In "The Summer Pact," Emily Giffin delivers a tender and heartfelt portrayal of friendship, grief, love, and hope. When tragedy strikes during their college years, four friends make a pact that will bind them together for life.

Lainey, Tyson, Summer, and Hannah couldn't be more different, but from the moment they strike up a conversation in their shared dorm, the seeds of friendship are planted. As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies, and they become inseparable. But when a desperate act leads to tragic consequences, their lives are forever changed.

Stunned and heartbroken, the friends make a pact, promising to always be there for one another, no matter what. Ten years later, when Hannah's life is suddenly turned upside down, she calls on her closest friends for support. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from their own lives and embark on a shared journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In "The Summer Pact," Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides, helping us pick up the pieces? With its richly drawn characters, compelling storyline, and heartfelt exploration of friendship and resilience, this is a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page. If you're a fan of emotional and uplifting stories about the power of friendship, "The Summer Pact" is a must-read.

I have probably read everything Emily Giffin has written and this one was still as great as all her other ones. I was hooked from the first few pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my review. I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

The Summer Pact is the story of 3 best friends who lose their 4th best friend their senior year of college to suicide. They make a pact that they will always come together when one of them needs the others, when they are at rock bottom, regardless of what they have going on in their lives. When Hannah finds her fiancé cheating on her, Lainey and Tyson show up for her, recognizing that's her rock bottom moment. From there, they decide they are going to travel together - a trip where each of them chooses a destination and nobody can veto.

While I really did enjoy this book and the storyline, there were a few pieces that really bothered me and stopped me from rating it higher. I felt like the author needed to get all of the "token" pieces into this book. She hit on so many controversial things, and I don't know why, but it also bothered me how many "moments" from current affairs she had to touch on. It felt like she was making it a point to show what's currently happening in the world, but it felt forced and not natural. Examples - she had to have LGBTQ characters, a Black character who doesn't have the same advantages as his friends, she had to touch on politics, the COVID pandemic, even Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. It was too much in my opinion. It felt like a checklist and she was making sure she got it all.

The story itself was good and enjoyable, but I had a few dislikes there too. It felt like from the get go the author wanted you to think that this relationship was totally platonic for everyone - that it was normal for a guy to have 3 girl best friends, that nothing more was going on - and then he had more going on with not one but TWO of the characters. It felt like it just gave way to the belief that a male and female can't be platonic friends, which it felt like she was trying to combat at the beginning of the book. I also didn't love that Hannah became lesbian (or bi-sexual? That was never really clear) out of nowhere. I get that can happen, and sometimes you have a bit of an awakening when you meet the right person, but again it didn't feel natural and felt like it seriously came from nowhere. I also felt like Tyson barely liked Lainey in the beginning of the book, so I have no idea how they got to where they did by the end. I didn't feel that development the way I would've liked to in order to buy into it.

It was a fun concept, I enjoyed the things that happened throughout, but I think it could've been executed a bit better overall.

As soon as I saw another Emily Giffin book coming out I knew I had to read it!

This story is about 4 college students who formed an unlikely friendship. As the end of their college year was approaching, tragedy strikes and a Summerpact is formed to stay friends and be there for one another always.

I love the travels that the characters take together and the bonds that are formed.

Definitely a good beach read and will be recommending this book.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC!

I’m a huge fan of Emily Giffin so I was ecstatic for this book- and it did not disappoint! “The Summer Pact” had me hooked from the first page as we learn about four unlikely friends who meet in college. They face an unthinkable tragedy which solidifies their friendship further and leads to the promise of being there for each other when needed. The promise leads to an unexpected adventure that has the friend group on a path of self-discovery and healing. This book tackles heavy issues tactfully and highlights that you never know what someone is going through. Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

Four people meet in college and become unlikely friends. When a tragedy strikes, it binds them for life As time goes on they experience many different ups and downs but are always there for each other. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Emily Giffen delivers a quick read about friendship, loss, and living life to the fullest. Great book to pick up for a summer beach read.


Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC.

A great read in one or two days summer book. The book follows the aftermath of how friends support one another since the tragic death of a fourth friend just as they were graduating college. A trip prompted by the recent breakup of Hannah from her cheating fiancé brings the three friends face to face with their adult issues and hopes for the future. Actor Lainey self sabotages herself by drinking through her problems. Tyson has achieved greatness in the eyes of his family but hasn’t found happiness as a lawyer. The connection the three of them share as they come together once again makes this a classic Emily Giffin novel that will for sure become an instant hit.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying I have really enjoyed Emily Giffin's books over the years, from her original books to some more recent ones. But this one failed spectacularly for me, for a plethora of reasons. It's a well-written book, but beyond that, I struggled greatly. Why?

1. There are 3 POV's in the book, and there isn't enough distinction between the character's voices, to the point where I kept forgetting whose POV I was reading.
2. The characters are very immature for their age, constantly overstep boundaries, and don't exactly portray the picture she's trying to paint of an uplifting friendship. Moreover, Lainey was insufferable!
3. The epilogue contains a lot of information that should not have been dumped at the end.
4. The romantic plotlines come in late, like an afterthought, and do not feel genuine (both, in my opinion).
5. There were a lot of side conversations in the book, and therefore pages devoted to political-adjacent topics and conversations. Of course, this will naturally occur, especially with BIPOC characters, but it was more than required. The amount of political-esque content pulled me from the plot of the book and felt very disruptive to the plot.
6. Many of the antagonists feel one-dimensional.

I had high hopes for this one but was ultimately very disappointed. Hopefully her next one is better! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel.

If there is an Emily Giffin book coming out, I am going to read it! When I saw that she was releasing a new book this summer, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Emily Giffin did an amazing job creating characters that people can relate to and truly highlighting how many people feel in their friendships. She showcases how you find your people in college and how you would drop everything for them if they needed you.

Hannah, Lainey and Tyson have been friends since college. After experiencing something that would keep them together forever, they decide to make a pact that if any of them ever hit rock bottom, they will be there for each other no questions asked. A few years down the line Hannah calls in the favor. Lainey, Tyson and Hannah reunite for an epic trip, which ends up being what each of them needs at that time. Throughout this trip, Hannah, Lainey, and Tyson realize just how much each of them needed this trip and how life changing it is going to be.

Targeted for women, I found this book to be over the top vis a vis their relationships. The book l follows four students, three women and one man through college and young adulthood. After one of the women inexplicably commits suicide right before their college graduation, they agree to support each other forever. When one of the women has a traumatic breakup, the other two drop everything to spend an extended time together. The incredulity of the characters actions is more fantasy than fiction.

If I could give Giffin infinity stars, I would!

I devoured this novel, as I do all of her books! To be honest though, the beginning made me audibly gasp. This storyline was a bit heavier than her usual plots, but honestly, that made me enjoy it even more. Real life and not 100% fairytale. A few other things she mentioned which made me smile were- a politicians arrest, a popular music artist, and a certain “high” family overseas. I love how she sprinkled these things she loves into this novel, but the story had nothing to do with any of these things.

Only spoiler I will give away is- you’re going to love this one!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Griffin, and Random House Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This books is getting a 3.5 star from me

The writing of this book was so easy to follow and I feel like everything flowed nicely. I really enjoyed that we got the POV of the three characters to see how they all navigated through their shared experience in different ways.

Some things that were a little off was the quick relationship the formed towards the end, I would have liked to have seen the development sprinkled in over a longer period of time.

Something about the pacing with this storytelling didn’t do it for me. I was so excited to read it because I’ve been a fan of Emily Giffin for years but I was a little disappointed by this one :/ I think, perhaps because the POV bounced between three people, I never felt like I got to know enough about each of them. I didn’t really feel like our main characters were interesting enough, or developed enough.

Always great summer reads, great way to pull up into some family drama or friend drama that isn't going to bleed from the page

I appreciate random house publishing and netgalley for this arc

I think I enjoyed how the story started building the characters and their relationships. But overall I don’t feel like we got the character development we needed. The ending seemed rushed. And it was way too political for me.

I think it just wasn’t quite my taste but overall a nice book

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin was one I was highly looking forward to reading and recommending.
As much as I wanted this one to be amazing, Instead I found quite a bit of the book to feel clichéd and overly dramatic. Maybe the word I'd use to sum it up would be forced. Bummer for me that it did't work.

Big hug to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I wanted to love it so much. The premise was so promising with themes of love, grief friendship and set against a backdrop of travel? Perfect. However, ] I think the pacing damaged my ability to accept some of the choices/motives of characters and I struggled to find things believable. I did love the multiple POVs but even so, in an effort to be a "light" "quick" read: it was way too quick and far too rushed. 2.5 stars

This is a wonderful read about friendship. This is a really good read about lasting friendships of four people forged in college. Each personality is so different from the other but they found a way to come together for lasting friendships. This book has it all. Heartbreak, heartwarming, romance, trials, wrongs righted, allegiances, triumph. Highly recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tyson, Lainey, Hannah and Summer become best friends in college. When Summer dies by suicide at the end of their senior year the remaining three develop a pact to be there for each other at their lowest points. Fast forward a few years and Hannah’s world comes crashing down when she finds her fiancé cheating on her. She reaches out to Lainey and Tyson, each struggling with their own concerns, and soon the three are reunited and decide to travel with each selecting a location to visit. Throughout their travels they confront and explore family drama, careers, addictions, love and sexuality.