3.5 stars
This was a super cute rom-com, beach read kind of book. As always, Emma Lord's characters are very quirky, which I appreciate. My only gripe is that the ending seemed to drag a bit and even though I knew full well what was going to happen, I was annoyed that it was taking so long to get there.
That being said, I would still recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

I adored this book! I loved the main characters and the relationship they had throughout the course of the book. I love fake dating and thought this concept was so fun! Also, the fact that Levi called June different months— LOVE IT. This book doesn’t have the usual miscommunication that fake dating usually does, which I really appreciate. All in all, I loved all the characters, thought the grief aspect of this book was well done, and enjoyed it immensely!

Fun romance read about family, grief and friendship. Plays out over a summer in a small beach town. I liked the characters and one of the few romance books told just from the view point for the female main character. Not my favorite book but a solid beach/pool read

I liked this book. It was sweet and more of a slow burn than other rom coms. It felt fresh compare to other fake dating stories. I liked the ending. But there were some parts that felt a bit unbelievable, such as why June and Levi didn’t speak for 10 years and why June stayed with Griffin. It could be cool if the book started with a quick prequel of June and Griffin on one of their adventures to get a sense of her mindset back then.

US pub date: 8/13/24
Genre: romcom (fake dating, second chance romance)
Quick summary: Former BFFs June and Levi were publicly dumped by their exes, and a picture of them together sparks dating rumors. So they figure - why not? Maybe it will help save June's bakery...

Based on this cover and description, I was expecting this to be a new favorite romcom! Unfortunately, it didn't have the same magic as my fave Emma Lord book, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE. I think most of this was due to June - her major insecurity just killed the vibe of the book. I get that characters have issues like the rest of us, but she felt so passive and unwilling to take concrete steps to move forward in her life. I just wanted her to go to therapy and work on herself!! There's a lot of miscommunication in this book, so if you don't like that trope, I would skip this one. At least the beach town setting was fun!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a 3.8 star rating for me. June and Levi were friends and fell out ten years ago and now they’re thrust together in an interesting way. They’re both facing their own problems an decide to work together to get revenge and do it publicly. This is a cute story of a more realistic relationship timeline that readers can relate with. You have light and witty and then a more serious side with some self reflection and get to see how they navigate this “fake relationship” and how things turn out. Definitely a good book that I’d highly recommend! My first ever book by Emma Lord and I can’t wait to read the next one!

Emma Lord has delivered again! I love her books and all that goes into them: witty characters, interesting plot lines, and curiosities throughout. This was another fun edition to the mix. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one!

I gave this book a 3.75. I loved the banter between June and Levi, and thought their overall chemistry was great. I struggled with June's interior monolog, it felt very long and rambly at times and I found myself wanting to skim through those parts.
Overall, it was a cute story, and I loved the side characters just as much as the main ones, I wish we could have gotten more time with them.

I loved The Break-Up Pact!

This is my first Emma Lord novel and she did not disappoint. I picked this up in between the books I was reading for my degree program to make things a little lighter. It was exactly what I needed it to be. I pick up faking date trope novels because it's the least realistic trope ever (yes, there are other unrealistic tropes e.g. amnesia, marriage of convenience, etc.) and if I wanted something realistic I would watch a nature documentary or read a nonfiction book. I want the stuff that takes me to another dimension.

The WAYYY Emma brought this trope to life was brilliant. The chemistry that June and Levi had was perfect. The banter was even better *chef's kiss*. And then the added layer of the foundation of friendship they cultivated from their childhood made me feel nostalgic about something I didn't even experience firsthand. It reminded me of summers of skinned-knees, crushes on the boy next door, and staying up too late with your neighborhood friends.

The scones, the cute seaside cafe/bakery, the aesthetic of living in a beach town... I could imagine spending my summers there, going to June's cafe, and comfortably reading a book. I loved the references to memes and TikToks of our day because they genuinely made me laugh. I couldn't put this one down which mmade it a quick read but one that I would certainly read again.

This was an entertaining read! The storyline is interesting. However, the plot and pacing have some problems, mainly due to the fact that everything happens so quickly (the main characters don’t talk for years but then within the same day are all of a sudden fake dating) while not much really happens. The characters are pleasant but unremarkable as they don’t have much depth to them, things happen to them and they react. The setting was great though, I found myself clearly imagining the small beach town and its quirky shops and people.
Thank you for the opportunity to read prior to publishing !

This was a sweet romance that filled many different tropes: Friends to lovers, fake dating, miscommunication, and still in some respects almost insta-love, but in other ways was a slow burn. The main characters are June and Levi, who used to be best friends, but haven’t spoken (basically) in 10 years. Then they’re bonded over internet-famous breakups, and plan a “revenge pact” to use the publicity to help June’s business and Levi’s relationship with his ex. The first half of the story was super enjoyable. There was lots of backstory and buildup, but the June/Levi shenanigans and sweet moments were adorable. The plot took a more serious turn towards the second half, and there was a lot of miscommunication, but it ended in a lot of growth. Although it’s nice reading about a more realistic relationship that actually takes time to rebuild, the last fourth of the book still felt like it didn’t flow as well, I think it was the focus on June’s business. I know she needed a growth arc for her character, but it just wasn’t enjoyable to read about the business aspect in such detail. Overall, I’d still give this book 4 stars though. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were a few things I really enjoyed about this book and a couple that I didn't.

What I loved: how the communication within the relationship grew, the ways that the relationship. brought out the best in June and Levi, how they got to the root of their issues and struggles rather than focusing only the surface-level issues, the cute little moments that showed how well they understood each other, and the emotional growth in June. Also, this was the first time I've encountered an open-door scene that actually added to the plot instead of just being there for the sake of having an open-door scene. Thank you, Emma Lord!

What I struggled with: the plot felt like it wandered too much, which meant it didn't feel like there was an overall build or fall and it instead felt like we were experiencing the same rises and falls within each scene. Also, there was way too much focus on the scone side of June's business. It had me questioning if she ever served tea (or literally anything else) at a cafe that's called Tea Tide.

Overall, I thought this book was super cute. I was happy to read it and will definitely be looking at other books by Emma Lord!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ugh this was so fun. I had a few things that stopped it from being a 5 star, but overall the vibes were amazing and I really loved reading each of these characters.

I did find the pop culture references a bit CONSTANT. The main character is my age, so they were all relevant references, but even I cringed a bit.
I also felt like the start of the fake dating was incredibly abrupt, we were intro-ed to this guy who she apparently has a long history with, and all of a sudden they are fake dating?
Finally, she kept talking about her past of travelling all over the world and I just wanted to hear more about that LOL even if it was with her shitty ex! I would have liked to get some flashbacks.

However, overall - I couldn't put this down!

Super fun and cute! I’ve read all of Emma Lord’s books so far and they always deliver. A perfect summer beach read!

Emma Lord has carved out a niche in the cute romance category! I have loved all of her books and this one was just as adorable as the rest. I always look forward to her titles!

There is something special about The Break-Up Pact. The Break-Up Pact follows June and Levi, who have just gone through some very public but humiliating breakups. While the two were childhood best friends, they no longer speak to one another, though the reason why at the beginning is murky. After being spotted together, the two decide to fake-date as a way to not only get back at their respective exes but also to accomplish their goals. As time passes and their fake relationship gains traction, the waters blur for the two.

What I loved about this book was the journey that June and Levi must take before they can be together. The tension is there from the start, but that does not mean their journey was instant-love. The Break-Up pact is a story of self-growth and of finding yourself again. June and Levi are both stuck in their ways, and that is what makes the story so special. They both have their own issues which makes it feel believable. There is that "third-act breakup" but it is not really a breakup. Rather, it is a situation that is handled well and in a way that I can see many other couples handling difficult times. I highly recommend this book to all, it is a great read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffins, Emma Lord, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for my honest review.

quite a ride with this one and such fun characters!

Romance is so much fun because it’s the usual tropes that we always come back for. This one? June + Levi pretend to date — June is trying to save her shop and Levi wants his ex back.

Sometimes I struggled with all the telling and not showing portion of the book, which unfortunately was most of the first half. The second half started picking up and I really enjoyed how June grew as a character.

In the end, it did feel like it dragged a lot and I wish we got more romance than… conflict? And some of these characters felt 1-dimensional. All in all, 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Super fun and cute — a perfect summer beach read!

I love a fake dating romance, and this one didn’t disappoint. I immediately fell in love with June, Levi and the boardwalk of Benson Beach.

As sweet as one of June’s scones 🩷 Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc!

Emma Lord is a true queen. I was so thankful to be able to read her adult romance early - and so enjoyed it while laying by the pool! We get childhood friends with some fake dating, all after a missed connection! First, I think the premise is hilarious - two breakups go completely viral for different reasons and the two scorned lovers just happen to be childhood friends? So, in an effort to get back at their exes, they decided to fake date. Only to discover there were feelings there all along? I love it.

Romantically, this book was very quickly paced; while it can feel like a slow-burn with the character's histories, it moves along quite comfortably (and obviously encouraged by the fake dating/feelings they are putting on for the cameras). I did want to feel a bit more tension between the two - and not romantically or sexually - but in the third act breakup; it just felt a bit weak with him continuing to live with his ex and the slow unravel of his original relationship.

Personally, I appreciate the storyline around the tea shop more than his writing; it did feel a bit overkill to have both of them struggling professionally (and also romantically). But I overall did enjoy this romance and can't wait to see where Emma Lord goes with more adult romance!

Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy of The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord. I have absolutely loved Emma Lord’s past books and it was the biggest treat to have a delicious book about the beach and summer during dreary and gray winter days! This storyline follows the long term friendship of Levi and June which weathered some rifts, especially after the death of June’s older sister, Alice. June is trying to keep Tea Tide, a coastal bakery, scone shop and café afloat after her sister’s passing. When the bakery is at risk of losing its lease, June and Levi are also both in the midst of messy public break ups from famous exes. The two plot a pact to fake a public revenge on their exes and stage a relationship, also ending their long term silence. I loved the tender memories shared between old friends and the supporting role characters. The setting was palpable and so fun and perfect for the storyline too. Emma Lord crafts feel good, creative books filled with surprising and sweet (literally and figuratively!) details. I hope Emma Lord fans will preorder this gem to enjoy!