June owns a tea shop by the ocean and is hiding away because she accidentally became a meme when her famous ex left her. Could you imagine the world seeing you crying on your worst day?!

Levi had a very similar situation and had a public breakup with his ex too. After a photo of them goes viral, they decide to "fake date."

I always love a good fake relationship trope! This one was good, but not GREAT, I would say! It was a cute childhood best friends/second chance romance. I did love that he was always checking in on her without her knowing (too cute!). But, the story felt like it had a ton of unnecessary drama for my liking.

Overall, this was a 3-star read! I would recommend it to people overall as a cute and easy read.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Warning I'm going to ramble here for a bit. Fake dating and friends to lovers are my two favorite tropes so I thought I was going to like this one a lot more than I did. For one thing, the blurb mentions that they both broke up with their exes when in the story only one of the couples actually broke up. Levi and his fiancé are technically still together but taking time apart and he fully intends to stay with her after she's done having her fling, which gave me the icks not only because of how pathetic that is but also he supposedly loves June but even after they sleep together he's still not entirely sure if he wants to break things off with his fiancé. If you ever are trying to choose between me and another person please don't pick me! Who wants to be with someone who even maybe kinda sorta wants someone else?? Another of my main issues with the book is I can't handle a weak FMC and this book has both a weak FMC and MMC. June is publicly dumped and humiliated by her boyfriend of 10 years after getting cheated on and still wants to stay friends with her ex because they were friends for so long. WTF?! Levi is dragged through the tabloids after his fiancé cheats on his with a movie star but is just hoping she is jealous enough to take him back when she's done with the other guy. There is just too much OW drama in the book. And then when she rolls into town after her fling ends, Levi ghosts June for an entire day with no explanation even after the fiancé comes into her store talking about him. He just shows up the next day like nothing happened even though he knew she had gone to see June. Actually, I think I don't like Levi at all. I thought this book was a 2.5 that I would round up to a three but after thinking about it more I'm rounding it down to a 2 because of Levi. I thought the description of their teenage friendship was cute but you don't really feel it in the story.

When former childhood sweethearts coincidentally both get dumped in breakup scenes that go viral at the same time, they find themselves drawn back to their beachside hometown, their abandoned youthful aspirations, and each other.

Verdict: heartwarming, with two big-hearted leads loaded with chemistry and history, as well as emotional maturity and heft.

This gem of a love story stars Levi and June, both of whom have carried their multilayered lifelong friendship and all its abiding love and hurt with them for years, while they stumbled down the wrong paths, both personally and professionally. Going back to Benson Beach, their lovable coastal small town with the feel of Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow, forces them to quit running from their feelings and their scars.

There is something beautiful about how many dimensions a relationship can have when it's decades long. As a result, the author does a wonderful job of building an abiding connection that feels authentic and undeniable, one inside joke and childhood fantasy at a time. Watching these two people circle each other, loving but wary of their own pain points and flaws, was as entertaining for the reader as it is for the cast of supportive kooks flanking them in their tiny boardwalk hometown.

It's also a rare treat to get characters grappling with internal emotional growth in ways that feel realistic rather than superficial. It's not something that happens often in the "chick lit" world, which often dishes up fairly surface-level satisfying cliches. But in The Break-Up Pact, the heroine is on a journey of self-discovery that feels more nuanced, in the way of actual adulthood. It was hard to place their ages, because while June is implied to be in her late twenties, this book had a lot of the best parts of a coming-of-age tale. Character growth, handled capably by the author.

Not to mention two more rare treats from this novel: an author who writes LGBT+ characters so organically that there's not even a whiff of tokenism, and who writes about social media in a way that feels more or less true to the real syntax of a comments section. (As readers who have enjoyed Lord's equally impeccable Tweet Cute already know she's capable of.) Does the pettiest part of me wish they had ruined their exes reputations online more thoroughly? Yes. But Levi and June are all too happy to just have each other, heedless of any internet haters. And their happiness is infectious. Definitely recommend - and daresay even hope for possible follow-on novels in Benson Beach.

TLDR: A layered history adds richness to this romance and realism to the character growth, with a charming cast of characters whose steadfast love for each other shines through from every page

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the book! I loved it. Review will be live on my blog too: https://warmfuzziesonly.wordpress.com/2024/01/03/advance-review-the-break-up-pact-by-emma-lord/

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. I didn't find the characters to be believable as a couple. There were a little too many forced metaphors. I got a little bored with the was the main character over processed emotions. It was a fast read.

The Break-Up Pact is the reuniting of June and Levi after ten years of broken friendship. It is sweet to watch them rekindle their friendship while reminiscing and reliving old memories. I loved the support they offered one another and the way they championed the others' goals and dreams. I didn't love how invested Levi was in his previous relationship - while there was no cheating involved per se, it still felt like he was wishy washy with his feelings and his intentions toward June, which obviously created doubts for her. Even I was confused at times about how he really felt about her. Overall a very sweet and light-hearted story of first loves and second-chances and finding the courage to make your own path. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Break-Up Pact is a cute, quick read that made a long, 10-hour car ride go by much faster. I zipped through it in just a day! I loved the characters and Emma's writing style, and I loved how the obstacles were real – not the simple miscommunications that happen in other romances. Both characters grow, both individually and together.

The plot is slowed down by June's frequent inner monologues in which she analyzes her own emotions and past experiences, but I didn't get bored by it... though there were some places where I wanted things to speed up, and other places where I had to go back a few paragraphs to remind myself what was last said before June launched into another introspection. It did get tedious after a while. There were also some places where it was hard to follow how much time had passed in between scenes and what was going on around them, which took me out of the story.

But overall I very much enjoyed The Break-Up Pact. This was my first Emma Lord book, and it will not be my last!

I had a hard time getting invested in this book until about 30% in but once I did I enjoyed it mostly! The chemistry between the main characters was good and it was a light breezy read. There were however too many pop culture references for my liking which is just a person taste and the whole thing read a little young for being an adult romance. For an easy beach read it was still enjoyable and I would be curious to read more of her YA books as it think it’s would translate better.

The Break-Up Pact is a super cute book that had me smiling through multiple scenes. I loved the growth of the main characters, June and Levi, as the story unfolded. They both suffered heartbreaking loss and managed to find themselves, despite the chaos they were surrounded by. This book will unexpectedly have you feeling all the feels, but is so worth it! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the eARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing, for the opportunity to read the eARC. This book entails everything you want in a rom-com. I laughed out loud, felt comforted, got all warm and tingly feels, cried, and even wanted to throw the book across the room at one point. 4/5. Just a few too many cheesy lines in my opinion for a 5/5 rating.
This book is about June and Levi, who both get dumped. Both of their breakups were all over social media, and it wasn’t pretty; literally, June was turned into a crying meme. Levi’s fiancé cheated on him. June owns a struggling tea and scone bakery when her best friend (Levi) from high school is there using the free wifi. She hasn’t talked to or seen Levi in years. Old friends catch up and a photo is taken of them looking a little too friendly. They decide they are going to fake date to make June's ex jealous and to get Levi’s ex back. Will June and Levi’s fake dating turn into something real? Follow their journey and find out.
Emma Lord’s writing is so easy to follow, strong, and powerful. I could not stop reading. Each chapter gave me such depth, leaving me wanting more. This is one of my favorite romance novels I’ve read this year.

I have heard great things about this author and was excited for the story, but somehow struggled to get into the plotline and the characters. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this romance! There were so many great character stories that added to the plot and just enough twists and turns to keep you interested in reading more. The seaside setting was a nice escape and I enjoyed being thrust into the worlds of writing and baking. I appreciated that the book also dealt with the difficult topic of loss and how to move forward without that person. Many readers can relate to this. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

I loved this little romcom! It is a perfect book for a summer beach read and I read it all in a couple hours one sitting. I haven’t read anything by this author but I will now for sure. Childhood friends to lovers is a fun trope I don’t see much in books and it gave it many funny moments. Great characters and just made me happy which is what I look for in a romance. Will be purchasing a hard copy for our library.

Another great novel by this author. I love Emma's books and this one did not disappoint. The cover was super cute - and that's what drew me in to request the ARC. I liked all the characters - they were likeable and relatable - so much growth throughout the book. There were many parts that I lol'd....a must for a great romcom. A romantic heartwarming novel - a must read for your beach getaway.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The perfect summer rom com! I really love Emma Lord’s writing style, it’s like a slightly younger Emily Henry. Would recommend this for a light, casual beach read. Definitely made me excited for summer :)

Oh my goodness. This book had my heart.

Characters: The characters were relatable, funny, and overall enjoyable. I loved seeing them start to grow throughout the book both by themselves and with one another. The supporting characters were also part of my favorite parts. I was laughing so much throughout this book. Absolute perfection.

Plot: This caught my attention right away, and I want to stay up to read as much as I could. You would think when reading the summary of this plot, boy, how is this going to work for the characters, but it 100% does. Some parts were predictable, and other parts took me by surprise.

Romance: My heart is full. Their story is heartwarming and cozy. I was rooting for them from the beginning. At times, I wanted to ring them both, but it makes this story that much more worth it.

I'll definitely continue recommending this book.

✦ 3.5 stars

I am a sucker for the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. I’ll admit it; it gets me every single time.
And lord did I love these two. June and Levi were funny and charming, but they had much to overcome.
If you’re looking for a fizzy fun read, it’s that at parts – but hidden beneath the romance in this book are two people dealing with grief and struggling with growth. Yes, this is tropey and silly and goofy, but it’s not unlike other Emma Lord books that cut deep.
However, as much as I liked these characters, I struggled with their miscommunication. It caused the book to drag at points and distracted me from what I did love about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE BREAK UP PACT ⭐️⭐️💫/5. I rounded up to 3 stars. I thought based on the cover and premise this book would be more of a rom-com feel. But his book unfortunately was not that, instead, it was full of emotionally unbalanced characters that I felt never got proper footing. The timeline felt very all over the place for me, I couldn’t grasp how long the story actually was in a time sense. Also, the part that I think may of aggravated me the most is there was so much buildup to Dylan and Mateo’s wedding day that they had pushed back multiple times, and there wasn’t even a chapter or part when the wedding happened? The main characters “fake dating” that never felt like dates mostly revolved around their wedding party duties, yet we got nothing on the wedding. Also, they mention the main characters June and Levi’s parents often, (Levi’s mom even lives in town, and dad owns a shop), yet they never even once make an appearance when their son is the talk of the town…I feel the main characters both needed so much work on themselves, and emotional codependency they should of just not got together if this was real life. Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I felt the beginning was a little slow, but once I got to 40% through - I couldn’t put it down.
Would love a book 2!!!

This was the first adult fiction book that I've seen from Emma Lord, and it resonated the same way that her YA books did. While the plot points in this book were more mature, the premise of "looking for love" remained the same. June and Levi were a fun pair to root for as they navigated their "Revenge Exes" social media extravaganza and tried to figure out if they were MTB IRL as well.

I received an ARC of this book and I adored it. It was full of heartbreaking stories of loss and lost selves, but also the endearing and relatable struggle to balance the past, the present, and the future. I adored the story of Levi and June, even with its bouts of turmoil, misconceptions, and time lost. It just made the rest of the story, the build up, the tension, and the permeating love and acceptance that much sweeter! Coupled with fake dating, horrid social media escapades, and a wonderful cast of characters rounding out an idyllic beach town, I enjoyed every second. Plus man am k craving a scone! I laughed and I cried and I fell in love too. So good!