i was so excited for this. a book that you should definitely read this summer once it releases! emma lord can do no wrong

I love a good romcom by Emma! They hit every time, and this was no exception to me. If you need a great book to enjoy in the sun this summer… pick this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher St. Martin's Press: June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?
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My review: So if you can get past the idea that two people from a small town who grew up together both go viral for breakups with pop culture phenoms, you can get into this. Suspend disbelief and all. June has a lot on her plate and some baggage next to her. We know all her thoughts but not Levi’s, so if this weren’t a rom com, he could go either way with her. The fake dating trope is always fun and some parts of this book seemed to drag, but all the side characters were fun. The distraction of planning her brother’s wedding gave June a little something more to do and their closeness was sweet.

I would have liked a little more insight into Levi, his backstory and his mind. And the end was a lot of narration from June's mind, and not enough dialogue with Levi. But overall a fun summer read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review

3.5 rounded up for Goodreads.

Emma Lorde is a new author to me, and I’ve been on a roll with summer vibes books. That’s why I was so excited to get my hands ona copy of The Break-Up Pact. The summer, beach vibes did not disappoint! I enjoyed the setting of the book, a small beach town, so much!

June and Levi are both suffering from viral break ups from their perspective long term relationships. Somehow, by the magic of the cosmos, they are both going through this at the same time, while also being from the same small town. Oh and by the way, they were childhood best friends. (It’s fine! I don’t need all my cute lit to be 100% believable. 😂) Through a miscommunication, that frustrated me a good deal, they haven’t spoken to each other much in like the last decade. Yikes. June is trying to run her late sister’s tea shop while also still trying to deal with that grief. Levi is working on a sad boy novel. They reconnect through a pact to pretend to be dating that is mutually beneficial. They are known on the internet as the “revenge ex’s”.

This was cute and fun and a quick read. Like I said, this is a great summer vibe. Good beach read, or just when you wish you were at the beach like myself! My biggest complaint is that so many side characters fell so flat to me. They really could’ve been something! I wish we had spent more time especially with June’s brother and their sibling relationship post-loss.

Highlights:
-Beachy vibes 🏖️
-Fake dating
-Friends to lovers
-loss of a sibling/ grief

RATING: ⭐️⭐️
DNF: 80%

I wanted to love this one so badly. It has everything I love in a book, but it felt like someone was writing out of genre and they had no passion for the genre being written.

Also, the miscommunication trope was used in this one so liberally that it turned me on the main characters.

The books has a great writing style but sadly, I just lost interest as this book increasingly became not for me.

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers until a misunderstanding tore them apart. They haven’t spoken to one another for years, but thanks to a series of humiliating events, June and Levi are brought back together in the most unexpected way…

I absolutely adored The Break-Up Pact! This is the kind of book that’s like sunshine on a cloudy day. Yes, some crazy things happen to June and Levi, but you can tell almost immediately these two are destined for each other. June and Levi knocked it out of the park with their fake relationship and had the whole town rooting for them to get together for real. I mean, they had some great chemistry and so many similarities, that it was hard to not root for them. I loved watching these two characters rediscover their friendship, explore their chemistry, and navigate their way through all the hurdles life kept throwing at them.

All in all, I found this story to be a really fun read, and was exactly what I was looking for in a friends-to-lovers, fake relationship romance.

The plot is undeniably interesting and even a bit innovative, offering a fresh take on the classic romance genre. However, despite the promising storyline, I found it challenging to get into the book. The narrative felt a little subpar, and the writing style didn't captivate me as I had hoped. While the idea behind the story had great potential, the execution left me wanting more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I like this author, and this was another cute book! Was it my favorite? No, but it wasn't a DNF. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, so it definitely kept my interest!

I love Emma Lord’s YA novels, but this, her first adult novel, just fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry, and there was just too much miscommunication. It was frustrating as a reader. The pacing was also inconsistent… sometimes we raced through the timeline and other times we crawled.

It as cute, but not my favorite.

Thank you netgalley for the early reader copy of The Break-Up Pact.

Emma Lord does it again! Per usual, this story is the perfect light-hearted fun summer read. I absolutely love Emma Lord's writing style and quickly captivates you into wanting to read more. While the story-line of a fake dating situation has been done by so many authors, Emma Lord finds a way to make the story original and unique and really nails this classic romcom trope. Highly recommend this book to all readers.

4.25 stars!!

this book is really wholesome !!! definitely a cutesy summer romance 💘 i was smiling and giggling. it just felt like a whirlwind high school romance but also with the deep connection that comes from loving your childhood best friend. plus some fake datinggggg !!! my only thing was it kind of lost me in the last 18%… still enjoyable overall ✨ a great palette cleanser!

thank you St. Martin’s & Netgalley for the eARC! this is my honest review.

This was a cute book, but one that I will probably forget quickly. June and Levi were best friends in high school and they have both recently been through public break-ups. Levi finds himself back in his hometown of Benson Beach where June lives. They are spotted together and are soon named the "Revenge Exes." They decide to go along with the fake dating in hopes of giving June's Tea Shop more business and convincing Levi's ex to get back together with him. It is a slow burn and I didn't feel very invested in the characters relationship. I feel like a lot of their issues could have been dealt with by just talking to each other. The miscommunication trope is not my favorite. If you want a quick, beachy, summer read then you'll probably still enjoy it.

Spiciness: 2/5 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

I really stepped away from my usual genre tackling this deeply emotional novel. One side of me says I loved it yet the other tells me what a boring book....How do I get out of this conundrum and say my true feelings without getting in trouble...ok I may be exaggerating a bit.

The story in a few words:

June and Levi were two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral. They both experienced public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok and daytime talk shows alike. By doing this subterfuge June hopes to get back on her feet and Levi wish his ex. realize she made a mistake and comes back.....

My thoughts:

The positive and the negative:

Emma Lord’s writing is very enthusiastic and moving. She beautifully blends humour and emotional depth in one smooth stroke. The story in its own is cute and the characters are well defined. The author also has a beautiful style if you like mushy and extremely slow story. The plot is so slowed down by June’s frequent monologues in which she expresses her emotions and past experiences...over and over. I often wish things would speed a bit but no, I almost fell asleep, unfortunately, so bored I became that was happy to see the very predictable ending in sight. This fiction was not for me: messy bits of heartbreak, crying, run-ins with exes and the multiple crisis got to be too much for me.

This story about love, friendship and self-discovery is not for everyone but to those believing in magic of love will simply adore “The Break-Up Pack”. So far I seemed to be an exception in thinking this is a boring fiction...Judge for yourself.

This year already delivered the absolute GEM The Getaway List and now this summer will bring us The Break-Up Pact! It has snacks, a great setting, and banter 👏🏼. I have loved seeing Emma move into the NA and Adult space, and her voice and signature treats shine in her latest books.

This is an absolutely delightful romantic comedy and it also explores themes of grief. I really enjoyed the story and I love that Emma balances humor and great storytelling.

I’m such a fan of this adult debut and I will gobble up anything Emma writes! I cannot wait to reread it when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

A Refreshing Take on Friends-to-Lovers
"The Break Up Pact" by Emma takes a unique spin on the friends-to-lovers trope. June and Levi grapple with loss and grief, only to be drawn back together by unforeseen circumstances. The story follows June's journey as she rebuilds her life after a personal setback, her entrepreneurial spirit battling self-doubt and fear. The reader is pulled in by June's anxieties, rooting for her success in both love and business.
Levi's narrative, though slower-paced, is equally captivating. The author portrays his feelings of isolation and longing for belonging with authenticity. A surprising twist throws June's progress into question, making the stakes even higher. The well-developed villains and Sana's impactful article add depth to the plot.
This book is a delightful exploration of love, loss, and resilience. It leaves the reader eager to delve into Emma's other works.

Emma Lord, my oh my, what did you put in this book. The Break-Up Pact was absolutely delicious. I cannot imagine a better book for laying out in the sun and yearning.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise of the story is cute and hopeful but the follow-through fell flat and was hard to finish.

This was such a fun, engaging read that really left me wanting a scone or 3. June and Levi are now-estranged childhood friends who within the span of a few weeks are both on the receiving end of humiliating, viral breakups. So, when a photo of them together goes viral and the internet dubs them Revenge Exes, they decide to play along—so she can save the ailing tea shop she opened with her late sister and so he can win his ex-fiancêe back. But has they reconnect, it forces them to confront childhood crushes. the grief over the loss of her sister (and his best friend) and the miscommunications that drew them apart. It was a really sweet love story—I loved the supporting characters, and how dynamic their friend group was. Growing up in a beach town, the dichotomy between the locals and the tourism really spoke to me.

The Break-Up Pact

"My life is more unsettled than it's ever been, but I've never felt more settled in it."

Oh my oh my, Emma Lord did it again. I absolutely adore her writing. The banter! The chemistry! The baked goods! She has an amazing way with words and her foray into adult romance did not disappoint.

June and Levi are old high-school besties who were both recently publicly scorned by their ex's. Determined not to let social media bring them down, they hatch a fake dating plot as The Revenge Ex's. Things are only fake for so long as it becomes of apparent that their old flame which they never acted on is in fact still burning.

While an absolutely delightful romcom, this one also brings in growth for both June and Levi, and the processing of grief over losing June's sister, Annie.

I highly recommend if you are looking for:
- Fake dating
- Friends to lovers
- Incredible and hilarious cast of supporting characters
- Delicious sounding scones

Come for the romcom, stay for the baked goods. The Break-Up Pact is on shelves August 13th, 2024! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! My opinions are my own.

*Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My huge problem with this book was that it's marketed as an adult romance, but is really more YA/new adult. It felt SO weird watching 2 people have sex in an Emma Lord book!! Now the scones, those I could get behind. Cute beachy town with a fake dating plot for the ages. I enjoyed the social media subplots. It's just more com than romcom and I couldn't get behind the rom.