This was your classic fake dating genre with a bit of a twist. I did enjoy the beach vibes of this one and will read more by this author.

The Break-Up Pact was a super cute read and made me want to eat scones! Levi and June reunite as part of a fake dating plan, but slowly they realize that the love they’ve had for each other since youth is still there. But, can they work through the emotional baggage they each carry from the past decade? You can probably guess, but you should read about it instead!

2.5 ⭐️ Tea and scones on the beach?! Yum. This book could have used more depth to the characters and plot. I'm in my late thirties, so I might not be the target audience. Thanks for the ARC e-read from NetGalley.

Despite a promising start, The Break Up Pact did not do it for me.

Two old flames are newly single after their most recent relationships dissolve in very public ways.

What to expect:
✅ friends to lovers
✅ fake dating
✅ revenge exes
✅ miscommunication/unrequited love
✅ scones 🥐
✅ 1 🌶️ scene

I’ve thought it through and I think my main issue with this book is that it was entirely too vanilla. The FMC runs a tea shop she doesn’t love and bakes very basic, uninspired scones. The MMC is a finance bro who wants to get back to his roots and try writing again. The two characters were besties who…ran cross country together. This is the whitest book of all time

“This is all happening so fast that I think I might have main character whiplash. Yesterday, Levi and I were sad B-characters in other people’s romances. Now we’re hijacking the stage.”
<insert cringe emoji here 👀😬> Ma’am, I wish you wouldn’t.

I had a hard time connecting to the characters and can say that if influencing is part of the plot, then I’m out…

I have to admit that I did really enjoy a few chapters, but actively disliked it more often than not.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review date: 5/6/24
Publication date: 8/13/24

This book was a quick, fun read. But I did find the characters frustrating and some of the situations nonsensical and contrived. I would recommend this for a light beach read that fills the time, but you don't have to think too hard about.

arc received via netgalley for my honest review :)

I received this ARC from NetGalley, and am so happy I got a chance to read it! As soon as I started reading, I loved the characters. It was hard to predict how Levi and June would end up- there are several twists and turns even when you think you have it figured out. There are several layers to this story, making it a great read. Highly recommend to anyone who loves beach reads and romance!

A cute rom-com for when you want something light. I have enjoyed some of Emma Lord's other books, which were YA. This one definitely felt like her style, but also had the spice that her YA books did not have. I was just not hooked on the story and kept wanting the main characters to just have a conversation that would solve some of their issues.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

My favorite rom coms hit me right in the feels while also cracking me up. The extremely cute premise of this book is reminiscent of that ouevre, but instead of the delightfully escapist fluff that typically hooks me, the pacing of this book felt very slow, and the back and forth between the characters was drawn out with a grimness that didn’t hold my interest. Nonetheless, this book was very tender and heartfelt, and I’m sure it will resonate with other romance readers.

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord is a RomCom with a second chance love, enemies to lovers, fake romance tropes.
June has gone viral and “The Crying Girl” after her now ex boyfriend Griffin posted her crying and hysterical after he dumped her. At the same time Levi has been made famous when his girlfriend cheated on him with a celebrity, making his humiliation public. Levi returns to his childhood town, where his ex best friend June is trying to save Tea Time. Tea Time was created by Junes sister Annie and one of Levi’s best friends who has passed away. June is still trying to deal with grief and the range of emotions that her sisters loss has created, as well as the strong possibility that the business her sister created is also about to close. She is having a hard time keeping the last part of her sister going, with foot traffic to her small beach front business being minimal, unless it’s people coming to photograph her, relishing in her recent humiliation.

Enter Sana. She’s a budding writer for “Fizzle,” and she comes up with an idea that is brilliant. She suggests June and Levi pretend to date. But Sana doesn’t just stop with the idea, she lays out a complete plan to make the ruse believable.
“Haven’t the two of you ever watched a rom-com before? If you’re going for the fake dating trope, you’ll need a plan. You’ll need rules.”
She even suggests limits and what they are willing to do.
“You need to decide what kind of Instagram-bait outings you’ll take together. What you’ll say when people inevitably ask you questions about each other. Plus, like, protocol on the actual romantic bits.” Sana starts listing off intimate gestures with the nonchalance of someone who has orchestrated a dozen other relationship ruses. “Hand holding, snuggling, kissing, getting all lovey-dovey. If there’s anything on or off the table, you’re going to have to include it in this break-up pact of yours.”
So they agree to become the Revenge Exes, with cute romantic pictures, dates, and little things posted to change both their images. I liked discovering that they have a past beyond just sharing Annie. This was a cute second chance romance, and I liked seeing their past.
The book is a slow Rom Com in the beginning but picks up in the center. It’s mixed with a revenge trope. I liked the chemistry between them for the most part, although at some parts it fell flat. Overall the characters were good and can’t wait to see what Emma Lord comes up with next for Sana.
I disliked how slow the first few chapters were, but somewhere in the middle the story picks up. Once it picks up it gets better with a bit of steam. I didn’t like the reason they broke up in the beginning, and felt the reason was just a What? I also disliked Levi and his entire attitude and responses in regards to Kelly. I’m a little confused as to why Levi and June were planning someone else’s wedding without either of the grooms making any choices including the cake.

Overall it was a quick easy read, even though nothing really stood out. The book was a three to three and a half star read.

This book was like the perfect scone: sweet, but not overly sweet. I’ve loved Emma Lord’s YA novels, and her first (I think?) adult novel did not disappoint. So much depth (grieving her sister, recovering from unhealthy relationships, etc) and so much fun (witty scones, the Instagram account dedicated to Mateo’s vests, the art over the bed game, etc.) at the same time. I zipped through this book; it was addictive in the way some of June’s scones sound like they must be. I won’t be purchasing this for our high school library probably, but I’ll be recommending it to friends.

Emma Lord does an amazing job in telling the story of Levi and June. The wonderful story of childhood friends who find themselves back in their hometown dealing with the grief of lost relationships and June's sisters death. It is a story of love and loss and how the mess can be beautiful, how grief hits at unexpected times and how you walk through it to find yourself. How all of you with the grief and journey can be a part of how you truly love someone else. Loved the banter and loved the challenge in the relationships. It’s a great read.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. The idea of friends to lovers always sort of bores me, but when it is done right, it can be fantastic. The miscommunication within the story really sold me. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I really felt frustrated with the actions of the characters. Like, why would you go back on the show with your lying ex?!?! Nothing good can come of that!! Or why can't you freaking communicate Levi?! Ffs. Buuut, that's real life. People make those mistakes and it felt like I was watching my own friends go through these things. I enjoyed it.

This beautifully written book follows two people who have not talked in ten years due to a misunderstanding. When both of their relationships blow up very publicly they team up to get revenge and give their projects a boost. This fake dating, enemy to lovers, childhood friends to lovers and close proximity story endears the two protagonists June and Levi to your heart and you find you are pulling for them throughout the book. I loved the beautifully written prose and the banter between the characters could be hilarious. I thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this early copy of the Break-up Pact written by Emma Lord. # NetGalley,#St Martin Press, @emmalord.

I think this is my favorite Emma Lord book ever. I was thrilled when I was given the chance to read an ARC from NetGalley, and it truly did not disappoint. Just a heads up, this book does have mature content. I loved June and Levi. I enjoy the friends to fake dating trope and I was sucked into this book early on because of it. There is an added layer with grief woven through the book that added some interesting depth to the story. I absolutely spent too late at night, too long in the morning, and extra time on the couch when I should have been doing other things so I could finish this one. I know book likes are personal, but this one was a win for me! Can’t wait until it comes out in August to buy it and read it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.75 stars, rounded up (always round up :))

I think this was cute! I absolutely loved the descriptive details and the banter between the two characters. Probably the redeeming aspect of the book.

I do think June was stuck and had much more to figure out than Levi did. This book had a melancholy feel to it. The best way I can describe that is when you arrive to your beach vacation, but the weather turns bad. So instead of clear crystal blue water you're met with strong waves with dark gray ocean and stormy skies. It's beautiful in its own right, but not what you were expecting.

At times it felt entirely too long, it took me almost THREE weeks to read because I was not feeling it and chapters were showing as 18 minutes on my kindle (with my reading speed). Give me a rom-com book and I am through them in three days tops. This was not on my priority. It felt like the first half was written at one time and the ending, and the decent middle was spliced together at a later date. I have only ever read one other book by this author and I hated it?? But that was YA and I was not in the mood for that one, don't remember anything about that book.

Anyways, back to the book after my mini rant. June felt like she was holding onto a ghost, the death of her sister (not a spoiler), and the dream of her sister's tea shop (very niche??). I also refuse to believe that anyone would actually care about the Revenge Ex's? It's the internet we have extremely short attention spans. So to capitalize on that and have been showing up in your beach town seems 99% impossible, but I am a sucker for a fake dating trope especially since they were childhood best friends. I do not get Annie's reasoning for being upset with Levi, and felt like that wasn't explored enough? But it was cute enough.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC copy of The Break Up Pact. This book did take me some time to get through. At first I felt like the story was good and then I felt like it started to drag. I enjoyed the small town feel on the beach town and enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the relationships with the characters however I did not enjoy the premise of the “going viral” for break ups. Overall I feel like this story would be a great summer read and does capture the feeling of warmth and the beach.

Getting dumped by your significant other in a public way,, what better way to bring old friends together? Levi and June find themselves getting to know each other again while pretend dating to get back at their exes for their public embarrassment.

This book wasn’t for me. Friends to lovers is a very hard trope for me. I’m just annoyed and bored that too people who are FRIENDS still won’t be honest with each other with how they feel.

If you like Emma Lord I am sure you will like this, but this particular story wasn’t for me.


Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

A cute and easy read, but something was missing. I love a good fake dating plot, but found myself skimming so many paragraphs that seemed unnecessary.
Their prolonged hesitation of becoming a couple made me start to lose interest as their reasoning seemed overly complicated.
Didn’t hate it, but wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.

What a great story! I’m a sucker for a good fake dating plot and this definitely scratched that itch. It did start a bit slow for me, but definitely got a little better as I got farther into it. Would recommend to just about anyone!
I loved the push and pull of June and Levi’s relationship. I think my favorite parts were of them together.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

dnf at 85%

emma lord is actually one of my favorites - if not my all-time favorite YA authors. this was her adult debut, and while it has all of the neat restaurants and side characters that steal my heart like every emma lord book... it sadly wasn't enough to make me finish it.

emma lord, as i said, has only written young adult books before this, and you can tell. june and levi were so immature my jaw dropped when i learned june was supposed to be in her late 20s. im reading this only a few months after emma lord's newest ya book came out, and this book feels so rushed and made for booktok. there were so, so many pop culture and social media references.

the main characters were two dimensional themselves. i didn't care for june or levi, and the fact that they have so many communication issues while being in their late 20s gives me the ICK ick. there were also so many mentions of the name Annie it stopped looking like an actual word after a while. i'm sorry.

i decided to dnf this a few weeks after starting. it sat on my netgalley shelf app for over 2 weeks without me turning a single page because that's how little i cared about these characters. i genuinely couldn't bring myself to finish the last 15% of this book. it was physically painful.

tl;dr i will stick to emma lord's ya for now. who knows! if she decides to write more adult romance books, i might stick around to see if her writing is better. for now, i'll stick to young adult.

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc!