The Break-up Pact
Romance
St. Martin's Griffin
August 13, 2024
Paperback, Ebook, audio
320
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?
Emma Lord Flies Under the Radar
Some authors are lucky enough to blow up on social media, influencer lists, and top 100 lists in various news outlets. Others manage a slow, slow burn that builds on itself without the threat of burn out. Emma Lord is one of the latter. Sure, I’ve seen her book covers float around. They’re cute and eye-catching, but I still feel like Emma Lord is flying under the radar, building her backlist of titles and steadily amassing her fan base. I won’t be surprised when she some day soon takes over the reading world. “The Break-Up Pact”, Lord’s upcoming novel out in August, is sure to add fuel to her fire, scorching my fellow romance readers with the heat of June and Levi.
Fake Dating? Sign me up!
June and Levi, both in separate relationships, are spectacularly dumped smack dab in the middle of the public eye. These break-ups are MESSY. Levi is cheated on, his fiancee hooking up with a celebrity while selling him expensive real estate. June’s boyfriend, a real piece of work who hadn’t said “I love you” in 10 years, creates his own reality tv show and breaks up with June while simultaneously explaining that he met someone else and they are in love and soul mates. Gross. THEN they turn her into a meme.
Heavy Hitting Topics
The romance is sexy. The tension builds right from the beginning, especially with June being unable to keep her hands to herself. However, while the ‘Revenge Exes’ burned like wildfire, it’s dampened and kept in check with the remembrance of a lost loved one. June’s sister Annie was Levi’s best friend. She passes away unexpectedly before our story takes place, but she touched everyone she’d interacted with. There’s an Annie-shaped hole that lingers in the periphery.
That’s not to say that it’s sad — the story isn’t really sad.
“The Break-Up Pact” truly makes me feel hopeful and inspired. June and Levi have spent a lot of time with regret, mulling over their choices and battling their grief. When the time comes, though, each of them are challenged to restart their lives, living for themselves and their own wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. It’s the idea of Annie, their lost loved one, who pushes them to get their act in gear and live.
Reading with my Ears
My most favored way of reading is with my eyes, either physical books or eBooks on my Kindle. Sometimes, though, a story comes around that begs to be read with my ears. I first read “The Break-up Pact” with my eyeballs. I was immersed in it, and knowing there was an audiobook as well, I jumped on it. Being able to hear some very beautiful scenes in this book read aloud felt like reading this story in a more powerful way. (I’m looking at you, Chapter 27.)
“The Break-up Pact” balances fun, feisty, friendly banter with deep, painful grief and Natalie Naudus manages to emote the whole spectrum beautifully. She captures the swing of human emotions and the quickness of how it happens with a natural grace. This would be a great story to experience via audiobook. I listened to it on the Netgalley shelf at 1.25x, which felt like the right pace for a comfortable but engaging conversation.
Final Thoughts
I wish I lived close to a “Tea Tide”-like tea shop by the ocean.
I’m DYING to try a Revenge Ex scone.
I’ll be reading through all of Emma Lord’s backlist ASAP.
I’m Val, and I’m excited to share my love of books with you! I’m a sassy Sour Patch kid from New Jersey, dog mom to Chance the beagle, and much like the rest of the Hive, I’m a coffee lover (I think it’s a requirement to be here). The first book I remember reading voluntarily involved a boy wizard who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and I’ve been chasing magic ever since. I love Happily Ever Afters, and I love love. My favorite genres are romance and rom-coms, fantasy, and young adult/new adult. If I’m not reading, I’m probably kayaking, watching the Great British Baking Show, or discovering a new craft beer.
