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Outer Banks #1
Book of the Month
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst, discover Book of the Month…
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…
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.
Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters.
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…
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.
Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2024
683 people are currently reading
12415 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Probst
123 books10.3k followersJennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She holds a masters in English Literature and lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Her family keeps her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean. Her passions include horse racing, Scrabble, rescue dogs, Italian food, and wine—not necessarily in that order.
She is the NYT, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the NY Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a "romance phenom" by Kirkus Reviews. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases at www.jenniferprobst.com. Sign up of her newsletter at www.jenniferprobst.com/newsletter for a free book.
She is the NYT, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the NY Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a "romance phenom" by Kirkus Reviews. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases at www.jenniferprobst.com. Sign up of her newsletter at www.jenniferprobst.com/newsletter for a free book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 880 reviews
September 17, 2024
˚₊‧꒰ა 3.5 stars ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
༉‧₊˚. « I love you. I’m not sure how it happened or what I’m going to do, but I don’t care. I love you, and I’m yours. » ・₊✧
i was very thrilled to get this book as an arc because the cover was so beautiful and i needed a romance read <3
Aspen Lourde, the fmc, has an original name and i love it!! she’s a writer and her first book was loved by fans, unlike her next two books published. this story revolves around her wanting to write a book that can get her fans’ attention and make herself a bestseller again. in order to do that, she decides to get her heart broken again because it was the thing that helped her write her first book the way everyone loved.
Brick Babel is a guy who lives in OBX and inherited his grandfather’s tour company but the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. he’s known for being a heartbreaker in the whole town. she thinks it’s the perfect guy who can help her write a book filled with emotions. she explains to him her situation and offers him a deal: she would pay for his renovations, he would make her fall in love with him and break her heart.
at the beginning, i was nervous because it felt like i was going to get bored. in addition, brick was being so grumpy it annoyed me. however, the second half was really cute 🥹 i loved how caring he was and their chemistry was amazing!!
i loved the characters in the story. their relationships with each other made the story more fulfilling and wholesome. Aspen and Sierra’s bond as sisters made my heart swell 🥹 Dug, Brick’s dog, had a special place in my heart as well 🤧
it was hilarious that there was a club literally dedicated to Brick being a heartbreaker…. they’re truly obsessed with him 😭
one thing i might point out about this book is some of the phrases giving me the ick and some of them being too repetitive. i can’t count how many times i saw the word “hardened” and i got an ick from the phrase “masculine energy”. other than that, this book was pretty enjoyable!
overall, i loved this book’s vibes and the fact that it takes place in Outer Banks. the plot and the characters made me want to continue the book. now i can’t wait to read sierra’s love story, i’m curious 🤭
➼ playlist:
જ⁀➴ 🎵 ruin my life - zara larsson
જ⁀➴ 🎵 reflections - the nbhd
જ⁀➴ 🎵 say don’t go - taylor swift
જ⁀➴ 🎵 this love - taylor swift
➼ quotes:
« He was a man who knew how to take care of his own, whether it be his business, family, or community. »
« So, thank you. »
« For what? »
« Inspiring me. Being by my side to bear witness. »
« The raw emotions inside her swirled together and melded into a light-bulb realization that had her practically gaping at him. She was falling in love with Brick Babel. »
« She was unlike any other woman he’d met. No one had ever made him laugh and ache at the same time or look forward to their next encounter. »
« No one ever wanted to know who he really was, and that was okay. Until Aspen shattered his world to pieces. »
« This was a woman who not only fought hard for her dreams but also for anyone she loved. The way she listened and not only supported but understood the grief he’d gone through allowed him space to finally breathe. Freely. »
« It’s the best thing. You changed me, Aspen Lourde. I’m not the same man I was before you came, and I never want to let you go. »
༉‧₊˚. « Aspen had created her very own happy ending. Her life turned out to be the best book ever. » ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for providing me this digital arc in exchange for an honest review!
༉‧₊˚. pre-read:
my second arc!! ahh i’m so thrilled to have this book now, let’s see how this goes 🙈
༉‧₊˚. « I love you. I’m not sure how it happened or what I’m going to do, but I don’t care. I love you, and I’m yours. » ・₊✧
i was very thrilled to get this book as an arc because the cover was so beautiful and i needed a romance read <3
Aspen Lourde, the fmc, has an original name and i love it!! she’s a writer and her first book was loved by fans, unlike her next two books published. this story revolves around her wanting to write a book that can get her fans’ attention and make herself a bestseller again. in order to do that, she decides to get her heart broken again because it was the thing that helped her write her first book the way everyone loved.
Brick Babel is a guy who lives in OBX and inherited his grandfather’s tour company but the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. he’s known for being a heartbreaker in the whole town. she thinks it’s the perfect guy who can help her write a book filled with emotions. she explains to him her situation and offers him a deal: she would pay for his renovations, he would make her fall in love with him and break her heart.
at the beginning, i was nervous because it felt like i was going to get bored. in addition, brick was being so grumpy it annoyed me. however, the second half was really cute 🥹 i loved how caring he was and their chemistry was amazing!!
i loved the characters in the story. their relationships with each other made the story more fulfilling and wholesome. Aspen and Sierra’s bond as sisters made my heart swell 🥹 Dug, Brick’s dog, had a special place in my heart as well 🤧
it was hilarious that there was a club literally dedicated to Brick being a heartbreaker…. they’re truly obsessed with him 😭
one thing i might point out about this book is some of the phrases giving me the ick and some of them being too repetitive. i can’t count how many times i saw the word “hardened” and i got an ick from the phrase “masculine energy”. other than that, this book was pretty enjoyable!
overall, i loved this book’s vibes and the fact that it takes place in Outer Banks. the plot and the characters made me want to continue the book. now i can’t wait to read sierra’s love story, i’m curious 🤭
➼ playlist:
જ⁀➴ 🎵 ruin my life - zara larsson
જ⁀➴ 🎵 reflections - the nbhd
જ⁀➴ 🎵 say don’t go - taylor swift
જ⁀➴ 🎵 this love - taylor swift
➼ quotes:
« He was a man who knew how to take care of his own, whether it be his business, family, or community. »
« So, thank you. »
« For what? »
« Inspiring me. Being by my side to bear witness. »
« The raw emotions inside her swirled together and melded into a light-bulb realization that had her practically gaping at him. She was falling in love with Brick Babel. »
« She was unlike any other woman he’d met. No one had ever made him laugh and ache at the same time or look forward to their next encounter. »
« No one ever wanted to know who he really was, and that was okay. Until Aspen shattered his world to pieces. »
« This was a woman who not only fought hard for her dreams but also for anyone she loved. The way she listened and not only supported but understood the grief he’d gone through allowed him space to finally breathe. Freely. »
« It’s the best thing. You changed me, Aspen Lourde. I’m not the same man I was before you came, and I never want to let you go. »
༉‧₊˚. « Aspen had created her very own happy ending. Her life turned out to be the best book ever. » ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for providing me this digital arc in exchange for an honest review!
༉‧₊˚. pre-read:
my second arc!! ahh i’m so thrilled to have this book now, let’s see how this goes 🙈
January 2, 2025
[ note: this review is more of a ramble, and more biased and personal even in my standards, so take it with a big grain of salt. ]
Another pre-approved ARC that landed in my tbr pile unplanned. Took me a while to get to it, but it appears that I'm getting some good luck with ARCs these days, considering this is the highest rating I've ever given a contemporary romance.
Not because the book is perfectly written. To get the criticism out of the way first, the writing here is a bit underwhelming. Quite a noticeable amount of repeated and cliche expressions, incorrect usage of participial phrases, dangling modifiers, etc. (Yes, I know I was reading an ARC, but I doubt all of these were fixed in the final round of proofreading given how frequently they occurred.) The insta chemistry at the beginning also feels a bit jarringly unrealistic, and the ending seems slightly rushed. BUT, despite all its imperfections, this book easily won me over with its characters and setting, and it might just be the first book with a "women's fiction" label that I truly connected with.
Aspen is a writer struggling with a career crisis. Once a million-dollar bestselling author, she has lost her muse and is stressed out from the pressure of living up to her name with another great book. In a desperate attempt to stir up her emotions and inspire her creativity, she takes a break from her hermit life in a solitary bubble and hires a guy to date her -- then break her heart.
The plot may not sound terribly original, with the familiar fake dating trope and writers writing about writers fad. But I can't even begin to say how much I relate to Aspen's character. Her struggles with career passion, creativity block, self doubt, stress, and much more are so impossibly familiar to me that sometimes I feel like the author was right inside my head. Many things that she says about being a writer --- about living their fictional lives from book to book, about their biggest dream for their words to be heard and shared --- just feel so true and resonate with me so deeply. Either the author is including a lot of herself in this story, or she's a true master at creating realistic characters with depth, because I can't shake the feeling that Aspen is me in too many ways, and her journey constantly makes me think about my own life. For that alone, this book will always mean something special to me.
The love interest Brick is a refreshing character as well. The twist on the usual badboy archetype and women's gossip is interesting, and I really appreciate how this didn't go into the "female empowerment" territory where men are always toxic and women can do no wrong. God I hate those farstreched "feminist" preaches. Trying not to spoil the plot here, but my only complaint is that Brick never got an apology for what he had to go through, and those women never got any backlash coming for them either. Oh well, I suppose the main audience of this book would still prefer to have their feminist egos unharmed, so maybe that's a bit too much to ask.
In addition to the main characters themselves, the relationship between them is also such a breath of fresh air. Despite the typical grumpy meets sunshine and experienced man vs. (mostly) innocent woman pairing, the dynamics between them are simply the healthiest I've ever read. No lies, no lack of communication, no getting melodramatic over unrealistic expectations. Even the third act breakup did NOT happen because of a misunderstanding, which I find so rare these days. It's like I'm finally reading a story about adults instead of teens dressed up as adults! At the same time though, unfortunately, I can definitely see how the maturity of this story might come off as "boring" to some readers... which might sadly hurt its reviews.
I can keep gushing about how I love the side characters (Aspen's relationship with her sister was amazing!), the setting (it makes me want to sign up for a sea turtle watch next year, seriously), and how I admirethe author's Aspen's humble honesty when she said luck played a large role in her success (too few successful people would ever admit that they got there because of anything other than hard work). It's been too long since I last read a book that felt so "real". Bottom line is -- although my personal connection to the characters made a big difference, I think there's a lot more to this story that added to the overall enjoyment. Maybe this is my sign to check out the author's backlist titles -- lucky me, there are so many!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. My bad for reading an ARC two months after publication date, and I'll try my best not to do it again!
Another pre-approved ARC that landed in my tbr pile unplanned. Took me a while to get to it, but it appears that I'm getting some good luck with ARCs these days, considering this is the highest rating I've ever given a contemporary romance.
Not because the book is perfectly written. To get the criticism out of the way first, the writing here is a bit underwhelming. Quite a noticeable amount of repeated and cliche expressions, incorrect usage of participial phrases, dangling modifiers, etc. (Yes, I know I was reading an ARC, but I doubt all of these were fixed in the final round of proofreading given how frequently they occurred.) The insta chemistry at the beginning also feels a bit jarringly unrealistic, and the ending seems slightly rushed. BUT, despite all its imperfections, this book easily won me over with its characters and setting, and it might just be the first book with a "women's fiction" label that I truly connected with.
Aspen is a writer struggling with a career crisis. Once a million-dollar bestselling author, she has lost her muse and is stressed out from the pressure of living up to her name with another great book. In a desperate attempt to stir up her emotions and inspire her creativity, she takes a break from her hermit life in a solitary bubble and hires a guy to date her -- then break her heart.
The plot may not sound terribly original, with the familiar fake dating trope and writers writing about writers fad. But I can't even begin to say how much I relate to Aspen's character. Her struggles with career passion, creativity block, self doubt, stress, and much more are so impossibly familiar to me that sometimes I feel like the author was right inside my head. Many things that she says about being a writer --- about living their fictional lives from book to book, about their biggest dream for their words to be heard and shared --- just feel so true and resonate with me so deeply. Either the author is including a lot of herself in this story, or she's a true master at creating realistic characters with depth, because I can't shake the feeling that Aspen is me in too many ways, and her journey constantly makes me think about my own life. For that alone, this book will always mean something special to me.
The love interest Brick is a refreshing character as well. The twist on the usual badboy archetype and women's gossip is interesting, and I really appreciate how this didn't go into the "female empowerment" territory where men are always toxic and women can do no wrong. God I hate those farstreched "feminist" preaches. Trying not to spoil the plot here, but my only complaint is that Brick never got an apology for what he had to go through, and those women never got any backlash coming for them either. Oh well, I suppose the main audience of this book would still prefer to have their feminist egos unharmed, so maybe that's a bit too much to ask.
In addition to the main characters themselves, the relationship between them is also such a breath of fresh air. Despite the typical grumpy meets sunshine and experienced man vs. (mostly) innocent woman pairing, the dynamics between them are simply the healthiest I've ever read. No lies, no lack of communication, no getting melodramatic over unrealistic expectations. Even the third act breakup did NOT happen because of a misunderstanding, which I find so rare these days. It's like I'm finally reading a story about adults instead of teens dressed up as adults! At the same time though, unfortunately, I can definitely see how the maturity of this story might come off as "boring" to some readers... which might sadly hurt its reviews.
I can keep gushing about how I love the side characters (Aspen's relationship with her sister was amazing!), the setting (it makes me want to sign up for a sea turtle watch next year, seriously), and how I admire
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. My bad for reading an ARC two months after publication date, and I'll try my best not to do it again!
January 13, 2025
3˖⁺‧✮
”Just remember this, baby. I didn’t break your heart.” He paused in the terrible, pulsing silence. “You broke mine.”
the more i read, the more i discover how emotional i am toward books. character can literally say “i’m sorry” in a very dramatic way and i’m sobbing. interesting is… i’m a complete opposite in a real life. guess that’s why i like reading 👀 i’m mentioning this because i had tears in my eyes for at least 4 times while reading. the ending was too emotional for me and i definitely didn’t expected it; i thought he would take her back…
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ little plot summary but in a random way
basically every girl would break his heart and she wasn’t exception. aspen wanted to be a famous author and thought of being one-hit wonder was unbearable to her. for the last year new books weren’t hitting and her fans were begging for sequel to her most famous book. but she couldn’t write it, why? because her ex broke her heart and all of the emotions were portrayed in that book, making people see and relate to aspen as never before. sooo, she moves to her sister for the summer. in this small, new city, aspen meets this hot guy and makes a deal. she dates him, he breaks her heart, she writes a heartbreaking book, gets published everyone is happy. (she pays him)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ what i liked
main characters chemistry. it was immediate but overfictional. i can’t quite understand how he turned into being obsessed with her so quickly. it was weird but considering it’s a fiction, i think? i’m okay with it. i found enjoyable side characters and the whole aesthetic of small town. the store and backgrounds of all characters were great developed and i’m actually so ready for sierra’s book. brick was soo sweet and i was so sad for him at the end.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ what i didn’t like
club for people who brick rejected? that was sooo weird and a little cringy. i’ve never heard of that and i was laughing every time they were mentioned. to add, sometimes i wished this book was smaller because i was loosing interest in the main couple with 60% as nothing much was happening.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ quotes
“Aspen needed it. She needed him to dazzle her, make her fall in love, and then destroy her. She needed every shred of painful emotion so she could translate it to the pages of her new book.”
“I may not be the one, baby. But I’m the lucky bastard here with you right now, and I’m not letting you go.”
“I can’t. I don’t trust you anymore. Not with my heart.”
Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this arc.
”Just remember this, baby. I didn’t break your heart.” He paused in the terrible, pulsing silence. “You broke mine.”
the more i read, the more i discover how emotional i am toward books. character can literally say “i’m sorry” in a very dramatic way and i’m sobbing. interesting is… i’m a complete opposite in a real life. guess that’s why i like reading 👀 i’m mentioning this because i had tears in my eyes for at least 4 times while reading. the ending was too emotional for me and i definitely didn’t expected it; i thought he would take her back…
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ little plot summary but in a random way
basically every girl would break his heart and she wasn’t exception. aspen wanted to be a famous author and thought of being one-hit wonder was unbearable to her. for the last year new books weren’t hitting and her fans were begging for sequel to her most famous book. but she couldn’t write it, why? because her ex broke her heart and all of the emotions were portrayed in that book, making people see and relate to aspen as never before. sooo, she moves to her sister for the summer. in this small, new city, aspen meets this hot guy and makes a deal. she dates him, he breaks her heart, she writes a heartbreaking book, gets published everyone is happy. (she pays him)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ what i liked
main characters chemistry. it was immediate but overfictional. i can’t quite understand how he turned into being obsessed with her so quickly. it was weird but considering it’s a fiction, i think? i’m okay with it. i found enjoyable side characters and the whole aesthetic of small town. the store and backgrounds of all characters were great developed and i’m actually so ready for sierra’s book. brick was soo sweet and i was so sad for him at the end.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ what i didn’t like
club for people who brick rejected? that was sooo weird and a little cringy. i’ve never heard of that and i was laughing every time they were mentioned. to add, sometimes i wished this book was smaller because i was loosing interest in the main couple with 60% as nothing much was happening.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ quotes
“Aspen needed it. She needed him to dazzle her, make her fall in love, and then destroy her. She needed every shred of painful emotion so she could translate it to the pages of her new book.”
“I may not be the one, baby. But I’m the lucky bastard here with you right now, and I’m not letting you go.”
“I can’t. I don’t trust you anymore. Not with my heart.”
Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2024
3.5 STARS!!
I have to say I had a bit of love-hate going on with this one. I have never had that with a Probst book before this one. I started thinking that the author was writing her own story in a manner of speaking.
Desperation reeked out of the pages and that caused the female lead to her panicky situation and actions. I felt the beginning was really rocky for me. I was not sure about the FMC at first with her scattered idea but she warmed up to me quite a bit.
The male lead was a gruff hottie who was hiding a lot of anger but underneath was a sweetheart. He made this story believable and enjoyable.
The author brought us amazing descriptions and details of the Carolina shore which had the ocean calling my name. I loved the community engagement which brought excitement and fun into what could have been a heavy story. The secondary characters were fun and also brought levity.
The ending made this book along with the MMC, Brick. He was such an awesome character in comparison to Aspen. Towards the end, she became a jerk – selfish and self-serving. Brick made it all worth it.
Overall, I enjoyed Book of the Month! Probst takes a tough dive into desperation and brings us an emotional, steamy story that gives us the happily ever after they deserve!
~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/book-of-the-...
I have to say I had a bit of love-hate going on with this one. I have never had that with a Probst book before this one. I started thinking that the author was writing her own story in a manner of speaking.
Desperation reeked out of the pages and that caused the female lead to her panicky situation and actions. I felt the beginning was really rocky for me. I was not sure about the FMC at first with her scattered idea but she warmed up to me quite a bit.
The male lead was a gruff hottie who was hiding a lot of anger but underneath was a sweetheart. He made this story believable and enjoyable.
The author brought us amazing descriptions and details of the Carolina shore which had the ocean calling my name. I loved the community engagement which brought excitement and fun into what could have been a heavy story. The secondary characters were fun and also brought levity.
The ending made this book along with the MMC, Brick. He was such an awesome character in comparison to Aspen. Towards the end, she became a jerk – selfish and self-serving. Brick made it all worth it.
Overall, I enjoyed Book of the Month! Probst takes a tough dive into desperation and brings us an emotional, steamy story that gives us the happily ever after they deserve!
~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/book-of-the-...
November 4, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
DFN at 22%
And here are some reasons why (as seen on my notes app):
- why is the word booty in this book?
- the FMC keeps trying to "seduce" (read: harassing) the MMC despite the amount of times she notices how uninterested he is in her. He doesn't engage, he doesn't flirt back. In fact, he rejects her – to which the FMC reacts by assuming he's just protecting her from his "big, bad moves in bed" that will make her fall for him? What
- No matter how many times he mentions he's intrigued by this plain, ordinary woman who keeps trying to seduce him (read: HARASS) it still makes me feel uncomfortable that she doesn't simply back off.
- the amount of descriptions about irrelevant things certainly didn't help. I'm all for context but I don't need 4 paragraphs of information about the publishing industry to understand why the FMC needs a bestseller.
- the FMC is not like other girls! she's bit ugly, has a dry humour (because she said a giraffe nearly ate her hair? okay?) and takes no sh!it from anyone! Or so the MMC thinks from the 1 minute conversation he had with her (where he promptly rejects her btw)
- "no one ever asked him that" says the MMC after the FMC asks him the most uninspired question ever ("Don't you ever get tired of doing the same thing every day?" — that was the question, btw!)
- why is her "big nose" mentioned so many times
- two mentions of animals pooping + 1 peeing (reminder I DNFed so who knows what happens next) — totally natural events but why include them in this story? I clearly failed to understand the humour in these scenes
- "Maybe she was the rare female who sought out a man with an easy personality and a sense of humour rather than looks" ah yes, the poor female brain hasn't developed enough for that apparently
- his name is brick?
- again, this FMC is a 🚩
- "was it the new tiktok I did that helped?" is an actual sentence in this book
- dog was humping his leg?
- dog started humping harder? My last straw
Anyway...yikes.
DFN at 22%
And here are some reasons why (as seen on my notes app):
- why is the word booty in this book?
- the FMC keeps trying to "seduce" (read: harassing) the MMC despite the amount of times she notices how uninterested he is in her. He doesn't engage, he doesn't flirt back. In fact, he rejects her – to which the FMC reacts by assuming he's just protecting her from his "big, bad moves in bed" that will make her fall for him? What
- No matter how many times he mentions he's intrigued by this plain, ordinary woman who keeps trying to seduce him (read: HARASS) it still makes me feel uncomfortable that she doesn't simply back off.
- the amount of descriptions about irrelevant things certainly didn't help. I'm all for context but I don't need 4 paragraphs of information about the publishing industry to understand why the FMC needs a bestseller.
- the FMC is not like other girls! she's bit ugly, has a dry humour (because she said a giraffe nearly ate her hair? okay?) and takes no sh!it from anyone! Or so the MMC thinks from the 1 minute conversation he had with her (where he promptly rejects her btw)
- "no one ever asked him that" says the MMC after the FMC asks him the most uninspired question ever ("Don't you ever get tired of doing the same thing every day?" — that was the question, btw!)
- why is her "big nose" mentioned so many times
- two mentions of animals pooping + 1 peeing (reminder I DNFed so who knows what happens next) — totally natural events but why include them in this story? I clearly failed to understand the humour in these scenes
- "Maybe she was the rare female who sought out a man with an easy personality and a sense of humour rather than looks" ah yes, the poor female brain hasn't developed enough for that apparently
- his name is brick?
- again, this FMC is a 🚩
- "was it the new tiktok I did that helped?" is an actual sentence in this book
- dog was humping his leg?
- dog started humping harder? My last straw
Anyway...yikes.
August 21, 2024
This is a story about a writer who is desperate to write a best seller like her first book but needs some inspirational heart break. She ends up using the town playboy for inspiration and they work through their trauma and challenges to make then double think the whole relationship pact.
I could not put this book down! Definitely one of my favorites now. The story is up to date and a modern millennial love story that really does twist and turn, but then is steady. In modern romance writers you always wait for something perfect to be going and then BAM the writer has something dramatic happen that throws the couple for a loop. However, in this novel the writer actually lets the story stay good, and doesn’t insist on the couple going through extreme drama to get there.
The writer definitely did a lot of research for this book because it’s the most realistic and perfect relationship I have ever read and I loved every second of it. For example, they go on beach dates and he packs her snacks! It’s so cute yet realistic that you get attached to the couple as a reader. There are some parts where you might get embarrassed for the character, but clearly that was done on purpose. Which leads me to my next point.. the romance scenes WERE SO GOOD! The cute little tit-for-tats and hilarious dialogue between the characters when you least expect it just mad it that much better. The spice is maybe a 3.95/5 so they aren’t filthy, but they are still pretty good. The only con to them were the immature language that was used, example “heat”.
The ending has you a little torn, but once you read the last couple pages it really is a great story and ending!
I could not put this book down! Definitely one of my favorites now. The story is up to date and a modern millennial love story that really does twist and turn, but then is steady. In modern romance writers you always wait for something perfect to be going and then BAM the writer has something dramatic happen that throws the couple for a loop. However, in this novel the writer actually lets the story stay good, and doesn’t insist on the couple going through extreme drama to get there.
The writer definitely did a lot of research for this book because it’s the most realistic and perfect relationship I have ever read and I loved every second of it. For example, they go on beach dates and he packs her snacks! It’s so cute yet realistic that you get attached to the couple as a reader. There are some parts where you might get embarrassed for the character, but clearly that was done on purpose. Which leads me to my next point.. the romance scenes WERE SO GOOD! The cute little tit-for-tats and hilarious dialogue between the characters when you least expect it just mad it that much better. The spice is maybe a 3.95/5 so they aren’t filthy, but they are still pretty good. The only con to them were the immature language that was used, example “heat”.
The ending has you a little torn, but once you read the last couple pages it really is a great story and ending!
November 16, 2024
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me an NetGalley arc in exchange for my honest review.
I felt that this book was longer than what it really was. There wasn’t any real big blowups or problems that the two main characters had to work through. It kind of felt like it was slow in the middle. There was a lot of backstory and plot development, but I kept waiting for the shoe to drop.
This book follows Aspen in brick, Aspen is a best-selling author and brick inherited his late grandfather‘s dilapidated business. This has fake dating in it, and it seemed like a very reverse fake dating trope to me where in this story, the woman is established and she’s monetarily, helping out the mail, which I did enjoy.
Towards the last half of the book it started to show some conflict. Some ain’t some warmness of the future and the ability to let go and hope that things go in your favor. I really enjoyed the ending of the book. Both of the characters felt extremely mature. They didn’t seem petty or hold grudges, which I always appreciate in a book. I can’t wait for this authors. Next book called the reluctant flirt that comes out in the summer because I can’t wait to read about the next two characters story.
I felt that this book was longer than what it really was. There wasn’t any real big blowups or problems that the two main characters had to work through. It kind of felt like it was slow in the middle. There was a lot of backstory and plot development, but I kept waiting for the shoe to drop.
This book follows Aspen in brick, Aspen is a best-selling author and brick inherited his late grandfather‘s dilapidated business. This has fake dating in it, and it seemed like a very reverse fake dating trope to me where in this story, the woman is established and she’s monetarily, helping out the mail, which I did enjoy.
Towards the last half of the book it started to show some conflict. Some ain’t some warmness of the future and the ability to let go and hope that things go in your favor. I really enjoyed the ending of the book. Both of the characters felt extremely mature. They didn’t seem petty or hold grudges, which I always appreciate in a book. I can’t wait for this authors. Next book called the reluctant flirt that comes out in the summer because I can’t wait to read about the next two characters story.
November 3, 2024
I haven't read anything by Jennifer Probst before but when Get Red PR reached out to me and I read the blurb, there was no way I was going to say no. I love bookish books, especially those that have the POV of an author, and Book of the Month made for a super fun time. Part romantic comedy and part steamy romance, this was just what I needed right now, and I enjoyed it immensely. Brick balanced Aspen out perfectly with his gruff exterior but cinnamon roll inside, and I think I loved him even more than Aspen.
I listened to the audiobook while I followed along in the book, and I would recommend the audio if you love audio as much as I do. Alexander Cendese and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw perfectly embodied Brick and Aspen, though I would say Cendese's female voice could use a little work. 🤣 They helped me connect with the characters and storyline even further though and were a treat to listen to. I also loved the inclusion of real life bookstagrammers and of course, all of the animals. I laughed a lot, the spice was SPICY 🥵🌶, and the heartfelt moments left a smile on my face. I already added the next book to my TBR!
My Spice Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Book/Audiobook Rating: 4.25/5
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I listened to the audiobook while I followed along in the book, and I would recommend the audio if you love audio as much as I do. Alexander Cendese and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw perfectly embodied Brick and Aspen, though I would say Cendese's female voice could use a little work. 🤣 They helped me connect with the characters and storyline even further though and were a treat to listen to. I also loved the inclusion of real life bookstagrammers and of course, all of the animals. I laughed a lot, the spice was SPICY 🥵🌶, and the heartfelt moments left a smile on my face. I already added the next book to my TBR!
My Spice Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Book/Audiobook Rating: 4.25/5
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
February 15, 2025
While being stuck inside due to snow and sickness, this book will have you dreaming and full of hope for the summer months. This was such a fun and light-hearted read that will help you kick the dreariness of winter. While Aspen's books are well written, they lack the passion of her first best-selling novel. So, to get in the best book-writing mindset and re-ignite that passion, she decides to take a vacation at her sisters in the Outer Banks. An amazing cast of characters that has me crossing my fingers that Jennifer Probst will be expanding this into a series.
November 24, 2024
This was quite a cute little romance. I went back and forth from the audiobook and physical book. The audiobook was narrated by Alexander Cendese and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. They did a great job bringing the story to life. They really brought out the characters' personalities. The characters were really fun. They made me laugh. The main characters, Brick and Aspen, make a deal to help eachother out with certain aspects in their like by faking a relationship. But when their deal is to come to an end, they realize that they are real feelings there. Although this was on the predictable side, I was def into this one. Just a fun, quick read. A nice escape and change of pace for me!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 19, 2024
I have a special place in my heart for books about books.
"Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters."
If that tagline doesn't make your book lovin' heart swoon, you must be soulless.
Aspen Lourde wrote a best selling book, and now she is expected to follow it up. The problem is, she wrote her first novel from her own experience- a devastating heartbreak.
So, looking for a muse, Aspen discovers local Outerbanks heartthrob, Brick Babel, and damn... he's got ALL the right moves for a book worthy MMC. Unfortunately, Brick doesn't want to be the staring role in a her next heartbreak book- he's got a failing tour company on his mind.
Desperate and determined, Aspen gives Brick an offer he can't refuse, and a fake dating shit-uaution is spun. What starts out as fake might be developing into more, and the LAST thing Aspen needs is a REAL heartbreak for either of them.
This book is adorable and heart warming. It packs in so much emotion that I most definitely shed a tear or two at the end.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and the author for a chance to read and review prior to the October 22nd release date.
"Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters."
If that tagline doesn't make your book lovin' heart swoon, you must be soulless.
Aspen Lourde wrote a best selling book, and now she is expected to follow it up. The problem is, she wrote her first novel from her own experience- a devastating heartbreak.
So, looking for a muse, Aspen discovers local Outerbanks heartthrob, Brick Babel, and damn... he's got ALL the right moves for a book worthy MMC. Unfortunately, Brick doesn't want to be the staring role in a her next heartbreak book- he's got a failing tour company on his mind.
Desperate and determined, Aspen gives Brick an offer he can't refuse, and a fake dating shit-uaution is spun. What starts out as fake might be developing into more, and the LAST thing Aspen needs is a REAL heartbreak for either of them.
This book is adorable and heart warming. It packs in so much emotion that I most definitely shed a tear or two at the end.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and the author for a chance to read and review prior to the October 22nd release date.
November 18, 2024
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a five-star masterpiece that took my breath away. This isn’t just a romance, it’s an experience. A cultural reset. A fake dating, Outer Banks summer, enemies-to-lovers masterclass. I am foaming at the mouth, clutching my Kindle, and telling everyone I’ve ever met to READ THIS BOOK.
That's all.
That's all.
October 23, 2024
4 Stars!
(ARC provided by Blue Box Press)
Aspen Lourde is a romance author living in New York. She loves her townhouse in the West Village, but lately could use a change of scenery, so she’s going to visit her sister for the summer. She’s suffering from writer’s block, and hopes spending time at the beach will inspire her to find her muse again. Her fans didn’t resonate with her new stuff, so while she’s in Corolla she needs to write something different. Something fresh and exciting that will land her a new contract. She wrote her last bestseller after a bad breakup. Back then the words had poured out of her effortlessly. Now she was struggling to feel anything real, and worried her creativity was gone. Maybe she just needed to feel the emotions of heartbreak again to get back on the must read list. Find a summer affair to solve her dilemma. The pressure is on to create something that translates to the pages of a book, and can become the new book of the month. She has to prove she’s not just a one hit wonder.
Then she crosses paths with the town’s most talked about bachelor, Brick Babel. He has a reputation for being a heartbreaker, and was pure temptation. The man should seriously come with a warning. She feels a magnetic pull, and a spark that can’t be denied, so she’s determined to get him on board with her plan. As she spends more time with this moody, unattainable, gorgeous guy they determine strict rules and boundaries. Soon their arrangement becomes complicated when an unexpected plot twist just might include love.
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a heartwarming, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating romance about family, love and beautiful connections. It’s a fun, flirty story full of emotion, amazing chemistry and fabulous banter. I really enjoyed these characters and can’t wait for Sierra’s book! <333
***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://geni.us/jpbotm?fbclid=IwY2xja...
(ARC provided by Blue Box Press)
Aspen Lourde is a romance author living in New York. She loves her townhouse in the West Village, but lately could use a change of scenery, so she’s going to visit her sister for the summer. She’s suffering from writer’s block, and hopes spending time at the beach will inspire her to find her muse again. Her fans didn’t resonate with her new stuff, so while she’s in Corolla she needs to write something different. Something fresh and exciting that will land her a new contract. She wrote her last bestseller after a bad breakup. Back then the words had poured out of her effortlessly. Now she was struggling to feel anything real, and worried her creativity was gone. Maybe she just needed to feel the emotions of heartbreak again to get back on the must read list. Find a summer affair to solve her dilemma. The pressure is on to create something that translates to the pages of a book, and can become the new book of the month. She has to prove she’s not just a one hit wonder.
Then she crosses paths with the town’s most talked about bachelor, Brick Babel. He has a reputation for being a heartbreaker, and was pure temptation. The man should seriously come with a warning. She feels a magnetic pull, and a spark that can’t be denied, so she’s determined to get him on board with her plan. As she spends more time with this moody, unattainable, gorgeous guy they determine strict rules and boundaries. Soon their arrangement becomes complicated when an unexpected plot twist just might include love.
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst is a heartwarming, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating romance about family, love and beautiful connections. It’s a fun, flirty story full of emotion, amazing chemistry and fabulous banter. I really enjoyed these characters and can’t wait for Sierra’s book! <333
***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://geni.us/jpbotm?fbclid=IwY2xja...
August 23, 2024
DNF at 22% after the dog humped Brick's leg. Need I say more?
⏭️NEXT!⏭️
Netgalley Review: DNF at 22% when the dog humped Brick's leg. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with this book. It was just ridiculous. The MC is just harassing, not flirting. It's all too cringey to take seriously. I would have much rather have read Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover- sounded like a good read!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
⏭️NEXT!⏭️
Netgalley Review: DNF at 22% when the dog humped Brick's leg. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with this book. It was just ridiculous. The MC is just harassing, not flirting. It's all too cringey to take seriously. I would have much rather have read Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover- sounded like a good read!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
October 22, 2024
Aspen + Brick
Aspen is an author with a bit of writer's block. Not really a block. It's more like her fans and publisher want something different than her last two romances. They want a sequel to her first book - her huge bestseller.
Off she goes to her sister's beach house to get inspired.
Enter Brick. He could SO inspire her. But he's also kinda the town's ladies man. Everyone falls for him and then they hate him?
Maybe she can use that for her book.
Let the fun times begin....
══════════════════
That was adorable.
First of all the location. The Outer Banks. With the wild horses and the turtle babies. I loved that. And Brick is so amazing. Book Boyfriend Material at its best. But why does everyone keep warning Aspen away from him? They all thought they were the one to change him. But there's nothing to change - he's amazing! He's been hurt and he just hasn't met the right person yet. Until now. But that's not really what Aspen needs. She needs to fall for him and have him break her heart - like he did with all the other girls in town. So that she can write another amazing book brokenhearted. But how can she do that when this guy is so amazing and seems to be falling for her too? Ugh.
LOL! I loved watching them fall for each other.
It was sweet and funny and just adorable.
I would so want to watch the movie!
Can't wait to read Kane and Sierra's book next!
BOOK OF THE MONTH was such an adorable love story. Funny, sweet, sparky, sexy, small-towny, beachy - just beautiful. Read it!
If you can't click the buy-links from your phone -
click ► HERE!
💜
💜
August 14, 2024
thank you to netgalley and blue box press for providing this eARC!
i usually rate books based on vibes, write some nonsense, and then call it a day, but seeing as this is an ARC, i will actually try to gather my two brain cells and review this properly.
there are a number of things that didn’t quite work for me reading this book, but before i get into that, i want to be abundantly clear that i thoroughly enjoyed this. i think it embodied most of what i want from a summer romance: fun, addicting, great banter, and stuffed full of chemistry and sexual tension. it’s one of those books that’s like, wow, this is so fun to read when you don’t have a rat in your ear criticizing every little thing and judging your taste.
as a writer and artist, it was really easy to relate to aspen and her compulsion to create for the masses instead of creating something that inspired her and made her happy. i wish the book leaned a little bit more into that. in the time she and brick spent apart toward the end, i wanted to see more about how her relationship with ryan really impacted her. we got a touch of it and i craved more of those complex feelings but it was over before it started, and they were back together before it was really fully fleshed out.
regardless, i appreciated aspen and understood the decisions she made and as someone who mostly despises third act breakups, i can forgive one that’s believable and tracks with what i think the mcs would do—which this book did.
my only qualm with aspen’s personality was that she was constantly comparing herself to sierra… but also incredibly confident she could bag brick. she was (as brick put it) “innocent” and “inexperienced”… but she also gave perfect, life changing blow jobs. it took me out of the story a little at times.
as for brick, i hate the man’s name but i’ll let it slide bc he’s lovable. i just got the ick over how many times “masculine” was used to describe him. some of the biggest offenders:
“masculine energy swarmed around him” (like what? flies?)
“sexual masculine energy crackled from his very aura”
“it made him want to howl with masculine satisfaction” (🤢)
there’s a lot more than that too but you get the point.
while i’m on the topic of things that gave me random icks, i didn’t like aspen randomly saying that she froze and it felt like she was in the middle of a book scene. wasn’t into her feeling so dizzy, she felt like she was on the guardians of the galaxy ride at disneyland. could’ve done without the comparison of brick to chris hemsworth and jason momoa. these all just felt misplaced and really took me out of the story to go ????
i know this review makes it sound like i didn’t like this but again, i really did. i just want to list things that other people might not enjoy, but in the grand scheme of the book, it really wasn’t a big deal and it was still a story i loved reading. i kicked, i giggled, i was rooting for them, and i’ll absolutely be tuning into the next book to see what sierra gets up to.
overall, would absolutely recommend (and i will be!)
i usually rate books based on vibes, write some nonsense, and then call it a day, but seeing as this is an ARC, i will actually try to gather my two brain cells and review this properly.
there are a number of things that didn’t quite work for me reading this book, but before i get into that, i want to be abundantly clear that i thoroughly enjoyed this. i think it embodied most of what i want from a summer romance: fun, addicting, great banter, and stuffed full of chemistry and sexual tension. it’s one of those books that’s like, wow, this is so fun to read when you don’t have a rat in your ear criticizing every little thing and judging your taste.
as a writer and artist, it was really easy to relate to aspen and her compulsion to create for the masses instead of creating something that inspired her and made her happy. i wish the book leaned a little bit more into that. in the time she and brick spent apart toward the end, i wanted to see more about how her relationship with ryan really impacted her. we got a touch of it and i craved more of those complex feelings but it was over before it started, and they were back together before it was really fully fleshed out.
regardless, i appreciated aspen and understood the decisions she made and as someone who mostly despises third act breakups, i can forgive one that’s believable and tracks with what i think the mcs would do—which this book did.
my only qualm with aspen’s personality was that she was constantly comparing herself to sierra… but also incredibly confident she could bag brick. she was (as brick put it) “innocent” and “inexperienced”… but she also gave perfect, life changing blow jobs. it took me out of the story a little at times.
as for brick, i hate the man’s name but i’ll let it slide bc he’s lovable. i just got the ick over how many times “masculine” was used to describe him. some of the biggest offenders:
“masculine energy swarmed around him” (like what? flies?)
“sexual masculine energy crackled from his very aura”
“it made him want to howl with masculine satisfaction” (🤢)
there’s a lot more than that too but you get the point.
while i’m on the topic of things that gave me random icks, i didn’t like aspen randomly saying that she froze and it felt like she was in the middle of a book scene. wasn’t into her feeling so dizzy, she felt like she was on the guardians of the galaxy ride at disneyland. could’ve done without the comparison of brick to chris hemsworth and jason momoa. these all just felt misplaced and really took me out of the story to go ????
i know this review makes it sound like i didn’t like this but again, i really did. i just want to list things that other people might not enjoy, but in the grand scheme of the book, it really wasn’t a big deal and it was still a story i loved reading. i kicked, i giggled, i was rooting for them, and i’ll absolutely be tuning into the next book to see what sierra gets up to.
overall, would absolutely recommend (and i will be!)
August 28, 2024
DNF @ 46%
I have tried to get into this book but I have no interest in picking it back up. I enjoyed the first 10% and loved the description but this did not work for me. The book was dragging on and on and I didn't like or connect with any of the characters. The dialogue between Brick and Aspen was not my cup of tea. And why was Brick so mean to his dog, Dug?
Overall, not for me but based on other reviews, people have enjoyed it.
Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I have tried to get into this book but I have no interest in picking it back up. I enjoyed the first 10% and loved the description but this did not work for me. The book was dragging on and on and I didn't like or connect with any of the characters. The dialogue between Brick and Aspen was not my cup of tea. And why was Brick so mean to his dog, Dug?
Overall, not for me but based on other reviews, people have enjoyed it.
Thank you Netgalley and Blue Box Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 20, 2024
I love a book with an author as a main character so this one landed on my TBR as soon as I saw that. I think it’s the behind the scenes insight it provides that I really enjoy and the author showcased that type of thing well here. Brick and Aspen had great and believable chemistry and this made their banter and connection so good! If you wish it was still summer this would be a great pick as it’s a summer romance with a great small town setting and wonderful secondary characters. Overall a cute and steamy read
March 13, 2025
DNF at 47%. The whole plot is too predictable and unbelievable. The weird stilted characters are all so eye roll inducing. The female MC needs a man to solve her problems, the overprotective (though already aware of the situation?!) sibling, the easily reached unreachable man. I just can’t.
Want to read
August 23, 2024A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
December 8, 2024
This read follows Aspen, a burned-out author desperate to reclaim her spot on the bestsellers list. Seeking inspiration, she retreats to a small coastal town, which leads her to a summer fling with Brick Babel, the town's well-known bachelor, for story inspiration.
The grumpy sunshine dynamic was TO DIE FOR. I was cracking up practically the entire time! The humor, banter, and the playful push-and-pull between Aspen and Brick kept a smile on my face.
I have the biggest soft spot for heroines that are authors, and I love that the author of this gave us a peek behind the curtain into Aspen's writing style and her ways of outlining her books!
Though I loved the characters steamy chemistry, I just couldn’t get past the hero’s name—“Brick” just feels ridiculous to me. The only downside of this story was that some parts felt overly corny to the point of secondhand embarrassment, but ultimately that didn’t stop me from being able to enjoy myself with this delightful read!
༄.° 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀/𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
Dating of convenience
Grumpy sunshine
Loads of banter
Summer fling
Coastal small town
Open door
Bad boy
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!
The grumpy sunshine dynamic was TO DIE FOR. I was cracking up practically the entire time! The humor, banter, and the playful push-and-pull between Aspen and Brick kept a smile on my face.
I have the biggest soft spot for heroines that are authors, and I love that the author of this gave us a peek behind the curtain into Aspen's writing style and her ways of outlining her books!
Though I loved the characters steamy chemistry, I just couldn’t get past the hero’s name—“Brick” just feels ridiculous to me. The only downside of this story was that some parts felt overly corny to the point of secondhand embarrassment, but ultimately that didn’t stop me from being able to enjoy myself with this delightful read!
༄.° 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀/𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
Dating of convenience
Grumpy sunshine
Loads of banter
Summer fling
Coastal small town
Open door
Bad boy
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!
February 8, 2025
Loved this book! Our heroine wrote a bestseller straight out of the park. And then her books tanked. All her fans want a part two to her first novel, but she doesn't want to visit it again, since it was about her heartbreak. She decides her best shot is to get her heart broken again. So, she hires a man who is rumored to have broken more hearts than anyone else. But rumors aren't always true and sometimes we become the heartbreaker.
Thank you NetGalley and Jennifer Probst!
Thank you NetGalley and Jennifer Probst!
October 10, 2024
Very cute read!!!!
I loved reading Aspen and Bricks story. You kind of want to yell at Aspen to be more assertive and think outside the box. But overall, a very sweet read. It’s a fast read with sweet characters. Can’t wait to read Sierra’s story!!
I loved reading Aspen and Bricks story. You kind of want to yell at Aspen to be more assertive and think outside the box. But overall, a very sweet read. It’s a fast read with sweet characters. Can’t wait to read Sierra’s story!!
October 28, 2024
The Book of the Month offers a fake dating scenario in a small-town setting with all the charm, humor and sweet moments wrapped in character growth. It’s the perfect low angst, comfortable romance to curl up with on a chilly fall afternoon by the fire.
Aspen Lourde wrote a best-selling romance based on her previous relationship and breakup. She poured her soul into the story and readers loved it. Since then, her last two books haven’t captured her readers and all of them are asking for a sequel. Feeling the pressure from her publisher and without any personal turmoil to fuel her writing, she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks. Her sister lives there and it will be great to catch up & try writing.
When the writing doesn’t come, she hatched a plan to have a summer fling and use it to inspire her next book. Now all she needs is a willing guy. Enter Brick Babel, a local hottie with a reputation for breaking hearts. The tale that unfolds was sweet, funny and heartfelt as this arrangement becomes more.
Probst created relatable characters and while the story didn’t pack any surprises I connected, got excited about Brick’s business, meeting the locals and watching these two fall in love. It wasn’t without complications and growing pains, but the tale wrapped up nicely and left me smiling.
While this is currently a standalone, I am curious about the sister and hope we get her story next. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Aspen Lourde wrote a best-selling romance based on her previous relationship and breakup. She poured her soul into the story and readers loved it. Since then, her last two books haven’t captured her readers and all of them are asking for a sequel. Feeling the pressure from her publisher and without any personal turmoil to fuel her writing, she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks. Her sister lives there and it will be great to catch up & try writing.
When the writing doesn’t come, she hatched a plan to have a summer fling and use it to inspire her next book. Now all she needs is a willing guy. Enter Brick Babel, a local hottie with a reputation for breaking hearts. The tale that unfolds was sweet, funny and heartfelt as this arrangement becomes more.
Probst created relatable characters and while the story didn’t pack any surprises I connected, got excited about Brick’s business, meeting the locals and watching these two fall in love. It wasn’t without complications and growing pains, but the tale wrapped up nicely and left me smiling.
While this is currently a standalone, I am curious about the sister and hope we get her story next. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
October 21, 2024
Well, this was a DNF for me. I read about 50% and just couldn't stand it any longer. I thought I was going to get a fun, fake dating scenario but instead was met with a convoluted premise of a woman who essentially hired a man to break her heart. This girl needs therapy.
I was also so sick of hearing how the MMC was attracted to the FMC even though she wasn't his type and was not conventionally attractive or not as hot as her sister? Super unnecessary. The insta-lust was also extremely cringey to me, and seemed so forced.
⭐
Available October 22, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was also so sick of hearing how the MMC was attracted to the FMC even though she wasn't his type and was not conventionally attractive or not as hot as her sister? Super unnecessary. The insta-lust was also extremely cringey to me, and seemed so forced.
⭐
Available October 22, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Box Press for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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October 29, 2024DNF: It's been a few years since I've read one of Probst's books, but I loved the blurb, so I was excited to check this out. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the story - there were some off-putting moments in the romance, and the women's fiction/romance crossover feel that I enjoy about Probst's work simply wasn't working for me this time. I ended up leaving the book unfinished, but I'm sure there are some readers who will enjoy this one.
August 31, 2024
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…
First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. Thank you so much, Blue Box Press, for giving me this free ARC, and I am so excited to share this book. Last, I would like to thank Jennifer Probst for writing this creative book. I really love it, so I would love to read your other books.
The story starts with Aspen Lourde; she's a writer, and she writes the book Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover and other books. She's a funny and outgoing person. She'd just released a new book, but readers don't like it much. I think the book is kind of a rom-com, which I like. I found this line in the book, which makes me laugh.
"Fans were excited. Happy to meet me. The bookstore staff said they'd never seen such enthusiasm or a long line on a Sunday Afternoon."
"Fantastic"
"I sold one book"
"F*ck*"
I felt bad for Aspen in this situation because her agent was so excited about how the book signing went, and she was telling her agent about her book signing, and she was like, "I sold one book." As I read Chapter 1, we get to know better of Aspen and her life. She has a fiancé named Ryan, but it turns out Ryan left her at the altar to run off to California with her supposed friend and fellow classmate, and that's why she writes the book Fifty ways to leave your lover. I felt even more bad about Aspen because I think she's really a nice person, and that happened to her.
As the story goes by, she goes to her sister, named Sierra, to leave New York and live with her sister. I liked her sister because she's so friendly and funny, like they were really sisters. And then she went to this bar with her sister, where she first saw Brick Babel, a local who runs a tour place and the heartbreaker of Corolla. I searched where "Corolla" city is located, and it was located in North Carolina. I think it was a really nice place, and Corolla attracts mainly beachgoers, especially in the summer months.
I also read Brick's POV about how his grandfather runs a tour place and only inherited it from him. Now he runs the tour place, but it's not going well. The story went well, and it's written in 3rd POV, which is not bad. I think it's a medium-paced kind of book. I finally finished reading this book, and it was really good! It got me hooked on the story, and sometimes I find other chapters boring to read. There are also some spicy scenes, like maybe two or three open-door scenes, which is okay for me to read. I would totally recommend this book to read, so I will give this book 5 stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. Thank you so much, Blue Box Press, for giving me this free ARC, and I am so excited to share this book. Last, I would like to thank Jennifer Probst for writing this creative book. I really love it, so I would love to read your other books.
The story starts with Aspen Lourde; she's a writer, and she writes the book Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover and other books. She's a funny and outgoing person. She'd just released a new book, but readers don't like it much. I think the book is kind of a rom-com, which I like. I found this line in the book, which makes me laugh.
"Fans were excited. Happy to meet me. The bookstore staff said they'd never seen such enthusiasm or a long line on a Sunday Afternoon."
"Fantastic"
"I sold one book"
"F*ck*"
I felt bad for Aspen in this situation because her agent was so excited about how the book signing went, and she was telling her agent about her book signing, and she was like, "I sold one book." As I read Chapter 1, we get to know better of Aspen and her life. She has a fiancé named Ryan, but it turns out Ryan left her at the altar to run off to California with her supposed friend and fellow classmate, and that's why she writes the book Fifty ways to leave your lover. I felt even more bad about Aspen because I think she's really a nice person, and that happened to her.
As the story goes by, she goes to her sister, named Sierra, to leave New York and live with her sister. I liked her sister because she's so friendly and funny, like they were really sisters. And then she went to this bar with her sister, where she first saw Brick Babel, a local who runs a tour place and the heartbreaker of Corolla. I searched where "Corolla" city is located, and it was located in North Carolina. I think it was a really nice place, and Corolla attracts mainly beachgoers, especially in the summer months.
I also read Brick's POV about how his grandfather runs a tour place and only inherited it from him. Now he runs the tour place, but it's not going well. The story went well, and it's written in 3rd POV, which is not bad. I think it's a medium-paced kind of book. I finally finished reading this book, and it was really good! It got me hooked on the story, and sometimes I find other chapters boring to read. There are also some spicy scenes, like maybe two or three open-door scenes, which is okay for me to read. I would totally recommend this book to read, so I will give this book 5 stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 29, 2024
"Book of the Month" by Jennifer Probst is a light romantic journey about finding love and oneself in life's unexpected chapters. The story features a plethora of interesting secondary characters along with engaging main characters - an author named Aspen Lourde being the most prominent. Aspen needs inspiration to write a new bestselling book. She'll really go to any length to revive her writing career. Aspen escapes to the Outer Banks with a reckless plan to live a story that is worth writing.
The book is a fun and flirty summer romance, but I did find it frustrating at times. For me, the middle part of the book dragged a bit with the repeated trope of manufactured love and a blossoming relationship. I did appreciate how the characters developed and found themselves, but the slow burn romance could have sped up a bit for me.
To my own fault the title really pulled me in and I wasn't expecting such a focused story that included fake dating. I fear there is a trend in current publishing where if the word "book" is placed in the title, book lover's can fall victim to picking up a book on a whim.
Ultimately, "Book of the Month' was a great escape read for me. I appreciate NetGalley and Blue Box Press for allowing me an ARC to review. Although the story did not hold me attention, I truly enjoyed Jennifer Probst's descriptions of setting and character development. I feel like her writing stood out to me here and added pleasure to my weekend reading.
The book is a fun and flirty summer romance, but I did find it frustrating at times. For me, the middle part of the book dragged a bit with the repeated trope of manufactured love and a blossoming relationship. I did appreciate how the characters developed and found themselves, but the slow burn romance could have sped up a bit for me.
To my own fault the title really pulled me in and I wasn't expecting such a focused story that included fake dating. I fear there is a trend in current publishing where if the word "book" is placed in the title, book lover's can fall victim to picking up a book on a whim.
Ultimately, "Book of the Month' was a great escape read for me. I appreciate NetGalley and Blue Box Press for allowing me an ARC to review. Although the story did not hold me attention, I truly enjoyed Jennifer Probst's descriptions of setting and character development. I feel like her writing stood out to me here and added pleasure to my weekend reading.
November 1, 2024
Any book that takes place in the OBX is one that automatically catches my eye and this was no exception. The author gave great descriptions of the Carolina shore that had the beachfront calling me back there to my favorite spot. There were many places she referred to that I have been so that was fun! The community engagement brought some lightness to what could have been a heavy story. The backup characters also helped to keep it from being too heav as well
The male lead Brick, was a gruff hunk who was hiding a tender teddy bear side behind his angry mask. He macie the story enjoyable and believable. This was part romantic comedy and part steamy romance and it struck the right balance for me.
The female lead, Aspen, was kind of hard to like in the beginning, but I warmed up to her as the story progressed This was my first by this author and I will definitely be looking for more by her in the future.
Thanks to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
The male lead Brick, was a gruff hunk who was hiding a tender teddy bear side behind his angry mask. He macie the story enjoyable and believable. This was part romantic comedy and part steamy romance and it struck the right balance for me.
The female lead, Aspen, was kind of hard to like in the beginning, but I warmed up to her as the story progressed This was my first by this author and I will definitely be looking for more by her in the future.
Thanks to Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
November 12, 2024
Ha sido todo lo que pedía y esperaba 🫶🏻 Una lectura romántica entretenida, con buenos personajes y una ambientación maravillosa.
Que la chica sea escritora solo lo ha mejorado porque he podido comprenderla. Además, se habla mucho del sector editorial (algo que adoro).
Por fin, vuelvo a las andadas❤️
Que la chica sea escritora solo lo ha mejorado porque he podido comprenderla. Además, se habla mucho del sector editorial (algo que adoro).
Por fin, vuelvo a las andadas❤️
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