Title: The Break-up Pact
Author: Emma Lord
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Romance
Pages: 314
My Rating: ❤️❤️🖤🖤🖤
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The Break-up Pact
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 called the Tea Tide, Levi is living a New York cliché as a hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they’ve barely spoken in years. But now Levi is back in town. June and Levi both experienced an awful and very public break-up with their exes. But when someone takes a photo of them together at the beach, the whole internet is going crazy. They are now called the Revenge Exes and are extremely popular, which is good for June’s tea shop. They both decide to pretend they are dating so June can afford the rent for her tea shop and Levi can make his ex jealous.
Review
I think this is the first book by Emma Lord that I’ve read, and to be honest, it was a struggle to finish. I’m not entirely sure why—sometimes it’s just me, but I don’t think that was the case this time. Before I dive into what I didn’t enjoy, though, I’d like to start with the positives.
Not all of it was disappointing, in my opinion. I actually enjoyed the middle part of the book, especially when Levi and June begin to realize their feelings for each other. You can really feel the chemistry and tension between them, which I loved. I’m a romantic at heart, so naturally, I enjoyed the moment they acknowledged their love. The book’s cover was also a plus: it’s colorful and gives off strong summer vibes, fitting since the story is set by the beach.
Unfortunately, those were the main things I liked. I found the beginning and ending a bit dull; by the end, I was skimming through pages, and I came close to not finishing it. But I’m the type who feels compelled to finish a book, so I “tortured” (dramatic, I know) myself to get through it.
I’m also on the fence about the writing style, but I’ll hold off on forming a strong opinion until I’ve read more of Emma Lord’s work. I was too uninterested to focus on those kinds of details this time. She has other books I can try, and I’m hoping to pick one that resonates more. I’ve seen a lot of buzz around Tweet Cute and You Have a Match, but I’ll check out some Goodreads reviews before deciding.
Overall, I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one. I needed more action or banter to really feel the romance, which I only felt briefly in the middle. That said, it did give me some summer vibes, which was nice, especially as it’s getting so cold outside. I wanted to pretend it was warm and sunny, but yes, I’m a little disappointed. Here’s hoping I’ll enjoy one of her other books more.