The plot is undeniably interesting and even a bit innovative, offering a fresh take on the classic romance genre. However, despite the promising storyline, I found it challenging to get into the book. The narrative felt a little subpar, and the writing style didn't captivate me as I had hoped. While the idea behind the story had great potential, the execution left me wanting more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I like this author, and this was another cute book! Was it my favorite? No, but it wasn't a DNF. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, so it definitely kept my interest!

I love Emma Lord’s YA novels, but this, her first adult novel, just fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry, and there was just too much miscommunication. It was frustrating as a reader. The pacing was also inconsistent… sometimes we raced through the timeline and other times we crawled.

It as cute, but not my favorite.

Thank you netgalley for the early reader copy of The Break-Up Pact.

Emma Lord does it again! Per usual, this story is the perfect light-hearted fun summer read. I absolutely love Emma Lord's writing style and quickly captivates you into wanting to read more. While the story-line of a fake dating situation has been done by so many authors, Emma Lord finds a way to make the story original and unique and really nails this classic romcom trope. Highly recommend this book to all readers.

4.25 stars!!

this book is really wholesome !!! definitely a cutesy summer romance 💘 i was smiling and giggling. it just felt like a whirlwind high school romance but also with the deep connection that comes from loving your childhood best friend. plus some fake datinggggg !!! my only thing was it kind of lost me in the last 18%… still enjoyable overall ✨ a great palette cleanser!

thank you St. Martin’s & Netgalley for the eARC! this is my honest review.

This was a cute book, but one that I will probably forget quickly. June and Levi were best friends in high school and they have both recently been through public break-ups. Levi finds himself back in his hometown of Benson Beach where June lives. They are spotted together and are soon named the "Revenge Exes." They decide to go along with the fake dating in hopes of giving June's Tea Shop more business and convincing Levi's ex to get back together with him. It is a slow burn and I didn't feel very invested in the characters relationship. I feel like a lot of their issues could have been dealt with by just talking to each other. The miscommunication trope is not my favorite. If you want a quick, beachy, summer read then you'll probably still enjoy it.

Spiciness: 2/5 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

I really stepped away from my usual genre tackling this deeply emotional novel. One side of me says I loved it yet the other tells me what a boring book....How do I get out of this conundrum and say my true feelings without getting in trouble...ok I may be exaggerating a bit.

The story in a few words:

June and Levi were two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral. They both experienced public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok and daytime talk shows alike. By doing this subterfuge June hopes to get back on her feet and Levi wish his ex. realize she made a mistake and comes back.....

My thoughts:

The positive and the negative:

Emma Lord’s writing is very enthusiastic and moving. She beautifully blends humour and emotional depth in one smooth stroke. The story in its own is cute and the characters are well defined. The author also has a beautiful style if you like mushy and extremely slow story. The plot is so slowed down by June’s frequent monologues in which she expresses her emotions and past experiences...over and over. I often wish things would speed a bit but no, I almost fell asleep, unfortunately, so bored I became that was happy to see the very predictable ending in sight. This fiction was not for me: messy bits of heartbreak, crying, run-ins with exes and the multiple crisis got to be too much for me.

This story about love, friendship and self-discovery is not for everyone but to those believing in magic of love will simply adore “The Break-Up Pack”. So far I seemed to be an exception in thinking this is a boring fiction...Judge for yourself.

This year already delivered the absolute GEM The Getaway List and now this summer will bring us The Break-Up Pact! It has snacks, a great setting, and banter 👏🏼. I have loved seeing Emma move into the NA and Adult space, and her voice and signature treats shine in her latest books.

This is an absolutely delightful romantic comedy and it also explores themes of grief. I really enjoyed the story and I love that Emma balances humor and great storytelling.

I’m such a fan of this adult debut and I will gobble up anything Emma writes! I cannot wait to reread it when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

A Refreshing Take on Friends-to-Lovers
"The Break Up Pact" by Emma takes a unique spin on the friends-to-lovers trope. June and Levi grapple with loss and grief, only to be drawn back together by unforeseen circumstances. The story follows June's journey as she rebuilds her life after a personal setback, her entrepreneurial spirit battling self-doubt and fear. The reader is pulled in by June's anxieties, rooting for her success in both love and business.
Levi's narrative, though slower-paced, is equally captivating. The author portrays his feelings of isolation and longing for belonging with authenticity. A surprising twist throws June's progress into question, making the stakes even higher. The well-developed villains and Sana's impactful article add depth to the plot.
This book is a delightful exploration of love, loss, and resilience. It leaves the reader eager to delve into Emma's other works.

Emma Lord, my oh my, what did you put in this book. The Break-Up Pact was absolutely delicious. I cannot imagine a better book for laying out in the sun and yearning.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise of the story is cute and hopeful but the follow-through fell flat and was hard to finish.

This was such a fun, engaging read that really left me wanting a scone or 3. June and Levi are now-estranged childhood friends who within the span of a few weeks are both on the receiving end of humiliating, viral breakups. So, when a photo of them together goes viral and the internet dubs them Revenge Exes, they decide to play along—so she can save the ailing tea shop she opened with her late sister and so he can win his ex-fiancêe back. But has they reconnect, it forces them to confront childhood crushes. the grief over the loss of her sister (and his best friend) and the miscommunications that drew them apart. It was a really sweet love story—I loved the supporting characters, and how dynamic their friend group was. Growing up in a beach town, the dichotomy between the locals and the tourism really spoke to me.

The Break-Up Pact

"My life is more unsettled than it's ever been, but I've never felt more settled in it."

Oh my oh my, Emma Lord did it again. I absolutely adore her writing. The banter! The chemistry! The baked goods! She has an amazing way with words and her foray into adult romance did not disappoint.

June and Levi are old high-school besties who were both recently publicly scorned by their ex's. Determined not to let social media bring them down, they hatch a fake dating plot as The Revenge Ex's. Things are only fake for so long as it becomes of apparent that their old flame which they never acted on is in fact still burning.

While an absolutely delightful romcom, this one also brings in growth for both June and Levi, and the processing of grief over losing June's sister, Annie.

I highly recommend if you are looking for:
- Fake dating
- Friends to lovers
- Incredible and hilarious cast of supporting characters
- Delicious sounding scones

Come for the romcom, stay for the baked goods. The Break-Up Pact is on shelves August 13th, 2024! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! My opinions are my own.

*Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My huge problem with this book was that it's marketed as an adult romance, but is really more YA/new adult. It felt SO weird watching 2 people have sex in an Emma Lord book!! Now the scones, those I could get behind. Cute beachy town with a fake dating plot for the ages. I enjoyed the social media subplots. It's just more com than romcom and I couldn't get behind the rom.

I love Emma Lord, I read her first novel as an arc and she has been a consitent 'must read' author for me ever since.
June and Levi are adorable. I was rooting for them, though sometimes I just wanted to scream "HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION".... I'm not a fan of the tip-toeing around the important conversations.
Sana is *chef's kiss*, everyone needs a Sana at their back.
The discussion around grief was well handled.
I really wish Kelly got a good slap in the face, but that's just me.

I DNF this one. I just could not get into it. The characters fell flat. While I love friends to lovers romance stories, there was a lot of history missing.

Soft DNF at 37%, I may pick this up later but we will see.

I truly wanted to love this book but it sadly wasn't for me. The characters fell flat, I had no true connection to them or the romance, and every time I went to pick it up it felt like a chore. The writing was promising, as were the plot and tropes (love fake dating and friends to lovers) but unfortunately it did not deliver. The romance happened too quickly, and social media was mentioned way too much (and as a millennial, it truly took me out of the book). The point of having June and Levi do all the wedding stuff when it was all already decided on by her brother made no sense. I just expected more.

I've ended up reading a lot of second-chance romances recently and while they aren't always my thing, I did really enjoy this one. June and Levi were best friends in high school, and June had a huge crush on him that she thought was unrequited. Levi was close friends with June's sister, who recently passed away, leaving June to run the tea shop that she had opened in their beachside town. June just had a pretty gnarly breakup that got public attention because she and her boyfriend did reality TV/social media travel stuff (I was actually a little fuzzy about this). Levi, a hedge fund manager who is trying to be a novelist, is also back in town after a very public breakup, and a picture of the two old friends goes viral, dubbing them the "revenge exes." They decide to take advantage of the spotlight when June realizes that the attention is drawing much needed business to the tea shop, and they embark on a classic fake-dating journey. I thought that Levi and June's relationship was sweet, and I appreciated that Emma Lord (who I don't think I've read before) didn't seem to shy away from serious topics like grief. A solid, summery second chance romance with some fake-dating thrown in for fun.

The characters in this book are written so well it is impossible not to love them (or hate them). Sana is such a loveable best friend and it warms my heart to read about her a Junes friendship. Levi and Junes relationship was such a whirlwind it was so exciting to read about. I loved that they both discovered what they truly wanted to do by the end and were happy doing it.

The Break-Up Pact is a fake-dating saga with a lot to enjoy. Author Emma Lord again distills some of the best of contemporary romances. Here, she introduces a love story that’s more than worth investing in. This is a perfect summer read, and a charming romance to delve into. This story speaks to romance in a social media age, and how we can all still make connections through all of the online noise.

Full review on Pages and Pictures.