I kind of hated this one??? The characters were annoying and shallow and the narrator who voiced Lainy was annoying (deep fried valley girl accent NO THANK YOU). Also, Lainy was just insufferable; she was selfish and immature and I actively disliked her even though she was supposed to be a protagonist.

It felt like the author just googled “politically correct buzzwords 2024” and dumped them in the book with little to no context and with little to no necessity. Like I’m all for making a point on a social justice matter when it’s relevant to the story but I feel like it cheapens and lessens the impact of the potential lesson when you just scatter vague references to social issues throughout the story without elaborating on why or how they impact the characters? And writing from the POV of a Black man as a white female author and trying to use his character solely as a way to lecture readers on equality issues is… a choice. A bad one! And it made his character feel flat.

And the romance?? What romance?? Both relationships develop in the last 1/4 of the book and feel rushed, impractical, and fake. Like not even vaguely realistic. No tension, no buildup, just, “oh by they way they now LIKE like each other.” Ok??? Show me, don’t tell me, and the author did not show us anything on that front.

Also the biggest event of the story happens on like page 10 and it is horrible and tragic and I think the author could have written that scene with a little more tact, perhaps putting the event in the middle of the book and spending more time developing the characters’ friendships instead of just skimming over 4 years of shared history and being like, “hey they were best friends. Just trust me!” Idk. I just didn’t like this book lolol

I realized at chapter 3 this book wasn’t for me at this time. I’m sure it will be a heartfelt read for other people.

Thank you for my gifted ARC.

I have come to not expect greatness from the author, instead her books are usually filled with mildly annoying characters with lots of drama - still very enjoyable. The book opens with a major trigger warner (suicide, loss of a friend) - after which 3 friends form a pact that when they hit rock bottom they call each other. When rock bottom comes, they escape to Dallas, Capri and Paris (with plans to go to Argentina) - ironically, all places I spent time in last year!

It's the college experience we all dream of: creating a group of friends whom we carry, and who carry us, through the decades. That's the dream, and that's the foundation for Emily Giffin in The Summer Pact. Lainey, Summer, Hannah, and Tyson become close friends at college, but tragedy fractures the group before they get those years and decades.

The book moves forward with the three, and across some life challenges that feel realistic, and some responses that don't. Some plot points feel both predictable and unrealistic but the feelings and shifting relationships continue to be where Emily Giffin shines.

The perfect setting for a perfect story, yet the plot fell short. The beginning had some real potential and then there was simply no direction. It lacked romance and character growth like most books by this author. Disappointed in this one.
2.5 stars

The story begins with four college students—Lainey, Summer, Hannah, and Tyson—who quickly become close friends, navigating the ups and downs of early adulthood together. Tragedy strikes when Summer, distressed about something (perhaps her grades, though I don't recall that being emphasized), takes her own life. The fact that her friends ignored her final texts left me feeling frustrated with them.

Hannah, engaged to a terrible partner, catches him cheating but keeps it to herself. She reaches out to Lainey, who enlists Tyson, and together they address the situation before heading off on a long vacation. I found Hannah to be a bit whiny; she seemed to be trying too hard to portray strength while falling short. That changed when she met Olivia, a character I genuinely liked.

The writing was strong, but the storyline felt lackluster. I could have easily put the book down, yet I was determined to see it through to the end, which turned out to be quite predictable. While happy endings are nice, I felt that real friendships don’t usually unfold in such a way.

Lainey, on the other hand, struggled with alcohol and casual relationships, and Tyson felt unrealistic. I couldn’t buy the idea that he’d be living with two attractive women without making a move. Eventually, things do progress, but it felt like they were using each other rather than genuinely caring, which left me questioning the authenticity of their friendships.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.25/5

Emily Giffin’s The Summer Pact kicked off with promise—a heartfelt exploration of college friends as they embark on a fresh start & navigate the ups & downs of young adulthood. The opening felt engaging, setting the tone for a narrative that’s steeped in friendship, loyalty, & the transformative experiences that only college days can bring. However, as the story progressed, it started to unravel in a few too many directions, making it hard to stay rooted in any one character’s journey.

While the writing remained sharp & expressive, the character depth & connection I usually feel in Giffin’s novels fell short for me. Despite this, certain themes around friendship, support, & dealing with grief resonated, & the book found its way to a few tender moments. Still, I’m holding out hope that she’ll return to the storytelling style I love in her next release!

Many thanks to #NetGalley, Random House Publishing-Ballantine & the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own and freely expressed.

#TheSummerPact #NetGalley #BookishLife #BookishThoughts #ReadingCommunity #FriendshipReads #NewBookRelease #FictionLovers #BookwormAdventures #Bookstagram

Though it didn't feel quite the same as Emily Giffin's earlier novels, this was still a quick and enjoyable read. It told the story of a group of college buddies who get together one summer to travel and support one another throughout difficult times. The story was full of self-discovery moments and even unexpected romance which I appreciated but it would have been better if the development had been spread out over more time.

Looking at the cover of The Summer Pact, you expect a light and fluffy rom-com beach read, but it isn’t even close. This book covers many meaningful topics: love, grief, regret, joy, self-discovery, self-acceptance, and more. It is a loaded book, but it doesn’t read heavily.

I also have to say that I love how she wrote the chapters! She did it to ensure everyone’s perspective and thoughts were shared with the reader.

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin is a delightful and heartwarming read that perfectly captures the essence of friendship, love, and second chances. Giffin’s characters are relatable and well-developed, making it easy to get invested in their journeys. The book’s summer setting adds a light and refreshing atmosphere, while the emotional depth keeps readers hooked from start to finish. It’s a perfect blend of romance and personal growth, making it a great choice for a feel-good, page-turning experience. Fans of Giffin’s previous work will not be disappointed!

This may have been one of my least faves of Emily's. But let's start with the positives (the important stuff!): her writing, is, as always impeccable. Descriptions, characters, depth of emotion - she nailed it. The story itself was good in theory. But the issues that got me were the pacing and the characters that seemed to do things out of their realm/personality that didn't feel right or in line with their development. It was jarring at times. Additionally, on an admittedly weird note, knowing eg isn't a fan of Meghan Markle and had a weird English guy named Archie in it was strange.

I'll pick up anything Emily writes, still, but this was probably my least favorite work.

Well this starts off with a bang but doesn’t really go anywhere. The characters move on with their lives and the story picks up at a point where the remaining characters gather to support each other at a later date, only to find that most of them seem to be at a standstill with their own lives. Not necessarily unhappy, but unfulfilled. For such a tragic beginning it doesn’t feel like there’s much emotional depth to the book, and nothing to really “hook” the reader. The character voices all sound similar and the story is forgettable.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

While I don't read them as often, I do truly enjoy books that focus on friendships, especially those that continue through adulthood.

In college, Tyson, Lainey, Hannah and Summer became quick friends. Summer was their nucleus, their brightest star. There was something about her they couldn't define. She was the strongest and best of them. When she commits suicide, everyone is shocked, rattled. Out of anyone, for Summer to have done something like that...

The friends make a pact then, that if there's a point in their lives when they're at rock bottom, they'll be there for each other. When Hannah finds her fiancé cheating, Lainey decides that qualifies. Lainey and Tyson drop everything to rush to Hannah's side, and they decide to take the trip they had planned after college with Summer, and never went through with.

Their first stop is Texas, to meet Lainey's half sisters. That doesn't go as planned. In fact, its a disaster. They agree to go to their next stop, though Hannah does reach out and talk to Lainey's other sister, who seems like a really great person. Even though Lainey is determined she wants nothing to do with her extended family, Hannah finds someone she can talk to about her cheating fiancé and canceled wedding, someone who isn't as close to her and provides some appreciated perspective.

When they go to Italy, dynamics change between the friends. They reflect on the time they had with Summer and how she changed them.

A beautiful book, with lovely friendships.

I initially had a difficult time connecting with The Summer Pact and actually put it aside for a bit. I did go back to it later and am so happy I did because I ended up really loving it.

The story follows four college friends during the formative years of their friendship in college and in the wake of a tragedy that forever changes them. Through it all, they promise to always show up for each other, and a decade later, they are called to do exactly that. This reunion forces them to explore who they really are and what they truly want.

As usual, Emily Giffin wrote highly relatable and in depth characters. I enjoyed the multiple points of view from which the story is told.
This story does include difficult topics, including alcohol abuse, mental health, and suicide, but it is ultimately the story of friendship and hope through life’s most formative and challenging times. This fall, THE SUMMER PACT is well worth a read.

3.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Whenever I pick up one of her books I know I better be prepared to clear the calendar because I have a difficult time putting them down. She's a gifted storyteller. The Summer Pact was not my favorite by Giffin. It just didn't live up to some of her other books that I was unable to put down.

Overall, this book was an honest and moving look at the complexities of friendships as we grow older, especially friendships impacted by tragedy. I generally loved the characters and the way Giffin dealt with each of their individual struggles. The intricacies of their friendships, both as a group and their individual relationships with one another were well developed early in the novel, though that development did fall off a bit towards the end (hence the 4 out of 5 stars). A strong effort from Giffin and will keep me coming back for more!

Tyson, Summer, Lainey, and Hannah were about as different as could be when they met in college, but soon formed an unbreakable bond. But when promising athlete Summer tragically dies just before graduation, the remaining three make a pact to be there for one another any time and anywhere the other two ask. And when Hannah catches her fiancé cheating on her, she activates that pact, leading her, Tyson, and Lainey on a literal trip of self-discovery.

This was a quick read, I'll give it that. Otherwise, the book was pretty blah, as it was difficult telling which of the three main characters was narrating at any given point (should've been easy, given their differences) and nothing really dipped below surface level. There are better books out there.

I looked forward to reading this one from Emily Giffin, but unfortunately it wasn't a win for me.

I liked that this story centered around friendship and the uniqueness of the college bond. I think that there is something really special about that specific type of friendship and it was fun to see what that looked like 10 years later for this group. I also liked the exploration into how each character carried grief differently.

I did have a few problems with this book though. First, I couldn't always distinguish which point of view I was reading. The characters were so vastly different but this did not translate into having different voices. It also felt repetitive during certain transitions which would happen in the middle of a scene and we'd repeat part of it from another POV. Second, I found it an interesting choice that a white female author wrote from the perspective of a black man as one of the main characters. While I think this representation is important, I don't know if Giffin was the right author to provide it. It gave me pause and I wondered if she was accurately capturing his experience at times.

Overall this one came in as a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I fun read with some depth - reminded me of the show A million little things. Mostly about friendship with a little romance sprinkled in. This wasn’t my favorite of hers, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to read it!

My thoughts may be all over the place with this book. Emily sort of strayed from her typical writing. This had a lot going on, from a suicide, to looking for half siblings.. Would I say it was an awful book? No not at all. I enjoyed the friendship theme in there. Was it my favorite book by her, not by a long shot.

Something felt flat in this story. One of the things I love most about her books, is how I connected to the characters I always felt. Here I didn't feel any connection there. I feel like Summer's story wasn't clearly wrapped up and some of the other story lines seemed to left wing.

Out of all of Emily's books, this was my least favorite.

But she's still one of my favorite authors and always will be!