Aspen's first book was a best seller and she hasn't been able to capture the same interest in her last two books. She thought she needed heart break to help her capture the same feelings in her sequel. While spending the summer in the Outer Banks with her Sister, Sierra, she develops a plan. She pays the town's heart breaker to date her and make her all in love. Brick is opposed at first, but goes along with the plan as long as the money she gives him is a loan. He wants to use it to update the business his grandfather left him. Given the circumstances, are the feelings between Aspen and Brick real? Will they end up together or stick to the deal to break up at the end of summer? You will have to read this well-written novel to find out what happens.

A cute premise but the FMC, Aspen, was a little boring and seemed pretty judgmental about other women's actions. I enjoyed the MMC, Brick, and felt he was much more likeable and believable. When they were getting along, they were a fun couple but again Aspen made it hard to believe Brick would keep trying, other than he really needed the money. But even he was wondering if it was worth it at one point. Be aware there are some spicy scenes! The side characters made the story for me. I was honestly getting a little bored reading this until they were brought in to liven things up.

This is my first book by Ms Probst. It was an easy read, perfect for vacation, especially since it was set in a beach town. Aspen seemed to have a one track mind regarding writing her another best seller. Brick was trying to honor his grandfather’s legacy and downplaying his undeserved reputation when Aspen came to him with an unconventional solution to both of their problems. It did help that they had an instant attraction to each other but was it enough for a happily ever after for them?

I had to check: Yep. I still hate romance.

Bestselling New York Times author Aspen Lourde has a problem. Her books aren't selling. Though her first book soared off the charts for its gritty tale of heartbreak, her last two books have felt uninspired. And she knows why. She has no romantic inspiration left to fuel a bestseller. See, her first book was almost purely autobiographical--and she has no romantic angst left to produce another. So when she travels to North Carolina to stay with her sister for some summer inspiration and meets the small-town heartbreaker, Brick Babel, her plan begins to fall into place. All she has to do is convince him to go along with it--the plan to seduce her and break her heart, that is. When he finally bites, their fake summer romance is right on track--until the part where they both catch feelings for real. Will Aspen get her bestseller, or will she lose both inspiration and Brick along the way?

Okay the only thing I liked about this book was its hook. I'll admit, I fell for it and caved into requesting a romance because of it (I hate romance). And the writing style wasn't BAD. It was just extremely filled with cringe and eyebrow-raisers. I actually thought a man wrote this book because of how many times Brick described Aspen as a plain girl with "nothing extraordinary" about her. Like, literally every chapter where he thinks about their previous interactions. "Why am I so interested she's not even my usual type and isn't even that good-looking."-Brick, basically. I felt extremely uncomfortable with how quickly he went along with her insane idea and how he instantly sexualized her within two seconds. Literally the only thing he talked about. Or thought about. Or dreamed about. Except for when he was thinking about how much he hated his dumb dog named Dug (His words, not mine).

One of the only things I enjoyed was the book publishing talk.

Again, I should've known, blah blah blah. I hate romance, blah blah blah. Also I should've known just by the description of Brick (His name??? Hello???). Typical small-town romance book description all about sculpted abs and his tight shirt that clung to them and his always-messy hair... Barf. I like my main characters nerdy.

2 stars, thank you to the publisher for this e-arc.

I wanted to love this so badly, it had so many great aspects and tropes, but it fell a little flat for me. I didn’t love the FMC as much as I wanted too, and I really didn’t vibe with her initial thoughts.

This book was honestly a surprise for me. I was expecting your typical romantic comedy, which it was in a way. But it felt like it was deeper than your average rom-com. I really liked Aspen and Brick's dynamic how they kept coming back to each other and finding that the contract was more than just a contract. Very Lora Jean and Peter Kavinsky of them. I loved the OBX setting and the side characters were awesome. I'm so happy to read that there is a Sierra/Kane book coming.

However, I did feel like Aspen was trying too hard to be focused on the crutch of her past relationship when she was hypocritical about the other women in the story being the same way. She also had too much of a tidy ending. Not that I wanted her to fail but it almost seemed very unrealistic that she got everything she wanted.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a Rom Com with great characters. Aspen, the female main character, is a writer. I loved reading about her process, how she was a hermit when writing, and where she got ideas. Brick, the male main character, is a beautiful misunderstood man. Together they make a fun couple with lots of ups and downs. The book is pretty spicy, but mostly tasteful. I can’t get used to some of the crude language in the spice, but I know that’s what’s the “norm” now, and it’s what sells. Otherwise, the story had me rooting for them all the way through, in spite of Aspen’s open intention to fall in love and break up so she could write her next bestseller. The premise was new and interesting. I give it 4 stars!

ever read a book that you desperately want to love but it just doesn't quite hit the mark? the fmc, aspen's start was a bit rocky for me, and her chaotic and panicky energy had become overwhelming. however, the entire opposite of her was the mmc, brick, who carried this whole book.

the plot was fairly predictable. the writing style, i observed, was too redundant. the supporting characters added so much flavor and entertainment to the plot. the major characters, particularly aspen, felt uninteresting and immobile until the conclusion. however, i admired Brick's growth and how his feelings seemed to shift throughout the story.

thanks to netgalley and blue box press for the e-arc. i voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book checked off the boxes I needed in a romance novel but just fell flat for me unfortunately. The MMC went from taking a break from women and relationships to insta-love with the FMC who sadly just was too bland and desperate for me. I need some angst before the spice comes. It was a DNF at 45%. I didn't connect with the characters and story enough to want to continue but I will say it has made me want to go visit OBX.

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the e-Arc.

2.5/5

3.5 rounded up.

I really loved this one in the beginning. I found it to be quirky and cute. But things started falling flat for me about 30% in. I thought Aspen and Brick were really cute together. I loved their banter. I did not like Aspen at the end. I don't know that I can forgive her. The mystery around Kane threw me off a bit. I see that the author was trying to build hype for Kane and Sierra's story but the way it was done pulled me from the story of Aspen and Brick. I loved the little family Aspen made with Burger, Patsy, and Marco. It helped bring the small town vibe to life.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and getredpr for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While overall I enjoyed my time with Brick and Aspen, there were definitely things that I wish were different. I didn't really connect with Aspen as a character and was quite frustrated by the plot elements in the 3rd act. I enjoyed the setting a lot and all of the side characters were delightful.

Have you ever really wanted to love a book, but it just doesn't work out? I went into Jennifer Probst's novel "Book of the Month" really wanted to love it, the premise was good, FMC who is looking to write a best seller like her first book that everyone loves. She ends up going to live with her sister where she meets the MMC, and they have an interesting relationship, and you're left kind of wondering if that was the best thing for either of them. Overall, decent read, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

Aspen is a popular author, who has written multiple books. However, only her first book, created from her own breakup, has become a hit. The rest are still unpopular. Frustrated, she goes to visit her sister in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Here, she sees Brick, who has quite the reputation of playing with girls and breaking their hearts. She thinks if she can get Brick to break her heart, she’ll be able to spill her own emotions into her book one more time and get another hit, a “book of the month.” So she makes a deal with Brick, who inherited a struggling tour business from his late grandfather. In exchange for love and heartbreak, she’ll provide Brick with the funds to renovate and rebuild his business.

The plot of this book is simple. And the course of events is fairly predictable. Despite that, I had a pretty good time with this book. And the main reason for that would be the support characters and all the different relationships amongst them. This seems to be a general strength for small town romances, and this book is no exception. The side characters brought so much more personality and entertainment to the story. The main characters, specifically Aspen, felt bland and static until the end. I did, however, enjoy Brick’s development and how his feelings seemed to change over the course of the novel.

One thing I usually don’t have a problem with in books but couldn’t get past in this one was the writing style. It was heavily repetitive. The same words, phrases, and sentences seemed to be copy pasted and scrambled throughout the book. The descriptions of characters’ features, their personalities, their thoughts and feelings… everything was expressed in the same way over and over again. At some point, it felt like I was rereading sentences since they were showing up so repetitively.

Overall, I thought this book was too simple and predictable and there wasn’t much development of the plot or relationship throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the e-Arc. All opinions are my own.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected, and I found it a bit too spicy for my taste. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the female main character (FMC) early on—she came across as desperate and somewhat unlikeable. While her character did grow on me a little as the story progressed, I wasn’t fully invested. I ended up skipping many of the more explicit scenes, as I prefer closed-door romances. Ultimately, I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book, but it may appeal to readers who enjoy more steamy romances.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Book of the Month was a quick read, and it was fun. I would describe this book as something that you would tuck into your beach bag, or bring along for a road trip. It had great romance, and quirky characters, which is the base line for every great rom-com. This will appeal to the Emily Henry fans! 3.7 stars

Book of the Month tells the story of NYC-based author Aspen, who is experiencing a writer's block and having a hard time matching the success she had with her first novel, which was written after she experienced a horrible breakup. Aspen travels to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where her sister Sierra is living, and meets Brick, the local hunk with a bad reputation for breaking hearts and a business that is going under. Aspen makes Brick an offer - she will give him the money to update his business provided that he becomes her (pretend) summer boyfriend and dumps her at the end so that she can experience the same heartbreak that gave her a best-selling novel in the past. What could go wrong? The correct answer is everything as the couple find themselves growing closer. The descriptions of the beautiful scenery and the fun characters made me want to plan a visit to the Outer Banks myself! No spoilers, but this book gave me the satisfying ending that I love so much. The bonus content ("sneak peek") after the epilogue talked about about the second novel in this series, featuring Sierra and Brick's best friend Kane - I'm now looking forward to reading that novel in 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun read enjoyed it
In between a series I’m reading
Fun characters nothing like book club

SPORTOCHICK’S MUSINGS: This book by Author Jennifer Probst will challenge your definition of being successful and if it’s worth the things that sometimes need to be done to stay there.

I have read several books by Author Jennifer Probst and enjoyed them. So, it was not surprising that Book of the Month was delightful and engaging. The reader is taken for a fun ride with Aspen whose first book becomes a success, but she struggles with her later books causing her to become creative at getting her muse back.

The way the author developed the shifts in Aspen’s internal belief system as she experiences real life outside of her author stardom and her self-made protective cocoon touched me. I found it both sad and highly entertaining what she was willing to go through to have another #1 best seller.

Brick is the sexy misunderstood male main character. My original opinion of him was that he was too full of himself but as the storyline progresses the reader will come to have great compassion for him and how his reputation came to be. Having lived in several small towns I understand what it’s like when people decide to spread rumors about someone making it almost impossible for that person to live there so this really hit home for me.

This book by Author Jennifer Probst will challenge your definition of being successful and if it’s worth the things that sometimes need to be done to stay there.

Hm this book was something. While reading it my emotions were all over the place, and the ending left me dumbfounded. I think the pacing through me off a bit, it felt uneven and dragged at times. However, I really enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope, and this book did a good job with it. I also enjoyed that both characters fell for each other at the same time. I feel that doesn’t happen very often at all in romance books, though I’m not entirely sure this one would technically be classified as a true romance. The setting was also amazing and just seemed gorgeous. However, I really didn’t like Aspen overall. She pretty much harassed Brick into dating her. He turned her down and she kept going and wouldn’t stop, and he gave no indication that he was interested at all. The book was also oddly and weirdly descriptive about things I wish it wasn’t (animals going to the bathroom etc.).

As far as a rating, I would recommend this book to certain people. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, I just wanted more overall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️

Although I enjoyed the story, I wasn’t invested in the characters or the outcome. It lacked emotion for me which ironically is what the author within the story was struggling with as well.