June and Levi, once inseparable friends, haven’t spoken in ten years. Now, both reeling from humiliating break-ups that went viral, they find themselves the subject of a new rumour: the internet thinks they’re dating. Desperate to boost June’s struggling tea shop and help Levi win back his ex, they agree to fake a romance. As they stage swoon-worthy dates to keep up the ruse, old feelings resurface. Can they navigate the charade without their hearts getting involved, or will this pretend romance become the real deal?
Fans of the miscommunication trope, rejoice! You are certainly in for one hell of a treat in Emma Lord’s adult debut!
Haters of the miscommunication trope…come join me in my misery. Did I bum myself out while reading this book? Absolutely. But a girl can only handle so much. And if you don’t like the miscommunication trope and the main miscommunication is cleared up at 55% of the book…only to be immediately followed by the next miscommunication five pages later that will drive the rest of the story to its final conclusion…you’re just out of luck.
I know this is a very subjective preference, but I just can’t stand miscommunication where everything—the entire plot—could be resolved with one honest conversation. Now, if you give me some extra reasons for this miscommunication? Great, hit me up, give me something to rally against immature characters. But here, we have two adults, and especially our main character June, who will actively utter sentences like “If I win this race, we never talk about what happened again” multiple times to evade an honest, mature conversation and I just don’t want that in my romances. I love open communication, honesty, trusting your partner with your vulnerable parts and this is just not what you’re getting with this book.
Unfortunately, while I usually adore all the tropes Lord brings us and always give her books five stars, this time around, the miscommunication just infused every other part of this story that could have been great with a bad feeling.
One thing is the combination of childhood best friends and fake dating and second chance romance. All great tropes that Lord has handled perfectly in the past, yet here a lot of the character development and even the nostalgia for June and Levi’s childhood years felt superficial and more show than tell. Their connection was tainted by their miscommunication and made it a real challenge to connect to their rekindling of their friendship and eventual romance.
Similarly, the fake dating was quite hindered by the fact that Levi was literally still somehow sort of but not really engaged to a woman who publicly cheated on him—yet he still couldn’t make up his mind. That made the whole fake dating turning into real feelings even harder to appreciate since the miscommunication from their youth further complicated an already insurmountable amount of issues. So while I did think there was a lot of potential here, it just didn’t appeal to me.
For me, the highlight in The Break-Up Pact was really June’s and Levi’s individual journey of growth. June undergoes quite the self-discovery as she struggles with listening to her gut in the face of losing her sister and their old dreams yet eventually learns to go for what she wants and bet on herself even if the odds don’t look good. She’s a go-getter in the end and I think that journey deserves all the love and will be very relatable to a lot of readers.
Meanwhile, Levi also has some roadblocks to overcome and while I won’t get into the whole fiancée situation, the way writer’s block and Levi wanting to go after his dreams but feeling pressure to be what everyone wants him to be in the literary world felt so real and raw that it made me ache for him.
Beyond the things that made me want to scream, Lord still brings her usual charm and humour to The Break-Up Pact. There are moments of utter hilarity, fun bits like a certain scream poetry scene and quirky characters that deserve to have their own book just because they turn out to be absolute show-stealers. So if you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope, you’re sure to enjoy this fun, beachy romp and if you’re not, you still find find a lot to love in Lord’s newest adventure.
Two viral break-ups, one fake relationship, childhood best friends and a whole lot of miscommunication meet in Emma Lord’s adult debut The Break-Up Pact, perfect for fans of Elena Armas and Abby Jimenez!
The Break-Up Pact is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 13th 2024.
Will you be picking up The Break-Up Pact? Have you read it already? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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 new 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?
