The Break-Up Pact by Emm Lord is in the pretend relationship troupe. Both Levi and June were childhood best friends that lost touch after June developed a crush on Levi. Fast forward 10 years and both have found themselves the center of public break-ups which have become internet fodder.
When a picture of the two of them looking cozy surfaces, social media names them the Revenge Exs. This might be what both of them need to get what they want.
I really liked the first 200 pages of this book but thought the ending was drawn out. I have it 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book.

3.5⭐️

The book is cute.
The relationships were cute, just nothing like stood out to me as like overly great.

I guess it just felt like the book was missing something.

This is Emma Lord’s first adult romance and I think she made the transition well. This is a sweet love story that is also a quick and easy read. There are a number of tropes - friends to lovers, fake dating, second chances, charming small town, self-absorbed exes, baking… but what elevates this story above that for me is the emotional journey of the characters. The MCs are so supportive of each other from the very beginning and the slow burn love story builds from that in a very natural way. They have a complicated history and many of their actions are grounded in grief and guilt, and fear of moving forward. It was very satisfying to watch them grow, both individually and in their relationship.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Emma Lord, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book carried me through an emotional roller coaster and I loved it. I loved the fake dating, friends to lovers and I think it has some notes of second chance. One of my favorite reads so far.

I'd give this a 2.5 rating. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t a big fan of this. It felt, in a nice way to put it, a little boring and predictable. I also couldn’t get past the typos in the book. I recently read a similar trope as this that I liked and I guess I just felt this story was lacking a bit. I thought the ending was cute though.

June and Levi used to be best friends. Over ten years have passed since these two have truly spoken. After a tragic event in their lives, both also face very public breakups. June and Levi devise a plan, Revenge Exes. They are going to pretend to date to get viral press in a good way. With June's business struggle and Level not being able to finish his book, they find their old friendship helps rekindle their own lives. June has always loved Levi but does he feel the same? This is the first adult romance from Emma Lord. There is not a whole lot of spice, but the few scenes were good. I truly enjoy Emma Lord's writing and it translated nicely to an adult romance. I loved this book, and I can't wait to read more from Emma Lord.

This. Was. So. CUTE!! I’ve always enjoyed the fake dating trope and this one did it so well. I really enjoyed all the characters (I need sequels with their stories ASAP please!) and I loved how utterly and painfully real June and Levi were. Nothing was swept under the rug or ignored in favor of an easy happy ending. They worked for it and earned it, which made reading it that much more satisfying. The modern elements, like TikTok and TV shows, added to the real feel of the story, enhancing it in a way that makes me hope it’s one day turned into a Netflix movie. Overall, so well done and glad NetGalley let me read it!

The Break Up Pact is a story of two friends, both with unique breakup stories, that make a pact to become revenge exes.

Overall, this was a cute romance story. Personally, the character arcs were a bit dull for me. The main characters have intertwining stories and miscommunications, but this prevented actual character development throughout the book. While some areas felt like they were dragging on, others went super quickly. The storyline, at its core, is cute and simple. I personally thought the storylines were prolonged and lacked significant depth or development.

Ultimately, still a good romance read. Just not my favorite of all time.

June and Levi both go through very public breakups which catch a lot of online attention. They find themselves both back in their home town reconnecting. The media starts to spin the story and they are dubbed Revenge Exes! This starts a fake dating scheme to help them both out. This book had all the makings to be really great: fake dating, childhood friends and second chance romance - but it fell a bit flat for me. The miscommunication for years really drove me crazy! There were some redeeming parts such as the cutest tea shop I’ve ever heard of, lots of tension and a spunky side character who deserves her own book!

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Break-Up Pact will be published August 13th.

A lighthearted read with lovable characters and a charming beachside setting. The story felt a bit drawn out at times with the competing storylines- June’s brother’s wedding, the tea shop rent problems, the past novel, etc. I would’ve preferred more focus on Levi and June’s relationship as the ending felt rushed. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A cute read about ex’s who pretend to date after both having public breakups. As a tea lover, I enjoyed the tea and scone aspects of the book (the protagonist owns a tea shop). A nice book for the beach or by the fireplace!

Thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

A reliable friends-to-lovers trope with the right amount of spice. It's a feel-good romance and an easy read.
3.5⭐️

A cute, fun read overall; June and Levi both come across as a little immature, but by the end of the book they are both much more “settled” in life.

The portrayal of June’s grief regarding her sister is touching and realistic; as someone who lost a sister myself, I felt very connected to June’s struggles with how to move forward and make her own life, while still honoring the memory of her sister.

Can I just say I am ECSTATIC that Emma Lord has finally written an adult romance!? Don't get me wrong, I love all of her YA romances, but there's just something about characters being in your own age range that really helps you connect to them. Not to mention, there's SEX. 😂

June and Levi are estranged childhood friends who both just happen to get broken up with in the most public/viral way. So what else can they do but create a break-up pact to help them each gain something? Levi wants to win his ex back and June just seriously needs some business at her tea shop, so they plan to fake date each other and capitalize on their newfound clout.

I enjoyed getting to see these characters' stories unfold as they rediscovered themselves and uncovered what they each truly wanted out of life. On top of the virality plotline, I loved the added twist of June and Levi reconnecting after many years. The banter was top-notch and they each had excellent character growth told with Emma Lord's notorious witty charm.

As mentioned earlier, Emma's books are typically for YA audiences, but this girl sure knows how to write a sex scene, or shall I say sex CHAPTER. It was steamy and romantic and tasteful, which added the perfect touch to this book!

Overall, it was a great, fun, and easy read. If you're a fan of fake dating, second-chance romance, friends to lovers, or fame/reality TV tropes, this is one you should definitely add to your list! ✨

Shoutout to NetGalley and St. Martin's for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my candid opinions!

yeah so I went feral over this book 💛.

oh boy these characters were MESSY, which I actually appreciated a lot because it allowed the story to feel very raw and real while also still getting to play into some silly rom-com tropes. Emma Lord is definitely one of my go-to authors now!

This book was soo cute! It had all the feels! I love the friends to lovers trope and can totally relate to June as well. I enjoyed the chemistry between Levi and June. I liked that the author didn't shy away from having the characters go through hard stuff like loss and big life changes. Real life is hard, and I like how that was depicted in the book. I highly recommend this book!

"Like we're finally coming together with our whole selves, every certainty and messy. unformed part of us, every piece we've held back and pieces we haven't even formed yet to give"

3.75 ⭐

The Break Up Pact was my first book by Emma Lord. It was mostly a lighthearted read but did have times of emotional turmoil.

The first half of the book was a pretty slow burn. About 51% is when they finally have a serious conversation about feelings. Then we go on a rollercoaster of emotions with ex Kelly making her way back into the picture. This is the point of the book I started having feelings of dislike towards Levi. I also almost wish there would've been a forward with a scene from their childhood, that included Annie. She was a big presence in the book for us to not be introduced at all.

Overall, a decent read and I will check out her other books.

✨Fake Dating
✨Friends to Lovers

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review.
So I really couldn’t finish this book. It breaks my heart because I so wanted to love it. I love the idea of running a tea shop on the beach and how cute is the name Tea Tide?? And vintage mismatch teacups, pastel furniture and floral wallpaper?? How adorable! I love fake dating and small town and beach romances, so I had such high expectations for this book.
But there’s so much I just couldn’t understand. June doesn’t want to embarrass Griffin by having Sana write up a piece, but he embarrassed her breaking up with her on TV? And why are there so many scones and no tea in a tea shop? I also couldn’t figure out if June and Levi used to date, or they were just good friends? And is Sana a writer or photographer? Originally, she said she would write up and tell June’s side of the story, but then later she did the photos and had someone she trusted write the article. Is it believable that Sana thinks she would get a job at Fizzle by taking pics of June and Levi? I don’t understand this connection.
I really couldn’t believe that both MCs, who have known each other since they were kids, had such public breakups at the same time. And they haven’t seen each other in years, but the first day they see each other she already has tingles when she brushes his arm? But back when she was 16 he told her he wasn’t interested in her.
Giving 2 stars because I love the concept and setting.

This is a cute, quick read for fans of the fake-dating trope! I enjoyed the characters, both main and supporting. The premise behind the book (revenge faking dating after both main characters suffered public humiliation by cheating partners) and the timeline of the romance felt far-fetched for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

The mortifying ordeal of being known (complementary). I do think the narrative could have benefited from dual POV but I did enjoy how June and Levi found their way back to each other.