I believe this is Emma Lord’s adult debut but it still felt very much like a YA romcom. On top of that, the writing was very surface level (even for a romcom), there is absolutely no depth to June or Levi. I really struggled to finish this and it ended up taking several weeks because I just kept putting it down in favor of other reads.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I did not finish this book. I have revisited this book on a few different occasions to give it a fair chance, but have ultimately decided it's just not for me. I read about 62% of the book before deciding to DNF.

I felt that there was not much substance or development to the two main characters beyond their recent breakup and their childhood relationship. Being that I still felt that way at ~60%, I lost momentum in my reading. The premise and plot is unique but it wasn't giving what I anticipated it to.

So cute! A fun rom-com with summer vibes. Grab it! You won't be sorry you did.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

I was so excited to hear that Emma Lord was diving into the world of adult fiction after reading her amazing young adult books, and The Break-Up Pact did not disappoint!

June Hart and Levi Shaw are both going through insanely embarrassing and public breakups. June was dumped by her trash ex on his reality TV show, and Levi's fiance left him for a bonafide movie star.

June and Levi were childhood best friends, but for the past ten years, they've been anything but friendly. June owns a local tea shop that she took over after the passing of her sister. Business is not doing great, and she needs any kind of publicity to get people in the store to save her sister's shop. Levi is taking a break from his city life and has come back to their small town for the summer to work on his new book.

Both friends are going around on the internet so much that they're very recognizable. So while they're trying to lay low, a picture of them surfaces online that makes people think they are together to get revenge on their exes. Levi and June don't correct them. If people start talking about them, June can hopefully save her shop and Levi can make his fiance jealous and win her back.

While all this is happening, Levi and June are also working together on June's brother's wedding planning, as the maid of honor and best man in the wedding party. At first, they thought the viral photo of them would do all the work to sell their fake relationship, but now they're having to spend all of this time together getting everything ready for the wedding at the end of the summer. Surely they can go on a few dates and take a few posed photos to drum up some fake publicity right?

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I really love Emma Lord's writing and her stories. This one included! I think the only thing that kept me from giving it 4 stars was because of the miscommunication trope. Ten years of not speaking at all when they're best friends because of one tiny thing that definitely could have been discussed and moved past? It just drives me crazy when people don't talk to each other, especially with this being an adult fiction book. Adults need to have grown up mature conversations, not ignore each other for a decade because of miscommunication.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and will definitely be looking for the next release from Emma Lord!

the banter had me! I couldn't get enough of this one. it was super cute and the perfect amount of heavy/light. the main characters had great character development and the plot kept me entertained.

The Break Up Pact really missed the mark for me. I never truly felt sucked in at any point, and instead found myself thinking about my next read while wading around at surface level through the chapters. While the romance was good, the fake dating and friends to lovers was good, none of it grabbed me in a way that made this memorable for me. Because I found the characters so hard to vibe with, I’d struggle to pick this one out of a line up of similar troped novels. I will still give Emma Lord another try! Maybe just all the pieces of this one weren’t fitting together for me.

This was a decent romcom with friends to lovers and fake dating tropes. I felt like it was slightly lacking and I'm not sure exactly where. Maybe I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two mains as much as I wanted to. Overall cute.

I was so excited to hear that Emma Lord was venturing into adult romance! While YA isn't exactly my cup of tea anymore, I've loved her characters and concepts in many of her YA novels, so I had high hopes to see her take on an adult novel.

The Break-Up Pact fell really flat for me, unfortunately. I was waiting to feel that spark between her characters that I've found in her YA books, but it never hit for me. The romance in this book felt forced, like I was being told how perfect they were for each other, but never shown it. The chemistry was just not there, and I honestly didn't really care if they didn't end up together... which I don't think is a great sign. :/

There were so many plot points jammed into this book (the tea shop, the sister who recently passed away, the brother getting married, our MCs public break-ups with previous partners, our MCs fake-dating, the childhood history together, the male MC's writing, the friend trying to break into journalism, etc.), that none of it felt fully developed. I would've loved to see this pared down to something smaller, more cozy, that allowed you to get at the heart of the characters.

Not a total miss for me, but not a win, either. I'll definitely be giving Emma Lord's adult fiction a try again, if she writes more!

Let me start by saying that I'm normally a HUGE fan of Emma Lord. Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark for me. I had trouble connecting with both June and Levi and didn't feel the spark that makes me want to read THIS romance (as opposed to the thousands of others out there). Don't get me wrong, it's a cute read. But the spark in both the story and the characters was just missing for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

DNF

So disappointed to put this book down without finishing. I have loved this author's work in the past, but this one was an immediate miss.

My main issue is that the book's complicated premise is all laid out before the first chapter is even over. It's like drinking out of a firehose. This premise has potential, truly, but we need a couple more pages, or chapters, to lay it all out. I don't like everything happening so fast. There are so many characters, so much history, and high stakes all within the opening paragraphs.

This book will most likely make you hungry for scones, which is just a giant cookie according to this novel. Emma Lord has entered the adult space with The Break Up Pact. This is a childhood friend to lovers who are fake dating after both are publicly humiliated by their exes. They plan to fake dates even though June has been in love with Levi since they were kids. This was such a cute read, and the audiobook is fantastic.

Tropes:
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Fake Dating
- Revenge Ex
-Poprocks :)

This was my first non-YA from Emma Lord, and I really enjoyed it. It was cute, albeit predictable, and gave the exact vibes I look for in a friends-to-lovers romance. Some of the spicy scenes felt a bit cheesy, but it didn’t take away from the overall vibes.

I love Emma lord and will read anything she writes. I think she captures the current generation and its use of dialogue and lingo and use of technology in some of the best ways I’ve ever seen on the page

I loved The Break-Up Pact!
June and Levi were best friends in High School and then like many friendships it ended. They haven't spoken in over 10 years and they likely wouldn't have except they both are deal the ultimate humiliation of viral break ups!

Poor June becomes known as the "crying girl". A viral meme of her is making the rounds on social media is hurting her business. Something her beloved sister worked so hard to put together. If she can't drum up more business and money she might lose the lease to the tea shop.

Levi has fled New York after his girlfriend has left him for a celebrity. Levi's dream has always been to be a writer. Maybe this break will help his dreams come to fruition - that if if he can write anything decent and get over his writers block.

June and Levi discover that they are living in the same city and while out and about a photograph is snapped that suggest there is more going on then there really is. J

June and Levi use this as an opportunity to act like they are dating (maybe they will get their significant others back or make the jealous!) and convince everyone they are in love.

The romance builds beautifully and is carefully crafted. The relationships in the novel between all the characters not just June and Levi are quite realistic. There is one character the breaks my heart and it might make your eyes leak a bit too.

Don't start this book at night unless you plan to stay up all night reading.

*** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Childhood friends June and Levi both go viral for being very publicly broken up with. When Levi returns to their hometown where June is running a tea shop, they decide to pretend to date to turn the situation around for their own benefit. With all their history, it's hard to for the dating to stay fake.

This was a fun romance that also touched on reconnection, community, and grief.

I enjoyed reading this book - thank you for the ARC from netgalley. The main characters were relatable and easy to route for. I did find the story to be a bit cheesey at times, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I would recommend to friends and family.

SO very sad. I LOVE Emma Lord's YA books so much that I have written an entire homage to her YA story world.

But The Break-Up pact (her adult debut) really missed the mark for me. It had no spark, no oomph. Which was incredibly strange to me as her YA characters are known as being a little extra, with vivid personalities that practically jump off the page. This book didn't stand out for me at all. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I'm so disappointed.

3.5 stars rounded up because I remain an Emma Super Fan.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?

“The Break-Up Pact” by Emma Lord took me on a wild rollercoaster ride that you won’t believe. This book is like a warm hug and a cup of cocoa for your soul. It’s Emma Lord after all, and I’ve never read a book of hers I didnt like.

The story begins with an unexpected twist - a pact that surpasses all others. Liv and Jaxon, the main characters, choose to face the challenges of life after a breakup as a team. Picture a breakup support group, but with added humor, pizza, and quick-witted conversation. And can we talk about the banter? Emma Lord is always good for reading a great conversation!

This book is a must-read because of its unapologetic realness. Liv is an atypical protagonist. On the flip side, Jaxon is the ideal person to have as your partner in crime, especially when it comes to navigating breakups. Their dynamic is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, making it impossible not to support them.

And the humor — oh, the humor! I caught myself bursting into laughter at the most unexpected times. Lord has a talent for infusing wit into even the most awkward scenarios. It feels like spending time with your most hilarious friend who can always make you smile.

And the romance? It’s like a captivating slow burn that grips you until the end. Lord builds up the relationship between Liv and Jaxon so skillfully that you’ll be rooting for them with all your heart. The romantic tension is so intense, and when it finally erupts, it’s like Fourth of July fireworks.

If you want a book that will make you laugh, cry, and restore your belief in love, “The Break-Up Pact” is a must-read. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.

While The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord was a cute read, I felt like the couple, Levi and June, did not have any major problems. Even the final obstacle was just them making up the next morning while saying there was not a problem. I also felt that some of the characters' fears and obstacles came out of nowhere and were just added to supposedly give them more depth like when June thought she would control Levi like Griffin did to her, but she showed no tendencies of being controlling and no fear of that earlier in the book. Also, problems that did develop in the book were solved by a short conversation instead of becoming an obstacle or learning experience for the character like June lying to her family. Dylan really should have been more disappointed in her.

Otherwise, there was good character development as all of them learned to overcome their grief and grow as individuals. Both June and Levi also worked to learn what they could be without following the plans their exes had for them. My favorite characters though were Dylan and Mateo. They always gave me a good laugh, and Dylan is just so pure.

as this was emma lord’s adult debut after tons of YA novels, i was a bit nervous to see how she handled the switch. spoiler alert- she NAILED it. all the charm and fun you expect with her novels was there, but with amped up banter, tension, and more nuanced discussions of heavy hitting topics.

was the premise of “revenge exes” silly and outrageous from the start? yeah- but she made me love it anyway