I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I usually like books written by Emma Lord, but I could not get into this title.

Fake dating, second chances, and friends to lovers fill the pages of this cute rom-com.

What happens when two old childhood friends both go through viral breakups? A pact to turn that negative spotlight into a success. When old feelings start to arise, drama ensues.

"The Break-Up Pact" is cutesy. I found myself rooting for the characters, especially June. The side characters were great too and I kind of hope we get another book someday!

I wasn't a fan of the amount of miscommunication that was between the characters and the drama in sparked regarding the exes, but I still enjoyed the overall story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me this ARC.

✔️ Childhood Friends
✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ Small Town

I do love a book where estranged childhood friends come back together and confront old hurts and feelings before they can figure out their current relationship status.

I loved June and her bff Sana best - their friendship was my favorite part about this book - their banter and all the scenes were in were fun!

As for Levi. I was rooting for him for the majority of the book up until the third act breakup. I don't think he suffered enough/groveled enough for me to want them back together. The swoon was slightly womp womp for me.

I'd still give this a 4⭐️ - there were some terrific fake dating scenes and I enjoyed the backstory of their friendship.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

I have read all of Emma Lord's books but this is the first adult fiction book of hers! I was very excited to read the book because of this. I thought Levi and June were so sweet. I love a couple with history and I'm a sucker for friends to lovers. The first 3/4 of the book flew by! However, I really struggled with the last section. I felt like the conflict was dragged out. After the emotional roller coaster I had been through so far I just wanted resolution! I thought that it would wrap up after Dylan's wedding, but then the wedding did not even take place in the book! Great writing, I just think It should have been shorter.

The Break Up Pact was such a cute novel. I enjoyed reading about June & Levi’s story. It was too similar to other books i’ve already read so it didn’t wow me but I did enjoy it. This is good read for any romance lover.

Thank you to St Martins Press for an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

The break up pact was exactly what I was expecting. Two ex besties who fake date to get back at/with their exes and of course get their own HEA.
This book does deal a lot with the FMC and the loss of her sister Annie, who was also Levi’s (the MMC’s) best friend.
I did love the character of Sana. She honestly made the book for me.
You’ll love this book if you like:
*fake dating
*friends to lovers
*cozy shop owners
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy. Unfortunately I did not finish The Breakup Pact. June and Levi were childhood best friends, but they haven’t spoken in ten years. They both have gone through tough breakups, which lead to them being viral. In response, they decide to fake date so that June can keep her tea shop open, and Levi can get back together with his ex. I found myself uninterested in the plot and I did not care for the characters.

After childhood friends June and Levi both experience very public, humiliating break-ups, the two decide to pretend to date, forming the “break-up pact”. However, as they get closer, feelings begin to grow as the line between fake and real begins to blur.

While Emma Lord is known for her young adult books, this is her adult debut! The novel still delivers those YA vibes I’ve loved in her other books, but through adult characters, making it an easy read. The book encompasses a couple different romance tropes, including fake dating, friends-to-lovers, and second chance romance, so it’s a good choice for romance lovers. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally, and while certain moments of the story pulled me in a bit more, overall I felt like the story was just “fine”. While I didn’t love this one as much as Emma Lord’s previous two most recent YA books, it was still an okay read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted e-galley copy of the book!

This book was not for me.

It was cheesy and not even all that romantic. June and Levi went from not speaking in 10 years to basically being in love in 2 weeks. I felt like the author was trying to overload June with issues from not being able to orgasm with a partner, to never telling Griffin they loved each other to having a dead sister. There were so many things going on and none of them seemed to go together. How do you go from getting dumped on TV, running a failing tea shop and planning your brother's wedding so quickly.

Half the time Annie was written like she was supposed to be the villain keeping June and Levi apparent to the controlling sister who wouldn't even entertain June's ideas for the tea shop. Or was Nancy supposed to be the villain who told June she needed to raise 3 months worth of rent and then when that happened decided no that wasn't actually good enough and evicted her. Is that even legal?

Griffin was supposed to be the villain in theory but other than breaking up with June on TV I really don't even know what he did that was so terrible?

This the second book by this author I have read and haven't really enjoyed which leads me to believe that maybe we just don't belong together.

this book was really cute!! i really enjoyed it and loved june and levi's relationship! i did find that the plot dragged a bit at the beginning but it was still a cute and fun read!

Beautifully written by Emma Lord! It's fake relationship meets second chance romance, set in a small beach town. An underlying story of grief gives solemnity to what could otherwise have been a lighter beach read and it's done wonderfully. The Break-Up Pact is now one of my faves of 2024!

I loved this book! it was the perfect summer rom com! the whole theme with social media was done perfectly which you don’t usually see in newer books, it’s often cringey and terribly executed but Emma Lord did it perfectly!

This book reminded me of Funny Story by Emily Henry a bit and i absolutely loved that novel!

This didn’t completely suck me in like I expected it to. I loved the small town and tea shop setting, it gave me really cozy feels. I think that overall though I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between June and Liam. I really liked them both and knew they had it but there was a slower development to actually buying into them as a couple. Overall I still liked and would rate this 3.5 stars.

This was a fantastic summer read. The characters were fun and I found myself laughing several times. Good pacing, and I loved those last fifty pages - all the hearts!

I have been a huge fan of Emma Lord. Anything she writes, I’ll buy it. I was so excited for her Adult debut and knew I’d enjoy it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

I think she should stick to YA because her YA books always hit it out of the park. Here, the characters felt YA but trying way too hard to be Adult. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve, had it been YA. I love Adult Romance but The Break Up Pact didn’t read like one.

And on top of that, we had the miscommunication trope, which I loathe and also is very immature.
The premise was great but I’m really sad about the execution.

3.5 stars

I love a fake dating trope but I felt some of the tension was missing between these main characters. The story was a very slow burn and an emotional roller coaster. The book was not very spicy, and I think that part of their relationship was missing for me. The characters were supposed to be close to 30 I believe, but I kept reading them as much younger. Loved the bakery concept, the small town vibes, and the secondary characters – Sana was excellent and I hope we see more of her in future books! Overall, a cute story that had my stomach in knots while also making me laugh (at different times)!

This book is for fans of:
-Fake Dating
-Friends to Lovers
-Second Chance
-Sisters BFF
-Small Town

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Happy belated publication day to Emma Lord! Unfortunately I was traveling and due to limited internet my review is a bit belated.

The Break-Up Pact is a story about two friends who both go through social media/online breakups. This brings the male protagonist, Levi, back to his hometown. Levi finds June, who was recently dumped on TV and became a crying girl meme. June also recently lost her older sister and is barely holding it together. June's best friend convinces them to fake date to throw off some of the negative attention while simultaneously benefiting them both. Will they get the connection right?

The Break-Up Pact reads like an almost Hallmark movie. It has all the right elements but they just don't fit. The two main characters have a history, and it's obvious to EVERYONE but them that those feelings never went away. They both wonder about each other but neither fully confesses their feelings, which of course leads to miscommunications and hurt feelings. Usually fake dating means a slow burn, but this book was more instalove. They flirted in high school, and even though it's ten years later, they pick right up where they left off. I missed the build up and sexual tension. It took a long time for me to connect with our FMC. I really just wanted her to go to therapy and work through her issues. She did not need to be in any relationship. I am glad as the novel went on, June realized she needed to do some work on herself.

The book really emphasized the importance of working on yourself before committing to someone else. Relationships work only with actual communication. All types of relationships! Communicate, for the love of Pete! I found myself wanting more of the side characters: adorable couple Dylan and Mateo, and best friend Sana. Overall I found the book okay, and it definitely did invoke some emotions.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've loved all of Emma Lord's books and this was no exception.
June and Levi used to be best friends until one day they weren't-June had a crush on Levi in high school that he didn't reciprocate :(. Fast forward a number of years and June's TikTok famous for hysterically crying when her Internet famous boyfriend dumps her. Levi has recently moved back to town after his own awful internet-famous breakup. To jumpstart their careers and take back some of their dignity, they start fake dating. Of course, feelings ensue. This book is more than a series of romantic tropes - instead it gives depth to both characters and the area that the story takes place in.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

⭐️ 3 Stars

This is a quick easy romantic. Second chance romance really. Two main characters were best friends in high school but had a falling out. They haven’t spoken in 10 years when their worlds collide again. They form a pact to pretend to be dating to each gain something from the scheme. This story is nothing you haven’t read before. Easy book cleaners between heavier books.

Must read! This book had everything I could want. It made me cry, smile and laugh all at the same time. I am so glad that I read it and got to meet Levi and June and experience their story!