Cute, deeper romance. Didn’t like the viral breakups that started off in this book and found myself having to get over it at the beginning. After that though the romance was very cute and loved the best friend in this book. Such an amazing female friendship! I would read more books by this author in the future.

This book is more serious than the cute rom-com cover suggests. June and Levi were best friends as teenagers until a misunderstanding separated them. If you like that trope, you’ll probably like this book. I enjoyed the characters and the story, as well as the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I didn't end up loving the story The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord, but narrator Natalie Naudus is why I was able to finish it. The character voices were well matched and her voices and toned worked even at 2.5x speed which was a huge win for me. Great job! Though the book got a lower star review from me, the audiobook is 5 star quality!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary eaudio of The Breakup Pact by Emma Lord.

This was a cute romantic-comedy about two couples. June and Levi and both recently single and were besties in High School, but haven’t spoke since. A photo of them together goes viral and with everyone rooting for them, they went for it. The Breakup Pact was created.

The novel was good, but it is what it is and that’s a romantic comedy. I liked the characters and there was one spicier scene that I was not expecting, but you’ve been warned. Ha!

Great novel with easy to follow characters and very easy read.

The story was fun, but it went through so many will-they/won’t-they moments where I was begging the characters to have a mature convo. It’s a childhood friendship turned potential romance, so they drag a lot of things that happened in the past into today. That said, I didn’t absolutely love it but didn’t dislike it at all. I would have absolutely loved it if I had read this as a 28-year-old.

This was a really cute rom-com! Fake dating and second chance are some of my favorite tropes, and this delivered on both. I thought their viral moments were hilarious, and the flirting and banter were really fun! I appreciate that the main characters did eventually communicate well. The side characters did feel very underdeveloped and forgotten until they were useful in the fake dating plot. This novel does explore some themes of grief and loss.

My only struggle with this one was the third act break-up. And the second act break-up. Really, I loved their dynamic throughout, but they weren’t together as a couple very long at all. In some ways I liked how their relationship was approached at the end, but it did feel like it got resolved off-page and we missed a lot of character development.

Overall, I enjoyed this one! June and Levi were sweet and funny and heartwarming.

“The Break-Up Pact” offered a somewhat mixed experience for me. On a positive note, Sana—a secondary character in the story—emerged as my favorite. Her loyalty and genuine kindness made her such a wonderful friend, and I always looked forward to her appearances.

Despite some plot-related issues, I was genuinely impressed with Emma Lord’s writing style. She has a real knack for creating engaging and emotional scenes, which has piqued my interest in exploring more of her work in the future.

That said, there were a few concerns that impacted my overall enjoyment. The book seemed to lack the necessary conflict to match the initial buildup of angst and drama. I found myself waiting for a significant turning point for a while, only to realize that the tension didn’t unfold as I had hoped.

Additionally, by the midpoint of the story, it felt like most of the plot had already reached its resolution or was close to it, which made the latter half feel a bit disjointed. This, in turn, affected the pacing during the second half. After the first “spicy” scene, the events that followed felt a bit rushed and awkward.

I would have loved to see a greater focus on Levi and June’s relationship, or perhaps more flashbacks to their earlier friendship. Often, it felt like I was trying to catch up on their dynamic instead of experiencing it naturally. I believe more time spent with them could have created a more organic flow and pacing.

On another note, I struggled to connect with June, the main protagonist. Her character didn’t quite resonate with me, and I sometimes found her more irritating than endearing. I genuinely tried to empathize with her, but she often made choices that hindered any progress I felt we were making.

As for the scones, I don’t have a wealth of knowledge on the subject, but some of the combinations described in the story were a tad off-putting—even for someone with a serious sweet tooth such as myself! With my limited familiarity with scones, I won’t critique the book on this aspect, but I’m genuinely curious if those unusual combinations were real or just a product of imagination.

To conclude, while I appreciated certain elements of “The Break-Up Pact,” I found myself wishing for more in terms of conflict, pacing, and the character’s relationship development.

I was provided with a free complimentary advanced listener's copy (ALC) of this book from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley in exchange for providing my honest review. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.

I have never been the biggest fan of second chance romances but this was just so so cute. Levi and June were there cutest couple. I loved the fake dating and I loved the revenge that happened to the ex at the end of the book. I hated the 3rd act break up scene but I guess it was more of a 3rd act argument. It was overall a good book and such an easy read. The narrator was amazing and I absolutely devoured the audio.

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!

3 stars for my first read from Emma Lord. I didn't find anything wrong with this book. It just won't be especially memorable for me. I would entertain reading other's from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook copy. The Break-Up Pact is available on August 13, 2024.

The Break-Up Pact is a seemingly light read but goodness is it so much more! The book is funny, sweet with SO many tropes I love, it also has 2 characters who are grieving and heartbroken and we get to go on that journey with them as well!

June and Levi were once best friends and after a rift and tragedy they were pushed apart. They are brought back together because of a wedding and very public breakups which leads to fake dating, jealous exes and so many shenanigans.

Loved the audiobook of this and big thanks to NetGalley for my ALC!

I really, really, really wanted to love this book. Small town, second chance, fake dating vibes is my thing. Sadly, this fell a bit flat for me. I never truly felt the chemistry between June and Levi - not in the past or present.

There were a few things that felt unfinished to me and others that seemed forced. The whole wedding planning plot line was unrealistic and the tension with June’s dead sister was unresolved.

While I was pleased the main characters got their HEA, I was never fully invested in their relationship and felt my mind wandering through parts of the book. I alternated between print and audio versions of the book and found the audio to be well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to access advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

Second chance AND fake dating? Yes, please! Emma Lord masterfully interweaves these tropes to create a fun romance. While fun, the characters are also dealing with real problems: a flailing business, grief, expectations, and burnout. The characters felt real and flawed, the wild scenarios were not outside the realm of possibility, and I really enjoyed this novel!

The narrator was excellent and enhanced the story.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC!

I feel like Emma Lord just is not for me.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters, the plot was just okay, and the pacing felt rushed.

I had such high hopes for this book!

Best friends in high school getting a chance to reconnect and fall in love through fake dating. Sounds like a solid plot! But it just did not deliver for me. The chemistry between the characters just wasn't there. The banter fell flat and the jokes didn't hit home. It was also a very slow burn, and since it lacked so much for me, I wasn't invested enough to want to keep going.

The writing is solid and the cover is super cute! It just didn't work for me.

A friends to lovers book with a really fun twist, I love how this plays out on a national and local stage!

June is a pretty fun heroine — even if she makes some frustrating decisions in the name of protecting herself. It was nice to watch her process grief, and how she loves the people around her so well. And her longing for Levi’s friendship is so pure and good, and relatable. And the way she falls into that is so satisfying.

Levi is making some terrible choice we all can relate to when we love someone for a long time… and then June shows up and gives him a bit of power back. I loved him and his soft spots.

My biggest frustration was with the clear miscommunication… or more accurately, REFUSAL of communication because no one says anything they feel, from chapters 16 through 22 or 23. It made me not want to finish it. The character’s decisions were very frustrating. BUT they were realistic in their stupidity. But they did have a lot of internal problems they needed to solve so the chapters are necessary… Although if miscomm is a huge red flag for you, maybe skip those chapters. . .

But the end was sweet. I was happy I finished it when I got past myself. All in all, about a 3.5 read.

I also listened to the audiobook, and really enjoyed the narrator! Her voices were great— and her guy voice wasn’t bad, which can be a prob for some readers. It’s a fantastic way to read this book!!

CW/TW: loss of sibling before story; one chapter of sex on page, easily skippable;

*4.5 Stars*

After a public break-up, June is known across social media as 'the crying girl'. Now she has lost her regular customers and maybe her business that was opened by her sister. When Levi, a friend from high school who is also going through a public break-up comes back to town, they soon find themselves back in the social media gossip when a photo that gets leaked onto the internet perceives them as more than friends. Now instead of crying girl, Levi and June are known as the revenge exes. The two decide to keep the rumor going and create a pact to act like a true couple. What could go wrong?

I was surprised on how much I loved this book. The narrator did a great job for this story, and I ended up finishing this book in two days. I love June and Levi as main characters and as a couple. I loved their chemistry with each other and the comedic situations they got themselves into. Overall, I highly recommend this book for fans of the fake dating trope.

The Break-Up Pact is out August 13th.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review The Break-Up Pact. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma Lord’s writing is always so digestible, I never want to put her books down. The way she mixed hard topics like grief into the fun story of a second chance, fake dating romance was done perfectly.

I do feel like there was a lot going on with the different side-plots we got and some of them didn’t make a ton of sense. We have the breakups that brought June and Levi back together and the drama with their exes, their past and their shared grief, her struggling tea shop, planning her brother’s wedding together and the “dates” they went on to vet everything for the wedding, their fake dating relationship and proving to the public that they’re dating, and his manuscript he’s trying to write. While most of these side plots were interesting to read, it was hard to follow at times. In an attempt to make her characters well rounded and 3D, we ended up with a bit of a chaotic story.

Aside from that, the fake dates were reminiscent of Beach Read by Emily Henry which was fun. I really loved June and Levi and felt that their relationship was very believable the whole time. I enjoyed the cozy setting and ultimately felt this story was definitely something I would recommend.

I thought the premise of this book was good but the actual story could’ve been better. The fake dating was done well and the reasoning behind it but I wish there was more about their actual dates and how things progressed over time. Wasn’t a fan of TikTok being mentioned throughout but otherwise it was alright.

I thought this audiobook was super cute! I loved the playful tone of the summer beach town tea shop. I appreciated that although the book was cute and had a happy ending, it also addressed more serious topics of loss, job struggles, etc. I felt that I saw growth and development in the characters, and always enjoy the friends to more than friends trope. I feel like the narrator did a good job voicing several characters and she was very easy to understand, even on 2x speed. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this book!