I am a big Emma Lord fan and really wanted to love this book. However, it fell flat for me. I really struggled to get into it or care about the characters. Truthfully, I don't even remember their names. The story focuses on a girl who is running a struggling tea shop and a guy who's run away from NY after his girlfriend traded him for a celebrity. The girl also had a public breakup, but I was never very clear about what made her ex famous. They were on a reality show, but the show is never explained. All we know is that they traveled a ton. The idea was there, but the execution didn't deliver for me. It almost felt like Lord was trying too hard to be like Emily Henry. It didn't have Lord's signature voice or multi-dimensional characters.

There is a spicy scene that was VERY cringy for me. Like bad porn descriptions. The scene felt unnecessary and could have been a fade to black and still impacted the story the same way. I usually don't mind spice in books, but this one was uncomfortable.

Overall, this is one I wouldn't spend money on and wouldn't recommend to others. If you're looking for something fluffy and chill this could be a good book for you. If you're looking for Lord's signature charm, I'd skip this one.

My first Emma Lord book- cute setting, fun characters but I just never really go into this one. I did finish it but just didn’t love it. I kept waiting for it to get better and It just fell flat for me. Not horrible, but nothing I would overwhelmingly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

thank you to netgalley for this e-arc!

ended up dnf'ing this -- the setting was fun, i liked the cute town and occupations of everyone, i just couldn't get into it.

story didn't feel real and the characters just felt like caricatures of stereotypes, always running from the paparazzi's that for some reason are obsessed with capturing the two MC's together.

it just didn't hook me. something felt missing.

this was my first emma lord novel, might look into reading more of her work but this one didn't grasp me like i wanted it to.

I wanted to like this book. It had all the ingredients of a good love story, but it felt like the author tried to give the characters a level of depth that was unearned. I felt like she wanted me to feel the weight of the tension between these two characters, but she didn't provide enough of a set-up for me to buy in. I wasn't particularly rooting for them, and about 3/4 of the way through, Levi does something messed up that he never really has to answer for. Towards the end, the story just kind of meanders and the thread of the love story feels lost.

The Break Up Pact is about two estranged childhood friends, Levi and June, who have both just undergone very public break ups. After a photo circulates of them together and people dub them the “Revenge Exes,” they agree to fake date. For June, it’s to boost sales for her failing tea shop that she inherited from her sister who passed away a couple years prior. For Levi, it’s to try to win his girlfriend back, who cheated on him with a movie star.

I am a sucker for the childhood friends to second chance lovers pipeline. Add in some fake dating? All about it. And my god, I don’t know what it was about this book but I ate it up like one of June’s Revenge Ex scones. (And yes, there are a lot of references to scones throughout so probably a good idea not to read this too hungry).

Apart from the romance this book centers on, the book also deals with grief and guilt in multiple ways. I won’t explain this too much because doing so will give away some plot points but the main exploration of grief is June’s for her older sister, Annie. By the time the story starts, June is an age her sister never reached, struggling to keep a static dream they had, but that June has outgrown, alive. It is not a heavy read by any means and it doesn’t really explore the darker places grief takes people to (it is a romantic comedy, after all) but it also doesn’t shy away from the fact that it’s not something that goes away, even if the weight of it gets easier to carry with time.

Was I frustrated with the miscommunication? Yes, very much and always and yet multiple of my favorite reads this year (including this one) have involved it so I’m not sure what to make of that except maybe to admit that it works when it’s really well written? Maybe the point is to be frustrated and we just have to lean in to the discomfort??? I struggled with the duration of some of the conflict that takes place but I understood its purpose and the necessary character development it enabled.

Overall, this was a really sweet and fun romantic comedy that also made me teary eyed at times. It was beautifully written and I loved it!

Thanks very much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn't written from the heart. There was no passion and nothing drawing the reader in to make them care for the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I love that she's a meme and he's heartbroken because of a reality show. It's a cute concept. This book is definitely a slow burn, maybe a little TOO slow, but worth the wait, I would recommend it to my friends.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

After reuniting after not speaking to each other for ten years, high school friends Levi and June hatch a plan to get back at their exes after each was dumped got someone else by very publicly fake dating in a social media obsessed world.

In the newest YA novel from Emma Lord she mixes, what she does best, the modern digital age with a likable YA romance. Is the ending transparent? Yes, but the journey is worth it.

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I dove into 'The Break-Up Pact' by Emma Lord seeking a breezy, enjoyable read, and it delivered just that—nothing groundbreaking, and kinda disappointing.
As a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I appreciated the cozy setting, but I felt the relentless focus on the characters' physical attraction was excessive. We got it—they're attracted to each other; there was no need to belabor the point.

Centered around June and Levi, childhood friends whose messy breakups become social media sensations, the plot takes a twist when they decide to play along with an online rumor suggesting they're a couple. This situation leads to a rekindling of old feelings amidst the backdrop of a charming beach town. (I do love that)

My biggest issue lies with June, whose judgmental demeanor grated on me from the outset, hindering my feelings about her overall in the book. It's challenging to enjoy a story when the main character fails to resonate with the reader...

Nevertheless, there were still pockets of sweetness in the story that I savored, making it a decent overall read. If you're seeking a light-hearted romance set against a beachy backdrop, 'The Break-Up Pact' might just fit the bill.

This is the first Emma Lord book I’ve read, and I definitely enjoyed it! June and Levi are former best friends who fell out of touch, lost their mutual best friend (and her sister), and both ended up back in their beachside hometown after very public breakups. Enter the fake dating romance trope, and the entertainment that always accompanies it!

I cruised through this book at a pretty good clip – it seemed like there was always something to look forward to. I also thought the author did a good job of describing grief and all the assorted emotions that go with it. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. This was a solidly written romance that I think fans of contemporary romance will enjoy.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advance copy. 4 stars, recommend.

June and Levi haven’t seen each other in years. But when they both go through extremely public break ups and need a break from the negative media, the two agree to fake date. Can they keep their distance? Or will fake dating become real feelings?

Im so torn on this one. Everything was just fine. June and Levi both had moments that I struggled with and some that I really liked and the same goes for their relationship. The hardest part for me was how fast they jumped into fake dating. It’s a shorter book so I understand but after not seeing each other for ten years they immediately start this ruse. It was a a good light hearted summery read and I’m glad I read it! But I also wasn’t blown away.

Quick read for me! Excellent story. Loved the characters. Found a new author to add my to must read list! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC of this book. This does not affect my review.</i>

This week, I cried watching Abbott Elementary twice so no surprise this had me shedding tears as well. (I blame overall election stress or something) Grief runs heavy through this, this time the unexpected death of June's sister (and Levi's best friend) and it got me having all kinds of feels about siblings being suddenly gone. But the central relationship was moving for me to, and because I think Emma Lord is so good at YA books, it really helped propel this book into a more genuine territory with respect to June and Levi. Their relationship complexity integrated nicely with what was happening in adulthood and never felt it leaned too heavily on the juvenile, and the characters felt adult despite their long history.

A couple things I was tangled in and didn't quite work though-one- relationships with exes are complex, and the exes in this turned a little too one-dimensional and easily resolved in this one. The second thing that I kept snagging on is that paparazzi were central, and these two had "famous" break-ups. One seems to be from an Apprentice type reality TV show, and the other would have been from a cheating with a Hollywood Heartthrob situation. I kept wondering why they were so interesting. These are not any kind of "listers" yet their snapshots at the beach when they'd be generally unrecognizable kept going viral? In a small town--a town so small in fact that the landlord can tell rent-payers that their biz isn't up to the vibe (it's not problematic in this book in the way I can imagine this could be the complete cartoon villain, but uh wow)???

That said, snippets of this writing and the feels help really pull this one off. Just not as strongly as it could've been, without some aspects to the credibility that even had me saying "really?" Still, given my emotional investment and my suckertude toward second-chancey in love with each other forever friends, I'd be willing to revisit, so it's a 4. But just.

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣
This was a cute rom-com and I believe Emma Lord’s first outside the world of YA. It centers around two high school friend/frienemmies who have lost touch and are both having viral break up moments at the same time. ⁣
⁣
As the story unfolds we learn about their past connections and that their idea to be #revengeexes might have some interesting repercussions. ⁣
⁣
It’s a cute and funny rom-com with the expected bumps and twists along the way to the #hea. ⁣
⁣
Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This will be a good beach read when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this earc

Unfortunately, this one just fell flat. At first, I thought it was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” but then I realized that I just didn’t care about this book at it.

I can’t tell exactly why but by the time I got to 25% all I kept thinking is “please let it be over” but as a person who doesn’t dnf, I made it to the end.

I couldn’t connect to anything. Relationship? Boring. Plot? Boring. Even the drama was boring.

It’s ended up being one of those book I wished I never picked up

I’ve only read one other book by Emma Lord and it was a YA romance and amazing (Tweet Cute). Knowing this was another book by Emma Lord I went in with high expectations.

First, this is not a YA romance. This is a friends to lovers, second chance, fake dating romance. It is character and plot driven, full of raw emotions and somewhat intense situations.

June is running a beach boardwalk tea shop which was a dream she and her sister had since they were little. Her sister, Annie, unexpectedly died before June moved back home to help with the shop. When the novel starts, June has become a meme of “crying girl” after her reality star boyfriend of a decade dumps her on TV.

Levi was Annie’s best friend growing up and has returned to the beach to regroup and write after a bad breakup in New York. He has also made the news with his break up to a high stakes realtor who dropped him for an action hero movie star.

The two make a pact, spurred on by Annie’s friend Sana, to get revenge by being seen together and exploiting it on social media. In the middle of all of this, the tea shop is failing and June needs to save it. Her internet fame helps the tea shop more than she could imagine.

I found the emotional content of this book intense. There’s a lot of grief as the two main characters work through their feeling and guilt after Annie’s death (which happens before the book begins). I really enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down.

The Break-Up Pact is an easy to read, more adult version of an Emma Lord classic.

This book is full of tropes. It has a staple theme and a prevailing storyline but it jumps around through so many tropes. You have second chance/friends to lovers/fake dating/celeb romance/self discovery/life after loss etc etc. It covers so much ground yet I felt like I knew very little. The book begins with so little background I was never able to fully grasp the dynamics between the characters. I couldn’t connect with the story and the emotions because I never understood what they meant to each other in the past. All the major points seemed to brush right past and I felt like I missed so much! It was easy to read and had some fun elements. There was a whole wedding planning (for other people) segment that was fun and exciting to read about. I wanted to like this one so much more but I just didn’t feel any connection to it. I’ll forever read her books but this wasn’t a favorite.

June and Levi are *chef’s kiss!* It was great seeing how June handled her grief for Annie and guilt in result of it. I really enjoyed reading how both June and Levi worked on themselves to better understand and communicate. There were some times where things June said or thought made me want to pull at my hair but I was able to understand why she was doing what she was doing or having those thoughts. Also Levi when Kelly comes to town. Made me want to reach into the story and get rid of Kelly. I can also say Griffin is the absolute worst. Good riddance for June. Wish we could have gotten more of Dylan, Mateo and Sana.

This book was a cute, quick read. However, it fell a bit short for me with all the cheesy references to social media throughout and the absurdity of the plot with both main characters going “viral.” But I did enjoy the happy ending and the supportive friend group.

Childhood friends June and Levi find themselves back in Benson Brach after both going viral for nasty breakups. June is trying to save her business, Tea Tide, and Levi is trying to finish his manuscript. Despite not having been in contact for 10 years, they decide on a plan to fake date to get back at their exes. A break up pac of sorts. Throughout the whole ordeal, June has to deal with resurfacing feelings for Levi. There was tons of mutual pining from both main characters. I loved that they did a lot of self reflection before fully jumping into their relationship. Their childhood friendship was highlighted beautifully in their blooming relationship. It really fits the friends to lovers trope perfectly. I was hooked the entire time!