Review withheld due to ongoing boycott of all Macmillan books. Review will be updated once the boycott has ended.

June and Levi haven't spoken since they were best friends in high school and have both suffered recent and very public break ups that went viral. While Levi is now a finance guy in NYC, June moved back to their vacation hometown to run her sister's bakery after her sister died, but the bakery is in trouble. Levi is in town for a few weeks and they hatch a plan to pretend to date to fuel the viral fire - they hope this fake relationship will get Levi back with his ex and bring in new business for June's bakery. Now of course, this is a rom com so - old best friends who had feelings at one time, now in a fake relationship...I'll let you do the math.

I ended up listening to a lot of this one because I had to prepare for my son's camp visiting day, but once everything was packed I sat down and finished it by reading. This book was cute but didn't grab me like other rom coms I have read recently. I thought maybe I was too old for it and it was just too cutesy for me so I had my 18 year old read it but she gave it the same rating I did (but she is a mini me). There wasn't anything super special about this one, it totally kept me entertained but never fully engrossed. I know the author generally writes YA, I wonder if her next adult novel will be better, I will definitely give it a chance.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's press for the ARC to review

I was instantly drawn into what felt like the bakeshop owners Hallmark movie, That is exactly what this story reminded me of with a side of E! news in it. I appreciated the character development and the background story told to us to help build in and tie up the fake dating conundrum. I enjoyed and loved getting to see the characters find themselves and each other and read it unfold on the pages.
I found the book was a great warm story not at all what I was anticipating from the description of the book.
Intriguing, warm, pleasant, and quick.

I love me a good romance and I enjoyed this story. I've added Emma Lord to me know and get to know more list.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I really enjoyed Emma Lord’s YA books and was super excited to get the digital ARC of her adult romance. I have to say—-it was cute, but not great. If you are looking for a quick, easy read, this one is for you. I agree with other reviewers that the storyline happens way too quickly. Given the amount of hurt June felt towards Levi—-I would have expected it to take longer for them to jump to the “let’s fake date” situation. Also I found June to be a little bit annoying….

But, overall, it was well written, and I enjoyed the dive into June’s feelings towards her deceased sister and the business she now feels “stuck” with. I liked that Levi and June have a tense history that was explored, I just think the pacing was a bit off.

Thanks for Netgalley for the ARC!

I love a good fake dating trope and this did not disappoint! Levi and June both had very public (viral) break ups and find each other. After a picture of them also goes viral, they fake a relationship. Both Levi and June bring baggage and I loved the evolution of their relationship. It was well written and I loved this story!

The Break-Up Pact was kind of a flop for me. I didn't love the plot and the characters, June and Levi, just didn't have the chemistry I was hoping for. This was the authors first foray into this genre, I believe, but I love her work, so I was super bummed I didn't love this :(

Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for the arc of The Breakup Pact, it was greatly appreciated. That being said, I wish I had more to say about the book other than it wasn't for me. It was a bit too cheesy and I didn't really feel any spark between Levi and June... Plus Levi kinda sucked lol

Levi is trash.

This book had a lot of potential but it took the whole “small town is a character” thing way too far. We learned more about the main characters brother and his fiance than we did the actual characters. Our main character, August, was likable and flawed but all the other characters just made this book fall flat. I found myself skimming through the paragraphs upon paragraphs talking about a relationship that wasn’t even part of the story. Also, Levi was trash and I’m not sure this was even a love story.

An adorable summer beach read! This was a 4.5-star read for me. Emma Lord knows how to do witty, unique, quirky writing. The Break-Up Pact had me smiling as I read. The love story was very cutesy, so I was blown away by the sensual, steamy spice-level scene when June and Levi finally get together. It's now one of my favorite romance book sex scenes. There were so many great quotable moments that made me jealous of Lord’s brain, often wondering how she came up with these small tidbits that add a lot of flavor to the story (pun intended as I know how much Lord loves her desserts). The reason this wasn’t a full 5-star read for me was why Levi and June stopped talking for so many years, the back of the book description made it seem like it would be something way more intense. I also wish the ending included a scene of the wedding since so much of the book was about planning it! I look forward to reading more Emma Lord books in the future and am so excited she has dipped her toes into adult romance! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of The Break-Up Pact. All opinions are my own.

June and Levi both experience very public breakups (or breaks) and they decide to work together to make the best out of their situations. As the book moves on, it really highlights their shared history and grief. They both communicate really well since they’ve been friends for so long and their fake dates were funny to see unfold. There are some really serious undertones to the book and I think the author handled the complexity of grief really well even though I wasn’t aware how present it would be when I started the book. With that in mind, this wasn’t a book I felt the urge to read all in one sitting, so slowly listening to the audiobook kept me engaged. Also, there was a real villain to this story and it was Nancy. I don’t like her one bit and I was so upset to see her come back in the epilogue. The ending overall, wrapped things up well but felt rushed and wasn’t as satisfying I wanted. Overall, this is a good read but be prepared for discussions of grief and the trauma that comes with it. 3.75⭐️, 2🌶, ⚠️

Sweet, open-door adult romance! Very cute, and a great author that is new to me! Great for a summer read by the pool or on the beach.

For a writer who loves grilled cheese, Emma Lord wrote a “three star” scone of a novel. Thank you to the team at St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC copy. I have read one other Emma Lord book and it was YA. As far as pacing goes, it felt like it read super quickly as her YA novels do. I don’t think this is technically a bad thing, but it did make what the peak of the novel and what seemed to be a third act ‘break’ but not break up go really fast. So while the pacing seemed a little off it wasn’t terrible.

Emma Lord also writes about a complex topic (death of a family member - prior to plot) in a way that honors that character, but allows the reader to connect to the main characters grieving process. I also loved the resolution to the book wasn’t a ‘quick fix’ it was something that allowed both characters to grow as individuals and an outcome that worked for both of them, too.

Overall I would recommend. If you love a quicker paced book with minor spice, but what I would dub as a cracked door romance this is the novel for you. If you don’t particularly enjoy a third act break (up) situation then avoid this one.

This book wasn’t per se bad.. but it wasn’t anything special. Some chapters felt like they drug on forever and others felt super rushed… I’ve said this with another Emma Lord book, but I think 16 year old Cass would’ve liked it better than 27 year old Cass did.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press & Macmillan audio for the opportunity to read / listen to this ARC.

June and Levi were best friends in high school and then all of a sudden they were not and went their separate ways. Years later when they both experience public breakups, they reconnect in the beach town that June's tea shop is in and they decide to fake date to help their internet image recover after their respective breakups. Will they be able to convince the world that they are actually dating and in love?

This was such a cute fake dating story and I really enjoyed the friend group that they reconnected with in the beach town. I feel like we got to know June way more than we got to know Levi. Levi's ex created lots of issues for him and June and just seemed like she was acting like a dog trying to mark her territory by coming into June's tea shop and talking about how well she knew Levi. I really enjoyed the ending with the food truck helping June's business be successful. There are a few spicy scenes, but overall, I loved this cute second chance rom com.

This book was cheesy with the TikTok of it all and almost very hallmark like. I fell right into the story and the characters but I was cringing at parts because it felt very gen Z. I love a fake dating but I just felt like something in the plot was missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a must read! It is a funny rom-com that is also heart-warming. I did not even know about aware of the author, Emma Lord until I requested this book and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed Emma’s writing style and her ability to pull at my heart strings while also making me laugh.


In summary, The Break-Up Pact is a story about two childhood best friends who become estranged. June goes through a breakup with her ex boyfriend Griffin and goes viral better known as “The Crying Girl” after the breakup is aired on national television. Levi returns to Benson Beach after his own public breakup with celebrity girlfriend, Kelly. In attempts to make both exes jealous, June and Levi agree to fake dating. Thus, the name: The Break-Up Pact. The chemistry between these two is undeniable and the banter is immediate. The question then is: will their pact survive?


If you enjoy the following tropes, this book is for you!

✨Friends to lovers
✨ Brothers best friend
✨ Fake Dating
✨ Found Family
✨ Small town



Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Break-Up Pact will be out in the wild on August 13th. The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a must read! It is a funny rom-com that is also heart-warming. I did not even know about aware of the author, Emma Lord until I requested this book and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed Emma’s writing style and her ability to pull at my heart strings while also making me laugh.


In summary, The Break-Up Pact is a story about two childhood best friends who become estranged. June goes through a breakup with her ex boyfriend Griffin and goes viral better known as “The Crying Girl” after the breakup is aired on national television. Levi returns to Benson Beach after his own public breakup with celebrity girlfriend, Kelly. In attempts to make both exes jealous, June and Levi agree to fake dating. Thus, the name: The Break-Up Pact. The chemistry between these two is undeniable and the banter is immediate. The question then is: will their pact survive?


If you enjoy the following tropes, this book is for you!

✨Friends to lovers
✨ Brothers best friend
✨ Fake Dating
✨ Found Family
✨ Small town



Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Break-Up Pact will be out in the wild on August 13th.

I’m a sucker for fake dating and this was exactly the right amount of tension! I really enjoyed this book and I think this is a great summer read!

Started out cute, but I had a hard time with the premise & just didn't get into the characters. Well-written, just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!!!

I am thrilled with Emma Lord’s adult debut. It was filled with the sweets we have come to expect from her. There was longing, pining, and spice. Loved!!!

I've read all of Emma Lord's books and while her YA and NA books were great for me, this one felt very meh. Levi and June... I didn't feel a spark between them and I got so fed up with Levi and his ex situation. The ending was nice but by that point I was a bit over it. I enjoy Emma Lord's writing and I hope this was just a fluke for me.