Thank you Netgalley and Emma Lord, for the e-arc. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

This was an okay best friends to strangers to lovers romance. I'm not the biggest fan of miscommunication...

This book is a classic fake dating novel with high school friends at its center. The plot is a low stakes situation and it has a happy ending.

An emotional, summer romcom with beachy vibes! There were so many things I enjoyed about this book. The small beach town setting, the main and supporting characters, the exploration of overcoming grief and the beautiful and sentimental ending! However, much of the book was such a slow burn and some chapters felt very long and drawn out. I also felt there were some unrealistic moments and so much miscommunication. And while there were a few spicy chapters, I was hoping for more romance and steam. My feelings are definitely mixed with this one but if you’re seeking a friends to lovers beach read, give it a try!

It was fine....seemed rushed in a few parts. Wanted more of the scone recipes and time for the characters to reconnect.

Fun! A true rom-com that delivers on all cylinders. Likable characters that the reader cheers on from the get go.. nice summer read.

I really enjoyed this read! I thought it was slow in the beginning but it had me hooked from 30% on. Couldn't get enough of it!

I was really excited for the potential of this one, which didn't quite live up to what I was hoping. First of all, the pacing on this one is very quick. So quick that I didn't feel super connected to the characters, as I didn't feel I had much time to know them. I wish there was a bit more humor, as it fell off a bit in the back end. Emma is a great writer, this just wasn't my favorite of hers!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC! This review contains my honest opinion where the words are mine and mine alone!

Fake-dating + friends-to-lovers are literally my least fav tropes ever but the premise was so intriguing I had to give it a risky try. And boy was it risky. I was not hooked from the beginning, the writing didn't capture my attention and I am a big believer in writing before plot. I pulled through and the one question remained why Tiktok. I'm kidding...well not really. But aside from that, the plot was interesting in a way the premise was def unique (viral breakups + the ppl who had been dumped + said ppl know each other and have history = love). Just because this one was not it for me, doesn't mean I won't try Tweet Cute! I can't wait to see what other interesting plot lines Emma has in store for us!

June and Levi were childhood and teenage best friends who fell out of touch due to an unrequited crush. Now, 10 years later, they both have gone through a break up so viral it's inescapable. They decide to have some fun with the virality by pretending to date each other - it makes Levi's ex jealous and helps June's small business get more traffic. The more time they spend fake dating, the more they realize what a mistake it was to ever drift apart.
I have had Emma Lord's YA books on my TBR forever, but this, her first adult romance, is the first book I've read of hers! This romance has fake dating and friends to lovers, friends and family who are whole characters, and a depth and sentimentality I didn't expect. The ending was so so sweet! Pick this one up anywhere books are sold!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read by Emma Lord and I was not disappointed! Her prose was charming and easy to read, and her character development was beautiful. Definitely recommend!

This was a cute childhood friends/crushes to lovers (maybe second chance but they were never really a thing in the first place). It would be the perfect book to read during the summer if you want something nice and easy.

Now, you could tell immediately that Levi and June had a connection that seems to be hanging on from when they were teenagers. So there were many moments where it seemed like their connection was getting stronger, but “it’s all not real”.

I liked the story, it had some adorable moments, but it kind of seemed to go on for a while, like the pacing was a bit off? And there was no big conflict, it was a bunch of smaller conflicts. Which I suppose makes it more natural, but it seemed like we were kind of going nowhere. And things were a touch overwritten and over explained.

But hey, this fake dating romance between childhood crushes was cute!

I've tried getting into this book on about four different occasions since I received the ARC months ago, and I think I've finally come to the conclusion that I just don't think this is the one for me. I'm very sad because the synopsis seemed right up my alley, I just don't think I could get into it unfortunately. Maybe one day I'll be in the mood and try a fifth time, but for right now I'll say it's a no. I gave three stars because I don't think it's a bad book from what I read, it's just not the one for me.

Title:  The Break-Up Pact  
Author:  Emma Lord        
Genre:  Romance       
Rating:  4 out of 5

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

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?

This was a cute read! I loved the banter between June and Levi, and their interactions were both sweet and funny. So many good secondary characters in this! These added a lot of believability to the story, so June and Levi weren’t operating in a bubble. I love the idea of the tea shop, although some of the scone flavors mentioned—Red Bull?—were not to my taste. A fun weekend read!

Emma Lord is a bestselling author. The Break-Up Pact is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I love Emma Lord. I love the depths of the characters and the roller coaster of emotions that her books take me on. I find myself smiling when I am reading her books. They’re fun and light but also land heavy on emotional topics. I’ve loved every book of Lords. Each one I cannot stop reading and they all illicit the same butterflies and fun feelings that make me want to dive deeper

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

In The Break-Up Pact, former best friends June and Levi are recovering from humiliating break-ups, which have taken TikTok by storm. Both back in their beachside hometown, a photo taken of the pair on the beach one morning makes everyone, including talk show hosts, think they're together, and putting aside their differences, they decide to roll with it and convince everyone they're a couple, if only to help June with her store - which has had more custom in the past few days than ever before - and make Levi's ex jealous. They know each other inside out, so it won't be hard to convince the world that they're in love. The hard thing will be convincing themselves that it's all 'pretend'.

I have loved all of Emma's YA books, so seeing that she had an adult book coming out, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. As soon as my eARC arrived on my kindle, I had to dive in, and it was so worth it! Levi and June were the best of friends all throughout their childhood. But a misunderstanding in their senior year led to a break in the friendship that has never recovered. Facing public humiliation at the hands of their ex's, and both home, they reminisce on the beach one morning, and a would-be pap's photo soon goes viral. Rather than face more humiliation, they decide to let bygones be bygones and have a bit of fun with it all. Pretending to be in love isn't hard when there's always been feelings there, and a few well time photos will help convince the world that they're over the break-ups, and don't need any more pity. This book had one of the best fake-dating plot lines that I've ever seen, and it's always better when there's a past there to give the romance stronger foundations. The book isn't all fun though, there's some really hard hitting plot points, especially with June's struggles with the tea shop. However, Emma executed them carefully, and they helped the story, rather than hindering it. Such a solid adult debut from one of my already favourite authors!

June and Levi were best friends, but after a careless comment and a big misunderstanding their friendship fell apart.
Levi has now moved back to their small Town of Benson Beach, to focus on his writing, and to escape the constant attention following his very public and very humiliating breakup.
June, wouldn't you know, has also gone through a very public and very humiliating breakup, and as though things couldn't get worse, her landlord has given her a deadline to amp up business at her beachside cafe 'Tea Tide', or move out.

When an innocent photo of Levi and June begins circulating, they are dubbed "the Revenge Exes" With all the attention, revenue is up at Tea Tide and Levin wonders if this is enough to win his ex back.
So the pair lean into it and start their fake dating journey.


This book was cute albeit predictable.
My main issue was with the characters. While entertaining, they felt very one dimensional. Nothing made them special, you could replace one character with a different character from the book and the story wouldn't change.

Thank you NetGalley and smp for the gifted copy. My opinions are my own.

I had a lovely time. I think this book did a great job of exploring the grief of losing a sister.

I kinda wish there were more fake dates and a revenge plot where I got to see some good justice happen.
Loved the callback to the pop rocks and the running at the beach.

Overall, super cute and fun.

Thank you for the advanced review copy NetGalley and publishers! I listened to the audiobook from my library. I wasn’t sold on this romance with the history between these two main characters. But as I listened, I liked them together and enjoyed listening about the things they did together as “the revenge ex’s.” I didn’t love how June’s insecurities impacted their relationship. I get her past fears, but it felt over the top. Overall I liked this one and will be recommending for sure.

I wanted to like this book, but I could not care about the characters. I know others will enjoy this book. I will not be posting about it on my social media accounts. I have loved other books by Emma Lord so I will be reading her next book.

I thought this was decent, for Lord's first foray into adult romance.

June has a tea and scone shop on the beach in the town she grew up in. It was a dream she shared with her sister, who has unfortunately passed away. But business isn't great, and the only boost she's getting is that her ex broke up with her on a reality show, and the clip went viral, bringing the lookie-loos to her shop. One day she finds out her childhood best friend, Levi, is staying down the street, hiding from his own viral moment after his girlfriend cheated on him with a famous actor. Problem is, June and Levi haven't spoken to each other in years.

Eventually a truce is called and they decide to capitalize on their unexpected notoriety by pretending to date each other and making sure it's all over social media. And you know how fake dating usually turns out....

This wasn't the best, but I enjoyed reading it. The social media stuff is a little silly, but not completely out of pocket. But there is the cloud of June's sister's death that hangs over the entire story. Lord tries to handle the grief the characters feel, but after reading a lot of Abby Jimenez this summer, her efforts pale in comparison. But I do look forward to see how Lord hones her adult romance craft.