ARC Review
2.5⭐️
I wanted to love this so bad. I was excited to see an Emma Lord adult novel and have had this in mind for MONTHS, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I think a big part for me was that I didn't feel their connection from their past friendship, but also, their coming together in the beginning was so unrealistic to me. In my mind, you can't go that long without talking to someone and then immediately wanting to fake date. If I were seeing someone for the first time in that long, with no social media connection in between, I would want to know everything about that last ___ years. Not to mention, how realistic is it that you're even the same person after that long that you can just assume the other person is worthy of this favor in the first place? There were aspects of this book that I did enjoy, like dealing with grief and moving on from someone else, but the majority of it was just not my cup of tea unfortunately.

I am embarrassed about my recent consumption of romance/smut audiobooks. They are all pretty similar. A girl is running a shop and it is about to go under and then she ends up with an old friend or enemy, they have hot sex, and then fall madly in love. Or they've been in love for years and just figured it out.
And I love it! I loved this one especially because it is all wholesome and there is diversity and love and then BAM a hot sex scene, and then back to wholesome.
The narration was perfect. I will be listening to more.

Uhmmmmm.

I adored Tweet Cute (like have reread it multiple times type of adoration), but no other Emma Lord book since has done it for me like that one. Her writing style is very distinct- chipper, fun, ~cool~ and I do like it, but the stories never stick with me for long. This one in particular took me 6.... SIX.... rereads of the first 15% to get into. I'm honestly surprised at myself for not adding it to my DNF shelf and moving on, but I persevered. We're kind of just thrown into the middle of things at the start and it's hard to recover from it. The middle and end of the book are fine. The story definitely settles as we learn more about the past and the characters do grow on you eventually. Keyword: eventually. But overall, it's almost as messy as this pre-coffee review. Just not the one for me.

Also, I listened to this one and I have to say Natalie Naudus can do no wrong. She has narrated so many of my all-time favorites and adds life and depth to stories that barely even have any. She's honestly an icon in the audiobook world and I am obsessed. Definitely recommend going that route with this one if you pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌-𝑼𝒑 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝑬𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅

Release Date: August 13, 2024

4⭐️3🌶

This a fun and sweet rom com book, that's giving Emily Henry or Christina Lauren vibes. I love these sweet little books that give me a break from the broody darkness that fantasy and romantasy can be sometimes.

June is a small business owner who is trying to keep her bakery/coffee shop open after her partner/sister dies suddenly. Not only that, but she is very publicly dumped by her long time boyfriend on reality television. When her childhood crush/friend returns to town after his own brutal break up, they decide to fake-date in order to put a new spin on their story in the face of the media. Also, it drums up business for her bakery.

I looooove the fake-dating and friends-to-lovers! So, this book is definitely up by alley.

4/5

I did enjoy this book, however it had such an obscure and unlikely plot. For both of them to have breakups that go viral at the same time, and they happen to be childhood best friends who never got their chance to be together as a couple; it just felt too unrealistic. Also, it definitely has the miscommunication trope, and the characters make dumb choices that delays their HEA that were frustrating. Regardless, I did like both June and Levi as characters, and they were really cute together. A decent read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

As a huge fan of Emma Lord’s YA books I was thrilled to see she was writing an adult romance. And it did not disappoint! The Break-Up Pact was such a fun, second chance romance full of heart, humor, and all of the quirkiness you’d expect from one of Emma’s novels.

I’m such a sucker for fake dating and thought it was done so well here. This is a second chance romance between childhood friends June and Levi. It’s been years since they’ve talked to each other, but when they both go viral for being dumped, they decide to turn this into a mutually beneficial fake romance. There’s a lot of history between the pair, so it’s not long before they’re not sure what’s fake and what’s real. Even with all the time that has passed they’re still able to slip into their old relationship easily. While this was set entirely in the present, I felt readers get enough memories to make their relationship feel legitimate.

Even though I liked the relationship between June and Levi, I think my favorite part of The Break-Up Pact was the beach town it was set in and all of the inhabitants. The author really brought Benson Bay to life and I felt like I was there. All of the secondary characters were fleshed out and I loved seeing June reconnect with her brother and friends from high school.

The audiobook narrator did great job with this one. She was clear and easy to understand, with each character being easy to distinguish from the others. It was easy for me to get lost in the story and I will definitely listen to books narrated by them in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a review copy.

* childhood friends to lovers
* fake dating
* small town

I love Emma Lord - she always has a way of pulling ALL of the emotions out of me! And while I didn't LOVE this, I did like it! I actually felt like the romance was, sadly, the weakest part of this story? I feel like this story was much more focused on individual growth (which is DEF a strength of Emma Lord's, as we see in her YA novels), but for adults, the handling of everything felt very amateur? Pushing people away and ignoring problems... feels very YA-ish.

All that being said, I still felt A LOT while reading this but I wanted more romance from Levi and June.

Rating: 3.5 stars

June Hart and Levi are high school best friends who find themselves in the middle of two messy viral breakups! NOTE: believable in this day an age because everyone has their 5 min of fame!---They make a pact to FAKE DATE each other to get back at their exes. All is well, until feelings start getting real and suddenly their exes are interested once again! What to do? What to do?

This book wasn't bad but it wasn't great. It definitely feels like a story I already read or want to read! Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advance copy. Overall, the cover is catchy! If you like:

-Small towns
-Sea side
-Friend to Lovers
-Tea and Scones

Go get this book! Enjoy

The Breakup Pact
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super cute little Rom Com. It was fun. It made me smile, laugh, & fall in love, with the Characters. It was really enjoyable after a super intense book. It is a great feel good Beach read to just sit back & enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley!!

Following a break up that went viral June has become a meme and has nosy tourists flocking to her beachside tea shop. A tea shop that she’s been trying to keep afloat by herself since her sister’s death. June is at a loss of how to keep the tea shop moving forward until an opportunity presents itself in the form of Levi, her best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in ten years. Levi has recently gone through the same viral break up situation and can relate to June. Together they come up with a plan to fake date in order to help June get back in her feet with the tea shop. Their ‘celebrity’ status will have customers lining up at the door to get a glimpse of ‘the Revenge Exes’. Fake dating never goes as planned and this time around is no exception. Will Levi and June be able to make it out of this with their friendship in tact? Or will their friendship turn into something more?

I was drawn in by the cover of this book and was ready for this fun romance. It didn’t disappoint. I enjoy a good friends to lovers romance and fake dating is always fun, even though we always know it’s not going to go as planned. I liked June and Levi together and enjoyed finding out about their pasts together. The romance was sweet and perfect for a fun summer romance read. Each character had their own baggage and grief that needed to be sorted through and I think this added a lot to the story and their relationship. I enjoyed the main characters, but I really want to know more about the side characters and see their own stories play out. I know this isn’t a series, but I did grow attached to some of the side characters and wish I could see how their lives unfold. Overall this was a fun, lighthearted summer read that is great for romance fans!

“It isn’t the love that scares me. It’s what might happen to it.”

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in a decade pretend to date after their recent viral break-ups. What could go wrong?!

This was such a sweet slow-burn romance that also had some heavy hitting topics weaved throughout, giving the story some depth.

The narration was spot on for the emotional turmoil these characters experienced.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, so I didn’t know what to expect. It took me completely by surprise. I liked it a lot. Not only was the writing really good, but the emotion was deep. I could feel everything June was feeling. The conflict kept me listening from start to finish.
Levi and June used to be good friends in high school. They grew apart and went their separate ways, but June’s late sister kept in touch with him. June is still struggling with her death. June came home to run her sister’s scone business. They are both kind of hiding out from some public humiliation due to their exes. They devise a fake relationship to help get June’s shop in the green and Levi’s ex interested in him again. Their fake dates become not so fake. The character growth was top notch. I could see June’s change throughout the book. This book showcases a character struggling with grief and connection. The voice of the narration really brought this story to life. The only complaint I have is not having Levi’s POV in the story. Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and SMP for this audiobook!

I feel like this is definitely more of a friends to lovers / 2nd chance romance more so than an enemies to lovers. The main characters go 10 years without talking but then reconcile and end up in a fake dating plan that of course ends with them falling in love. It’s a cute read but not anything that I’m RUNNING to tell everyone to read.

This was such a fun story line!! I started to listen to this on a Friday at work and did not stop until it I was finished! This was so cute, fun, and I loved the storyline! I will definitly be purchasing this for my collection!

This is not my favorite Emma Lord book by any means, but I will still read anything she writes. Fake dating is probably my favorite trope, so I was super excited about this one. Unfortunately, it did fall flat. I'm glad I had the ebook & audio of this, because that helped me speed through it. There was nothing really bad about it, it just felt very "meh" as I was reading, and I never really felt that urge to want to keep going.

3.5⭐

Book Title: The Break-Up Pact
Author: Emma Lord
Format Read: Audiobook
Narrator: Natalie Naudus

Emma Lord crafts a delightful mix of humor and heartfelt emotion in this story that explores the fine line between fake dating and real feelings.

June and Levi were once best friends, but a decade of silence has left their relationship strained. Now, both are reeling from public break-ups that have taken the internet by storm. When a photo of them together goes viral, they decide to fake a relationship for mutual benefit—June hopes to save her struggling tea shop, and Levi wants to show his ex what she’s missing. But as they stage picture-perfect moments, old wounds and buried emotions resurface, forcing them to question whether their fake relationship could be something more.

Likes:
•June is a standout character—witty, quirky, and full of sass. She feels like a genuine person, not just a character on the page.

•The book is brimming with cute, nostalgic moments, like pop rock pranks and childhood races, which add warmth to the story.

•The exploration of grief is handled with care, adding depth to the characters as they navigate their shared loss and the healing process.

Dislikes:
•The story leans heavily on the miscommunication trope, which I’m not a fan of. It’s frustrating to see how much of their past conflict could have been avoided with a simple conversation.

Narration:
Natalie Naudus once again delivers an exceptional performance, bringing these characters to life with her believable and dynamic narration. Having listened to her narrate One Last Stop and Starling House, I’ve come to trust that anything she reads will be an enjoyable experience. Her ability to capture the nuances of each character adds depth to the story, making it even more engaging. Honestly, I might just start choosing my TBR list based on her narration!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Break-Up Pact and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a touching and fun romance with enough emotional depth to stand out, though it didn’t leave a lasting impact of a 5 star for me. Still, it’s a book I’d definitely recommend, especially to fans of Emma Lord or anyone looking for a well-narrated romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. It was a truly delightful listen!

This was so cute and pretty good! The story of childhood friends who are forced to talk again for a wedding and then re-catch their feelings as they discover who they are, who they really are, and why both of their very public breakups are for the best. This story really does tug at your heart strings and possibly has you relate.

Cons: It did talk in circles a bit, repeated itself A LOT, and could use some cleaning up.

Read if you like: Childhood friends-to-lovers, fake dating, second chance romance, TikTok drama, and secretly harboring feelings.

📚 What happens when two former best friends, June and Levi, find themselves at the center of internet gossip after their public break-ups? They make a pact, of course! Pretending to be a couple seems like the perfect plan—June can save her struggling beachside tea shop, and Levi might just win back his ex. But as their staged dates turn from playful to heart-pounding, they realize there’s nothing fake about the chemistry between them. Can they convince the world—and themselves—that this relationship is only for show?

👨‍👧 June and Levi are the epitome of childhood friends with a complicated past. June is fiercely independent, running her tea shop despite financial struggles, while Levi is the classic New York success story with a hidden heart of gold. Together, they create a dynamic that’s both deeply emotional and delightfully fun.

💞 The fake dating trope has never been so perfectly executed! The slow burn between June and Levi will have you rooting for them from their very first staged photo op. Their chemistry leaps off the page, and every swoon-worthy moment is packed with tension and longing.

👧 Side characters add depth and humor to the story, with friends and exes playing crucial roles in pushing June and Levi closer together. Their interactions bring out different sides of our main characters, making the story even more engaging.

✍️ Emma Lord’s writing is a perfect blend of wit and warmth, with just the right amount of drama. The first chapter may start slow, but stick with it—the pacing picks up, and the payoff is worth every page. It’s like savoring a warm, freshly baked scone: comforting and satisfying.

🌟 This story was perfectly written and was just the right amount of everything you are looking for. The Break-Up Pact is a must-read for anyone who loves a romance that’s as heartfelt as it is fun. It’s a delicious mix of fake dating, second chances, and undeniable chemistry that will leave you craving more.

I was so excited to get this preview of the Emma Lord book, and while I enjoyed the audiobook and the narrator did a great job, my library will be buying the physical copy. I love Emma Lord and her books are big hits in my library. I think this one will be as well. It uses the fake dating and miscommunication trope. I really enjoyed the characters of June and Levi, childhood friends/lovers that have lost touch through miscommunication and time but find themselves with unresolved feelings and needing to figure their lives out.
June and childhood friend Levi embark on a fake dating scheme to boost her business and help Levi win back his cheating fiancée. While their staged relationship practically breaks the internet, the narrative takes readers on a delightful ride through fun dates at the museum, trivia nights, and cake tastings. However, the romantic aspect of their relationship may come across as somewhat immature, laden with the overused misunderstanding trope that echoes a middle school rom-com rather than a story about mature adults, but I know my high school students will love.
I will definitely recommend this to the romance readers in my library.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this audiobook preview.

What happens when a young adult author tries her hand at an adult romcom? She goes from being one I’m iffy about and keep attempting to like, to one I finally enjoy!

I kept telling myself to just read another of Lord’s titles because so many people love them all… but I couldn’t connect to her YA books. The Break-Up Pact is a storyline I can stand behind and promote! I enjoyed this one from start to finish… maybe it’s because I like the childhood best friends to nothing to fake relationship to the real thing aspect? Fake dating is my favourite trope, after all! Or possibly it’s the sister having my name?

June, trying to make her late sister’s tea shop (a la bridgerton on the boardwalk), Tea Tide, survive, and also suffering an horrific public, viral on TikTok breakup by her high school sweetheart on his new reality tv show while with his new girlfriend of a week (so, a very long time beau), made me very sympathetic from early pages of the book.

Levi, her childhood bestie, but also besties with her older brother and sister, just went through an even more public and very much broadcast breakup with an actress… when he flees NYC to their home town, the pair makes a pact to lick their wounds together and pretend to be dating to show their terrible exes they have both moved on... the “Revenge Exes” plot begins.

As all of us romance readers know - fake dating stays fake about as long as it takes to finish making the pact. This was a very fun read and I enjoyed seeing how it all played out. It was delightful finding a book from the author that I finally, really liked! I definitely recommend this to all, especially if you’ve liked her YA titles, or if you’re like me and want to try again. I really wish we would’ve had more about brother Dylan and his fiancé Mateo (June’s new BFF), though. They were an adorable couple!!

The audio was done by Natalie Naudus, a long-time favourite narrator of mine. She did a great job voicing all of the characters but it would be great to get two voices/two points of view. Great job - 5-stars for Natalie!

I received an advance read and listen copy from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest feedback.