💕High School friends
💕 Fake dating

This is my first Emma Lord book and it was just okay. I didn’t like the miss communication trope between June and Levi which Is why they stopped being friends in high school. I didn’t connect with the characters and felt like they jumped into the faking dating super fast considering they hadn’t spoken to each other in 10 years. I couldn’t feel the spark or tension between them.

I always love Emma Lord's books. I don't know that any have topped Tweet Cute (soooooo cute!!!), but she is a reliable author, and her books are perfect for any age, especially for a beach/vacation read.

<b>Do literally anything—except be single.</b> That sentiment is at the very core of my gripes about this book.

I read and was wowed by Emma Lord’s <i>Tweet Cute</i> last year and that inspired me to request ARCs on Netgalley for her 2024 YA release <i>The Getaway List</i> and her Adult Romance debut <i>The Break-Up Pact</i>. Her YA release was incredible. It had heart and depth, and was so grounded in real-life experiences that her characters felt fully-formed. I saw my younger self in so much of them and was absolutely floored by the whole book.

Now that I’ve finally gotten to <i>The Break-Up Pact</i>, I have to come to grips with the fact that my expectations for Lord have soared too high. This book had a lot of what I’ve loved from Lord’s previous entries—beautiful friendships, a thread of grief, and compelling romance. However, while I was initially thrilled by the romance between June and Levi in this one, I realized about 50% in that something just wasn’t clicking for me.

And this goes straight back to that same old sentiment—do anything except be single. Now, I know what I was getting myself into. I read the synopsis. I know that these two are fresh out of relationships with other people, fake date for revenge, and end up falling in love. This didn’t bother me when we were hearing things straight from June, who had clearly not been in love with her cheating ex for a while—if she ever even was. Her unrequited pining for Levi was extremely heartfelt and achingly juicy. My problem was never with June’s characterization.

<b>The issue lies solely with Levi.</b> Levi is still hung up on his cheating ex. So much so that he gets into the Revenge Exes plot in order to make her jealous so he can win her back. Why tf am I rooting for this MMC then if all he wants is his ex back? Obviously he also has feelings for June, but the constant reminders of his ex (Levi calling her, Levi texting her, Levi talking about wanting her back) majorly icked me out. For his characterization, it was clear that Levi needed two things:

1. Therapy.

2. To be single.

He moved away from his hometown and very quickly got into a relationship with one woman that he dated for several years, got engaged to for another several years, and then she cheated on him with a CELEBRITY, which quite literally put his broken heart in the tabloids. He doesn’t need to get into a new relationship, regardless of whom it’s with. He needs THERAPY, and then he needs to be SINGLE.

Even toward the end, June recognizes that Levi is such a people-pleaser that he let his ex-fiancée control the course of his life. His (now deceased) best friend/June’s sister, Annie, also had a hand in his life trajectory because he altered the entire course of his writing career after she made one disparaging comment. As a result, June doesn’t trust that her input in his life (e.g. asking him to move back to their hometown and be with her) won’t just be another thing he bends to without considering his own desires.

HOW is this man ready to seriously date??? I get it, they’re in love, but not only can he not be trusted to make the correct choices for his future when women are involved, he also just got out of a several-years-long engagement with a woman who abruptly cheated on him that he’s STILL pining for.

Sorry, not a premise I can get behind.

This man needs therapy, and then he needs to be alone, because how the f am I to trust that his HEA with June is ever going to last beyond the one year jump forward we saw in the final chapter? I can barely buy that they lasted a year.

There were some other gripes I had that I found unrealistic, particularly in the last act of the novel. But that throws us into spoiler territory, so I’m going to end this here.

I loved the friendships and the underpinning of grief that is Lord’s signature in her novels. I also loved the demisexual representation we got to see through June. As someone on the ace spectrum, her discussion about how difficult dating is when your brain works the way ours do was so real. But, ultimately, I struggled to believe in the ability of her romantic leads to truly go the distance. I also could not ship them together as soon as Levi’s red flags became apparent. If he had taken a year apart from June and gotten into therapy before reconnecting with her again, we would have an entirely different review on our hands.

Alas.

<b>Overall Rating:</b> 2.5 (rounded up for Sana 😍)

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Emma Lord never misses! I'm so glad she took the chance and wrote an adult romance. I have loved every single one of her books thus far, and this is no different.

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.