I have been trying to read this for too long and I'm throwing in the towel. This is so annoyingly predictable, and while we love romance for that, the writing for this book put me off. You forget the main characters are in their late 20/early 30s, they act like teenagers fresh out of high school (and with the amount of times they reference things it makes it harder to remember this fact). The writing I find sub-par and the constant repetitiveness of Annie was started to get annoying. I understand the use of her to bring the main characters together, but holy cannoli it's overkill (sorry not sorry).

I didn't even get to any spicy scenes, I DNF'd at chapter 15 where it looks like they were finally going somewhere but I honestly am so un-invested I'm not even going to try to see if that can save my opinions of this book. This could definitely be pitched to new romance readers who are just getting their footing in the genre, but now that I've been around the block a few times there are just so many better ones that I'd recommend than this.

Thank you for this ARC, still glad I got to try it but we can't love every book!

thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book! June and Levi had a crush on one another in high school, until something happened that caused them to not speak to each other for a decade. Both end up in the tabloids for unfortunate breakups and wind up being in their hometown at the same time. They decide to use the big breakup as a way to benefit both of them, by fake dating. But of course fake dating ALWAYS turns into the two falling for each other.

Second chance romance done in a cute way. enjoyed the characters. Felt really surface level though, even through there were heavy some heavy topics. Lots of good concepts and ideas but felt it could have been executed better

A fun friends to lovers book. It started off a bit slow for me but I enjoyed it and it was a quick read!

Cute and fluffy with all the tropes: fake dating, childhood friends-to-lovers, and the ultimate millennial dream of running a tea shop on the beach in a small town.

Well, this was adorable. Aaaaand, it had some of my favourite book tropes bundled neatly into one sweet package. The second-chance romance. The friends-to-lovers. Excellent secondary characters that weren’t just plot points to further the story, but had their own fleshed out backgrounds.
Ugh. It was so cute… and I want to visit Benson Beach to meet them all SO BADLY.
The only thing that could have made this book better would have been the addition of a few scone recipes sprinkled in at the end. I desperately want to try some of the Scone Specials!
Big thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy. I will definitely be recommending this one to our library patrons!

I give this book a solid three stars.
A story about friends turned lovers after a ten year gap of no communication. Both of the main characters went through a vicious public breakup that went viral. When they decide to “fake date”, old feeling a start to come alive and they end up revealing how they truly feel for each other.

The story was hard to pick up at first. The first few chapters talked about the past and why they haven’t spoken in a while, then the pact was made. After that, I felt the story started to get interesting and I was able to finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC version of the story.

Thanks to Emma Lord, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of “The Breakup Pact”.

Two friends end up not speaking for 10 years due to a series of misunderstandings and tragedy. I liked the friendship and evolving romance, a second chance friends to lovers is always a trope I enjoy. I really was invested in learning about Annie, and seeing June outgrow the shadow of her deceased sister. I enjoyed the tea shop and scone recipes-genius! What I didn’t like or relate to was the paparazzi being so invested in these two characters because of their ex’s. That part of the story felt like it jumped the shark.

The writing is well done and the tension between Levi and June works. Definitely worth a read and a good bit of escapism.

The Break-Up Pact review:
What I loved about this:
•The tea shop with adventurous scone recipes!
•Revenge-Ex’s. This is a badass concept.
•Scream poetry
•Sana’s Fizzle article
•the handful of clever jokes throughout


This has:
•second-chance romance
-friends to lovers
•fake dating

A small seaside town, two messy viral breakups, and a reunion of childhood friends June and Levi. June Hart never expected to run into her high school friend and unrequited crush Levi Shaw mooching off the Wi-Fi in her seaside tea shop. BUT THERE HE IS. After almost 9 years of essentially ghosting each-other, they come up with a mutually beneficial arrangement to win back Levi’s fiancé and to bring in more revenue for Junes flailing tea and scone shop.

What I didn’t like:
•the romance progresses way too quickly for me, it’s too early when the playful, sexy, roughhousing begins.
•I think this is missing something to really captivate the reader. I found this pretty put-down-able with the most interesting character being Annie, the deceased sister. I just couldn’t get invested.
•Also I found myself wondering, why are these two non-celebs constantly getting papped? It just seems a little out of place.
I’m just not buying that these characters are interesting enough to warrant the fan base they have.

The Break up Pact was a very detailed, emotional story. The pining and chemistry was evident from the beginning. There’s a lot of growth and grief the characters work through together and on their own. The only thing I felt missing was a dual POV. Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC to review.

I really did enjoy this book. I could not put it down and was fully invested to see what was going to happen and play out. I really loved the characters but I feel like the ending was a tad too long. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me.

I adored Emma Lord's YA books so I felt certain her adult debut would make me feel the same way. Filled with all the nerdiness, humor, and heart that's so quintessentially Emma, her adult debut shines!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This story was funny and cute. It started off a little rocky to me -- we learn about tensions between the main character and her ex, but they get resolved very quickly. After that, though, the book feels much more cohesive. Lord does a great job showing how the ex's presence transforms the main character, and I enjoyed reading all about the tea shop the main character owns too. I love how the story ties something timeless like a tea shop to a viral breakup moment. Definitely a good, speedy read!

I really enjoyed Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute (and monster cake), and while her other books haven’t called to me, I was excited to read this, her first adult romance. Parts of it still felt a little young-adult, there were times when I wanted a little more depth to their characters and the plot itself, and there was a bit too much focus for me on the villainous behaviour when I cared more about our main characters and their friend group. But that said, it brought the summer feeling I’ve been craving with a small beach town, a supportive friends-to-lovers relationship, shared grief and the exploration of dealing with change when you want to hold on.

When we are introduced to the main characters of June and Levi, the scene has already been set for what's going to happen. After they both were "dumped" in an embarrassingly public way, they both decide to go back home to "hide out". Which of course means, the two former best friends, become best friends again. They hatch a plan to help each other out, which definitely won't back fire.
The story line is captive, and while it does follow a typical "blueprint", the reader is still left hoping for a happy ending for both of the main characters.

LEVI AND JUNE HAVE MY HEART! They hadn't been in contact with each other in over 10 years and the communication they have with each other & the love they’ve always had for each other is just so beautiful after so long ! They overcame a lot alone & with each other in this book and it was just so lovely. I just loved them so much.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord due to be released on August 13, 2024.

Childhood friendship turned adult romance is one of my favorite tropes (see: Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe) and another is fake dating, so I was pretty excited to dive into this story. Unfortunately, it was so slow to burn that the fire almost went out more than once. It likely would have become a DNF by the halfway point had it not been an ARC read. The chemistry between June and Levi was both lacking and felt forced, and their character growth was just…stagnant.

Finally —finally!— there is forward movement on all fronts and then June throws up a ridiculous roadblock which is oh-so-frustrating after everything she’s thought, said, and done previously. But when a situation with Levi and his ex arises soon after, and he handles it based on what June said, she’s upset and hurt. It was hard to have sympathy for her.

I think if things hadn’t dragged on so much at the beginning of the story then I might have been more receptive to all that happened in the second half, and that’s all on me.

Overall, if you’re looking for an easy beach read where childhood friends have a chance at adult romance, and you have the patience for a slower than average burn, you should give The Break-Up Pact a shot.

3⭐️

This book had it’s moments but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The pacing of the plot felt uneven, with certain scenes dragging while others seemed rushed, detracting from the overall flow of the story.

Also, the characters seemed interesting at first, but their relationship didn’t feel real or genuine.

Overall, while the concept of the book was promising, the execution left much to be desired in terms of emotional connection.

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

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is a cute small town, second chance rom com. I loved how both June and Levi had recently suffered some heartbreak and were able to reconnect as friends while processing everything going on in their lives. Plus, when they decided to start fake dating to make his ex jealous, I was all in. Fate dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes! This book not only covers the grief of heartbreak in a relationship, but also in losing someone close to you and how this grief can manifest in different ways. There was so much growth for both main characters, especially over the last 10 years and I love how they grew more into who they are meant to be. And when they finally acknowledge their true feelings, my heart was so warm with love.

This book is set to release on August 13th, 2024 and I’d definitely recommend for a fast paced and sweet rom com! It would be a perfect beach read!

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

4.5 | i really really enjoyed this book! the writing was whimsical yet easy to read and kept you wanting more! these characters were so cute - like do i love levi? perhaps. and i don't like scones so don't mind me consistently craving a scone while reading. emma lord did her job and it was well-done!