The Break-Up Pact was a really cute and enjoyable read. I liked the cute backstory Levi and June had, both crushing on each other in high school but due to misunderstandings never had gotten together. I also really enjoyed the storyline of June and her sister Annie and their tea store, Tea Tide. I loved that June wanted to hold on to the store, as if keeping it alive would somehow being keeping Annie’s memory alive.

This is my third Emma Lord read and it’s easily my favorite so far and her most adult romance book, breaking out of the YA genre. I felt there was good depth and insights to the characters, good secondary characters to keep things interesting, good detail of their community to help you feel invested in the storyline. Overall, a really enjoyable book! My one small note would be the digital ARC seemed to have a few grammatical errors in it, which I assume and hope were edited out before print. I will be going out to buy the print copy of the book now!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my thoughts and opinions!

I shockingly have not yet read one of Emma Lord's books, despite having them all on my TBR, so I decided to jump in with her debut adult romance. While this was cute, it didn't work for me as well as I wanted it to, but will definitely be giving her YA books a try now.

June and Levi were best friends in high school and after ten years of limited contact, they are both back in their hometown and reconnect under unusual circumstances. They both have just gone through viral breakups and decide to get back at their exes by fake dating each other. June thinks it can’t help but boost sales at her tea shop and Levi might be able to win his ex back. Their friend Sana is along for the ride to document their newfound “love.”

This was a very cute, easy read. I do wish there had been a little bit more build up or tension in June and Levi’s budding relationship. I also wanted to know more about Annie.

Thank you to Emma Lord, St Martin’s Press Griffin, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

This was my first Emma Lord book but her YA books have been on my TBR for awhile. This book reminded me a lot of a Sarah Adams book with a little bit more spice - not a closed-door romance. June is a frustrating character at times because you continue to watch her self-sabotage all of her relationships - about 80% into the book I was ready to strangle her.

This book felt long to me. The conflict came earlier than expected and was resolved with relative ease. Yet I still had an hour left in the book which felt too long. If you love tropes about your childhood friends and fake dating - this is the book for you. I enjoyed reading it however it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

I really enjoyed Emma Lord's YA novel, Tweet Cute, and was hoping I'd also really enjoy her newbie, The Break-Up Pact. Thankfully, the witty dialogue that I loved in Tweet Cute was also found in The Break-Up Pact, but unfortunately I found this quite long and a tad frustrating to read.

In The Break-Up Pact, the story centres around June and her childhood friend Levi, who enter a fake dating scheme to revive her struggling cafe and help him win back his ex. The setup leads to a charming series of dates and humorous moments, but the reliance on misunderstandings and miscommunication adds unnecessary complexity. I found it frustrating by about midpoint of the novel, but pushed through to see if it would be resolved well later on. While the characters' journey is engaging, their development feels somewhat stunted by the high school-esque drama. The beachy setting and humorous tone are delightful, but the narrative's length and immaturity left me wanting more.

I'll still be reading more from Emma Lord in the future and would recommend The Break-Up Pact to those who enjoy witty dialogue with their romance.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
In Emma Lord’s debut into the adult romance world, I think she did a good job.
We follow the story of June and Levi, best friends since they were teenagers, who come back together, both following very public break ups. With new reputations on social media, June and Levi return to their hometown of Benson Beach to move on with their lives. June- struggling to maintain the beach side tea shop opened by her sister. Levi- struggling with his writing.
They run into each other for the first time since a misunderstanding drifted them apart years ago,. As if things online couldn’t get worse, a picture gets released of them in a “compromising position” and ends up going viral. Thus, the fake dating trope is born.
I thought this book was well developed, especially given the “adult” aspect. Thing’s definitely don’t go according to plan.
I hope those going into reading this novel don’t expect otherwise. This is different than your average romcom.
Overall, the development between the characters was great, the storyline pacing was just right, and the themes were done well.
Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for my honest opinion!

It was okay, there were tropes I was familiar while reading (fake dating, second chance). The book definitely gave off summer vibes, but it wasn’t an exciting summer read. The plot was kinda slow for my pace and I feel like it wasn’t super unique. Maybe I just read too many romance novels.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

I thought this book was pretty cute. It’s a small-beach town slow burn romance with friends-to-lovers, fake dating, and second chance romance tropes, but I found it a little underwhelming.

I felt the chemistry and loved the witty banter between the main characters, June and Levi, in the first half of the book, but I thought it started to fall short in the second half. The plot also fell flat for me and it felt like there was a lot of unnecessary details added to the second half to just lengthen the story. For a book, it felt word vomitty and it seemed like the emotional descriptions were overly done to the point where I started to zone out.

There were a lot of moments and complications that dragged on but didn’t need to be especially after realizing they’re fully grown adults. It seemed like this was geared towards YA except with some spice and that the MCs were nearly in their thirties, so the miscommunication trope didn’t seem fitting.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
Contemporary romance. Second chance, friends to lovers, and fake relationship troupes. Trigger warnings of off page and prior to story loss of a sibling.
June and Levi were childhood friends. He moved to New York for a job and they soon lost touch. Ten years later, after both experience a viral public breakup, they find themselves together again at her boardwalk tea shop, tentatively renewing their friendship. The come up with a scheme to fake date after a second viral moment and the slowly realize they want their old relationship back and perhaps to make it real this time.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook in reading this, and often read the two together, which is a favorite way for me to enjoy the book. The narration is performed by Natalie Naudus who does a wonderful job with the different voices for the two main characters and also another four prime secondary voices. I like the smoothness of her voice and the fact that the different characters are still at the same audio level which is important. Emotions come through clearly. I was crying at the 85% which was mostly from the narration. I heard the loss and introspection and it got to me.
This narrator has done a few hundred different stories that include romance, urban fantasy and thrillers. A great professionally done recording.
As usual, I feel the recordings are too slow for the Midwest, so listened at 1.5 which also more closely matches my reading speed.
For this particular book, I felt the audiobook held my attention more than the ebook.

It’s always interesting to me how two people can read the same sentence and hear or empathize something different. This came up multiple times in this book. Is it a cultural difference, or additional knowledge about the character? A different perspective in age? I don’t know. It does throw me out of the book because I’m hearing it differently than I read it. That is the downside of doing the two formats together but I enjoy it because I’m more immersed in the story and characters.

The premise is a bit sad to start off with on a couple of levels but most of that is prior to the start of the story. There are emotionally draining moments and there are emotional romantic and lovely scenes. Overall I enjoyed the romance and friendships as well as a couple of petty “what you deserve” moments.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

Thank thank you so much for Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book early.

This was a book I had sat on when deciding what to rate it. I felt a lot of different emotions going through this book- giddiness, sadness, annoyance, and happiness. I truly enjoyed this book. It was a lot deeper than I was expecting and it made me love and appreciate this book even more.

Even though this book is a fake date situation with both characters hoping to gain something from it- it felt so much more- their rekindling of their friendship turned love for each other made me feel the feels.

What I loved:
June and Levi's friendship. Even though they lost touch- I loved the moments in which we are taken back to when they were once close and how they begin again in the present.

June's growth in the book in both her professional and personal life.

The topics: losing a loved one and grief, losing a friendship, and rekindling an old friendship were handled well in this book.

What I wanted more:
I so badly wanted Levi's POV at times- I wanted to get into his head and understand his intensions and actions.
I wanted more back story on June's sister- Annie (more from Levi's POV)- felt like their relationship was friendship on Levi's end and maybe Annie wanted more.

I can't wait for this book to come out so I can get a physical copy.

2.5 rounded down. I wanted to like this way more than I did. I loved the idea of the viral breakups bringing June and Levi together to fake date. However, I found June to be insufferable in how opposed she was to just having a conversation like an adult. It felt like she was constantly deflecting, and I found it really hard to connect with her.

Levi, on the other hand, was fine. But just fine. He wasn't super interesting to me, and I wasn't a huge fan of his reason for agreeing to fake date. I also felt like their entire relationship went in circles, and I think too much of their relationship happened off the page ten years ago, which made it difficult for me to see the chemistry.

I did really love the side characters, though. Give me a book about Sana. Give me a book about Dylan and Matteo. All three of them were way more interesting. I also did enjoy the fake dates, especially the museum with the paintings.

That said, though, I struggle with books if I can't connect with the main characters. The side characters shouldn't have to carry the story, and that's what this felt like. There are a lot of people that really enjoyed this one, though, so I would still say give it a chance if you think this might be for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Break-up Pact

3.75⭐️3🌶️

Contemporary romance
Break up romance
Celebrity/public breakup
Small town
Small business owner FMC
Friends to lovers
Fake dating
🏳️‍🌈 side characters
Grief


The set up for the friends to lovers is so good. The out of touch childhood friendship/crush was a great way to established that familiarity with out making the reader feel like they were dropped into the middle of the story with no context.

The shared grief for the loss of the FMC’s older sister creates such a close bond. The sisterly feelings are very real and very touching.

There is a lot of nostalgia and slow burn.

The book had a lot of inner monologue that circled a bit. Making the FMC seem immature, but trying to move past it.

I didn’t love how often social media was mentioned. The TikTok references made it really cringy in those moments.

I wanted a little more heat to the slow burn. It felt a little like a pop-flash then lots of emotional excuses and avoidance.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own

Emma Lord Flies Under the Radar
Some authors are lucky enough to blow up on social media, influencer lists, and top 100 lists in various news outlets. Others manage a slow, slow burn that builds on itself without the threat of burn out. Emma Lord is one of the latter. Sure, I’ve seen her book covers float around. They’re cute and eye-catching, but I still feel like Emma Lord is flying under the radar, building her backlist of titles and steadily amassing her fan base. I won’t be surprised when she some day soon takes over the reading world. “The Break-Up Pact”, Lord’s upcoming novel out in August, is sure to add fuel to her fire, scorching my fellow romance readers with the heat of June and Levi.

Fake Dating? Sign me up!
June and Levi, both in separate relationships, are spectacularly dumped smack dab in the middle of the public eye. These break-ups are MESSY. Levi is cheated on, his fiancee hooking up with a celebrity while selling him expensive real estate. June’s boyfriend, a real piece of work who hadn’t said “I love you” in 10 years, creates his own reality tv show and breaks up with June while simultaneously explaining that he met someone else and they are in love and soul mates. Gross. THEN they turn her into a meme.


Heavy Hitting Topics
The romance is sexy. The tension builds right from the beginning, especially with June being unable to keep her hands to herself. However, while the ‘Revenge Exes’ burned like wildfire, it’s dampened and kept in check with the remembrance of a lost loved one. June’s sister Annie was Levi’s best friend. She passes away unexpectedly before our story takes place, but she touched everyone she’d interacted with. There’s an Annie-shaped hole that lingers in the periphery.

That’s not to say that it’s sad — the story isn’t really sad.

“The Break-Up Pact” truly makes me feel hopeful and inspired. June and Levi have spent a lot of time with regret, mulling over their choices and battling their grief. When the time comes, though, each of them are challenged to restart their lives, living for themselves and their own wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. It’s the idea of Annie, their lost loved one, who pushes them to get their act in gear and live.

Reading with my Ears

Photo by Findaway Voices on Unsplash
My most favored way of reading is with my eyes, either physical books or eBooks on my Kindle. Sometimes, though, a story comes around that begs to be read with my ears. I first read “The Break-up Pact” with my eyeballs. I was immersed in it, and knowing there was an audiobook as well, I jumped on it. Being able to hear some very beautiful scenes in this book read aloud felt like reading this story in a more powerful way. (I’m looking at you, Chapter 27.)

“The Break-up Pact” balances fun, feisty, friendly banter with deep, painful grief and Natalie Naudus manages to emote the whole spectrum beautifully. She captures the swing of human emotions and the quickness of how it happens with a natural grace. This would be a great story to experience via audiobook. I listened to it on the Netgalley shelf at 1.25x, which felt like the right pace for a comfortable but engaging conversation.

Final Thoughts
I wish I lived close to a “Tea Tide”-like tea shop by the ocean.

I’m DYING to try a Revenge Ex scone.

I’ll be reading through all of Emma Lord’s backlist ASAP.

A more grown-up version of Emma Lord’s delightful romcoms. In signature fashion, the characters had great banter and the book revolved around delicious sounding desserts, but the characters were a little older and the romance was a little more adult. I enjoyed the book overall and really liked the “Revenge Exes” storyline, but I did feel certain parts towards the end dragged a bit and could have been streamlined. Definitely check it out for a fun summer read that will have you craving a scone- comes out 8/13!

Thank you to Net Galley, St Martin’s Griffin, and the author for the early read!

Unfortunately it was a DNF for me. I got about 40% through and just couldn’t bring myself to finish it. The premise for the fake dating trope felt very gen-z to me and immediately I couldn’t connect with any character. I also felt like it was wildly predictable, which 99% of the time I’m fine with in a romcom, but this didn’t work for me.

Thanks netgalley for the arc!

This whole plot hinges on a miscommunication from high school!!!…ten years later and we’re supposed to want these two to end up together when they could’ve had one single conversation to clear everything up. My problems with this book are more that it involves a trope I don’t enjoy and that it was very slow burn.
I made it to the 50% mark and the couple had just started getting together and I just couldn’t handle a breakup again at that point.
I think this is the author’s first attempt at an adult romance after writing YA and it felt immature and maybe that’s why. I think this book would’ve worked much better if the characters were in their early 20s instead of late 20s.

3.5/5

To start off with the things I enjoyed, I really loved the side characters in this and wish they had a bigger part! There were absolutely some adorable moments between Levi and June, but the pacing felt a little off. I think it would have benefitted from a dual timeline and thought the characters were a little underdeveloped. This led me to feel like there was a little too much telling, not showing, especially with the history between the characters and their relationships. And probably just a personal preference, but I didn’t love the drama with Kelly and how Levi was feeling about it, as well as the amount of miscommunication…

Overall this was a cute book, but I didn’t connect with it all that much. I definitely think it will find its audience!

Read if you love
- Fake dating
- Childhood friends
- Second chance romance
- Secret feelings
- Slow burn
- Small beach town

Look, you’re going to see this book in your local indie and it’s going to have an incredibly cute cover. (My apologies that as an advanced reader I was not trusted with showing you that adorable cover.) And you’re going to think, “Yes, a new Emma Lord novel!” And this is where I need you to stop and remember this post.

The Break-up Pact is Lord’s first adult novel—did you catch that English teachers? Don’t auto-buy this for your classroom library. I didn’t realize this was the case until I was part way through, and then quickly switched modes from reading for my classroom to just reading a quick summer read. Fine by me. I’m not ready to think about the impending school year yet. Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating when I say that when I finished this book, I put my kindle down and gave the following review to my dog: “Meh.”

The one thing I loved: A repeat joke about scream poetry that had me cackling.

What I didn’t like: A lot of this book would have not existed had our main characters communicated better with one another. Miscommunication as a trope has to be carefully done so as not to be annoying. It just comes off incredibly immature—and maybe I could have stomached it better if our main characters were teenagers running around without fully formed prefrontal cortexes, but these are fully adult humans. I feel like if you’re going to publish an adult novel for the first time, your characters need to be a little bit more grown up. Otherwise it just reads like a young adult novel with one open door scene about half way through. (Which, let’s be honest, is not a great vibe.)

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published tomorrow, August 13.

3.5 ⭐️

The Break-Up Pact may not be the most believable story, but it’s still a decently entertaining beach read, full of plenty of fake dating fun. Perfect for when you just want a light romance.

Thank you Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Really love a celebrity + "regular" person plot and this is no exception.. I also always love a bakery incorporated somehow, it's so Hallmark but it's a trope for a reason. :)