. I liked that it showed us the worse part of being a popular author - once you're on top, the pressure to stay right there and produce hit after hit is big. I always wanted to know that about authors - how do they feel after making a top-of-the-top book and then not being able to rise to their own expectations? Bookworld is hard. Like Aspen said, you never know if your work will be a top or flop, in a wordl with so many works being published daily, sometimes it only take a lucky shot to get on top of the lists. It was nice to see the real struggle of being a writer.

I really liked all the side characters and i would LOVE to see more of them (especially after reading the small peak into the second book), so i hope i will be able to snatch myself an ARC of another one. Now i want to move into a small town with house on the beach so i can also save some turtles and wild horses. Great.




<b>Thank you Jennifer and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book before its release!</b>

<i>PS: all of my opinions are my own</i>

I have a bit of a hate love thing going on for this book. I want to start by saying i did completely enjoy reading this book and reading it was definitely a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the writing style as well as the general plot! I think Aspen was quite relatable, and Brick likable.

However, i had a few "icks". The first one beind how the writer constant felt the need to describe Bricks masculinity. Another thing i had a small issue with was the insta-love happening, just because it didn't really make sense in this setting and just made me feel disconnected from the characters. So i think the story could have benefited a lot from a buildup instead of the insta-love.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was fun read and I did enjoy it however I struggled a bit getting attached to any of the characters and some of the conflicts felt very forced - third act breakups ugh. I did still finish it and had a good time plus I think others might like this more! Will be adding to our library.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

I had mixed feelings about this one. Aspen’s drive to replicate her success after Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover felt a bit too self-centered, and her sister Sierra only seemed to enable her. It was hard to relate to Aspen’s all-consuming ambition, especially with how it affected those around her.

On the other hand, Brick was such a solid character. I felt for him, especially with this line:
“Just remember this, baby. I didn’t break your heart… You broke mine.” 💔

In the end, things work out, but I struggled to get behind Aspen’s journey. Fans of Probst might still enjoy it!

I loved this book! From start to finish I had no idea what to expect and the storyline wasn’t predictable. It kept me on my toes! It was the perfect beach read!

I was really drawn in by the title and cover of this one. It brought Emily Henry’s Book a lovers to mind, and I love when the author and writing process is a part of a story.

However, I just could not find “the thing” about this book to keep me interested. The MMC is horrible when we first meet him- incredibly unlikeable and almost distracting from the plot because his bad attitude sticks out. By the end of the book, Brick was the only character I cared about. I found the FMC Aspen to be selfish and conceited. She was willing to pay someone to “love her” and break her heart so she could write a book. But she wasn’t willing to take feedback from her editor or publisher to make it happen. Just kinda seemed like a flawed plot.

This book could have done with some additional editing, especially in the second half of the novel. The secondary characters were enjoyable, although they spent a little too much time setting up the story of the next book in the series. The main characters of this book had enjoyable banter with each other, but their inner dialogues were repetitive and melodramatic. I also cringed at the use of words like swollen and impaled during romantic scenes. It's not horrible, but I don't think I would seek out the next in the series.

Really enjoyed this cute story I haven't read many fake dating books and eat them up every time I will admit I don't like when she does what she does and I don't like bricks ex but I do feel for the fact that she's having such a hard time connecting with her story.. this was such a short fun read and I can't wait to read the next one

Book of the Month
Jennifer Probst
Pub: 10/22/24
3.5-4☆

Blurb:
Once the literary world’s golden girl, Aspen Lourde can’t seem to produce another successful book, and the pressure’s on to prove she’s not just a one-hit-wonder. But there’s a catch: her bestseller was a heartbreak hit, straight from her own love life disaster. Without any fresh romantic turmoil to fuel her pen, Aspen needs inspiration quick enough to create a book her agent can sell to her publisher. So she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks with a plan to live a story worth writing.

Brick Babel is a romance novelist’s dream: a local heartthrob with a reputation as wild as the horses running free in the town. He’s everything Aspen needs for a muse kickstart—gorgeous, moody, and notoriously unattainable. His affairs are legendary in the small town, and every woman warns her off, including her sister.

Too bad a good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to meet her deadline.

But Brick refuses to play the game, rejecting all of her advances. When Aspen hears his tour company is on the verge of bankruptcy, she offers him a deal: fake a whirlwind summer romance, then ditch her, drama guaranteed.

Desperate to save his grandfather’s business, Brick agrees to the ridiculous deal. What starts as a contractual fling spirals out of control as lines blur and real feelings emerge. Brick’s falling hard, and Aspen’s rethinking her plot twist. The novel might be her ticket back to the top, but at what cost?

Because Aspen’s finally found her muse, but some stories may be too true to share.

My Thoughts:
If you’re in the mood for a funny summer romance about finding love and finding yourself, this will hit the spot. Overall it was an enjoyable read with a unique premise, a fantastic setting, and fun side characters.

What I enjoyed;
✨ Beach Town Setting
✨ Grumpy X Sunshine
✨ Baby Sea Turtles
✨ Dual POV
✨ Book Publishing Talk

Thank you NetGalley, Blue Box Press, and Get Red PR Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. .

This book was a very cute Summer beach read! I know exactly who I would recommend it to. I thought the story, while still using popular tropes, felt really fresh. I personally didn't love the 3rd act breakup and had a difficult time wrapping my head around WHY exactly the conflict was such a big deal. Overall though, it was a cute and fun romcom.

"She’s desperate for another bestseller… and she’ll go to any length to get it. Even if it means sacrificing her pride to chase the hottest bachelor in town and get him to break her heart…" In this book, we follow Aspen - a writer - as she gathers inspiration for her next book, which she wants to be a bestseller like her first book.

I really felt like I would be able to enjoy this book a lot more. The first chapters, where we read about Aspen's struggle are very good, and it does resonate deeply, the feelings of wanting to succeed in your work, but not being able to. But as the book progresses, Aspen's character takes a turn, and she starts to get very selfish and irritating. The insta-love romance was also something that I didn't enjoy.

Over all, I felt like the idea was very good but the execution, not so good.

p.s. I cringed a bit every time I heard the MMC name...

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Aspen is an author struggling to write another best seller after a smash hit success. Desperate for inspiration, she heads to her sister’s house in the outer banks and decides she’s going to win over the local heart throb for emotional inspo.

Grumpy/sunshine + how to lose a guy in 10 days ish vibes and strong sister relationship

I enjoyed reading about Aspen’s struggle with the publishing industry and disconnection from her craft after pouring herself(and her breakup) into her first book, but unfortunately that was about it that worked for me in this book. This is probably more of a “me”thing than necessarily being the book’s fault- as I found a lot of the descriptions kind of cringey. A lot of her curls refusing to be tamed in the wind kind of stuff.

Thank you to Blue Box press and Netgalley for the early release copy in exchange for my honest review

This was such a sweet romance! The main characters had chemistry that was to die for! The “third act breakup” had me wanting to tear my hair out in frustration (in kind of a good and bad way.) An overall great read! And I’m very excited for the next one!