I really enjoyed this one. The playfulness of the main character and her love interest was so fun to read. I loved the language used and way the author depicted the main character's feelings. Although the book was a bit verbose at times and lost my interest due to it, overall, I found this to be a great summer read!

2.5 stars

Having read a lot of Emma Lord's books, I came to this one excited for some good characters and a charming storyline. I'm finishing this one...underwhelmed.

June and Levi were close in high school, drifted, and now have found each other again, conveniently as they are both going through breakups. While both of them have lives outside of this reemerging relationship, it's tough to get invested in them because the development is too limited. There are important features, including but not limited to June's grief over her sister's death (this happens prior to the start of the novel and is not a spoiler), that impact these characters. However, these details get mentioned and then not fully connected or made particularly interesting. For me, the characters were just so shallow.

While this book is mostly a PG-13 romance, the few intimate moments just did not work for me. My thoughts on the related dialogue and descriptions ran, "Hmmm. AWKWARD," versus, "Okay! Steamy!" Ick.

I enjoy this author overall, but this book, for me, was a pretty brutal letdown.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
The Break-Up Pact was about two lifelong friends who had fallen out of touch reuniting and pretending to fake date in the wake of their two very public relationships going south. Both have something to gain by becoming internet darlings dubbed the “Revenge Exes”, but they’re left fighting their long buried feelings for each other, too.
I loved this book! I adore a well done fake dating trope and I adore a friends to lovers trope, too! There was also a miscommunication trope which isn’t always my favorite but it made sense in this story. I loved the charming coastal setting and both main characters were well fleshed out and easy to root for. It was well narrated and handled heavier topics like loss and grief so well.
4.25⭐️

June, the owner of a beachside tea shop, faces rent struggles and a sudden breakup on live television. Levi, a struggling author in New York City, experiences a very public betrayal by his girlfriend. Despite not having spoken for nearly a decade since their high school days, June and Levi cross paths in their hometown. A single photograph of them together sparks internet rumors, labeling them as "The Revenge Exes." The narrative follows their fake relationship as they navigate the media attention, with Levi aiming to reconcile with his ex and June seeking to boost her tea shop's business.

Publication Date is August 13. 2024

Two broken hearts come together to fake date. June and Levi grew up as very good friends and what could have been a great love is broken by a misunderstanding.

10 years later, after very public breakups with their exs Levi and June are back together. Suddenly their back together is tagged by the public as revenge exs. What starts as fake dating, blows into a renewal of friendship and feelings that have laid dormant. But things don't go too well, when Kelly, Levi's ex is back. June is a coward and uses many stupid excuses to not fight for Levi.

Overall, both protagonists are nuts and don't just talk and fight for what they need.

The narration was actually the best part of book. The voice was well done and the emotions come through.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an audio ARC in return for my honest review.

DNF @ 10%

This was my first book by the author. I thought it would be a sweet little rom com . The tea shop sounded cool and the general description sounded interesting. Immediately was turned off by all the language and the characters just were not compelling enough to continue. The book just felt way too cheesy for me. Unfortunately I think this was an impulse click due to a beautiful cover. Next time I will do my research on new to me authors.

Some things to like in this, but unfortunately this was not as good as any of Emma Lord's previous books. I liked the small town beach setting and many of the romantic moments between June and Levi, but I felt like their relationship was never as great as they seemed to think it was. I just don't think they had enough chemistry to justify such a sudden shift from literally not speaking for years to being in love that quickly. This book also has a lot of pop culture references and millennial humor, some of which worked, but most felt tired and unfunny. I will never understand why authors do this. It always feels out of place and dates the book terribly. I cannot remember the last time I even thought about the song 'Uptown Funk'. I did enjoy the ending + epilogue! It was very cute and a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, this book was a disappointment for me. It's definitely not going to take me off the Emma Lord hype train though, I am beyond excited for her next book (rivals to lovers are you freaking kidding me I am so so so ready)!

I read this book early through NetGalley.

June and Levi were best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years. After they both experience awful and humiliating breakups that go viral across TikTok, a photo of them goes viral. Before they know it, they’ve become semi-famous. They make a pact to pretend to date and use the attention to help June’s shop and make Levi’s ex jealous.

This book has adorable romcom vibes. The plot has a ton of potential, and ultimately, I just didn’t vibe with it. Both main characters were unrelatable for me, and I didn’t understand either of their actions. Levi seemed like he was still into his ex instead even while saying that he loved June and June was still trying to be friends with her ex who cheated on her and publicly humiliated her for some unknown reason. I found it to be repetitive and a bit too wordy.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrator who did a great job, especially with June’s emotions.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copies.

This book was so up and down for me along the way. Let me start by saying that I love Emma Lord's YA books! With this one I struggled to connect with the MC's in the beginning. I also just didn't vibe with the fact that Levi seemed to still want to be back with his ex for at least half of the book then changed his mind. Maybe if this included his POV it would've been easier to believe their relationship. Once I did start to root for them the conflict set in and I just eyerolled through the remainder of the book.

This is narrated my one of my favorite narrators, so at least I enjoyed the narration.

Unfortunately, I will not be recommending this one, but I will continue to recommend her YA books.

June and Levi, childhood friends with some unresolved romance, just happen to have public breakups simultaneously. June runs a cafe by the sea- apparently she makes VERY good scones. The whole time I listened to this I wanted scones. The cafe wasn’t doing well and June was looking at probably not having her lease renewed. Until she and Levi decide to pretend to date.

Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes but fake-dating is not. The set up was promising, but for me, the characters fell flat. Some of their dates were cute, but I like to fall for the guy at the same time as the narrator. Levi was pretty boring and not over his ex at all. What a turnoff.

I requested on audible because Natalie Naudus is my favorite narrator. Her new YA Romance “Gay the Pray Away” was absolutely wonderful. Naudus does a wonderful acting job as usual in The Break Up pact. I find audiobooks easy to follow while cleaning or doodling when Naudus narrates.

This is the first book I have read by this author, I think she is a good writer so I will try a few others of her titles.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ARC. Book to be released August 13, 2024.

Natalie Naudus narrates Emma Lord's adult debut, 'The Break Up Pact', an entertaining and well-paced second chance friends to lovers rom com.

June Hart and Levi Shaw are estranged childhood friends who reconnect as 'revenge exes' after being publicly dumped. June needs to save her late sister (and Levi's best friend) Annie's struggling tea shop awhile Levi wants to win back his ex Kelly who dumped him for a movie star. Despite June's anger and hurt over their decade long estrangement, she fights her attraction to Levi.

I was lucky enough to read advanced ebook copy and devoured it in one sitting. I loved the insight into June's thoughts and how she needed to protect herself with her feelings about Levi. Levi was also caring and supportive, but also challenged June when she needed it, such as her reasons for hanging onto Annie's dream.

To hear this book in audiobook format took the story to different level (I prefer to read a book first, then re-read via audiobook as it picks up things I've skimmed). Reading the ARC, I heard a younger, brighter voice in my head, whereas Natalie Naudus makes June sound older, more self-assured and sassier due to her cadence. I have enjoyed her work in other books, so while I wouldn't have thought to cast her and don't think it worked as well, I think she did a fab job.

This book is packed with poignant moments and refreshing plot development. If you're an audiobookphile, add this to your listening list.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Gives Emily Henry vibes, two estranged friends find their way back together and revenge fake date against their public breakups. It was a journey for Levi and June to get to know their adult selves and reignite the mutual feelings they’ve had since high school. I found this book to have emotional impact and character depth. Side characters were fun and added some interesting elements to the book as a whole.
Audiobook was excellent and enjoyable.

June, a young woman from a small beach town, takes over her late sister's tea shop after a tough breakup on a reality show. At the same time, her childhood friend Levi returns home following a public breakup. Their reunion goes viral on social media, leading them to fake date: June needs customers for her shop, and Levi wants to win back his ex.

As they navigate their fake relationship, June and Levi support each other through outings and challenges. The author explores their grief over June's sister, who was also Levi's best friend, adding depth to their story. Old feelings resurface, forcing them to confront where their relationship is heading amidst their complicated situation.

This charming book kept me hooked with its sweet storyline and vivid descriptions. I'm eager to read more from this talented author.

This was...not great. (Spoilers below)
The FMC, despite her best efforts, was so flat and pick me, it was exhausting. She was wholly unlikeable. WHO SPENDS 10 YEARS WITH SOMEONE SHE HAD ABSOLUTELY ZERO CONNECTION WITH. Plus she's a scone baker by the sea. C'mon. There was so much opportunity to explore her grief and make a beautiful story with depth and instead it was a half-baked (pun intended) fake dating overly tropey story i've seen a million times before. It doesn't do it any favors that I just read Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez which traversed a similar peak with much more nuance and care shown for our MCs and even our side characters. Overall, this book was flat and I was ready for it to be done.
Thank you to Net Galley for the Audiobook and Digital ARC.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ACL!

I have read 2 of Emma Lord's previous Young Adult romances and was very excited for this, her first adult romance. Also, the cover is PERFECTION!

A did feel like her previous novels felt too juvenile (even for YA in some cases), so I was nervous that this would be the case here to and was pleasantly surprised! The characters definitely seemed much more mature and less whiney/dramatic than some of the YA ones! I hope she continues to either write both YA and Adult or switch to just adult in the future!

The plot itself was a really cute and creative idea and I thought the chemistry between them was believable and cute. Overall, a cute and fun romance that checks a lot of my boxes!

As far as the audiobook is concerned, I really liked the narrator Natalie Naudus. While I love Emma Lord's past narrator, Jesse Vilinsky too, Natalie's voice sounded more mature which was necessary in mind to separate the YA books from her first adult book.

This will be available on August 13th

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

Emma Lord is an auto-buy author for me and I was so excited to read her adult debut - it did not disappoint! I think this book will be perfect for fans of Emily Henry because the characters felt so personal and flawed and relatable in the same magical way. I love Emma Lord's commitment to making baked goods a key part of all of her stories and now I need to go find a scone! I laughed and cried and swooned with this characters and I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands!

I really enjoyed Nata the audio of this book and particularly liked Natalie Naudus' narration. I hope she continues to do Emma Lord's adult novels.

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really loved The Break-Up Pact! The rom-com had tropes I love-fake dating and enemies to lovers and it worked perfectly in this story for me. I was able to become immersed in the characters and their story. I thought they were all really well written and thought out. The plot was fast paced for me so I never really felt like I was bored with any part of the story. I loved the narrators for the audio version, they did such a great job. I am super excited to recommend this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review The Break-Up Pact,

3.5 stars, rounded up for Natalie Naudus. I've read one other book by Emma Lord, which I thought was cute. I've also heard good things about Tweet Cute, which I've been meaning to check out. Based on her YA, this bright, beachy cover and the title, I mistakenly expected this to be a very fluffy, funny rom com. I was wrong. This was occasionally playful and fun, but it definitely read as more serious and dramatic. I think people need to go in with those expectations so they're not disappointed.

Also, tbh, some of the plot points were a little wonky to me and didn't totally make sense. In a weird way, I felt like I was reading the second book in a series. June and Levi's reconnecting happened too instantaneously and Levi's motivations were questionable. Also, <spoiler> scones selling out at a football game is just sending me. </spoiler>

I can forgive a lot when I love the characters in a rom com. I really liked June and liked Levi well enough. The side characters felt a little too token for me, instead of fully formed characters. They were all likeable and charming though. And there were a bunch of heartfelt passages that were very moving. It was also fun to hate June's ex.

And Natalie Naudus was wonderful as usual.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

2.5 stars
It pains me to give this rating/review. I usually really like Emma Lord’s books and Natalie Naudus did an amazing job narrating this one. However, the miscommunication and lies were over the top for most of the book and the subsequent happiest of endings that followed felt disingenuous. It’s a shame because I think there was a less toxic, more functional way to write the story and have had it be so much better. Try to dial the drama down a few full turns for the next one, please!
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance audio and ebook copies.

I thought the cover was pretty and I’ve been seeing it on my insta so I gave this one a try. The synopsis sounded interesting and a different twist for the fake dating trope.

I love the fake dating trope so if a book has it, I’m probably gonna pick it up. I think The Break-Up Pact does a great job making this popular trope feel refreshing. Two old friends reunited deal with humiliation from public break ups and fake date each other to help deal with public scrutiny. I liked the plot and the characters. I think I was expecting more romcom drama but this has a more serious tone. However, I would still say this has romcom elements. Think Emily Henry books.

A good story that I would recommend. Especially the audiobook since the narrator did awesome!