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!

The Break-Up Pact follows childhood friends June and Levi as they are reunited in their hometown after suffering public and viral break-ups. This book manages to be funny and charming while also dedicating much of the storyline to the main characters’ experience with grief. I was pretty much hooked from chapter one and really enjoyed how realistically messy and unsettled the characters were. Overall, I found this to be one of the more moving romances I have read recently and 100% cried through the end.

I was really excited to see that Emma Lord had written her first adult romance and based on this I hope she continues to write more and can’t wait to read what’s next!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE BREAK-UP PACT was the absolute best way to end my reading year. It is filled with everything I’ve come to expect from Emma Lord—banter and jokes, beautiful writing, growth of characters, and a love story to swoon over while also exploring other topics like grief or family dynamics—but with more adult romance spice that only adds to the story.

June and Levi, coincidentally, have both gone viral for their breakups. And, even though an incident when they were teenagers led to them barely communicating, both have found themselves back in their small hometown and suddenly thrust into a mutually beneficial fake relationship where they’re now known as the Revenge Exes. June is hoping the attention will allow her to save her deceased sister’s beloved tea shop while Levi is hoping to win back his cheating ex.

I loved the different fake dates June and Levi found themselves in and could vividly picture, through Emma Lord’s words, the social media posts described and the excitement around these two scorned lovers finding love with one another. And though the concept seems like a basic friends pretending to be lovers turning their fake relationship into something real, I was so impressed by how much deeper the novel gets. There is some amazing exploration of grief, friendship, family, and I never once found myself feeling frustrated by the characters for a lack of communication (something I’ve found that often happens in the fake dating trope). Every single character was likeable (except the ones that weren’t meant to be!) and all these elements combined made THE BREAK-UP PACT an incredibly enjoyable read that I’ll be thinking about in the days to come.

Thank you, NetGalley and Saint Martins Press for another Emma Lord ARC! I do enjoy Emma Lord’s books and this one is no exception but something fell flat for me on this one. June and Levi had some really fun, cute moments but Emma Lord seems to be stuck in three star territory for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my first Emma Lord book. I went into the book believing it was going to be a more lighthearted romance about two former friends who agree to fake date after both of their break-ups go viral. Although there were lighthearted moments in the book, the majority of the story focused on how June and Levi’s grief after the sudden death of June’s sister (and Levi’s best friend). Had that aspect of the story been added to the synopsis, I would have gone in with different expectations. I didn’t love June and Levi as a couple - the miscommunication trope is one of my least favorite and their high school relationship deteriorated due to miscommunication about their feelings for each other. Then all of their interactions after that event are based on that pivotal moment from high school. I am also not a fan of a wishy washy love interest who can’t seem to make up their mind about what they want while professing their feelings despite their actions.