First off, Happy Pub Day to Emma Lord for The Break-up Pact. Go grab a copy today and a scone. Trust me on that last one, if you don’t you’re going to wish you had!

The fake dating trope is the basis is of this book, so high five right away for that! One of my favorites! June and Levi haven’t spoken in 10 years, but get thrust together in their hometown after break ups with exes go viral for both. Both of these two are struggling to be their authentic selves through out the book. It’s definitely a lesson in being who you are and following your dreams. June runs a tea shop, started by her late sister and they make scones. Those scones really come into play in the second half of the book and honestly, I’m ready to quit my job and go open a bakery that makes scones! I do love to bake so it really struck a chord with me. But I must confess that I have never had a scone until today. I just so happen to have some in my freezer and while finishing the last few chapters knew today was the day to make them. They aren’t half bad and my mind is racing with ingredient combos that could be put together!

Back to the topic at hand. Love rekindles between these two, or maybe never really died away. You will love the cast of characters in this one and find yourself smiling throughout.

Now off to go eat more scones!

This one was okay.
It wasn't bad, but it was missing the quirky banter I always associate with fake dating.
I enjoyed the plot and if I had not been expecting said banter it likely would have worked better for me🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for my ALC.
This is out today and I would love to know what you think.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
Contemporary romance. Second chance, friends to lovers, and fake relationship troupes. Trigger warnings of off page and prior to story loss of a sibling.
June and Levi were childhood friends. He moved to New York for a job and they soon lost touch. Ten years later, after both experience a viral public breakup, they find themselves together again at her boardwalk tea shop, tentatively renewing their friendship. The come up with a scheme to fake date after a second viral moment and the slowly realize they want their old relationship back and perhaps to make it real this time.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook in reading this, and often read the two together, which is a favorite way for me to enjoy the book. The narration is performed by Natalie Naudus who does a wonderful job with the different voices for the two main characters and also another four prime secondary voices. I like the smoothness of her voice and the fact that the different characters are still at the same audio level which is important. Emotions come through clearly. I was crying at the 85% which was mostly from the narration. I heard the loss and introspection and it got to me.
This narrator has done a few hundred different stories that include romance, urban fantasy and thrillers. A great professionally done recording.
As usual, I feel the recordings are too slow for the Midwest, so listened at 1.5 which also more closely matches my reading speed.
For this particular book, I felt the audiobook held my attention more than the ebook.

It’s always interesting to me how two people can read the same sentence and hear or empathize something different. This came up multiple times in this book. Is it a cultural difference, or additional knowledge about the character? A different perspective in age? I don’t know. It does throw me out of the book because I’m hearing it differently than I read it. That is the downside of doing the two formats together but I enjoy it because I’m more immersed in the story and characters.

The premise is a bit sad to start off with on a couple of levels but most of that is prior to the start of the story. There are emotionally draining moments and there are emotional romantic and lovely scenes. Overall I enjoyed the romance and friendships as well as a couple of petty “what you deserve” moments.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

Estranged best friends to fake dating to lovers. June moved home to run her deceased sister’s scone shop when her long-term, thrill-seeking, narcissistic boyfriend breaks up with her on reality television. Levi, former best friend of June returns home after a very public cheating scandal has his relationship with his girlfriend on pause. Both exes have publicly moved on while June and Levi are publicly humiliated (and June a viral meme)… Until an idea is born. The revenge exes quickly take twitter by storm, rocketing the infamy of the scone shop. Will they realize they’ve always loved each other or will they allow their hate-able exes to continue to weasel jn and control their lives?

This was a cute story and it was well written, but the themes just didn’t resonate with me. I certainly enjoy reality tv, but I couldn’t see the feasibility of twitter or TikTok really caring about this random coupling. I wasn’t sold on the “why the world is suddenly so interested in this lady and her hot fake boyfriend” after she was made irrelevant by being dumped on tv - highlighted by the fact that producers didn’t play him up to be a jerk after the viral crying meme fiasco. Maybe a note from Ariana Maddox and Scandoval would’ve helped to play up why the fake dating was relevant. Or maybe I’m just not hip to twitter culture!

The narrator was good, but I would’ve liked to hear more of a regionally appropriate intonation in the narration and less high-rising intonation (I.e., valley girl speech pattern). I found some of the character voices carried too much uptalk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Childhood Best friends June and Levi both had public breakups. As a picture of them surface together, they decide to keep the facade going and make people think they are a couple.

This book is a much more serious and less rom com compared to how the book is presented. There were some slower points of the books and the author thoroughly describes the complexity of the characters and their past together. That being said the main plot progressed rather quick.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

The Break-Up Pact may not be the most believable story, but it’s still a decently entertaining beach read, full of plenty of fake dating fun. Perfect for when you just want a light romance.

Natalie Naudus did a decent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I so enjoyed three of Lord's YA books (rating each 3.66 stars), that I was really looking forward to her adult romance/rom-com debut. Sadly, I didn't find this book even remotely as charming as her previous books. I might be judging these still-young adults (the main characters are in their late–twenties) too harshly in the maturity department, but I don't think so.

There is an entire chapter devoted to June and Levi's first time having sex with each other. It could have been omitted completely and the book would have been hotter. Maybe this is why I prefer Lord's YA—there's attraction, but nothing steamier than kissing, which leaves room for anticipation and imagination. Too, I think it could have been a more fulfilling story if it was less about fake dating to make their exes jealous—which is immature at its core—and framed more as a second-chance romance (even though they're still quite young—they knew each other as teens). I won't spoil the source of the couple's estrangement. I will tell you that it only added to my frustration and disappointment in the book.

I liked June's best friend, Sana. [I read with my ears, so I'm spelling her name the way it sounds to me. Maybe someone will let me know how close I came?] Right out of the gate, she's funny, if a bit pushy. In all fairness, she was the only driver of forward movement in much of the story. I also very much liked June's future brother-in-law. There you have it, folks—my two favorite characters in the book are truly minor. I also liked the setting.

Despite my disappointment based on my previous experiences, I will gladly continue reading Lord's work. She's not the only author who has written a single book (or even a couple books) that just didn't work for me, but who generally entertains admirably.

The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus, whose work I have appreciated much more often than I realized for not recognizing her name right away.

This unbiased review is based on an audio ARC supplied by the publisher—Macmillan Audio. Publication is expected August 13.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s for the free audiobook and finished copy!

Overall rating: 4.06

What I liked:
- June and Levi’s relationship, their fake dates, how they reconnect and are pushing each other to find the happiness they deserve.
- The setting! Most of the scenes take place at the beachside tea shop, at the local non-tourist bar, or on the beach itself, and it feels like it! The writing brings the setting and the story to life.
- I liked the overall story! It gave me big “The Enemy” by Sarah Adams vibes — both set in a beach town where she’s a baker, both feature high school friends that reconnect and discover deeper feelings for each other, both feature FMC’s named June! No complaints… I loved The Enemy!

What didn’t work for me:
- There’s so much going on with Levi and June: their viral break ups (not with each other), their fake dating pact and the feelings it stirs up, the fate of June’s tea shop, Levi’s writer’s block, the (off-page, previous) death of June’s sister who was Levi’s best friend, and planning June’s brother’s wedding. While the author does a really fantastic job of weaving everything together so the narrative is cohesive, the wide breadth reduces the emotional resonance of any single plot point.
- It’s a liiiiittle far fetched — both June and Levi go viral for their break ups at the same time and just happen to be from the same small town and are former friends who secretly like each other? Okay…

Not a like or dislike, but wanted to note that the cover of the book doesn’t really have the same vibes as the story. The cover is flirty and fun and bright with June and Levi turned away from each other, adversarially. The story is more serious and angsty than fun and flirty, and June and Levi collaborate and have fun together for the vast majority of the book. Not a big deal, but please know what you’re getting into!

Audio: The narrator, Natalie Naudus (Exes and O’s, Gigi Listening, One Last Stop), performs brilliantly as usual. She’s a narrator that just sounds exactly like a narrator should with the right diction, pacing, and emotional response based on the scene. Great one to pick up on audio!

Overall ratings
Exact star rating: 4.06
10-pt star rating: 4
5-pt star rating: 4

Attribute ratings
Characters: 4
Atmosphere/Setting: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Plot/Pacing: 3
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 3
Enjoyment: 4.5

In this cute modern romance we follow June Hart & Levi Shaw who were really close when they were younger. They fell out of touch after a misunderstanding and went their separate ways. They reconnect years later in their hometown, Benson Beach. June is trying to keep afloat her beach side tea shop that was opened by her late sister Annie. She recently broke up with her now ex-boyfriend Griffin in a very humiliating way, and it was very public. Social media named her the crying girl and she become a meme, which was very embarrassing. Levi returns home after an equally public split from his now ex-girlfriend. He leaves NYC to come back to Benson Beach where he can focus on his writing. Levi and June come together and make a plan to pretend to be a couple after a very suggestive photo of them goes viral. They feel it may help increase business at June's tea shop and also a way to get back at both of their exes. June & Levi go on several dates and the more time they spend together, the more June realizes that her high school feelings for Levi never went away. Does Levi love June back? I recommend you read this novel to find out!

I enjoyed learning about both Levi and June and I found the character development to be very well developed. The secondary characters were fun too, and there weren't too many to keep track of. Emma Lord’s writing style creates a narrative that kept me wanting to know what will happen next. I kept rooting for that happy ending that we all want, call me a hopeless romantic! This was a great summer poolside read.

This was a fun and cute small-town second-chance romance. It follows childhood friends who are both suddenly nursing breakups with cheating exes. What's better than letting everyone assume they're dating to save some face with speculation about them in the press? Reconnecting as friends and "a couple" leads them to finally be honest with themselves and each other about their romantic feelings.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration by Natalie Naudus. She had a great flow and inflection when telling this story.

Thanks to Net Galley and Emma Lord for the ALC.

This was a sweet little summer read. It was easy and cute for what it was and I wouldn't mind trying a few of those scones. :)

review: the break-up pact by emma lord 💕🫖

•
•
•

✨ MY THOUGHTS ✨

⚠️ cw: cancer, grief, death of a loved one, infidelity, gaslighting, toxic relationship, & cyberbullying ⚠️ 

if you love anyone but you, quaint beachy towns, locally owned tea shops,  yummy scones, aspiring writer mmc, buzzfeed articles, childhood friends to lover, fake dating vibes, & hallmark movies with a hit of spice this books might be for you!

alexa play karma by taylor swift 🎶

🌟 RATING: ★★★★.5 
🥵 spice scale: 🌶️🌶️ (little to no spice, just one or two scenes)

june and levi took secretly pining for someone to a new level! i actually really enjoyed their friends to lovers plot line a ton except for one little detail the miscommunication trope made an appearance. that being said it was such a cute, wholesome, & heartbreaking summer read. i loved all of the side characters, the drama, & the setting!! i just want everyone to listen to this book!! natalie naudus did a phenomenal job with the narration & just really made it so so special!!

I did not find a connection with any of the characters in the book. I had a hard time listening to is as i didnt want to. I found that they focused alot on the sister and not the two main characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was brimming with emotion from the start. I felt the connection between the MCs just as deeply as the connection between June and her sister. The third act conflict was not my favorite and the resolution felt too dragged out, but otherwise I liked this book quite a bit!

The Break-up Pact, by Emma Lord, is the story of what June Hart’s best friend Sauna orchestrates after both June and childhood friend Levi Shaw are caught up in viral and embarrassing breakups. Viral videos of June deemed Crying Girl, have swept the internet, added to the traffic at her seaside TeaTide shop, and left her hibernating whenever possible.

Levi didn’t fare much better when his girlfriend of many years publicly dumped him. Now back home in Benson Beach having taken a leave and now sits daily incognito at a table in front of TeaTide to use the wifi as he struggles to finish his novel.

Sauna brings both on board to regain the narrative and play act as the new it couple. But just maybe there is more to this than play acting.

This is a fun novel told with heart and humor although it does touch on some serious subjects such as the loss of a sibling who had been such a part of all the characters’ lives. I very much enjoyed these characters and their stories and do recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story and June and Levi’s relationship. However, I did feel like the language was a little excessive and wasn’t necessary. I also didn’t realize this was an open door story so I skipped any part that was heading that direction.

The premise of The Break-Up Pact is your typical, let’s pretend to date then fall trope, but with the added depth of friendship and finding oneself/healing after a death. I really think the way Lord describes the struggle of “friend or is it more” feelings in this book is very accurate. I also like the realistic pace of the feelings—some books have characters falling for each other in two seconds—this is not that at all.

As far as spice level goes, this is low level (which is my favorite kind).

The reason I gave this four stars is because of the catalyst of the let’s pretend to date scheme. It’s so far-fetched and doesn’t really mesh with the rest of the story. The background of the characters, the self-actualization, and the current life-struggles just seem too heavy for the catalyst given. It’s still a very enjoyable and recommended read for me though.

The audio was well-read and easy to listen to, but I was confused at the very beginning of the story because so many different names were being thrown in all at once. I couldn’t easily go back to check names and descriptions of who was whom like I could in a hard copy format.

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of this book.

In The Break-Up Pact, the protagonist, June, inherited her sister’s beachside shop called Tea Tide and there were so many descriptions of tea types and the yummiest sounding scones ever. But the real storyline was that June was famously dumped by her boyfriend who was on a reality show and her high school best friend, Levi, was dumped when his girlfriend ran off with a movie star. Both were splashed all over the internet and after photos of them hit social media, they decided to become “revenge exes” and fake a relationship to get back at their exes and to increase customers at Tea Tide. This book was a quintessential beach read. It was set at the beach, it was full romcom with a will they/won’t they vibe and while they dealt with heavy grief over the loss of June’s sister, it still had that fluffy, swoony feeling that feels summery to me. I always like a second chance romance/childhood friends dating and it made me really want a scone.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press/St Martin's Griffin, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest romance by Emma Lord, with the audio wonderfully narrated by Natalie Naudus. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop in homage to her sister, and Levi is living in New York, working at a job he hates while failing to be a novelist like he dreams. They've barely spoken for years, but after both experiencing public, humiliating break-ups with their exes, they decide to make a pact to fuel the internet fire that they are a couple. The pretend dating begins, with the hope of reviving the tea shop in the process.

This is Emma Lord's venture into more adult romance, although I loved The Getaway List geared more YA. The Break-up Pact a light, humourous, second chance romance but with undertones of dealing with unresolved grief. I liked the best friends when younger theme, with that spark still bright after growing up. There's a lot of social media influencing here - probably more than small town people would gather, but it's part of the fun. And the scones - loved the names!

This book, unfortunately, was just missing something. I felt like the characters had no connection, and while it started off strong and had a great storyline, it just fell flat for me. It’s hard to read a story when you feel like the characters have no connection because it’s a rom-com and you want to be routing for them. The narrator was okay, but I didn’t like her male character, it was a little over dramatic for me, and I feel like she could have portrayed Liam in a different light, making him more interesting.