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).

The Break-Up Pact is an incredibly light, fun summer beach read that can be devoured in one sitting, much the way I wanted to devour the scones described throughout the book. The two MMCs are former childhood friends/crushes that are currently estranged and have been for the past ten years. After they both endure viral breakups, they are pictured together and presumed dating, so go along with the story of being "revenge exes" and reconnect while fake dating. Their "falling out" was the part of the story that I kept getting hung up on, because although it felt like absolutely something that would happen to teens and linger into adulthood, I never saw the distance between the characters June constantly references since I felt they nearly immediately begin acting like the best of friends. From the first scene they are in together I was like wait so they're in love right now even after their long term relationships just combusted, why can't they get together immediately! Of course their are obstacles along the way, including June needing to decide how she can move on given the loss of her sister, and Levi determining if staying the course he plotted for himself is actually going to make him happy. I did appreciate that June in particular spends a good amount of time on introspection and figuring out what she really wants. Overall, I will absolutely read from this author again (and listen to this narrator!), and hope the next book is not a former friends to lovers as those stories always make me wish we had met the MCs sooner in order to really understand their bond!

This was a sweet rom com about childhood friends finding each other again after each having their hearts publicly broken from long time partners.

There are themes of family love and friendship and grief. The main character has a good growth arc and the male lead is a likable character.

Mild spice, low stakes, fun banter, and a satisfying denouement.

A perfect light summer read! ♥️

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. This book took forever to get to the point. I did enjoy the last quarter of the story but the characters did not connect with me at all. Personally I like the friend Sana, better than the main characters. Narrators were good but the characters were kind of whiny which got old. Overall it was fine and would be interested to read other books by Emma Lord because I just think this story wasn’t for me.

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.