The Break Up Pact is a second chance romance between two high school friends who reconnect after a years long falling out. When June and Levi’s breakups to their exes go viral, they create a wild plan to fake date and reclaim their online images as the “Revenge Exes”.

I wanted to love this so much but it unfortunately was just middle of the road for me. I love a fake dating plot, but aside from that, I felt like the plot had some weak elements. The fake dating plan was established almost instantaneously. I felt like there was no build up or any discussion about the idea of fake dating- it just happened. There’s a lot of communication lacking between the main characters as well. I think this is a cute idea but it unfortunately didn’t hit the mark that I expected it to. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy for review!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy!

I'm a fan of Emma Lord's young adult books, so I was excited to read her first adult romance. The Break-Up Pact has all the charm and fun of her young adult books, just with older characters and more adult themes. There was one part that got more spicy that I like to read, and I skipped over it--but that was just my personal preference. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cute fake dating/friends-to-lovers romance!

2.75 ⭐ ARC from Netgalley, these are my own thoughts and opinions. Thank you for the advanced copy!

I wanted to like this SO MUCH. It seemed right up my alley. I just didn't. First, it's basically just one massive miscommunication trope with a dash of maybe cheating? Depends on your view of it. It wasn't for me, but I could see how it would be cute for some.

Posting on GR & Storygraph 7/15, posting to IG stories week of 7/15

“Before I took over Tea Tide, I imagined running a tea shop by the ocean would be like something out of a Hallmark movie. ”
Here are reasons to read the Contemporary book:

Teenage friends - Teenage best friends June and Levi had a falling out
Public Breakup - and years later, they both had a public and viral breakup with their respective exs
Fake Dating - This causes a reunion, and due to some unintended photos, the internet thinks they are now together, and fake dating works in their favor
Tea and Scones - June’s tea shops is failing and this could be the thing that helps her get back on her feet

Emma Lord is one of my fav contemporary authors. And if this book sounds a little like Funny Story, by Emily Henry, it has the same premise. BUT - the characters are unique, the beachy location is fun, and the food descriptions are perfection. One of the things the author does well is make an easy reading experience, and that is something I absolutely look forward to. The fact that this couple new each other so well as teens really helped bring more depth to the situation. Your next beach read (literally) is right here.

I'm super bummed about this but I just cannot bring myself to care about this book in any way. I found myself not even paying attention. The reviews aren't stellar so I'm not feeling really great about continuing with that in mind either.

Two former best friends pretend to date after break ups with their respective exes go viral.

I enjoyed this one, though not as much as Lord's young adult books. Our main characters June and Levi jump into fake dating after not talking for ten years. I liked seeing them fall back into their friendship, but their miscommunication over why they stopped being friends in the first place was irritating. There are still funny moments, a great group of friends, and lots of scone references that will leave you hungry.

Overall it's a light-hearted summer read. I'd recommend if you're a fan of fake dating and second chance romance.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy of the book.

I think this is a perfectly fine contemporary romance. Nothing about it feels unique but it satisfies the desire for this type of romance. They have all the typical problems of a fake dating trope. I spent so much of the book just wishing they could be honest with each other, which is expected but still frustrating.

Pick up THE BREAK-UP PACT for:

Childhood friends
Fake dating
Seaside town
Second chances

June and Levi reconnect after being dumped by high-profile partners. They make a fake dating pact to capitalize on their viral social media presence. June needs to bring business to her failing business. Levi wants his ex to realize what shes lost. But being together in their hometown makes it too easy for the feelings they've hidden since they were teens to complicate their Break-Up Pact.

Regrettably, I was not invested in the story at all. There was so much emphasis on time June and Levi missed being apart, or the nostalgia of what they had as teens that I didn't feel they worked as a couple in the present.

This book may be a miss for me, but you should add this to your shelf in you're looking for a beachy summer read. Or if, like me, you love the fake dating trope.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martins Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Lord’s previous books, but this one fell short for me. The friends to lovers trope is usually one of my faves, but this time the story seemed to drag and be overly complicated. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

REVIEW: The Break-Up Pact ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am a sucker for a good fake dating trope, so I was very excited to start The Break-Up Pact.

June and Levi have been close friends since they were little. However, they lose contact with each other and their friends due to changes such as shared loss, moving somewhere else, and dating others. When both characters are embarrassingly and publicly broken up, Levi returns home to see June. With help from one of June's friends, they decide to make a pact to pretend to date each other to get back at their exes and improve June's tea shop business.

The Break-Up Pact was a great contemporary romance with many fun tropes, such as fake dating, friends to lovers, small town, and second chance romance. I really liked June and Levi as the main characters. They both have shared grief they are trying to manage while also trying to discover who they are and where they belong. As childhood friends, they shared many memories. I enjoyed their playful chemistry together. The spice level is mild-medium but still satisfying. I even really liked the supporting characters in The Break-Up Pact. All the characters had backgrounds and unique personality traits, making each character more distinct.

The one little thing that could have been slightly changed for me was that the book started off really slow. However, once you get through the first few chapters, it picks up and is so good.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Break-Up Pact! It was a great combination of romance tropes, and I found the characters really thought out.

Thank you, Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and Macmillan Audio, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

I thought this was a fun premise for a book. The characters feelings for each other were believable and the mishaps were also believable. I liked the setting the most and would love to visit the tea shop. The author did a good job of making me crave a scone on the boardwalk.

I loved this original take on the fake dating trope. I thought it was fresh and modern and fun. I wanted to love this one more, but unfortunately the story just didn't hook me in. There were so many fantastic summer romance coms this year, so I think I just had the bar set a little too high. It was a very cute read though. I loved the beach town setting and the cute tea shop though !!

I was able to read an ARC of this novel courtesy of St. Martins Press, the author and NetGalley.

I really did enjoy this novel and the fake dating trope. June and Levi were best friends as teenagers but drifted apart. They reconnect over time and people think they are a couple. They decide to run with the rumors, to keep Junes business afloat. Levi is attempting to get his fiancé back. There were times when this was so fun and hilarious to read and other times the pacing felt off.

I did enjoy this story but wanted a bit more. I didn’t really connect to the characters the way I wanted to.

Emma Lord kills it with this cute small-town romance of two childhood best friends who never were until they get broken up with by their exes ten years later and decide to embark on a fake dating scheme to help them with where they are now. The chemistry between June & Levi is inevitable from the first re-meet cute and leaves the reader so excited to see how and when they’ll realize that they’re the true OTP of their lives. Adding on grief management, learning who they are, and a whole lot of delicious-sounding scones, this romance is a great compilation of knowing yourself, knowing your community, and knowing when the ex you’ve been with for too long is simply just not the right fit for you. Can’t wait to read anything else Lord pens.

It took me a while to get into this book. Levi and June went from "we barely talked to each other for 10 years" to "let's pretend to date" in what felt like a paragraph. June also wasn't my favorite of Emma Lord's characters. That said, I did like how this book wrapped up and did enjoy it overall.

First off, thank you NetGalley, Emma Lord, and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having eagerly anticipated delving into Emma Lord's work for quite some time, I was thrilled to be approved for this ARC. I couldn't wait to get a glimpse of her writing style and immerse myself in her storytelling prowess. The synopsis sounded incredible, featuring some of my favorite tropes: fake dating, friends to lovers, and second chance romance, all set against a beach backdrop. Who doesn't love that combination?! Plus the cover is so cute!! Unfortunately, this book was just okay for me. It felt merely average, which makes me extremely sad to say, given how much I was looking forward to it. So, what were my issues with the story? I found the characters to be immature and struggled to connect with them. The pacing was uneven and dragged at times, and the constant dreadful miscommunication made it even more frustrating. While it was a lighthearted rom-com perfect for a beach read, the execution just didn't live up to my expectations despite its potential. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love the emotional intestate that the main charters shared with each. I loved the sweetness that Levi had. I just wish the premise was explained more bettering the beginning. it just seemed disjointed. I loved seeing their "fake" dates I thought that is when the true chemistry was really shown but the but there just seemed like too much noise with everything else that did add but was distracting for me at the end of the day.

An anxiously awaited 2024 summer read, you'll definitely want to get your hands on this one! Two viral public breakups brings two former best friends back into the same realm.

A little bit of spice, a lot of banter. I LOVED this one!! Highly recommend throwing this book in your beach bag!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! Out August 13th!

Emma Lord seamlessly transitioned her trademark internet-based shenanigans, heart-wrenching family dynamics, and bantering love interests from YA into Adult.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord was such a cute read! I read this while on vacation and what a fun vacation read it was!

June and Levi were best friends as children. They both ran in high school and spent a lot of time together. Something (explained in story) went awry at the end of high school, which sent the BFFs in separate paths, keeping them apart for 10 years.

June, who owns a scone shop on a quaint street on her beachside hometown, was recently dumped by Griffin, and she was turned into an internet meme.

Levi, a hedge fund manager in NYC, was also recently dumped, also in a public manner.

June runs into Levi in their beachside hometown. She isn’t happy when she first sees him, as it dredges up all sorts of surprises memories and feelings.

The two unite and make a pact to make their exes jealous.

This is a sweet story. I was rooting for June the entire time. Levi’s a good one, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.