This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
June has just been publicly embarrassed — a video of her reaction to her (ex)boyfriend telling her on a TV program he’s found someone else has gone viral. And, as it so happens, her childhood best friend she has hardly spoken to for a decade has just experienced a similar fate. When Levi comes back to Benson Beach to work on a novel, June is angry at him. But her current best friend convinces the two of them to pretend to be dating and control the narrative about themselves online.
June and Levi go out together around town, and June’s friend snaps photos and gets them posted. Soon, everyone is shipping the Revenge Exes. And June is enjoying her time with Levi. They’re having fun. They’re talking. And she’s feeling some serious attraction to him. But he made clear when they were teens that he wasn’t into her “that way.” She can’t allow her heart to be broken again.
Meanwhile, June’s tea shop is doing better. With all the crowds it’s attracting, she can get caught up on rent. And hopefully, Levi can make progress on his great American novel. Things should be going great all-around. But eventually, the fake-dating will end. And what will happen then?
I’ve enjoyed most of Emma Lord’s young adult books (favorite is still Tweet Cute!), and now she’s venturing into adult romance, much like the very popular Emily Henry did (I loved her early magical-realism YA romance the best). The Break-Up Pact should satisfy that audience pretty well. It has a nicely done fake-dating trope, two longtime best friends who have a lot of chemistry, and a spicy sex scene. Of course, that last part is where my particular interests stop. But overall, enjoyable.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 14 uses of strong language, 40 instances of moderate profanity, about 30 uses of mild language, and a dozen instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes some references to sex, kissing, and an explicit, fairly lengthy “on-screen,” “open-door” scene.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Break-Up Pact on Amazon.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
