I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together on this one. I really love Lord's writing. She is so good at imbuing deep emotion into her books, and I *feel* things with the characters. This book is no exception. That said, there were a few elements that frustrated me with the book, but those mostly come down to storytelling preferences. I didn't love the long focus on Levi wanting to get back together with his ex. And while I was expecting it, the content of the "we always loved each other but didn't tell each other" secret was not great. There are so many things to love about this book. It's definitely a fun and emotional read.

Hallmark movie-like, based in a small town, childhood friends, years of misunderstanding, tea and scones, fake dates that were fun and sexy. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by Emma Lord.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so so much! I was already an Emma Lord fan from reading You Have A Match (another must read!) so I was super excited for this book, and her stepping into adult romcom from YA!

Two inseparable childhood friends June and Levi, loose touch for nearly a decade, and reconnect then decide to fake a romantic relationship when their post-breakup woes become internet sensations, adding a dash of joy and a rollercoaster of emotions to this super entertaining story!

I loved both June and Levi - and their personal struggles. June is forever doubting herself, and lost herself in a previous relationship. Something so relatable!!

Levi is surprisingly vulnerable and unsure of what’s next after being shaken up by his breakup.

Their story is very cute and fun to read. And there was some unexpected spice!!!

I highly recommend this book! 5 stars for me.

I loved this read! Overall it was actually more 4.5 stars for me.

June is home running Tea Tide after unexpectedly loosing her sister and is also facing her new internet fame for being viciously dumped by her ex on reality tv. But things could be worse, she could be like her former childhood best friend Levi, who's girlfriend cheated on him with a big name celeb. These two haven't spoken much outside of a few texts here and there when a video of them racing down the beach goes viral as "the revenge ex's". They both decide to go with it for their own reasons but neither are expecting to experience those forgotten feelings.

Overall, again I loved it. I thought the characters depth was amazing and I enjoyed each and every one of them. I can't wait to buy the physical copy.

I’m really disappointed. Loved Emma Lord’s other books but this one was not it. It was very tropey, tried to stay modern with all the garbage. I don’t like they’re being diversity for the sake of diversity, when the characters add nothing else to the plot. Nothing happened. Of course there’s a token gay couple too. Unnecessary bc they had no personality other than other “diverse” characters. TikTok was mentioned and that’s an instant turn off. I don’t want to hear about the garbage of modern society in books. Sorry.

THE cutest!!! The dynamic between June and Eli was so fun. Grew up the best of friends, moved away and lost touched, moved back home and found each other again. My favorite book trope! I’ll be forever recommending this book to friends and family.
If you’re looking for a cute, cheesy romance this is the one for you.

I liked this but didn’t love it. I have loved all of Emma Lord’s books but for some reason this one took me a long time to get into and I wasn’t fully engaged.

This was the story of two childhood friends that drifted or honestly chose to be apart for the last decade - circumstances led them back together and a mutual grievance against their individual ex’s made them devise a plan to get revenge. I really wanted to love this book, and there were some great parts of it - like some of the side characters and the funny or steamy moments that happened. I enjoyed the random scone flavors and the inspirations behind them too! But overall, it just didn’t hit the mark… it wasn’t necessarily bad but just felt like something was missing and I was unable to connect with the characters and I also didn’t get excited about the plot as it moved along through the book. The switch from faking (because he was pining and wanted his ex back) to them being together for real was just too drastic and sudden which did get addressed as they talked things through but to me how could he go from one side to the other so quickly? It made it harder to believe. Again, there were some LOL moments and there wasn’t anything necessarily bad, and maybe it’s just my inability to connect so I would still recommend giving it a try if you enjoy a good friends to lovers, fake dating romance!

June is incredibly over-analytical but I still felt invested in her arc. There were a few times when I felt like there was too much going on, but overall this was a fun read, the storyline flowed well and came to a nice conclusion. This seems like it would resonate with a YA audience.
Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC ebook!

The Break up pact is a breezy summer beach read with a fun fake dating scheme. It would have been interesting to learn more about June’s parents and hear from them and see their relationship through the story, as well as learn more about Levi’s home life while he was young. The side characters like Sana, Dylan, and Mateo were very vibrant and loveable. Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Having delved into “The Break-up Pact” by Emma Lord, I found it to be a decent romance that provides an easy and quick reading experience. However, the narrative falls short in terms of depth, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. The flashback to a fight between Annie and Levi stands out as a puzzling element, leaving readers like myself curious about the dynamics between these characters.

For me, it raised questions about Annie’s feelings for Levi and her role in June and Levi’s lack of connection over that decade, creating an odd layer to the story. Despite these qualms, the book isn’t without its merits and serves as a passable choice for a swift read.

It’s worth noting that this review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided in exchange for my free and unbiased evaluation of the material.

The Break-Up Pact is Emma Lord's first book to be classified as Romance (as opposed to YA & Teens). As I read the Break-Up Pact, I kept thinking "Oh man, I wish she had stuck with YA. sigh."

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers and have both recently had breakups that were plastered across social media; in June's case her boyfriend broke up with her on TV and she was known as "CryGirl". So for a bit of revenge, they decide to get together as "Revenge Ex's" and see if they can control the madness.

Rounding to 4 stars because I feel that the best part of the book was the last 10-20%. There were some cringe worthy lines. I stare up into eyes that are somehow achingly familiar to me but startlingly new, like some new depth of them has been revealed, and i am finally seeing into the whole of him.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request to read the advance read copty of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 13 Aug 2024.

This was exactly the lighter read I needed for my cold, winter weekend. I could imagine being on the beach drinking tea and eating a scone with the Revenge Exes. The character development was great (every once in a while I wished things would move along a bit faster), the story arc was well choreographed and I felt like I was friends with June & Levi by the end of the book.

This was a cute summer read that checked all the typical rom-com tropes. There were times where it felt like things weren’t moving along as quickly as they could have - like the tension started to feel less realistic and more “for the plot”, which wasn’t my favorite. I also felt like there were other plot points that were totally glossed over or where characters were willing to forgive without explanation or conversation, which didn’t feel authentic.

There is really only one spicy scene and it is semi-mild compared to most of the romance books I’ve read so this is a good option if you don’t want to read overly descriptive intimate scenes.

I think if you’re looking for an easy beach read that feels like a Hallmark movie, you will enjoy this!

June isn’t broken hearted after her very public break-up. Levi has been a little lost since well before his also very public break-up. These old friends make a pact to turn their misfortune around, leveraging the hype around their break-ups. Second chance, friends to lovers, fake dating, this is a treasure trove of tropes with a couple spicy scenes. Told entirely from June’s perspective, her consideration of her relationship with Levi, grief, and personal growth feel raw and like you, the reader, are a close confidant…which has its ups and downs. Ultimately, I enjoyed my time with June and Levi and swooned over their story plenty throughout.

3.75⭐️
Alexa, play dress by Taylor Swift.
I was given an arc copy of this through NetGalley.
This book follows June and Levi who were childhood best friends who drifted apart as young adults. Both of them were living their lives and then both of them suddenly get publicly dumped and the real kicker is both of their breakups went viral! So what better way to get back at their exes than fake dating! Take that bad and turn it into a positive for both of their lives!
This story was cute it was funny and it had some sad moments as well! However I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to everyone! It’s a perfect book for summer and I promise you will be kicking your feet and giggling as much as I was!

This is exactly what you'd expect from a rom-com with this title. There weren't too many surprises along the way, but that just made it all the easier to read and digest.

June is struggling to live up to the expectations that her older, now dead, sister had for them/their dream business, and Levi took off from town a few years ago without looking back. Things aren't working out all that well for either of them, but in finding each other, they rediscover pieces of themselves that they'd lost and forge a new path together.

MCs were kind and likeable enough. Obvious sexual tension from the beginning and a whole (small) town rooting for them to figure things out.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it, but it wasn't the best)

I'll tell my students about: language, alcohol, drugs, sex, sibling death (past tense), mental health, social media

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

THE BREAK-UP PACT is the first book I've read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it! June and Levi used to have secret crushes on each other in high school and due to miscommunication haven't spoken in ten years. With both of their recent breakups becoming viral and a photo mistaken for something more, suddenly they find themselves fake dating, known as the "Revenge Exes." It's a win-win...this new publicity brings more business to June's shop and will make Levi's ex want go get back together with Levi. Can they keep this "pact" without anyone getting hurt and/or wanting more?

Such a fun and sweet, feel-good love story. Looking forward to reading more of this author's work. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

So much of this book I really enjoyed. The banter, the history, the social media aspect, the slow burn (although man it was slow lol).. This was my first book by Emma and it won’t be the last. Character development was great, I felt like I connected to and understood the characters and grew invested in them. Overall, I recommend!

I ate this up!!!! I am a sucker for a fake dating trope and also a friends to lovers girlie! This has fun banter, amazing chemistry, and throw in a dash of social media comedy and I am hooked!!
This was my first Emma Lord book and I officially a fan now!!