DNF at 62%. I think I've been patient enough to even last that long.

4.5 Stars

★ 3.5/5 ★

'Le pacte' est une jolie romance moderne, alliant amour, désir et amitié, le tout porté par un récit à deux voix, alternant entre celle de Stéphanie et celle de Linden.

Tous deux sont amis depuis longtemps, et il faut ajouter un autre personnage lié à cette amitié : James, meilleur ami de l'un et de l'autre, propriétaire du 'Burgundy Lion', le bar qui tient lieu de QG à la petite bande.

Pour Linden et Steph, leurs 25 ans seront marqués par un pacte qui va complètement transformer leurs vies. En effet, le jeune homme propose à son amie quelque chose de bien particulier : si à 30 ans ni l'un ni l'autre ne sont engagés dans une relation sérieuse, ils se marieront. Ce qui aurait pu n'être qu'une blague liée à une soirée trop arrosée va finalement marquer toute leur vie. On les revoit à chaque anniversaire d'avant la date fatidique, comme un compte à rebours lancé sans retour en arrière possible.

On les voit alors se guetter, voir la tension naître entre eux (quoique encore pas suffisamment à mon goût) ; et comme on suit leurs pensées à tous les deux, on connaît la profondeur du désir qu'ils ont l'un pour l'autre. Dans ces moments-là, on découvre un autre Linden, moins tapageur, moins 'beau gosse' que l'air qu'il se donne au quotidien.

Et puis vient ce fameux défi, qui vient couronner des moments déjà électriques, ce baiser imposé qui va tout remettre en question ...

S'ensuit alors une (re)découverte de l'autre, une romance torride parsemée de ces moments de complicité et de tendresse qu'on aime trouver dans nos romances.

J'ai globalement bien apprécié cette romance, portée par de jolis moments de complicité entre les personnages, servie par une écriture fluide (même si mes yeux s'écarquillent toujours lors des passages crus et/ou vulgaires, et avec lesquels j'ai définitivement du mal lorsque je lis en VF). Les personnages secondaires sont bien dessinés, notamment Penny et James (ah James, voilà un personnage complexe ...), et apportent un vrai plus au récit.

Néanmoins, la romance manque pour moi de ce petit quelque chose en plus qui fait toute la différence. Ceci dit, je n'ai pas boudé mon plaisir : je l'ai trouvée agréable et divertissante, même si elle ne m'a pas fait vibrer.

2.5 stars

Why not just two stars, you may ask? Well, the writing was decent and even though there may have been a line or two that made me wanna puke because of too much cheese, everything else in that department seemed tolerable. I didn't really care much about the characters and all I kept thinking while reading was, Just get together already!!!!! And they did just that about halfway into the book and of course, the guy fucks up. Something happens to guy, girl and guy make up, there goes your happily ever after.

All in all, an okay book. In all the friends-to-lovers books that I have read, there isn't really anything particular about this that makes it stand out. Hence, the 2.5 stars.

I was borderline DNF with this book. It was okay. I didn't hate it but I was extremely bored with it very quickly.

For the first half of the book the only clue you get that Steph and Linden will even be remotely close to more than friends is a ridiculous pact and a few 'I checked him out' or 'he was so f**king sexy' - yeah, no I wasn't feeling that. The writing lacked in descriptive details that made me visualize the characters or click with them on an emotional level.

I simply didn't care who they were with. They were each with other people the whole first half and I thought meh, who cares. In this type of book I should have been hating the boy/girl friend and be like "AHHHH they need to be together" I didn't feel that.

Then there was James, what a ninny. I was reminded of Jane from the Brady bunch; "Marsha! Marsha Marsha!" Except James was all "Linden! Linden! Linden!" What kind of friend is THAT jealous that they don't want them to be happy?? I just wanted to call him out for being a whiny punk.

I loved this book! The characters were believable - in fact I think I know a few, and I was cheering them on and beating my head against the wall all at the same time. At times I wanted to strangle Linden, Steph and James but that just made me more invested in them getting their HEA!!! I read this in one setting started at 5:30 and finished at 10 I so wanted to know how it was all going to play out. I will defiantly be reading more by this author.

This was a 5-star read, that became a 2-star read when the hero was an unforgivable coward and dumbass, that managed to pull out to a 3.5-star read at the end with a "redemption" that felt quick and cheated.

I'm sorry, but

Spoiler

when the hero has done something shitty and cowardly to the heroine, getting in an accident doesn't get to serve as a reset button. He did a shit thing, and he still has to man up and earn his way back into a relationship with her. But he doesn't. He shows up - after months - and she cries at takes him back. No debate, no discussion, no expression of how hurt she was...no real repercussions for James, even, who was a complete fucking douche.

I really liked this until the last 15-20% or so. *sigh*

Very predictable but still cute! Review to come.