Emma Lord's newest novel follows the rekindling of childhood friends June and Levi as they navigate their new found internet fame. June and Levi were inseparable as kids, but due to various reason became estranged later in life. After many years apart, these two ex best friends bump into each other in June's tea shop in their hometown. Both reeling from very public and devastating heartbreaks, they discover themselves in a media frenzy and decide to play into the fame. Lines start to blur as June and Levi embark on their fake dating journey, making both characters ask the question fake feelings can't become real feelings, right?

Tropes:
- Faking dating
- Friends to lovers
- Revenge plot
- Small town
- Second chance

This lighthearted and funny book was easily a 5 star read for me. Lord wrote about June's grief of the loss of her sister in a way that makes you understand how unexpected and life changing it can be at a pivotal point of a young adult's life. As a reader, I was taken through the complexity of grief and how to continue living without that special person in your life. The Break Up Pact is more than June's grief though, her and Levi's fake dating took center stage of the plot. From their first interaction, sparks were immediately flying between the two and I couldn't put down the book until they finally confessed how they have felt for each other all of these years. The tension between June and Levi kept me on my toes!

I loved Emma Lord’s YA novels but I gotta say I’m so thrilled she’s writing for adults now too. The Break Up Pact has the lovely characters, strong sibling relationships and food-centric plot I’ve come to appreciate in her books, with an adult-appropriate level of spice. I’m here for it and ready for more!!

"The Break-Up Pact" was a charming, small town romance about high school friends Levi and June who plan to fake date each other to get back at their exes. Both had internet famous breakups. Levi and June, and their exes and most of the supporting cast, grew up in the coastal tourist trap town of Benson Bay. High school era crushes resurface once they start fake dating, and things get--naturally--more complicated. Levi and June are both likable and endearing leads. Some of Levi's actions in act 3 stretch the limits of romance genre logic, but do seem like something a real life person would fumble through. The chemistry between the leads is enjoyable and most of the supporting cast is great too. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I have heard so much about this author and was so excited for this one. The cover looked precious! The book fell a bit flat for me. A little juvenile maybe? Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! Publication date August 13, 2024.

I was obsessed with tweet cute and was looking forward to an adult romance from Emma Lord. While I enjoyed parts of the story sometimes I felt like he story read a little young. Perhaps that is my familiarity with her as a YA author or the formatting as I sometimes struggle with ebooks but I just did not become obsessed with this like I did Tweet Cute

I really wanted to love this book and I did at times… but I really found myself having to push through the pages until I got to roughly page 150. That’s when the spark of being pulled in started.

I was hoping for more of a build-up and tension between Levi and June. Which I don’t personally find there was… there were definitely moments where I was like “that’s cute” or “that’s sweet” but I want BUTTERFLIES.

The story of June & Levi definitely had its moments of being sweet and loving. I enjoyed their story especially the end because it seemed realistic. Especially if you’ve been in that situation where you fall for a friend and you assume they couldn’t or wouldn’t feel the same.

This story will definitely resonate with everyone differently and though it wasn’t my favourite book.. I still did enjoy it. I just think if there isn’t much “spice” they need to have that emotional burn for each other that makes you want to scream at your book and be like LOVEEEE EACH OTHER.

I personally think this book would have been better as a dual pov - both June and Levi’s point of view. I think this would have helped, especially in the beginning when I felt the book was a bit more lacking in certain aspects.


Wrap-up:

While The Break-Up Pact might not resonate with everyone on the same level, its exploration of friendship, love, and the journey back to each other is undeniably touching. For those who relish stories of reconnection and the rediscovery of lost bonds, June and Levi’s journey is a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the unexpected paths love can take. In the end, I’m glad to have seen their story through, finding joy and reflection in the evolution of their relationship.

I truly do appreciate getting the opportunity to read this book. Overall, it was still a likeable story and I’m happy to recommend to others!

I had a difficult time enjoying this book. It started out so fast paced and then couldn’t hold my attention. The characters were immature and had some issues that made me not like them much. I don’t think I could recommend The Break-Up Pact.

To start off, I did feel like the main characters had old history and chemistry there and I usually love a good fake dating book.

Some issues I had with this one is that he lets all of his feelings out to June and saying how he wasn't faking one bit of this and then goes and tells his ex they are fake dating. What is that all about? That didn't feel in line with his character at all and seems he's normally better at communication in other areas of the book.

Also, all of the social media stuff wasn't my favorite in this one. I did enjoy parts of the book, but overall the few bad parts made me just really not love it. I don't mind characters growing, changing, or even making mistakes, however, when it doesn't feel like something that character would ever do it's just kind of out of left field to create another conflict and don't enjoy that.

Thank you to the author for this awesome ARC!

*Spoilers *


This is a story of mistaken unrequited love, wasted time and the struggle to find yourself after a trauma. I love the relationships outlined in this story, each one building off another. A group of friends, and family, who never really missed a beat even after years apart.

After the death of Annie, Dylan and Junes sister, everything changes. June comes home and takes over Annie’s Tea Shop after an embarrassingly public breakup with her ex and is struggling to keep it open. After being back awhile, Levi also finds himself home after a very public break up and in the middle of writing a manuscript he has no interest in. They soon join forces as “revenge exes” as they are dubbed by the media. They team together as a way to save face, make Levi’s ex jealous and make people stop calling June the ‘crying girl’.

As best man and maid of honor for Dylan and Mateos wedding, they begin spending a lot of time together doing wedding tasks and figuring out all they’ve missed in each others lives in missed in a decade apart. Junes reporter friend, Sana, organizes photo ops to capitalize for the “couple” as well as the business. Through the fake dating farce, they finally admit how they feel about eachother, and realize they both always felt that way, even when they were kids. When they were dared to kiss at a trivia night and Levi looks at June and says “do you want me to kiss you?” SIGH … heart swooning! ❤️

5⭐️ no comments except I could’ve read more. The beachside views, the friendships and 2 wonderful friends finding their way back together and falling in love. Everyone should read this feel gooder! Can’t wait to read more by this author, I like the way she writes.

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I am such a lover of a good rom com, and this was a wonderful one! I was originally drawn to the cover, and loved the description. This was my first read by this author, but I loved it so much. Very lovable characters with a sweet storyline- I loved it!

This book was super cute - although you immediately know what the ending is going to be when you start it... I mean it's just SO obvious!!! But it's still a super cute book, I love Levi (add him to my list of book boyfriends), ad I want to live in their cute little town. I definitely recommend reading this book for a cute and fast paced read!

Emma Lord's newest novel had the wildest premise. Once you get past the concept that TWO incredibly public breakup tragedies happen within the week to estranged best friends in the cutest beach town and are able to fall in love with the characters, it's a great time! I'm happy to have read this beach-town romance!

Such a sweet story of two people who were destined to be together. Levi and June stole my heart from the very start. Two people who were torn apart yet still always shared a common tragic loss. The fake dates were just the start of it all. I loved watching these two rediscover themselves while also rediscovering love. A tea-riffic novel with the perfect happy ending.

3.25 ⭐️

The Break-Up Pact was cute in the end, but not a book I would revisit. The beginning was so rushed, literally on page 1 we were getting the whole backstory of June becoming Crying Girl, then a few pages later meeting Levi, and a few pages after that they were (unintentionally? Kind of?) fake dating. I usually love a fake dating trope, but this one didn’t do it for me - it was missing something. June and Levi were supposedly best friends all through childhood, but more often than not they acted like they hardly knew each other and were walking on eggshells, and I didn’t believe their chemistry.

I also hated that both of them allowed their cheating/horrible exes to continue stringing them along and going with it as if they owed them something after being publicly humiliated. Whyyy? Have some self respect and cut those people out of your life without giving them a second chance to humiliate you.

I did really like the journey everyone took to cope with the grief of losing Annie. It showed that there is no one right way to grieve or pay tribute to someone close to you. June in particular seems to have grown up and become the responsible adult that she was pretending to be through the whole book.

The epilogue was my favorite part of the book, hands down. That one chapter got the extra .25 stars because the proposal really made me smile. Overall though, it was a very average romcom, and didn’t have the same punch as Tweet Cute (which was adorable!).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this just wasn’t for me. I loved the first half but once Levi and June got together I fell into a major reading slump and the book started feeling super boring to me. I absolutely love childhood friends to lovers but the ten years of barely talking because of a misunderstanding thrown in was not fun. There were multiple events that should’ve been on the page but were only told later (why do I complain about this is SO many reviews), and things felt both rushed and too slow.

I think most of my complaints are subjective so still read if you want, but I would not encourage someone to.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

This was a delightful story. I’ve really enjoyed Emma Lord’s YA novel so was excited and nervous for her adult debut. It was a sweet romance and the characters were well developed.

At first I thought this was going to be a fun beach read. It was, but it was a little deeper than I expected. I really enjoyed all of the characters. I related to June a lot. Couldn’t put it down.

*This uncorrected proof definitely needs to developmental and line edits to correct several plot inconsistencies, re-arrange a few scenes for linguistic and narrative clarity, and correct spelling and grammar errors. I am happy to write a public review for the books in a final state, but I don't feel comfortable doing so when it needs this much.*

I enjoyed this story a lot, particularly the setting and a lot of the story beats that get the characters into a fake dating scenario. It's the rare kind of fake dating book that does feel like it could be possible on some level. That said I did have problems with a few parts of the book, particularly the two lead characters.
June did not seem to have much of a voice, particularly when contrasted with Sana who has a ton of voice. I feel that we could have used a bit more individuality about what she wants, as well as more of a distinct voice for her narration and speaking.
Levi could use quite a bit more on-page development. He has a voice, but it's also unclear what he wants.
Sana is good, just needs a stronger reason to push June and Levi to fake date.
The side characters are mostly thin but fine.

Storywise I liked the book, and would definitely read this author again, but the characters need... more?

Two and a half stars. Would be higher (4 stars) if these issues were corrected.

The Break-Up Pact - Emma Lord
After an embarrassing public break up, June can't help but feel bad when her old friend Levi goes through a similar public experience. While they haven't talked in years, and there's a past full of hurt and unspoken words, June and Levi decide to team up and pretend to date to bring attention to June's struggling business and make Jake's ex a little jealous.
While their fake relationship is blowing up on social media, June and Levi navigate mending their friendship while facing their past and trying to suppress any left over feelings to keep the situation from getting difficult.
Can they pull off fake dating without the truth coming to light, while both figure out the path they want to take moving forward?
I always enjoy a light fluffy rom-com type book and this one was no exception. I loved the banter between June and Levi and them falling into a familiar but unfamiliar stride. I'm a sucker for childhood friend trope books. They give me all the feels. Besides their complicated relationships, I always truly enjoyed the story of June letting go of past obligations to her sister, making the business hers and finding a way to thrive in some not ideal scenarios!
In the end I gave this fun book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I envision this one being a hit for all the readers looking for a beach read or pool side read this summer! Expect to see this one August 13th, 2024!

This book had likeable moments, but it just wasn't for me.

The pacing of the plot was very uneven. Some scenes took forever, while others that were nice, seemed rushed, taking away from the story as a whole.

The characters did not seem realistic or likable, which is a huge piece of getting me connected to the story.

The premise of the book seemed exciting, but it fell flat.