I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, cute romance with many funny moments yet many deeper moments. I liked that it wasn't the typical quick typical predictable book, While it does have a HEA it takes a more realistic road to get there. Well written with nicely developed characters. Highly recommend.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Yo say I loved this book is an understatement. I adored this book, from the first word to the last. Levi and June are both imperfectly perfect. I loved the first person POV from June. She was strong, introspective, self aware, emotional, supportive and funny.

Levi was shy and lonely, but strong in that although it took him time to get to where he had to be, once he was there is didn't waiver.

Their relationship and chemistry was organic and pure, and I never hesitated to believe in their love and connection. I also loved how June's relationship with Annie was described - the grief, love and unsaid feelings.

The author's writing style was poetic, heartbreaking and uplifting and beautiful.

I'd read this book again, and am now an Emma Lord fan.

Can I please visit Tea Tide? Because it sounds like a total vibe.

This book had me feeling all the emotions. Grief, joy, love, melancholy…it ran the gamut. I love the entire crew of June, Sana, Dylan, Mateo and Levi. Seeing June realize she’s surrounded by so many people who love her and finally accepting it was so satisfying.

The brilliance of Sana helping June and Levi traverse their journey as Revenge Exes while also kind of pulling the strings to make magic happen was perfect.

I’m so grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this early ARC. I thought I was reading Emma Lord's winter release but when I opened this book up I realized quickly that this is a hot summer romance. I loved the plot on this one- it is tropey and beachy in the best possible way. It had some Emily Henry vibes, but with all the sweet charm of an Emma Lord book. Highly recommended as summer reading, preferably after a run on the sand and sitting on a blanket by the shore!

Single POV
Childhood/teen friends > strangers > lovers
Small town
Internet sensations
Fake dating
Slow burn

When two childhood/teenage best friends drift apart after one sided romantic feelings develop, simultaneously have very public breakups nearly a decade later — both being cheated on and dumped, they find themselves back in their hometown figuring out what’s next for their relationships, their careers, themselves, and for each other while navigating grief and the guilt and anger that comes with it. June and Levi love to run. They’ve run from each other and their problems, and Emma Lord writes a manual on how to stop running from one another, but instead running through life and its obstacles together.

I am a sucker for saving the family business/the business dream of someone who passed. Two years in to the Hart sisters dream of owning a small tea shop in their beach town, the oldest sister Annie passes away. World traveling and adventure seeker June moves back home to take ownership of the shop, leading to her boyfriend of 10 years to publicly humiliate her on reality TV. I found it relatable how June needs friendship before intimacy. Gotta have that built in trust and deeper connection.

Enter Levi: best friend of the Hart siblings. Original crush of June. Rival of Griffin (June’s ex who dumped her on reality TV). Levi’s brain is wired to be in storyteller mode, or drafting up stories. He puts that dream aside for financial stability and becomes a tried and true NYC finance bro.

June and Levi easily fall back into step as if they haven’t spent nearly a decade not speaking to another. Levi remained close with June’s siblings, Annie and Dylan, but a miscommunication before leaving for college broke June’s heart and pushed the two of them in different directions.

I wanted June to confront him as well as her own decisions on why they stopped talking. She would get a little wishy-washy on me and I’d struggle to root for her a bit, and then remind myself she is struggling personally and professionally. How many battles can she take (or fake) at once?! June is faced with protecting Annie’s dream, but also her own emotions. My heart would start to sink every time I could feel June becoming more invested and comfortable in their fake dating Revenge Exes plot — especially when she wasn’t looking to win her ex back, but Levi was.

When June told Levi that he doesn’t have to be settled for someone to love him, I felt this in my bones. “I don’t think anyone ever gets to be settled in life. I think you just find people who weather it with you.”
I mean, who is truly settled in their life?! Who isn’t working towards a series of short and long term goals? By no means — don’t change yourself for others, but I can’t imagine living my life without seeking opportunities to improve myself. This conversation between the two MCs lets you see how mature they are for their ages of 27 and 28, and respecting your partner and meeting them where they are at, rather than trying to change them or put off big decisions until certain milestones are met.

“Because wanting something isn’t the same as committing to it.” Oh. Welp. RIP my heart. Just shattered by June telling Levi this.

But don’t worry, Emma Lord puts my heart (and yours) back together.

Random thoughts throughout the book:

Fuck Griffin and Kelly.

The scream poetry had me laughing and cringing. The Duolingo call out… I laughed so hard at that comment.

This slow burn… wow. Yes. Artfully and beautifully executed. I loved it.

I love Dylan and Mateo (Dylan’s finance and June’s bestie from high school).

Subplots helped to move the story along.

But truly, fuck Griffin and Kelly.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord is usually a 5 star read for me, but I was expecting more from this. I didn’t connect with the story and it didn’t feel adult to me. Still well written, just not something I’d pick up again.

3.5 ⭐️
This story started off a little jumbled for my taste, but definitely improved for the middle 60%. I am never tired of a fake-dating story, but felt like the first and last 20% we're trying to introduce/solve too many issues without focusing on explaining them thoroughly or exploring the emotions of the characters, which I feel like really drive these types of books. However, when things settled down for that middle chunk, I found myself invested in their relationship and thoroughly enjoying all of the fake dates (and the real ones). Overall, a fun and worthwhile read if you can push through the beginning!

This was such a beautiful novel! My heart is so full. June has my personality so it was easy to follow along and Levi was a complete sweetheart. This is my favorite by Emma Lord so far! If you love small town romances this is the one for you. A lot of heartfelt topics are covered.

Cute, enjoyable story about former good friends- June and Levi- who engage in a public fake dating relationship. Their romance is sweet, and it’s fun to see them combo to their own and forge their own new path forward. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

When I first began reading, I was not sure if I was going to fall in love with “The Break-Up Pact” or not. It did not take me long to fall in love with both June and Levi (especially Levi) and wondering how their journey was going to end. There were just a few sections where I felt the story dragged a little bit, but then it quickly picked back up and I desperately wanted to know if June and Levi were ever going to end up together. The epilogue was the perfect ending to the story. I would definitely recommend this book to those who likes romance.

The Break-up Pact is the best fake-dating story I have read in AGES! I stayed up way too late to finish it in a single sitting, and was rewarded with that absolutely delicious endorphin rush that only the best rom coms deliver. The premise? Levi and June are childhood friends who have barely spoken in a decade. June goes viral when her longtime boyfriend breaks up with her on a reality show. Meanwhile, Levi finds himself the subject of daytime talk show gossip when his fiancé is caught cheating with a handsome celebrity.

Levi, disallusioned with life and work, returns to their hometown where June is struggling to keep her business afloat. When a picture of the two of them goes viral, the internet goes wild and dubs them the “Revenge Exes.” They decide to seize the moment by pretending to date, in hopes to make Levi’s ex jealous and boost sales at June’s tea shop.

Emma Lord expertly combine oodles of romantic tension and a decade of unresolved feelings to create a glorious slow burn romance. The story also packs some surprising emotional depth, exploring how grief, fear and gaslighting can keep us from living fully.

If fake dating or friends to lovers tropes are your jam, then I HIGHLY recommend The Break-Up Pact. I can see this being a hit with fans of Beth O’Leary or Emily Henry. (Heads up that this one is mildly open door.)

I adored this book. It was a nice breath of fresh air compared to other books I read before it. There were a couple grammatical errors but overall it was a good read.

This book had great secondary characters - the sassy best friend, the steady brother. But both June and Levi seemed a bit immature for me. The storyline was also pretty far fetched. I have lots of questions about how realistic it is to travel for 10 years and then operate a struggling tea shop. And with Levi, I guess we are to assume he made so much money in New York that he can just write for fun? I had a hard time relating to the characters because of all of that. But I liked the romance, and it’s sweet to see two childhood friends fall in love later.

Emma Lord has always been a hit-or-miss author for me. However, "The Break-Up Pack" was an okay read. While the plot ventured into cliché territory, I appreciate the effort Lord put into this work, turning it into an enjoyable, sometimes hilarious, fluffy romance. The character dynamics and certain witty moments stood out, showcasing Lord's skill in crafting entertaining scenes. For those who enjoy light-hearted romance with a touch of humor, this book could be a great addition to your reading list.

I got an ARC of this from Netgalley and was very excited because I’m a big Emma Lord fan. Tweet Cute is one of my all time favs.

This book was very sweet and I love the Benson Beach world she created. If you like Emma Lord this is a similar vibe but definitely more mature than her previous books, and it was fun to see the difference!

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord has good writing but the plot was slow, very draggy. Also, I wanted Emma to get some self-respect faster and a lot of that did not happen until the end, which is unfortunate. The reader is left with too much drag in the beginning but like I said again the writing is find just the pace, the arc is not.

Her old boyfriend, Griffin, who did her so wrong never really got any consequences from her.
Levi, is more tolerable and a good partner for June. The Tea Tide shop is cute but too much angst and not enough fight.

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord.

"The Break-Up Pact" proved to be a delightful and effortless read. June and Levi's journey of reconnecting and navigating their "revenge ex" plotline was charming. Their playful banter and vibrant personalities added to the enjoyment of the story. Overall, I'd rate it a solid three stars.

Special thanks to Emma Lord and NetGalley for providing an ARC of the book! Readers can anticipate its release on August 13, 2024.

The break-up pact was a cute, easy read. June and Levi reconnect and this book follows their “revenge ex” storyline. I appreciated their cute banter and fun personalities. Overall a solid three star read.

Thank you to Emma Lord and NetGalley for the ARC! The book will be released on August 13, 2024.

The Breakup Pact by Emma Lord is a cute romance between Childhood friends. I've read several of Emma Lords' books recently, so the Spicy scene was a little unexpected for me. Otherwise, it felt very similar to one of her YA titles.

I enjoyed the story, but I didn't fall in love with the characters in the way I have in the past. It's been about a week since I finished and I can't recall any real personality traits of our main characters. I did, however, enjoy Sana- she was funny and quirky and I would love for her to get her own story!

Overall, this one was OK for me,. It moved slowly and I remember being surprised I was only halfway through when it felt like things could be wrapping up. I'll continue to read Emma Lord's books, but this one just didn't have the charm of some of her YA books.

I received this ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Thank you for this opportunity!

The Break-Up Pact is a sweet romance filled with many emotions. I was expecting this to be more of a rom-com, but really this book is a bit heavier than that. The loss June’s sister/ Levi’s best friend weighs heavy on the story, but doesn’t make it a downer. You get plenty of funny moments mixed in with the endearing and sad. Griffin is the worst and I’m glad for his ending. This book is pretty paced. I enjoyed it, but it may not be for everyone.

Trigger warnings:
Death of a sister/friend
Infidelity