‘The Break-Up Pact’ by Emma Lord is a super quick and fun book, perfect for a pick-up while lazing on the beach in the summer. I rated the book 3 out of 5 stars.

The book follows June and Levi who were childhood best friends but slowly drifted apart when they grew older and their reconnection and love story through grief. The friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites of all-time and this one did not disappoint.

June and Levi’s love was sweet and heartwarming. Levi knew June like the back of his hand and June was so patient with him. The writing in this book was great and allowed for the deep trust and love the had for each through the years to be conveyed convincingly to the me as the reader. The highlight of this book was easily the healthy communication between the two which made me like them that much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

Completely spoiler-free review!

Read this if you like: fake dating, friends to lovers, slow burn

Overall, this was a cute story with a lot of potential. What made me give it a lower star rating were the characters.

I had a bit of a hard time connecting with them. The characters were immature and not really likeable in my opinion. Sometimes, they would act in a way that did not make sense to me, but there was little. to no explanation as to WHY. I could not justify their actions and feelings. What I love the most about books is being able to feel as though I am in the characters' heads, but I had such a hard time doing that in this case.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of The Break-Up Pact ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a digital ARC of The Break-Up Pact.

I gave this one 3 stars, but if I could I would give it 3.5. The writing was well done with flushed-out and fun characters. I easily got lost in the story and finished it in two days. I thought it was cute enough, but not one of the greats as far as rom-coms go. I like how there was a grief aspect in the story, and how it was handled. Emotional, deep, and laugh-out-loud moments. The reason I didn't give four stars is because the miscommunication between them was a little drawn out. The needing space, I don't know, something about it didn't work for me. I would definitely read more from this author though, as I believe this was her adult novel.

This was a sweet book! The main character is easy to relate to and the dynamic between her/the love interest has enough tension to keep you interested from the start of the novel. I'd recommend to my contemporary romance reader friends. This was the first novel I've had the chance to read by Emma, and I was impressed by easily it hooked me!

"There's a moment our eyes meet, and there's a spark between us that feels like it could light a flame."

This book was so sweet and was the perfect valentines day read! I loved the whole vibe of this book. Small-town romance meets slow burn and childhood friends.

It never really felt like fake dating to me. You could see the feelings coming from all angles but almost like it was ignored until just the right moment.

Another thing I loved was that the romance wasn't always front and center. These characters clearly had lives to live and other things going that they had to take care of and do, which was another thing that I loved from the beginning.

There was no real communication, even when tensions were high, it would almost get played off like no biggie and there would be no real resolution to the issue at hand.

Overall I loved this book, it was a good palette cleanser and a very easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for my honest review!

My first thought to share is that this one felt too long. Plot wise it was interesting, but it felt like it was moving too slowly (or too quickly in some places) so it failed to keep my attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Some parts of the plot didn’t make much sense to me either - I couldn’t understand how the male lead and female lead’s sister remained so very close over the years, but the female lead herself had next to no contact with him despite their closeness. Then there is the idea that their previous breakups went completely viral - it didn’t seem realistic at all to me. And then within a few pages of seeing each other again they decide fake dating will solve their problems? This just wasn’t what I was in the mood for in a book. It didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It was very entertaining and I had a good time reading it. The only thing I didn't buy in this book was the social media aspect. I didn't really understand how their past (and current) relationships were blasted all over social media and the paparazzi was after them to take photos when they aren't celebrities or famous figures. I think I would have bought this more if it was a local newspaper versus TikTok or social media as a whole.

The break up pact was a cute read. I would file under predictable but lockable none the less. The rom-com checklist was reviewed and all the boxes were checked. I am by no means saying this was a bad book! It’s a comfort read, like many other rom-coms. There’s no surprises, not a million details and names to remember- just a cute comfy read. I will read books like this any day of the week!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my opinion.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was epic!
It is no surprise that i looove fake dating romances. And this one was soo good. Emma Lord has done an amazing job with creating these characters and their romance. They were so much fun in their respective moments but also together as well.
5/5

There were many things I enjoyed about this book. I love the fake dating trope, and the childhood friends/second chance element. The premise had me expecting something purely entertaining and fun but I was not expecting the added tenderness of processing the grief of a loved one, which was a significant part of the plot.

I haven’t read anything else by Emma Lord yet, but I was expecting a little more from the romance aspect. I’m a huge fan of a friends-to-lovers story, but theirs seemed overcomplicated at times. Based on the premise of their “break up pact” alone, the Levi-Kelly situation dragged a bit for me, and Griffin seems so terrible and self-centered that it’s hard to imagine June spending 10 years with him. However, the rest of the plot worked well for me. I really enjoyed the growth of June and Levi’s friendship/relationship, and their personal growth throughout the book. I felt very invested in Emma’s tea shop and how that would all play out. The romance almost seemed like a sub-plot, but I’m glad they finally got together and I did really enjoy the book overall! I look forward to reading more from this author.

I liked this one, but I didn't love it. It was a cute story, a friends to lovers story, but these friends had been separated for awhile, so it was also a reuniting story. June and Levi were good together, you could see that right away, but they were both coming off of a very public breakup so they needed to sort that out a bit.

There were baked goods, a beach and some great supporting characters that helped make the story delightful. I think for me, the biggest issue was the pace. It didn't suck me in and make me keep turning pages to see what happened. But again, overall a really solid story that was very enjoyable!

Thank you, thank you, thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!!


So, unfortunately, this book did not seem to be for me. I enjoy the fake-dating, second chance, and friends-to-lovers tropes, but it just didn't seem to work together for me. These two best friends, Levi Shaw and June Hart, haven't seen each other in 10 years due to a miscommunication (which I'm not very fond of in books) and haven't spoken since then. He comes back to their hometown and they agree to fake-date to get back at the awful exes that publically humiliated them online. The internet dubs Levi and June as The Revenge Exes.

My issue with this is I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters, nor did I believe that after a DECADE of not speaking to each other, they were suddenly okay with helping each other out? I'm sorry, it just seemed unrealistic to me.

I still rate this a 3 star because I enjoyed the epilogue a lot and I liked her best friend Sana (she gets a whole star herself) and I had a good time reading it. I would recommend this to people, but I won't read this again myself.

ahhhh this was such a sweet yet deep love story. june and levi are so adorable and lovable, and i was rooting for them the whole time.

This was a very slow burn but ended up enjoying the characters and love story in the end! It did seem a bit long in the middle but the ending bumped up my rating to a 3.5 rating!

Honestly, as a cute, easy-to-read, stand-alone novel — this very much works. It had its cute moments and good lines, and I loved the fake dating during the first half.

But overall, this book was not what I was expecting. There was so much going on that I don’t think any of the plotlines were done super well, and all of the character and relationship development felt kind of rushed. The ending felt rushed. It was at times hard to connect with the MCs as a couple. The FMC was really contradictory and annoying sometimes with some of the things she said, thought and did (I kind of got frustrated with her near the end).

Midway through the book it kind of stops being a Rom Com and becomes more of a contemporary fiction, which I didn’t love. I wish we had gotten more of the fake dating, more build-up of their relationship and looks into their past, or that it had been more of a finding yourself fiction story throughout. So the plot as a whole wasn’t my fave, but still had good parts here and there. There were some good themes and lessons expressed at the end.

🌶️.5 = for one open-door scene in the middle of the book. Otherwise, it is fine.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Break-Up Pact is a book about two ex-best friends who both recently had their break-ups go viral and decide to fake date to drum up business for June’s shop and make Levi’s ex realize what she’s missing. I was very excited about this book as I love fake dating and second chance romance tropes. However, I feel the cover and plot description are a bit misleading. I was expecting a light-hearted, fun, summer romance when, in fact, this book focuses on two characters who are struggling with grief and regret and are grappling with their careers.

During the first half of the book, I had a hard time connecting to the main characters as I didn’t feel they had much chemistry or motivation to be fake dating. In the second half, I felt more connected to the characters but there were so many side plots it was distracting. Besides fake dating the main characters are also dealing with the consequences of going viral videos, helping June’s brother and his fiance plan their wedding, trying to save June’s business, and Levi’s uncertainty about changing his career. Although this book dealt with hard topics and had a spicy scene the writing felt a bit YA to me.

Overall, I don’t think this book was a good fit for me. However, I would recommend it to people who like romances that are a bit more intense and deal with heavier topics and people who like their romances to have other plotlines running throughout that are not related to the romance. I think this book could also be a good first adult romance for someone who is looking to transition away from YA romance into adult romance. One thing I appreciated was how the author was able to keep up the tension and stakes throughout the book without having a cliched third-act breakup.

This book was a fun romance to read. Everyone can relate to reminiscing of your first love. Unfortunately, timing was not in the stars initially for June and Levi. Fast forward 10 years, everything has changed. A very dramatic social media break up leads to a series of "fake" dates to get revenge. What to do you do when all those old feeling bubble to the surface... you'll have to read and find out!

The description sounded so fun- two former best friends who haven't spoken in years meet up again one summer. June and Levi each suffer a viral break up and decide to fake date in order to get revenge on their exes. Unfortunately, it just wasn't all that I hoped it would be. The chemistry was not convincing and the storyline didn't move very quickly.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

I really liked this story! June and Levi have a fun and bittersweet reunion. their mutual public breakups bringing them together for a "revenge ex" story was a unique, interesting, and fun plot to read! I really liked their chemistry with each other, having a past that ties them together, for bettor or worse. they both have known grief and heartache in life and I liked how it was handled throughout the story. I wish there had been better communication between June and Levi during the years they spent apart-- it always bugs me when immaturity of teenagers leads to years of silence between two people who have a deep friendship and that was the case here. however, I understood the various reasons life got in the way of an earlier reconciliation between the two. I loved seeing them form a truly strong connection to finally have their happily ever after together. overall it is a fun, unique, touching, and at times, bittersweet story. thank you for the arc!!!

The premise of this book really sounds amazing, but I just don't think it was pulled off well enough for it to become a go-to recommendation for romance fans.

Emma Lord is masterful at writing young adult romances, and I feel like it shows in this novel. It tried to be adult with adult characters and adult plots and adult romantic scenes, but it still felt juvenile somehow.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.