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.
As they start to reconnect over helping June's brother plan his wedding and their fake dating pact, it starts to feel like how it was in the past. After sharing a kiss 'for a photo' June starts to realize her feelings for Levi are very real, except he is still looking at getting back with his ex and leaving for NYC. But now even Levi seems to be looking at the situation differently, and their friends are rooting for them. But can they forgive what has happened in their pasts so quickly and will the world still love them if they knew it was fake to begin with?
This book was a super fun summer rom-com, with a beach setting included. I'm a big fan of the fake dating trope, and this book was full of that! I love the slow burn from 'remembering their friendship' to fake dating to finally realizing maybe their 'person' was the one in front of them. There are a lot of really great background characters as well, some who I wish I had the stories of. Sana is a great best friend to June and helps her figure out her feelings. Both Sana and Levi are a big part of June moving past what her sister would expect from her. Both June and Levi had great character arcs as well, learning to trust themselves and each other after being hurt. The exes were definitely a time as well, and I liked how silly some of the interactions were.
This book would be an excellent 'late summer' beach read before we turn over into Fall and cooler times.
4 out of 5 stars for me!
The Break-Up Pact comes out August 13, 2024!
Commentaires