I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a slow burn. This book was a beautiful, well fleshed-out accounting of childhood friends, who were in love, but we’re not in a place mentally or emotionally as teenagers to have a relationship as evidenced by what happened. They of course don’t know that they each had/have those feelings and it causes a strained relationship for them as adults. Things are not going great in either of their adult lives which brings them back to their hometown, and eventually to each other. Both of them have suffered very public and humiliating betrayals by their significant other. The opportunity presents itself for them to pretend to be a couple in order to take the heat off of themselves and they take it. This author writes very well, and I often felt the emotions our characters were feeling. This book did a very great job of showing the healthiest ways to deal with the kind of conflict that this situation brings. You don’t get a third act break up in this book so much as a third act mutual agreement to take time to process and come to an understanding of what they individually want and need before jumping into something real. This book, especially the ending about 60% felt like a textbook example your therapist would give you of how a healthy relationship works. While I did appreciate that, I feel like it slowed the pacing towards the end.

I really enjoyed this book! Thanks to NetGalley for the arc,

I loved Emma’s writing about grief even more than I loved the love story. It was beautiful, and though the characters were so frustrating at times, overall, it just helped me see them as humans going through real life in a time period between grieving and living.

NetGalley ARC -
I really enjoyed this book and will definitely look for more from this author. I loved the social media viral story lines, the dealing with the aftermath of grief without wallowing in it, and the friends then relationship story line and growth. The best friend was great, as well as the other characters. A fun read that I couldn't put down!

Cute romance about two people who are dumped by relatively famous people and then end up getting together to pretend to date. Set in a tiny beach town outside NYC. Also: a charming tea shop is pretty much a main character. Nothing not to like about this novel.

This book really surprised me. It had some heavier themes than what I was expecting, but the author did a great job in handling those themes. I loved both June and Levi, as well as their love story. It was one of those love stories that is very deep rooted and meaningful. They share similar experiences as well as grief of losing someone close to them that brings them together. I also really love the fake dating trope. Really well done overall. 4.5 ⭐️

The Break-Up Pact starts a little slow but then gets interesting a very social media way. The 2 friends from high school who have been publicly humiliated by their exes make a plan to get some revenge and of course their hidden true feeling for each other emerge over time
It’s well written and I enjoyed the ups and downs and growth both characters go thru during the story
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for opportunity to read this book

Thanks, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing, for the eARC. This rom-com has it all—laughs, comfort, warm fuzzies, and tears. June and Levi, both recently dumped and turned into social media fodder, reconnect. They decide to fake date to make their exes jealous. Will it turn real? Emma Lord's writing is captivating, each chapter leaving me craving more. The depth of their complicated history and shared understanding is beautifully portrayed. Lord skillfully brings the characters to life, making me feel their hurts, hopes, and fears. A fantastic read!

Nora Ephron and Emily Henry would be proud of "The Break-Up Pact". It has relatable protagonists, lovable and sassy sidekicks, and a tried-and-true romantic comedy plot that can't be beat. I enjoyed the witty repartee that balanced well with the heartfelt moments that made you stop and soak it in. Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book that I'm sure will be a hit!

2 stars.

I will be withholding my review for the time being as support of the SMP boycott, which I was just recently made aware of.

Once the boycott is over, I will be editing this to share my full review and I plan to post on Goodreads and Twitter about this review.

This book had me smiling throughout! I could totally imagine this cute town and these fun {and flawed!} characters in the book. Honestly, I wanted to be friends with June. She was feisty, determined, and loyal. When Levi hops back into town {temporarily} she is conflicted. Some parts of it were highly unbelievable but honestly, I'm not reading a rom-com for its believability! Super cute light read!

Super fun romance! This is going to make a great beach read! I am a fan of Emma Lord's other novels and I cannot wait to read the next one!

This book was such a quick read it sucked me in! I’m always a sucker for the fake dating trope and this one was no exception. It was also mixed with childhood friends and second chance romance which I loved! All the emotions in this book got to me and they were beautifully written. The big focus on social media elements wasn’t my favorite but it did not make me stop reading.

Childhood best friends, June and Levi, are reunited after their respective break-ups go viral. Unintentionally, they start some gossip of their own when they are spotted together and are rumored to be a couple. The internet dubs them “The Revenge Exes”. June and Levi both decide to capitalize on the publicity and continue to fake date. Through the process, old feelings are brought to the surface and their relationship is tested.

The story had a lot of potential. There were a lot of things I like: friends to lovers, small town, second chances, found family. The side characters were phenomenal. Everyone deserves a best friend like Sana. I also really appreciated the theme of grieving a sibling. As someone who can relate, I found the author’s representation 100% accurate. It made the book a little extra special for me.

The love story missed the mark for me. Every time I sat down to read it, I fell asleep. The story took a while to get to the point and then once it did, I felt like the conflict just wasn’t really a conflict. Overall it was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book, unfortunately, wasnt for me. I loved the concept and the fun/unique scones, but it just didn’t do anything for me. The characters had a good amount of characterization, but didn’t actually embody any of it, the writing style wasn’t my favorite, and Annie’s friendship with Levi was bothersome. My full review is up on Goodreads.

I enjoyed the writing and character development but overall felt like it wasn’t super exciting and I was just waiting for something big to happen. It wasn’t a “can’t put it down, have to finish asap” for me like other Emma books have been. I definitely could have used more dramatics unpredictability.

To quote the book itself, "Um I love this so much I'm gonna throw up glitter." It's one of my favorite romance books that I've read recently and I'm excited to read more of Emma Lord's work!

And everything was very personal to June throughout The Break-Up Pact because this girl was going through it. I enjoyed how June's character was written by Emma Lord. I felt like June's character traits made her shine through and created this believable and likable character who is going through the loss of her sister, a ten-year relationship, and possibly her small business. And then the cherry on top of this miserable sundae is her old high school crush/family friend Levi shows up in the small town they grew up in!

After I first finished the book, I felt a little annoyed with the lack of communication between the main characters June and Levi. I felt like some of the problems could have been solved in the book by just talking and being honest! But they came to this point in their lives with a lot of baggage, so it makes sense if you think about them as real people.

I went into this book expecting a cute YA romance because that's what I've read from Emma Lord before. I was not disappointed in this book at all with those being my expectations. The book was NOT YA, though-- just a warning. The friends-to-lovers and fake dating trope worked very well in this book and created a very cute romance that felt authentic.

Overall, I'm happy that I read this book and will be recommending it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This one took me forever to read. Emma Lord has been hit or miss with me. And the Break-up Pact was a huge miss. Sounded promising…fake dating and childhood friends to lovers, but no. The plot dragged, I never connected with June and felt hardly any chemistry between her and Levi. The fake dates June and Levi embarked on were cute and entertaining at times, but the characters were too underdeveloped, leaving me bored and disinterested. If you want to read an Emma Lord book…try Tweet Cute.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked following the progression of June and Levi’s relationship and their relationships with their family and friends. I think the book could use some more description of the beach town, because I couldn’t place whether Benson Beach was a northern or southern beach town and I noticed a few typos that will hopefully be resolved before release. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others!

I had so much fun reading this book! I am not usually a fan of friends-to-lovers romance books, but the chemistry between June and Levi really put it over the top. I do think some of the enjoyment was pulled just because of the miscommunication trope, but not enough to put me off it. It was funny, romantic, down-to-earth and such a fun read!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for giving me this digital advance copy to read.

I was completely gone for the moment I read Levi and June's first interaction. This is the kind of book you cannot help but to fall for. With the great writing that is emotional yet entertaining and characters that are loveable and real, my heart never stood a chance. The one thing I will always appreciate about this author is how genuine her books are. The progression from start to finish is set in realistic pace and never feels dramatized.

The tension between Levi and June played out in a way that made your heart ache for them. Every moment between them was sweeter because of their history and every action was loaded with so much angst I was about to explode. I couldn’t get enough Levi and June.

This book is perfect for the romance readers who want it all. A book that will make you laugh while tugging on your heart strings. It’s well written and is easy to devour in one sitting. If you haven’t read anything by this author yet, make sure you check out this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC