The story begins with Aspen Lourde, a writer known for books like Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover and others. She’s a funny and outgoing person. Recently, she released a new book, but it didn’t get the reception she had hoped for. I think it’s a rom-com, which I personally enjoy.

I couldn’t help but feel bad for Aspen in this moment. Her agent was thrilled about the turnout at her book signing, but Aspen was left disappointed, having sold just one book. As I read Chapter 1, we start to learn more about Aspen and her life. She has a fiancé named Ryan, but he left her at the altar to run off to California with her so-called friend and classmate. That’s what inspired her to write Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover. I felt even worse for Aspen because she comes across as such a genuinely nice person, and that betrayal must’ve been devastating.

As the story progresses, Aspen leaves New York and moves in with her sister, Sierra. I really liked Sierra—she’s warm, funny, and their relationship feels so real. At one point, they go to a bar together, and that’s where Aspen first meets Brick Babel, a local tour operator and notorious heartbreaker in the town of Corolla. I looked up Corolla, and it turns out it’s in North Carolina. It seems like a beautiful place, popular with beachgoers, especially during the summer.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute and enjoyable read! Perfect if you wanna cosy up and sink into a nice book.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Probst and Blue Box Press for giving me an ARC for this book!

I had high hopes for this one but the tropes were poorly written and I struggled with the relationship between the two main characters. It lacked spark and believability.
It just felt too forced.
DNF at 56%

I found this book to be a quick and easy escape from the day to day tasks I neglected while reading this book
Was I blown away? no. Did I feel like it was a wasted use of my time? No but because I was left feeling that the end was rushed, I was not satisfied and felt my time would have been better spent doing other tasks. As I neared the end of the book and I realized it was quickly coming to a conclusion, I had a light bulb moment where I concluded the author just had an idea for another book and wants to finish this one now so she can start the book idea she can’t stop thinking about. Because of that I felt she rushed the ending and didn’t give it the time and attention needed to make it an amazing book.
I enjoyed the concept and the writing style and thought it would be a solid 4 star book until the end

Thank you netgally for an advanced opportunity to read this book

This was such an enjoyable read. I absolutely fell in love with the characters (but especially Sierra). I loved that Brick was so standoffish and slowly opened up, and how Aspen was able to really flourish...

The story was also just super enjoyable and moved smoothly. I am a rather big fan of fake dating, so I might be biased, but the way Jennifer Probst utilized that trope was a fresh take. I really enjoyed it!!!

I enjoyed this book, but didn't love. I liked Aspen and her story. I felt the ending felt forced and left me wanting a bit more. But a fun read

Pause. This book was so cute and so good!!

My first by Jennifer Probst and I found it undoubtedly the first of many I want to read. I was STOKED when I found out there would be a second book!

This was such a unique and interesting take on the fake dating trope but I couldn’t put this book down. It was so much more fun to read this take than the usual. I can admit, the same tropes can get old after awhile but Jennifer changed the game.

The romance was organic and had me giddy. The characters were so fun, especially Sierra. I loved her! Brick’s storyline and character development made the love story that much better. I think you’ll fall in love with him.. it’s hard not to.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Blue Box for the eARC.

The ending of this book felt really rushed, but other than that, I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
It was a sweet read about an author trying to find love and heart break to produce a more authentic book, since she’s had two out of three of her books flop.

Aspen leaves New York City behind to visit her sister for the summer in the Outer Banks. Aspen is suffering from writers block, and is hoping the change in scenery will help her write her next big seller. Brick is the town heartthrob, and his horse tour business is suffering as well.

I have to start by saying I’ve spent many summers in the small town in OBX where this book takes place, so having that connection right away really drew me to this story. Aspen and Brick have amazing chemistry, and the fake dating trope is becoming a favorite of mine. I felt the characters were multi dimensional, and the story had more than just a surface level romance. I struggled at times feeling the story was too slow, but that might have been a me problem. If you enjoy books set in the summer, with fake dating and steamy romance, pick this up when it hits shelves in October!✨

3.5 ⭐️

Aspen Lourde is an author who is struggling to write another bestseller after her last two books didn’t do very well. For a change of pace & inspiration, she visits her sister in the Outer Banks for the summer.

Brick Babel has a reputation in town for being a heartbreaker & is trying to keep his grandfather’s tour business going. Aspen sees him as the perfect inspiration to help her write her bestseller & strikes up a deal with him: she’ll loan him the money to fix up the business, & he’ll make her fall in love with him & then break her heart to provide her the inspiration she needs for the book.

I enjoyed the plot for this book. It’s not a “typical” romance book where it sometimes feels like the plot is recycled from another book, the characters are relatable, & there are plenty of other things going on besides just the romance. I will say it started off a little slow but I flew through the last half.

There are some funny moments & I really liked all of the moments with the side characters. It sets up for a sequel which I will definitely be reading.

Some things I didn’t like:
-long chapters: even though there are a few “stopping points” within the chapters I personally don’t like to stop in the middle of a chapter & do better with shorter chapters because it makes me want to read more
-repetitive descriptions: I can’t even count how many times his eyes were referred to as “ocean blue” or hers as “cocoa brown”

Overall, it was an enjoyable read & I would recommend it if you want a cute, short, small town summer romance but personally it’s probably not a book that I would read again.

Thanks to NetGalley & Blue Box Press for this ARC.

I will premise this review by saying that this book was a largely enjoyable read, funny in the right areas and romantic in others. I was unable to put it down while reading. I really enjoyed the side characters and can definitely see the potential for a sequel with Aspen’s sister.

Now for the negatives…

The beginning of Brick and Aspen’s relationship was icky to me. Fake dating is one thing, but her paying him to make her fall in love with him was too far since it came with physical requirements. It was even more unrealistic than fake dating where the couple falls in love unexpectedly; in this situation, Aspen created a plan to purposefully fall in love. Can you really plan to fall in love with someone like this? Methinks no.

I wasn’t very empathetic to Aspen’s strong desire for another bestseller. There are better ways to be inspired than paying someone to make him fall in love with you, and then breaking both of your hearts. Pretty cruel. I was much more of a Brick stan. The ending made me mad but the epilogue redeemed it somewhat.

This was a cute romance set in the Outer Banks, where the MC Aspen is trying to replicate the success of her first book after her following 2 books didn't appeal to her readers. She needs more emotion, more angst... so she "hires" Brick to be her summer vacation fling. He is supposed to make her fall in love with him and then break her heart, in the hopes of bringing back the emotional writing from her first book. Overall, it was a sweet story of 2 people that really needed someone in their life that wouldn't hurt them.

There were definitely some cringey parts to this book though. The way the dog Dug was depicted was awful, so I'm guessing the author is a cat lover. Poor Dug. Also, the Brick haters club? In today's world, I can't see that happening. It was an odd addition to the story. The writing style was ok, but I never felt a connection to the characters. By the end, I didn't really care if they got together or not. And we never found out about Brick's best friend Kane and his prison time, nor about the connection between Kane and Aspen's sister Sierra. Boo! I'm guessing there will be a sequel to this one...

If you want a HEA that’s sweet, romantic and has all the feels then this book is for you. I’ve read a few by this author now and just love every single one of them. So glad I had the opportunity to read this and can’t wait for a physical copy to put on my bookshelf

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review! 2.5/5 stars, rounded to 3.
This looks at least, on paper, like its going to hit every one of my favorite bookish-focused tropes: Aspen, a writer struggling with writers block, fake dates Brick, the local heartthrob/heartbreaker, to get her mojo back. They have a deal to breakup painfully when the book is over in order to jumpstart her career again. It's set in a bookish world, dual POV, just the right combination of spice, and a male lead thats a bit misunderstood.
This was fun but missing a bit of the grounded in reality spark I need in a good romance. I felt like Brick fell for Aspen way too fast considering his hard exterior, and her pushiness to set up this situation just felt...off? I also really was turned off by the other women in this book, who felt so catty and mean girl...while in the end it turns out ok, it just never quite sat right
I wanted to love this so much more than I did.

What a wonderful story! 
Aspen is seriously on the struggle bus of life, career, and love! She is such a well-thought-out and put-together character. She has her quirks and her determination. Brick was also so well done. Such an incredible MMC. He’s everything you want when he finally comes into his own. It starts as a fake dating scheme but grows so genuinely.

3 stars! I both found the concept of this book to be really enjoyable and also that it held the book back. I liked Brick and Aspens romance; it was definitely sweet and lovely to read. On the other hand, the terms of their deal made it difficult to ascertain whether any of Bricks words were sincere or just an adherence to their rules. All I kept thinking that if I were Aspen this would make me question everything and go absolutely bonkers. I also did not care for Bricks actions at the end. Overall I did enjoy the book but wish there were a few changes. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun read about a writer who writes a hit book and then can't seem to write another hit. She decides to take a summer away from everything and live a life worth writing. Off to the Outer Banks she goes. She meets Brick (no I am not lying about the name). He needs a way to save the family business & she needs a new book. Can their summer romance save their careers? Or will everything blow up?

Wonderful read based in a local town. Multiple facets of relationships keeps you wanting the next read. Based in NC, writers block finds business failure. Superstition and pride make life's challenges even harder.

Aspen is searching for inspiration for her new book. In somewhat of a slump, she finds herself approaching Brick and making him an offer he can't refuse. With Brick playing his part in a summer romance, Aspen finds herself getting more material for her novel. But of course, we all know feelings get involved...

I really enjoyed this book! Fake dating is my favourite and I always love the moment when our characters realize the fake part is no longer there and they want more. Both our main characters were likable and I loved seeing their relationship blossom. The ending was sweet and I am excited to see that Sierra will be getting her own story next.