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 new 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?
Final Thoughts
Two of my favorite romance tropes are friends to lovers and fake dating- so I was so excited to receive this ARC that wrapped both of those tropes into one really enjoyable read!
I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t help but to dream of tasting all the flavors of the scones from Tea Tide.
Even though it may be hard to believe that two people who have been lifelong friends could both go viral for their breakups and then fall in love, it didn’t feel that way while reading. All the obstacles of navigating love in the real world were there, and I appreciated that it wasn’t so far fetched. I think that really helped me connect to the characters and the story.
This was my first Emma Lord book, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: August 13, 2024