Well that was… a bit disappointing after loving Meant to Be. There were some heartwarming moments and, at times, I enjoyed the friendship dynamics, but I did not find the characters relatable nor believable. Plus the three main characters/povs all sounded the same.

Loved the setting and premise!

This book tells a beautiful story of strong friendships and found family. The book begins with a tragedy and the story details the beautiful friendships that continue and develop in spite of and because of the tragedy. The story is told with rotating narration of the 3 main characters and it is done in a way that doesn't disrupt the story line.

Much of the story takes place in the beautiful setting of Capri and the descriptions of the location make you feel like you're there.

Highly recommend this latest from Emily Giffin.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

Overall, I thought the premise was interesting. I liked Tyson the most. I also liked the traveling aspect and the imagery of Italy—perfect to read in the summer.

Honestly, I didn’t care for Lainey very much. I know her attitude and behavior are part of the group dynamics and her character development, but I thought she was selfish. I really didn’t connect with any of the characters.

It was a good summer read and especially good if you like themes of friendship, dysfunctional families, and finding yourself.

Three college make a pact to support each through challenging times after one of their closest friends takes their own life. When one of the friends finds out about her fiancé's infidelity, she calls the other two who drop everything to come support. They decide to take a trip they had planned back in college before their loss, each selecting a different place around the world to visit. This is that story...

I really liked the premise of this book and I think it is well written, for the most part. I liked the characters and their travels. But... it just wasn't for me. Although I liked the characters, I didn't relate to them and felt that their actions were rather childish for 30 year olds. I felt sad for them mostly. There were a few too many parts that felt like virtue signalling - maybe I just don't hang out with people who speak that way openly, so it feels a bit strange to read. During the MPOV, I forgot who I was reading several times. Then you leave one characters perspective to move right into another's (like one character left the room because she was uncomfortable - noted by the friends - to see through that characters eyes in the next chapter that she left the room because she was uncomfortable.) You are following 3 POV of people who are almost always together. Lastly, how can you connect with Summer and sympathize with the character loss, when you don't really know her except through some very short conversations? There wasn't much reminiscing and pulling her more into the story - she is the reason they are where they are now... on this trip... it would have been nice to get to know her more since she played such a significant role in their lives.

Overall, well written, interesting concept, but not a book I would pick up and read again. I might try to read other books by the author because I enjoyed her style, but might want to read a little deeper synopsis than the quick inside cover summary/hook.

Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC. I am sure it will be enjoyed by many.

"The summer pact" is the agreement made by three friends in college in the wake of a tragedy to be there for each other in the future, no matter what. Ten years later, the friends come together, in the name of this pact, and embark on a journey that winds up changing all of their lives.
I usually really love Emily Griffin books, but I struggled a bit with this one.
I love this premise, but the reality of this book fell a bit short for me. I think some of the reason the book fell short for me is the pacing. I found it a bit slow. The other reason is the character development. I just really could not connect to the characters and for the most part found them unlikeable.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this ARC.

Giffin has been a favorite, however, this title falls a bit short. The Summer Pact was predictable in the outcome, and as a whole wasn't as engaging as the author's previous novels. While the initial premise is important and timely - suicide prevention and awareness - the friends Hannah, Tyson, and Lainey didn't "grab" my attention as other of Giffin's writing has.

Without giving any spoilers, I loved the layers this book possessed. I don't read book descriptions so maybe others weren't surprised, but in the first 15% I was devastatingly and happily surprised and ready to take the journey through the rest of the novel. Parts of it were heartbreaking and I was wishing for different storylines but that is because I loved the characters. In the end I find myself both uncomfortable and satisfied and thoughtful. Nice job, Emily Griffin, another book that makes me think. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC copy. It was a pleasure to read.

Emily Giffin is a wonderful author and the storyline seemed like a great idea, however it did fall flat for me. What happened in the beginning was thrown at us without much of a background. That part would have had a bigger impact on the rest of the book had I known the character more or even a clue as to why it happened. This same thing was mentioned throughout the book, tied to decisions made but really didn’t make the connection as a whole for me. I felt like the main plot was missing and there were too many holes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an ARC. All opinions expressed here are my own.

tw- suicide and potential SA

i feel like this had a lot of potential and the friends group had a nice dynamic but it ultimately fell short. it was in three different POV’s but they didn’t sound too incredibly different so i often forgot who’s POV i was in. they’re incredibly immature for their age (32ish). it got a little boring at around 60%. the characters felt a bit underdeveloped or underwhelming i guess could be a better word to describe them? thanks netgalley for giving me the chance to read + review this ARC!

2.5 ⭐️

I do think the premise had potential, but it was very slow moving, the characters pov chapters all felt like the same so no one had a unique voice, everyone was underdeveloped, romance was an afterthought… and honestly the only one I thought had uniqueness was Olivia who had 5% involvement in the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really wanted to like this book. However, it fell flat for me. I struggled through the last 30% and almost did not finish.

I feel like it had potential but there really was no plot and I felt that these friends had no business being friends. It was kind of like a train wreck you couldn’t look away from.

I couldn’t relate to the characters, I did not like any of them. I don’t want to give spoilers but the beginning was rushed and should have focused on the four friends more. I’m agitated that there was no explanation or hints at why the tragedy happened. And the twist at the end…c’mon that doesn’t just happen. There should have been mentions of at least curiosity, but there was none whatsoever.

I’ve liked other books by the author but this was not for me unfortunately.

A beautiful story about lifelong friendships and finding your own path in this world despite the expectations of others. I flew through this book and found myself reading it every chance I got.

I really liked this book.
It grabbed my attention from the start with a group of friends going through a tragedy and making a pact to always be there together. When Hannah catches her fiancé cheating on her she reaches out to her friends and Tyson and Lainey immediately fly to her to help her through it. They end up on the vacation of a lifetime.

Reading through the three different perspectives of the friends kept the pace of the book moving. The different dynamics between the friends made it a fine read. There’s definitely some tough subject matter but overall a very good read.

This was a little darker in places than I have come to expect from author Emily Giffin, but still enjoyable. I love the idea of friends being there for each other through life’s ups and downs. The travel component was a highlight of this book for me. I think this is a good vacation read; a little darkness a lot of light, some travel, a little romance. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story.

Loved this book! It isn’t often I read a book in just a few days but I didn’t want to put this one down. This one had surprises from the very beginning pages all the way to the end! It made me wish I had friendships like this from college but felt like I had three best friends by the end of the book. It is a book of friendship, love, reflection, and learning - it will make you think about your own life and what you want to different going forward. Definitely recommend!

3 stars – The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin is the story of a college pact made between four students. While the four are very different in upbringing, they create a strong bond that grows from that freshman year. Tragedy strikes and only 3 graduate college. Those three, Lainey, Hannah and Tyson, continue on with their lives but remain steadfast friends. The friends reunite again for Hannah’s wedding and then continue to Texas and Italy. Giffin weaves her tale and creates beautiful images of the Italian countryside.

I really liked the characters (both main and side). They were fleshed out and interesting people. Each chapter was told from the perspective of one of the three main characters and that added quite a bit of depth. Overall, I felt that the story was a bit slow to be honest. The narrative is good but a bit too heavy/intense at times. There is a bit of romance, but this isn’t a romance novel. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t my favorite from this author.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an ARC. Thank you to Emily Giffin for creating such interesting stories for all of us readers to enjoy. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A group of college friends loses one and makes a pact that they will always be there for each other. One only has to call and the others will come and help.

Emily Griffin just makes my heart happy! While parts of this book are a little dark and serious, it's still a good book! Four friends going through life, the highs and lows, all of it. I like it! Too real? Not really, unless you know an A list actor! Perfect summer or beach read!

This was a quick and easy read. I really loved the travel component of this book. The dynamic of the friend group was interesting, but not sure believable. Although I'm okay with that. Books are an escape for me.

4.5⭐️
The premise of this book immediately intrigued me. It was better than I thought, though.
The story about 4 friends who meet in college. They go through a serious trauma, and make a “Summer Pact” to always be there for each other in their time of need.
Fast forward years after college, and one of them is going through an extremely challenging time in her life. Out comes the “Summer Pact” which unravels an amazing, life changing journey. They travel to the island of Capri, and Emily Giffin does not fall short on the descriptions of the island. Completely transports you to Italy. You all know I love a book that can mentally transport me to a beautiful, faraway land.
This story is about love, loss, and true friends that are like family, but mostly self discovery. EG did a great job really making you feel like Tyson, Lainey, Hannah and Summer are so much more than friends, and much more like family. I really loved that part of the book.
There were a few things that just didn’t quite flow for me, which were the romances. They seemed a bit sudden, and not quite built up enough!?
I really enjoyed this book. It will be a great summer read to pop into your beach or pool bag. I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Ballantine Books
Pub Date July 9 2024