June and Levi, once inseparable friends, haven’t spoken in ten years. Now, both reeling from embarrassing breakups that went viral, they’re the subject of a new rumor: the internet thinks they’re dating. In a desperate attempt to get June’s ailing tea business back on its feet and help Levi win back his ex, they decide to fake a romance. As they stage adorable dates to keep up the deception, old feelings resurface. Can they pull off the charade without their hearts being involved, or will this fake romance turn into true love?
Fans of the misunderstanding trope, rejoice! Emma Lord’s adult debut is sure to give you one hell of a treat!
Haters of the misunderstanding cliche… join me and suffer with me. Did I depress myself while reading this book? Absolutely. But a girl can only take so much. And if you don’t like the misunderstanding cliche, and the main misunderstanding is resolved 55% of the way through the book… only to have the next misunderstanding follow immediately five pages later, driving the rest of the story to its final conclusion… then you’re just out of luck.
I know that’s a very subjective preference, but I just can’t stand misunderstandings when everything – the entire plot – could be cleared up with an honest conversation. Now if you could give me a few additional reasons for that misunderstanding? Great, get back to me, give me something to rebel against immature characters. But here we have two adults, and in particular our main character June, who actively utters phrases like “If I win this race, we’ll never talk about what happened again” multiple times to avoid an honest, adult conversation, and I just don’t want that in my romance novels. I love open communication, honesty, trusting your partner with your vulnerable sides, and that’s just not what you get in this book.
While I usually love all the tropes Lord presents to us and always give her books five stars, this time the miscommunication unfortunately left every other part of this story that could have been great feeling off.
One thing is the combination of childhood best friends, fake relationships, and second chances at love. All great cliches that Lord has handled perfectly in the past, yet here much of the character development and even the nostalgia for June and Levi’s childhood years felt superficial and more show than story. Their connection was marred by their misunderstandings, making it a real challenge to connect to their rekindling of their friendship and eventual romance.
Likewise, the fake dating storyline was complicated by the fact that Levi was literally still kind of, but not really, engaged to a woman who had publicly cheated on him – and he still couldn’t make up his mind. This made the whole fake dating turning into real feelings storyline even harder to understand, as the misunderstandings from their youth further complicated an already insurmountable amount of problems. So while I thought there was a lot of potential here, it just didn’t appeal to me.
For me the highlight in The separation pact was really June and Levi’s individual journey of growth. June goes through quite a bit of self-discovery as she struggles to listen to her gut after losing her sister and her old dreams, but eventually she learns to go for what she wants and to bet on herself even when the odds don’t look good. In the end, she’s a doer and I think that journey deserves all the love and will be very relatable to many readers.
Meanwhile, Levi has to overcome some obstacles of his own. I won’t go into the whole fiancé situation here, but the way Levi’s writer’s block and desire to pursue his dreams but feeling pressured to be what everyone in the literary world expects of him felt so real and raw that it made me feel sorry for him.
Aside from the things that made me scream, Lord still brings her usual charm and humor to The separation pact. There are moments of comedy, funny bits like a certain scream poetry scene, and quirky characters that deserve their own book just because they turn out to be absolute show-stealers. So if you’re a fan of the misunderstanding trope, you’re sure to enjoy this fun beachside fun, and if not, you’ll still find plenty to like about Lord’s latest adventure.
Two viral breakups, a fake relationship, childhood best friends and a whole host of misunderstandings collide in Emma Lord’s debut novel for adults The separation pact, perfect for fans of Elena Armas and Abby Jimenez!
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The separation pact will be available August 13, 2024 from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine booksellers, such as your local bookstore.
Will you pick up The separation pact? Have you read it yet? Tell us in the comments below!
Summary | Goodreads
Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after breakups with their respective exes go viral, in this wonderfully entertaining and deeply emotional new novel by 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 pay the rent on her beachfront tea shop, Levi is living a cliché New York life as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they’ve barely spoken in years.
But after they both experience public, humiliating breakups with their exes that spread like wildfire through TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows, they inadvertently find themselves in the headlines—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they’re a couple. With so many people behind them, they decide to put their difficult pasts behind them and make a pact to add fuel to the fire. By pretending to be dating, June’s store will get back on its feet and Levi’s ex will realize she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they’re in love, one adorable photo opportunity at a time.
Two viral breakups. One fake relationship. Five thrilling, heartbreaking dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts being involved. Because everyone knows that fake relationships don’t come with real feelings. Right?
