Review: The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

I received this book via the publisher St. Martin's Griffin. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on 2024-08-13
Length: 314 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher St. Martin's Griffin
Rating:

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 from New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

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?

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a sweet, second chance rom-com about two best friends. June and Levi grew up together and were practically inseparable until they were. Fast-forward ten years and now they are back together, faking a relationship after their respective break-ups went viral. Dubbed the Revenge Exes, the two agree to a fake relationship to save June’s bakery and give Levi some time to write his next novel. What they don’t count on is falling for each other.

June is struggling to keep her sister’s dream alive after her untimely death a few years prior. The little beachside tea shop is in the negative, and the owner of the building is ready to evict her. June desperately needs people coming in, but she so stuck on keeping the shop as it was when her sister was alive that she doesn’t see a way forward.

Levi is back in town temporarily, having rented a small apartment near the tea shop with a beach view. After his very public breakup, Levi is looking to reinvent himself. He’s stuck as a hedgefund manager, not at all what he wanted to do in life. He wants to go back to writing full time, but he’s blocked. When someone sneaks a picture of he and June running on the beach, the picture goes viral, boosting the sales at the teashop temporarily. Levi agrees to June’s plan, but he doesn’t know if his feelings can stay hidden.

I really enjoyed The Break-Up Pact. This was a sweet second chance romance between two friends. A miscommunication years earlier caused their friendship to crumble, but now they are getting a do over. Their rapport makes it easy to root for them from the first encounter on the beach. I loved seeing them grow together. The side story of the Revenge Exes made for a cute and often humorous storyline. If you are looking for a sweet rom-com, I highly recommend this one.

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