The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin is the first of her books that I have read. I felt like there was a lot of potential, but it just didn’t click with me. I wish there had been more development of the characters. For people looking for a fast read, this would qualify.

*CW- suicide, alcohol abuse

This book packed quite the punch. Four college friends, one was a perfectionist and took her own life. They all tried to process their grief, but they were young and as anyone who has suffered through trauma will tell you, memories and reactions sometimes come back years later. Which is what happens to one of the three remaining friends. they had made a pact that if any of them were in a bad place, they would call on their friends and get together and work through it. which is what they do. it's a beautiful story about friendship, life and loss and what it really means to belong.

I am so disappointed that I did not enjoy this book! The major event happened way too soon in the book and the ending seemed to have nothing to do with the story. The characters were just not my favorite and I thought it was lacking a lot of background information in order to better relate to them.

Emily Giffin has always been a go to author of mine. I can always count on her to write a good story. I was so excited to get my hands on this one thanks to @netgalley ! 
 
This one follows a group of college friends who, after tragedy strikes, make a pact to always be there for one another in times of need. Ten years later, three of them are experiencing some hardships and decide to take an unforgettable trip together as a way to honor their pact. 
 
This story had some pretty heavy topics within, but Emily handled these topics with care and sensitivity. These characters each had some emotional baggage that they had been holding on to for the last decade. Some feelings had been bottled up all of these years, and I loved that this trip was a way for them to face those feelings head on and bring them all some closure. 
 
These characters were deeply flawed, and one character in particular I didn’t love, but as the story progressed it was obvious how her actions were fueled by her bottled up trauma and past experiences. Although the second half of the story did feel a bit rushed, I still really enjoyed this story. These characters were going through some very real traumas and I was rooting for them all to find the closure that they desperately needed to move on. Such an emotional and heavy read, but I appreciate Emily’s beautiful way of portraying friendship and grief. 
 
TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️: 
Suicide, substance abuse, cheating, and grief.

I love Emily Giffin's earlier books and was hoping to feel the same with The Summer Pact. I liked it but wanted to love it. It follows 4 college friends, Hannah, Lainey, Summer and Tyson, who meet freshman year and when the unimaginable happens just before graduation, their lives are forever changed. The remaining friends grieve in their own way but all agree to make a pact - if any of them are ever in a time of need they will be there for each other no questions asked.
Ten years after graduation, Hannah faces an unexpected heartbreak and invokes the pact and her friends come together to support her in her grief. In their effort to support Hannah, they each discover that they themselves are at a crossroads in their lives and set out together on a group trip of to reconnect and process what they are going through. The story is told from multiple perspectives and is a very quick read. I was really rooting for each of them to find happiness but I was left wanting more. I would reccommend reading, especially if you are an Emily Giffin Fan. 3.5 stars.

#TheSummerPact #NetGalley.

This was a sweet friendship story about grief and being there for each other through life’s hardships. I loved the multiple points of view. Although this book covered some serious topics, it was still a light hearted read.

This book is about 4 close friends who come together 10 years later. My how their lives have changed! College was a time that cemented their friendships. But, a tragedy changes the course of their lives. Lainey is from California and has realized her dream of becoming an actress. Tyson is a young black man who is a scholar, an attorney by default. Hannah is getting married, that is, until she discovers the truth about her fiancé' which creates much upheaval.
The weeks they spend together resolves many issues in their lives and creates others. The relationships between the 4 main characters in this book makes this novel. The reader feels like you could just jump into a conversation with them. This is a great summer beach read, or a read for the lazy days of summer.

Emily Giffin has written some great books so statistically she was bound to write a book that is so meh. This is the third book I've read this week that I've read that I've felt this way about, so maybe it's just me. (Hi, I'm the problem, it's me.) The characters seem too immature for their age, and I feel like there were just some storylines included just to check boxes of what the author and/or publishers feel would help sales. At the start of the book I felt it could've have been a good book, but ultimately it failed to hit the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC of The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin. This story is about friendship, grief, coping, and always being there for each other. It's about four college freshmen that meet in the student lounge and become the very best of friends, for life! It shows the importance of being there for your friends. The action starts in the first chapter with the suicide of one friend - Summer, the Pre Med student who has a cross country scholarship, this happens just days before their college graduation. The three remaining friends, grieving from their friend's suicide, make a pact, The Summer Pact, to always be there for each other, no matter where they are or what is going on in their lives. Ten years later, when one of the three, Hannah, finds her fiancé is cheating, she is at a total loss. Her two college friends come to support her, even at pretty personal cost to their own lives. I really enjoyed this book and cant wait to read more by Emily Giffin.

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin is about a foursome of college freshmen who meet one night and quickly form a tight-knit circle. Sadly, they lose one member of this group unexpectedly. This leads them to form what they refer to as the summer pact. They promise to drop everything at a moment's notice if any of their group needs them. This pact plays out over the course of the book as each friend struggles at separate times. This pact also has ramifications for each friend's loved ones. Read and enjoy!

Excellent book by Emily Giffin. I loved this book. Her characters were well developed and so very relatable. I will be recommending this book to others without a doubt.

Be fair warned that this is NOT a summer beach read. Topics of suicide, grief, racial discrimination, depression, dysfunctional families, and LBGTQ relationships are mentioned. I did feel that the author handled them well in her presentation. This is a story of four young people finding their best friends while in college and forming such a bond that they become a chosen family. However, this is not a feel good book even though the basis is the strength of true friendship will help you overcome your darkest moments as the author aims to tie it all up in a bow at the end with an optimistic ending. Told in multiple POV from each character, you get to know them beyond the surface and I did like that. But, not my favorite of books written by this author. many thanks to #netgalley #emilygiffin #thesummerpact for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Summer Pact
Author: Emily Giffin
Contemporary

Thank you so much Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC! This is my first book by this author and it was such a beautiful read. Four best friends, and one passes away tragically. In the wake of her death, the three friends Laine, Tyson and Hannah make a pact to each other to always be there in their times of desperate need. Now years later, Hannah is about to get married and she catches her fiancee cheating. She calls on her two friends and they drop everything immediately. They decide to go on a trip to three destinations each chosen by one of them, and I must say I love books where they go on trips because it makes me feel like I’m on one myself. I loved that we got to read through each of the friends POVs. The story flowed, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages for more with no slumps even though it wasn’t necessarily fast paced. Some may want to check the triggers first since there is heavy talk of suicide, cheating, and grief. Overall I really enjoyed this read!

This book was so enjoyable. I started it thinking it would be about one thing and it was so much more. The friendship and the adventure was amazing. I personally didn’t love the very end and who she ended up with but that’s just me. I also would have liked to have known why the first character did what she did.

I started this book thinking I would only read for about 20 minutes. A couple hours later I put down the finished book! In true Emily Giffin fashion, she wrote a book I just couldn’t put down. She has a way of making her characters feel like people I know in real life. This book deals with some very tough topics, but it does it in a way that truly made me reflect on suicide and how someone might not appear sad or depressed before taking that action. The friendships in this novel felt real and imperfect, which made me think about the relationships in my life. I would highly recommend that everyone read The Summer Pact.

I am a fan of Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed books and was excited to read her latest book. I was hoping for romance but instead got a story about 3 friends who make a pact to be there for each other through thick and thin. The friendship aspect of the book kept me reading to the end, but in all honesty I didn’t love any of the three characters. Wish I loved this more. Three stars for me.

I found this book a lovely summer read. Friends and drama, when 4 college friends make a pact to be there for each other in times of trouble makes for a wonderful story. Leave it to Emily Giffin to be the artist she is and create this wonderful story line.

Thank you Emily! I read this book in 2 days while sitting on a boat and it was very intense, loved it! I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good summer read.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very engaging novel about friendship. Even though the characters in the story are not perfect, they and the depth of their friendship sometimes seem too good to be true. However, Giffin's skill at crafting these characters, the situations they find themselves in, and the dialogue makes the story so believable that we can't help getting invested. We can only wish that we had friends as true as these.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides to help pick up the pieces?

Four college freshman meet and become fast friends and develop a strong bond. But as graduation approaches a tragic event changes everything and they make a pact to support each other through everything!

A decade later, Hannah faces unexpected challenges just as she's about to experience a joyful moment. Reaching out to her closest friends, they realize they're all at pivotal points in their lives. Keeping their earlier promise, they decide to take a break from their current paths and embark on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

I would love to see this as a film! This is a great book!

An outstanding novel relating the journey three longtime friends take to escape the disappointments they experience. Once a foursome, Lainy, Tyson, Hannah, and Summer were closest of friends when tragedy struck. Lainy, Tyson and Hannah make a pact to always be there if anything happens to make then need their friends. Years later, they take a vacation that tests their bonds and their relationships.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.