Ok summer read. Some cute parts with a little steam! Just couldn’t really get into it half way through. Not a very long book but it felt like it was a lot longer. Skimmed through the last couple of chapters. More of a task then reading for pleasure.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of The Break-Up Pact.
I enjoyed reading this book and give it a 3.5 stars out of five. After this point, there will be spoilers, so do not read further if you plan on reading this book.
There were some characters I didn't enjoy, like Sana. I don't understand the dynamic of June and her friendship because of how mechanical and one-sided it felt, and her being a South Asian woman just for having a token POC didn't hit the mark. I am a South Asian woman, and I didn't relate to anything about Sana. She could have been anyone; even a robot could have replaced her. I also wish that the sibling relationship between Dylan and June had been explored a little more instead of her being designated as his wedding planner. So many of June and Levi's dates were wedding stuff. Cake tasting, picking out the color palates, and picking the location are all things the couple getting married should do. It didn't make much sense to me.
That being said, I loved how slow-burning this book was and how everything seemed to disappear when June and Levi were together. I loved how supportive they were of each other's careers and how they were best friends for so long before they decided to become lovers. My favorite parts of the book were the banter, the backstory, the morning runs, and the café. The writing style and the setting are what made the book, and I would love to read more of Emma Lord's works in the future!

3.75 ⭐️

I can see why others may not like this, but I really enjoyed it. There were cringey moments, but all rom come have them- this book felt more real with how the characters reacted. I also loved the setting; I want to have a small business on a small coastal town now. I loved the proposal scene as well.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This genre really appeals to me, however, this book didn't meet expectations and I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. It just fell flat and I didn't get any sense of being drawn to the characters.

June and Levi are childhood friends who had a falling out and are brought back together after both suffering viral breakups.

This was a cozy and sweet story. It was a bit predictable and long, but the author does a great job making you fall in love with all of the characters and root for their success.

The Break-Up Pact is a second chance/ faking dating romance novel.
June Hart has just been publicly humiliated. Her breakup with her ex boyfriend has her face all over TikTok and instagram.
And to make matters worse, the woman her ex left her for is the ex fiancee of Levi, her childhood best friend and high school crush.
One misconstrued photo of the two of them after a run takes the internet by storm, and the revenge ex fake dating plan is hatched.
For Levi, he hopes to win back his ex fiancée and for June, she hopes to save her failing surfside tea shop..

I had high expectations of this book.
I love a good fake dating troupe, and Emma Lord is a fantastic writer, Tweet Cute was adorable!
I just couldn’t connect to the characters.
I’m not sure if it was because they were supposed to have bonded over their separate, very public break-ups but that never happened.
Or, it could have been the fact that this was a slowwww burn and I am not used to that at all.
Either way, I found that I had to force myself to finish it.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author, for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This didn't feel like a full Adult Romance but it was sweet and the writing was great. I don't fully feel the romance after 10 years and then bam fake dating after seeing each other again once but I did like how it came to flourish. Her brother and best friend, adorable!, and I wanted to see more from them. Overall this is a sweet (pun intended) story but I can see it feeling "dated" so many years down the line with the references.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This novel started off very interesting with likable characters and a desire to see how it all works out for June Hart and her long time friend Levi. I found the ex boyfriend, Griffin, to be ridiculous and controlling and I couldn’t see why June allowed him to have a hold over her thoughts and actions. . It was hard for me to respect Levi, who has trouble making decisions. I’m giving the book 3 stars over the 5 when it first began because I felt it dragged and the ending was predictable.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest opinion. It’s a cute book, but maybe just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the e-ARC.

This was such a great friends to lovers romance. I honestly don’t know why so many are averse to that trope. But June and Levi are incredibly, ridiculously cute. The flirting and banter, the romance, the love, the history, it’s all there. When Levi and June both find themselves publicly humiliated by separate breakups, they get convinced to “fake date” each other as a form of revenge. Only trouble is, they’ve had more than friendly feelings for each other since they were kids.

This also included one of my favorite love scenes of the past year. It was sexy without being too descriptive, and but also very sweet. The setting was also worthy of a Netflix series.

I believe this was an unedited ARC, so there were some errors I noticed, but I’m sure those will be patched up.

This book had so much potential but it felt more like an advertisement for scones than a love story. It just fell all over the place. The characters felt more two dimensional, as we didnt really get to KNOW them, just about them.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press

I had a very hard time connecting with the characters. Normally I love fake dating, but this one did not keep my attention. I struggled to finish it

This was a fun, second chance romance read; I liked it but didn't love it & I can't quite figure out why. I'm guessing because I couldn't relate to the FMC but overall, I did like the writing & story. There is a sex scene so if that's not your thing you've been warned. A solid 3.5-4 star read that is perfect for romance readers.

I thought this was a sweet book overall but I just found myself wishing in some spots the story would move faster and then when it got to the end I feel like the story went way too fast.
I did enjoy the characters and how they found themselves again when they found each other but I just didn’t fully connect with the story enough to become obsessed with it.
It is still a good book and different than your typical Romance book so I would still say give it a read!

The first thing you should know is that I am a sucker for a second chance romance.

"The Break-Up Pact" takes readers on a sun-soaked journey through the sandy shores of a picturesque beach town, blending a concoction of fake dating, ex rivalry, and coastal charm. Emma Lord crafts a romance full of humor, heart, and a touch of beachside magic (I mean a Tea Cafe on the beach that sells scones? I need one IMMEDIATELY).

This book had me laughing, crying, and cheering for our main characters June and Levi. This book is for anyone who has ever fallen in love with their best friend.

Once best friends as teenagers, and now no more. June and Levi both find each other again when they need to most. June is hiding out in her beachside Tea cafe that she takes over after her sister Annie passes away. Her boyfriend dumps her on live television and from there it just spirals as she is deemed "Crying Girl" on all social platforms. She is barely keeping her head above water as her Tea Cafe "Tea Tide" is getting less traffic by the hour and she is behind on rent. Levi has returned home in the midst of a scandal. His long-term girlfriend is seen cheating on him with her hunky older co-star. Trying to escape his reality so he can continue to work on his book. He is back home for some writing inspiration.

The Chemistry between Levi and June goes beyond just words on the page. You can feel how much the characters mean to each other. With soft words between friends, stolen glances, and reminiscing memories, Emma Lord brings a deeper level of emotion through these moments as the characters grapple with shared grief and their pasts.

June's friend Sana can be found daydreaming about her big break to work at Fizzle, writing cultural commentary pieces, and eating Tea Tide's leftover scones. Sana helps Levi and June hatch a plan to get back at their ex's to show them what they are missing and save Tea Tide from going under. She is the mastermind behind every fake social post and fake date that June and Levi go on. She is quirky, feisty, and she had me wanting a book all about her!

I found myself identifying with June as she struggles with her grief of losing her sister, as I have my own sister that I cannot live without. My heart broke when things didn't go her way, and it swelled with pride when it did.

Emma Lord's second chance romance novel took me on a vacation and gave me a sense of escapism that I had been missing. This was my first novel I have read from her, and it will not be my last. This book was a five-star read for me. Anyone who says different definitely missed the point.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I liked the beginning and I got half way through, but it still hadn’t hooked me and was such a drag by that point. I hope this finds its audience, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

What a cute Rom-com. This was my first Emma Lord book and I can't wait for more!

wo 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?

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a cute entry into the chick lit world. I enjoyed her YA novel Tweet Cute, so I picked this one up as well. June and Levi were ALMOST childhood sweethearts but fate intervened and they have been estranged for a decade. But tragedy and two very public breakups return both of them to their hometown where flirty banter and interludes commence.

Jude and Levi definitely have chemistry and the side characters (including the exes) have some fun scenes. I mostly enjoyed when the two characters were together and rekindling their long lost friendship and romance. I have a pet peeve, however, that prevented me from enjoying this book altogether, and that was the whole miscommunication that led to them not talking for so many years. It seems like if they were as close as they were, they would have made more effort much earlier to talk. I get this can happen in real life, but I get frustrated about that in real life too! But that aside, the story was very sweet.

Overall, a solid rom com from Emma Lord.

This book was cute and definitely fit a rom com beachy vibe. I would recommend it as a vacation book or beach book if your looking for something fun and easy to read.

Fake Dating
Embarrassing internet meme
Supporting friends and family
Mourning
Redemption

This book has it all. And it’s all wrapped up in a cute little Hallmark like story. It gives you all the warm and fuzzies.

I will definitely be recommending this to fellow readers.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC as it made my weekend that much more enjoyable.

Super cute! Fake dating, slow burn, friends to lovers, and of course the HEA... Everything I love in a book. This is a super sweet romance, with great banter.