ARC Review: ‘Book of the Month’ by Jennifer Probst
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Book of the Month
by Jennifer ProbstPublished by Blue Box Press on October 22, 2024
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
Format: eArc
Pages: 294
Source: Netgalley, the publisher
Audience: 18+/Adult
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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.
Book of the Month is Jennifer Probst’s latest book release, and this one definitely is going down as one of my favorite books for the year (2024). I loved everything about it that I could gush over this book, but I promise to keep my review short. (at least try to)
After reading Book of the Month, I need to visit the Outer Banks again. It was one of my favorite places to visit when I used to live in Virginia Beach. The areas that Jennifer mentioned and the donuts the characters purchased and ate in the book brought back so many memories. I may very well be taking a summer trip with my family up there again soon, and it’s all thanks to the book. Maybe I’ll run into Brick Babel and Aspen Lourde while I’m there. (If only they were real characters.)
This book follows Aspen Lourde, a romance author struggling to write her next best-seller. Seeking inspiration, she stays with her sister in the Outer Banks. During her visit, she encounters the notorious ladies’ man, Brick Babel. Hoping he can ignite her creativity, Aspen asks him to engage in a pretend relationship so he can share his techniques for charming women and making them fall madly in love with him—only to break their hearts afterward. Aspen believes if she feels the same way those women felt, then she can write her book, especially since her last best seller was all due to her breakup with her previous relationship. Meanwhile, she also aims to help Brick save his grandfather’s business.
Even with this book being written in the third person, I felt sympathetic for both Aspen and Brick. Aspen and her struggle of being able to write her next book, especially give her readers what they wanted, and Brick’s struggle with keeping his grandfather’s legacy alive while also dealing with women gossiping about him. It was like these two characters were meant to meet one another and help each other, especially since both were dealing with broken hearts. Brick may come off as grumpy at first and a player, but once you get to know the real Brick, you will fall hard for his character. I loved how he took on the pretend relationship with Aspen, even if he knew what the outcome was in the end. I loved how Aspen was finding herself and realizing what she truly wanted out of life.
I could gush about this story, but my review will get even longer. Just know that this book is an emotional rollercoaster, and you’ll be rooting for Aspen and Brick’s relationship to be real instead of pretend. I loved the chemistry of these two, and I loved how Brick showed Aspen how she should have been loved. (Brick may very well be your new book boyfriend after you get to know the real Brick.) Their dates that were supposed to be fake were absolutely adorable and I can see why these two started falling for each other.
The ending of this book did make me angry at first, but any author who can make my emotions go haywire is an amazing writer. From the beginning to the end, I was engaged in the story of Aspen finding her writing inspiration again and Brick saving his grandfather’s business while also rooting for these two to realize they were in love with one another.
Overall, this book is definitely going to be one of my favorites this year, and I wish I could give it more than five stars. I look forward to reading more books from Jennifer Probst and can’t wait to read Aspen’s sister’s book next. =)
Single/Dual POV: Dual POV (Third Person)
Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this to readers who enjoy sweet, funny, small-town romances and want a book that makes them want to visit the beach. Yes, you will definitely want to visit the beach after this book, especially when it’s based in the Outer Banks.
What to Expect:
💙Small Town Romance
💙Grumpy/Sunshine
💙Fake Relationship
💙Slow Burn Romance
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