This was a miss for me. The premise 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. Seemed rushed and forced.

This book is sweet and cheesy in a way that only Emily giffin can get away with for me. Following the death of a close friend in college the remaining three bffs set out to take a once planned trip. A nice little story of love-loss and all that comes between. Definitely a sweet summer read

Trigger Warning: Suicide

An examination of grief, friendship, and the lasting impact of our most formative years. Emily Giffin's newest novel will break your heart while inspiring you to prioritize yourself and the ones you love.

Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite authors from the moment I read "Something Blue". She was one of the first "adult fiction" authors I ever read and she will forever hold a special place in my heart. Her latest novel shows off her incredible talent in capturing each character's unique voice. I was struck by the difference across all three main characters!

This "Eat, Pray Love"-esque novel will be one that you continue to think about weeks after finishing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, mainly because the relationships between the main characters felt extremely strained given they were supposed to be best friends who would do anything for each other. They barely acted like adults throughout the story and they’re supposed to be 30 years old. I also thought the author said a lot directly that should have been shown through actions. The Capri bits also felt over romanticized.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC on this book for my honest review.

Emily Giffin does it again. This book had all the feels. The book starts with the how 4 people meet in college and become friends. One of the friends is lost in a tragic situation which created the Pact to always be there for one another by the other 3 friends. Years later one of the friends is cheated on by her fiancé and the friends come together because of the Pact. The story follows the 3 friends on a trip to unite in their friendship and heal from the long ago loss of their friend and their own personal difficulties.

DNF at 53%. I know a lot of Emily Giffin fans, but it ultimately wasn’t for me. I appreciate the author’s dedication to raising awareness of important topics such as mental health, suicide, alcoholism, etc. and having the characters navigate their grief, coping mechanisms, and how to talk about those things. However, the story hinges on Tyson, Hannah, Lainey, and Summer’s friendship/connection, and we didn’t really get much background into their relationships, just 1 or 2 chapters explaining how they met and Summer’s suicide. We are told they grew close, but we didn’t actually see it. I will still post about the synopsis and release date for those interested.

I loved this book, and i mean i just love everything Emily writes. This is such a good summer read, friendship and relationship vibes. Follows ups an downs in life.

I really enjoyed this one! I ADORED Meant to Be, her last novel (5 star that I think about so often) and was ecstatic to receive an early eARC and audio copy from the publisher; thank you so so much! I liked that this one was character-driven & had so much development of each friend in the summer pact friend group, following their lives over the years since college. There was a found family sense, and a big focus on tackling life's hardships, and how to maintain friendship while navigating the years of finding yourself/big change. This one was heavier in topic, but I love that Emily disclaimed trigger warnings at the very beginning. Overall, I really liked it, and enjoyed each character. The audiobook was great because it was full cast (some of the fake accents got a bit annoying- though I am certain I could not do any better, lol). I didn't enjoy as much as Meant to Be, but I did like it/recommend it!

Will be sharing my full review on Instagram/bookstagram ASAP! :)

Thank you to net galley for the ARC of Emily Giffin’s latest novel. The premise of this novel revolves around four college freshmen who become fast friends in their first year of college. Tragedy strikes and following the loss of one of them the remaining three make a pact. They promise that if any of them hits rock bottom the others will drop everything to be there. 10 years later they come together to honor the pact. The result is an exploration of their past and present lives in an effort to come to terms with life.
The concept of the story was very intriguing but unfortunately the connection of these 3 characters falls short. The novel is told from the perspective of all 3 characters without too much background of their relationships. This definitely focused on a difficult subject matter which Giffin handled most respectfully. Tragedy and a crossroad for all involved grabs the readers attention immediately! I would definitely recommend this as a summer read although not my favorite Giffin.

As heartbreaking as the overall theme of this book is, Emily has masterfully made it a light read. I liked that the multiple viewpoints allowed insight to the very different characters...each one lovable on their own. If you are a Giffin fan, then this is absolutely a must-read!!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine via NetGalley for providing this ARC!!

Pack your bags & get ready to dive into this summer adventure— The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin comes out in less than a month ✈️

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
#gifted @randomhouse — tysm!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Multiple POV 🔄
▫️Character driven stories
▫️Traveling/Summer vacas ☀️
▫️Found family feels
▫️Short chapters
▫️Themes of: friendship, grief, forgiveness, & moving on 😢

MY THOUGHTS & RATING:
I adored this book! This adventurous read was full of deep friendships, summer travels, and emotional baggage. 🩵

When tradegy strikes, a group of 3 friends make a pact to come together in times of need. Years later, they are reminded of their promise to each other, so they set off together on a trip of a lifetime. 🗺️

Giffin’s writing was as spectacular as ever! Although the vaca vibes were vibing 🍹, Hannah, Lainey, & Tyson were some flaweddd characters with DEEP wounds. I grew to like them bc their problems felt realistic. ❤️‍🩹 I was actually debating 4.5 stars for this one but, there were some turns in the second half of the story that felt a little random/rushed? 🤔 I could have done without the subplots tbh, not needed. It also felt like the book was trying too hard to include current events (you’ll know what I mean if/when you read it lol). I really loved the emotional pull we got from this one but keep in mind it’s a heavy read! 😞🫶

‼️ You should always look up triggers before reading fiction. This book mentions triggers before chapter 1 starts, which I include on the last picture. But IMO, they missed a major trigger... I hope they fix this for the final copies. DM me for specific triggers. ‼️

DETAILS:
▫️Publishes: 7/9/24
▫️Pages: 352
▫️Format: Physical

Another friends-to-lovers romance that creates a great summer read. Although the underlying reason that the pact was made, it has true friendship, cheaters and lovers all in one.

Definitely recommend if you are going to sit on the beach somewhere!

Review:

A story of friendship, loss and love, The Summer Pact wasn’t really what I was expecting and it left me mostly underwhelmed. I chose this book based on the author and the cover and it was the epitome of don’t judge a book by its cover! Parts of the story were funny, while others dealt with heavy real life situations like suicide and alcoholism. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read and it wasn’t the worst, but it would be pass for me if I could read it over again.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy of The summer Pact, all opinions are my own.

I've been waiting a long time for a new Emily Giffin book! This one wasn't my favorite but I read it in 2 days and was a quick read. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the development of the friendships between the characters on their journey, but the ending felt a little too contrived.

4.5 stars
I literally devoured this book. It took me all of like 10 hours to read. The chapters were short and kept you coming back. It was addictive and so hard to stop reading.
This story takes place when a tragedy brings a friend group even closer together. They make a pact to always be there for each other. As life goes on - one calls in that pact and they take a trip of a life time.
"literally loved everything about the friend group - Erin, Lainey & Tyson - they have been there for each other through thick and thin.. found family at its finest.
I love having the multiple perspectives - seeing how each person is dealing with their own life. There was definitely drama, definitely tension, definitely heat break - but also real life. This book has a lot of feelings and I really enjoyed it.
Trigger Warnings: suicide

Emily Giffin does it again! Her books are so comforting to me and the writing is always exceptional.

The Summer Pact is an amazing recognition of tragedy and how valuable a good friendship is. You get to know, love, and understand the three main characters and root for their friendship and happiness along the way. I loved how real the story was and tackling sensitive topics with grace and care. I truly enjoyed this story and hope others love it as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC of The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin.

Another perfect summer must read. If you are already a Giffin fan this will not disappoint. If you are new to her as an author be prepared to want to binge all of her other novels.

More often then not our closest family members are not the ones we are biologically tied to but the ones the universe knows we need. The friends we collect along the way that fit, understand, and accept us at all costs. The friends who have your back through all the rough patches and remain unwavering even in times of indifference and friendship struggles.

Lainey, Tyson, Hannah, and Summer find one another as freshman in college. They bond over their differences, similarities, and emotional traumas. They all come from different paths in life and socioeconomic backgrounds. They are dynamic and unbreakable. Their bond allows them to step away from their family’s preconceived notion of what their lives will be and they set out to make their own paths. It’s not until the stress of life tragically takes Summer from them. After committing suicide with no explanation the Summer Pact is formed. The remaining three vow to always ensure this never occurs again and at a drop of a hat when someone is in need no matter how far or the circumstances everyone will come together.

Fast forward to Hannah finding her soon to be husband in bed with a local low grade influencer shortly after their save the dates have been sent and their future home has been purchased. When Hannah calls Lainey, who is up for the role of her life, Lainey rebooks a flight because Hannah as hit her bottom. Lainey informs Tyson who despite being up for partner in his prestigious law firm and being in a seemingly great place and relationship gives it all up because of the pact.

Unknowingly all 3 need one another because realistically they are all at their bottom or pretty close. Each picking a destination they set off on a trip not only to fix Hannah but themselves individually and as a group. Struggles with family relationships, alcoholism, sexuality, and appropriate meaningful relationships are tactfully and meaningfully addressed in this must read summer hit. Family isn’t always about blood it’s about unwavering loyalty. Surviving your worst and coming out your best with people who love you unconditionally speaks volumes as does this amazing read by Giffin.

Pub Date: July 9, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Emily Giffin's The Summer Pact is a coming-of-age story of four friends who meet in college and vow to see each other through life's ups and downs. The group agrees to come together when one of the members suffers through a difficult situation. They decide to take several trips together and work through their problems together. It has been several decades since I read an Emily Giffin novel, and I remembered them to be easy, simple, feel-good reads. This is the same quality. It felt a bit juvenile, but it could be that I, as a middle-aged woman, am not the right demographic for this type of book.

DNF @ 50%

This is a book that I don’t see myself picking back up. Don’t let Fun summery cover fool you, There are many triggering and depressing topics that are constantly being talked about Which is bringing my mood down. The second half might be better? I’m not sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

A well-written story about friendship and the ties that bind. There are heavy themes embedded within The Summer Pact showing how each character had their own personal struggles.

Overall I enjoyed this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for the ARC.