I read Emma Lord's "Tweet Cute" and loved it, so was expecting to really enjoy this book as well. Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong. The longer I read this book the more and more I skimmed.

The thing that irked me the most was that while the book felt long, I simultaneously felt like I was missing 50 pages before the start. It was a crazy amount of info dumping. There needed to be a whole section about them in high school for me to connect I think. Because while we find particulars out later, these people are 10+ years out of high school, but apparently 95% of our main characters all know each other intimately. It wasn't until the 85% mark I even realized that Griffin and June dated for a literal decade! And like 30% of the way in you find out they went to high school together, as did Levi and Annie. But there isn't anything important with them all going to school together? Except some minor jealousy? It was just so forced. And the fact that Levi and Annie were "meant to be" and "perfect for each other" might have been something we could have seen if there was any foundation, but it almost read like a sequel to another character's book where we should have been intimately familiar with the main character.

Also - these people are in their late 20s? Really? Maybe it's just that Lord writes a lot of YA, but they would have all been better off being 23-24 max. They're acting ridiculous and making decisions as though there aren't any impacts. Like changing careers and moving and declaring themselves without any true thought to any impact? It felt so forced.

Also the pop culture references seemed forced. Like the mentions of TikTok and this business show that apparently also has spin-offs for villains? I'm sorry, maybe I'm missing out, but since when does a Shark Tank type of show have a spin off for people that turn out to suck later? And also they kept cashing in on this fake dating in a way that made no sense, maybe they'd be popular for a minute, but for multiple weeks? Completely unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of “The Breakup Pact” by Emma Lord. This charming contemporary romance, set in a picturesque beach town, offers an enjoyable read. I appreciated the development of the characters and the occasionally quirky banter between them. While there were moments when I felt slightly disengaged from the story, it remains a pleasant tale of friendship, self-discovery, and love. Though not my favorite book by Emma Lord, it’s still a worthwhile beach read.

PS: the scone flavors were intriguing. i would love recipes

Emma Lord continues to be a must-read author for me and this book solidified that.

I loved the characters, loved their relationship, loved the way the book addressed grief and loss. Tears were shed. It's definitely not a YA book which is what I was expecting, but I think it's even better this way!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

There needs to be a name for this trope - old friends/crushes lose touch, reconnect years later as either enemies or in a fake relationship. I will read them all!!
Loved everything about this one!!

I absolutely adored this book. The writing seemed effortless. The story flowed well, and it was nice to have a romance book where the romance was subtle. You don't need all of the spice to make your flutter and stomach flip with anticipation and excitement! I really enjoyed the character development, the personalities of each character, and the beach scene where they run into the waves with sunglasses....My heart!!! I cannot wait to continue to read books by Emma Lord. They are such a light and enjoyable read. What a wonderful book to bring with you on vacation!

This book exceeded my expectations. I have read Tweet Cure previously and thought it was okay - this one was so much more “me”.

I love June and Levi, I love their relationship with one another. Give me all the loaded looks and tension. The solid friendship they have with one another made me so excited whenever they would be even remotely near each other. I did feel that it could have been a little more to the point and less drawn out but I had fun with it regardless.

It felt a lot like other popular romcoms by people like Ali Hazelwood and Julie Soto - so if you like those I would give this one a try for sure.

I do wish authors would stop making their characters self aware of “book tropes”. I want to read about it, I don’t want them aware that what they’re doing is a trope. It’s becoming really common in this genre (along with mentioning TikTok) and I dislike it a lot.

Overall the story is adorable and heartwarming - I would recommend it for those who enjoy romcoms and I hope Emma writes more adult books in the future! This is a great first foray into that space.

In a quaint, beachside town, June, known as the "crying girl" due to her past heartbreak, teams up with her childhood friend Levi, dubbed the "revenge ex," to fake a relationship for mutual gain. What starts as a ploy to boost June's struggling tea shop and help Levi win back his ex evolves into real emotions resurfacing between them. The author skillfully weaves a light, heartwarming tale that immerses readers in the characters' journey. With charming moments, relatable grief, and a touch of humor, this book is a joy to read, leaving you wanting more from this talented author.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Break-Up Pact" follows June Hart and Levi Shaw after their highly publized, now viral break-ups. In an effort to use the spotlight to their advantage, these former best friends, make a revenge exes pact and begin "fake' dating. When feelings from the past begin bubbling to the surface and they must decide whether their feelings for each other are fake or something real.

This book had way too much going on. It felt like the author took every possible rom-com trope and threw them in a blender and what we got was this story. Tropes included: friends-to-lovers, fake dating, planning a sibling's wedding, overcoming loss of a loved one/best friend, saving a business/career change - it was just too much.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC.

The Break-Up Pact was a SLOW book. I struggled reading this book because of the lack of chemistry, randomness, and overall lack of interest in these characters. I was really disappointed.

Such a fun and easy read! The storyline is amazing. June and Levi are incredibly lovable. Overall, a great read


Thank you NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for a honest review

This was a cute, lighthearted story. It started off a little slow, but if you stick with it you will be rewarded. I loved the dynamics between June and Levi. I was fully sucked into their love story. The side characters were great but I wanted more of them. We got little teasers of their personalities, but they could be so much more. Overall, a fun read.

I LOVE Emma Lord's YA books and was so excited to get this ARC if her first adult romance.

I think the plot was really interesting and loved that it was friends to enemies to lovers AND fake dating tropes all rolled into one. I also was laughing at all of the viral moments that brought he main couple together and kept them together. In typical Emma Lord fashion, there was a large focus on the sweet treats of it all (which I loved and now feel like I have a new appreciation for scones) and every time I read more I wanted a nice cup of tea and a baked good.

I do think that I enjoy this author's YA books more than this adult debut, BUT I will continue to recommend all her books and read everything that she publishes.

June and Levi are childhood friends/crushes that get a second chance in this charming read. June is grieving her sister while going through a very public break-up when Levi comes back into her life. They embark on a fake relationship with undeniable chemistry, ostensibly to help save her failing tea and scones shop.

The SLOW BURN and LONGING in this book! I enjoyed the lead-up to the romance so much, almost more than the couple actually getting together. I do think that the main character is a bit of a doormat/lets the love interest off too easily and doesn't grow that much from her experiences. Levi does some bone-headed stuff and June is like "oh well! I understand!" like girl. You deserve better.

There's a lot of pain and trauma that gets re-hashed and starting to be dealt with, but I feel like at times it became the same drum beating again and again. June is stubborn about the tea shop and the scones and I get that it's about the memory of her sister but I don't really feel like the ending gave a satisfying conclusion/resolution. It felt more like a sudden flipped switch than a gradual understanding of pain and loss.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but I feel like the first third/half of the book build-up was more enjoyable than the resolution.

This was such a fun summer romance! The story pulls you in right away, and as you follow the ups and downs of the main couple, you can’t help but root for them to be successful both in love and their business ventures.

The setting is quintessential small town, there’s a prevalent fake dating scheme, and terrible ex’s. This book was so fun to read.

I do wish it had moved a little faster, and I felt like at times it was drawn out, but overall enjoyed it!

Holy cuteness. Imagine friends to enemies and then enemies to lovers with a fake dating trope. It had all my favorite parts of romance novels intertwined throughout. And the perfect amount of drama. The character development was incredible. I couldn’t put this book down.

This book had cute moments, but there was something missing with it.

The pacing was so slow to get through, rushed at some parts, and the relationship felt off to me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been temporarily removed to align with the SMP boycott. Content and links will go live whenever the situation changes.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy beach read this is for you. Emma Lord hits all the emotions in the Hallmark with a little spice style book.

June lands herself as the meme, “crying girl”, after she had a very public break up with her long time boyfriend, Griffin. Griffin blindsides her with a televised breakup after he joins a reality show and finds “the love of his life.”

Levi, June’s childhood best friend and crush, also lands himself in the news when his fiancé cheats on him with a big celebrity.

When these two reunite after a contentious separation when Levi left for college years ago and the loss of June’s sister, Annie, sparks and big emotions are flying. Enter the miscommunication trope (my least favorite and one used twice in this book). Levi’s still not over his ex and June is trying to save her Tea Tide tea shop. When someone takes a photo of the two of them looking intimate, it goes viral online and they become the “Revenge Exes.” Both are benefiting from the extra attention between the tea shop and Levi’s fiancé/ex, so why not use it. Thus begins their fake dating relationship…but is it really all fake feelings?

This single POV story deals with topics and tropes of grief, loss, second chance romance, friends to enemies to friend to lovers, found identity/self, fake dating and classic miscommunication.

I loved the friendships June had with Sana and Mateo. A big part of this book is June and Levi both dealing with their grief and their shared past. Honesty could have solved a lot of their problems much sooner, but who really wants to lay all their insecurities and emotions on the table when they have both just been publicly humiliated. Would I recommend this book? Maybe for the right kind of reader of for someone wanting a quick romance. I appreciated that the main characters had depth, but something just didn’t suck me in quite like other books I have read.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Emma Lord for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know why I could not finish this book. The writing wasn’t bad and the plot was good I just could not finish it. Maybe one day i’ll get back to it and finish it but for now I had to DNF.

I ADORED this story. June and Levi were such a fun couple to follow and I really enjoyed the fake dating portion of the book tied in with social media.

This story was easy to get sucked into with the character’s banter and chemistry and would be the perfect summer read.