Emma Lord is such a cute author and I really enjoyed her latest novel! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this did it really well

This romance was so GREAT! I loved reading this one and watching these two "fake date", which is one of my favorite tropes. I definitely would recommend this to all romance readers!

This is my first book by Emma Lord and while I loved the beachy vibe and the characters were well developed, I felt the slow long burn was reaaaalllly long and just wanted these two to sit down and have a heart to heart conversation instead of pining for each other from afar.

The plot of two high school 'friends with secret crushes' who both get burned by social media bad breaksups, to reunited to lovers is a solid storyline, I was just left wanted a lot more depth.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

Well, I loved this. "The Break-Up Pact" is the first book I have read by Emma Lord, and it certainly won't be the last. Fake dating? Friends to lovers? All my favorite tropes! Bonded by becoming viral (both for terrible reasons), Levi and June pair up to take their insta-fame into their own hands. Their chemistry was palpable and phewwww that was a slow burn, but the wait was worth it. The book made me want to open my own little tea shop and eat scones all day while a moody writer makes eyes at me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

The romance was cute, but I started to get bored at the end. There was way to much time in June's head and she just kept repeating the same thing over and over. Also, I just have a hard time being invested when the main conflict is that the main characters just don't communicate.

5 ⭐️ Rounded Up

This was a cute little romance book. Friends to lovers and Fake dating!

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in years find themselves back in their hometown after each go through a very public breakup.

June also known as crying girl is struggling with her beach front teashop. Levi comes back home to clear his head and start writing again.

After a juicy photo of June and Levi comes out, the internet is losing their mind and rooting for what they think is a newfound couple!

I thought this book was super cute. Neither character was super memorable on their own and I did have an emotional connection to them but I loved them together. It’s a super feel good friends to lovers romance with just a dash of spice.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC! This book comes out August 13th, 2024

My first 4.5-5 star read of 2024.

I’ve read two of Emma Lord’s YA novels, both of which I enjoyed, but I was still a bit skeptical of her move into adult romance. I should have known better than to doubt her. Everything about this book feels like a shift into a more adult world - the writing is mature (and, quite frankly, beautiful), there is spice(!!), and the plot has more depth. There are so many lovely sentences and amazing ways of phrasing things - I wish I could stick them in my pocket, just to take out and enjoy later.

Emma has proven, in her earlier YA novels, that she has a good handle on pop culture, media, and social media, all of which come into play in this book. She’s also good about handling heavy emotions without coming across as exploitative. (No trauma for the sake of drama.)

In reading other reviews, I see several low ones. I guess I’m still surprised when I see so many people whose opinions differ from my own, and I’m starting to parse out why - there are two camps of Rom-Com novels, regardless of genre or trope: those that purely fantasy fulfillment vs. those that are more grounded in reality. So many of these reviews aren’t faulting these characters for being poorly written but for being *flawed*. Honestly, I’d find myself reading and enjoying both, but it’s always the latter kind of book that sticks with me. Both June and Levi have issues - they’ve got baggage to sort out. If you want to read a book that’s purely fantasy fulfillment, with a swoony MMC that already has his shit together, this isn’t the book for you. Instead, this reads much more like a Beth O’Leary or Mhairi McFarlane novel - two flawed people, trying to make it work.

Anyhow, the plot description is fairly spot-on for this one, so I don’t feel the need to rehash it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel.

Not only does this have the perfect storyline with all of my favorite rom-com troupes, it adds a perfectly summed up emotional addition with the sibling loss. Having lost my sister this past year, at a young age, it really hit home for me.

I enjoyed this book and the characters in it, however it did take me a while to get through. I do agree with other comments that claim it feels as though somethings missing. This book could have easily been much longer, it has a great base and an admirable energy to it-yet I wished there had been more scenes we got to know the side characters and how they interact with the main characters. I liked how Emma lord wrote the chemistry between June and Levi, it was beautifully articulated and emotional. Overall the plot was a little slow for my liking but in was a cute and fun read. Thank you for the arc, Mwah.

Two words….sloooooooooow burn. The story was great and the writing was good but I found myself bored more than I wanted to. I wanted to like it more then I could just for that fact.

Anyone skeptical as to whether Emma Lord can break out of YA into women’s fiction should immediately read The Break-Up Pact. Absolutely no doubt as to Lord’s range and ability to successfully write compelling YA and adult fiction.

June and Levi are childhood friends who mysteriously lose touch for ten years. What happened? Is their easy friendship forever changed, or can they pick up where they left off? Add in the complications of two viral breakups—one for June and one for Levi—and living with the ghost of June’s sister Annie, who was also Levi’s best friend, and you have a story that was difficult to put down.

The tension and chemistry were off the charts. A wonderful come-into-your-own plot line mixed well with the romance. There is a whole lot of “leaning in” in this book—at least 37 iterations of the phrase. This would be my only critique. But it certainly gets the body language point across. These two are magnets.

The FMC and MMC are from the same hometown. When they both have viral break ups at the same time he comes back home to hide out. The two form a pact to fake date to get back at their exes.
Overall, there's a fake dating, and miscommunication troupe. The timeline for their break ups were just a bit too coincidental for my taste, but it's an enjoyable read and perfect for fans of Christina Lauren.
Thanks #netgalley for the ARC!!

I really enjoyed this super sweet and fun book. Childhood friends haven’t spoken in years and reconnect for a fake dating trope after their failed relationships go viral. “The Break-Up Pact” is an easy and enjoyable read that everyone will enjoy. Thanks Net Galley for the ARC.

"Break Up Pact" by Emma Lord takes readers on a heartwarming journey of rediscovered friendship and romance. June and Levi, once inseparable best friends, find themselves thrust into the spotlight with viral break-ups, leading to a charming scheme—pretending to date for the world to witness.

The book is filled with swoon-worthy moments and fake dates. While the plot follows a familiar romantic path, it still brings a sense of lightheartedness, making it a great escape. The childhood friends-to-lovers story between June and Levi is portrayed with a sweet charm that is sure to resonate. The book falls into the category of a cute, yet very predictable, romance

While the characters could have been explored more extensively, they contribute to the overall feel-good atmosphere of the book. The side stories occasionally diverted from the main plot and added unnecessary layers to the narrative. I also wish the author would have dived deeper into the couples relationship from their childhood to give us a bases to root for.

"Break Up Pact" offers a delightful choice for those in search of a breezy and heartwarming romance. The plot is entertaining and story is a cute escape, for anyone craving a feel-good love story.

Thanks to @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to review The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord. I absolutely adored this SUPER sweet second-chance love story. Levi and June have been dumped in completely embarrassing, viral ways. In order to get back at their exes, or to get their exes back as in the case of Levi, they pretend to be dating. Levi is a broody writer and June has a bakery - they were the best of friends when they were running cross-country together. So fun.

Childhood friends, fake date, social media madness and miscommunication galore.

This was a fun book that I enjoyed, but left me wanting more. I’m not a huge miscommunication trope fan, but in this case - I could understand the inclusion of it, but it didn’t make or break the story for me. I wish we knew more about the connection our main characters have. We get a bit of a peek into their past, but the tension was so palpable in the first half that it made me wanting more info. I also wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed and tied up as nicely, but June is so sweet to a fault.

Overall though, this was an easy book to enjoy with some moments of laughter and unexpected tears. The writing was enjoyable and I loved the bit of spice I wasn’t expecting!

This was a cute, but predictable, romance novel. I wouldn't say there was anything about it that made it especially stand out from other romance novels. The characters were not so well developed that I was worried one way or the other too much about how things would turn out for them. I also don't know if the side stories about Annie and Dylan were needed. I would recommend it if you are looking for an easy breezy read where you don't need to think too much about what might happen next.

ARC releasing 8/13. Two childhood best friends that lost touch find themselves getting broken up with in the same week, with their breakups going viral. This was not it for me. Not only were the characters super unlikable and one dimensional, but it felt like the author was trying too hard to stay modern and relevant with the ‘going viral’ thing.

This is an adorable break up/love story.

It includes some interested character dynamics (dead sister, gay brother, ex childhood crush) but not much more than a mention and brief conversation about these interesting tidbits.

Definitely would recommend, and even read again, but it didn’t blow me away.

Cute rom com! I love a friends-to-lovers trope, and this satisfied that in a fun, light way. I can see my high school patrons eating this up, as contemporary rom coms (closed door, of course) are the most requested. My favorite aspect of the book is the building tension (good writing!). Also, this captures grief in a beautiful way.