I had truly high hopes for this one, but I did not enjoy it at all. I didn't feel the relationship between the characters and I just could not get into the story. I had to DNF.

Loved the fake dating and secret pining! However, as a POC the way the best friend character was written did not sit right with me. I'd rather have no representation instead of enforcing stereotypes and is there simply to provide a POC. Just write them as a normal person instead of fueling the white saviour complex and micro-aggressions.

This book is a light and easy read. I enjoyed June and Levi's chemistry, their job issues, the exes messing up things for them, and the connection they had from their past. If you like friends-to-strangers-to-lovers or fake dating, this book is for you!

This is the first book by Emma Lord that has found its way into my hands, but it won’t be the last. I requested this book via NetGalley thinking it would be a fun little frothy read. Wow. I was so right and so wrong as well. I loved this book in ways I can’t even put my finger on. But let’s try to figure that out…

June and Levi go internet viral for horrible public break ups (with other people) and end up back in their hometown. Friends since childhood, but estranged for reasons that aren’t really clear through most of the book (on purpose), they reconnect and fall back into their friend zone when a paparazzi photographer catches a moment that looks more romantic from the outside than it does from the inside, Internet viral again, but as a couple, they lean in to fake dating while Levi tries to reconcile with his ex and finish his first novel, and June tries to save her floundering small business. This story pulls in a long shared history of a close childhood friendship, and weaves in the struggle of loss. June’s sister, Annie, was Levi’s best friend as well as Annie’s. Annie’s sudden death, before the happenings of the book, brings in a thread of loss and regret and a little survivor’s guilt. June trying to live up to plans made with Annie while feeling the guilt of living a life Annie won’t ever see brings a depth to the character that you don’t often get in this genre. Levi feels Annie’s loss as well, but is also struggling what he gave up long before - pivoting his dreams to care for his family.

Of course the fake dating turns to reality and real feelings come out. I expected all of the trope-y scenarios, but was pleasantly surprised that the plot didn’t twist in that way. For people who have had a “one that got away” in their life- this book will stir up some feelings. In my life- I had “one that got away” but in the end we reconnected, and have been married nearly 25 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish I could grab a scone at the new Tea Tide. I will say though, you missed a fantastic throw back reference… why the Tea Tide mobile when the Scone Mobile is *right* there? All I can hear in my head at this moment is the Gnome Mobile song from the movie (1967- fantasy/comedy)? It even takes place in a magical forest (there’s a further tie in there- seriously.)

I’ll get over the lack of a Scone Mobile. And I will be picking up Emma’s previous books. Go read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Are you a lover of Hallmark movies? Then this is the book for you. I can definitely see Hallmark making a movie based off of this book.

It was a cute story with everyone ending up exactly as you’d think and with who they deserved.

Perfect beach read! Although I read it in the freezing snowy icy Massachusetts weather!

This book was very cute! But not my favorite sadly and I did not love it.

I was so interested in this book for the fake dating trope and it was well done. The reasoning behind the fake dating was great and I really liked the fake dating aspect of this story overall. Beyond that I didn’t love much about this book.

My issue with it was that it didn’t consistently keep my attention. There were parts where I was like, oh my gosh this is so cute, I must keep reading and other parts (a lot more than the former) where I was just kind of meh about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book from beginning to end. There was romance, but also humor, and I found myself enjoying all the little interactions. I know the focus was on June & Levi, but I wanted to see more of everyone - Sana, Dylan, Mateo. Would definitely read anything else that comes out of this universe.

At this point, I’m convinced Emma Lord is perfect at creating incredibly poignant and beautifully written contemporary romances. This book had all of my favorites—fake dating, friends to lovers, a golden retriever love interest, and seaside, small-town romance, all centered around a charming tea shop. While I came into this expecting a heart-warming romance with a hint of spice, I didn’t expect the themes of grief and self-discovery woven throughout the book, but it was so well done, thought out, and truly provided an extra layer of depth to the story.

Now craving scones, haha! Excited to read more from Emma in the future!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Precious! I loved this book and thought the author did a wonderful job of including small details that all came together. This was my first Emma Lord book, but will not be my last! I knew within the first chapter that we shared the same since of humor!

Fake dating, grief, pseudocelebrity/normie dating, mentions Lgbtq relationship
Tension: 🦋🦋
Spice: 🔥🔥
Humor: 😆😆
Not a suitable read for teens.

This was my first book by this author. I’m sorry to say I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. That said, if you love a slow burn romance, and limited spice, definitely give it a try.

The Break-up Pact by Emma Lord: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️
Tropes: Slow-burn Romance, Friends to Lovers, Fake Dating, Small Town Feels

I so desperately wanted to love this book in its entirety. It has so many loveable and gut-wrenching moments, but I just could not get as involved with this book and connect to the characters as I do with other cute and sappy romance books. It took me over a week just to finish The Break-Up Pact and I am the type of girl who can binge 600 pages within 1-2 days.

Enter June, our Tea shop owning, dessert-loving, and viral meme as the ‘crying girl.’ She was publicly humiliated and broken up with on national television by her boyfriend of ten years, Griffin. She is struggling to keep her shop afloat, but then she reconnects with Levi, her childhood crush and best friend whom she has not spoken to in years. Levi was ALSO publicly broken up with and is now being talked about on talk shows and tabloids. An out-of-context photo of Levi and June together goes viral, and the two of them devise a plan to become the ‘Revenge Exes’ and start fake dating. Levi hopes with this scheme to get his ex, Kelly, back, and June wants to use the minute of fame to help her shop stay open.

Now, onto my thoughts:
Let me preface this by saying I have heard so many amazing things about Emma Lord and I was SO HAPPY when I got approved to read this ARC because her books have been on my TBR for a while now. This book is not an end-all-be-all for me because I still plan to read her other books and do not believe this is a representation of all of her work.

That being said, I think Emma should delete the mature content and label this as YA. It has so much potential to be an adult romance, but this reminds me a too much of the YA romance novels I would read in high school. 16-year-old me would have ATE THIS BOOK UP.

I loved the concept of this book. I love fake dating and friends-to-lovers tropes. However, the characters seemed very two-dimensional and there was no real character development. It seemed as though on one page June was heartbroken and kind of a weak FMC, and then on the next, she was completely over Griffin and strong-willed. She forgave him so fast, I was honestly upset when she agreed to the interview and then just left him behind??? (It was not one of those love-to-hate moments either) That was not the ending to June and Griffin I needed and June deserved her moment to shine and get HER revenge.

I felt that she was hot and cold with her feelings, and they would switch on a dime with no real explanation. She would be doubting her future; all it took to change her mind was looking at Levi or him telling her sweet things. I also strongly disliked how badly Levi wanted to get back with Kelly, AFTER SHE WAS PUBLICLY CAUGHT CHEATING ON HIM?? Then when Kelly and her movie-star lover break things off, she runs right back to Levi and how does he react? LEVI GHOSTS JUNE THE ENTIRE DAY AFTER THEY SPEND THE NIGHT WITH EACH OTHER. It just did not sit well with me. There were certain things about this book that should have been written a bit differently/ more cohesively. We get multiple pages of the day June is ghosted, and then what feels like half a thought when Levi sees her the next day. But, this is the type of reaction authors want from their readers, I am just too caught up on wanting more from June that I thought of it more as a con.

This book had one scene of spice, and it was verrryyy over-explained that I had to re-read certain lines over again because they were a little confusing to keep up with. I LOVED the build-up and slow burn that led to the desperately awaited moment.

All in all, even though my review seems more on the negative side, I really would recommend others to read this book if you like fake dating, slow burn, friends to lovers tropes. Emma Lord wrote such a great concept and amazing ideas, it just wasn’t a writing style I enjoyed. I feel as though this is going to be a highly anticipated release and deserves to receive the hype on BookTok.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is a difficult review for me to write. I have loved everything EL has written and once she even convinced me to buy jam(!), but this book just wasn't up to par with her others. I'm not sure if Annie was too prominent or the other supporting characters were just lacking. June and Levi had chemistry so maybe it was just the world built around them... It was an ok read...I guess I'm just expecting the WOW and it never came. I'm walking away feeling indifferent.

**Thanks to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars
I really loved the writing style of this book, which makes me excited to read more from Emma Lord! This story was a cute, second-chance romance with the most perfect beach town setting.

I am such a sucker for childhood friends, second chance books, especially when the reason the two MCs have drifted apart is slowly revealed throughout the story. It's my favorite kind of plot and The Break-Up Pact was a great mix of second-chance, mutual pining, and fake dating.

June and Levi both are going through their own very public, very humiliating break ups. June was blindsided by her longtime bf, when he broke up with her on a reality TV show and Levi's fiance leave him for a celebrity. After not being the close friends they once were for over a decade, June and Levi get swept up in a fake-dating plan after a picture of them together goes viral. They both have their reasons for going along with the crazy plan, but one major perk of the ruse was the friendship they once shared coming back in full force.

WARNING- SPOILERS!

The thing I wish I saw more of in this book was groveling- from both parties! Levi goes from dating a girl for years and years, wants to marry her, goes along with this plan to try and get her back, still talks to her constantly WHILE fake dating June, and then suddenly is all "I never stopped loving you".. June was so angry to see Levi at first and was so sassy (yes!) but then literally instantly forgave him for him practically ghosting her for years. I just wish we got more angst/ begging/ pining. I also would have lovedddd for this book to dual POV.. but beggars can't be choosers with that one.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

This was good for what it is: a simple romance. That said, it just felt like there were a lot of cliches. I was let down overall but only because I’ve liked Emma’s other stories more. I don’t know how to put my finger on what was different but it just wasn’t my favorite.

Pure delight! I have such love for authors who start in YA books and make the leap to adult romance. Those teenage butterflies we feel with lead's new love interest translate seemlessly into contemporary romance. This book had so much heart and depth, and I was giddy throughout. June and Levi had so much natural chemistry, it was bursting with each understated encounter. I swooned over every loaded reply Levi gave to her in their dialogue. The characters were highly relatable and June's journey through grief was beautifully woven into this story. I highlighted a specific portion related to loss of a sister and how that colors the rest of one's life, simply gorgeous prose. I can't wait to dig into the rest of this author's books, because I'm smitten with her writing.

Thank you NetGallery for this ARC! I love Emma Lord’s books and this one is another favorite of mine! Super cute second chance, friends to lovers romance and a quick read. Can’t wait for this to be published!

I've never not loved an Emma Lord book, so it was no surprise to me that I absolutely flew through this! June and Levi were a sweet couple, and while the situation they're in is absolutely far fetched, it's fun and enjoyable.

Read this if you enjoy cozy beachside towns, friends to lovers and/or second chance romance, stories about grief, and learning to trust again. There's definitely some serious miscommunication going on here, BUT I feel like it does sort of make sense based on the circumstances in the story.

I highly enjoyed this, and like always, am already excited for whatever the author cooks up next!

The premise of this story excited me- fake dating and long lost friends to lovers -- however it was very hard to get into this book and stay into it. My main issue is that characters are introduced but never fully developed . There are lots of characters to keep track of and not a lot of description to help with that, which also led me to not become attached to them. The storyline is great and this story could work but I feel it needs some editing. There are charming moments in the book, I just wish there were more. .

Thank you for the chance to review.

Emma Lord once again did not disappoint! It's a great book to sit on the beach and enjoy! The characters are so captivating. Another book that I have to add to my bookshelf, because it's one I will read over and over again!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book includes fake dating and friends to enemies/enemies to lovers. I thought it was a cute book about two childhood friends who were best friends until they weren’t. They went year without speaking to or seeing each other until they run into each other i their hometown, both coming out of very public break ups. Read this and watch June and Eli reconnect!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!!