This one was just OK for me. I found myself disconnected from June, a tough place to be when she's our narrator. I also didn't totally buy into the connection between June and Levi - there was a lot of telling us that they had great chemistry and everyone knew it, but not showing us that chemistry. The third act conflict also didn't work super well for me.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy read and fun story. I love a friends to lover trope. It was hard to connect to the main character. There were sweet moments and I enjoyed it overall.

I am having some mixed feelings about this one. I really liked the premise and the small beach town setting immediately had me intrigued and I was excited based on the trope line up as well. But with all that potential, I feel like the execution just fell a little flat for me.

It wasn't bad, and there were many components I felt worked and I enjoyed, but I wanted more from it.

I really liked Levi - he was a sweetheart. However, June left much to be desired in my opinion. I was waiting for some character growth and development, but it never really came. I would have loved to see more of June working through her grief for her sister - I just felt like all of her character growth happened very quickly and all at once.

I think what it comes down to, is I had high opes and really wanted to love this one, but it just missed the mark for me.

- sister's best friend
- estranged friends to lovers
- fake dating
- small beach town
- bookish character

Ehhh, this just did not hit my expectations. Maybe they were too high? Maybe this book was not Emma Lord's best? The pieces were all there, but they just did not connect into a can't put down contemporary romance. The book moved too quickly and not in a "i read this so quickly" kind of way... more a "we have not seen or spoken to one another in many years, but let's fake date" kind of way. There was no ramp up in their friendship or relationship - they just jumped right in. It made it hard to feel as if we really knew the main characters - too many important parts were either skipped over or highlighted in a sentence. All that being said, I did read this book quickly. The story line is very cute - two exes who have not seen one another for years. Both going through very public breakups (from other people). When they are spotted by the paparazzi on the beach, rumors begin flying. Instead of denying the relationship, they pretend to date. Can they keep their hearts out of it?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader and audio copies!

We have been fans of Emma Lord and her YA romances for years and jumped at the chance to read her first adult romance.

In The Break-Up Pact, she brings two childhood friends back together as they fake date after their respective viral break-ups. June and Levi have a complicated history with secret feelings for each other and it kept us turning the pages.

This book was a little more serious than we expected. It dealt with grief, questions about their careers, feelings of having wasted time with the wrong person (romantically). June and Levi had depth and we were invested. It was a perfect way for Emma Lord to jump into this genre!

Read if you like:
▪️Fake dating
▪️Childhood friends to lovers
▪️Slow Burn
▪️Secret feelings
▪️Small Beach Town

<b>no stars</b>

this book ABSOLUTELY SUCKED. the first half was decent, and then it just went so downhill.

THE MISCOMMUNICATION. seriously why is this a trope????? they didn't talk for YEARS all because of a MISUNDERSTANDING

they acted like teenagers, and the author writes like a teenager. i dont want to listen abt the new tiktok trends, or your “uptown funk” dj music

the blurb sounded really good, and this was one of my most anticipated reads.. well, y'all can pick my reads now because all i keep reading are 1 stars

i genuinely wished the MC's didn't end up together.

<b>levi,</b> was annoying. he was talking about how he wanted to get with his ex so he tried to make her jealous by fake dating the fmc, then suddenly hes in love with her. and he got so upset when she didn't communicate with him but the man ignored her for YEARS because she didn't recuperate his crush in highschool - which was also a misunderstanding

<b>june,</b> just no. she was so horrible and annoying.

i let out an audible “yessss” when i finished the book because i'm <b>finally</b> done with this 🙏🏻

<i>Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my<i> <s>hate</s> <i>honest review.</i>

I'm going to start this review off by saying this was enjoyable. Definitely not a new favorite but it was still decent, just nothing ground breaking to me. I really hate hate hate giving somewhat bad reviews on ARCs but this one just didn't really do it for me in the way I hoped. I think the main reason why it fell a little short is just the super quick development, it felt rushed and just a little too fast? For the most part I liked the FMC, June, but she was a bit too judgy for me and I actually connected with the best friend a little more than June, Sana was pretty funny.

Though I will say, my absolute FAVORITE part of this whole book was the MMC, Levi. Oh how I loved him. He felt like the perfect amount of grumpy and just all around he made the book for me. I am a little sad it didn't hit like I wanted it to, fake dating is usually a top 3 fave trope but for some reason it just missed the mark. Also I can't end this review without mentioning the TIKTOK reviews immediately turned me off. Overall, it wasn't the worst read but it wasn't the best either. It was a good medium!! I definitely am not turned off of this author due to it though, I do like her writing style and there were some very cute moments, so I look forward to her work in the future and I'll absolutely give her another chance. Thank you to Emma Lord and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Break Up Pact is Emma Lord’s debut into adult romance, and I thought it was a fantastically done break through into the adult romance genre.

Fake dating and second chance are two of my favorite romance tropes and in this book they were executed so well.
June and Levi were great characters you can’t help but root for, relationship wise, and just generally, especially after everything they’ve both been through.
I loved experiencing them coming together again after being estranged for so long, as well as learning about their past, together and separately.
There’s more of a serious tone to this book, in comparison to what one would typically think a romcom is, while the weighty issues of careers, grief, and trauma are explored, which does take up quite a bit of the narrative in addition to the romcom aspect.
In addition to having enchanting main characters, I really loved the side characters too. They were quirky and lovable and absolutely added to the story.

Overall, I would consider this a successful crossover into the adult romance genre. I had a great time reading it, and actually finished most of it in one sitting.

Thank you to the author, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the gifted ARC through NetGalley.
Publication date 8/13/24

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a cute romcom. I’ve been a fan of Emma Lord’s YA romances in the past, and I was excited to see what she’d do for an adult romance.

The Break-Up Pact was a quick read that had me craving pastries and cup of tea from a tea shop! I enjoyed the best friends to lovers trope. I can’t wait to see what Emma Lord writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || THE BREAKUP PACT [thank you to @macmillan.audio for my #gifted ALC and @stmartinspress for my #gifted ARC!]

Happy pub day to Emma Lord on her FIRST adult romance novel!

Title: The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
Genre: Romance
Format: Audio
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Narration Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
June and Levi were inseparable as teenagers—until they weren't. Now, June is barely making ends meet with her beachside tea shop, and Levi is a disillusioned hedge fund manager in New York. They haven't spoken in years, but when their public break-ups go viral, a chance photo of them together ignites rumors that they're a couple.

Seeing an opportunity, they agree to fake a relationship to help June's shop recover and make Levi's ex jealous. They just need to convince the world they’re in love through carefully staged, swoon-worthy moments. It’s the perfect plan—until their hearts start getting involved. After all, fake dating never leads to real feelings...right?

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I’m glad I gave this one a second chance in audio, because it was so much more enjoyable than eyeball reading! June & Levi were very cute, and I loved seeing them reconnect after years of avoiding each other.

However, this wasn’t my favorite romance. While it had all of Lord’s customary humor and wit - it felt like the romance itself was somewhat surface level. As the reader, we were more just forced to trust that their connection from childhood was strong enough to resurface in adulthood without really seeing it happen. And while the banter and many of the moments were adorable and well done, I didn’t feel invested.

All that being said, I would recommend this one if you’re looking for an easy summer romance! I look forward to seeing what Lord does next in the adult genre!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Friends-to-Lovers
Fake Dating
Childhood Crush
Major Miscommunication Vibes
Beachy Reads

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.55 ⭐️
# of Hours: 9 hours & 18 minutes
Pub Date: August 13, 2024

June has just been publicly embarrassed — a video of her reaction to her (ex)boyfriend telling her on a TV program he’s found someone else has gone viral. And, as it so happens, her childhood best friend she has hardly spoken to for a decade has just experienced a similar fate. When Levi comes back to Benson Beach to work on a novel, June is angry at him. But her current best friend convinces the two of them to pretend to be dating and control the narrative about themselves online.

June and Levi go out together around town, and June’s friend snaps photos and gets them posted. Soon, everyone is shipping the Revenge Exes. And June is enjoying her time with Levi. They’re having fun. They’re talking. And she’s feeling some serious attraction to him. But he made clear when they were teens that he wasn’t into her “that way.” She can’t allow her heart to be broken again.

Meanwhile, June’s tea shop is doing better. With all the crowds it’s attracting, she can get caught up on rent. And hopefully, Levi can make progress on his great American novel. Things should be going great all-around. But eventually, the fake-dating will end. And what will happen then?

I’ve enjoyed most of Emma Lord’s young adult books (favorite is still Tweet Cute!), and now she’s venturing into adult romance, much like the very popular Emily Henry did (I loved her early magical-realism YA romance the best). The Break-Up Pact should satisfy that audience pretty well. It has a nicely done fake-dating trope, two longtime best friends who have a lot of chemistry, and a spicy sex scene. Of course, that last part is where my particular interests stop. But overall, enjoyable.

June is a break-up meme that has gone viral and garnered her all kinds of unwanted attention after a nasty breakup. Her best friend from their teen years, Levi, has also gone viral after his girlfriend leaves him for a famous movie star. Despite being estranged for the last ten years, June and Levi find themselves in close proximity back in their home town helping to plan her brother’s wedding. They come up with a plan to fake date. For Levi, it will help his ex see what she is missing and he can win her back. For June, it will draw attention her way on her own terms, bringing business to her failing tea shop. As they go through with the scheme the two draw as close as they once had been, old feelings resurface, and sparks fly like they never had before.

—————-

This was a very ok-ish take on the fake dating trope. The longtime friendship between the two mains came across as full of mutual love and trust and shared memories and grief. I could feel how their past resonated with them, and loved the ease that they fell back into their friendship with. It was so lovely that I could hardly get a sense of any sort of romantic relationship at all. They just didn’t have sexual chemistry and heat with each other. At best, it seemed like they had crushes on each other. Not once was I rooting or cheering for these two to get together and I didn’t feel invested in their relationship. I thought the social media and going viral angle of the story was unique, the setting was fun, the side characters fully fleshed out, and the plot line of June’s sister and their shared grief very relatable. Ultimately this was just a middle of the road romance for me.

This adult contemporary romance by Emma Lord feels exactly like one of her young adult novels, but with slightly more adult content. I could tell immediately who had written the book because her easy reading style was the same, and her characters were likable, dramatic, funny, and totally relatable.

June is keeping her sister Annie’s dream alive by running her tea shop Tea Tides, and using her newfound TikTok fame to help pay the rent. When Levi re-enters the picture she is faced with not only dealing with why they haven’t talked in ten years but also dealing with the feelings from her sister’s death. This novel has tons of layers taking the reader on a journey as June navigates her future. So when you pick this book up be prepared to laugh, but to also connect with your own feelings.

This is one of those it gets worse before it gets better kind of reads. I almost DNFd it but committed to at least 20%. Full transparency, it took a good 50% in my opinion to at least be a 3 star book, and I’m happy to say that the story did get better and pick up speed through the last half, settling into a nice 4 star romance read I’d recommend (with the caveat that you may think the first 40% is poorly written).

Some things I loved:

🏝️ T H E • S E T T I N G
A tea shop in a small beach town. I definitely wanted to be there!

🫖 S C O N E S
I am a sucker for books with cozy food as a focus, and the main feature here were the scones! I now have “learn to make scones” on my to do list.

♥️ T H E • R O M A N C E
I actually really liked June and Levi and their history that goes back to their youth as close friends. Their HEA was one that everyone can root for.

😂 T H E • B A N T E R
I giggled so much throughout this read because the banter was just so good. This is something that I think Emma Lord has done really well.

Things that weren’t it for me:

🌎 W O R L D • B U I L D I N G
I just thought this was done really poorly. There was a lot of telling versus showing, and things often got jumbled and confusing as the author attempted to build the characters and their relationships for us. There were a lot of flashbacks to things that apparently happened earlier in the day or the week or their lives that happened too often and drug on too long that I wouldn’t realize it was a flashback or I’d forget and then feel confused that I had missed something “because I thought they were in the car, but when did they get to the tea shop?”

I’d recommend to anyone that enjoys:

Fake Dating
Friends to Lovers
Third Act Breakup
Cozy Setting
Food Features
Character Growth

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of Emma Lord’s The Break-Up Pact.

Thank you to SMP Romance for the advanced reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

June and Levi have both gone through horrible and horribly public break-ups. Because of the newfound celebrity status of their exes, they have gone viral. And it's quite a coincidence since they are from the same small town and were friends (maybe with crushes?) during high school. Cue the fake dating!

I really enjoyed this adult debut from Emma Lord. I love all of her YA books. This captured some of the same magic and fun but with adults who are 10 years out of college. I think she made the transition seamlessly. I especially enjoyed all of the fun excursions that June and Levi took, and that the photos of them revealed their true feelings. And wow, I want some of the scones June created for her cafe.

The secondary characters were neat. I especially liked the friends, Sana and Mateo. But I wanted a bit more exploration of June's relationship with her brother. There are some deep themes, especially around grief and how to move forward after losing a loved one. I found a good balance of funny and deeply intense moments. And I appreciated how the third act was written.

There was absolutely amazing narration by Natalie Naudus to the extent that I paused and replayed to admire portions of it. I had a great time listening and reading. I listened during a hard day, and this book got me through.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was my first Emma Lord book and it was a great summer read! June Hart and Levi Shaw reunite in their small beach town, after dealing with public breakups. They decide to fake date to get back at their exes and revamp their public image. Of course, their childhood crushes come back to life and they end up falling for each other. I loved watching June and Levi’s relationship grow. I wish we had known more about June’s deceased sister and what lead to the estrangement between June and Levi.

Read if you like:
Friends to lovers
Fake dating
Slow burn

The Break-up Pact features one of my favorite romance tropes: faking dating. As teens, June and Levi were once the best of friends…these days not so much. These days June is struggling to keep open her Tea Shop and Levi is struggling to be a writer. Recently both suffered extremely public and humiliating breakups which has them squarely in the public eye. As the two begin to tentatively rekindle their friendship, an incident occurs that leads to them getting caught in a photograph leaving many with the impression they are now a couple. They decide to play into it, hoping the publicity will help June’s business and perhaps make Levi’s ex realize she made a mistake. I’m a sucker for fake dating romcoms so I was predisposed to enjoy this one, but I must admit that while I enjoyed it I wasn’t totally sold on these two main characters. Not sure I can put my finger on it, but they didn’t totally work for me. Don’t get me wrong. Overall I enjoyed the story, but it just wasn’t my favorite of Emma’s books. 3.5 stars. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review and eARC of The Break-Up Pact.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R18Q7IG7XLPVX3/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

*Title: The Break-Up Pact-a standalone

*Release date: 8-13-24, Read: 8-12-24

*Author: Emma Lord-I've read The Getaway List and gave it 5 ⭐

*Format: E-book and audiobook

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC! I voluntarily give an honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

*Narrator: Natalie Naudus voices all characters. The narrator's voice fit the characters with standouts from Levi and Sana. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along with the E-book and audiobook.

*Run time: 9:18

*Setting: Benson Beach

*Genre: Rom-Com, Women's Fic

*Tropes: sister's BFF, small town, friendship, fake dating, reality TV, viral moments, LGBTQIA+ rep, Asian American rep, second chance

*Look out for: death of a sibling and BFF, the hero and heroine are cheated ON, side character had cancer

*Synopsis: Two friends June and Levi haven't spoken in ten years, but when both their break-ups go viral, they reunite. June runs Tea Tide and owes rent money, her BFF Sana is a freelance writer in need of money, and Levi wants his fiancée Kelly back. June and Levi agree to fake date using the paparazzi, but they have unfinished business from high school.

*FMC: June Hart-runs seaside tea shop in honor of her deceased sister Annie who ran it before her. She just broke up with boyfriend Griffin Hapler-a famous reality TV star on "Business Savvy." He cheated on her and now the world knows. Her brother Dylan is also getting married, and she is helping with the arrangements.

*MMC: Levi Shaw-lives in NY as a hedge fund manager. He is also a writer. His fiancée Kelly cheated on him with superhero movie star Roman Steel. They are separated with the hope of getting back together.

*Review: June and Levi knew each other since childhood along with June's older sister Annie and her younger brother Dylan. For a second, I thought Levi would confess to being in love with Annie, but he only had eyes for June. They liked each other in high school but their pride got in the way, and they became estranged. The attraction between them was still there, but they had to reconcile the past to start anew.

*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Spice level- 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

When two former best friends, June and Levi, each go through a very viral and humiliating breakup with their significant others, they devise a plan to recover. Levi wants his ex back, and she wants to save her tea shop she opened with her late sister. The decided to go viral again, except this time, they control the narrative as the "Revenge Exes". They create a steamy, fake relationship to get what they want. There are a few complications though...they have to actually talk and get along. After ten years of increasing distance, there is definitely some patchwork to their former friendship that needs to be done. One of the main drivers to the widening gap in their friendship is that each of them thought the other wasn't being true to themselves. For two people who had known each other for most of their lives, they don't really know how to communicate. They instead build walls and push each other away. It also doesn't help that June's sister, who was very close to both June and Levi, had a very big hand in pushing them away from each other and trying to force her desired paths for their lives onto them.

Through some tough conversations, hysterical "fake dates", tears, and a lot of running, they somehow manage to meld the new versions of themselves into the old ones they used to know. They begin to truly see each other for the very first time. They both don't realize their fake dates are real to those around them and actually to themselves as well. They have always loved each other, but for different yet intertwined reasons, they never admitted it. They find themselves and each other, and they become the absolute best versions of themselves.

June's sister seemed a little toxic for me, and it really couldn't be addressed because she had passed away two years earlier. She was a revered character who everyone walked on eggshells around. To a point I understood this, but it was hard watching these two kind people forget about their own wants and needs for someone who was kind of manipulative. I loved the viral aspects of both the breakup and fake relationship. It was comical and relatable in the age of social media. I liked the shared past of the main characters. I think this set the tone for the amount of respect and honesty that would come out of these two. I loved how much they grew for themselves but also for each other. They had to get to the right time in the right place to get what they both knew deep down what they wanted and needed.

Fake dating? Check. Second chance? Check. Small town romance? Check.
This one was definitely a short, quick read that was perfect for summer. I love that the central message of the story was about how important it is to stay true to yourself, or work on yourself, if need be, before committing to a relationship. Love is all about communication and who you chose to be with, even if it’s messy.

If you want a super quick and easy summer read, this is it. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and SMP for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.