This sweet little rom-com was just what I needed!

June and Levi used to be best friends, until they drifted apart. They come back together after both their significant others, who happen to be social media influencers, dump them very publicly. What better way to get back at them than to fake date?!

This was a really good intro to adult contemporary romance for Emma Lord! The spicy chapter was SPICIN’ and I need more of that please!! There were definitely times I could tell that Emma typically writes YA, it may have been slightly over-written. Loved the characters and plot!

Really liked this sweet book. 3/5 stars!

This was a fun, enjoyable romcom but wasn’t something I loved. I did enjoy the setting and wished the tea shop on the beach was real. I loved the scones and was craving one the entire book. I never connected with the characters though and didn’t feel like their story was anything special or unique. I’ll still recommend it though.

This was not my favorite, but some of that could be personal preference vs. writing. Some of it felt very repetitive, and I felt I could've done without the references to TikTok. I just also didn't love the characters. I will still give this author another try in the future though because the premise was interesting.

The Break-UP Pact

The Break-Up Pact is the story, June and Levi told from June’s point of view. June is the 27 year old owner of Tea Tide, scone and tea shop nestled on Benson Beach. Levi is a local, former friend who has come back after a viral break up almost as bad as June’s own break up.

June and Levi are likable and we can believe sexy. They are extremely fit, active and competitive which we need to believe for all of the “cute” outdoor meet ups and the fact they don’t gain weight cake testing and eating lots of food at the local bar.

I appreciated the MCs emotional growth and connection. They owned their flaws and were there for each other and friends.

I would recommend you read their story. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin, NY and Netgalley for my reader’s copy.

Two former best friends, two viral breakups and one fake dating relationship is a recipe for disaster or is it? This was a sweet one that proves sometimes the one you’re meant to be with was there all along!

Thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I was excited to read this when i found out it was a fake dating/second chance romance. It started off strong but kind of fell flat. Not a bad book just okay. It was a quick light read.

Honestly, I think this book thrived because I'm currently in a bit of a reality TV show spiral, I just keep watching them and then I get more content about them on TikTok after the fact. I have read a few Emma Lord books in the past and I've always been a fan and that continued with this one. Childhood friends to lovers is maybe not one of my top three tropes, but it still hits the spot when it needs to.

I did also appreciate how the book touched on grief, as someone who is dealing with recent grief!

I adore fake dating and anything Emma Lord writes and this was so fun! This is a heartwarming read where the character development is superb. Such a good book for any YA romance reader.

This one was just okay to me. I didn't really feel the romantic spark between the main characters. It seemed fun but the chemistry was lacking. I also rarely enjoy the miscommunication trope, so it made it hard to get through this one and the 'third act break up'.

Meh. Coming from a very popular author I was expecting to enjoy this book alot more than I did. I found myself just skimming the pages, so I could mark this one off as finished and move on to my next read. Based on other reviews, I see I am not in the minority, so I don't feel too bad for doing that.

I hate miscommunication and this book focuses on that. Also, I love a good fake dating trope, and this one was promising, but, unfortunately, missed the mark. I hated how Levi was hung up on his cheating ex. Huge ick for me. Also, I enjoyed June's best friend, Sana, more than I did June, which is another issue for me. If I am not in love with the main characters, there is no way the book is going to be enjoyable for me.

It's the author's first Adult Romance debut, but I am hoping she is more successful with the next one as she has alot of fans who generally enjoy her writing. However, I wouldn't recommend this one sadly.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

This book follows June and Levi, who were best friends as teenagers, until they weren't. After 10 years of not speaking, breakups with their exes go viral and they decide to pretend to date. 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. If they pretend to date it will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake.

June and Levi grew up as best friends, but have barely spoken since high school. When both of them retreat to their hometown following high-profile breakups that went viral, they decide that a fake romance might help change the public narrative and win back Levi's ex-girlfriend, while also helping June's tea shop become solvent. But as fake dating tropes ALWAYS do, what's pretend becomes real and they soon must grapple with what it means for their goals and their long yet strained friendship.

While there was nothing *wrong* with this book exactly, it also didn't feel quite right. The decade of silence between June and Levi could've been fixed with any one of several conversations (between them or with June's late sister), and while I get that small towns have a vibe all their own, the fact that what seems like their entire high school is still in town and super-involved in town events (despite being just a stone's throw from New York City) felt just a little too insular. The scones that June made sounded fun and, for the most part, tasty though, so there is that.

3.5 stars! This was a fast and fun read that I really enjoyed! I found that I didn’t fully connect with the characters which lead to my rating but I still really liked June and Levi and their story!

As with all Emma Lord books, this books was just fun. It also made me crave scones, so thanks for that. While not my favorite of hers, it was still a super solid read.

I’ve been reading a lot of romcoms lately, through sheer coincidence. These are books that have been on my NetGalley Backlist for a while and I’m trying steadily to get through that list. I love a good romcom but after a while they all become a little stale so I’m going try to not let that affect my review.
June and Levi were friends in high school but their relationship never escalated past that. Now in their mid twenties, both are trying to recover from very public, gone viral breakups. June owns a beach side scone shop that is floundering and Levi is a NYC hedge fund manager who has dreams of being a novelist. When a picture of them on the beach goes viral on the internet, they decide to give the public what they want and fake date very publicly in an attempt to bring in more business to June’s store. Neither are looking to jump into a romantic relationship with each other since Levi isn’t over his ex and June wants to honor the wishes of her late sister who always discouraged the two from dating before. Their ruse brings them what they were hoping it would but now they’re left wondering if that’s actually what they want.
I just found this to be meh. While I loved the side characters I couldn’t get on board with June. It drives me crazy when a character has the chance to clear up a miscommunication before it becomes one and doesn’t because she thinks talking about the issue will do more harm than good; that happened a lot. I by the middle of the book I was bored to tears with all of the talk about June’s late sister. Whenever she was mentioned it was always in the exact same way and it stopped adding to the plot after the first few times.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. The Break-Up Pact hit the shelves on August 13th.

The Break-Up Pact is Emma's Adult Fiction debut and I absolutely cannot wait for more. It is so easy to relate to. I loved learning both characters' backstories and how each handled different, serious life events. It does have a much more serious undertone to it than Lord's YA books, understandably.

Of course, there were little things along the way, but there was one moment in chapter twenty-one where I could pinpoint exactly what the difference was between her YA romance and adult romance characters and it all has to do with managing emotions. Without giving anything away, I didn't expect June to find comfort in Levi as quickly as she did. I've grown accustomed to Emma's YA characters giving into their "wilder" emotions, especially anger or upset. The way June finds comfort in Levi, despite being upset, not with him but because of him, is 100% more relatable in an adult world. Also, how June felt in those moments, being upset with herself more than with Levi.

I feel like I see so much of Emma through June. After following the author on Instagram for several years and reading her books for as long, I'm not going to pretend to know the author, that's ridiculous, but have a general sense of the personality she has? Sure. There are several posts she has shared over the last two years that came straight to mind in some of these scenes. And not only could I see those posts clearly in my mind, but I could also see the character superimposed over them so seamlessly. It really feels like a soul book, or maybe a soul character of Emma's. It made the book that much more of a joy to read.

So, rant time. One benefit of being extremely behind on reviews and reviewing after release day is that you get the chance to read through some of the other reviews. A common theme I've noticed is that the fake dating trope is "so unrealistic" and "rarely done properly". In real life, okay, I completely agree. But what is the one thing we have to remember as the reader? Suspension of disbelief. Of course it's not real, it's a fiction book. So I want to challenge the reader, whether it's this book or another fake dating trope, to look at it with the suspension of disbelief. Look at it through the lens of a daydream made into a storybook, maybe.

Regardless, I can't wait for more from Emma Lord. YA or Adult, I'll take it all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Former best friends June and Levi, each newly single after public breakups gone viral, bond over their meme-hood (meme-dom? meme-worthiness?) and shame, and when a leaked photo of the two of them also goes viral, they decide to ride the fifteen minutes of fame train as far as it will take them by pretending to date. June is hoping this will increase patronage of the failing tea shop she’s solely responsible for since her sister passed away, while Levi just wants his girlfriend back. Together, they calculate a series of carefully planned outings to fan the flames.

In the background, June’s grief over the loss of her sister, and her resistance to changing anything about the shop adds a heartbreaking layer of angst and healing. Miscommunication adds drama. While I had empathy for June’s situation, the quick pace of good to see again/let’s fake date! made it challenging for me to connect to the characters.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheBreakUpPact via #NetGalley, courtesy of #St.Martin’sPress.

I started to feel warm and fuzzy inside and I knew I must be coming down with something.

Was that butterflies I just felt?

It’s not possible

This little soul sucker doesn’t even cry at funerals, did I really just get sloppy over fictional romance .

I did

The Break Up Pact

Emma Lord, what have you done to me? I’m not sure I will recover the book hangover I have fallen victim to. There will never be another book that I will connect with on the level I am at right now.

I finished about 10 minutes ago and I found myself flipping back to reread certain parts as I’m still swooning

I fell in love with June and I was rooting for her through and through! I wanted to hug her, text her, pick up the phone and talk to her. I’d love to know if June was based on anyone in real life because I need to know her!

This book right here is a must read for all. No matter your preferred genre, everyone will fall in love with The Break Up Pact

Teaser:

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel from New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

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. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. 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?

The Break-Up Pact was such a light and quick summer read! The tension between childhood best friends, June and Levi was so palpable and believable, making it hard to put this second-chance romance down. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a quick read for sitting by the beach on vacation or to give you summer feels while we head into the colder seasons!

* I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

such a fun summer read!

the best setting: an east coast beach town with the cutest cafe

the best characters: childhood friends, found family and even celebrities

the best tropes: friends to enemies to fake dating to… lovers?

this had all of the makings for the perfect rom com! while it was a fun, quick read my only complaint was there were one too many storylines to keep up with.

thank you to net galley for the arc!