While I do enjoy a slow burn romance, I sadly had to jump ship at 44%. The characters were flat and unappealing and the storyline didn't hold my interest. I had hoped for more by the almost halfway mark, but unfortunately I wasn't engaged enough to stick it out until the happily-ever-after (I'm sure) occurred.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

"I know things weren't great between us, and I'll regret that forever. But if you ever need me. No matter what. You've always got me."

I'm telling you guys, I've gotten really lucky this summer with all these amazing books that I've been able to get my hands on.

After a messy viral breakup, and now being known as "crying girl", June is ready to start over with her life and have things be done her way. No more trying to live up to Griffin's expectations. It's not like that was working out anyways, since he ends up cheating on her and confronts her about it on live TV. In comes the meme "crying girl". Now, June is mainly focused on Tea Tide, a scone and tea business that was started by her late sister Annie, and to honor her older sister, June has taken the reins of the business. Now, even though the shop has been getting a lot of customers due to June's "crying girl" meme, the landlord is thinking about not renewing the lease because the business hasn't been doing well year-round. We can't really rely on trendy clout to get a business running. June does not know what to do, as she believes that if Tea Tide is forced to shut down, she's also letting her sister down. MEANWHILE, Levi, June's former best friend, has also dealt with his own public breakup. After his fiancée, a public figure, cheats on him with another public figure, Levi decides to head back home to Benson Beach, to get a break from all of it. Now, here's the thing. June and Levi haven't spoken in YEARS, after their fallout as teenagers. So, when June sees Levi sitting outside of her shop, let me just say, the vibes are a little panicky on June's end. But then, here comes Sana (THE MOST ICONIC BEST FRIEND EVER) with the most ultimate plan: LET LEVI AND JUNE FAKE DATE TO GET BACK AT THEIR EXES. That way, Levi can win back his fiancée, and June can get even more exposure for Tea Tide without worrying about the landlord shutting the shop down. SO YES, THIS IS THE ICONIC FAKE DATING TO LOVERS TROPE. But of course, it's just a little messy here, because Levi and June are also childhood best friends who are reconnecting. BUT IT'S SO GOOD.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When two childhood friends are reunited following very public break-ups, they decide fake-dating will be the best revenge, but it may also be the second chance for them to find their HEA.

I am a HUGE Emma Lord fan. Her books are always jam-packed with witty banter, humor, and warmth, and The Break-Up Pact delivered that and more.

This was a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance and those are my two top tropes. June and Levi had been estranged since Levi left for college ten years prior. Until then, they had been thick as thieves with June harboring a huge crush on Levi. An overheard conversation and failure to share their feelings led to a rift, but that flame never went out. They may have seemed to move on, but there was always something missing from their relationships with other people.

Watching these two reconnect filled me with happiness. With so much beautiful shared history, they were destined for each other. The fake dates and wedding chores were a great way to force them together and they were a lot of fun, too. Whether Levi and June were at the club, running, or cake tasting, each activity allowed them to bond or renew the bond that was still there while also providing me with lots of entertainment.

I have always thought that Lord shined the brightest when her books were set in NYC, but I may have been wrong because I fell in love with everything about Benson Beach. This little beachside burgh gave off great small-town vibes. It was filled with delightful characters and was such a lovely backdrop for Levi and June's reunion.

One place I spent a lot of time was in June's tea shop, Tea Tide. This was the shop she and her sister dreamed up, and until her sister's death, June's involvement had been from afar. I was really rooting for June to turn the shop around, and this was a big part of her character arc. The process of saving the shop was sort of cathartic for June and it helped her deal with the grief and guilt she harbored regarding her sister's death while also moving forward in her own life.

Once again, Lord has managed to delight me with a beautiful tale of family, friendship, second chances, and scones which had me laughing and smiling in equal measures. I found this to be a solid adult debut, and I am looking forward to many more.

If Emily Henry and Hallmark had a baby, it would be this book. After both being dumped in particularly embarrassing/painful ways, these ex-high school best friends (who were almost something more) decide to make the world think they're dating... and really, their lives can only go up from where they're both at.

I DNFed this at around 30%. It had all the makings of something cute but I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I'm not sure why but 'failing tea shop owner and a bored New York finance bro decide it's time to make their exes jealous - all while set in a lovely seaside town with a Bridgerton-esque tea shop as the backdrop' should've been much more cute than it felt the whole time.

(If I didn't read so many romances - I would probably have finished and loved this, but I didn't realize it was a fake-dating romance and I REALLY loathe those.)

I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book. But my gosh communication people, it really isn't that hard. This one had a few 'third act breakups' but not really. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. The side characters added a lot. I will pretty much read all Emma Lord books and always seem to enjoy them.

🫖 Book Review 🫖

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: August 13, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I wanted to fall in love with this one but I really struggled with Lord’s writing style. I feel like all the extra descriptions bogged down the characters. This led to me putting the book down more often than picking it up because I was bored and frustrated.

For fans of:
🫖 First person POV
🏝️ Small town
🫖 Childhood friends to lovers
🏝️ Second chance
🫖 Descriptive writing

🛑 Triggers 🛑
⚠️ Passing of a sibling
⚠️ Grief

This was such a cute, summery read! The setting was fun, especially the Tea shop! June and Levi had great development, and I really loved their love story-- it was believable without shirking around the difficulties. This book also handled grief really well. Overall, this was a very fun beach read if you need one!!

The audio book was SO well done! Engaging and the pacing was wonderful!

Thanks to Negalley, MacMillan and Emma Lord for the advanced copy to review.

I liked the idea of this book far more than I liked it in practicality. I had a hard time liking either character and believing that fake dating would really be the panacea for all their ails which makes it difficult to get invested in the story. Maybe because it was so reliant on second chance plot-line which I generally don't prefer. It was just overall very angsty which to me felt repetitive and Griffin was impossible to see any reason she's have stayed with him for as long as she did in the first place.
It is well written, and I do love the concept, but I was hoping for a light fun read and this book was just so hard to get through I couldn't really enjoy it.

Charming, two former best friends, June and Levi, reunite under unexpected circumstances. After their public break-ups go viral, a photo of them together sparks rumors that they’re a couple. To boost June’s struggling tea shop and make Levi’s ex jealous, they decide to play along with the fake relationship. Emma Lord’s adult debut is as delightful as her previous works, full of heart and humor.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @stmartinspress for an early copy of The Break-Up Pact by @dilemmalord. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: August 13th, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The Break-Up Pact isn’t just a fake-dating, friends-to-lovers novel. It’s also about handling grief and the main characters’ Levi and June’s journey to self-discovery.

June and Levi were childhood close friends before they drifted apart because of miscommunication, which honestly they didn’t handle very well (until the very end that is) even as adults meeting each other again after years of being out of touch with each other. They form a fake-dating pact to handle a very viral fiasco regarding their breakups from their respective previous relationships. Their feelings, unbeknownst to each other, begin to resurface with full force, after spending a lot of time together pretending to date.

They initially avoid talking about their past and what really caused their falling out, which as a reader, made me really curious about what happened to them. They had so much chemistry together that I couldn’t really fathom what went on then. June and Levi were quite stubborn in avoiding the subject altogether until almost the very end of the novel, which as adults I find very immature. Why go through all the second-guessing and wondering when they could just straight up talk about it? But eventually, I was glad they got to talk it all out and resolve their underlying issues – mainly figuring out what they want to do in life.

Both of them have been letting others and their situations dictate major decisions for themselves, and losing themselves, and what they really want to do along the way. June seemed like a strong and resilient woman. In such a short time since her break-up with her ex-boyfriend Griffin and the public humiliation that came with it, she’s still managing the business that her sister Annie built before her death. However, she was still living under Annie’s shadow and trying to keep the business she isn’t really sure she wants to keep as is.

Meanwhile, Levi being the man of routine and such, is still set on going through the life plan he had with his ex-fiance Kelly while also trying to re-live his literary dreams and going back to writing a book. I guess there wasn’t really any room for them to figure out themselves with everything that had been happening with their lives. It was only with each other that triggered them to figure it out for themselves.

Though Levi and June’s character growth felt abrupt, I felt overjoyed with their feelings for each other resurfacing during the time they were pretending to date. They had so much chemistry that I couldn’t help but root for them to be together already for real! Emma Lord did amazing with this book, and I loved how she ended the novel – it was very June and Levi.

Romance

Friends to enemies to fake dating schemes - this novel covers it all.

June has returned to Benson Beach after the breakup of her relationship went public in the worst way possible. She is running Tea Tide, which is the storefront her sister Annie opened after conversations she and June had when they were younger. Levi, Annie's best friend and June's high school crush, has also returned home after his own public break up.

Levi and June used to be super close until June felt that he threw her crush back in her face and told her he didn't like her like that. They had barely been in contact in the last few years, but with them both back in Benson Beach their relationship is going to change. Will it be for better or worse? A plan gets hatched to get back at/overcome the publicity of their mutual breakups. Sparks fly, but can June trust it? Will Levi want her as she is now - the owner of an unsuccessful scone shop? And what is she going to do with the shop and the rest of her life?

This was very cute and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

I really wanted to like this one because the fake dating for revenge seemed like such a good plot but I couldn't read this book without falling asleep.

This narrative evokes shades of a Hallmark movie infused with a modern touch, incorporating elements like TikTok. Instantly captivating, I found myself deeply immersed in the storyline. The character development of both protagonists resonated with me, and witnessing the evolution of their relationship was truly heartwarming.

Exploring themes of fake dating and second chances, the plot felt engaging overall, although there was a slight sense of something missing, though elusive. The subplot involving the sister's disapproval of the characters' union, while intriguing, lacked substantial background or rationale. It seemed somewhat disconnected from the narrative, serving primarily to illustrate the protagonists' initial discord, albeit in a somewhat contrived manner.

Despite these minor qualms, my overall fondness for the book remains unwavering.

This book brought such a smile to my face. It was reminiscent of “Funny Story” but I found myself more invested in these characters and thought their story was more relatable.

I loved that it was a slow burn but you still felt their connection and love for eachoyher even throughout the fake dating. The subplot of dealing with grief I thought was a great additional and made the characters more relatable and 3 dimensional.

A great read not only for a beach read but any time of the year!

PS: I would love a prequel or something that focuses on Dylan & Matteo

The Break-Up Pact is a cute idea with your typical tropes of fake dating, second-chance, with some miscommunication mixed in there. June and Levi were childhood friends who drifted apart. After they both suffered very public break-ups with their respective significant others they end up fake-dating each other and become the "revenge-exs" on social media. Honestly, a really cute idea. And a special shout-out to Tea Tide, June's tea shop and scone bakery as basically another character in this book. Why does this bakery only bake scones? No idea. Why does every other contemporary romance have a character that runs a bakery? I also don't know. The rest of the cast of characters is diverse, with some lgbt+ and ethic characters. Sana is the best friend and probably my favourite character, but Dylan and Mateo are great too.

Unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. I didn't relate to the characters and found them to be pretty bland. June annoyed me for that first 60% or so with long-winded, repeating thoughts on how scared she is to be hurt and left by Levi again...every other chapter. I also found it dragged on a bit in-between the cute scenes. At least it has a HEA ending and is a stand-alone novel.

Griffin is the worst, and June should have left that d-bag wayyyy earlier. At least the author made him very very easy to hate.

If you like cute, mindless, contemporary romance with very little spice, then you may find this book right up your alley.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book. 3.5 stars!
This book had some really cute parts and overall I enjoyed it. But it just wasn't a fav for me. I really liked Levi, he seemed very mature and like a good guy. I did not like June as much. Some of her actions just seemed childish and selfish. Like getting angry over things that she definitely had no need to. I did like the scone shop aspect of this story and the cute little inside jokes and memories between the characters.

Emma Lord is a favorite YA author of mine, and I was so excited to read her adult romance debut!! Unsurprisingly it was FANTASTIC!! Two former high school friends who have both been recently and publicly dumped team up to fake date in this small-town summer love story.

Full of heart, emotional depth, and great chemistry. I loved this a lot and can't recommend it enough. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a sibling (off page)

Steam level: open door

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I adored Tweet Cute, so naturally I wanted to check out Emma Lord's latest book, The Break-Up Pact. It had been sitting on my NetGalley shelf since December and finally got around to reading it around publication day.

The book was just okay. I read the first few chapters and just couldn't connect with the characters. The FMC and MMC have just gone through very public break-ups and hadn't seen each other in years, yet FMC immediately starts lusting after this guy that she grew up with like a brother and sister?

This book reminded me of Emily Henry-light (and quite frankly I didn't think Henry's latest book was all that great, either). I read this genre of book when I want a palate cleanser from the denser history and biography I usually read. But getting through this book was a slog; I don't know if it's just me or the book itself, so I'll rate it average.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️
.5🌶

☕️Second chance romance
☕️Fake dating
☕️Friend to lovers
☕️Emotional scars
☕️Small town

I want to start by saying that if you come into this book expecting a gut busting rom-com, you will be disappointed. Emma Lord writes a sweeping story of two best friends, two almost lovers who meet back in the place where it all started- their home town of Benson Beach - after being publicly humiliated by their exes, and it going viral to boot.

This book is a telling of two people who are facing the trauma of losing a close friend, a sister, and a pillar in the community while trying to navigate the broken remains of a once unshakeable friendship.

When they are mistakenly perceived as dating by one of the members of the community after the drama they have both faced, June and Levi decide to lean into it and use it to their advantage. Levi to get the attention of his ex and June to save her late sister's failing seaside tea shop. But as they try to parse their way through the awkward remains of their broken friendship from a decade ago while trying to appear infatuated with one another for the social media vultures circling the community, June and Levi begin to repair the frayed bonds of their friendship while delving into something much deeper and more concrete, something like love.

While the story can be poignant at times and really focuses on the healing from the grief they feel and the ghost of Annie that haunts the streets and forests of Benson Beach, there are plenty of times where the banter and wittiness of June and Levi made me laugh. Not to mention, everyone needs a best friend like Sana and a brother like Dylan.

I loved this book. It really held my attention, and I am definitely looking forward to more from Emma Lord.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord was a cute best friends to lovers trope. June Hart is mourning the loss of her sister Annie and trying to keep her business afloat all while being the face on a viral meme. Not to mention, she is just got cheated on. Now Levi Shaw is back in town and wants to rekindle their friendship. Both end up fake dating and confronting the feelings that never truly went away.

.⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Emma Lord and NetGalley for the ARC.