This one started out cute but by the 46% mark I just wasn’t feeling it. If you like fake dating this one could be for you.


Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for my advanced e copy

Publish date: August 13, 2024

I’ve read all of the YA reads Emma Lord has written this far, so I was excited to see she had a new adult romance read releasing.

I think the cover art is adorable and gives a great beach-y summer vibe, and the premise and tropes of this one were great. I enjoyed the initial build up and idea of the backstory between our mains, June and Levi. I also really loved the friendship of Sana and June.

I’d say the first part of the read I was fairly interested and invested, however I did struggle in the second half. The things that weren’t working as well for me were mainly a combination of the drag out of Levi and his ex situation, the third act break, and some of the miscommunication. They each kind of took me out of the story and made it hard to focus.

Overall, it was a cute easy summer romance read. Great for a beach or poolside reading day. Not my favorite Emma Lord to date personally, but I’ll still try anything she writes.

I'm not going to lie when this book started I very much got five star vibes. I was loving it SO MUCH. I adored the small beach town setting. I thought the tea/scone shop was a really interesting setting as well. The set up was a bit ridiculous, you know with the viral break-ups and the whole lead up into their fake dating. It just was bit too good to be true, I guess. However, this book took me for the ride. I really liked our two main characters. I thought their personal issues were also quite interesting, and I was just overall really invested. I also adored their romance. I thought they were adorable together, and had amazing banter. I also think this book did a great job conveying their long history without using any flashback chapters.
However, about halfway through we get a big love confession and after that this becomes a VERY different book. It becomes so emotionally heavy, and it was quite jarring from the first half of the book. I also just started to dislike our characters. The way they kept going back and forth was exhausting, to be honest. I feel like the author kept coming up with issues for the sake of it, and it became so grating. By the end I wasn't even rooting for our couple anymore. They spend the second half of the book in a sort of limbo where they aren't fully together, but they also are. I don't know. I also feel like none of their conflicts get properly discussed/wrapped up. I feel like the author just kind of forgot their developement, and instead just skipped to the good part. I don't know. It all just became very exhausting to read, and I rolled my eyes several times at the book. The quality just absolutely dropped in that second half. So in the end it just didn't work for me.

Title: The Break Up Pact
By: Emma Lord

Genre:
Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Summary:
After a decade apart, Levi and June find themselves in a similar situation, so why not join forces? June’s boyfriend, Griffin finds the true love of his life on a reality TV show and Levi’s girlfriend cheats on him with a high profile celebrity. With both breakups going viral, and the spotlight on them both, June and Levi decide to pair up in a fake dating relationship.

Review:
This is the first adult romance book for Emma Lord. It really had potential, but I felt something was lacking. It is told from one point of view. The beginning had me hooked, relating to the characters, but I felt the overall plot line lacked depth. The tone of the book was more serious with elements of loss, grief, misunderstanding, miscommunication and the romance didn’t do it for me. The physical moments felt forced in the writing, and honestly, quite awkwardly just thrown in with no build up. I will admit the story pacing and buildup did get better towards the end of the novel. This book is a quick, fast paced read, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Sidenote for followers - Pieces of explicit content in Chapter 16

Thank you Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#Thebreakuppact
#emmalord
#stmartinspress
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#netgalleyreviews

I usually love the friends-to-lovers/fake dating tropes, but this one had me feeling like I was on a roller coaster ride and not a fun one either. Anyone got a barf bag? First he wants his ex back, and then he doesn’t, oh wait, now he does, now he doesn’t, but then he’s going back to New York with the ex, just to “settle things” with her. She’s not much better with her constant woe is me and please come to my pity party. I wish I could come up with something nice to say about this book, but I really can’t.

I tried really hard. That’s all I can say. It felt really overwritten and over edited. While the concept was a great idea for an adult debut novel. Execution wasn’t there.

I loved the premise of this book, however it was a very slow start for me. Once I finally got going, I enjoyed the characters and loved how things were woven together at the end.

The beginning fell a little flat with the characters for me, almost like she was trying to weave too many subjects into one story (love and loss and childhood romance with fake dating and … all the things) and less attention paid to the characters themselves, so I had trouble connecting to them. By the end it felt like everything going on made more sense and became more of a cohesive story which was filled with emotion, while the characters really developed and became people who you truly rooted for.

I wish the beginning had the same feeling as the second half but it was worth reading to the end!

Thanks to Negalley, MacMillan and Emma Lord for the advanced copy to review.

beginning was a little slow and it took me a bit to get into it, but it picked up in the second half! i ended up really loving the two main characters and it had some of my favourite tropes!
overall a really cute summer read that i would definitely recommend to people!

Completely cute and entertaining but not my favourite by the author 🩷 it felt too rushed for me and i struggle with miscommunication a lot in books so this could totally be a “me” thing

I do appreciate the gifted arc! I will always read her books so I was excited to get this

Did not like this one. Had language with is a big turn off.ok this was okay. this was okay. I like the YA books

What a great take on one of the best romance tropes! Levi and June's tension flew off the pages and found themselves a place in my heart right away!
I enjoyed every second of this book and learning more about the characters. There was a touch of emotion and a small theme of grief around both characters that I think many readers will relate to and find solace in.
A perfect rom-com to read during the summer months!

The breakup pact follows June and Levi, two childhood friends who both went through extremely public breakups and decide to create a pact of Revenge Exs!

This book was super sweet! Their banter was funny and the book kept me hooked. I enjoyed how there was no third-act breakup and as an adult debut my Emma Lord, it is extremely well written. The main characters are developed and the side characters were extremely entertaining. The spicy was super well written and didn’t feel out of place, which was something I was worried about while reading the book. It was funny, fast paced and had enough insanity to fit into the rom-com category perfectly!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be purchasing myself a copy when it gets released!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan press for an EArc of this book!😊I

I've loved Emma Lord's adorable YA books since her debut, Tweet Cute, but I was also excited to see her turn to adult romance with The Break-Up Pact. I gulped this up in one sitting, and it was a wonderful read for lounging by and in a pool, especially as it's a summery read set at a beach. June runs a boardwalk tea shop/bakery in the wake of her sister's death, while her high school crush and best friend Levi returns to town -- after both of them have suffered through very public, viral break-ups. They decide to use the online attention to their advantage to get back at their exes by pretending to date, while becoming friends again and, of course, figuring out their real feelings for each other.

Lord's warm, sometimes snappy writing and fun, quirky characters translate well to an adult voice when Lord makes them a bit more measured and serious than YA, with some more mature emotions and dilemmas. While Lord is great at NYC books, her beachy small town is a wonderfully cozy summer setting and combines with her cast of characters and smaller details, like June's business Tea Tide. June and Levi's long friendship and the relatable hurt that fueled years of near-silence are straightforward but well done and baked in with childhood jokes and deep knowledge of each other. Other than the internet element of their story, they're very normal and their relationship feels realistic, making the story not very dramatic and instead relatable and sweet.

While I do enjoy a slow burn romance, I sadly had to jump ship at 44%. The characters were flat and unappealing and the storyline didn't hold my interest. I had hoped for more by the almost halfway mark, but unfortunately I wasn't engaged enough to stick it out until the happily-ever-after (I'm sure) occurred.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

"I know things weren't great between us, and I'll regret that forever. But if you ever need me. No matter what. You've always got me."

I'm telling you guys, I've gotten really lucky this summer with all these amazing books that I've been able to get my hands on.

After a messy viral breakup, and now being known as "crying girl", June is ready to start over with her life and have things be done her way. No more trying to live up to Griffin's expectations. It's not like that was working out anyways, since he ends up cheating on her and confronts her about it on live TV. In comes the meme "crying girl". Now, June is mainly focused on Tea Tide, a scone and tea business that was started by her late sister Annie, and to honor her older sister, June has taken the reins of the business. Now, even though the shop has been getting a lot of customers due to June's "crying girl" meme, the landlord is thinking about not renewing the lease because the business hasn't been doing well year-round. We can't really rely on trendy clout to get a business running. June does not know what to do, as she believes that if Tea Tide is forced to shut down, she's also letting her sister down. MEANWHILE, Levi, June's former best friend, has also dealt with his own public breakup. After his fiancée, a public figure, cheats on him with another public figure, Levi decides to head back home to Benson Beach, to get a break from all of it. Now, here's the thing. June and Levi haven't spoken in YEARS, after their fallout as teenagers. So, when June sees Levi sitting outside of her shop, let me just say, the vibes are a little panicky on June's end. But then, here comes Sana (THE MOST ICONIC BEST FRIEND EVER) with the most ultimate plan: LET LEVI AND JUNE FAKE DATE TO GET BACK AT THEIR EXES. That way, Levi can win back his fiancée, and June can get even more exposure for Tea Tide without worrying about the landlord shutting the shop down. SO YES, THIS IS THE ICONIC FAKE DATING TO LOVERS TROPE. But of course, it's just a little messy here, because Levi and June are also childhood best friends who are reconnecting. BUT IT'S SO GOOD.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When two childhood friends are reunited following very public break-ups, they decide fake-dating will be the best revenge, but it may also be the second chance for them to find their HEA.

I am a HUGE Emma Lord fan. Her books are always jam-packed with witty banter, humor, and warmth, and The Break-Up Pact delivered that and more.

This was a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance and those are my two top tropes. June and Levi had been estranged since Levi left for college ten years prior. Until then, they had been thick as thieves with June harboring a huge crush on Levi. An overheard conversation and failure to share their feelings led to a rift, but that flame never went out. They may have seemed to move on, but there was always something missing from their relationships with other people.

Watching these two reconnect filled me with happiness. With so much beautiful shared history, they were destined for each other. The fake dates and wedding chores were a great way to force them together and they were a lot of fun, too. Whether Levi and June were at the club, running, or cake tasting, each activity allowed them to bond or renew the bond that was still there while also providing me with lots of entertainment.

I have always thought that Lord shined the brightest when her books were set in NYC, but I may have been wrong because I fell in love with everything about Benson Beach. This little beachside burgh gave off great small-town vibes. It was filled with delightful characters and was such a lovely backdrop for Levi and June's reunion.

One place I spent a lot of time was in June's tea shop, Tea Tide. This was the shop she and her sister dreamed up, and until her sister's death, June's involvement had been from afar. I was really rooting for June to turn the shop around, and this was a big part of her character arc. The process of saving the shop was sort of cathartic for June and it helped her deal with the grief and guilt she harbored regarding her sister's death while also moving forward in her own life.

Once again, Lord has managed to delight me with a beautiful tale of family, friendship, second chances, and scones which had me laughing and smiling in equal measures. I found this to be a solid adult debut, and I am looking forward to many more.

If Emily Henry and Hallmark had a baby, it would be this book. After both being dumped in particularly embarrassing/painful ways, these ex-high school best friends (who were almost something more) decide to make the world think they're dating... and really, their lives can only go up from where they're both at.

I DNFed this at around 30%. It had all the makings of something cute but I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I'm not sure why but 'failing tea shop owner and a bored New York finance bro decide it's time to make their exes jealous - all while set in a lovely seaside town with a Bridgerton-esque tea shop as the backdrop' should've been much more cute than it felt the whole time.

(If I didn't read so many romances - I would probably have finished and loved this, but I didn't realize it was a fake-dating romance and I REALLY loathe those.)

I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book. But my gosh communication people, it really isn't that hard. This one had a few 'third act breakups' but not really. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. The side characters added a lot. I will pretty much read all Emma Lord books and always seem to enjoy them.

🫖 Book Review 🫖

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: August 13, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I wanted to fall in love with this one but I really struggled with Lord’s writing style. I feel like all the extra descriptions bogged down the characters. This led to me putting the book down more often than picking it up because I was bored and frustrated.

For fans of:
🫖 First person POV
🏝️ Small town
🫖 Childhood friends to lovers
🏝️ Second chance
🫖 Descriptive writing

🛑 Triggers 🛑
⚠️ Passing of a sibling
⚠️ Grief

This was such a cute, summery read! The setting was fun, especially the Tea shop! June and Levi had great development, and I really loved their love story-- it was believable without shirking around the difficulties. This book also handled grief really well. Overall, this was a very fun beach read if you need one!!

The audio book was SO well done! Engaging and the pacing was wonderful!

Thanks to Negalley, MacMillan and Emma Lord for the advanced copy to review.