From literally laughing out loud to snort laughing I couldn’t get enough of this book. June and Levi are so adorable! I honestly don’t want this one to end. Can’t wait to read the next one!!

I have loved Lord’s young adult novels and couldn’t wait to start this summery romance, especially with Natalie Naudus narrating. The setting was delightful and I enjoyed getting swept away to this beachy small town with its delightful side characters. The premise had me hooked and the ending was sweet, but sadly, this book wasn’t for me.

For me the main issue was underdevelopment with the characters, chemistry, and story structure. I don’t feel like we really got to know June and Levi and because I didn’t understand who they were as individuals, I couldn’t buy into them together. Even though June and Levi had been best friends growing up, they drifted apart so I found it odd that they quickly agreed to fake date each other. Side note: their exes were selfish, manipulative, and awful. Truly terrible and I don’t know why June and Levi kept in contact with them. As for June and Levi’s chemistry, I kept hanging on and hoping for a spark to ignite between them to help me cheer for their HEA, but their actions constantly contradicted their declarations - they were quite wishy washy.

As for the structuring of the story, the jumps from past memories to the present timeline were a bit chaotic and didn’t provide answers for the characters’ motives. For example, June and Levi are both grieving the loss of Annie, June’s sister, and this is significant to the story as it eludes to impacting their present lives (June is now running Annie’s business), but it’s a thread that just sort of dangles and isn’t fully developed.

This was a quick, easy read that I finished in an afternoon, but for me, it was missing the bit of magic found in Lord’s YA novels. The cover is super cute and I liked some of the side characters (Kelly and Griffin can eat glass) and the beach town setting, but I just didn’t buy into June and Levi’s relationship.

This is a pleasant summer read that I wish had been just a little lighter. This is probably my fault and not the book’s. There is just something about the cover, the title and the overall premise that gives you the expectation of a lighthearted romcom, and in some ways it is.

June and Levi, friends who haven’t spoken in years, happen to land on the unfortunate side of viral social media breakups with other partners at the same time. June’s media savvy best friend helps in hatching a plan that could benefit everyone — these two “Revenge Exes” fake date, the public interest helps to save June’s barely surviving beach tea shop, and Levi’s ex realizes the mistake she made and want him back. Obviously hilarity will ensue and these two will fall in love for real. Right?

Sometimes that is indeed the case. The book is strongest when June and Levi are flirting and creating fun new scone flavors and cheering each other on in becoming the best versions of themselves. I never mind when romances veer into serious topic territory, but this one got dragged down by how much time June spent ruminating on her obligation to keep absolutely everything about Tea Tide true to her deceased sister’s vision and basically every error in judgment she’s ever made. Overall though, I found it refreshing how honest and emotionally mature the main characters managed to be with one another through awkward circumstances, as opposed to many books of this genre that rely on miscommunication that could be easily overcome as a lazy plot device.

I would give this one a solid 3.5 stars and think it’s worth your time this summer! It publishes Aug. 13 and I thank #NetGalley, #MacmillanAudio and #EmmaLord for the advance listen!

The Break-Up Pact is a romantic comedy that intertwines themes of friendship, heartbreak, and the unexpected complexities of social media.
June, struggling to keep her beachside cafe afloat, and Levi, a hedge fund manager, are both reeling from public break-ups that have become viral sensations. Their paths cross again, leading to an opportunity: a viral photo convinces the internet they are a couple, sparking a wave of public interest since their viral break-ups. Faced with the chance to revive June's struggling business and give Levi a shot at redemption in the eyes of his ex, they agree to a fake relationship.

The author captures the modern issue of social media's impact on personal lives; what you see is only sometimes accurate. This premise sets the stage for a series of charming encounters as they navigate pretending to be in love while avoiding the unresolved past. The couple's chemistry and past friendship are enduring. June is dealing with loss, heartbreak, and possible financial ruin, which makes her relatable, and the reader empathizes with her. She is hopeful yet guarded. You are rooting for her every step of the way. The character growth throughout the story is satisfied as they confront their past misunderstandings. The romantic scene was a little off-putting and did not seem natural. It did not flow well, and emotions and experiences were weirdly over-explained. You could leave that part out, and I would have enjoyed the book more. The audio recording was great, and the narration gave the characters a voice.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio.

This story was so fun! The second chance romance, fake dating, the loss of a friend/family member and them navigating that grief together. It was such a fun heartwarming story. The narrator was great!

In this recording, I found myself immersed in a captivating second chance romance. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable, drawing listeners into their journey of reconciliation and renewed love. Their shared history adds layers of emotion and depth, making their story both compelling and heartfelt.

What I enjoyed most was the perfect balance of tender moments and light-hearted humor. The author skillfully navigates the complexities of their relationship, keeping the narrative engaging and unpredictable. The incorporation of the fake dating trope adds an enjoyable twist, creating moments of tension and surprise that enhance the overall experience.

The narration is clear and engaging, bringing the characters to life with distinct voices and emotions. Despite the fast-paced nature of the story, there's ample time for the characters to evolve and grow, making their eventual reunion all the more satisfying.

Overall, this recording delivers a delightful blend of romance, humor, and genuine emotion. It's perfect for listeners who enjoy immersive second chance romances with a touch of playful intrigue.

I am thankful to have gotten the audio ARC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio so I can leave my voluntary and honest review.

I wanted to like this more but ai struggled. I enjoy friends to lovers when it’s done well. This was ok in the mechanics of the relationship but the interactions were annoying.

What made things worse was the narration. Some of the voices the reader choose to use were completely annoying. Particularly the role of Sana. It was a shame because I liked her character the best. I had to go ha back and forth speeding up the recitation and then put it back to 1x speed in order to keep the story going.

In the prose there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary filler and for an adult novel the language was really simple. I have never read this author before but apparently she is a very good YA author. I can see that in her writing even though this book was not supposed to be YA. Maybe she should stick to her wheelhouse? Or switch to another genre completely if she is going to take another stab at adult content.

Lastly, I had a lot of issue with the Sana character. She came off like the publisher said “you need to have some diversity, make someone a person of color”. And Sana is who we got. It bordered on offensive with some of the situations/ language.

So while I appreciate white authors trying to be more inclusive, Lord needs a bit more education first.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I went into this expecting a cute, summery friends-to-lovers adult story. Instead, I got an awkward, chaotic, angsty YA book, but with characters who are nearly 30. The romance part of the plot did not work for me, but I did enjoy the explorations of grief. This was a single-narrator audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with it. I really enjoyed her tone and pacing. This book wasn’t for me, but you may enjoy it if you like to read YA romance, angst, and social media-fueled story lines.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I thought this book was basic. I finished it a day ago and already forgot the names of the characters. The storyline was okay, for a cute romance I didn’t really get into the characters nor did I feel the connection. For a quick Romance this was good but might not be life altering.

Mmmmm, this was ….. fine. I enjoyed it, but it was kind of forgettable. Like I kept mixing up Levi and Griffin’s names and didn’t think about the book much when I wasn’t listening to it. I’ve been in a reading slump, so nothing much has been keeping my interest. Maybe I’ll come back to this one when I’m feeling a flouncy romance again!

This was a cute faking dating and friends to lovers romance. I'm not always big on the friends to lovers trope but Emma Lord did it well with this one. The narration was on point too.

I loved how everyone around them knew they would end up together but both of them seemed to never think it would actually happen.

Super cute story and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this arc (:

This was cute and ticked the romcom boxes, but it will not be particularly memorable for me, other than causing a potentially problematic long-term craving for scones.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advance readers audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Former best friends, June and Levi, after both going through public break ups they reconnect. When a picture of the two in a suggestive position goes viral they agree to go along with it and fake date. Along the way they address grief, past misunderstandings and carve a way through with each other.

This is a cute rom com you expect and love from Emma Lord placed in a cute beach setting and creative cast of side characters but with a dash of serious storylines that are a bit more reminiscent of real life.

This was a great romcom listen. I enjoyed the story very much. I also enjoyed the narrator and and the characters in the story. I think fellow romcom readers will really enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Audible ARC! I enjoyed this book. The narration was great. This book reminded me of a Hallmark Movie - you know what is going to happen and that is somehow comforting. This is a nice, light listen.

3 stars.

"The Break-Up Pact" by Emma Lord is a friends-to-lovers, fake dating, second chance story with a lot of untapped potential. I love me a small beach-town romance, so the setting was what drew me to this story in the first place. I know many people love Emma Lord's books, so I was excited to read this one, but it left me feeling quite underwhelmed. Lord is known for her YA and college romances, and my biggest issue with this book is that it feels fairly young adult to me. Minus a couple of spicy scenes and some heavy grief content, this could easily be a YA/PG-rated new adult novel. Don't get me wrong, it's a *fine* book, but it could have been so much more than that. I liked June and Levi as individuals, but I didn't love and connect with them until about 55-ish% into the book. There is something missing between them, the spark that makes this a book worth remembering. Some of the things that happen in this story feel unnecessary, like they were only to add page length to the book. The spice reads "unnecessary" more than "mind-blowing" or "tension-filler" or "FINALLY!!!" 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. I would, however, recommend the audiobook simply for Natalie Naudus's narration. God, I love her voice. She makes even a middle of the road novel worth reading. I would have likely DNF'ed this book if it weren't for her. She is just awesome!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

The Break-Up Pact centers on our main characters, June and Levi, who have both suffered very public, social media break ups. When Levi returns back home and runs into June they make a revenge dating pact, each for their own reasons and end up falling in love.
I loved the idea of this, with the second chance Romance but have to say that it didn’t quite work for me. I want feeling any chemistry between the main characters and the main plot could have been expanded on. Overall a fun lunchtime beach read.

While the plot was cliche and I could see the twists coming, I still enjoyed this story. It was a perfect fluffy, summer read!

The Break-Up Pact was about two people who are given a second chance at love. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job with the different characters. Based on the cover, I expected an up-beat, funny/sunny book. You know what they say about judging a book by it's cover...

~~What I liked~~
-The pacing was good and while the plot wasn't my favorite second-chance story, it was easy to listen to.
-The supporting characters were interesting, adding some dimension to the book.
-There wasn't anything too heavy in the book, making it a light-ish read.

~~What I didn't like~~
-There wasn't anything in the plot that really wowed me. It wasn't funny and I didn't like the particular premise behind June and Levi's 'pact'.
-I struggled with the romance in the book. June and Levi had some unusual history that caused them to not speak with each other for a decade. When they decide to pursue their feelings, it just seemed too far fetched for me to believe that they would be able to pick up after a decade of hard feelings (and their current situations).

Overall, this was a nice break from the romantasy novels I've been gorging myself on, but it didn't quite hit the spot.

Emma Lord’s YA books are so full of hope and promise and self discovery (not to mention yummy treats that make your mouth water), so I was intrigued to see what her first adult novel would be like. GUESS WHAT? The same! Emma proves to us that hope, promise and self discovery are tenants of life no matter the stage of it you are in, and that love will always be lurking when you least expect it.

With The Break-Up Pact we get a second-chance-ish romance, as two childhood BFFs are thrust together, after a decade of no talking, all thanks to both of their exes having very public affairs. After a chance run in, they get papped and are dubbed The Revenge Exes. Together they use this fake-ish dating scheme to move forward their own goals, making them blur the lines of former friends with feelings into full on OMG DO WE HAVE ACTUAL FEELINGS NOW territory.

And as with all of Emma’s other books, there is a prominent delicious treat that helps propel the story forward (like how we previously had grilled cheese in Tweet Cute): scones. I swear I’ve never wanted scones more than I have ever ever had while reading this book. And the “June” scone??? NEED MORE THAN I NEED AIR. It’s a chocolate orange scone with pop-rocks. Yes please.

In addition to reading an early digital copy, I had the fortune of getting an advanced audio version. It is narrated by Natalie Naudus, who does an amazing job at not only breathing life into our main character, but the story overall. She never gave us any cringey accents or voices and her smooth voice acting pulled me in from the very beginning.

This book is swoony and fun and heartbreaking and hopeful and has lighthearted moments with depth throughout the main story. I truly enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what Emma writes next.

Triggers (for me) included: breast cancer, grief, gaslighting, manipulation, sudden death of a character (off page).