The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

Narrated by Natalie Naudus

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post does contain affiliate links.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord seemed like the perfect summer romance for me and I was so excited to get an early copy of this author’s first fully adult book. Sadly, I can best describe my feelings as “It was OK”.

“When you have a sister, you don’t realize how much of the way you exist, is framed not just by your own thoughts, but hers”

June’s sister passed away before June could move back home to help run the tea shop she and her sister had always dreamed about. June was also dumped by her ex on national TV and her crying face became a meme, dubbing her “the crying girl”. But as June struggled to run the tea shop her sister built without her, she also noted that her ‘crying girl’ celebrity was bringing in a little more business.

Levi was also just dumped very publicly when his girlfriend started dating a movie star. Stupidly, Levi still wanted the cheater back. Levi and June were best friends in high school, but they hadn’t seen each other in years. So when they met again someone captured it on camera, shipped them together, and dubbed them “The Revenge Exes”. Suddenly the tea shop was filled with new people all trying to get a glimpse of the social-media famous couple.

They decide to continue the ruse themselves so June can save her sister’s tea shop and Levi can make his ex jealous enough to get her back. But with their confusing past, the lines may get crossed. Look out guys…this is slooooowwwww-burn.

“The kiss didn’t end anything. It opened up an entire world, one that stretches far beyond this place, past the parking lot and every road it will take to get us home. One with enough potential to spill the ocean, into the night stars.”

Likes:

There were some beautiful lines in the Break-Up Pact. I highlighted a lot.
How June grew and learned a lot about herself during the book.
I love the cover.
The author is great at eloquent descriptions and analogies. “I glance down at the display case, searching for my last shred of dignity. Nope. It’s just rows of unsold scones.”
Gay representation.
Her best friend Sana.
The underlying message of living your life for you and nobody else.

Dislikes:

The pacing was a little off. Important parts were very rushed, and less important parts dragged down the story.
The way she kept making excuses for her ex humiliating her.
It was a little funny at first but then not so much. I got the impression this was a romcom, but it really wasn’t.

The Narration:

Natalie Naudus did a good job. There was nothing that stood out either way, but I don’t think her narration enhanced or detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

The Down & Dirty:

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord was just an OK read for me. While I never thought about DNFing, the slow-burn romance still never grabbed me the way I hoped. I think I just never really liked either of the main players enough to root for them.