I loved this book, it will be a great summer read by the pool. June is dealing with the fallout from a very public breakup when her childhood crush returns to town to recover from his own traumatic breakup. The Break-up pact is a feel good story that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. I just hope the final version will include some scone recipes.

June and Levi, Levi and June. Both have gone viral due to their very public breakups, and one thing leads to another then bam, fake dating. Why not take back the narrative?

I liked the play this book made on fake dating to have it make a little more sense. I’ll be honest, I’ve read a lot of fake dating books recently, and most of the time it’s a stretch as to why the fake relationship is required. But here, if you’re both already viral for public breakups, might as well twist the attention and use it for your own gain. This change of pace I thought was fun, and especially the drama it brought later on. It may have been predictable, but I still live for the drama.

Overall it didn’t seem to be a lot of chemistry between these characters. Really all we’re told to go on is that these two had crushes on each other when they were younger, but that didn’t feel substantive. Tell me WHY. Or better yet, show me why they need each other now.

June was a bit of a struggle for me, as this girl would *literally* run away from talking about her thoughts or feelings. What was that all about? I also didn’t love the conclusion with her ex (of 10 years might I add). I just wanted more, I’m not even greedy as to what! More of any kind of feeling.

Side characters? Great. Sana seemed like all kinds of fun, and while maybe a bit over the tip at times, she’s the kind you know will always have your back. The same goes as well for the brothers.

I think in the end there just wasn’t a lot of cohesion, due to the lack of chemistry and stagnant characters. Don’t get me wrong, the book is fine, I read it fine and I liked it fine. But thinking back on it, there’s some instances that don’t make sense, or I’m wondering why this scene was there, why that was said, was ______ necessary, etc. Perhaps just needed a bit more finessing.

Was this my favourite? No. But, it’s an easy read with some fun moments and sprinkles of drama. Grab it on the next rainy day and dive in, I could have read this in one sitting.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

June and Levi were thick as thieves when they were growing up, but due to some miscommunication, haven't spoken much in the last decade. Now June is struggling to keep her beachside teashop afloat, while Levi lives in New York working at a hedge fund while dreaming of writing the next great American novel. But when they both experience tragic break-ups that go viral, the pair are thrust back into each other's lives. With the Internet convinced that they're a couple, June and Levi plan to capitalize off their five minutes of fame by pretending to date. June's hoping the Internet's obsession with the "Revenge Exes," as they've been dubbed will help her failing business, and Levi hopes that the attention will cause his ex to realize what she's missing. But when the lines between what's real and what's pretending start to blur, June and Levi must confront the feelings they've kept hidden for so long.

I've only read one of Lord's previous YA books, and I thought it was cute, so I expected this to be much the same with a touch more spice since it's an adult romance. Good grief, I was so bored. Don't get me wrong-- there were adorable moments between June and Levi, but everything else? Snoozefest. The fake dating trope never usually lets me down, and combined with friends-to-lovers meant I thought I was in for a treat. So, I'm left scratching my head as to why I didn't enjoy this. I think it mostly boils down to the writing. It was decent but felt bland. Nothing was exciting about it. I think it would make a good summer read, but it's not one that I'll be thinking about again.

This was a charming story filled with fake dating and wistful reflections on past mistakes. I loved the chemistry between June and Levi.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 I feel like a dinosaur but I really have to ask if viral break-ups on TikTok really a thing?!? What are the chances of these humiliating break-ups making it to TikTok for two former best friends, June and Levi. Pretty dang small but here they are trying to mend their messy lives and a fake dating trope could just do the trick! The Break-Up Pact is a fun and flirty summer read, with glimmers that we can all find hope and healing after even the most mortifying disasters. While this geriatric millennial might be clueless about viral break-ups, I can recognize that this is on adorable read that will brighten the summer days!

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

The cover and the synopsis really caught my attention, so I was pretty excited to read this book. But gotta admit, there were moments when it was hard to keep my interest. The poor communication between the characters was a bit too much for me. Still, June and Levi managed to make me laugh at times. Ended up finishing the book with mixed

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC.

I loved everything about this book. Such a great story about two people finding themselves. Oh, and a little fake dating thrown in.

June has just been dumped on TV by her boyfriend, and she is struggling to keep her sisters Tea shop open. Levi has also been dumped by his fiancé, also in a very public way, and is struggling to write a manuscript.

June and Levi grew up together, but they have not spoken in over 10 years. June's friend Sana comes up with the idea that they "fake date" in the hopes of turning the bad press around. Put all of this together and you end up with two lost people who support and encourage each other. This was a slow burn, but it was worth every minute. The author was able to make me feel exactly what the characters were feeling for each other.

This was such a great story. I loved both June and Levi! They were such great people, so supportive of each other. They were selfless and just so great. This was my first book by Emma Lord, and it will not be my last.

The author did a great job putting a spin on this genre. She was able to weave in some heavier topics in a way that did not take away from the overall story.

I really wanted to like this, but it fell flat for me. It follows former best friends June and Levi as they reconnect after years apart, and the shared history took over the book. While there's certainly a lot of action happening in the present, it keeps getting bogged down by June's explanations of how she used to feel about Levi and if she can allow herself to feel that way again, which is frankly quite boring.

This one was good. A classic friends to lovers and fake dating combo. This one had tons of drama involving both June and Levi. I enjoyed how not only died they rekindle their relationship, but they helped each other get over the things they were struggling with personally.

* I received a free copy of this via NetGalley in return for a review. *

I truly loved this book. I loved both of their growth. June was the sweetest and I totally related to her. I think we all have a version of ourselves and our lives that lean just a little bit towards what others want. And I love that she found a way to redirect that and to build her own dream and work for that. Plus, we all love RomCom stories. They’re just feel good.

June and Levi have been friends for a long time but they never thought that they would have to pretend to date. I found this to be a fun date. I really felt for June and liked her. She was very relatable. Levi is fine too and I thought the use of the fake dating trope was done well.

Cute quick read! I’m a sucker for fake dating trope and characters with anything mental health related layers - in this case grief and gaslighting recovery. Loved the small sea side beach town !!

🌶️ Spice level 1 (more so .5)

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a delightful rollercoaster of emotions wrapped in a witty and engaging story. June and Levi's journey from estranged friends to a fake couple is as heartwarming as it is hilarious. The author weaves together friendship, romance, and self-discovery themes, creating authentic and relatable characters.

The chemistry between June and Levi leaps off the page, making swoon-worthy moments and laugh-out-loud exchanges. As they navigate the hidden truth of pretending to be in love while struggling with their pasts and insecurities, I found myself rooting for them.

Overall, The Break-Up Pact is a charming rom-com with laughs and heart. It did feel a bit rushed at times and a bit disjointed, but it's still a good read. I recommend it to fans of a fun and sweet romantic comedy.

This book should definitely be on your summer TBR. Emma Lord had me laughing and feeling all the feels throughout this book. I immediately recommended this book to my girl friends. Pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable read. I found both June and Levi to be compelling characters. I found myself angry on June’s behalf that her ex-boyfriend in the novel made her a national laughingstock and kept trying to embarrass her for his own gain. Likewise, I felt the same frustration June felt with Levi over the situation with his ex (which I won’t explain in great detail, you will have to read the book yourself to find that out). I also thought the side characters were really interesting. I appreciate it in novels where the characters feel like people you would know in real life and every character in this novel felt realistic to me. Some people might be turned off by the mentions of social media, especially TikTok, in the novel but this personally doesn’t bother me. The book is meant to be set in our current time and to deny the global impact of TikTok would be silly. I only docked this book half a star because it felt a bit rushed at times. I think Lord could have gone a bit further in-depth into the characters’ backstories, especially in regards to June’s sister. Otherwise, I think this is a great summer read! Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy.

I took me a bit to complete this book, just because life has gotten too busy, but it was a good read. A bit cheeky, some heartache, a good end. I liked the story of Levi and June, the fact that they both loved Annie so much but at the end they didn't let the ghost of Annie or the media, or the self doubts take away the love that they had for each others for years and years. Staying true to yourself is important, and opening a new Tea Tide that was still Annie's dream but reflected who June is and who she is becoming is a good example of fighting for your dreams.

This one sounded so cute but ended up falling pretty flat for me. The characters were immature and unlikeable which made it really hard to care how the story ended. There were some funny moments but just not enough to redeem the story for me.

It was okay. It was worth the time to read it, but predictable. It was a nice change of pace and was an easy read.

Another fun book from Emma Lord. I was a little disappointed in a few unrealistic set-ups, such as never talking to your best friend for ten years over a misunderstanding, but putting that aside along with the silliness of the premise of the “crying girl”, it was a very satisfying read. Lord manages to write a really sweet romance without falling into the overly graphic hook-ups found in many adult romances. I have been reading her YA books for years, so I found this a good transition. June and Levi are basically nice people who spent many years almost inseparable, so waiting to see how the fake dating exposes their feelings is a pleasant ride. June’s friend Dana is a hoot, and really adds a great dimension to the story, along with June’s brother Dylan and his partner Mateo. You definitely wanted to kick June more than once, but she is trying so hard to make a go of her cafe without letting go of her sister’s dream that you have to pull for her. Levi was not the most exciting lead, but he was a good counterpoint to June. A great book for the beach or anywhere else!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Let me start by saying that I love the cover of this book. It’s summery and bright and eye catching, all things you want from a beach read.

I really enjoyed the setting, and I felt like I was right there in Benson Beach with them. As someone who loves to bake and is marrying an Englishman, I was fully on board with Tea Tide and I wish one would open up in my neighborhood.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but I couldn’t decide if this was a friends to lovers or an enemies to lovers. Overall, I found Levi and June both kind of annoying and uncommunicative. JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER. I had to skip over the entire chapter of their sex scene because it was just so awkward. And the chapters were LONG.

I loved all of the supporting characters. I would like a whole book on Dylan and Mateo.

This was a mostly enjoyable read for me. While I wouldn’t rank it among my top romances, it definitely hits the spot for a summer read.