This book was fine. It dragged out a little at some points, but then it picked back up. I enjoyed reading the grieving aspect of the book probably because I myself am grieving too. My favorite thing about the book was June trying to keep the shop open in honor of Annie. I think Levi and June were fine characters, but I didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to.

Emma Lord… You continue to make me giggle and kick my legs with every book you write and The Breakup Pact is no different. June and Levi are dreamy chaotic messes and the most adorable couple. Emma Lord knows how to masterfully combine sweet treats, lovable characters and the cutest settings to create a romance scone worthy of Tea Tide.

Buckle up for a hilarious and heartfelt ride with Emma Lord's latest novel, "The Break-Up Pact." Estranged best friends June and Levi find themselves thrown back together after their very public break-ups go viral. June, struggling to keep her beachside tea shop afloat, and Levi, a disillusioned hedge fund manager yearning for a creative outlet, hatch a crazy plan. They'll pretend to date, using the internet's obsession to June's advantage and maybe even make Levi's ex jealous.

Lord excels at creating laugh-out-loud moments with witty dialogue and playful banter. But beneath the humor lies a deeper exploration of healing old wounds, rekindling lost friendships, and the courage to pursue your dreams. June and Levi's undeniable chemistry keeps you invested in their journey, and the exploration of their complicated past adds a layer of emotional depth.

While there's plenty of swoon-worthy moments to keep romance fans happy, "The Break-Up Pact" is more than just a fluffy fake-dating story. It's a celebration of second chances, self-discovery, and the enduring power of friendship. If you're looking for a feel-good read that will make you laugh and cry (sometimes in the same chapter!), this book is definitely worth adding to your TBR pile.

Just a heads up, there are some inner monologues from June that might feel a tad repetitive for some readers. However, Lord's engaging writing style keeps the story moving at a good pace.

Overall, "The Break-Up Pact" is a charming and witty novel that will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for sharing a digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Bring on the Revenge Exes! June and Levi both have public break-ups and, with the internet trolls trolling, they stumble into a fake relationship pact to turn the tides of public opinion and get the peace they crave. It doesn't hurt at all that June's failing bakery is getting a much needed boost and Levi's writer's block is maybe not so blocky anymore.
Emma's adult debut is everything I wanted it to be. I'm not typically a fan of friends-to-lovers or fake dating these days but I guess when they've gone their separate ways and come back together with some angst and hurt between them and it's Emma behind the words, I'm a sucker for it! June and Levi are so lovable, their shared grief combined with their chemistry gave me all the feels. I'm a big fan of Emma as a person and I'm excited to see what she publishes next.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book was really sweet. I thought that our two main characters were easy to follow and I loved the snapshots of younger them that we got to see. I thought that there were some moments throughout the book that were a little annoying, but overall it was a really sweet second chance(ish) romance!

Closed Door Modification: Chapter 15

I was sent an ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

I loved the premise of childhood best friends that lost touch, only to reconcile and make a breakup pact to get back at their ex’s. June and Levi both had public, humiliating breakups. When a picture is taken of them without their knowledge, they are dubbed the revenge ex’s. Using this to their advantage will only help them both out right? Or maybe the only thing it will help is them coming clean with how they really feel about each other. Funny and full of witty dialogue, this is the perfect summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the arc.

I enjoyed reading this second chance / best friends to lovers story about June Hart and Levi Shaw. June lives in a small beach town an hour and a half away from New York City, where she runs a tea shop. June is in a deep funk, though. June is still grieving the death of her sister, Annie, two years ago. Annie conceived and opened the tea shop, and June is just trying to keep it open. But, June's reaction to breaking up with her boyfriend, captured and shown endlessly through social media, starts bringing visitors to the tea shop. And one of those visitors is an old friend from high school, Levi Shaw.

Levi, coincidentally, is also experiencing social media fame due to a messy break-up with his fiancee. June and Levi used to be best friends back in high school, but June's unrequited love admission to Levi ten years ago left them incommunicado for two years, and sporadic text messages exchanged the remaining eight years. But June and Levi agree to fake date, getting labeled the "Revenge Exes", and milk their notoriety for the future of the tea shop, and to potentially rekindle Levi's relationship with his ex.

I honestly thought this was going to be a quick and sweet love story, not expecting all of the angst experienced by June, angst for Levi, angst for her sister, and angst for future, in addition to the tea shop's future. I appreciated the angst, but the story dragged around the 70%-85% mark. There was a lot of second guessing and introspection done by June during that section, and I lost interest in the story. I did like June and Levi, and enjoyed reading about their friends. I want to read more from Emma Lord in the future.

This book had the potential to have everything I love in a book. A childhood best friends to strangers to take dating to lovers/second chance.
And it was cute, I did enjoy it. However a bit of the plot was confusing, like why was every one of their "dates" planning someone else's wedding? I found myself hung up on this a little bit. They spend so much time planning for June's brother's wedding while the brother is nowhere to be seen and call these dates? Why isn't the brother involved in his own wedding planning?
The lack of communication from the main characters also got me frustrated.
The entire time so much could've been different if they just talked.
Other than that, it was a cute story though.

**thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I am a big fan of friends-to-lovers/enemies-to-lovers, and basically all of the romance tropes you can get, but this book fell flat for me. I didn’t connect with the characters and the back stories were somehow both overly mentioned and not explained enough, and overall it just didn’t click for me. June and Levi have had a massive friendship breakup rooted in a terrible tragedy, but it feels like their connection comes back a little too quickly and easily for them to pull off the fake relationship facade. I struggled with both stories of the breakups and the “revenge” aspect, that felt kind of unresolved. The connection between the two main characters was not that exciting for me and I found myself not caring about them or their fake relationship. There were also so many side stories I felt like were just filler that I was not invested in. Overall, this was just not the book for me.

I'll preface this by saying that I haven't read any of Lord's YA romances yet, but I felt that this was a quite strong adult debut. It does such a great job of capturing a very specific stage of life, where you feel almost adrift solely because you've been trapped by the very circumstances you think you're expected to be in. June and Levi's dynamic was what had me returning to this book time and time again, even above her relatable struggles. The one aspect of this book that made it a bit less diverting at times was the single POV; it felt as though issues were only persisting solely because June wasn't privy to what was really going on from Levi's perspective, and without that withholding of information, some of the tension would have been resolved a lot more quickly otherwise. But the emotional center of this book was strong enough to counteract any plot contrivances, and I'll be looking to read more from Lord again in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see Emma Lord dive into an adult contemporary romance after loving her YA novels! You will feel connected to these characters thanks to the depth and feeling Lord puts behind her writing. There’s definitely some spice here but I love it! It all ties up in a way that is ultimately pleasing and this book is bound to be one talked about a lot this Summer!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I love Emma Lords YA books so I was excited for her to put out an adult contemporary romance book. Lords books always feel a little deeper than your average romance and this book was no different. There is depth, complexity, romance and one hell of a love scene. Overall, I was happy with this book. It did start to feel a tad bit long towards the end but it wraps up really nicely. A great summer romance that you won’t be disappointed in.

Old friends to lovers, fake dating tropes. Very good chemistry between the main characters. I wish we had a bit more time with the secondary characters. They were so funny. There was one aspect that didn’t get tied up that feels slightly unsatisfied. Enjoyable read overall.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

This book was okay for me. The ending dragged out a little longer than I wanted it to, and among the sea of romcom novels right now, this one didn’t especially grab me. It did make me want to bake scones though!!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

What was most appealing about this book was the town of Benson Beach and the minor characters that filled out the story. There was also a touching backstory of the main character losing her older sister unexpectedly. Otherwise this was a solid romance that could've used a little more messyness in the middle.

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers, for letting me read this arc for an honest review.

If you're looking for a quick, easy, fun read then this book is for you. It was funny and cute, and I read it in two days. The first half of the book I had a hard time liking. The story went way too fast, as in the main characters haven't seen or talked to each other in ten years, they run into each other, and bam! let's fake date to solve all our problems. They had so many communication problems and were both suffering very public and social breakups.

But I guess that's what made me like the second half. They actually worked out their problems and voiced all their fears. They talked it out so there was no miscommunication. They worked together going from friends to strangers back to friends to end up as lovers. Both of their exes are jerks, the guy more so than the female. But the main characters knew they should've ended things way before the other broke up with them.

I loved how this book was more than just a romance book. It was about all of the friends and family's hardships and problems. Everything that makes a community a community. Both the main characters lost the same person, his best friend and her sister. She was their glue and it was sweet how they both worked through that loss and moved forward with their own lives. Overall it was a very sweet and fun read with just a few annoying moments.

A great quick read, perfect for an evening reading in the sunshine. It definitely gave hallmark movie vibes which is just perfect for a beach read or cozy Sunday. I really enjoyed it, the second chance trope was 👌

Thank you for the arc Net Galley and St Martins Press.

I had so much hope for this one after reading the author's other books but I was a bit disappointed. The premise was cute but I could not relate well to the main female character. She annoyed me and I couldn’t feel the chemistry. If you do like slow burn rom coms this book could be for you.

It was cute, but kinda disappointing. The sparks were missing and I didn't really connect with either main characters. The drama felt childish at some points. The ending was great!

Review to come.

Love the cover✔️
Interesting description ✔️
Love this Author✔️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC ❤️