The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord ~ 320 pages ~ published on August 13, 2024 by Griffin

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.

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?

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What I Thought:

*All of my reviews are spoiler-free!*

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Griffin for this ARC!*

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. 🥰

Emma Lord is one of my absolute favorite authors, so I was thrilled when I got the ARC for her first adult romance, The Break-Up Pact! She is known for her humorous and heart-felt YA contemporary romances, so I had no doubt that she would knock it out of the park.

I really enjoyed the setting for this book! I’ve only been to New York once, and it was to the city. Getting to experience life in a New York beach town was so much fun! It’s not what I would normally picture, and that made it exciting for me. Also, June’s tea shop, Tea Tide, was the thing dreams are made of ❤️🫖 It would only have been more perfect if it were a tea/book shop, but I digress. The setting, and the cast of characters that populate the town, were lovely and made me fully want to visit this cute little seaside town in real life (if only, right?)

June and Levi were a fun couple to get to follow through their shenanigans. June certainly had her fair share of problems, including trying to live up to her sister’s memory and guard her heart from the guy who broke it 10 years ago. Levi was so sweet, and I felt for him. I will say, I got so frustrated that he kept trying to make it work with his ex, though. I just wanted him to fall head over heels for June right away, okay sue me?! The fake dating trope was fun, as it was a way to make their exes jealous, but also a way for June and Levi to reconnect after a 10 year estrangement. It gave me all the feels when they gradually started to thaw for one another.

I do wish that we had gotten more of June’s relationship with her brother, Dylan, in the book, but honestly, that is probably the most nit-picky thing I can say. We still got some lovely scenes between them, and we got lots of great character growth with June and her memories of Annie, her sister who passed years before.

Also, this book had the first spicy scene I’ve read from Emma Lord, and I thought it was really well done! There is really only one, so if you prefer your romance a little more clean with just a hint of spice, this is a good pick. It is certainly more of a slow burn in that way.

All in all, this had Lord’s trademark heart-warming family drama, sweet romance, and a good amount of shenanigans to keep things interesting. Pick up this book, and any of Lord’s other books, today and you won’t be disappointed 🥰

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My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave The Break-Up Pact 5 Stars!

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Are you interested in learning more about this book? Check out the links below!

Emma Lord’s Website

Emma Lord’s Instagram

The Break-Up Pact on Goodreads

Order The Break-Up Pact on Amazon

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Have you read any of Emma Lord’s previous books? Check out my reviews for some of them here!

Tweet Cute ~ You Have a Match ~ Begin Again ~ When You Get the Chance ~ The Getaway List

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Are you a fan of Emma Lord? What is your favorite book by her? Second-chance romance? Fake dating? What are some of your recommendations? Let’s chat in the comments!

Love and happy reading,

Whitney