Now this was a cute dazzling edible little romance !!

"I tuck the feeling into my heart and step out into the sweet summer air. For the first time in a long time ,I don't dread the mountain of work ahead of me. For the first time in a long time, I see what might be on the other side of it , and love every inch of the view"

The Break-Up Pact is a slow burn romance with such likeable characters that will charm you off your feet.

June has just broken up with Griffin and is trying to keep afloat her sister Annie who had recently passed away cafe the Tea Tide which serves delectable scones !

Meanwhile Levi has just gone through a terrible break-up and he finds himself back in Benson Beach where his long time school friend June resides.

June and Levi get the notion from their friend Sana to stage a "Revenge of the Ex's" exploiting photos all over social media and what transpires next is a delightful little cat and mouse chase romance .

The Break-Up Pact is the perfect palate cleanser which is the ideal read for any summer beach setting or vacation rendezvous !

Fans of Hallmark settings , readers of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren will gobble The Break-Up Pact up!

SO GOOD!!! 4 stars!!

The Break-Up Pact is truly such a fun and cute but real story. The premise of the book that initiates the fake dating was so much fun to read and made me stay invested, while simultaneously the relationship dynamics between Levi and June was so real and deep. The Break-Up Pact is the perfect easy read set in the summer that will put a smile on your face! Emma Lord has a way of writing funny and adorable characters that she puts in real life situations that create intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict, definitely check out her other books!

This book has everything: fake dating, an adorable tea shop, a second chance romance, and a proper appreciation for a man being elbow deep in scone dough. But really, I loved so much about this book. The main characters, June and Levi, are both precious humans who clearly feel so much for each other. From their first interaction there is so much clear longing and angst, but it takes a fake dating ploy (one of my favorite tropes) for them to finally explore their feelings and the breakdown of their friendship in high school. The book also does a phenomenal job of exploring the different ways grief can change a person. June and Levi are both reeling from the loss of June's sister Annie, and they explore those feelings in such messy, realistically human ways. This book was so tender and funny, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the second chance romance trope. Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Break-Up Pact is a sweet romance centered around grief and moving on after loss. Annie's death still deeply effects June and Levi and their everyday decisions. Without ever meeting her on page, you can feel the shape of where Annie should be. Even though this book deals with some heavy subject matter, it is focused on healing.

June and Levi are very cute together. I loved all of the side characters and wish we'd gotten a little more of them, because I was not ready to goodbye to Benson Beach.

I'm looking forward to picking up a physical copy. The Break-Up Pact is definitely going to be a book I reread when I need something emotional but sweet.

I am not so sure that Emma Lord and I are meant to be compatible. Something about the writing style makes me want to love it, but it never winds up working in my favor.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord. This book gave me time to really feel like a part of Benson Beach and to see the characters develop. I wish I could visit Tea Tide in real life!

In Emma Lord's novel, The Break-Up Pact, readers are transported to a charming small town where the boundary between fiction and reality becomes blurred, thanks to her vivid storytelling and well-crafted characters. Lord's ability to capture the essence of small-town life, with its intricate web of rumors and hushed love stories, is simply mesmerizing. As the narrative unfolds, readers are engrossed in a world where characters feel authentic and relatable. One aspect of the book that stands out is Lord's skillful use of imagery during an intimate scene between the two main characters. Without resorting to explicit descriptions, Lord employs imagery that is both evocative and sensual, leaving readers with a feeling of desire and longing. This scene is a testament to Lord's prowess as a writer, as she delicately balances passion and propriety, creating a moment that is both steamy and tender. Furthermore, Lord's exploration of small-town dynamics is insightful and accurate. She delves into the complexities of relationships, social hierarchies, and the impact of gossip on individuals. The characters are not merely pawns in the story; they are fully developed individuals with their own motivations and struggles. Readers will find themselves rooting for the protagonists as they navigate the challenges of love, friendship, and self-discovery. In conclusion, Emma Lord's novel is a well-crafted and engaging read that captures the essence of small-town life with remarkable accuracy. The characters are relatable and fully realized, and the intimate scene is tastefully handled, leaving readers with a lingering sense of desire. Lord's exploration of small-town dynamics is intelligent and insightful, making this a must-read for anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a touch of heat.

Although this was in many ways a typical rom com, I appreciated that it included some more serious themes such as loss and grief, and went into detail of the career-focus of the female main character, whereas often the inclusion of a career feels perfunctory. The characters handled emotions like adults, while keeping some elements of a fantasy rom com. I would much rather my students read this than many of the rom coms they prefer, and I will likely buy a copy for our library.

4.5 stars! literally read this book in a day (literally a few hours, i couldn't put it down). in all fairness it is very short, but it was exactly what i was looking for.

for me, both friends to lovers and fake dating can be hit or miss. i think both were done really well here! i enjoyed both levi and june's stories and i think the way they work through their grief is a nice touch to add a little more depth to the book.

only reason why i'm not giving it five stars is because i thought the pacing/timeline was odd at times, like some events should have been switched. however, i truly enjoyed this book. i think anyone who likes emily henry will enjoy emma lord! i'm looking forward to reading some of her other works.

thank you to netgalley and everyone involved for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The characters in this book were really likable. I wish there was a littke more romance or that the relationship progressed more than it did. I feel like thing started picking up around 50% of the way through.

Wish there was less time spent at the tea shop

3.5 stars, rounded up! I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The first half or so of the book, it wasn’t feeling like it was for me, BUT, I’m so glad I kept reading! I’m someone who's not a fan of social media or celebrity/viral moments, so I struggled with the more manufactured moments for virality at the beginning, despite their very real chemistry. That said, the book ended up being so much more than that! I loved seeing Levi and June’s journeys, both independently and together as they navigated a rocky time for each of them personally and professionally. Author Emma Lord did an incredible job of exploring the complexity of childhood friendships while getting older, miscommunications, and navigating the different stages of grief. I was so pleased with both Levi and June’s growth and development throughout the story and was more than happy with the ending! Lastly, I loved the small town and the group of long-time friends and community members; they filled out the book and made it even more enjoyable. I’d love to see a spinoff in Benson Beach, maybe even a prequel about Dylan and Mateo! Overall, a great read. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was, at its heart, okay. It was fine. Did I get actively bored in a couple of places? Yes. There were other bits and pieces that caught my attention marginally more, but there was nothing about this romance that really set it apart from anything else at all. Which would have been fine if it had been particularly compelling. It wasn't bad. It wasn't super good. 2.5/5 rounded up.

Childhood friends, fake dating, internet fame, and lots of scones, The Break-Up Pact checks all the romcom boxes.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed watching June and Levi’s love story unfold. June may not be the strong female lead some prefer, but I found her relatable. Emma Lord throws in one spicy scene, and only a little bit of conflict.

Check this one out if you enjoyed watching Anyone But You. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced digital copy!

An absolutely delicious beach read that’s perfect for summer. I loved the main characters and how nuanced they were and the depth of their history together. The trio of secondary characters were absolute perfection. As someone who has spent a lot of time on the Jersey shore, I thought the setting was very accurate and brought the whole story to life.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Listen, I am the biggest Emma Lord fan and I will always stan and support and champion this woman, but unfortunately this was just ok for me!

When it was good, it was GOOD. I felt that she handled her entry into the adult contemporary romance well. I loved the premise! I loved the tropes! It was a matter of pacing and organization, to me. I felt that the main conflict happened too soon, and the conflict and resold just took too long to get through and I found myself losing interest in the final 1/4 of the book.

I still enjoyed but I prefer her YA books!

Emma Lord is one of my absolute favorite authors, every single book she writes immediately is bought. Unfortunately, the breakup pack did not feel as whimsical and as fun. Loving as her other books. While I enjoyed it, it fell flat compared to her other works.

One thing I love about Emma Lord is her boldness to take on timely topics without belittling their relevance by dumbing down the context. She writes about what is right now with intention and care, & I wish more authors would follow her lead. I think the timeliness adds a layer of verisimilitude that many other contemporary texts lack. Her characters and plot line benefit from being rooted in a real space in current time. With regard to this text, I loved the metacognitive awareness of living the fake relationship trope. Somehow that elevated the anticipation & suspense linked to how their relationship would unfold. A trope is a trope because it’s an expected pattern. I love that Lord has used the pattern to break it apart from the inside out.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for this early release. I enjoy Emma Lords books and was excited to get this one. While it was fine I wouldn’t recommend this one to a fellow reader if I were going to recommend one of her books. I usually love enemies to lovers but the couple really didn’t act like enemies. So there was really none of that kind of fun chemistry that trope brings. And I also like the fake dating trope but the story just seemed so unrealistic I couldn’t get into it. The characters fell flat for me in this novel. 3 stars.

The Break-Up Pact was sensational! June and Levi definitely gave off enemy vibes during their first conversation we are exposed to, but then all the feels come in. Desire, longing, love and such chemistry! While their "celebrity" status brings another element to the story, I was more interested in their past and future. Great read and look forward from another Emma Lord novel!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book to read and review. It was super fun, cute, and romantic! It has the modern day love story with tropes like fake dating, second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers!!