More than a romance book!

This book is cute and charming, but also healing and thoughtful. June and Levi were best friends all through high school until one morning when everything comes to a halt and they begin a 10 year split. After two public breaks, the “Revenge Exes” takes shape in what could end in heartbreak or happily ever after.

I thought this book was so well written not just from a romance standpoint, but from a thoughtful and carefully executed point of mind. Emma has done a brilliant job crafting a story that digs deeper into relationships and how emotions can take root in us all that lead us down paths we may have never taken. She also delves into loss and grief and how things may be perceived from one person to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy once it is released!

This book was such an easy 5 stars! It was sweet, charming, emotional, FUNNY… I loved every minute of it.

It’s a true second chance at love story with fake dating… two of my favorites. Levi and June have so much growth in this story, together and separately, that it just has you cheering them on from the very start. The family dynamic here is so beautiful- the found family, guilt, loss, support, unwavering love. It’s really just the type of family you get lost in- in a good way.

Outside of how sentimental it felt, it was also so funny! I was laughing out loud. Emma Lord’s quippy dialogue is strong and the wit is so quick. It’s just fun to read and I was laughing out loud, genuinely.

The romance was slow burn and the buildup to some spice was worth it! I really do love Levi… he reminds me of Henry from Book Lovers and our Ali Hazelwood favorites… he’s that kind of book boyfriend.

Y’all will love Levi. You’ll LOVE June. You laugh, you’ll sigh, you’ll kick your feet, you’ll hold your heart…. You’ll get hungry for a scone and start thinking about how long it’s been since you’ve had pop rocks… you’ll love this read. The perfect summer book!

This one comes out on August 13th- I am so excited for people to read it and love it!!

Read if you enjoy:
🌊 childhood friends
🏃‍♀️ fake dating
🧁 small towns
🫖 second chances

Pub Date: August 13, 2024

Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced readers copy of The Break Up Pact!

“Neither of you wants to change the other one or tell the other one what to do. You just want each other to be happy. And that’s what love is supposed to look like”

June and Levi have been best friends since childhood. Until a miscommunication prevents them from talking in recent years. But, after June and Levi experience breakups that go viral on the internet, they both find themselves in their hometown. When they’re spotted together, they go viral once again- as a couple. They decide on a pact to fake- date. They want to make Levi’s ex-girlfriend jealous and want him back and use the publicity to help June’s beachside tea shop make enough money for rent to continue her lease. Will their plan work?

Usually I’m weary of the fake-dating trope but I actually enjoyed it this book more than I thought I would! I liked how each character grew throughout the book. It was refreshing to read characters talking about their issues at this point in their lives instead of the miscommunication that unfolded in their younger years. I thought some parts were a little unnecessary to the story- going back on the ex-boyfriend’s show, the girlfriend showing up at tea tide, some parts about Annie, etc. but I thought it was a believable new-age Hallmark type love story that would make a cute romcom movie!

#TheBreakUpPact #EmmaLord #NetGalley

This was very cute!! Having read all of Emma Lord’s YA novels, I was excited to see what she would bring to an adult romcom and I was not disappointed. The only issue I had was that at times it felt like the relationship between June and Levi was developing too fast for the amount of emotional intimacy we saw on-page. I assume that’s because they’re falling back into the relationship they used to have, but I think it would’ve been helpful to have some more flashbacks/exposition specific to their relationship to let us see why they initially liked each other and make the story slightly more believable.

Thank for the ARC NetGalley. This was an ok read but it took me a while to get into it and never really felt invested in the June and ale I or their relationship. I have loved all of Lord’s YA, but this was was missing something for me.

Such a fun and light hearted read! I was very invested in how June and Levi would work everything out. I also loved all the scone flavors mentioned throughout the book and would definitely be a customer of this business. Will definitely read more titles by Emma Lord!

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,