The Book:
When We’re Thirty by Casey Dembowski
Published April 27, 2021 by Red Adept Publishing
Date read: April 25, 2021
The Characters:
Hannah
Will
Hannah’s best friend Kate
Buy it on Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Two friends. One pact. The performance of their lives.
Hannah Abbott is stuck in a dead-end relationship and at a job she loves but that barely pays the bills. The four walls of her tiny New York City apartment have never seemed so small. She’s barely toasted her thirtieth birthday when her old college friend Will knocks on her door with an unexpected proposal.
Will Thorne never forgot the marriage pact he made with Hannah, but he also never imagined he’d be the one to initiate it. One ex-fiancée and an almost-career-ending mistake later, however, he finds himself outside Hannah’s door, on bended knee, to collect on their graduation-night pinky promise.
With both of their futures at stake, Hannah and Will take a leap of faith.
Now, all they have to do is convince their friends and family that they’re madly in love. As long as they follow the list of rules they’ve drafted, everything should go smoothly. Except Will has never been good with rules, and Hannah can’t stop overthinking the sleeping arrangements. Turning thirty has never been so promising.
The Review:
As soon as I learned that Casey was writing a rom-com about a marriage pact, I knew I had to read it asap. I’ve always been fascinated by marriage pacts, the people who make them, and whether they work out. Some of my favorite Reddit threads have been about the stories behind people’s marriage pacts.
When We’re Thirty did not disappoint. It turned out to be half marriage pact, half fake marriage trope, half friends-to-lovers, and I was totally into it. I flew through this read because I couldn’t get enough of these adorable characters!
Usually I have a favorite half of the couple when I read romances, but I honestly can’t pick between Hannah and Will. Will was so sweet and caring (if a slob–I can totally relate to living with someone who can’t pick up their socks or ties…), and Hannah is the sort of girl I would love to be best friends with.
For all my friends who are lovers of rom-coms, definitely make sure this one makes it onto your summer reading list!
Casey, I don’t know if you’re planning to turn this into a series, but in case you’re looking for a sign: I’d love to see a story about Kate! And then one about Daniel. Hint hint.
Did you make any marriage pacts (or other kinds of pacts?) when you were young? If so, what happened?? If not, what’s your favorite rom-com trope?
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