In the midst of navigating her late sister Annie's Tea Tide store after a messy break-up, June grapples with the challenges of finding her way as the shop struggles. Enter Levi, her high school crush, returning to the neighborhood right next to Tea Tide. As their unexpected moment in the headlines unfolds, they craftily scheme to leverage their newfound fame for personal gain.

This tale beautifully explores the journey of self-discovery and the importance of genuine connections. It highlights the significance of finding one's path and embracing both personal growth and meaningful relationships. Only through this process can true happiness be achieved.

Emma Lord's "The Break-Up Pact" is a heartwarming and seamlessly written story, earning a well-deserved 5/5 stars. I'll undoubtedly continue to eagerly pick up any book she pens.

First, thank you for the opportunity to read this book in advance and a space to provide feedback!

"The Break-Up Pact" was a quick and easy-to-read. If you're looking for a light read or vacation read, this book may before you. There was a few laugh-out-loud scenes that made me glad I was able to push through the slow first chapter. Perhaps it was a lack of a personal connection to the main characters or having read too many books with similar tropes, but it was just ok,

Overall, the book was cute and I'm sure many will love it. I'm hoping after taking a little break from reading stories with similar tropes, I'll be able to come back to this book and enjoy it more.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

Emma Lord did not disappoint with the story of June and Levi. These loveable characters shared light hearted humour, complimented each other well and demonstrated great communication in their relationship. I loved the fun loving, cute dynamic between them and could not put this one down. While the story line is predictable, it delivers such an adorable love story and I am all for it.

💕 Friends to lovers
💕 Soulmates
💕 Small town romance
💕 Fake dating
💕 Second chances

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute book about love, loss, friendship and viral reality tv moments. I really enjoyed the beach and tea shop setting and the friendship/unrequited love theme.

Always love seeing how characters take the same life event to change their life. How some people use it as motivation and others use it as the reason they are stuck. This book shows how one things can effect people differently but ultimately how people can grow together.

“The Break Up Pact” is a cute story that checks off all the boxes when it comes to a typical second chance romance book. I thought both main characters had chemistry on the page, and while the story itself is a bit far fetched (aren’t they always in these kinds of books though), I think the tie in to their history makes it a bit more believable. The banter back and forth is a bit cheesy but in the cutest way (sorry I may use that word again a few times, but it’s really the word I kept thinking of as I read this book). I liked the fact that the conflict wasn’t as dramatic, roll your eyes at the drama fight as some books have and a little more natural in terms of the breaking apart and coming together that made the characters a bit more human. I also really identified with their shared loss and how that plays a roll in their relationship.

I did not love how each ex was handled. Levi’s past relationship is left a bit too open for my liking, and I think that created a bit of confusion for me as a reader—does he want to get back together with his ex or be with June? It also drags on a bit too long and has a rather unfulfilling conclusion. Meanwhile, it would almost be better to leave Griffin out of the whole book than include their interactions. Also have to say that while I knew this book would go hard into social media, I felt like those pieces were overly shallow and silly.

However, at the end of the day, this story was still super cute. I became invested in the story quickly and kept reading late into the night because I wanted to see how these two found their way to each other. If you aren’t a fan of cheesy second chance romances, this book is definitely not for you. Lucky for me, it’s a secret pleasure of mine and “The Break Up Pact” did not disappoint!

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate the opportunity!**

Levi and June’s story was the perfect slow burn romance. The book was hard to put down. Best friends find their way back to each other. I loved how June had to find herself and what she wanted before she could fully give herself to Levi. I would love to know what is going through Levi’s head especially when still messaging his ex. Can’t wait to buy the hard copy.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of The Break-up Pact. When childhood friends June and Liam are both publicly broken-up with they devise a plan to fake date. June will save her struggling tea shop and Levi will get his ex to realize she made a mistake. But as time passes fake dating is proving to be harder than they expected.

This was such a sweet friends-to-lovers, second chance romance. Levi and June’s love feels real and there’s definitely chemistry. If you were a fan of Happy Place, I definitely recommend checking this one out.

Unfortunately, this didn't really work for me. I'm still giving it 3 stars because I should have known that some of the things featured here (sort-of second chance and the going viral plot) probably wouldn't work for me. But I also felt like we didn't get to see why the characters have the emotional connection that they do—I overall couldn't feel their chemistry or why they moved from friends to more. It felt like their connection relied on growing up together and their shared grief, and I didn't really feel that they had more reasons to like each other. However, I think there is some good emotional depth here and I did like the overall treatment of grief and Emma Lord's prose!

I mostly enjoyed this new novel by @dilemmalord. However, I would like everyone to know that this is NOT a YA book. Emma normally writes those but this one is definitely a genre change with a very open-door romance scene.

I felt like the first half of the book was very slow. The action started ramping up and it was a quick second half.

I’ve apparently been reading a LOT of *second chance* romances and TBH, I’m here for it. I love love ♥️

This newest novel is set to release on August 13, 2024. It’s literally like a year away. But if you love Emma Lord, you’ll enjoy this one! Thanks to @netgalley @dilemmalord and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy!

Two best friends who haven't seen each other in years, pretend to date after breaking up with their significant other. sweet story.

Thank you for this ARC! This was cute a little cheesy had some emotional parts that had me sad but overall a pretty cute fluffy romance.

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book. I just couldn’t connect to it and found it boring. I typically have a 50 page rule. If I am not riveted 50 pages in then I move on. I just struggled to get through this one.

Cute, quick read! I enjoyed the characters in this - and although sometimes the plot was unrealistic [Levi and June planning her brothers wedding, a tea shop on a boardwalk, etc] I thought it was well written and enjoyed it. Going to read her other books now!

Second chance, friends-to-lovers, and fake dating, yes please! While this was a long, slow burn, I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and seeing them grow.

Yes, this is a romance, but to me there was so much more including dealing with the grief of June’s sister, Annie, and trying to keep her dream alive in her tea shop while trying to move on.

There were a lot of relationships in this book, lovers, best friends, siblings, exes, and relationships within a community who all felt the loss of Annie. I did feel June’s character growth beyond her relationship with Levi and I think I enjoyed that part of the story even more so than the romance.

I was very happy to receive a free ARC of this book, thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Emma Lord for the opportunity to provide my honest review!

I wanted to love this book but I can’t say I do. The lengthy paragraphs about the past or what the main character is thinking are very slow. The book didn’t hold my attention unless Levi and June were together or there was dialogue. I would have loved a faster pacing and some more well-rounded-out supporting characters.

I loved Emma Lord’s other books, but this one was my favorite! I liked the mature, mid 20s characters and their story. Cute concept, love this trope. Would be a great beach or vacation read- setting reminds me of growing up on Long Island and some of the cute beach towns there. I’m only giving it 4 stars because it was a hint longer than I thought it needed to be and I had some unanswered questions about the sister. Not a spoiler in any way. Overall, a great book!

Thanks #netgalley!

A second-chance/ fake-dating romance.

June and Levi were inseparable until they weren’t. They start their separate lives and barely speak until years later they are brought home at the same time.

After embarrassingly public break-ups they decide to a mutually beneficial fake relationship. Romance ensues.

I enjoyed the author’s ability to write self-reflection and growth into the characters while also embracing the nostalgia of childhood.

One open door romance scene.

LGBTQ+ representation but not really a part of the story line.

An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

June is reeling from humiliation and being dubbed the ‘crying girl’ after being broken up with on national tv is trying to save her scone business she started with her late sister. She runs into an old high school friend who is also going through a public breakup. What better way to get back at your ex’s then to make them jealous?

I liked bits and pieces of this story. It was sweet but a bit boring and took me about a week to read.

Two viral break-ups, a fake dating scheme to save face, and childhood best friends who have been distant for the last decade are the ingredients for this summery romcom.

June is struggling to keep her seaside tea shop, Tea Tides, up and running. Levi has fled New York City, where he was working as a hedge fund manager, and come back to Benson Beach so he can keep out of sight and complete his fledgling novel. Both of them are trying to keep a low profile after their internet-memeing break-ups, but before long, a photo of them is leaked, dubbing them the Revenge Exes. They decide to go with it and fake date. You know, so June can revive her tea shop and Levi can convince his ex she made a huge mistake. It's not like any real feelings will get in the middle of this arrangement. And it's not like they'll start unpacking their history or anything, right?

Though this was entertaining and humorous overall, I do think the plot and the characters' progress was impeded too much by miscommunication. Things between them got to be too complicated, too stretched out by their indecision and confusion, much of which stemmed back to their high school days. That said, I enjoyed the beachy setting as well as the strides June and Levi made to come into themselves as adults, to figure out not only want they wanted from life but each other.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.