Childhood best friends June and Levi both just suffered through two very seperate and very public breakups. Levi heads back to his hometown, Benson Beach, to get away from it all and runs into June at the tea shop she took over from her sister who unexpectedly passed two years prior. But these two haven’t spoken in ten years, when Levi up and ran away to New York after high school.

Through the course of this book, these two go through losing partners they thought they’d spend their lives with, grief over losing their beloved friend/sister, finding out what they really want out of life and who they want to be through it all.

Levi and June really tugged on my heartstrings. These two aren’t just a cutesy couple who engage in a little fake dating wrapped up with inside jokes (even though those parts are so fun)… no, these two are full of so much love for each other that they will do anything to make the other happy.

I enjoyed every one of these characters so much! Including the sugar loving, muscled up little brother, to the loud, out-spoken best friend. This plot was so entertaing and kept me engaged the entire time. And the beachy, small town vibes are perfect for summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I so wanted to love this, but I think there were a couple of steps missing in developing the earlier relationship of the characters and so I didn’t buy their relationship. I also think some additional time needed to be spent on the character of the sister because she is so prevalent but it doesn’t feel like we know enough about her.

I really wanted to like this book, but was frustrated by the characters and extremely slow burn. The story unfolds with unnecessary length and drags at times, which contributing to a feeling of immaturity in the characters through miscommunication or rather lack of communication.

The set up of the fake dating seemed rushed and lacked the reasoning rather than just to gain exposure to try to save the bakery. After that the rest of the book was SLOW. Overall was like a hallmark movie - lacked substance and had simple troupes.

If you’re looking for a fun, easy read and love Hallmark movies- this one’s for you. I love the character development throughout the book and you’re rooting for the protagonists the whole way through. The friends to lovers trope gets me every time!

I love Emma Lord and this lived up to all of my expectations. Fake dating? Check. dynamic characters? Check. Complicated relationships all around? Check check check

I throughly enjoyed my time with this book and would recommend to any romance reader.

Childhood friends - fake dating - secret feelings - second chance romance

This book was freaking adorable. I loved the mains, rooted for them both separately and together, and their attraction to each other was IT. I really enjoyed the characters romance developing, but also really liked the more serious aspects of the book (a sister/friend death). Super lovely book, and would be a perfect beach read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, publisher, and author for this incredible ARC!

i liked this one! levi and june were interesting main characters. sometimes their actions were questionable and not really explained but i liked their personalities and thought they fit well together.

i’m a sucker for a fake dating story and this was definitely one that i enjoyed! i could feel the chemistry between the MCs the entire time.

i don’t really have any feelings about the supporting characters tbh lol but it wasn’t a bad cast of characters

This was so cute. I have a soft spot for book that kind of have a summer romance feel. With this being set in a beach town, it fit the bill. The friends to lovers trope is also one of my favorite. I thought this was such a cute read but there were some sad aspects of it. There were moments where I would think of how sad it all was. The situation they were in, how they were handling it. I expected this to be more of a rom-com but I did have a sad side. Levi seems like such a sweet guy but I didn’t not get why he would be ok with what Kelly did to him. I liked how out spoken June was. I loved how he called her other months too.

It has all my favorites tropes- fake dating, friends to lovers, but also enemies to lovers and partly second chance romance, made the genre refreshing. A bit annoyed as to why the title isn’t “Revenge Ex”, that fit their story more than this brief discussion about a pact. June and Levi had both been publicly humiliated when their previous relationships ended, and when the two are back in Benson Beach they scheme to change the narrative. June’s motive is to help save Tea Tides, the tea shop started by her older sister, and Levi’s reason was to potentially get Kelly back. The more time they fake date the more their old feelings return and we end with a HEA.

“So he doesn’t mean home like a place; he means the home right here in each other’s arms.”

This is my introduction to Emma Lord. I love a fake dating troupe and this was cute, but I don’t think they were ever fake dating?
Anyway, the characters were fun and likable and the scones sound delightful! I didn’t love the timeline and there was a lot that was glossed over at the end but overall it was a fun time. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Emma Lord’s adult romance debut! I have read all of Lord’s YA contemporaries, and I was excited to read her first adult romance.

I thought the author did a good job transitioning from YA to adult. I did think the MC was a little immature at points and a little fixated on high school, but that fit with the story since the love interest was her old high school crush. I did find her to be kind of annoying in spots and she definitely made some questionable decisions. She was a little insecure at times too so overall she wasn’t my favorite character.

I didn’t like all the drama with the exes (though I was expecting it based on the blurb).

I liked the summery feels and the exploration of grief. Overall this was a cute contemporary.

The book is a bit slow starting off but when it picks up its picks up! A feel good read that will have you laughing telling the main characters to get out of their own way.
Ending was fantastic and also kind of hoping that some of the side characters (Sana) will maybe get a chance for their stories to be told?

Regardless a fantastic read !

This was a fun, easy read. Not earth shattering, but not disappointing either. A good reading palate cleanser.

Disclaimer: This book put me in a reading slump.

I read this book on my Kindle, where I usually read books extremely quick. The Break-Up Pact was an exception, unfortunately. I simply did not feel connected to the characters in this book.

The character's plot lines were disjointed and would randomly pop up throughout the book. Whether it was fake dating, baking, wedding planning, or interviewing with exes, I just wasn't invested. The main character and love interest, though old best friends and newly fake dating, lacked depth and connection.

They can't all be winners but I was disappointed by this one because I do love a good YA!

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

This will be such a fun summer beach read for so many people, I'm sure of that! I enjoyed a lot of pieces of The Break-Up Pact. It's cute, timely, and has a swoon-worthy love interest. However, I didn't like the main character, June, one bit. She can't communicate like a grown up, and that's forgivable at the beginning of a book, but she didn't grow in that ability at all. I also felt like this book was trying to do too much all at once? It was sometimes hard to follow some of the little details about her family, their backstory, and their ambitions. Overall though, it's cute and fun and if you don't think too hard about it, you'll enjoy it a lot!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Emma Lord is a phenomenal writer and I am so happy I was approved to read this one. I think my patrons will definitely enjoy this one as well.

I love a fake dating trope! Fake dating trope AND childhood friends?! *chefs kiss* Add in the fact that they’re in a small beach town? Even better!!

I couldn’t imagine having to go through a break up AND having that break up go viral? In these days, anything could go viral for any reason. I love that this book has included common day issues/common day media/social media outlets.

Thank you NetGalley for this book!

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a light-hearted romp through the world of fake romance and second chances. June Hart and Levi, childhood friends turned distant acquaintances, find themselves embroiled in a social media storm after their break-ups go viral. In a bid to salvage their reputations, they embark on a fake dating scheme that leads to a series of entertaining dates and hilarious mishaps. While the chemistry between June and Levi is undeniable, the romantic aspect of their relationship feels somewhat immature, and the subplot involving June's sister adds little to the overall narrative. Despite these shortcomings, the book offers moments of sweetness and humor, making it an enjoyable read for fans of cozy romances with a modern twist.

June Hart’s life is a mess. Her business is failing, her long term boyfriend dumped her live on a reality tv show and she's become a viral meme know as “Crying Girl.” June’s just about reached her limit when her childhood best friend, Levi Shaw, unexpectedly returns to town. Levi ghosted her after high school and June’s not sure she can handle having him back in her life. But she and Levi have found themselves in very similar circumstances. Levi’s girlfriend was caught cheating on him with a famous Hollywood heartthrob. June and Levi are both internet famous for all the wrong reasons. When June’s younger brother asks them to help plan his wedding, Levi and June are forced to spend time together and their internet fans take an interest believing they are dating. Reluctantly, Levi and June decide to take advantage of their social media status as “Revenge Exes.” The notoriety will bring bodies into June’s tea shop, Tea Tide keeping it afloat while Levi hopes the situation will force his ex to finally make a decision about their relationship. But things don’t go as planned and the former friends become closer than ever. Will their plan work or will the “Revenge Ex” pact end up exploding in their faces?

Emma Lord’s stories are fun and heartwarming while also showing great emotional depth. The characters’ lives are never perfect. They struggle with hard situations, loss, humiliation and heartbreak, but Lord always brings light and humor and hope to their difficult times. The Break-Up Pact was no exception. Levi and June’s lives are falling apart, but there is still laughter and hilarious happenings. They bring joy to each other and through their fake dating shenanigans to their friends, family, and the world at large. The Break-Up Pact is also bursting with great secondary characters. Sana, Dylan, and Mateo are so supportive of Levi and June. They’re each warm, unique and quirky in their own ways and are so much fun. This book is chock full of the best romance tropes….friends to lovers, second chance romance and fake dating. It’s wonderful and sweet and the perfect summer read!

In "The Breakup Pact," Emma Lord crafts a tale that goes beyond the surface of internet memes and struggling businesses, revealing the depth of her characters. June Hart, initially introduced as an internet meme and owner of the beachside cafe Tea Tide, undergoes a journey of self-discovery throughout the book. It takes time for her to unravel her true identity, culminating in a satisfying revelation that matches the creative descriptions of her cafe's scones.

June and her childhood friend Levi embark on a fake dating scheme to boost her business and help Levi win back his cheating fiancée. While their staged relationship practically breaks the internet, the narrative takes readers on a delightful ride through fun dates at the museum, trivia nights, and cake tastings. However, the romantic aspect of their relationship may come across as somewhat immature, laden with the overused misunderstanding trope that echoes a middle school rom-com rather than a story about mature adults.

The character arcs of June and Levi, though resolved, could have been more finely executed, as their growth seems hindered by the miscommunication trope that lingers from their high school days. The narrative unfolds with unnecessary length and occasional dragging moments, contributing to a feeling of immaturity in the characters. Despite the humorous elements and the beachy setting of Benson Beach, the book falls short of the expectations set by Lord's previous works in the YA genre.