The premise of the book had good promise, but I felt like it missed the mark and lacked depth. The voices from the characters all sounded the same. It was too messy and I did not buy the love stories. It seemed rushed and forced with the addition of Olivia.

(3.5 stars) extremely fast read! this will hook you and keep you entertained the entire time. ver dialog heavy, which i love! by the time i was finished, i was waiting for more, tbh and i do think this book would’ve benefited from being longer and spent more fleshing out the last third. with that being said, it was incredibly enjoyable. a perfect SUMMER read, & the ensemble of characters was great! the power of friendship shines in this book.

Good for the summer, a quick easy read. Nice story about friendships, but a bit too predictable for me.

I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I knew about halfway through how things would end up, but the storyline was well thought out. The book is just lacking some kind of spark or “it factor” for me, and maybe it was because all of the characters had too many issues?

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

This was a good read - perfect for the beach or a lazy summer afternoon. The crux of the book centers around 4 young adults who bonded together during the first week of college - we get some backstory in bits and pieces as you read through the book and learn one of the 4 is no longer with them come graduation time - Each go their own way until a crisis in ones friends life reunites them and they wind up on an adventure while trying to figure out what it is they really want out of life.

I was captured by the story from the beginning. I loved stories that have the found family trope. A story about friends promising to always be together when tragedy strikes. After an unfortunate event happens then find themselves spending the summer together looking for answers in life. This was an ok read. I wasn’t expecting such heavy topics for a summer read. However it was a captivating story about friendship.

This book was fine. I thought it might’ve been a summer book but that wasn’t the case. I liked the premise. I’m not sure of the ending.

This is a nice story about friendship and life struggles. It’s like a coming of age story for young adults trying to figure out life. I like that it is told from different perspectives, from the group of friends that get together years later when things get derailed in their lives.

This book was okay. I would not really classify it as a romance as that isn't the main focus. It's more about friendship and the ties that bound us. The characters were interesting, but there didn't seem to be a lot of depth to their stories. It can be a bit heavy at times. Overall just okay for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I went in blind thinking this was going to be a great beach read but it's a little heavier than that. It's about grief, friendship and dealing with struggles in life. I loved the friendship that Hannah, Lainey, Tyson and Summer have. It's so special to find those friends that become family. There were times that I thought Hannah and Lainey each acted like brats; I was getting annoyed with them. I enjoyed the ending and the overall message in the book.

While this book was not entirely what I was expecting, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters are likable and relatable, the story has true Emily Giffin heart, and the plot was touching. I didn’t like how one of the plot points wrapped up - too quick & predictable - but still a wonderful book!

Four freshmen become inseparable friends at the beginning of their college careers even though they come from different worlds: Lainey is a California party girl, Tyson is from D.C. and hopes to become a lawyer one day, Hannah is a Southern belle and Summer is a recruited athlete from the Midwest. Tragedy strikes their small group, however, and their lives are forever changed. Now, years later, the friends reunite to help Hannah through a horrific break-up just before her wedding, and she knows she can rely on her friends in her time of need. This book was both heartbreaking and uplifting, and I give it all the stars!

A heart warming story of friendship in the midst of an adventure but don't mistake the cover for being light-hearted. Poignant and tough to read at times, novel tackles some deep issues in a realistic manner. I so appreciate the author's trigger warning from the beginning as suicide, depression, and mental illness are all addressed within the pages. The adventure the characters go on is described so beautifully, it made me want to visit Capri and experience the sights, sounds, and food too!
Novel packs a punch but at its core is a beautiful story of friendship and finding yourself perhaps when least expected.

Perfect story to get lost in. Didn't want to put down but didn't want it to end. The friendships felt genuine. It explored the real meaning of friendship and the layers of inclusion. Sometimes you think you are exclusive with a friend but will have different levels of friendship between eachother. Recommend.

A well-written book about friendship. The story begins when 4 very different college students form a strong bond. When a tragedy happens to one member of the group, the remaining 3 promise to always be there for each other. Years later, one of the women brings the group together after reminding them of their promise. The story is told from the points of view of the 3 women. I enjoyed reading about the issues the women were now having and how they worked to resolve them.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you know me, you know I love a book about dysfunctional, broken people. And when people are rocked by tragedy, you know you’re going to get them. The title might give readers a certain impression of this story and then you discover its meaning, and the emotion hits you like a truck… unfortunately, it doesn’t stay there long.

Hannah, Tyson, Summer and Lainey are all incredible interesting people all searching for themselves in this story. Their shared grief surrounding the major tragedy of the plot depicts a wonderful story of friendship and found family. In many ways, however, I don’t feel as though we truly get to explore this in as much detail as I would have liked. We never get a full picture of the tragedy (which I get is the point to an extent though) so nothing ever feels fully fleshed out. The novel sometimes feels both too short AND too long given what we were and weren’t provided.

I genuinely loved these characters but I just wanted MORE! Definitely a hard hitting but heart warming read all the same.

This book may be my least favorite of Emily’s so far. The character plots seemed to take a bit to get into. I really liked Tyson’s character the most. Lainey was a bit unhinged. Hannah was a pushover. They were all immature at times for their ages. This wasn’t what I’ve come to expect from Emily. I will always read her books. I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as I have her others. Thank you NetGalley & Random House-Ballantine for the ARC.

The Summer Pact is a great summer read that explores the themes of found family, friendship, travel and love. Emily Giffin always does a good job writing interesting stories that explore the complexities of friendships. This book tells the story of three best friends- Hannah, Lainey, and Tyson. All live very different lives. They became best friends in college where they lost the fourth member of their group, Summer, whose death continues to impact their lives a decade later. An added bonus is the friends travel to Capri - a magical place that the author describes in such detail that I want to hop the next flight to Italy to eat, shop, hike and watch beautiful sunsets over the water!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy. Definitely recommend!

Another delightful beach read from Giffin! As usual, there's no deep literary river here, but it's light, fun, and the perfect companion for a summer vacation. Really enjoyed.

I liked this book but did not love it as much as some of her others. I went into this expecting it to be a summer beach read and the backstory behind the summer pact was a bit of a downer. I did not care for Lainey as a character, and felt that all the romantic relationships in the book were off, and unnecessary. I did love the setting, and enjoyed imagining myself in Italy.