The Break-Up Pact

A Novel

By: Emma Lord

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

A Library Reads Pick!

Most Anticipated by Goodreads, Cosmo, E! News, and more!

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?

©2024 Emma Lord (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Emma Lord’s adult debut is an absolute homerun! It has the very best of fake-dating (with some delicious meta-commentary on the trope), revenge, second chance, a grumpy hero to die for, and the perfect amount of tea! Emma Lord brings on the steam, and her voice is engaging, hilarious, and an utter pleasure to read. The Break-Up Pact is a fantastic romcom!”—Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The Break-Up Pact is like your favorite Taylor Swift song on repeat—romantic, heartbreaking, and utterly enchanting. I laughed, I swooned, I sobbed my eyes out. The perfect blend of Emily Henry and Nora Ephron, Emma Lord is your next perfect summer read!”—Ashley Poston, New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip

"The Break-Up Pact is an emotional, delicious, warm hearted story and I loved it from the very first page. Emma Lord writes so well about love, grief, growing up, and giving people—including yourself—second chances. A perfect book to read on the beach or at a corner table at a cafe, as long as it makes plenty of delicious baked goods!”—Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love and Drop, Cover, and Move On

I liked the story... but

It was an extremely wordy book.. Don't get me wrong, I know how that sounds but the main character would speak paragraphs using synonyms, adjectives, etc... to the point where I was rolling my eyes, like ok..ok we get it.

However, the characters were very likable, and the story was super sweet.

I would try an Emma Lord book again.

Twice as long as it should have been.

The idea for the story was clever and cute , but so over developed. The thoughts inside June’s head seemed endless and you never knew from listening that they were thoughts or spoken words until the whole paragraph or page was finished. Additionally there was no clear climax or resolution. And Finally, who ever heard of a business owner that was more interested in the cooperative theme of a business more than she was of making money. It was disappointing.

Great read

Exciting fun read beachy read. First Emma Lord read and look forward to reading more.