Member Reviews

This is my first book by Emma Lord and definitely won't be my last. This was so enjoyable and I really appreciated the importance of finding your person and having support as you navigate through grief.

Thank you NetGallet, St. Martin's Press, and Emma Lord for the ARC of this title.

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THIS WAS SUCHHHHH A CUTE BOOK! Emma Lord is amazing and never disappoints me with her YA RomComs. Another staple book for young teens.

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June and Levi have both just gone through extremely public, humiliating internet-viral break-ups. Coincidentally, they also used to be best friends and have ended up back in their hometown. In order to reclaim the narrative, they decide to fake date, a feat made complicated by the fact that a massive falling out and the loss of June's sister has put distance between them.

Emma Lord's The Break-Up Pact was such an enjoyable read. At its heart, this book is about finding yourself and knowing you deserve to be loved even if you haven't got it all figured out yet.

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This was a softly beautiful book that touched on grief and coming into one's own. I loved the Revenge Ex plot and the fun that provided. The side characters were all top notch. The unfolding of June and Levi's romance was all heart flutters mixed with heat. All in all no break up from this author for me, another great book.

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While I enjoyed reading this book, it was never a nail-biting, can’t wait to see what’s next, book for me. I liked the development of the characters, but after all the build up I wish we got a bit more on some of them.

Specifically, June’s relationship with her brother: He never confronted her about blowing him off so much. We never got to hear about the wedding, although we heard about all the planning and one year after. There was some cute moments with his fiancé and June in the first half of the book, but I wish there was more in the second half. June eventually recognizes the different ways they both mourn their sister, but even that felt a bit lacking in storyline.

Overall a good book and would recommend to others!

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his book is a beautiful mix of overcoming grief (and guilt), moving on from pasts and past relationships that held you back, and building a new future with the one you’ve always loved. This book is filled with yearning. Yearning over your long time crush and yearning over the loss of your sister/friend. I really felt for both June and Levi, they had been through it and were finding their way back to themselves and to each other. At times I felt the pacing was slow, particularly in the last 25%. I did enjoy reading this book. It had me craving a beachside scone. I recommend this to fans of You With a View by Jessica Joyce and Beach Read by Emily Henry.

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I've adored all of Emma Lord's YA romances and I'm thrilled to say The Break-Up Pact is no different! The perfect summer beach read :)

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Overall this is a good beach read! The main characters have interests, and the plot set up was very fun (if not very believable). I enjoyed the extended friendships and family in this book, and love a beach setting, but felt like the central conflict could have been a little more developed. I also felt it was a little too long, and would have adjusted the pacing slightly!

Thanks to the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Uhhgghhh
I honestly don't even know where to start. I'll make it short though.
I found nothing appealing about this book, sorry.
The characters were stagnant and I found the diversity (characters of diverse backgrounds) prop-like and not truly adding relevance to the story itself but put in place rather to tick some imaginary box.
Just not for me.
Thanks

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I thoroughly enjoyed the second chances romance in this book. The tension and chemistry between the protagonists kept me hooked from start to finish. Their history added depth to their interactions, making their journey towards reconciliation and love all the more satisfying. The author did a great job of portraying the complexities of their past relationship while also weaving in moments of humor and lightheartedness.

The fake dating trope was executed brilliantly, injecting a delightful dose of fun and intrigue into the storyline. It was entertaining to see how the characters navigated their pretend relationship, especially when unexpected emotions began to surface. Despite some predictable moments, the story remained engaging and kept me eagerly turning the pages.

While the pacing was quick and the read was easy, I found that it didn't detract from the emotional depth of the characters. Their growth throughout the narrative felt natural and well-developed, making their eventual reconciliation feel earned and satisfying. Overall, this book was a delightful blend of romance, humor, and heartfelt moments, making it a perfect choice for fans of second chances and fake dating tropes alike.

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This book is such a delightful adult debut from Emma Lord! I have loved Emma's YA and was so excited for her to write an adult romance. I adored every single character, the fake dating, the Revenge Exes, Tea Tide, and the whole story. This book is the perfect summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for my complimentary e-arc and ALC. All opinions here are my own.

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This book was a great quick summer read, the story was cute and while some things bothered me (hello miscommunication trope), it ultimately was an enjoyable read!! The characters definitely grew on me, MCs and side characters included and by the end of the book I was loving all of them! This is a great romance debut for this author!

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The Break-Up Pact is a cute romantic comedy. June runs a tea shop that sells scones. She is struggling to keep the business going. Levi is a struggling author and is back in town. He was previously dating June’s deceased sister and hung with June as a teenager. Both June and Levi have just broken up with their significant others. They made a pact to pretend to be dating and in love with each other. June to keep her business going and Levi to win back his ex-girlfriend. In the end, they saved June’s business, Levi became a successful author, and they fell in love with each other becoming engaged. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of The Break-Up Pact.

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The Break- Up Pact was more serious than Lord's previous novels, but still enjoyable and heart-warming. This is her first adult romance and I went into it thinking it would be YA so that was a nice surprise. I was expecting more of a light and witty rom-com like in the past, but I think this author transitioned from YA to adult effectively. Adult's tend to have to deal with more serious issues and I think this book reflected that well. Even with the more serious undertones, there is still a mix of fun and rom-com. Perfect for fans of fake dating trope.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for this review. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It didn’t feel original at all and I’ve felt like I’ve read it all before. Loved the idea of it and the cutesy cover, but the execution was not great

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Mmmmm, this was ….. fine. I enjoyed it, but it was kind of forgettable. Like I kept mixing up Levi and Griffin’s names and didn’t think about the book much when I wasn’t listening to it. I’ve been in a reading slump, so nothing much has been keeping my interest. Maybe I’ll come back to this one when I’m feeling a flouncy romance again!

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thank you to netgalley and emma lord for the advanced readers copy. "the break-up pact" intrigued me because of the cutesy cartoon cover. it also had one of my favorite tropes to read about in romance novels: fake dating :) however, the story felt like a recycled version of several other romance books i have read. it was a nice palate cleanser for all the dark and disturbing books i had been reading prior to it because of that familiar atmosphere, though. if you want a cute little rom-com to just pass the time, i would recommend this to you.

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Sometimes, people get a second chance at love. When those people just so happen to have been friends for a long time, you can sign me right up!

In Emma Lord's newest novel The Break Up Pact, June and Levi are trying their very best to get over some very public breakups. June was labeled "The Crying Girl" by most of the internet and Levi found himself the center of attention when his famous girlfriend Kelly broke up with him. June and Levi grew up in Benson Beach and were friends for most of their lives, but when both of them find themselves back in their hometown, the years past have put a toll on their friendship. Nonetheless, they decide to revenge their exes and show them what they are missing by fake-dating one another.

I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge fan of the fake-dating trope and friends-to-lovers is just always so special to me. The book deals with themes of grief beautifully and Emma Lord shows once again that she is tuned in with the millennial crowd. I chuckled, I kicked my feet in delight, and I want more of June and Levi.

The Break Up Pact is being released on August 13, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

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3 stars.

"The Break-Up Pact" by Emma Lord is a friends-to-lovers, fake dating, second chance story with a lot of untapped potential. I love me a small beach-town romance, so the setting was what drew me to this story in the first place. I know many people love Emma Lord's books, so I was excited to read this one, but it left me feeling quite underwhelmed. Lord is known for her YA and college romances, and my biggest issue with this book is that it feels fairly young adult to me. Minus a couple of spicy scenes and some heavy grief content, this could easily be a YA/PG-rated new adult novel. Don't get me wrong, it's a *fine* book, but it could have been so much more than that. I liked June and Levi as individuals, but I didn't love and connect with them until about 55-ish% into the book. There is something missing between them, the spark that makes this a book worth remembering. Some of the things that happen in this story feel unnecessary, like they were only to add page length to the book. The spice reads "unnecessary" more than "mind-blowing" or "tension-filler" or "FINALLY!!!" I honestly didn't think there would *be* spice in this book because it felt like it skewed to younger readers. I felt like the prose was predictable and cliché, but others may read this as fluffy and fun. It all felt too familiar to me. There's also an odd mix of underdevelopment (especially where June-'s sister is concerned) and too much rambling. I loved Levi and June's interesting jobs and backstory... but as I mentioned, something felt missing for me to recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

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Everything you could want and expect from a quick rom-com read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the arc of this book, I enjoyed it.

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