June and Levi grew up as best friends, but have barely spoken since high school. When both of them retreat to their hometown following high-profile breakups that went viral, they decide that a fake romance might help change the public narrative and win back Levi's ex-girlfriend, while also helping June's tea shop become solvent. But as fake dating tropes ALWAYS do, what's pretend becomes real and they soon must grapple with what it means for their goals and their long yet strained friendship.

While there was nothing *wrong* with this book exactly, it also didn't feel quite right. The decade of silence between June and Levi could've been fixed with any one of several conversations (between them or with June's late sister), and while I get that small towns have a vibe all their own, the fact that what seems like their entire high school is still in town and super-involved in town events (despite being just a stone's throw from New York City) felt just a little too insular. The scones that June made sounded fun and, for the most part, tasty though, so there is that.

3.5 stars! This was a fast and fun read that I really enjoyed! I found that I didn’t fully connect with the characters which lead to my rating but I still really liked June and Levi and their story!

As with all Emma Lord books, this books was just fun. It also made me crave scones, so thanks for that. While not my favorite of hers, it was still a super solid read.

I’ve been reading a lot of romcoms lately, through sheer coincidence. These are books that have been on my NetGalley Backlist for a while and I’m trying steadily to get through that list. I love a good romcom but after a while they all become a little stale so I’m going try to not let that affect my review.
June and Levi were friends in high school but their relationship never escalated past that. Now in their mid twenties, both are trying to recover from very public, gone viral breakups. June owns a beach side scone shop that is floundering and Levi is a NYC hedge fund manager who has dreams of being a novelist. When a picture of them on the beach goes viral on the internet, they decide to give the public what they want and fake date very publicly in an attempt to bring in more business to June’s store. Neither are looking to jump into a romantic relationship with each other since Levi isn’t over his ex and June wants to honor the wishes of her late sister who always discouraged the two from dating before. Their ruse brings them what they were hoping it would but now they’re left wondering if that’s actually what they want.
I just found this to be meh. While I loved the side characters I couldn’t get on board with June. It drives me crazy when a character has the chance to clear up a miscommunication before it becomes one and doesn’t because she thinks talking about the issue will do more harm than good; that happened a lot. I by the middle of the book I was bored to tears with all of the talk about June’s late sister. Whenever she was mentioned it was always in the exact same way and it stopped adding to the plot after the first few times.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. The Break-Up Pact hit the shelves on August 13th.

The Break-Up Pact is Emma's Adult Fiction debut and I absolutely cannot wait for more. It is so easy to relate to. I loved learning both characters' backstories and how each handled different, serious life events. It does have a much more serious undertone to it than Lord's YA books, understandably.

Of course, there were little things along the way, but there was one moment in chapter twenty-one where I could pinpoint exactly what the difference was between her YA romance and adult romance characters and it all has to do with managing emotions. Without giving anything away, I didn't expect June to find comfort in Levi as quickly as she did. I've grown accustomed to Emma's YA characters giving into their "wilder" emotions, especially anger or upset. The way June finds comfort in Levi, despite being upset, not with him but because of him, is 100% more relatable in an adult world. Also, how June felt in those moments, being upset with herself more than with Levi.

I feel like I see so much of Emma through June. After following the author on Instagram for several years and reading her books for as long, I'm not going to pretend to know the author, that's ridiculous, but have a general sense of the personality she has? Sure. There are several posts she has shared over the last two years that came straight to mind in some of these scenes. And not only could I see those posts clearly in my mind, but I could also see the character superimposed over them so seamlessly. It really feels like a soul book, or maybe a soul character of Emma's. It made the book that much more of a joy to read.

So, rant time. One benefit of being extremely behind on reviews and reviewing after release day is that you get the chance to read through some of the other reviews. A common theme I've noticed is that the fake dating trope is "so unrealistic" and "rarely done properly". In real life, okay, I completely agree. But what is the one thing we have to remember as the reader? Suspension of disbelief. Of course it's not real, it's a fiction book. So I want to challenge the reader, whether it's this book or another fake dating trope, to look at it with the suspension of disbelief. Look at it through the lens of a daydream made into a storybook, maybe.

Regardless, I can't wait for more from Emma Lord. YA or Adult, I'll take it all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Former best friends June and Levi, each newly single after public breakups gone viral, bond over their meme-hood (meme-dom? meme-worthiness?) and shame, and when a leaked photo of the two of them also goes viral, they decide to ride the fifteen minutes of fame train as far as it will take them by pretending to date. June is hoping this will increase patronage of the failing tea shop she’s solely responsible for since her sister passed away, while Levi just wants his girlfriend back. Together, they calculate a series of carefully planned outings to fan the flames.

In the background, June’s grief over the loss of her sister, and her resistance to changing anything about the shop adds a heartbreaking layer of angst and healing. Miscommunication adds drama. While I had empathy for June’s situation, the quick pace of good to see again/let’s fake date! made it challenging for me to connect to the characters.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheBreakUpPact via #NetGalley, courtesy of #St.Martin’sPress.

I started to feel warm and fuzzy inside and I knew I must be coming down with something.

Was that butterflies I just felt?

It’s not possible

This little soul sucker doesn’t even cry at funerals, did I really just get sloppy over fictional romance .

I did

The Break Up Pact

Emma Lord, what have you done to me? I’m not sure I will recover the book hangover I have fallen victim to. There will never be another book that I will connect with on the level I am at right now.

I finished about 10 minutes ago and I found myself flipping back to reread certain parts as I’m still swooning

I fell in love with June and I was rooting for her through and through! I wanted to hug her, text her, pick up the phone and talk to her. I’d love to know if June was based on anyone in real life because I need to know her!

This book right here is a must read for all. No matter your preferred genre, everyone will fall in love with The Break Up Pact

Teaser:

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel from New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?

The Break-Up Pact was such a light and quick summer read! The tension between childhood best friends, June and Levi was so palpable and believable, making it hard to put this second-chance romance down. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a quick read for sitting by the beach on vacation or to give you summer feels while we head into the colder seasons!

* I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

such a fun summer read!

the best setting: an east coast beach town with the cutest cafe

the best characters: childhood friends, found family and even celebrities

the best tropes: friends to enemies to fake dating to… lovers?

this had all of the makings for the perfect rom com! while it was a fun, quick read my only complaint was there were one too many storylines to keep up with.

thank you to net galley for the arc!

June and her sister always planned to own a tea shop in their hometown. Her sister opened the tea shop while June was traveling the world and going on amazing adventures with her boyfriend. However June's sister dies, and then her boyfriend dumps her on national television and June becomes an internet meme. Now June is back home, running the tea shop and nursing her broken heart.

That's when she runs into her high school best friend Levi. Levi went off to New York to work in finance, but he was also an aspiring novelist. Until his girlfriend starts dating a celebrity. He returns home to work on his novel where he runs into June. Someone recognizes them and snaps a suggestive picture that ends up going viral. So they decide to feed into the viral moment and make it seem like they're really a couple. As since this is a rom-com, you can probably guess what happens next.

Reading this, you can tell that Emma Lord has previously written YA. Even though they were adults, this felt like a romance between two high schoolers. I didn't really connect with any of the characters but found it to be a sweet story about second chances with a friend who should have been more. It was a quick read and while I enjoyed it while in the book, but this isn't one I can see myself recommending except in very specific cases.

Overall: 3.25 rounded down

This was a sweet book and I love books by this Author. They are always good palette cleansers for me. This one did not disappoint.

This is my first Emma Lord read & it was cute! I love a friends to lovers/fake dating romance so I was excited to read this one and I had been hearing about it for awhile! June and Levi’s relationship and communication with each other felt a bit immature at times so it was hard to connect at times.

A Childhood best friends to lovers that turns fake dating.... Need I say more? This books was absolutely adorable. This is Emma Lords Adult Romance debut and she hit it out of the park in my opinion.

June and Levi were the best of friends up until Levi was about to leave for college and they have a falling out. They lose touch and have now both come back to their home town as adults! Both are newly single and still licking their wounds from very public breakups. They just need some solace! When the two are caught in a suggestive position after they start to talking and re connecting, everyone thinks they are together so they decide to just go with it and pretend to be together. It is sweet and comical and just the right kind of romance novel you need

Super sweet with a side of spicy, The Break-Up Pact is the perfect little summer romance.

Old friends with a mutual past loss, reunited and forced into a fake relationship in order to get back at their exes. Loved the setting of this story, in a beachfront town with a little tea shop. Enjoyed their “fake dates” that ultimately led to them developing a new type of relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this arc in return for my honest opinion.

Pub date: 13 August 2024

Felt like there was a lot going on that didn’t wrap up until the very end and still felt like something was missing. I liked the storyline but felt that Levi was too much a side character and not much of a H for a romance. As for the good stuff, I’d say only one open door scene that wasn’t until about half way through. In that respect, it was a slow book story wise and took some time to push through. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I love the fake dating trope, but I felt like something was missing in this story.
I couldn't connect with the characters, and the miscommunication was driving me insane.

Overall it's an okay book, but just isn't for me. At least not now.

However I don't want to discourage anyone from picking this one up! Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it cannot be for you and you won't end up loving it. 😊 And maybe I'll give it another shot in the future.

Also, this cover is so pretty!

This is the perfect summer romance, and I enjoyed it so much. And this is an author who always delivers the romance! The breakups June and Levi experience at the start are so relatable-- so many of us have been in similar situations (perhaps without the going viral bit). Then they have a fake relationship, which is so much fun for this friends-to-fake-dating scenario. I loved the honesty in the writing, and the earnest way these two communicate as they lean what they can be to each other. The beach setting is gorgeous, the friends excellent side characters, and the relationship so believable. I'm here for these two, and would love to read more adult romance from Emma Lord! Highly highly recommend for a summer romance you'll grow attached to.

This was a perfectly fine read. I tend to enjoy the fake relationship trope, so chances were that this book would be enjoyable. There was a very strong sense of place, and how our ties to family can shape who and what we become. There wasn't a ton of sex, but what there was fairly steamy. Overall, a good escapist read for a busy time of year.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the egalley.

3.5 stars

I can’t really explain why, but I didn’t enjoy this. It’s not necessarily poorly written. It has decent dialog. I like the characters for the most part. But while I was reading it felt incredibly long and I couldn’t wait to be finished and that holds a lot of weight in my rating. June and Levi, childhood friends to lovers, just didn’t manage to capture my heart. I never felt the decades old depth that should have been there. And so many of the conflicts were frustrating and needless. The author explains the emotional depth of sibling loss and unrequited love, but I never felt any of it. I wanted so much more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

I enjoyed the author's voice, but wasn't drawn to these characters. I also found the scenario to be a bit forced. The story didn't feel natural. I lost interest pretty quickly.

Loved the cover though!