Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

Creativity, ambition, and sacrifice collide in Book of the Month, a novel that explores the complex relationship between artistic success and personal fulfillment. At its core, the story delves into the idea that heartbreak might be the ultimate fuel for inspiration—but is pain truly necessary for greatness?

The Story

Book of the Month follows Aspen Lourde, a successful New York author who struggles to write and find herself again in the writing community. She fears she's a 'one-hit wonder' because her debut novel, which was inspired by her heartbreak, was a huge success, but her other books aren't doing well.

Struggling to write the next bestseller, she must reignite her muse and travel to the Outer Banks to live with her sister for the summer. After some time, she realizes her best bet of writing the next book of the month - a summer fling ending in more heartbreak.

Enter Brick Babel, the town's heartthrob with a bad reputation for heartache from the other women in town. He came to the Outer Banks shortly after one of his family members left a crumbling business for him - a tour attraction of the local wild horses and the Outer Banks.

Aspen sees him as the perfect muse—if she can get him to break her heart. But Brick refuses to play along. When she learns his tour company is on the verge of bankruptcy, she proposes a deal: a fake summer romance that guarantees drama for her book and financial relief for him.

What starts as a contractual fling soon spirals into something tangible, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. As Brick falls hard and Aspen rethinks her plot twist, she must decide whether chasing literary success is worth sacrificing a genuine connection.

Anaylsis

Love, art, control. One of these things doesn't go together.

I felt Aspen's belief that heartbreak can fuel her creativity was a stretch but believable. As authors, our muse can come from anywhere. Almost forcing a romantic relationship seemed bizarre, but it got the point across. With the force, it turned into a mutual, real attraction that felt believable as love happened over time. This part of the story explores whether or not pain is necessary for success in the artistic world.

Rating 3.5/5

The characters weren't very believable, but they were interesting nonetheless. I enjoyed the dynamic between the love interests and their more intimate scenes. However, I don't recommend this book for those under 18.

However, if you like a good page-turner that keeps you reading and wanting more, I highly recommend it. The 3 out of 5 stars is mostly due to relatability and predictability. The character depth and creation give it the extra half-star rating but miss the mark of a 4.