Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I thought that the plot was nicely set up. I did find myself wishing that it wasn't as abrupt with such a large gap of them meeting. I thought that the dialogue was good, but found that it wasn't for me at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this free ARC to read and review before the publishing date!

June and Levi are childhood best friends that reconnect after a decade long falling out. Both of their break ups have become viral social media moments. They agree to a truce and a mutually beneficial alliance that says they will fake date for the internet in the hopes that they will each get their heart’s deepest desire; June wants to keep Tea Tide alive, her boardwalk cafe that is struggling to stay afloat after the sudden passing of her sister; Levi wants his ex back; the one that cheated on him and left him for a movie star- hence the public break up. While going on fake public dates in the hopes to control the narrative, June and Levi realize that there may be more to their ten year long cold shoulder than they initially thought. What if they want their terms to change? What if what they originally thought would give them happiness and satisfaction, isn’t what they want at all anymore?

I was excited about this ARC after reading the description and seeing the cover, but I think that those two factors do not accurately portray this book. Based on my first impression of the book, I thought that this was going to make me swoon over their reconnected love story and have me laughing out loud. But in reality, this book was on the more serious side and I felt that we spent less time on the promise of romance and more on June’s internal monologue, that often times felt repetitive. Instead of the narrative being plot driven, reading about silly fake dates and a blossoming love story, there were many paragraphs and blocks of passages that we did not see the story advancing but instead just read about June’s thoughts and feelings; I found my eyes wanting to skip ahead until I found quotation marks signaling dialogue, and then having to go back to ensure I didn’t miss anything. There isn’t anything wrong with a book written like this, and I am sure that for some, reading about grief over the loss of a sibling would be healing and helpful, but I wish that the cover and description showed that more accurately.

I do not think I would recommend this to my friends in the book community. I sadly had to drag through this story and it took me about a month to read because I kept wanting to put it down and read something else. I am giving this ARC 3 stars because I can tell that Lord is a talented writer and I am happy with how she tied up the story, it just wasn’t for me and I am disappointed about that.

DNF @ 62%

The premise was promising, the setting was great, but the characters and the romance was flat.

The fake dating had me expecting angst and longing but there wasn't much of that. They got together relatively quickly and then I was over it and felt like the book was finished. There was no slow burn, no real romance, just insta-love.

The representation in this book needed some work. I am tired of the diverse BFF to the main character only being included to have representation and diversity. Work it in better!

I expected more because i enjoyed Emma Lord's YA books.

The romance is adorable! The small ocean town setting was perfect and reading this book felt like a little vacation. Also really made me want to bake scones and tell my family and friends how much I love them.

This was fine! Emma Lord’s books are hit-or-miss for me (LOVED Tweet Cute and Begin Again, meh on the others) which bodes well for her next. This is certainly her steamiest romance, which she handles well. And if there’s one thing Lord nails every time, it’s a sense of place & home. You can’t help getting swept up by the idyllic, wish-fulfillment worlds/found families she creates. Can't wait for her next!

I've enjoyed Emma's YA romances, so I was excited to see what her adult debut was like, and it lived up to my expectations! The writing was great, her characters were well developed, and she handled the grief in the story very well. There were a few pacing issues, and it was missing a little something I can't quite pin point, but overall I really enjoyed this and hope she will continue with adult romances.

Was a super cute romance. June and Levi win your heart over almost instantly. The journey these long time friends go through from young kids to adults is the cutest. The family dynamic throughout the book made the story line come together so perfect!

This book was fun. I loved the break-up pact and the chemistry between Levi and June. I didn't love some of the miscommunication near the end of the book but for the most part this was a fun quick read. I didn't think the sex scene was needed and it took away from the story rather than added to it.

This was such a fun summer read! I would read Emma Lord's grocery list at this point. She has become one of my favorite authors. As always, this was another great book by her. I really liked the premise and the execution. I really hope Emma continues to write more adult romance novels. I will be first in line to read them all.

Former best friends June and Levi have one thing in common, they've both been humiliated by their ex's. Levi and June have an unexpected run in after years of not having contact and social media loves seeing the ex's getting revenge and their happily ever after.

In order to save her sister's failing tea shop they agree to go along with the idea of being together and with the help of June's media savvy friend they create the perfect dates!

June and Levi were adorable. All the dates were unique and hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times.

This book had some heartfelt moments and some frustrating ones, especially regarding their exes but I over all thought it was great!

Set in a small beach town, this friends-to-lovers story centers on several "viral" moments. June and Levi's story involves grief, career challenges, and learning to communicate.

I ended up having hard time rooting for Levi until well over half way through the book. I was also confused along the way that I haven't experienced previously with Emma Lord's books (for example, I'm still not confident in birth order of the siblings or what state the beach town is in).

I have read all of Emma Lord's YA books (Meet Cute and Begin Again are my favorite), and I will continue to read both her YA and adult romance books!

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Open Door

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.

I have a whole lot of thoughts and not many are good.

During the book-
- 40% in and I just realized I didn’t know the main characters name lol

- I feel like this is a sequel and I didn’t get the memo. Simultaneously no background and way too much history at the same time. Hate it. Like there’s so much background and development that I think we’re just supposed to assume and know, but idk how I’m supposed to know anything.

- Are her and Dylan twins? Still unsure. What the heck is the birth order? Where are the parents?

Post book thoughts-
- Tbh I just don’t think that the business that is pivotal to the book is realistic. It’s a tea and scone business that has rotating special flavored scones, but a lot of the scone combinations sound disgusting- redbull base with Pringle additions? Siracha and blueberries? Pop rocks orange and milk chocolate? Yuck. Per her having the food truck at football games- There isn’t a single person during a football game thinking to themselves how much they are craving a scone.

- all in all there was just no real development, it felt like the same problems they keep dancing around that could have been solved by proper communication. Ugh. It was just so hard to become invested, these people kept frustrating me. And I was letdown by the poor story development.

Thanks to NetGalley and st martins press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Your first crush. The feeling, that giddy feeling, of maybe, maybe they like you back? That's exactly what June was feeling in high school right before her and Levi were set to go off to college. They'd been friends for a while, a whole gang of them: Levi, her sister, her brother. But it felt different between Levi and June, she thought. They had a different connection and a chemistry.

And then, no more. They grew far, far apart. But now they find themselves back home and stewing over their respective, humiliating, very public break ups. June was broken up with on national television, became a meme, the whole thing. Levi's long-time famous girlfriend has been seen out and about with another man. So June and Levi find themselves in the same places, licking their relationship wounds at the same time.

And then comes the break-up pact. A deal they create to date, be photographed together, and stir up public interest. A way to deflect from the embarrassment they've felt and get on with it. But the whole end-game here is to break up.

Along the way though, Levi and June might just be feeling the feelings. While hesitant of getting hurt, they can't help but go back to the magnetism they once felt.

Of course it all blows up though. I mean you know that's coming. Emma Lord is able to write the most sincere, adorable rom-coms. She's able to pack in enough life and realism that the story doesn't feel improbable. I always enjoy Lord's novels and eagerly await her next!

4.5 stars
This is such a fun, entertaining, good story. Lord dealt with what can be a very sensitive topic – grief, the loss of a loved one – with compassion and grace. I found that story thread so relatable and the characters actions and reactions to their grief believable, relatable and all to real. I love the growth of Levi and June both throughout the story and the things they had to deal with. The path to their HEA is full of twists and turns and entertaining to read. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story will take you on an emotional ride – it made me laugh, cry and cheer. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the build up between the two characters but the third act wasn’t my favorite. Loved the side characters though!

I loved getting to dive into Emma Lord’s latest release, The Break-Up Pact! It was so much fun. I loved the beach setting and it will make for the perfect summer read! If you love childhood friends and fake dating, I definitely recommend you pick this one up.

June has been struggling to keep her business above water two years after the sudden death of her older sister. After a televised breakup where she became a meme, she feels a compassion for former friend Levi who also had a very public breakup after his fiancee cheated on him with a movie star. Surprisingly, he's back in town and June's friend convinces them to fake date. Levi agrees in the hopes that it'll bring Kelly to her senses and back to him and June is in it for the publicity that will hopefully get her Tea Tides, her store, back in the black. It doesn't hurt that she's always had an unrequited crush on her long-time friend. Will pretending to be together just be more torture or may pretending turn into something real?

I enjoyed this second chance romance and the quaint town of Benson Beach. An enjoyable romance read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this title.

I really wanted to like this one. The potential was there - it's a cute summer read from an author I've enjoyed in the past. However, everything fell flat for me.

The book starts off jumping straight into the plot/action. This isn't always a bad thing, but in this case, it didn't set the characters or their relationship up for success. The writing made it seem like we were supposed to care about these two and feel some type of way about their situation and past, it was almost like the abruptness tried to create a false sense of intimacy. Right away we're given details about their past, as well as moments of what I think was supposed to be tension. But since we literally don't know these people or care about them in any way, shape, or form, it was not effective. And since we are given this false intimacy right off the bat, it doesn't build as you progress through the book. We are just stuck reading about two people who have no chemistry whatsoever.

On top of this, the dialogue was SO boring. The plot was already quite slow, but I can handle that if the characters and their conversations are interesting enough. THEY WEREN'T.

I'm sure someone out there will enjoy this book, but it's not me.

This was a cute little summer read. Everyone loves a happy ending, especially the rekindling of a past romance. She perhaps writes the word 'scone' a tad too many times throughout the book. It was overall an enjoyable, easy read.

Lord’s first adult novel has all the hallmarks of her YA novels, there’s a nuanced, layered joy that you can find I. The characters.