Oh how I loved everything about this book. It was funny and charming and swoon worthy with moments where I could feel my heart breaking alongside Junes.

This is one time where I don’t think the synopsis on the back does this book justice. And I also don’t quite understand the vitriol of some of the other reviews. I went into this book in a bit of a slump after reading some heavy historical fiction, and I was apprehensive from the synopsis. But man I am so glad I have it a chance because it was really delightful.

This is a fast paced romance between two lifelong friends who have spent a decade apart (and the reasoning is a huge plot point which I won’t dive into here). They’re also both grieving and processing the loss of Junes sister and Levi’s best friend, Annie. It’s emotional and fun, and there’s something so satisfying about getting to watch the full cycle of the romance. It starts with the premise of fake dating, but it doesn’t feel forced or fake. This isn’t your standard enemies to lovers or second chance romances. This is a decade of hurt and fear and self preservation that felt real. Sometimes these tropes are so wildly over the top and ridiculous that it feels insane. But this one was just realistic enough that I could sink into it. I was also really pleasantly surprised with how June handled some very tough situations where in most books (and in life) it would have led to a very dramatic fight or argument or just being passive aggressive. Instead it was clear she had grown and was learning to trust herself, her judgment, and her relationships. Such an important lesson that was really well done.

I would have been incredibly satisfied if this book had about a hundred more pages. I think there were some plot points glossed over for the sake of time and space (like why Levi and Griffin absolutely hate each other) and it probably could have benefited from hearing some of Levi’s perspective (however that could have led to some internal book spoilers). I wish we saw a little more of Sana, as she reminded me so much of my own best friend that I found myself equally invested in her own path and story.

Are there some zany moments and characters that make you shake your head? Sure. But that’s literally almost every small town trope and truly just reminded me of Gilmore Girls with well meaning neighbors and friends being busy bodies.

Overall, this book was a delight and one I’ll be picking up again just to settle into a cozy romance with a lot of heart.

A solid 3 star read. There was something nostalgic about the book that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The book had almost everything I need for a great romcom- fake dating, cute setting, characters with similar interests to me…… but I just didn’t connect to the characters. I still would recommend - the writing was great! Wasn’t expecting the spice but it was a welcome addition too!

This has to be my favorite Emma Lord book! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. It’s a cute, feel-good easy read. June and Levi were made for each other and I was rooting for them the whole time.

The Break-Up Pact scone (iykyk)
1 cup childhood friends to strangers to lovers
2 cups fake dating
1/2 cup revenge
1/2 cup tea
1/4 cup carrots
2 tbsp the ashes of Griffin Halter’s reputation

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Break-Up Pact.

There have been some peaks and valleys but because I loved Tweet Cute so much, I have basically committed myself to reading every Emma Lord book. And being way beyond the YA demographic, I was super excited to hear that she was debuting her first adult novel this year. So excited that I requested the ARC on NetGalley and crossed my fingers that I would get approved. Thankfully, I was!

Seeing the rating of this book kind of low (at least to me) on Goodreads had me quite worried about the book. So I was definitely a little nervous and a little cautious going into the book.

However, for the most part, that worry was for nothing. The Break-Up Pact is a really great rom-com, beachy read kind of book. Relatively low stakes and... come on... we all know how the book is going to end, right? So, basically it's the perfect kind of book to escape into. I really enjoyed the main characters as well as the secondary characters. They were all very Emma Lord and throughly enjoyable go on a journey with.

The biggest issue I think I had with The Break-Up Pact is that everything was just good, not great. In a lot of ways, it is very similar to Beach Read. However, where Beach Read gave you all the feelings, from happiness to giddiness to sadness, The Break-Up Pact got you just close enough to feel the beginnings of something but didn't take the reader all the way. I was just left wishing for just slightly more all around.

Another issue (smaller for sure) was that it was kind of hard to pin down the age of the main characters. They seemed to behave like early twenty-year olds to me but I think they were actually close to thirty. Honestly, I'm still not 100% sure. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that they felt a little young for this book and reminded me a lot of Lord's characters in her YA books. I wished that the main characters were in their early thirties just to give some space between Lord's YA and adult work.

All in all, The Break-Up Pact is a fast, fun read. Perfect for the beach and equally perfect for fans who looking for something similar to Beach Read. While it isn't as good as that novel, it will certainly entertain fans looking for something close to it.

This was a fun one! Humorous, sexy, the banter was top tier. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing, would have liked a little bit more build up for tension purposes but otherwise a great read.

Fake dating between two best friends, who haven’t seen each other in a decade, after monumentally devastating viral breakups. Can they find their way back to friendship? Is there something more?

Here’s what worked for me:
•June and Levi are adorable together. I love the cross country connection from high school and the cute “I’ll race you to the…” competitions they share.
•I love the connection June and Levi have with the made up world and companion stories they shared as kids.
•The scone recipes sound yummy (but honestly get weird).
•When June finally has her chance to tell Griffin off, it’s handled really well — not over the top or unrealistically, but how I think most of us wish we’d behave.

Here’s what didn’t work for me:
•The ending goes on too long. There is an overwrought explanation of how they come to be together that could be edited.
•I don’t understand why her business is a tea shop on the boardwalk. That doesn’t seem to be a business you’d find in that setting. It’s not integral to the plot so it would make more sense to pick something else.
•Personal preference but I’m not a fan of the shop name: Tea Tide. I guess it’s a play on Tea Time + beach, but it felt awkward and clunky.
•Who is too busy to plan their own wedding? The idea of sending your sister and friend to pick wedding cake flavors, venues, and a DJ seems…unrealistic.

June had been dating Griffin for ten years. After graduation they went off on a death defying, world traveling adventure. But when Griffin cheats on June and then breaks up with her on reality tv, her snot nosed, bumbling response becomes meme fodder. Tail tucked between her legs, she returns to Benson Beach, where she grew up. There she tries her best to keep the tea shop her sister opened on the boardwalk from going under.

Enter Levi. He’s returned home, too, from NYC after his own humiliating break up. His girlfriend left him for a top tier movie star. He’s devastated and hoping to reconcile.

So June and Levi hatch a plan: She needs to make more money to keep the shop open and he needs to make his ex jealous, so they cook up a fake dating scenario and push it on social media as the #revengeexes to drum up publicity. A win-win!

It’s all going fine until the feelings June has always had for Levi resurface. But she knows, from an overheard conversation and ten years of radio silence that he doesn’t feel the same way. Or does he?

This is a e-ARC that I was given the opportunity to read and review from NetGalley and St. Martin Press. Releases August 13, 2024.

Another fun fake dating scheme book! I enjoyed the characters June and Levi, and the development between the two. The book was sweet and funny, Also present is the friends to lovers trope which is really enjoyable. I’d recommend this book to friends, and I rate it 4/5!

June gets broken up with her boyfriend griffin, and is humiliated when pictures of her crying are all over the internet. Levi is taking a break from his girlfriend Kelly. June and levin were childhood friends and haven’t spoken inn10 years. But happen to run into each other and struck up a plan to fake date to get back at there exs.

This book wasn’t for me, it was terrible it just didn’t hit me in ways I needed. I didn’t get much emotion from Levi and I think that’s mostly what I needed. I also didn’t get much emotion from June. I’m an emotional reader. I would recommend it for a quick read.

This was such a cute adult rom com. There were some definite grammatical errors or things that didn't quite make sense that I feel will be caught by an editor. Cute story, flowed well, stalled at times and took lots of unnecessary twists and turns.

Having never read an Emma Lord book before, but being away of her work, I was excited to give this book a try, but it didn't work out for me.

The concept of two friends who drifted apart fake dating do to viral break-ups was fresh, and I think the set-up and early pages of the story were very strong. But the MCs are not.

The Heroine - June is stuck in her grief over the loss of her sister, Annie, which is believable and I am sympathetic towards, but nearly every single page has a reference to Annie and that doesn't allow June, Levi (Annie's best friend), or the reader to ever move on. It's exhausting.

The Hero - Look, I wanted to like Levi, but his entire reason for fake-dating June being to get his ex back (WHO CHEATED ON HIM) was depressing, lacking self-respect, and was mentioned way too many times. Add to that his own sadness over Annie's death and there is very little rom-com to be found.

Every time I thought June and Levi were going to have a Serious Conversation, one of them would say something that got the other to just accept the situation and move on - there was no growth.

I will say, the fake-dates were fun and felt the most RomCom-y, but they were bogged down with grief and unlikable MCs that I couldn't believe any of that connection between June and Levi would last.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Childhood friends-Check!!
Fake dating-Check!!
SO CUTE- Check, Check, Check!!

I really wanted to be on the beach while I was reading this book and that was my only complaint!!! It was really so cute! Thank you so much for the ARC!

This book is cute but really that's about it. It is the story of childhood friends, June and Levi, who drift apart and then end up back in their hometown again after at their subsequent breakups. The premise was cute, but there were a few things that didn't work for me.

There was so much focus on June's sister Annie who had passed, that at times it felt like it should have been her story. And I understand she was important, but at multiple points I wondered if her and Levi had been or had wanted to be in a relationship. Then there was Levi himself...he did a 180 so quick that it didn't make any sense to me, and definitely didn't feel authentic or believable. He was all about working on things with Kelly until he wasn't. If I'm June, I'm not trusting his intentions either!

Then there's June. June who felt so oblivious to everything around her. With Levi, her ex, her brother. Plus the ex drama wasn't enjoyable, with Kelly and Griffin being basically useless and only popping in when there was a need to move the plot along. Then they would just disappear again. June's best friend Sana was ok, but again didn't feel necessary to the story.

I just wanted to feel more of a connection to the characters and I didn't. I finished this a couple of days ago, and I had to go back to look up their names because I could hardly remember them. It's a cute palette cleanser read so it's 3 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

🌟1.75

So many emotions for this book. Mostly disgust and disbelief. Honestly, I was baffled by the actions of both MCs in this book.

First... What person would want to remain friends with someone who cheated on you? Especially after giving 10 years of your life to them? The FMC, apparently. Even when the cheater publicly humiliated her on T.V.

Secondly... One of the reasons the MMC and FMC agree to fake date is so that the MMC can make his cheating fiance jealous so she'll come back to him. Where's the self-respect?!?!?

Lastly... The FMC easily forgives the MMC for every little thing he did wrong. That's not bad, necessarily, but there was ZERO groveling. He ditches her for a day when the MMC's cheating fiance shows up. No explanation and even acts like the fiance and FMC didn't meet. Oh, it's fine... I'll forgive you without little explanation.

I just didn't trust the decisions of either of the MCs. They were both too trusting. Frankly, they both gave me the ick!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord
This story is what happens when you are dumped in social media hell and so is your childhood best friend. You and your best friend end up in your childhood town and make a pact to fake date to get revenge on your exes as well as save face online….oh and maybe help to bolster your late sister’s struggling beachside tea shop.
I liked:
• The humour and wit in this story
• A quick light read
• June’s commitment to her sister’s legacy
Dislike:
• Predictable in spots
This would be a great read for 20-40 somethings that enjoy Rom Coms.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartensPress for the ARC copy of this title in exchange for this honest review.

The Break-Up Pact was a fun quick read that follows the normal formula for romance books today. It is perfect for our readers who do not want an overly sexual book. It reminded me of a good old rom-com. Miscommunication, lack of communication, and funny supporting characters abound. All in all, I enjoyed this book, and will not hesitate to recommend it to our readers who are looking for a fun quick beach type read.

Received this as a digital arc. Idk why I enjoy the fake dating tropes so much.

It was a little cliche and cheesy, and some of the characters seemed a bit useless to the storyline, but regardless it was cute. Nothing too special, but also nothing too terrible.

3.5, rounded down.

There’s definitely a kind of sweet comfort that comes from reading a romance novel like this - you know what to expect. Here we have a couple of classic tropes: friends-to-lovers, best friends sibling, and fake dating. It was enjoyable, sweet, and seems like a nice summer read. After suffering the loss of their sister/best friend, the portrayal of grief felt legitimate and it was nice see 2 characters who are somewhat lost, find themselves. Although, I will say - the story as a whole fell a little flat for me… Can’t exactly pinpoint how though! There’s definitely millennial anecdotes: loving sweets, messy buns, “uptown funk” - which I’m just personally tired of reading. Ultimately, the contrived “virality” makes for an interesting start to the story but quickly becomes overused.

TLDR; cute romance novel involving fake dating/friends-to-lovers showcasing themes of grief, reuniting, scorned lovers, and internet fame

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an advanced copy through Netgalley.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dilemmalord for early access to this amazing book. It was so fun, literally everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy. I’ve read some really amazing books this month, but some have been really heavy. This was the perfect palate cleanser. I absolutely loved this book. I flew through it. I’m not sure what more you could want from a romantic comedy- fake dating, second chance at love, and even a little enemies to lovers. If you’ve never read Emma Lord, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books!

Two high school best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral on social media. Cute story with familiar romance tropes and themes of self discovery, friendships and grieving the loss of a loved one. The indecisiveness and lack of communication at times between the main characters was sometimes annoying but it came together.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Publishing for an early release copy of this book.

This was a fun and easy read!

June and her childhood friend, Levi decide to fake date to help her business and help him win back his fiancée.

If you love fake dating, second chance romance tropes you will like this one! While it wasn’t a 5 star in my opinion, I did enjoy it and I still will recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.