The Break Up Pact is a delightful exploration of friendship, love, and the messy realities of growing up. Loved the viral video references, and live reality TV show mishaps. While June's grief adds complexity to the book, it was also the thing keeping this book from a 5 for me as it felt heavy at times. I always enjoy fake dating tropes and this book really nails sense of place with its small beach town setting. Overall I would recommend this book for its strong pacing as a quick and easy beach read!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Overall, this one was just so mediocre that I already forgot most of what happened. I remember thinking the plot was kind of boring and I did not feel the love between the 2 main characters. Second chance romance has never been my favorite, but I did appreciate the depth this book had and the way it handled the subject of grief.

I thought the fake dating trope in this case was kind of cringe and the references in this book tried too hard to be culturally relevant. I did like the setting and the side characters, but this book overall missed the mark for me.

Is this Emma's first adult book? I think so ... maybe ... but it doesn't matter because AGAIN I LOVE WHAT SHE WRITES AND NEED MORE, MORE, MORE.

There's something to be said for a book that you can predict but has you in its grasp and you don't want out. By chapter 3-4 I knew how this one was going to play out but that did not, at all, not even a little bit, make me wanna stop reading. I absolutely loved spending time with June and Levi and the town of Benson Beach.

Watching June and Levi stay true to themselves yet change into their very best selves was such a rewarding experience. The banter and fun between them had this perfect pull - will they? won't they?

Lord is an auto-read author for me. She mixes love and life, friendship and respect, into all her stories and each and every one has been a win with me.

The Break-Up Pact was a fun and easy summer read. Two childhood best friends, June and Levi, fake date after public breakups.

Things I loved:
-small coastal town
-childhood best friends
-fake dating
-shared grief between the main characters
-good friends/family
-the cover

Things I didn't love:
-The Tea Tide - It didn't really make sense to have a tea shop in a coastal town with only tea and scones?
-all the social media and pop culture references
-the conflict and third act breakup between the main characters
-the ending
-very little romance or progression of the main characters relationship

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this adult debut by Emma Lord. Loved the characters, chemistry, and setting. Plus I now have dreams of opening a scone and tea shop.

I adored this book, just as I have loved everything Emma Lord has written. When going into her novels, I know they will pull me in and be filled with love and care.

This book follows June, who is struggling to keep her beachside tea shop afloat, as she tries to keep it how her late sister dreamed it up. She is down on her luck until an article labels her and Levi, a friend from her childhood, are believed to be a couple after their star exes become a couple. They decide to fake-date for his ex to get jealous and for her bakery/tea shop to get the recognition it needs to stay afloat, but I think you can guess what happens.

It was a very heartfelt novel and was also entertaining to read.

I think that people who want a 'friends who had a misunderstanding to lovers' novel that packs a punch and makes you laugh would enjoy this. I can't wait to pick up whatever Emma Lord publishes next.

Goodness, I am becoming a big Emma Lord fan. I really enjoyed this book! June and Levi reunite after a decade apart. They used to be best friends growing up when a massive fight separated them. After all that time June finds Levi in her tea shop. Even though they have not spoken in 10 years, they still find themselves bonding over two different very public, and very humiliating breakups. They come to a decision to fake date one another for a while to get the press off their backs and make their exes believe they have fully moved on. With fake date after fake date, these two begin to rekindle some of their old feelings and old hurts. There is a lot of angst and yearning on these pages. Both are more sensitive than they like to let on. I love a friends-to-lovers trope and this one doesn't disappoint. There is just something to having a shared history that is so special. While you do have to suspend your disbelief with some aspects of the book, it was just enjoyable. The characters are lovable, the setting is great, and the story just flows. I wanted these two to get their win in the end!

If you haven't read Emma Lord, this is a great book to start with. It's a fun, flirty romance book that will provide the perfect escape to its reader.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a delightful and heartwarming rom-com. It centers on June and Levi, two former best friends who fake a relationship to repair their reputations. The chemistry between them is engaging, with the classic fake-dating trope turning into real emotions. The story balances humor with heartfelt moments, and the small-town setting adds charm. While Levi makes some questionable choices, his connection with June is sweet and believable. If you're into light, feel-good romances with a touch of emotional depth, this book is a quick and fun read

I loved this story so much. I love a fake relationship with some second chance mixed in. I've always been a fan of Emma Lord and she didn't disappoint with this one.

You know the book is good when you order it after you finished reading the arc! This was one of my favourite romance reads of 2024.

I really enjoyed this book! This book follows two main characters who were so close growing up that people assumed they were dating in high school even though they were not. After a falling out towards the end of high school these two have not really spoken to each other for almost 10 years that is until they both return to their small beachside hometown.

Our FMC has returned because she has taken over the running of a tea shop that she and her sister had opened before her sister passed. She is struggling with keeping the business afloat and is dealing with an incredibly public break up. Her ex-boyfriend dumped her on a reality tv show, which resulted in her crying face going viral.

Our MMC has returned so that he can finish writing his novel. He is also trying to escape NYC after he has had his own very public breakup. His fiancé very publicly cheated on him with a major celebrity.

When our two main characters start interacting again they inadvertently go viral with people thinking they are in a relationship with each other. In order to help our FMC’s business and to make our MMC’s former fiancé jealous they decide to fake date each other for the publicity. But of course old feelings start to pop back up and what starts out as fake dating may not stay so fake.

I thought this was an excellent fake dating book. The characters have enough of a history where there interactions make sense. This history both with each other and involving the FMC’s recently passed older sister, also helps to explain why these two characters did not get together in the past and what is holding them back now.

This book was not only a fun rom-com it also touched on some more serious topics like the death of a sibling, losing one’s business and trying to balance one’s passions with adult responsibilities. I felt like the author did an excellent job with balancing the more serious moments with the fun rom-com parts.

Overall this was a perfect vacation read.

Fake dating
Beachy setting
Friends to lovers

Fun, light read. Perfect for a trip to the beach. 3.5 stars.

Levi and June were the best of friends. And then they weren't. Neither of them are living the lives they used to talk about, the lives they had dreamed of. Then they both suffered an uncomfortable break up, made all the more exasperating when it's splashed all over social media.

When a photo of Levi and June goes viral, the pair decides to go with it. Now Levi and June are an internet sensation all on their own.

I've become a big fan of Emily Lord. She has a knack for creating real, believable characters with real feelings, real problems and every day concerns.

At the start of the story both Levi and June are living lives they feel are expected of them, trying make someone else happy and neglecting themselves in the process. They each have unfulfilled dreams, but can't find the path to reach them.

The story works because Levi and June have a history. They give each other an essential touchstone, a supportive shoulder and honest opinions. With each other, they can just be themselves, which helps them remove their blinders and start moving toward a life lived for themselves.

The story was at times emotional and bittersweet, at time frustrating, but always enjoyable.

Thank you St, Martin’s Press for the early review copy. This review contains light spoilers.

The Break Up Pact was the perfect “quick read” for me; an easy story to follow with a lot of entertaining plot devices (e.g., TikTok virality of break ups) with some subtle emotional touch points.

I enjoyed the fusion of the fake dating trope with friends to lovers (and a bit of second chance romance) to give the story a unique take. That being said, I thought June’s reasons for leaning into the revenge exes (saving her business, grappling with the loss of her sister in addition to “revenge” against Griffin’s wrong doing) was easier to root for than Levi, who seemed primarily in it for his own gain of making his ex jealous (and secondarily finding a new career). The mismatch made it hard for me to want them together and be driven by the romance in the book itself.

I was more drawn to June’s growth journey and appreciated that the ending didn’t wrap up entirely in a bow (spoiler: she still loses the shop in its current form) and it made it about learning to live with loss than living up to those expectations. This also helped overlook some of the miscommunication plot devices that could make her grating.

Overall, a fun and light-hearted read that’s perfect for summer beach vibe with some emotional weight as well.

Fake dating and wedding planning shenanigans between childhood best friends? Sign me up! This was a great adult debut romance from Emma Lord.

I absolutely love Emma Lord, so I was excited to see a new book from her. She usually tends to hang out in the YA genre, so it was a fun change of pace that this was more an adult contemporary romance. I enjoyed the book immensely and look forward to more to come from one of my favorite authors!

When June and Levi, old friends who have lost touch, both go through public breakups, they decide to partner up to change the narrative. As they navigate rekindling their friendship alongside life, you’ll find yourself cheering for them and wondering what comes next.

While the premise of this was great, I unfortunately had a hard time connecting with the characters. It was a bit cheesy for me.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for a fair review.

A beach side tea shop? Sign me up! This is the first novel of Emma Lord that I have read and it did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Really enjoyed this book and the characters in the story. While the miscommunication of the two characters was sometimes frustrating it was ultimately a good story and a fun read.

I really enjoyed this one! It had great lighthearted moments, but also some serious topics dealing with grief.

The friends to lovers/fake dating was really sweet. Their inside jokes and easy banter made for lots of laughs throughout their dialogue.

While June and Levi are both dealing with grief, June goes on a journey to truly figure out how to succeed in life….and the outcome is perfect.

I adored Levi and June together. The events kept me engaged, but there were a few slower moments where I found myself losing some interest as it got a bit repetitive.