I tried reading this book twice, and couldn't get into it. Guess it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Emma Lord for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to St Martin's Press, St Martin's Griffin, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for early access to The Break-Up Pact in exchange for my honest opinion.
I listened to this title because the narration by Natalie Naudus is just *chef's kiss* perfection.
Scones play a big role in this book, where the FMC runs a tea shop with baked goods. I'm not really a fan of scones unless they are savory. Although I did try a sweet vegan one recently that surprised me.
As a big fan of Emma Lord’s YA novels, I was super excited about this book, her debut adult romance. It involves a second chance romance with fake dating in a beachy, small-town setting. All of those tropes are great, but this book didn't work as well as I had hoped it would. I felt like I didn't know enough about the couple from the very beginning to understand how they could go from not having spoken in ten years to fake dating almost immediately after a chance encounter. Once the backstory all came together much later in the book, it made more sense to me, but I wish more had been shared from the beginning so I didn't have so many doubts.
Do I recommend it? Yes - especially as a beach read! It will be available Tuesday 🏖️ perfect for end of summer fun. Do I recommend Emma Lord's YA books MORE? Absolutely!!

I’m a sucker for second chance romance and tea and put the two together and I’m in!
June and Levi haven’t seen each other since high school. Since then they’ve both gone through very public break ups, where they’ve each been on the receiving end of a viral dumping. Now June is running the tea shop her sister opened before she died and Levi is struggling to write his book. They meet up again by chance outside the tea shop and come up with the plan to fake date to try and save the failing tea shop and so that Levi can win his ex girlfriend back. A win for both of them. Which everyone knows means they are going to fall for each other instead.
June’s friend Sana sets up dates for them and posts them on social media in order to get attention for the shop and make Levi’s ex jealous. While they’re at it, they have to help plan June’s brother’s wedding, which leads them to spending lots of time together. But then, we don’t ever get to see the wedding happen, which was kinda of frustrating as a reader. After all the time spent on the details, I would have liked to see it all come to fruition.
Cute beach read with lots of pop culture references and minimal steam.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This was a cute book. I love that these two have been secretly pining for one another and I think they had to grow up and make mistakes to truly be happy together. To be honest, it was hard for me not to dislike Annie. I know she had her dreams and her vision, but it seemed like she pushed that too much onto others. I know that June also had a stake in Tea Tide, but she was floundering with trying to keep Annie's dream going. I'm glad that she made it her own. Having the truck seemed like a good way to get steady customers and I think it's something they should still incorporate. I'm glad that she got her space back though. I'm also glad she finally told Griffin off. She kept making excuses for him, but he was trash. He was just looking to prolong his five minutes of fame. I'm also glad that Levi didn't go back to Kelly. She cheated on him and I think she only wanted him back because he found another girl. I thought she was going to be a bigger problem when she visited, but I'm glad it wasn't too big of an issue. The ending was cute. This was my first read by Emma Lord, and I am curious to read more.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book but I found it such a fun and captivating read! I love a good childhood best friends to lovers, faking dating romance. June and Levi were best friends until they weren't, and now 10 years have past and they both ironically have very dramatic, very public breakups with their significant others. Now, June is trying to save her tea shop and Levi comes back to their beachside town to figure out his own life and end up caught in a photo together that looks suspiciously extremely romantic and the internet goes WILD- they immediately get dubbed "The Revenge Exes" and decide to form a pact to fake date and in turn help June with her tea shop and Levi get his ex to notice him again- what could go wrong?

A witty, fun read. There was a bit of miscommunication which is a trope I don't love but I adored how naturally June and Levi felt together. They had history and it was clear on page that they were meant to be, they didn't want the other to be someone they weren't and supported each other wholeheartedly. Overall I really enjoyed this book!

A Classic Emma Lord book., ie, a story full of feeling and cute characters. Plus I can't get enough of the cover.

The Break-Up Pact is between June and Levi, high school friends who had lost touch, but now get to bond over both being dumped by their ex's in very public and very viral ways. They decide to fake date to try and make their lives less click-bait worthy, but really they try to renew their friendship and support each other through the difficult choices of late twenties when your life feels off track. Romance ensues of course! Loved the small town vibe, and the supporting characters added depth and humor. Felt the path to their happily-ever-after took a few too many twists, but overall a very good read.

2⭐️ i was excited for this one but i did not connect to the characters at all. Most of the plot lines i did not like and the pacing was super off for me.

In The Break-Up Pact, childhood friends June and Levi have both been dumped in very public, humiliating ways. Levi is back in their hometown of Benson Beach for the first time in a while and they rekindle their fragile friendship. They realize they could both benefit from pretending to date in the wake of their scandals and the Revenge Exes are born.

I enjoyed this one! I thought the fake dating trope was done in an interesting way. And I loved that they were childhood friends. It added a depth and history to their relationship and made their chemistry very believable! There was a lot of great banter and some super funny moments, but it was balanced well with a more serious undertone and themes of grief and loss. I loved the side characters and the beach town vibes. Benson Beach sounds like a place I’d love to visit!

Try The Break-Up Pact if you love :
▫️Second chance romance
▫️Childhood friends to lovers
▫️Fake dating
▫️Beachy vibes

This is a sweet love story about childhood best friends reuniting after 10 years when both of their breakups go viral. This story was cute, heartfelt, funny, and with a touch of vulnerability while diving into grief and Junes struggle with saving her business.

The pacing of this book was great, it didn’t feel rushed or thrown into it at all. It has so many amazing tropes and there is a hint of miscommunication, which I don’t particularly love but made sense for the story. Also, the writing wasn’t my favourite but it was super easy to follow along with. The plot was intriguing and reminded me of a rom com movie.

June and Levi were interesting and funny characters but also a little frustrating at times. The reflecting and growth both of them did really helped put their thoughts and feelings into perspective and helped me connect with them more.

I loved the side characters, they added charm and wit to the story. June’s best friend Sana was hilarious and such a supportive friend to June.

This book was a great introduction to this author and I look forward to reading more from them!

June and Levi, who are estranged childhood friends, have both recently gone viral for public breakups. They are both back in their hometown and come up with a fake dating scheme to help draw business to June’s tea shop and get Levi’s ex back. As they pretend to date, they are left to wonder if the feelings could be real.

This was my first book by Emma Lord and it was enjoyable. I love a fake dating scheme and the tea shop setting was a sweet backdrop for the story. The grief subplot fell just a bit short of what could have been if it had been further developed and was a bit heavy for a romcom in my personal opinion. However, if you are looking for a cute romance and don’t mind heavy subplots, this book could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Thank you to Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book - I thought the premise of the exes going viral was a great concept for a romance book and maybe went in with too high of expectations!!?

I thought it was cute - but definitely too long and drawn out - about 30% in with so much to go.... found myself wondering if I cared how it all turned out. I didn't find that the banter or chemistry between the two was particularly riveting or kept me yearning for them to get together.

When June and Levi were growing up, they were best friends. Now June is struggling to make rent on her tea shop by the beach and Levi is living in New York as a failed novelist. They both experience public break-ups and end up making juicy gossip by appearing together in a photo that goes viral.

I'm usually on board for some fake dating turned real feelings but to me this just fell flat. I loved the cover, which was SUPER cute, and loved the premise, however the plot and execution just didn't knock me off my feet.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emma Lord for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Releases August 13, 2024!

Dreading to pick a book back up is a sure sign for me to dnf. It started our well enough, but then the same information keeps being recycled over and over, and I am tired of reading the same thing told in a different way. This is a fake-dating trope story, with nothing new to it (for as far as I have read).
A dnf for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The cover is very pretty first of all. June is dumped on live TV by her boyfriend of 10 years. She moves back home. Her high school crush Levi who was also her best friend was also dumped. The two decide to fake date to get back at their exes. I didn’t really feel a spark between June and Levi. Levi just kept June like a second choice. It felt like he was leading her on so much. He even gets back with his exacted sleeping with June?! Just didn’t love this one.
Thank you NetGalley

A fun read with the fake relationship trope, as Levi and June pretend to date after both have embarrassing and viral breakups. Will they go back to their previous friendship, become strangers again or maybe fall in love for real?

The Break-Up Pact is a story of friendship, love, loss, regrets and self discovery while grieving the loss of a sister and friend and learning how to live life again outside of her shadow. Set in a boardwalk tea shop called Tea Tide, which also serves a variety of scones that are crafted from life stories and experiences.

June’s life is hectic as she’s dealing with losing her sister, helping plan her brother's wedding, a struggling business and a nasty breakup that goes viral on social media. Levi, a childhood family friend, who has his own problems including his own viral breakup, comes back into town after several years of being away. Together they come up with a plan that can help solve both of their problems…insert the Revenge Ex Movement and The Break-Up Pact.

Fake Dating
Second Chance
Slow Burn
Friends to Lovers
Miscommunication

This story is a good reminder of the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media. I liked seeing the character growth from start to finish. I wasn’t a fan of June to start with, she was immature and whiny but I grew to like her by the end. The love story was predictable and a little cheesy, felt more like YA which is what the author typically writes. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes which could be why I didn't love this one as much as I’d hoped.

I thought the way June came up with new recipes for scones, and how she named them, was pretty creative. Scones played a good part in the overall story, so much that I was craving a scone while reading this book! However, I got a kick out of the raccoon acknowledgment!

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, it enhanced the experience and helped keep me invested in the story. It was a good performance from start to finish.

oh, i just loved everything about this book! emma lord quickly became one of my autobuy authors after her young adult releases and i've loved everything of hers since. her first adult novel did not disappoint -- it was just as funny, heartwarming and quick witted as all of her other books, with deep emotional character growth and development. if you've enjoyed her young adult books you must read this one!

• ARC REVIEW •

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 - Publishing Date 8/13

First can we just say how beautiful this cover is?! I am in loooove. This is definitely a perfect beach/summer read and was easy to get through. These two old besties who haven’t spoken in over ten years, but reunite in their hometown after both of their break-ups go viral. It doesn’t take long for them to decide the perfect revenge - fake dating one another, giving the public something else to talk about. Levi + June were such a fun storyline to engage in and is one of my favorite childhood friends to lovers plot! It was hard to not cheer for both of them individually and together. The main reason for my rounding down in stars was that I felt at times there was unnecessary parts of the book that I wasn’t as invested in. I also felt there was some repetition in her writing.

Expect:

-fake dating
-slow burn
-childhood friends to lovers
-small town romance
-second chance

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! ✨

This is my first Emma Lord novel. I enjoyed this book for what it was. It was a cute, faking dating situation but the writing and plot weren't my favorite. I will definitely give Emma Lord another try with her other books, but this one was kind of boring to me. I also think this is a cute summer read, especially if the reader is looking for a small=town romance.

This was a decently sweet, school friends to lovers/second chance romance. I would've given it a four star (possibly 3.5 rounded up) rating during the first half, but I didn't like the second half as much. Not because it was bad. It just didn't hold my attention as much.

I liked the characters well enough and the main relationship was cute. The supporting characters were solid and the social media aspect was entertaining at times. It was just all a bit bland to me. It's a decent, sweet, cute rom-com if you're in the mood for a fizzy kind of read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.