REVIEW: The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord: June and Levi have been friends all throughout their childhood, well that is until one misunderstanding broke up a life long friendship… well fast forward to the present and it would seem that just maybe it is time to put their squabbles aside and rekindle their friendship in the hopes that they can help get each other out of this unwanted newly found social media notoriety that both of their viral break ups landed them in… If the public want more of June and Levi then who are they to deny them, when a rather suggestive picture of them goes viral, sparking rumours that the two sad break up saps have found love with one another, the two decide to use this attention to their advantage. Its a simple plan really, they will fake date and play it up for the public in the hopes that this can drum up some much needed business for Janes Tea shop and at the same time convince Levi’s ex that she made a horrible mistake in leaving him… what could possibly go wrong, right?

“For a moment, there’s only us— two people who have weathered a storm and come out together on the other side. Two people built to withstand more of them, when they come our way. Two people built to last.”

I am such a huge fan of the fake dating trope and this book delivered this trope in top form! The Break-Up Pact was the perfect fast read that is packed full of amazing tropes like fake turned real romance, second chance romance, friends to lovers and an all time favourite small town romance. I loved the fact that this book was filled with humour but still managed to deliver a very important message that in order to truly be happy you need to stay true to yourself.

It was easy to relate to and empathise with these two characters and the struggles that they faced with how vocal social media can be. I liked that Lord touched on this topic and showed the pros and cons that come with having to deal with sharing a part of yourself with the world. Now for our leading lady, June, well she was all heart. It is hard not to love our leading lady and want to see her find happiness. I loved her devotion to keeping her late sisters tea shop functional but also trying to make it her own in the process. I will say my heart totally broke for her and the way she found out that Griffin was cheating on her. Like girl you can do so much better than that man child! Though I am glad that she was able to get closure from that relationship and move on to better things. Now for our hero, to be honest I was a bit on the fence with this guy. On one hand Levi was totally swoon but on the other hand he kind of did a few stupid things. However I have to say his cute factor won out in the end.

“Bold of Levi and June to have an origin story so iconic that they single-handedly destroyed every dating app on my phone”

The chemistry between these two was just beautiful. I loved the way they naturally fell into the real part of the relationship and really nothing felt fake with them. Levi had me swooning with him making June scones, you will understand when you get to this part but it was just the cutest thing ever. I also really liked that he would name her different months when he was mad at her, as his little rebellion to annoy her back, this was a unique and cute thing about their relationship. However more than anything I absolutely loved the fact that the story he had written when they were younger was basically about them.

The supporting characters in this book were also pretty good. I have to say that I loved the relationship and bond between June and Sana. These two were true bestie, they had each others backs and supported each other through it all. I loved that Sana was such a huge supporter of pushing Levi and June together. Truly Sana was a great supporter for these two and she added so many laughs to this book.

The Break-Up Pact was the perfect combination of heart warming and bubbly cuteness. I loved that while this book was a romcom at its core it also reminds up that not all love and happiness is neat and tidy, it can be messy but perfectly messy with the right person. Definitely a book to check out!

Book Info:

Publication: August 13, 2024 | Griffin |

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?