June is incredibly over-analytical but I still felt invested in her arc. There were a few times when I felt like there was too much going on, but overall this was a fun read, the storyline flowed well and came to a nice conclusion. This seems like it would resonate with a YA audience.
Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC ebook!

The Break up pact is a breezy summer beach read with a fun fake dating scheme. It would have been interesting to learn more about June’s parents and hear from them and see their relationship through the story, as well as learn more about Levi’s home life while he was young. The side characters like Sana, Dylan, and Mateo were very vibrant and loveable. Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Having delved into “The Break-up Pact” by Emma Lord, I found it to be a decent romance that provides an easy and quick reading experience. However, the narrative falls short in terms of depth, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. The flashback to a fight between Annie and Levi stands out as a puzzling element, leaving readers like myself curious about the dynamics between these characters.

For me, it raised questions about Annie’s feelings for Levi and her role in June and Levi’s lack of connection over that decade, creating an odd layer to the story. Despite these qualms, the book isn’t without its merits and serves as a passable choice for a swift read.

It’s worth noting that this review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided in exchange for my free and unbiased evaluation of the material.

The Break-Up Pact is Emma Lord's first book to be classified as Romance (as opposed to YA & Teens). As I read the Break-Up Pact, I kept thinking "Oh man, I wish she had stuck with YA. sigh."

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers and have both recently had breakups that were plastered across social media; in June's case her boyfriend broke up with her on TV and she was known as "CryGirl". So for a bit of revenge, they decide to get together as "Revenge Ex's" and see if they can control the madness.

Rounding to 4 stars because I feel that the best part of the book was the last 10-20%. There were some cringe worthy lines. I stare up into eyes that are somehow achingly familiar to me but startlingly new, like some new depth of them has been revealed, and i am finally seeing into the whole of him.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request to read the advance read copty of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 13 Aug 2024.

This was exactly the lighter read I needed for my cold, winter weekend. I could imagine being on the beach drinking tea and eating a scone with the Revenge Exes. The character development was great (every once in a while I wished things would move along a bit faster), the story arc was well choreographed and I felt like I was friends with June & Levi by the end of the book.

This was a cute summer read that checked all the typical rom-com tropes. There were times where it felt like things weren’t moving along as quickly as they could have - like the tension started to feel less realistic and more “for the plot”, which wasn’t my favorite. I also felt like there were other plot points that were totally glossed over or where characters were willing to forgive without explanation or conversation, which didn’t feel authentic.

There is really only one spicy scene and it is semi-mild compared to most of the romance books I’ve read so this is a good option if you don’t want to read overly descriptive intimate scenes.

I think if you’re looking for an easy beach read that feels like a Hallmark movie, you will enjoy this!

June isn’t broken hearted after her very public break-up. Levi has been a little lost since well before his also very public break-up. These old friends make a pact to turn their misfortune around, leveraging the hype around their break-ups. Second chance, friends to lovers, fake dating, this is a treasure trove of tropes with a couple spicy scenes. Told entirely from June’s perspective, her consideration of her relationship with Levi, grief, and personal growth feel raw and like you, the reader, are a close confidant…which has its ups and downs. Ultimately, I enjoyed my time with June and Levi and swooned over their story plenty throughout.

3.75⭐️
Alexa, play dress by Taylor Swift.
I was given an arc copy of this through NetGalley.
This book follows June and Levi who were childhood best friends who drifted apart as young adults. Both of them were living their lives and then both of them suddenly get publicly dumped and the real kicker is both of their breakups went viral! So what better way to get back at their exes than fake dating! Take that bad and turn it into a positive for both of their lives!
This story was cute it was funny and it had some sad moments as well! However I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to everyone! It’s a perfect book for summer and I promise you will be kicking your feet and giggling as much as I was!

This is exactly what you'd expect from a rom-com with this title. There weren't too many surprises along the way, but that just made it all the easier to read and digest.

June is struggling to live up to the expectations that her older, now dead, sister had for them/their dream business, and Levi took off from town a few years ago without looking back. Things aren't working out all that well for either of them, but in finding each other, they rediscover pieces of themselves that they'd lost and forge a new path together.

MCs were kind and likeable enough. Obvious sexual tension from the beginning and a whole (small) town rooting for them to figure things out.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it, but it wasn't the best)

I'll tell my students about: language, alcohol, drugs, sex, sibling death (past tense), mental health, social media

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

THE BREAK-UP PACT is the first book I've read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it! June and Levi used to have secret crushes on each other in high school and due to miscommunication haven't spoken in ten years. With both of their recent breakups becoming viral and a photo mistaken for something more, suddenly they find themselves fake dating, known as the "Revenge Exes." It's a win-win...this new publicity brings more business to June's shop and will make Levi's ex want go get back together with Levi. Can they keep this "pact" without anyone getting hurt and/or wanting more?

Such a fun and sweet, feel-good love story. Looking forward to reading more of this author's work. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

So much of this book I really enjoyed. The banter, the history, the social media aspect, the slow burn (although man it was slow lol).. This was my first book by Emma and it won’t be the last. Character development was great, I felt like I connected to and understood the characters and grew invested in them. Overall, I recommend!

I ate this up!!!! I am a sucker for a fake dating trope and also a friends to lovers girlie! This has fun banter, amazing chemistry, and throw in a dash of social media comedy and I am hooked!!
This was my first Emma Lord book and I officially a fan now!!

Emma Lord is such a cute author and I really enjoyed her latest novel! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this did it really well

This romance was so GREAT! I loved reading this one and watching these two "fake date", which is one of my favorite tropes. I definitely would recommend this to all romance readers!

This is my first book by Emma Lord and while I loved the beachy vibe and the characters were well developed, I felt the slow long burn was reaaaalllly long and just wanted these two to sit down and have a heart to heart conversation instead of pining for each other from afar.

The plot of two high school 'friends with secret crushes' who both get burned by social media bad breaksups, to reunited to lovers is a solid storyline, I was just left wanted a lot more depth.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

Well, I loved this. "The Break-Up Pact" is the first book I have read by Emma Lord, and it certainly won't be the last. Fake dating? Friends to lovers? All my favorite tropes! Bonded by becoming viral (both for terrible reasons), Levi and June pair up to take their insta-fame into their own hands. Their chemistry was palpable and phewwww that was a slow burn, but the wait was worth it. The book made me want to open my own little tea shop and eat scones all day while a moody writer makes eyes at me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

The romance was cute, but I started to get bored at the end. There was way to much time in June's head and she just kept repeating the same thing over and over. Also, I just have a hard time being invested when the main conflict is that the main characters just don't communicate.

5 ⭐️ Rounded Up

This was a cute little romance book. Friends to lovers and Fake dating!

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in years find themselves back in their hometown after each go through a very public breakup.

June also known as crying girl is struggling with her beach front teashop. Levi comes back home to clear his head and start writing again.

After a juicy photo of June and Levi comes out, the internet is losing their mind and rooting for what they think is a newfound couple!

I thought this book was super cute. Neither character was super memorable on their own and I did have an emotional connection to them but I loved them together. It’s a super feel good friends to lovers romance with just a dash of spice.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC! This book comes out August 13th, 2024

My first 4.5-5 star read of 2024.

I’ve read two of Emma Lord’s YA novels, both of which I enjoyed, but I was still a bit skeptical of her move into adult romance. I should have known better than to doubt her. Everything about this book feels like a shift into a more adult world - the writing is mature (and, quite frankly, beautiful), there is spice(!!), and the plot has more depth. There are so many lovely sentences and amazing ways of phrasing things - I wish I could stick them in my pocket, just to take out and enjoy later.

Emma has proven, in her earlier YA novels, that she has a good handle on pop culture, media, and social media, all of which come into play in this book. She’s also good about handling heavy emotions without coming across as exploitative. (No trauma for the sake of drama.)

In reading other reviews, I see several low ones. I guess I’m still surprised when I see so many people whose opinions differ from my own, and I’m starting to parse out why - there are two camps of Rom-Com novels, regardless of genre or trope: those that purely fantasy fulfillment vs. those that are more grounded in reality. So many of these reviews aren’t faulting these characters for being poorly written but for being *flawed*. Honestly, I’d find myself reading and enjoying both, but it’s always the latter kind of book that sticks with me. Both June and Levi have issues - they’ve got baggage to sort out. If you want to read a book that’s purely fantasy fulfillment, with a swoony MMC that already has his shit together, this isn’t the book for you. Instead, this reads much more like a Beth O’Leary or Mhairi McFarlane novel - two flawed people, trying to make it work.

Anyhow, the plot description is fairly spot-on for this one, so I don’t feel the need to rehash it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel.

Not only does this have the perfect storyline with all of my favorite rom-com troupes, it adds a perfectly summed up emotional addition with the sibling loss. Having lost my sister this past year, at a young age, it really hit home for me.