Title: The Break-Up Pact
Author: Emma Lord
Publication: August 13, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Pages: 314
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they’ve barely spoken in years.
But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they’re a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they’re in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.
Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Emma Lord is easily one of my favorite romance writers. Her books have a range of ages and are funny and romantic and heartbreaking all in one. The Break-Up Pact more than fulfilled my expectations with the fake relationship trope and some best friends added in.
June and Levi are the focus of this story and I just love both of them. It takes a lot to make me really like everyone in a story, but these characters were so adorable and likable. June was such a hard worker and had such good ideas, but she was held back a bit. I loved her fierceness for what she wanted and wanting to do everything she could to get it. Lord did a fantastic job with the progression of this story. It didn’t necessarily go exactly how I thought it was going to go and that made it refreshing. A lot of romcoms are very predictable.
My only hesitancy was that there were a few moments when I felt the story lagged. It slowed down a bit too much for my liking and I wish it had kept pushing forward and being engaging. Now this was not too detrimental, as I still love this story and I still would highly recommend it to everyone. It just kept me from a five star review.
With that said, this was another hit from Emma Lord, who maintains her position as one of my favorite authors. I always look forward to her next book and will be throwing this recommendation out like candy at a parade. Pick up your copy and enjoy a weekend of reading.
