So I was on the fence about requesting this one because I’ve been on an MM kick. But, I tend to enjoy fake relationships and the blurb seemed sweet so I took a chance. For me, it was a miss.

What we got was two ex-ish friends who quit talking because of miscommunication, who then get publicly shamed for rough breakups, who then get caught in a picture together so the public begins to “ship” them, who then decide to fake date to keep the popularity momentum going, with VERY little steam and a rather flat romance.

I’m not going on and on about this one. I didn’t really like June or Levi. June was all about miscommunication and Levi was just…bleh. This one wasn’t for me, BUT the actual writing and editing was good so 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my advance review copy!

“The Break-Up Pact” is a cute summer romance! The situation that brought these two together is interesting. But it’s clear that fake dating will help both of their circumstances, just not in the way they hoped. I enjoyed the friend dynamics and the light-heartedness of this small beach-town story. I personally did not connect with the main romance, it felt too fast-paced for me.

For those who enjoy:
🫖 Coastal Town
🫖 Fake Dating
🫖 Saving the Tea Shop
🫖 Friends to Lovers
🫖 Friend group

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
What happens when your childhood best friend who you crushed on in high school suddenly reappears in your life? June is struggling to make her business work after her sister died and her boyfriend broke up with her very publicly shooting her into internet stardom. When her childhood best friend Levi has a similar experience with his girlfriend, they end up in each other's orbit and hatch a plan as revenge-exes to help Levi win his girlfriend back and June get her business where it needs to be so she won't lose it. Along the way, old feelings come back to the surface and June realizes she never truly got over Levi. And the fake dating is just showing her that her heart may be broken all over again. But Levi is holding on to a secret of his own about June. Fake dating doesn't mean falling in love, right?
This is my first Emma Lord book. I have always heard great things about this author and I was excited to jump in and see what her writing was all about. Plus, I love a second chance romance and a friends to lovers trope!
Right from the start I knew I was going to fall in love with these characters. Their chemistry shows through in the first pages of the book when their friendship is rekindled. And, of course, their past is crucial to how they act together while fake dating. There's no denying they both are holding on to the secrets of the past which, of course, they don't talk about.
June is a great character. She smart and not afraid to go after what she wants, or at least what she thinks she wants. But her heart is tied up in her business because it was the one she and her sister Annie, who died two years ago, built together. June is insistent on keeping the business just as Annie wanted it and is afraid to move forward or change things in a way that may help her business thrive. She holds on to the past because she feels if she lets go, she's forgetting Annie and not living up to what her sister would have wanted for her. I felt for June the entire book. She had such a hard time doing things that would make her happy because she felt beholden to the things of the past. At times, I wanted to give her a little nudge and a "snap out of it" smack so she could see what was right in front of her. She settled for so much with her ex and how they lived their lives. She never let herself live the way she wanted to. Always conforming and worrying about not being what others wanted her to be. Such a hard mold to break out of.
Levi was similar in how he was living his life. Doing things he needed to make sure his family was ok. Settling for someone he thought would make him happy. But he, too, was holding on to things from the past. Things he never told June. Annie was his best friend and that relationship was so special for him. But she was angry with him for choosing the path he took.
I did adore Sana, June's best friend. She pushed June to do better and be better. She helped June find herself a bit and wasn't afraid to point out June's flaws. She was the perfect BFF.
The pacing of the book is great. I will admit, the first few chapters are a little slow to build. But I liked that Lord didn't jump right into the meat of the relationship between the FMC and MMC. She gave us some background to help build it up. Lord easily transition from one chapter to the next as the relationships between the characters are revealed. I didn't want to put the book down because I was invested in how June and Levi would make their relationship work. Each chapter revealed more of their past together which helped shape their current relationship. Lord easily incorporates all the what ifs many adults face in life. What if I wasted my time with this person? What if I chose the wrong career path? What if you cannot find a place where you belong? These are all compelling and important aspects of being an adult and choosing a path that makes sense for you. While Lord does incorporate some rom-com into her book, this one is definitely has a more serious tone to it. The exploration of life and the questions that come with it are of great importance in how the story plays out.
So why did I not give this book 5 stars? A few reasons. First, I would have seen more build up of the relationships outside of Levi and June. I would have liked to see more flashbacks of June and Annie, considering how close they were, to solidify their relationship. Rather than June telling us how close they were. I also would have liked to see more of a relationship build between June and her brother Derrick. June touches on the fact that she doesn't really allow Derrick to get close to her. That even though one of her siblings has died, she neglects to see the other one who is standing right in front of her and going through the same struggles of grief she is feeling. My second reason this does not get 5 stars is I really would have liked to see Levi's POV. We get his whole personality and character development from what June tells us and I just feel like there could have been so much more to him if we saw things through his eyes. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope. I know it happens, that's life. But it was stretched through the entire book and it kind of annoyed me that these once best friends could not come to terms with how things went down in high school. Even after 10 years. They buried it under the rug and I felt like they almost refused to bring it back to the surface, even though they both know it's what has been holding them back for 10 years from being happy. They both know it but it takes until the end of the book for them to talk about it. I just felt this was a bit childish and would have liked to see it brought out into the open earlier and then worked through to help their characters heal through the story.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this. It made me laugh, cry, hurt my heart a bit. And I liked that Lord did not make it easy for the characters to be together. She puts many obstacles in their paths along the way that help show their growth and development. Readers who love Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey and a solid heart-warming story will enjoy this title.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me early access to this title to read in return for a review.

This was the first Emma Lord that I have read and it won't be the last.

The Break-Up Pact is set in a seaside tourist town an hour and a half outside of New York City and follows two former friends, June, who returned to town to run a tea shop on the board walk after the death of her sister, and Levi, who's come back home to finish his Great American Novel. These two long lost friends are not only connected by their grief over the loss of Annie, June's Sister and Levi's good friend, but their recent very public break-ups. Emma has been dubbed by social media as "crying-girl" after her viral breakup with her reality-start ex, and Levi is all over the tabloids because of his Fiancée's recent infidelity. What are two old friends suppose to do other than make a pact to fake date? What could go wrong?

There is so much that I liked about this book. This pacing was fantastic and the story hit all the beats it was suppose to, which I always appreciate. The characters were realistic and had emotional depth. They all felt like the author spent a lot of time figuring out who they were and what they were like deep down inside. I'm always a sucker for the fake dating trope, and this one is done really well. It gives you just enough to leave you wanting more, without making you want to push the characters together yelling "kiss already"

The only thing that I didn't like is I found the ending a little drawn out. We had our big climax, but then the story just kept going. I was glad to see that all the characters got their happy endings, but it felt long and didn't include the part that I really wanted to see.

That said, I still loved this book and plan on reading more from Emma Lord in the future.

The story follows June and Levi, who have both recently been publically dumped by their exes. But June and Levi also used to be best friends in high school (although, in the beginning, we aren't completely sure why they stopped being friends), and Levi's recent return back to their hometown has caused them to reunite for good or bad. 

Enter my favorite romance trope: Fake Dating. June and Levi use a recent photo that has convinced people everywhere that they are now a couple to launch their fake relationship. They both have their reasoning: June's business has been struggling to keep people in the door, and Levi wants to make his ex realize what she is missing.

The Review:
I'm going to start by saying the tone of this story was very different from what I was expecting. Both June and Levi are still grieving the sudden death of June's sister, and they are both in times of their lives with a lot of question marks. Basically, it was a book about two adults dealing with two very adult issues who just happened to reunite. It took me much longer to read this book because there were things that were discussed that I was just not in the right headspace for. 

Even so, Emma Lord managed to create a well-balanced story. There were definitely times in the story when it felt like a classic rom-com story, but it never felt out of place. It is rare that an author can jump between two tones well, but I think this book did a wonderful job. 

Lord clearly has a talent for characterization. Both June and Levi were well-developed, and I always felt that they had a reason for what they were doing (whether those reasonings were logical or not is a different story, but it felt realistic). Their history (with being best friends in high school) made their characters so much more believable, and Lord was building their chemistry from the beginning. 

I adored June and Levi together!! Although they were both dealing with real issues, they never pressured each other to cope or handle their stress differently. They were just....there for each other (a wild concept, I know).  And their "fake" dates?? So adorable. I love faking dating so much because I love seeing two characters who are so oblivious to the idea that they have feelings for each other, and man, were these two absolutely oblivious. The sexual and romantic tension that was building up between the two of them was so well-paced, and the fake dating scenarios really added to that tension. 

This book also has instances of the miscommunication trope, which is my least favorite trope when it is handled poorly. However, I think the reasons for the miscommunication (for the most part) were justified, especially since most of it happened when they were still in high school. I remember how I was in high school, and I probably would've reacted in the exact same way. 

In the end, though, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. I think the time they gave each other throughout the story was necessary, but I still wanted more of June and Levi. I also felt that we were missing a lot because we did not have a POV of Levi. A lot of his feelings and actions were eventually explained to us, but if I hadn't experienced similar feelings with him before, I don't know if I could have imagined it as well as I did. I also think the story could have had flashbacks to them in high school. I appreciated the background information given, but it would have been impactful to be taken back to that time period. 

The Break-Up Pact is a book that handles very adult issues but still manages to keep a light-hearted tone when needed. A book will rarely make me laugh at something out loud, and this book managed to make me do it twice. Emma Lord did a great job at transitioning into adult romance, and I hope she continues to write more adult books in the future.

The Break-Up Pact is a fun summer rom-com that checks a lot of the tropes’ boxes. I wish there was a wee bit more character development and the pacing more flowing.

4/5 ⭐️

This book will make you crave scones and have the song “Uptown Funk” on loop while reading it. June and Levi have a “hallmark” type love story. It is sweet and passionate. This book is perfect for readers who like ‘friends to lovers’ or ‘slow burn’ tropes. Would be very interested in seeing ‘The Break-Up Pack’ turned into a movie👀

This was a cute and easy read. June and Levi used to be best friends but grew apart when Levi left for college. Now, both are back in their hometown after viral breakups. A photo of June and Levi sparks rumors that the two are dating. They decide to fake date so Levi can get his ex back and June can bolster sales for her struggling tea shop.

Ok, so the premise is a little over the top at first. Childhood best friends who haven't spoken for years suddenly decide to fake date after they got publicly dumped? It's a little much but that's ok because I still loved them together. And I'm a sucker for the fake dating trope.

It does feel like Levi is not fully present for most of the book, but that part felt realistic to me. They're two adults who are going through their own struggles and have to work on themselves before they can fully explore what they have together. I love Emma Lord and have read most of her books. I really enjoy the characters she creates and how complex they are. I do feel like this was a great transition to the adult romance world from her usual YA and NA novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I've loved Emma Lord's YA romances, and so I was thrilled when I saw she was crossing over into adult romance. The Break-Up Pact is a pitch-perfect fake-dating friends to lovers romance. After Levi and June both experience very public break-ups that go viral, a photo of these two old friends accidentally fans rumors that the two of THEM are now dating. Pretending to date will help both of them, so they make a fake-dating pact--never thinking their hearts will actually get involved.

This was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, especially for an adult debut. Sometimes switching gears from YA/new adult to adult romance can be tricky, but like Erin Hahn and Rachel Lynn Solomon did before her, Emma Lord nails it, crafting adult characters with adult problems and adult levels of sexy times.

I really enjoyed The Break-Up Pact and I can't wait to see what Emma Lord writes next.

One-word review: Angsty-fun
Emojis: 🥺🫠🤨🥰
Rating: 4 🌟s

The Top Ten things that stood out to me about The Breakup Pact:
10) I adore the cover! It's the perfect confectionary creation for a fun summer read.
9) The epilogue is a fitting ending for the story. It's everything I hoped it would be and more.
8) I don't know about a tea and scone shop on the boardwalk. Usually, you find cold beverages, not hot, on a beach's boardwalk, so that was a little strange to me.
7) The use of social media in the breakup and fake dating stories is not just current, it's also incredibly appropriate. It adds a layer of authenticity to the narrative, making it more relatable to the readers.
6) I love the fake dating trope. It's fun, creative, and full of delicious angst.
5) June's relatability and her deep friendship with Sana are the heart of The Breakup Pact. The author's skillful character development makes them feel like real people you might know, rather than characters in a book.
4) While the pacing of The Breakup Pact was slower than I typically prefer, it was in line with the childhood-friends-to-lovers storyline. This pace, while not my usual cup of tea, added depth to the characters and their relationships.
3) I loved the setting! It feels so quaint and coastal, which is my absolute favorite setting.
2) I had a hard time with Levi. I didn't necessarily feel he was any better for June than her ex-boyfriend. I couldn't connect or sympathize with his choices.
1) The aspect I loved best about The Breakup Pact is the poignant understory. It's a surprising element that brings depth to the current tale, keeping the readers engaged as the characters grow and develop through their grief over June's sister's death.

I have previously read tweet cute by Emma Lord, and I thought it was very cute. So, I was excited to read The Break-Up Pact.

I liked the premise of the story. Tea Tide Is the same vibe and idea that I have for my own future bakery.

I felt June's emotions when she was thinking about moving on with her life, and living to the ages that her sister never got to reach.

However, I just didn't feel super invested in the characters. And therefore it took me quite a while to get through this book, because I kept putting it down.

Overall, a good story though. (Waffled between a 3 and a 4.)

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

4.5 stars. The Break-Up Pact is a super cute quick romance story by Emma Lord. This was my first ever novel written by Ms. Lord that I had the pleaure to read. Full review coming soon, Thank you St. Martins and Netgalley for the opportunty to review an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a perfect mix of sweet romance tied with realistic themes like owning your own business and grief. It’s a second chance romance mixed with fake dating. Perfect summer read!

This was so meh for me. I’m a big fake dating fan and this fell flat on so many levels. The chemistry was unbelievable and there was too much side plot.

This was an easy-enough beach read but I just wasn't that in love with the characters. I think some short chapters sprinkled in with actual, developed flashbacks of the MC's childhood/adulescents together would have helped.

The Break Up Pact is my first book by Emma Lord and it was a cute fake dating, forced proximity, second-chance romance with a lighthearted modern take to it that kept me intrigued and reading.

June and Levi are childhood best friends that are reunited after going through public gross breakups with their respective long term partners and decide to fake date as a revenge on their exs. They also help one another heal through some trauma and work through finding themself and connecting with what they want out of life again and I found this aspect particularly relatable.

As an avid tea lover I really loved all the plots around the tea and scone shop! I had a bit of trouble getting a read on Levi through Junes POV and wish it had been two POVs. Overall cute romance I’d recommend and I’d definitely pick up another book by Emma!

Thanks NetGalley, st Martin’s press and Emma for the arc! All thoughts are mine.

I want to take a moment to thank NetGalley as well as the publishing company for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start off by saying that the tension in this book is delicious! If you are looking for a really fun, summer read that has childhood friends and romance, followed by a little bit of pretend dating then I would definitely suggest picking my book up it was beyond delightful!

I’ll start by saying I genuinely loved Levi and June together. I loved their childhood friends to lovers story. The beginning started out strong and I thought this could easily be a 5 star read. Somewhere in the middle it fell flat. There was a lot going on which I felt like took away from the story itself- it all seemed to be very surface level. The social media/Griffin and Kelly drama just didn’t do it for me. The end came back around and I loved it.

Overall I do love Emma’s writing style and will continue to read her books. This just wasn’t a favorite of mine.

this is my first read by this author, and what i think is her first adult fiction romance.

unfortunately this one didn't grab me -- i've had a string of really good romance reads for me and this one under delivered.

i love a friends-to-lovers / second chance romance trope (sprinkled w fake dating in this case), but i feel like we didn't get much of an exploration of their history. rather it felt like it was told to us in present day without really exploring their history, which i think would've been more impactful.

the chemistry between the characters also just wasn't there for me and i think a big part of that is bc we don't get much of their story before.

so unfortunately a miss for but but might be a yes for others. thanks to the publisher and net galley for the e-arc!