A super sweet story of childhood friends who never became more despite a crush and how dramatic breakups being them back into each other's orbits. Some beautiful and poignant parts and overall fabulous chemistry.

This was a great, lighthearted read! I love a good small-town, childhood friends romance and The Break-Up Pact definitely delivered! There were some aspects, such as the pacing and the believability, that I didn’t love, however for a summer-type casual read, it didn’t bother me too much

I loved this sweet small beach town feel! The main characters were so sweet to follow along with. I enjoyed the feel good moments throughout the book, especially the ones that put a smile on my face. The supporting characters were precious as well and really helped make me feel like I was a part of the family!

After not speaking for over 10 years high school best friends, June and Levi, find themselves in a similar situation. Their lives go viral on social media after they both have public breakups. They reconnect in their small town of Benson Beach and decide to embrace the media flurry and go on a series of social media swoon-worthy fake dates. In the process, they learn about themselves, each other and where they are meant to be.

The premise of the two main characters having high-profile breakups was a touch improbable but I quickly bought into the story because the characters themselves were so relatable. I loved June and Levi as individuals and despite the miscommunication trope, which I don’t typically love, thought they were even better together.

The Break-Up Pact is filled with laugh-out-loud moments but also dives into personal struggles, grief and the emotional baggage that is holding them back from finding peace. I love books filled with heart-fluttery connections and steam but appreciate when there is enough depth to keep me thinking after I put the book down. Lord managed to deliver on both accounts! As well as being invested in June and Levi’s stories I was hooked on the supporting characters. They had depth, added purpose to the story and Lord wrapped up the interconnected stories well.

If you’re like me and are a sucker for all books romance, this second-chance love story will make a great addition to your TBR pile for the Summer of 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord and the publisher St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book! Childhood friends to lovers is my favorite trope ever and this did not disappoint! All the pining and laugh-out-loud moments I wanted, plus poignant romance. Definitely a must for any collection. Looking forward to more adult offerings by Emma Lord!

Emma Lord’s The Break-Up Pact is a friends to lovers, fake dating romance following tea shop owner June and writer Levi as they navigate the aftermath of very public breakups. June, better known online as “crying girl” from a viral video of her breakup, is struggling to keep Tea Tide, her boardwalk tea and scone shop, afloat. Levi is likewise reeling from his own very public breakup where his fiancée had an affair with and left him for an action star. Following this, Levi is drawn back home to Benson Beach where he reconnects with his high school best friend June after a decade of sparse, at best, communication. June and Levi are seen together and labeled the “revenge exes” by social media. Deciding to capitalize on that, June and Levi agree to fake date one another to help save Tea Tide and to help Levi get his ex-fiancée back.

I really enjoyed the premise of The Break-Up Pact. The story evolves well, and I appreciated the journeys that June and Levi went on through the book. Both character arcs show growth as individuals even more so than as a couple. However, I was somewhat put off by both characters inability to communicate. Despite their whole pact being founded on the rule of being honest with each other, neither is. They each withhold information and feelings from the other, which I found irritating considering these are supposed to be people who are so comfortable with each other because they were best friends.

There were many things I liked about this book, but it fell short of love for me. 3.25/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I love how the characters developed throughout the book. I truly enjoyed the book, however i felt like something was missing. Not anything major but something minor little fluff or something. anyways it was a great read. and i thoroughly enjoyed it. thank you for the arc!

The Break-up Pact by Emma Lord ☕️
Overall rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Publishing Date: August 13 2024

I really enjoyed this book and the world the author created. The characters felt believable and relatable and I found the arch of their relationship to be interesting yet still realistic. I felt like the characters' growth throughout the novel was well written and inspiring.

This was a great summer read and I would totally recommend it for any and all vacations!

I appreciated the themes of family, siblings, and loss and these topics really created an in-depth and engaging narrative for June. I enjoyed the mixture of fun, sweet, serious, and funny scenes and overall just enjoyed it!

There are lots of tropes in The Break-Up Pact and I don't mind one bit. Emma Lord is quickly becoming a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book is perfect for summer. I recommend reading by the beach or somewhere else in the sunshine. Read if you love second chance romance, fake dating, and small town beach settings. It was full of the cute/sweet content any reader of Emma Lord's YA books will love but with a depth that bridges the gap to the adult sphere perfectly. This book made me laugh along with the characters, and the grief storyline in it was really well done. I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed with both the exes coming back and I didn't fully understand why June wanted to go through with another interview. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and really loved the writing style!

It's like childhood friends, friends to lovers and fake dating all had a baby! This is a streaming service rom com waiting to happen. It's the perfect amounts of cheesy love story mixed with heart and depth. Beneath the love story are stories of friendship, family, grief and self-discovery...Set in a small beach town. Love-able protagonists that you're rooting for with the best cast of supporting characters.

I would 100% recommend this book. It was my first Emma Lord read and I cannot wait to read more of her work (!!!)

This book felt so nostalgic and feel-good. It held complex feelings full of love. I really enjoyed it! Thank you so much NetGalley for letting me read early!

The Break-Up Pact

June has been turned into an internet meme after a publicly broadcasted break-up has been deemed “Crying Girl” but she is trying to use this to drum up business for her tea shop. Levi’s girlfriend just got caught publicly cheating with a celebrity. Although once childhood best friends they haven’t spoken in ten years. When a random picture has people speculating that they are now revenge exes they decide to go along with the assumption and fake date. This had all the potential to be a new favorite but it was a bit lacking. I think not really seeing their childhood connection and friendship made it hard to buy into their relationship fully. Especially after not talking for a decade. And there were times both characters made some really dumb decisions and I wanted to smack them. That being said I do enjoy this author’s books and banter overall and it was a super quick read. 3 ⭐️

June’s boyfriend publicly breaks up with her on a reality TV. She’s completely humiliated and has become known as crying girl. Levi and his girlfriend Kelly also have a public breakup.

10 years ago June and Levi were the best of friends, they were inseparable but then they had a falling out of epic proportions.. now they agree to fake date. The idea is to take the attention away from their sad break up stories and onto something more positive.

The story is very cute, and the characters are very likable. The majority of the characters have been friend’s since high school. This is both a typical fake dating trope, and a typical romance story. Therefore, it is somewhat predictable but enjoyable.

I would definitely recommend the story to people who love, sweet romances and happy endings. I’d like to thank Net Galley for this complementary copy in exchange for an honest review,

June and Levi once best friends come together after a decade apart to avenge their exes after both reeling from very public, very embarrassing break ups. However, soon, old feelings arise, and their joint grief over the loss of June's sister and Levi's friend brings them together in ways they didn't anticipate. They both realize they've missed their past friendship more than their current broken relationships. This is a story of friendship and what a real lasting love foundation looks like. With a beautiful beach setting, fun recipes and enough cute dates to make anyone swoon. This is a must read beach read for summer 2024. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this advanced reader copy.

The story is your typical fake dating trope that everyone has read at least once before and the outcome is what one would expect, but still a pleasant read. The chapters are short and therefore an easy read. It is set in a small beach town about hour out of NYC and the main characters all grew up there together. The characters are all likable for the most part, but the spitfire best friend may have been my favorite character. This book definitely would make a great summer beach read.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing for the advanced digital copy.

Emma Lord does it again! I found this story heartwarming, hilarious and was hungry for more right up until the very end. June, Levi and the whole cast of characters are quirky and adorable.

Easy to read and immerse yourself in, I recommend this if you’re interested in something that’ll give you all the feels.

The Breakup Pact has all the warm feels and plenty of chuckles. I literally laughed until I cried at the scream poetry scene. GOUDA! I want to make scones. I want to try kissing with Pop Rocks.

Emma Lord’s writing pulls emotions off the page and into your heart where they will linger long after you’ve read the last page.

The book was endearing, humorous, and adorable. For those who enjoy romantic comedies and swoon over those perfect leading guys, I highly suggest this book. It was fun for me.

Loved this cute romance. The tea shop and seaside setting was adorable. A cute read with no glaring issues.