Emma Lord does it again! She writes rom-coms in a way where I find myself swooning and kicking my feet with joy. I always love when my favorite YA authors dive into the world of adult romances. Fake dating in a beach town makes this the perfect summer read! I wish the pub date was earlier in the summer, but this will be an end of summer fave for romance readers.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I have read 2 of Emma Lord's previous Young Adult romances and was very excited for this, her first adult romance. Also, the cover is PERFECTION!

A did feel like her previous novels felt too juvenile (even for YA in some cases), so I was nervous that this would be the case here to and was pleasantly surprised! The characters definitely seemed much more mature and less whiney/dramatic than some of the YA ones! I hope she continues to either write both YA and Adult or switch to just adult in the future!

The plot itself was a really cute and creative idea and I thought the chemistry between them was believable and cute. Overall, a cute and fun romance that checks a lot of my boxes!

This will be available on August 13th

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

Emma Lord is an auto-buy author for me and I was so excited to read her adult debut - it did not disappoint! I think this book will be perfect for fans of Emily Henry because the characters felt so personal and flawed and relatable in the same magical way. I love Emma Lord's commitment to making baked goods a key part of all of her stories and now I need to go find a scone! I laughed and cried and swooned with this characters and I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands!

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really loved The Break-Up Pact! The rom-com had tropes I love-fake dating and enemies to lovers and it worked perfectly in this story for me. I was able to become immersed in the characters and their story. I thought they were all really well written and thought out. The plot was fast paced for me so I never really felt like I was bored with any part of the story. I am super excited to recommend this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review The Break-Up Pact,

I keep giving Emma Lord a chance. Her writing is just not for me. She writes very young. Like this was an adult book that read like YA. Spare yourself don’t read this.

2.5 stars
It pains me to give this rating/review. I usually really like Emma Lord’s books and Natalie Naudus did an amazing job narrating this one. However, the miscommunication and lies were over the top for most of the book and the subsequent happiest of endings that followed felt disingenuous. It’s a shame because I think there was a less toxic, more functional way to write the story and have had it be so much better. Try to dial the drama down a few full turns for the next one, please!
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance audio and ebook copies.

This was very cute in a hallmark movie type of way! I really enjoy Emma’s banter and her writing. This friends to lovers romance is also a guaranteed comfort read. I do wish we got more of the couple than the side characters though.

This was such a fun and cute read. It was very easy to get through and perfect for a beach day. Definitely pick this one up if you are considering it.

I've been a fan of Emma Lord's books since debut Tweet Cute (though You Have a Match is my No. 1 and remains there), but unfortunately, this one couldn't surpass it. To me, The Break-Up Pact failed to provide new or unique characters and instead offered a paid that seemed dime-a-dozen, who did not develop throughout the novel. The premise, too, had such promise but then its execution just fell flat and like a replication of different books with the same tropes. I don't know, but it kind of felt as if this author phoned it in a bit or didn't really understand her Main Characters. Lord, for years, has been a master at writing YA with The Break-Up Pact being one of her first real adult romances, This one, however, felt like a YA novel but with adults. I guess, I wanted more maturity from the characters.

I do have to say that Lord's writing is still as compelling as ever and I am not dissing her craft. I just couldn't fully vibe with the story and characters. Something just left little to be desired.

CW: Sibling Grief

The Break-Up Pact wasn't my favorite by Emma Lord.

I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers but I honestly didn't understand what attracted them to each other. There was too much emphasis on their physical attraction. If you're friends first, you should know that person in and out.

I did really like the setting of the beach town - it was such a cozy vibe throughout the entire book. LOVED.

But, June bothered me quite a bit. She was WAY too judgmental, it just made me want to put the book down. I found it very tough to connect and empathize with anything she had going on.

Overall, it was a decent read and there were some sweet moments throughout the book. This is a quick light-hearted romance for anyone looking for that.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a great summer beach read. The author made the beach town come alive and now I want to visit.

The Break-Up Pact is about June and Levi, who both had very public, very viral ends to their last relationships. June had recently moved back home to take over the tea shop she and her sister had dreamed up after her sister unexpectedly passed. Her boyfriend Griffin, meanwhile, had gone on a reality show and had June on the show solely to break up with her for one of his costars. She became “The Crying Girl” meme and the shop starting getting visitors asking her to do the face, but not buying anything. Levi’s girlfriend Kelly had cheated on him with a famous actor and the crowds has also found him. After another paparazzi catches them together and dubs them “The Revenge Exes,” June’s best friend proposes that they use this to get what they all want - more business to save the tea shop for June, getting Kelly jealous and getting her back for Levi, and time for Sana (the friend) to work on something to get her hired by her dream magazine and she feeds stories and pictures to the media.

The entire story is told from June’s POV so you don’t get a lot of knowledge about how Levi is feeling. June is left with a lot of questions and makes assumptions about what is going on in his mind. June had a massive crush on him in high school and Levi left shortly after everything came to a head and has barely spoken to her since. June is determined to protect her heart and at least have Levi back as a friend after everything is done. The book definitely gives off the small town vibes as to how intertwined most of the characters are and you feel that the locals are not the ones in Tea Time simply by them being nameless faces. I really liked June’s brother and wished we got a little bit more of him in the story. Overall, it was a nice ride to the ending you knew was coming.

Emma Lord has taken a step away from the young adult world, right into the world of adult romance. I’m a huge fan of her YA books, so I was excited to see this one come across my NetGalley dashboard. I knew I had to request it right away. I was not disappointed.

The Break-up Pact follows June and Levi. After suffering largely public and messy break ups they’re finally in the same place for the first time in ten years. They haven’t spoken much, having gone from best friends to practically strangers over the years. Suddenly, they both take the media by storm again (together this time) and decide to ride the coattails of their fame for mutual benefit. Meaning fake date for a while.

I very much enjoyed this book. June had so much to work through in this book, and it was refreshing to see her handle things well and actually grow by the end. I LOVED Levi. He’s such a tortured poet. His story was interesting and he also had lots to work through. I would have loved to get a peek inside his POV, but I digress.

The romance was cute. I love the fake dating trope and all the precarious situations it puts them in. Especially since they were childhood best friends, their progression was cute and swoony. I’m definitely rooting for them. Can we just talk about the fun banter and gallery game they played when they just completely relaxed around each other because that was cute? Emma Lord did step out and explore the spicy side of adult romance, so if you’re coming from her YA books beware.

I will say it was a little fast-paced, skipping straight to the fake dating rather than setting up things. However, that just makes it a quick read that was enjoyable. I’d dub this a beach read.

June and Levi, high school best friends, devise a plan to fake-date each other to salvage their reputations after becoming social media laughingstocks following public breakups. Emma Lord's transition from young adult to adult fiction is seamless in this delightful read. Her trademark authenticity shines through, complete with references to Gouda and desserts that fans adore. I enjoyed reading this book during a beach camping weekend—it was the perfect backdrop to immerse myself in Benson Beach. From the compelling characters and vivid setting to the perfect touch of spice and nods to Taylor, this book earns a well-deserved 5 stars.

i was so excited for this. a book that you should definitely read this summer once it releases! emma lord can do no wrong

I love a good romcom by Emma! They hit every time, and this was no exception to me. If you need a great book to enjoy in the sun this summer… pick this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher St. Martin's Press: June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?
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My review: So if you can get past the idea that two people from a small town who grew up together both go viral for breakups with pop culture phenoms, you can get into this. Suspend disbelief and all. June has a lot on her plate and some baggage next to her. We know all her thoughts but not Levi’s, so if this weren’t a rom com, he could go either way with her. The fake dating trope is always fun and some parts of this book seemed to drag, but all the side characters were fun. The distraction of planning her brother’s wedding gave June a little something more to do and their closeness was sweet.

I would have liked a little more insight into Levi, his backstory and his mind. And the end was a lot of narration from June's mind, and not enough dialogue with Levi. But overall a fun summer read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review

3.5 rounded up for Goodreads.

Emma Lorde is a new author to me, and I’ve been on a roll with summer vibes books. That’s why I was so excited to get my hands ona copy of The Break-Up Pact. The summer, beach vibes did not disappoint! I enjoyed the setting of the book, a small beach town, so much!

June and Levi are both suffering from viral break ups from their perspective long term relationships. Somehow, by the magic of the cosmos, they are both going through this at the same time, while also being from the same small town. Oh and by the way, they were childhood best friends. (It’s fine! I don’t need all my cute lit to be 100% believable. 😂) Through a miscommunication, that frustrated me a good deal, they haven’t spoken to each other much in like the last decade. Yikes. June is trying to run her late sister’s tea shop while also still trying to deal with that grief. Levi is working on a sad boy novel. They reconnect through a pact to pretend to be dating that is mutually beneficial. They are known on the internet as the “revenge ex’s”.

This was cute and fun and a quick read. Like I said, this is a great summer vibe. Good beach read, or just when you wish you were at the beach like myself! My biggest complaint is that so many side characters fell so flat to me. They really could’ve been something! I wish we had spent more time especially with June’s brother and their sibling relationship post-loss.

Highlights:
-Beachy vibes 🏖️
-Fake dating
-Friends to lovers
-loss of a sibling/ grief

RATING: ⭐️⭐️
DNF: 80%

I wanted to love this one so badly. It has everything I love in a book, but it felt like someone was writing out of genre and they had no passion for the genre being written.

Also, the miscommunication trope was used in this one so liberally that it turned me on the main characters.

The books has a great writing style but sadly, I just lost interest as this book increasingly became not for me.

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers until a misunderstanding tore them apart. They haven’t spoken to one another for years, but thanks to a series of humiliating events, June and Levi are brought back together in the most unexpected way…

I absolutely adored The Break-Up Pact! This is the kind of book that’s like sunshine on a cloudy day. Yes, some crazy things happen to June and Levi, but you can tell almost immediately these two are destined for each other. June and Levi knocked it out of the park with their fake relationship and had the whole town rooting for them to get together for real. I mean, they had some great chemistry and so many similarities, that it was hard to not root for them. I loved watching these two characters rediscover their friendship, explore their chemistry, and navigate their way through all the hurdles life kept throwing at them.

All in all, I found this story to be a really fun read, and was exactly what I was looking for in a friends-to-lovers, fake relationship romance.