I loved Emma Lord's Tweet Cute, and still check out her new books looking for another fun read. Unfortunately, this is not it. The set up is just not believable and the reader can see where everything is headed from the first few pages. I knew immediately that the person sitting outside the bakery would be Levi Shaw. It's stupid that he isn't officially broken up with Kelly but obviously it helps with the plot contrivance. And then wtf who takes creeper pictures of people running and then secretly post it online. Ugh. I had to stop. It's just not fun or believable. DNF

June went back to her small beach hometown when her sister died to take over the tea shop they created together. When both her and Levi - her sister's best friend turned family friend turned her high school crush who turned her down - go through viral break ups at the same time, they decide to fake date while helping plan for June's brothers wedding. June can get attention to her business, Levi can get his ex back, and June's best friend can publish everything. And it'll all be okay because they're just friends! Totally!

I hadn't read from this author before, but I'm usually a sucker for friends to lovers, so I thought I'd give this a shot. My main takeaway from this book was that it was so bogged down with trying to accomplish so many tropes that it didn't really succeed in any of them. For friends to lovers, I didn't fully believe that they were such close friends for a long time. For fake dating, I found a lot of the romantic stuff they were trying to do cringey instead of swoon-worthy - and all the "trying to go viral" stuff felt so untrue to real life to the point of being annoying. This book has solidified that I will avoid romances with the internet anywhere in them like the plague. Then with the wedding planning forced proximity, it didn't pay off in the end (because we don't see the wedding) and they even say in the book that most of it has been planned so what they're doing doesn't really even matter. This book is the exemplification of the romance genre sticking way too hard to tropes rather than telling interesting stories. I didn't have any huge problems with the characters, but I didn't find myself invested. I did think the small beach town/ small business was cute, but I wish that June's arc about what she wants to do with the business was much more developed. This third act conflict was one that I typically don't like, and I didn't like the beginning of it, but for some reason the ending did end up landing for me. I thought the characters handled everything in a really mature way. I think that's the first time I've ever liked the ending of a romance book I otherwise didn't end up liking.

Overall, this book tried to do too much and ended up with very little. I didn't find myself invested with any portion of this, and often was annoyed.

I love a fake-dating trope and I thought it was well-executed here. Both June and Levi were compelling characters and I enjoyed learning about their past history, as well as watching them learn about each other all over again. They are both dealing with some fairly serious adult issues, with their careers and their recent break-ups, and the examination of those things does take up a good portion of the narrative. Because of that, this has a much more serious tone than Lord's previous works, IMO, but it makes sense. My concern for this novel is that people will go in expecting a super punchy, witty, fun Rom-Com and they'll be surprised by the more serious tone; maybe causing them to not rate it as highly. I would pick this up expecting an Adult Contemporary with a convincing fake-dating trope. It's not all giggle and laughs and swooning; although there is some of that too. In my eyes, this is a successful transition into the Adult space for Lord. I thought the characters were very well-developed and it did fill my heart watching the evolution of their relationship. I feel like as far as couples go, Levi and June are perfectly matched.

As far as summer romances go, this was a pretty good one. The tone was lighthearted throughout and the setting is in a small beach town, so those components made it perfect. Overall, the book was cute, but I didn't feel like there was significant character development and ultimately it fell flat for me. I do think the main characters changed during the book, but it wasn't a change we saw on the pages. It felt very sudden and unexplained in my opinion. I thought there were a lot of loose ends in the book that could have been cleaned up with a little more editing, so that was a bit frustrating. For example, it felt like Annie, June's sister and Levi's friend, played a significant role in their relationship over the years, but because she died unexpectedly there's no confirmation or closure on this.

If you're looking for a light summer read, you should still add this one to your list. However, if you're a book snob you might be disappointed in the end.

Tropes: Fake Dating, Second Chance Romance, Beach Town

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this ARC.

I read Emma Lord's "Tweet Cute" and loved it, so was expecting to really enjoy this book as well. Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong. The longer I read this book the more and more I skimmed.

The thing that irked me the most was that while the book felt long, I simultaneously felt like I was missing 50 pages before the start. It was a crazy amount of info dumping. There needed to be a whole section about them in high school for me to connect I think. Because while we find particulars out later, these people are 10+ years out of high school, but apparently 95% of our main characters all know each other intimately. It wasn't until the 85% mark I even realized that Griffin and June dated for a literal decade! And like 30% of the way in you find out they went to high school together, as did Levi and Annie. But there isn't anything important with them all going to school together? Except some minor jealousy? It was just so forced. And the fact that Levi and Annie were "meant to be" and "perfect for each other" might have been something we could have seen if there was any foundation, but it almost read like a sequel to another character's book where we should have been intimately familiar with the main character.

Also - these people are in their late 20s? Really? Maybe it's just that Lord writes a lot of YA, but they would have all been better off being 23-24 max. They're acting ridiculous and making decisions as though there aren't any impacts. Like changing careers and moving and declaring themselves without any true thought to any impact? It felt so forced.

Also the pop culture references seemed forced. Like the mentions of TikTok and this business show that apparently also has spin-offs for villains? I'm sorry, maybe I'm missing out, but since when does a Shark Tank type of show have a spin off for people that turn out to suck later? And also they kept cashing in on this fake dating in a way that made no sense, maybe they'd be popular for a minute, but for multiple weeks? Completely unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of “The Breakup Pact” by Emma Lord. This charming contemporary romance, set in a picturesque beach town, offers an enjoyable read. I appreciated the development of the characters and the occasionally quirky banter between them. While there were moments when I felt slightly disengaged from the story, it remains a pleasant tale of friendship, self-discovery, and love. Though not my favorite book by Emma Lord, it’s still a worthwhile beach read.

PS: the scone flavors were intriguing. i would love recipes

Emma Lord continues to be a must-read author for me and this book solidified that.

I loved the characters, loved their relationship, loved the way the book addressed grief and loss. Tears were shed. It's definitely not a YA book which is what I was expecting, but I think it's even better this way!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

There needs to be a name for this trope - old friends/crushes lose touch, reconnect years later as either enemies or in a fake relationship. I will read them all!!
Loved everything about this one!!

I absolutely adored this book. The writing seemed effortless. The story flowed well, and it was nice to have a romance book where the romance was subtle. You don't need all of the spice to make your flutter and stomach flip with anticipation and excitement! I really enjoyed the character development, the personalities of each character, and the beach scene where they run into the waves with sunglasses....My heart!!! I cannot wait to continue to read books by Emma Lord. They are such a light and enjoyable read. What a wonderful book to bring with you on vacation!

This book exceeded my expectations. I have read Tweet Cure previously and thought it was okay - this one was so much more “me”.

I love June and Levi, I love their relationship with one another. Give me all the loaded looks and tension. The solid friendship they have with one another made me so excited whenever they would be even remotely near each other. I did feel that it could have been a little more to the point and less drawn out but I had fun with it regardless.

It felt a lot like other popular romcoms by people like Ali Hazelwood and Julie Soto - so if you like those I would give this one a try for sure.

I do wish authors would stop making their characters self aware of “book tropes”. I want to read about it, I don’t want them aware that what they’re doing is a trope. It’s becoming really common in this genre (along with mentioning TikTok) and I dislike it a lot.

Overall the story is adorable and heartwarming - I would recommend it for those who enjoy romcoms and I hope Emma writes more adult books in the future! This is a great first foray into that space.

In a quaint, beachside town, June, known as the "crying girl" due to her past heartbreak, teams up with her childhood friend Levi, dubbed the "revenge ex," to fake a relationship for mutual gain. What starts as a ploy to boost June's struggling tea shop and help Levi win back his ex evolves into real emotions resurfacing between them. The author skillfully weaves a light, heartwarming tale that immerses readers in the characters' journey. With charming moments, relatable grief, and a touch of humor, this book is a joy to read, leaving you wanting more from this talented author.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Break-Up Pact" follows June Hart and Levi Shaw after their highly publized, now viral break-ups. In an effort to use the spotlight to their advantage, these former best friends, make a revenge exes pact and begin "fake' dating. When feelings from the past begin bubbling to the surface and they must decide whether their feelings for each other are fake or something real.

This book had way too much going on. It felt like the author took every possible rom-com trope and threw them in a blender and what we got was this story. Tropes included: friends-to-lovers, fake dating, planning a sibling's wedding, overcoming loss of a loved one/best friend, saving a business/career change - it was just too much.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC.

The Break-Up Pact was a SLOW book. I struggled reading this book because of the lack of chemistry, randomness, and overall lack of interest in these characters. I was really disappointed.

Such a fun and easy read! The storyline is amazing. June and Levi are incredibly lovable. Overall, a great read


Thank you NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for a honest review

This was a cute, lighthearted story. It started off a little slow, but if you stick with it you will be rewarded. I loved the dynamics between June and Levi. I was fully sucked into their love story. The side characters were great but I wanted more of them. We got little teasers of their personalities, but they could be so much more. Overall, a fun read.

I LOVE Emma Lord's YA books and was so excited to get this ARC if her first adult romance.

I think the plot was really interesting and loved that it was friends to enemies to lovers AND fake dating tropes all rolled into one. I also was laughing at all of the viral moments that brought he main couple together and kept them together. In typical Emma Lord fashion, there was a large focus on the sweet treats of it all (which I loved and now feel like I have a new appreciation for scones) and every time I read more I wanted a nice cup of tea and a baked good.

I do think that I enjoy this author's YA books more than this adult debut, BUT I will continue to recommend all her books and read everything that she publishes.

June and Levi are childhood friends/crushes that get a second chance in this charming read. June is grieving her sister while going through a very public break-up when Levi comes back into her life. They embark on a fake relationship with undeniable chemistry, ostensibly to help save her failing tea and scones shop.

The SLOW BURN and LONGING in this book! I enjoyed the lead-up to the romance so much, almost more than the couple actually getting together. I do think that the main character is a bit of a doormat/lets the love interest off too easily and doesn't grow that much from her experiences. Levi does some bone-headed stuff and June is like "oh well! I understand!" like girl. You deserve better.

There's a lot of pain and trauma that gets re-hashed and starting to be dealt with, but I feel like at times it became the same drum beating again and again. June is stubborn about the tea shop and the scones and I get that it's about the memory of her sister but I don't really feel like the ending gave a satisfying conclusion/resolution. It felt more like a sudden flipped switch than a gradual understanding of pain and loss.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but I feel like the first third/half of the book build-up was more enjoyable than the resolution.

This was such a fun summer romance! The story pulls you in right away, and as you follow the ups and downs of the main couple, you can’t help but root for them to be successful both in love and their business ventures.

The setting is quintessential small town, there’s a prevalent fake dating scheme, and terrible ex’s. This book was so fun to read.

I do wish it had moved a little faster, and I felt like at times it was drawn out, but overall enjoyed it!

Holy cuteness. Imagine friends to enemies and then enemies to lovers with a fake dating trope. It had all my favorite parts of romance novels intertwined throughout. And the perfect amount of drama. The character development was incredible. I couldn’t put this book down.

This book had cute moments, but there was something missing with it.

The pacing was so slow to get through, rushed at some parts, and the relationship felt off to me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.