This is friends to lovers and not enemies to lovers.

This does have spice in it .( not much )


I liked the first half the best. I did like the relationship between june and eli. I like emma lord writing style and the plot of the story.

If you are a fan of emma lord try this book.

I received an ARC edition from NetGalley for review.

Usually fake relationships aren’t my favorite trope but I was so pleasantly surprised by this sweet story of two childhood friends who were torn apart by loss and distance for many years before initiating a revenge dating plot against their awful exes.

Not only was the relationship between the two of them sweet and given appropriate depth, but the supporting cast of characters was fantastic.

I was happy to be surprised with some of the plot turns and was smitten with the HEA. I think the ending leaves the door open for follow-up stories about Sana and her new beau and an origin story for Matteo and Dylan.

This book was so cute! I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of this romance novel and the themes of friendship, perseverance, and dealing with complicated emotions in a mature way! My hat is tipped to Emma Lord for having older, mature characters that have made mistakes, but faces them in real-life ways (minus the going viral parts, but I guess that is real life now too!) Overall, the characters were very compelling for me, as well as the friends-to-lovers, love story. Fans of Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, and Christina Lauren will love the Break-Up Pact! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for the e-arc!

Thank you to St.Martins and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I was instantly intrigued at the start of this book. Our female protaganist, June, is a constant underdog. She is a people pleaser, seemingly drowning under the guise of holding it all together. .
The love interest, Levi, is depicted as a shy, sensitive guy who goes through the motions of life.
Both characters are emotionally stunted adults. They tend to either go status quo or choose avoidance when faced with change.
The book falls flat in the middle. It gets repetitive with the fake dating, and in my opinion not enough tension is built up. It isn't until the two leads get drunk, that they are able to finally let go on their self-control. This is the point in the book where the book shines and builds momentum.
There is spicy scene and I would give it a heat index of 2/5.

June finally found her voice by the end of the book. She started to trust others, but more importantly herself. I Loved her story arc and found her to be such an endearing character

Overall, Levi and Jane's love story was very sweet. I loved how the ending came full circle.

The highlight of this book is Jane's best friend. She lit up the pages in every scene she was in.

Romance tropes: Second chance romance and fake dating

Did I enjoy this book? Absolutely. Did I feel like the end was kinda rushed? Kinda. Do I wish I would have gotten to read Sanas article? YES

Overall, I thought this book was super cute! There was a tiny bit of miscommunication between the main characters in a way that they weren’t really saying how they really feel. (Or at least that’s how I feel Levi was too). This book def scratches the fake dating trope itch. It is funny at times and I did cry. I won’t lie. I would absolutely recommend this to a friend 🫶🏻

According to Goodreads this was my fourth Emma Lord book and this one was probably my least favorite. I didn't love our main characters and it felt like waaay too much teenage angst and drama to the point that I kept thinking June and Levi were much younger. I enjoyed our side characters much more.

Why was landlord Nancy so concerned about the scone shop being a local hangout? Obviously you want your business to be embraced and supported by the community so it thrives, but I got the impression that this is set in a touristy beach town so I would think a lot of the business would be from non-locals. It's like saying that an ice cream shop on the beach should be holding community events every night to appeal to the locals, when that's not their main clientele. And usually landlords just want to make sure that the rent is being paid and business is good (I know we got a plug about how Nancy was special and so much more than just a landlord, etc. but it just didn't feel realistic). Plus, there was already a bar that was the community hangout so why did this have to be one too? I get that the whole thing was meant to be the push for June to move forward and put her own spin on the place and not be stuck in the past, but the way it was done felt inauthentic. I would have rather had June realize it was okay to go on with her life and make changes to the shop and do community events (because she wanted to, not because her landlord told her to) vs. the way it went down.

This is minor and hopefully some get edited out, but there are currently eight references to Levi's smell being that of an "earthy sweetness" (Cool? I guess that's a good thing?) or "earthy", etc. and eleven times that "cackle' or "cackling" was used. Maybe someone could chuckle or chortle occasionally, it got to the point where I thought June was a witch with all that cackling. It wasn't a huge deal but it was a bit distracting to the point where I started looking for those repetitive words.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️s

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was cute, and the storyline was unique and fresh! I feel like the first half was a massive drag though, but the second half had me hooked!

I didn’t really feel like I connected to any part of this, and maybe that’s why I didn’t like it that much, but it’s worth the read if you want something wholesome and easy to read.

i am in my 👏 romcom 👏 era 👏 once more & the break up pact reminded me exactly why i love them. this was a fast-paced read with such ICONIC tropes & a sweet second chance romance.

i fell in love with the characters and the little town they live in from the start and adored even the side characters, who added wit and humor to the book that made it even funnier. i was extra excited about levi & june because they had enough depth to them that you wanted to root for them.

i especially loved the natural growth between them and how the characters took the time to work on themselves. more often than not we get characters who just jump into their love stories so quickly, but i appreciate the heavy communication these two had.

also really liked the writing style. perfect for a simple, quick romcom & had everything i look for in a summery romance. super sweet and just so charming! loved!

While the writing beautifully explores the mingling of past and present love, the plot's reality TV aspect feels disconnected from the deep connection between June and Levi. The secondary characters lack thorough characterisation. The banter between June and Eli is enjoyable, but the limited exploration of their relationship and frustrating communication skills detract from the overall plot. I would have loved to known more about really why they didn’t speak for 10 years. A short enjoyable read

There’s nothing wrong with this book except that it’s just… kind of boring. Though the premise was creative and the book was off to an exciting start, it then got really slow and I got bored of June and Levi as individuals and bored of them together. I’m tired of reading second-chance romances that try to turn why they broke up the first time into some big dramatic reveal only for it to actual be a tiny miscommunication that somehow was blown out of proportion. Second chance romances would be so much more compelling if the characters broke up the first time for a legitimate reason that rendered them incompatible at that point in their lives, and then during the break had the chance to actually grow significantly individually and work through some of their personal problems before meeting again and giving things a second shot.

Thank you to Emma Lord and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I think this is definitely a good fluffy summer read but not necessarily something you pick up if you're looking for an intense and truly life changing romance. I love a fake dating trope but found that some of the plot points didn't fully match up for me and I also am not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope

a cute cozy summer read.
I liked the main characters and their chemistry but the subplot fell flat for me. Great for a binge of a cutesy beach small town romance.

3.75 rounded up to 4 due to some of the most honest, beautiful writing about the mingling of past and present love.

So full of tenderness and genuine feeling… my heart swelled and broke and lifted and fluttered so much for June and Levi. I plan on reading more by Emma Lord!

What I feel is missing is more characterization of the secondary characters. Also, the true, deep story of June and Levi didn’t really match up with the reality tv-ness of the plot hook that brought them all back together. That was the weakest part of the book and in another world, could have been reworked so it wasn’t necessary at all.

Thank you to SMP for the privilege to review this advanced copy!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC! I thought this book was super cute! I did feel that the plot was missing a little something-something, and it would have been nice if June would have had some kind of revenge on Griffin in the end, but over all I did enjoy this read.

Sana's character was hilarious!

Thank you so much to Emma Lord and St. Martians Press for the eARC of this. I absolutely loved The Break-Up Pact by Emma! The fake dating troupe is one of my favorites! June and Levi are adorable. It is such a quick, cute and sweet read. I will definitely be recommending this to friends..

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

‘The Break-Up Pact’ by Emma Lord is a fake-dating romance story, driven by our main character June, the owner of a struggling seaside tea shop and her former best friend Levi, who has put off his failed writing career to be a hedge fund manager in New York City. After both of their long term relationships end very publicly in betrayal, Levi finds himself back at Benson Beach outside the doors of June’s shop after a ten year hiatus. It doesn’t take long for them to fall back into old feelings and habits, and in doing so concoct a plan that could help them both exact their revenge. In a world of viral memes and videos, what could go wrong?

There is something so nostalgic to me about a fake dating romance. It’s true. I blame it on the elder millennial in me who once loved watching a Blockbuster rental of the 1999 classic ‘She’s All That’ starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. (That Matthew Lillard dancing scene is still one of my favorites of all time.) Sadly, unlike the cheesy teen rom-coms of the 90’s, ‘The Break-Up Pact’ didn’t leave much of an impact on me.

While I enjoyed the two main characters interactions and fun inside jokes, there was a depth to their relationship that I found lacking. Their history is explained a little, but I found myself wondering why these two had such a strong connection. Other than telling me that they grew up together and a few throwback memory scenes, I just wasn’t convinced that these two were bonded as much as the author tried to convey. June’s sister Annie, who died a few years before the start of the book, plays a role in their dynamic as well, but for me, the problems that arise between them regarding Annie could be easily solved with bare-minimum communication. While the loss of her sister and working through those emotions are deeply emotional, it felt like that thread of June’s life was something that could have stood out all on its own without mixing it in with her issues regarding Levi.

Ah, the miscommunication trope. You either love it or hate it. In my case, I loathe it. It can be done well in a story, but even then, I struggle with enjoying the unraveling. In The Break-Up Pact; it’s not intricate enough for me to justify the need for it. The stakes aren’t high enough, which led to a very anti-climatic feeling when it’s all said and done and resolved.

There was LGBTQ+ rep in the story, which didn’t add or take away much other than June’s brother Dylan marrying another one of their childhood group’s friends, Matteo. I thought their relationship was cute and enjoyed those bits. There were some laugh-out-loud scenes for me as well, which I can always appreciate from a romance. Her gal-pal Sana added some humor to the mix as well.

All-in-all, if you enjoy a fake dating romance with some miscommunication and problem solving sprinkled in, you’ll like The Break-Up Pact. It was an easy read with good writing and decent pacing that would be perfect for a vacation, or even to curl up on the couch with coffee (or tea if you’re into themes). I enjoyed the vibes of the seaside boardwalk, and had some hearty laughs.

3.25/5 stars

still unclear on why they didn’t talk for like 10 years. there was so much miscommunication in this, but it was a cute story in the end

Rounding up from a 2.5 for Goodreads.
It had potential but it was a little cheesy for my liking and I had a love/hate feeling towards both main characters. I was rooting for them but at the same time I wanted June to just freak out on Levi cuz he deserved it. The side characters (Sana having pizza & beer at 8 am🤣) were the best part. Also, I did shed a tear or two so I appreciate that. I know this author is more widely known for YA and maybe a younger audience will enjoy this book more than I or just someone looking for something really sweet. I will say I wasn’t expecting a spicy scene on this and it was a goody 😂the tension was tensioning the first half 👏

Thank you for this ARC!! I adored this book. Such a sweet and heartwarming friends to lovers story. June and Levi were just so supportive of each other every step of the way, helping each other instead getting caught up in the miscommunications. I could happily read hundreds of pages of them and their friends just hanging around Bensen Beach together.

The premise of this book was interesting and I was excited to read the love story. Initially, I liked the banter and relationship between June and Eli but it didn’t really feel like they, or their relationship, was explored enough. And their communication skills drove me crazy and really took away from the plot for me. The end of the book dragged for me and I found myself skimming rather than actually reading.
The secondary characters were well written and I enjoyed getting to know them.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and Net Galley for my honest review in exchange for the ARC!