I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The Break Up pact reminded me a lot of one of my all time favorite books, The People We Meet on Vacation. Emma Lord did a fabulous job creating chemistry and banter between Levi and June. By the end of the book I felt like I knew the characters and the town they lived in. While I didn’t love the viral social media element of the initial storyline and thought it wasn’t super realistic, I was willing to overlook that because I liked the characters and the chemistry between them so much. This was a great book and I hope to read more of Emma Lord! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Gosh, I love Emma Lord! I have truly enjoyed all of her books and this one was no exception- it even kept my attention on a four hour flight with lots of turbulence (and I am a nervous traveler!).

The Plot: June Hart has had a rough couple of years. After her sister passed away unexpectedly, June has taken over her tea shop and is doing her best to keep it afloat. Not only that, but her recent break up went viral with a meme of her crying face making her reluctantly famous. Interestingly enough, her childhood friend and crush, Levi Shaw, has also been recently and virally dumped. So it makes sense for both of them to start “fake dating” as they work to leave the past behind and show up their exes.

I will be honest and say that I’m not a fan of the fake dating trope, only because it is used so VERY often. But Lord’s interesting characters, moments of humor, and well- written chemistry are enough to make the trope feel fresh. I also thought that her portrayal of grief felt authentic and helped me see myself in her characters. This is a delightful read that I found hard to put down, and I am grateful to the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy!

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy. I love friends to lovers. I am looking forward to many more books by Lord. I am also craving some scones and great tea.

This was my first time reading anything from Emma Lord and I’m a fan now for sure. I loved the character development and fake dating is becoming my favorite trope ever. I like that it wasn’t smooth sailing to the happy ending because it allowed us a more full view of their lives and made it more realistic. Would definitely read again.

Thank you Net Gally for giving me this arc.

Wow! This book is the literal definition of laugh out loud funny. All the dialogue was so funny, the romance was there too. And the female friendships and representation MUAH.

4/5 stars!

I completely loved this book! I could not put it down. It made me laugh out loud at times, but also dealt with some serious themes. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and I feel like this book did it really well.

It was the perfect combination of humor and heart. June and Levi were relatable, well developed characters.

This was my first Emma Lord book and will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was such a refreshing take on fake dating. Emma Lord made June so refreshing to be wary instead of falling victim to insta-love. I enjoyed the backstory between June and Levi and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way.
I too would have loved to see more Karma happen to Kelly and Griffen, the true villains of the story. Overall I thoroughly enjoy this book and I definitely recommend it.

“The Break-Up Pact” is exactly what you’d expect and want out of a romance book. A reliable friends-to-lovers trope with the right amount of spice. June and Levi are both adorable from beginning to end, and their terrible exes make them even more relatable (we all have at least one). I wish there was a little more investment into the supporting characters, Sana, Matteo, and Dylan, because I would have loved more time getting to know them, but overall it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This was a really fun story and one that had me cheering on the main characters. It's a story of love, loss, friendship, and coming home. This is a great beach read and one that will make you feel all the feels.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for advance access to this digital copy.

The main character is fighting for someone else’s dream of running a scone shop that’s going downhill. She needs to let go and move on. I stopped after chapter 1 (4%). I wasn’t personally in the mood, but the writing is readable and the premise seems charming. Three to four stars for the target audience.

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

This book was the ultimate beach read! Totally got hooked on the main characters and breezed through the story. It's about two childhood friends who team up to fake a relationship to get back at their exes. Super fun, heartwarming, and just an all-around happy read. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something light and easy!

This was a very enjoyable story about June and Levi, childhood friends who are thrown together in a weird fake relationship after both being dumped pretty publicly. It did drag a bit in the middle, but was otherwise a nice read.

This was a story about June who gets dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years. Her childhood friend, Levi, is back in town and also newly single. They hatch a plan to fake-date to get back at their ex’s and end up truly falling for each other.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

I liked Levi and June and the way their relationship grew (it was cute, and Levi is an amazing cinnamon roll lead), but at the same time, there was also a part of me that wanted more. Not more stuff happening (there was a lot already crammed in with the back story/side plots) but more of something new. It was a quite formulaic second chance romance, and given I also just read this author's YA second chance romance, it felt like just the aged up version of that story.

So... cute and fun, just nothing revolutionary.

Emma Lord’s first foray into Adult fiction brings all her signature charm and heart. While her books feature romance, our characters often go on their own growth journey throughout the book, and this one is no exception. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the absolutely spot on feelings of grief and moving forward after loss.

Childhood friends - fake dating - loss- “revenge exes”
👩‍❤️‍👨🫖🏃‍♀️🥕🤭👨‍❤️‍👨
3.75-4 ⭐️
This was my first title from this author and I would definitely go back for seconds. Very descriptive story with real feelings. It was like a warm slow hug with humor and a small sprinkle of relatable real life spice.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

rollercoaster ride through the complexities of friendship, love, and the unexpected power of pretending. June and Levi, former best friends turned estranged, find themselves in an intriguing situation after their respective public break-ups go viral.

Lord crafts a delightful narrative, blending fun and emotion effortlessly. June’s struggle to keep her tea shop afloat and Levi’s disillusionment as a failed novelist turned hedge fund manager create a relatable backdrop against which their story unfolds.

The premise of a fake relationship leading to real feelings might seem familiar, but Lord’s execution breathes new life into this trope. The chemistry between June and Levi crackles, offering readers moments of humor, vulnerability, and undeniable charm.

The author’s ability to interweave modern social media dynamics adds depth to the storyline, resonating with the contemporary audience. From TikTok frenzy to internet gossip, the narrative is as much about navigating a digital world as it is about navigating emotions.

The pacing is impeccable, with five heart-pounding dates that keep the reader engaged and rooting for the characters. Lord strikes a perfect balance between swoon-worthy moments and the underlying emotional complexities, ensuring the reader is emotionally invested in the characters’ journey.

While the “fake dating” trope often follows a predictable path, ‘The Breakup Pact’ surprises with its nuanced exploration of whether fake emotions can truly stay artificial. Lord cleverly challenges the notion that pretending doesn’t come with real feelings, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

In conclusion, ‘The Breakup Pact’ is a delightful, feel-good read that effortlessly blends humor, emotion, and modern-day dynamics. Emma Lord’s storytelling prowess shines through in this heartwarming tale of friendship, love, and the unexpected turns life throws our way.

Rating: 4/5 stars

June and Levi don’t talk. Until they suddenly are dating in the media’s eyes. After both split from their famous partners, it’s mutually beneficial: June needs to drum up business for her tea shop and Levi needs his get his ex’s attention. What better way than fake dating?
I enjoyed “Tweet Cute” and “You Have a Match” by Emma Lord, but I didn’t love them as much as this! Friends to lovers is sometimes heard to pull off, but it was paced well and felt like a natural transition from platonic to romantic. All the characters were their own people and gave such strong found family vibes in their hometown. I didn’t expect to be teary-eyed over a romance, but the way Annie, June’s sister who passed away, was talked about and grieved in the story made me emotional at times. If you’ve lost someone, it will touch you in spots. Just like how grief creeps up at random and/or happy times, June feels her sister in moments big and small.

If you enjoy friends to lovers, hometown romance, and fake dating, this is perfect. Happy reading this summer!

Estranged friends find their way back to each other after each has a viral break-up. I really enjoyed this open-door fake-dating romance.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the slow burn and second chance love for a friends to lovers theme. There are deep feelings of grief in the characters of a sister and friend gone too soon. I don’t think it takes an away from the story as there is a theme of moving on and creating something new through the pain and how healing that is.