Thank you to NetGalley, SMP Griffin & Emma Lord for the digital galley of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for an honest review.

I love the bright & fun cover art for this one & normally enjoy Emma Lord. And maybe my issue with this book is not a fair one because of the fact that I read Funny Story by the amazing Emily Henry first.

The plots are SUPER similar. This seemed like a much more juvenile version of Funny Story.

The story moved at the speed of light. MUCH faster than was realistically possible. I don’t mean the speed as in it was a fun & quick read. I mean the length of time one thing happening to the next was ridiculously teeny tiny & made zero sense.

I wasn’t a fan of either of the MCs, specifically June. She was so F#$@!* annoying. This was a short book, but seemed to drag because it just was not enjoyable to me. The writing was very subpar.

June and Levi used to be the best of friends as both children and teens. But then misunderstood and misplaced feelings caused everything to fall apart. Now, it has been years since they last spoke as they both struggle to attack new challenges in their lives. After both experience very public and humiliating breakups, they both wind up in their hometown and are forced to face each other again. When someone mistakes them for a couple, they make a pact to pretend to date in order to salvage their reputations and careers. However, old feelings soon make way between the two of them. Lord's first adult novel is light, fun, and a perfect book to bring in your beach bag this summer.

For me, this book hits around 3 stars. Regarding the characters, I found several of them to be fun and entertaining and I also loved the beachy town setting. I had very clear vibes and visuals with the setting of the story. However, this book wasn't a win. I immediately found this book to have a juvenile feeling. I've only read one of Lord's YA novels, so I'm not totally entrenched in the idea of her being a YA writer, but the general vibes of this book felt very YA. When considering the why, I think it could be because they mention high school and the past so much. It makes it feel like they just graduated last month and not the several years we are supposed to believe. I also found the story surrounding June's sister and her death to be rather unfulfilled. There were a lot of emotions surrounding the death (obviously), but not a lot of context of her death and role in June's life within the story. It just felt like there were chapters missing. Not that I was really asking for more chapters, because the story felt pretty long towards the end. As far as couples go, June and Levi were okay. I wasn't really sold on them at the end because they had weird communication and trust things that just didn't align with me personally. When she would "trust" him, I was thinking, "Uhh no, you need to go and check in on that boy," and when she got all inquisitive I thought, "This isn't a big deal." Overall, this book just didn't click for me in a big way.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this novel!

2.5 stars rounded up.

Unfortunately, I think the older I get, the less I like Emma Lord's writing, at least her recent books. Nothing has slapped as much as You Have A Match about three years ago. And I think I'm starting to realize why I'm not as in love as before.

I think I'm the wrong target audience. First off, I am not a theatre kid. Yeah, I briefly was in like two plays in middle school, but I was far, far away from being a theatre kid. If I went to an actual school, maybe I would have become one, but I never did. I also am not a millennial. I am nineteen. This book reads like a millennial book. Perhaps it is because the online vibes are just too much. It feels like Lord namedrops stuff like TikTok to stay trendy, but it actually has the opposite effect.

There also is a bit too much miscommunication for my taste. I don't know how to write romance with conflict without it (at least contemporary romance), but I don't like it. This book had a bit too much of it. I also just did not love the plot or the writing. I didn't care much for the characters. I think it was just not my taste, but the execution wasn't also the best. There's so much depth mentioned but not felt within the characters, if that makes sense. I also just found the smut scene to not be put in at a very good time. I don't like smut, so I skipped it anyway, but the lead-up? NONE. There was no satisfaction in it since their relationship was so up in the air.

The epilogue was a banger though. So romantic.

Slow read at first but I ended up liking it! At one point I couldn’t put it down.
The characters are cute! I’d recommend to my fellow readers 18+

3 ⭐️- i would rate this book less but i really don’t think it deserves a 2. i didnt love this book. its was okay for a fake dating trope but it was a little slow for me (but also a little fast?) idk. i felt like maybe if it was condensed a little more it would’ve been better! but i think the cover is super cute!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC :)

Listen, I looooove Emma Lord and I will read any book she wants to write. But for me personally, I think I like when she wants to write YA books more than when she wants to write adult books. I can't tell you what the problem is, but there was something missing here. I think it's just that she is so good at capturing the teen voice that I am missing that element of her writing here.

But, in terms of reviewing this book for what it actually is -- it's a lot of fun. It's one of many fake dating books I've read recently, but it also has an element of second chance romance that really works. Levi and June have such obvious chemistry that it pulls readers into their drama and invests them in their relationship. Also, just because Emma Lord usually writes for teens, don't think that means she can't write some sexy adult scenes very well -- because she definitely does. A perfect late-summer read.

I really tried to get into this book, but found the characters unlikeable and the plot boring and uninteresting. It felt like a chore to read this book

This story reminds me a bit of a Hallmark movie but with modern ages (aka TikTok etc.). I really thoroughly enjoyed and was pulled into the story immediately. I loved both characters and how they developed throughout the book. And ah, I just love their love.

This is a fun, entertaining read. June and Levi are dishing up friends to lovers, fake dating, and second chances. The beach and tea shop setting only add to the cozy vibes as June and Levi develop and grow throughout the novel. Charming and swoon worthy

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e arc!

rounding my rating from a 2.5 up for goodreads. there is a lot of warmth and coziness to this romance but all of the different parts never quite added up to something that i was interested in. the central fake dating plot was pretty rushed and to be honest seemed a little half baked. Levi and June were endearing leads but a lot of their relationship was told and not shown. the last 20% really did fizzle out and there were pretty glaring pacing issues (view spoiler) i would still recommend if someone was looking for a light and breezy summer romcom.

I found myself not really able to get into this book. I couldn't relate to the characters and didn’t really make that connection to make me love and root for them. Like others I found the social media references to me overdone. I usually love a fake dating trope, but this was too slow for me and I just couldn’t get invested. Maybe this book just isn’t for me?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review!

This was so good!!

Emma Lord is one if my favorites in YA and this leap to Adult is wanted and exciting.

The story was so witty, with Emma's signature humor and heart.

I would easily recommend for fans of classic movie rom coms, Emily Henry, and a good time!

This was just fine. Not anything spectacular. The pop culture references were a bit over done but overall, pretty good.

such a great summer romance!! this was such a sweet little book! i absolutely love this author and highly recommend her books to everyone!

Ehh, this was just okay. I think the main characters were a major issue in this book. They weren't particularly likable. The pace was also way off on this. I felt like it was very slow but then the real relationship was just a few pages. The saving grace of this book were the secondary characters. Mateo, Dylan and Sana were wonderful. Their scenes were the best. This book had its moments but unfortunately, it didn't completely work for me.

I'm so sad but for some reason I had a hard time really getting into this one. I love Emma's writing (I always have!) and honestly there's so much going for this story! Lots of wonderful chemistry, wonderfully relatable characters, and a setting that feels so cosy and perfect. If anything, I think it's more of a 'it's me, not you' situation, and I bet if I pick this up again, I'll feel differently.

So I'm hesitant to rate this for now! I will come back to it for sure.

This isn't really a book for a school library, but I did enjoy it. It has a super cute premise. The characters were acting a bit...juvenile at their big age, but I would love to see more adult fiction from Emma Lord!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good book! I wasn't expecting to like it so much but I couldn't put it down.

I thought that story was ok. I though the social media references was a bit too much at times and I didn’t love the characters, I found them to be a bit over the top at times, but I pushed through it to see if it’d get better.

I thought this book was well written and a super cute read! I personally liked how it flowed and felt like it was just the right balance of lighthearted and intriguing!