I rounded this one up to 4, but it’s really a 3.75.

This was a cute premise, and I love Emma Lord’s writing. June and Levi are adorable and angsty in all the right ways. Sana is the book’s MVP, as the dazzling best friend.

My disappointment came from the story feeling repetitive. Each chapter/beat of the story followed the same pattern: the characters don’t communicate, there’s a misunderstanding during a fake date, and they pine. Over and over and over. I feel like the story could have been over sooner if the MCs had one, throw-down honest conversation with each other. I also found myself frustrated by the “twist” because it didn’t quite fit, and felt more like the author trying to make it work.

That being said, I still enjoyed this one, and I think many others will too!

The Break-Up Pact felt so much more expansive than a romance novel. Navigating relationships, loss, and coming of age all wrapped up into one story, the Break-Up Pact was a really thoughtful look at the challenges we face in adulthood. Emma Lord did a great job creating characters we could root for, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching June and Levi find their way to each other.

this story was so much more than fake dating, you could really feel how much the two main characters cared about each other. they both went through a lot together & separately, and they always found a way through it/found out what and who they wanted to be. a very wholesome and heartwarming storyline, and who doesn’t love a small town with a beach!

thank you to the author, netgalley, and st. martin’s griffin for the opportunity to receive an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Break Up Pact was such an enjoyable book! After reading all of Emma Lord’s other books, I was a little hesitant about the premise of this book, but her ability to craft characters and their stories continues to amaze me. This definitely is one of my favorites of hers, which did surprise me because I mainly read young adult, and this one falls solidly into the adult category. There was one spice scene in the book and that along with the the overall romance between Levi and June was absolutely amazing. Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (4/5)
I love the idea behind this story about how two friends from a small town reconnected. I had all the feels from remembering about childhood crushes and best friends. I really enjoyed the background stories about the characters as well.

This was.... cute but not groundbreaking by any means. I kept waiting for the Emma Lord magic to kick in and to fall in love with June and Levi. And while the random nicknames bestowed upon June were cute, and the name of the store was cute, that was pretty much the end of the cute for me for this book.

This book just never lived up to its potential. It could have been witty and whimsical; a town like Benson Beach is just dying to have Gilmore Girls vibes. Where are the endearing, yet eccentric, beach residents? Where are the random happenings going on in town that no one understands, yet everyone participates in? Instead, we just get June and Levi, and them randomly working on planning June's brother's wedding. Which.. is weird. But okay. Neither June nor Levi are very sympathetic, and while I wanted them to get together, I mainly wanted them to get together so that the damn book would end.

In the end, this is a very predictable book that is a good read. But it's not a great read, and, in the end, it fails to live up to the story it could have been.

The fake dating sub-genre/trope is one of my favorites, and this book didn't disappoint. It was a fun, quick, lighthearted read that kept me rooting for the love connection.

✨3.5 stars✨

Maybe I missed something because the book seems to be getting great reviews but for me it was just lacking something that kept me from LOVING it. For me, it started of pretty slow, which is ok but I was waiting for it to pick up and become a page turner. That didn’t really happen. Maybe around 60% of the way in it became more interesting but not in a way that I got sucked in. I think the book had a lot of potential of being great so I didn’t hate the story but I just wasn’t captivated. The story of childhood friends who were bamboozled in their own separate relationships and brought together again was something I loved. The grief of losing a loved one and the embarrassments of their breakups bonding them. Did they ever explain what happened to her sister? Did I miss that? For me I felt that was a huge disconnect cuz they mention her death but not really what happened. The main characters were likable but had moments where I was very frustrated with them….the female MC was annoying at times and the male MC upset me when he kept communicating with his ex as if he wasn’t in a relationship (fake or not, his ex didn’t know that). I’d still recommend the book to friends but it just wasn’t my favorite.

Estranged best friends agree to fake date after they each experience highly public, highly embarrassing, very viral break-ups. After a photo of June and Levi together also goes viral and the two are dubbed the “Revenge Exes,” they decide to use the public interest in their “relationship” to their advantage. June can use it as publicity, hoping to boost sales at her tea and scone shop, and Levi hopes photos of him with June will show his ex what she’s missing. 
 
But, here’s the catch, June was in love with Levi in high school. He just didn’t know it. And there are years of hurt between them. Can they keep things strictly platonic, or will emotions and history override the fake part of their relationship? 
 
A collection of random thoughts while reading: 
* Ooh, a small-town, seaside setting? Yes, please.
* I adore the banter between June and Levi.
* And the tension and buildup of their chemistry is 🔥.
* They both feel stuck and are used to putting others before themselves. I’m glad that they learn to take care of themselves through this journey together, too.
* Give me all the scones with a side of Pop Rocks and maybe some tea, too.
* Seriously, Emma Lord’s books always make me hungry.
* I want to follow an Instagram account dedicated to Mateo’s sweater vests. (Mateo is one of their friends and June’s soon-to-be brother-in-law.)
* The stories Levi created during their childhood - love, love, LOVE
* I really appreciate how Emma Lord portrays grief in this one. She shows that there can be mixed feelings about those that have passed away. People are fallible, and someone dying doesn’t magically make all the hurt and anger over things that they have done go away.
* Y’all, there are a lot of SQUEEEEEEE moments in this book. (Those make me giddy.)

So, here’s the thing: I ate up the first two-thirds of the book (with the exception of some things I didn’t love involving Levi’s ex), but then there was that tonal shift that can sometimes happen in the third act. I didn’t love that so much. But, overall, I do so adore Emma’s books, and I love June and Levi together. This is a strong adult debut. It still has that Emma Lord voice but with a decidedly more adult storyline and adult characters. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
 
I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I received this as an ARC through NetGalley. I thought this book really had potential. It is about two friends breakups going viral, which I thought was a unique premise. There was some character development, but not a ton. It seemed like the entire FMC personality was based on scones and a trauma she experienced. We really don't know a ton about the MMC either. They are all one dimensional. The plot is also pretty disjointed and jumps around quite a bit....It will start an idea and then jump to a new one before you get to a conclusion of the first. Overall, I thought the premise was good but I would not read it again or recommend it to anyone.

I am a fan of Emma Lord's YA writing, so when I saw that she was releasing her first adult book, I knew I had to read it! What I have come to expect from Emma Lord's characters and romance is excellent chemistry and fun banter. The Break-Up Pact definitely delivered with this!
I also like the characters individually and the growth that they went through. Levi, as a love interest, was a breath of fresh air. He was awkward and cute—not brooding or grumpy or overly sexy—he felt very real. That's one of the things I love about Emma Lord's writing—her characters feel very real. This will be one of those perfect books to bring to the beach or read by the pool with. So glad to see Emma Lord expanding beyond YA and I hope to read more adult works by her soon!

i wanted more!!! fake dating can be so fun but this didn’t hook me like i hoped, and just fell short of really having the chemistry or cuteness that would have sold it for me. the tropes abound (fake dating of course, childhood friends to lovers, small town romance, slow burn) and there’s an added layer of navigating grief over a lost sibling (trigger warning!) which i did appreciate, as it added a real tenderness and depth that many romances lack. i thought the small town bakery setting was sweet (😅) but overall, just wasn’t completely my cup of tea, but i did like it!

I loved this book, it will be a great summer read by the pool. June is dealing with the fallout from a very public breakup when her childhood crush returns to town to recover from his own traumatic breakup. The Break-up pact is a feel good story that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. I just hope the final version will include some scone recipes.

June and Levi, Levi and June. Both have gone viral due to their very public breakups, and one thing leads to another then bam, fake dating. Why not take back the narrative?

I liked the play this book made on fake dating to have it make a little more sense. I’ll be honest, I’ve read a lot of fake dating books recently, and most of the time it’s a stretch as to why the fake relationship is required. But here, if you’re both already viral for public breakups, might as well twist the attention and use it for your own gain. This change of pace I thought was fun, and especially the drama it brought later on. It may have been predictable, but I still live for the drama.

Overall it didn’t seem to be a lot of chemistry between these characters. Really all we’re told to go on is that these two had crushes on each other when they were younger, but that didn’t feel substantive. Tell me WHY. Or better yet, show me why they need each other now.

June was a bit of a struggle for me, as this girl would *literally* run away from talking about her thoughts or feelings. What was that all about? I also didn’t love the conclusion with her ex (of 10 years might I add). I just wanted more, I’m not even greedy as to what! More of any kind of feeling.

Side characters? Great. Sana seemed like all kinds of fun, and while maybe a bit over the tip at times, she’s the kind you know will always have your back. The same goes as well for the brothers.

I think in the end there just wasn’t a lot of cohesion, due to the lack of chemistry and stagnant characters. Don’t get me wrong, the book is fine, I read it fine and I liked it fine. But thinking back on it, there’s some instances that don’t make sense, or I’m wondering why this scene was there, why that was said, was ______ necessary, etc. Perhaps just needed a bit more finessing.

Was this my favourite? No. But, it’s an easy read with some fun moments and sprinkles of drama. Grab it on the next rainy day and dive in, I could have read this in one sitting.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

June and Levi were thick as thieves when they were growing up, but due to some miscommunication, haven't spoken much in the last decade. Now June is struggling to keep her beachside teashop afloat, while Levi lives in New York working at a hedge fund while dreaming of writing the next great American novel. But when they both experience tragic break-ups that go viral, the pair are thrust back into each other's lives. With the Internet convinced that they're a couple, June and Levi plan to capitalize off their five minutes of fame by pretending to date. June's hoping the Internet's obsession with the "Revenge Exes," as they've been dubbed will help her failing business, and Levi hopes that the attention will cause his ex to realize what she's missing. But when the lines between what's real and what's pretending start to blur, June and Levi must confront the feelings they've kept hidden for so long.

I've only read one of Lord's previous YA books, and I thought it was cute, so I expected this to be much the same with a touch more spice since it's an adult romance. Good grief, I was so bored. Don't get me wrong-- there were adorable moments between June and Levi, but everything else? Snoozefest. The fake dating trope never usually lets me down, and combined with friends-to-lovers meant I thought I was in for a treat. So, I'm left scratching my head as to why I didn't enjoy this. I think it mostly boils down to the writing. It was decent but felt bland. Nothing was exciting about it. I think it would make a good summer read, but it's not one that I'll be thinking about again.

This was a charming story filled with fake dating and wistful reflections on past mistakes. I loved the chemistry between June and Levi.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 I feel like a dinosaur but I really have to ask if viral break-ups on TikTok really a thing?!? What are the chances of these humiliating break-ups making it to TikTok for two former best friends, June and Levi. Pretty dang small but here they are trying to mend their messy lives and a fake dating trope could just do the trick! The Break-Up Pact is a fun and flirty summer read, with glimmers that we can all find hope and healing after even the most mortifying disasters. While this geriatric millennial might be clueless about viral break-ups, I can recognize that this is on adorable read that will brighten the summer days!

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

The cover and the synopsis really caught my attention, so I was pretty excited to read this book. But gotta admit, there were moments when it was hard to keep my interest. The poor communication between the characters was a bit too much for me. Still, June and Levi managed to make me laugh at times. Ended up finishing the book with mixed

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC.

I loved everything about this book. Such a great story about two people finding themselves. Oh, and a little fake dating thrown in.

June has just been dumped on TV by her boyfriend, and she is struggling to keep her sisters Tea shop open. Levi has also been dumped by his fiancé, also in a very public way, and is struggling to write a manuscript.

June and Levi grew up together, but they have not spoken in over 10 years. June's friend Sana comes up with the idea that they "fake date" in the hopes of turning the bad press around. Put all of this together and you end up with two lost people who support and encourage each other. This was a slow burn, but it was worth every minute. The author was able to make me feel exactly what the characters were feeling for each other.

This was such a great story. I loved both June and Levi! They were such great people, so supportive of each other. They were selfless and just so great. This was my first book by Emma Lord, and it will not be my last.

The author did a great job putting a spin on this genre. She was able to weave in some heavier topics in a way that did not take away from the overall story.

I really wanted to like this, but it fell flat for me. It follows former best friends June and Levi as they reconnect after years apart, and the shared history took over the book. While there's certainly a lot of action happening in the present, it keeps getting bogged down by June's explanations of how she used to feel about Levi and if she can allow herself to feel that way again, which is frankly quite boring.