I think if I read this I would’ve enjoyed it more. The narrator of the audiobook was so breathy that I somehow got the ick from every character. It’s not a terrible story but quite a bit unrealistic and the end is drawn out. It could’ve ended 7 chapters early as the side plot just didn’t hold my attention

I was able to listen to this book on audiobook thanks to Netgalley. This friends to lovers relationship with the add trope of fake dating. Getting to read about June and Levi's relationship with all the ups and downs of there history. I loved the small town beach vibe that Emma Lord created within the story. While I liked the over all story line there were moments that seemed drawn out and not necessary. I liked Emma Lord's writing , the narrator of the book and enjoyed the characters in "The Break-up Pact".

Finished the ARC of #TheBreakUpPact and it’s SO. GOOD. Just the right amount of a cute romance, with a twist of drama and a drop of spice. I loved June and Levi’s story! The beginning is a smidge hard to follow, but after the first few chapters it straightens itself out. I was fortunate enough to get the audio and an ebook copy, and they were both sooo good. Definitely recommend if you need a sappy romance with good laughs, too! Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Emma Lord, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I have loved all of Emma Lord's YA stories and was excited to see what she did with an adult romance (i.e. open door scene but is skippable). She brings authentic real characters to life with hopes and dreams, hurt and past tragedy. The emotions! It was a beautiful story to see Levi and June be forced together to fake date and have it turn to more.

I almost brought this down to 4.5 stars because of the beginning with the break up didn't seem very realistic but its fiction so I let it slide.

Read this for all the mentions of scones! I really need to make some, small town by the beach, childhood best friends, friends to lovers, fake dating and more. Loved the cover and the narrator was fantastic!

This book releases in 2 weeks, thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the alc. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Emma Lord for an ARC of this audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus in exchange for my honest review.

I absolute ATE THIS SHIT UP!!! It was so cute and had so many of my favorite tropes that I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. I’m such a sucker for the childhood best friends to lovers AND fake dating tropes so this was a perfect read for me!! I loved the premise of the story as well as the setting and now I want to open my own seaside tea and scone shop. I do wish we had gotten a little more background on June’s sister Annie and the circumstances surrounded her death because it played such a pivotal role in bringing June and Levi back together.

Natalie was an incredible narrator for this book and perfectly brought the characters and their emotions to life. If you’re a fan of Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez, I definitely recommend picking this up!

2.5/5 ⭐️

June and Levi are both nursing broken hearts. To make matters worse, their breaking hearts have made HEADLINES. They haven't been close in years, but they decide to join forces a la "no publicity is bad publicity." They could both use the boost, and if feelings never develop, this should be easy! They fake date for the press...with an expiration date. But getting close brings up the past, and suddenly, nothing is as easy at it seems!

This reminded me a great deal of an Emily Henry book. We delve deeply into the pasts of these characters, mining tragedy and shared events to foster revelations and personal growth in the present. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, was FANTASTIC. She felt like a Julian Whelan or an Erin Mallon. Gorgeous voice!

Ultimately, this fell a bit flat for me because the (figurative) ghosts of the people who were haunting Levi and June weren't particularly compelling. I felt confused as to why June and Levi cared so much for their exes, as well as the mutual friend they lost. A great deal of this book was made up of characters talking about the people they'd lost who never seemed that great to begin with. Relationships are complicated, so it makes sense, but still, it didn't feel rich enough.

There was some chemistry. There was some fun. There was some sort of abrasive writing at times that took away from my enjoyment of the story. Though deep, it didn't quite provide the emotion I was looking for, and I didn't have as much fun with the lighter scenes as I'd hoped.

Trigger warning: untimely death of a childhood friend (off page)

I'd like to thank MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Super huge thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of the Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord!

This was such a fun read. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I thought it got mildly repetitive in parts but overall it was a great. Such a sweet wrap up!

I tried reading this ARC in both ebook and audio formats, and it turned out that it's just not for me. I really enjoy Emma Lord's YA novels, but I don't think I am quite the audience for her adult books, and I ended up DNFing about a quarter of the way through.

My first read by Emma Lord and I really enjoyed the writing style. A cute rom-com. There was something missing for me in the romance aspect - I felt it lacked depth. The story seemed quite reminiscent of other books I've read recently as well. My favourite aspect was in June's journey of grieving and in the relationships with her siblings. I found this relatable and utterly heart breaking to read the emotions she went through in processing life without her sister and learning how to move forward. I would certainly read another by the author as I did enjoy the style if not this story as a whole.

This felt like it’s already been done before. There was nothing that made it stand out and felt like a story I had heard too many times before.

Emma Lord is a favorite YA author of mine and I was so excited to read her adult romance debut!! Unsurprisingly it was FANTASTIC!! Two former high school friends who have both been recently and publicly dumped team up to fake date in this small town summer love story.

Full of heart, emotional depth, great chemistry and EXCELLENT on audio narrated by my very fav, Natalie Naudus. I loved this a lot and can't recommend it enough. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a sibling (off page)

This was more like a 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. It was cute! But… frustrating.

Some of the preview reviews for this book mentioned it was a little like Emily Henry books, which I can see in that the story didn’t fully focus on romance—there was a lot of family and friendship side plot happening alongside the love story. And that’s fine!

But to me, this reminded me more of Abby Jimenez’s books because the miscommunication trope was like the entire book. (Her entire Part of Your World series is three books of miscommunication.)

Anyway, like I said, it was cute, but I kept waiting for the other show to drop. I’m just not used to books without third-act breakups.

Spice was there, but it was low. Mostly just one major scene. 1.5-2/5 🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

June and Levi were friends from childhood through high school, but June overheard Levi say he didn’t like her and their friendship ended. Fast forward 10 years and they both suffer embarrassing public breakups so they fake date to change the narrative. They grow close and admit their feelings for each other, but their exes cause issues. I enjoyed this story and the audiobook narration. The characters grow significantly individually which makes the relationship growth believable. Definitely recommend.

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord is an easy going summer beach read about two old friends who have been estranged and find their way back to each other.

June runs a seaside tea shop - one she and her late sister had dreamed of. After going viral for a very public breakup, “crying girl” suddenly gets an unexpected influx of patrons - but it isn’t enough to stop the owner of the building from terminating June’s lease lest she can turn the shop around and go in a new direction.

Levi is an author fresh off a public breakup who has returned home to this tiny beach town in order to try and finish a book he’s been attempting to write.

Tied together by the loss of June’s older sister - June and Levi decide to rekindle their friendship by making a Break Up Pact. Faux dating in order for Levi to regain his previous gf and to help June save her seaside tea shop. Does it work - yes, sort of.

June battles with her having had feelings for Levi going back to their childhood and falling for him all over again during this process. After a slow burn they finally get together and decide to give it a go. Spice I was not anticipating added.

With their exes returning June and Levi have to decide if their fake dating was truly fake or if there is something more there.

Do they end up together in the end, of course. Was it a book that will stay with me long after having read it? No.

Would I recommend it to someone - maybe.

I will add that I heard that this was Emma Lord’s first romance novel and while this may not have been my favorite, her writing style is one I’d gladly read again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy.

3.5 stars! A super fun childhood friends to fake love to more trope that brings a super fun summer vibe! A fantastic heart warming pool or beach read that will have you ready to make some scones!

Loved the narration, the plot, the imagery!

Let me start by saying that The Break-Up Pact wasn't even on my radar but I needed an audiobook to listen to so I went with this one. It was incredibly done and exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the narration and the pacing of the novel. I loved the idea of revenge exes and its even better that they fall for each other again. The setting was perfect for summer and made me want to go to the beach. Definitely will recommend this to all fans of romance.

I honestly didn't think there would *be* spice in this book because it felt like it skewed to younger readers. I felt like the prose was predictable and cliché, but others may read this as fluffy and fun. It all felt too familiar to me. There's also an odd mix of underdevelopment (especially where June-'s sister is concerned) and too much rambling. I loved Levi and June's interesting jobs and backstory... but as I mentioned, something felt missing for me to recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book.

The Break-Up Pact is a friends-to-lovers romance with fake dating at its core.

June and Levi both get broken up with in a very public, humiliating manner and find themselves back in their hometown trying to recover. Even though they haven't spoken in ten years, they decide a revenge fake dating scenario could solve all of their problems.

There are a lot of emotional moments in this novel and it has all the makings of a great summer read. Unfortunately I never could fully connect with the two leads, and their chemistry seemed forced. Not to mention their entire relationship or lack thereof (from high school to current day) is based on miscommunication and people who can't express their emotions. (And it kept happening as adults!!!) Levi and June don't seem to grow too much until the very end and it becomes extremely frustrating.

Emma Lord does sweet romance really well and that shows with her YA works. I just didn't feel like that translated well into an adult romance novel, instead it just felt like it was missing something.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

No matter which way you spin it, break-ups suck. Compound that with the utter humiliation of becoming a virtual sensations and the pain only intensifies. But when Levi and June are reunited, they agree to fake date in order to help give the impression they have moved on. Will their plan work, or will it result in double the heartache?

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord marks her departure from YA Literature to Adult Romance. While I liked seeing her writing evolve into a more mature style, I found myself struggling with the explicit content.

Other than the unnecessary steamy scenes, I found the book to be rather enjoyable.

I recommend reading if you enjoy:
-fake dating
-friends to lovers
-small town romances
-slow burns

*I had the pleasure of both listening to and reading an e-book. However, I did prefer reading over listening. The narration was fine, but definitely not my favorite.

**Trigger Warning- this book does discuss the loss of a friend/ family member in depth.

Special thanks to Macmillian Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and Emma Lord for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
👯‍♀️ Siblings Best Friend
👧🏼 Childhood Friends to Lovers
💋 Fake Dating
🤳🏻 Viral Break-ups
🏘️ Small Town Romances
☕️ Saving a Small Business
🏃🏼‍♀️ Chasing your Dreams

This is Emma Lord’s first adult romance, and you guys! I am so excited it was my first book from her and definitely need to read her YA romances now too!

I loved the childhood friends to lovers, small town, fake dating, sibling’s best friend, and all the family and friends moments! This book truly had a great cast that came together so well to tell this story!

I also loved that both MC’s had childhood dreams that they fully supported the other to work towards achieving in the light of a tough circumstance with both having very public and viral break-ups that lead to them fake dating as “the revenge exes”

I also really appreciated the history between the characters and the gaps of knowing each other from them both leaving their small town and being apart for many years.

Thank you so so so much to MacMillan Audio for my gifted audiobook and St. Martin’s Griffen for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!