June and Levi are childhood/high school best friends who haven’t spoken in 10 years. They also both have endured very public break-ups. When Levi return to their beachy hometown to escape the media and finish his manuscript, he and June instantly reconnect and those old feeling June thought she buried are in fact still there.


This was such a cute story. I’ll admit, that the fake dating trope is not always my favorite, but Emma wrote it really well! You were rooting for June and Levi the entire time. It’s well written and the story flows really well. There was some spice, but Emma definitely left me wanting more.

The only thing that left me a little confused was Annie, June older sister and Levi’s best friend who passes away 2 years prior. Annie was like the awkward 3rd wheel in June and Levi’s relationship. Honestly I felt like June should have been more threatened by her than Levi’s ex-fiancé. It was just a little off for me. I did love Sana, June’s best friend. She was quirky and blunt and everything you want from a FMC’s bestie!

Overall it was a good read and I did enjoy it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for this ARC!

So I recently read 'The Break-Up Pact' by Emma Lord and it was exactly what I was looking for - a fun and easy read. The story follows June and Levi, two friends from high school who have messy breakups that end up going viral on social media. To deal with the rumors, they pretend to be a couple, which leads to some old feelings resurfacing. Overall, it's not a groundbreaking book, but definitely not disappointing either.

I’ll get right down to it. I hate this book. It made me anxious and angry, and not in a good way. We follow June and Levi after they both get publicly cheated on by their long term partners. They decide to pretend to date so June can do better with her tea shop and Levi can get his cheater back.

June has a lot of thoughts. Hundreds upon hundreds of words of thoughts she will never say out loud. I don’t want to read her thoughts when she isn’t expressing them to people. Instead she’s a carpet happy to be walked all over. She thinks up 3 large paragraphs and answers, “Do what you want.” Why do I have to read her thoughts when she doesn’t know how to speak?

Levi is an idiot. He makes such stupid choices and then acts surprised when they bite him in the butt. I hated both of these characters. This is the kind of relationship you know wouldn’t last a year in the real world.

I held on for Sana, who I wanted to know better. The two stars are for her.

This would have made a better novella and only without Levi’s ex constantly in the picture. Too much was happening in little details and side plots with nothing actually happening in the book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

From the first pages, I quickly began to love the main character, June. Her struggles were met with a quick wit that was truly endearing. The Break-Up Pact storyline felt familiar, but the depth of emotion made it stand out from all the other fake dating stories. I felt like the ending of this story was one that I wish for in a novel. It didn’t just wrap up quickly with a happy ending. The author took her time and truly allowed us to see the growth of both the characters. Read it and throw back some pop rocks as you do it!

Emma Lord is really good at cute rom coms with typical dating tropes. If you’re going into the novel looking for something that will speak to your soul and stand the test of time, this is that - and that’s okay! She creates easy to like characters with a catchy story that moves quickly. When the book closes, everything is as it should be.

I thought The Break Up Pact was a cute friends to lovers rom com. I liked that the main characters were actually former best friends who had drifted apart and found themselves drifting back together again after their own individual break ups. I was rooting for them from the beginning and enjoyed following along with their journey, challenges, and growth.
While I liked the supporting characters and how they tied into the overall story, at times they felt a bit flat and I would have liked a more detailed arc for them. Some of the dates that took place in public places were cute, but predictable. I would have liked more intimate scenes with Levi and June trying to figure out their feelings vs another public date. (Loved the dance club scene, but the bar scene felt like it was forced.)
Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
"The Break-Up Pact" by Emma Lord is a delightful rollercoaster ride of fake dating, friendship, and unexpected romance that will leave you smiling long after you've turned the last page.

June and Levi, former best friends turned estranged acquaintances, find themselves in a predicament when their respective break-ups go viral, thrusting them into the spotlight once again. With the world convinced they're a couple, June and Levi embark on a fake dating journey filled with swoon-worthy photo ops and sparkling chemistry.

Emma Lord crafts a story that is equal parts heartwarming and hilarious, with characters you can't help but root for. June and Levi's banter is electric, and their journey from reluctant partners to something more is both entertaining and emotionally satisfying.

I was super excited to receive this as an arc but it did take me longer than usual to finish, like really long!
I don’t like DNFing books so I pushed through, only because I love me a good fake dating romance and wanted to love this so bad. I personally could not connect to the characters I was reading about. The storyline is good the storytelling wasn’t.

A sweet romance filled with long lost, and then found, love! The main character’s story was adorable and now I want to eat all the scones. The fake dating was cute and gave them a chance to reminisce on the past which was a fun way to learn more about their love. A quick, fun, and easy read!

*Wanted to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a ARC of the book, but my review is honest nonetheless

3.5/5
I have been on romance book mood and I ate this story up. I also finished this book in a day or two. It helps that the story is somewhat on the shorter side but also I just couldn't put down the book with all the shenanigans the cast was up to. Also it's friends to lovers and when it's specifically childhood friends I just can't not read. It's literally my favorite trope.

This book is set in a smallish beachtown and it got me in such a giddy mood. It made me want to do all the fun things they did and I cannot wait for spring to be in full blast. The ambiance and setting is perfect, although everyone is adults it gives a childlike ease to it that made me love everything.

June and Levi were so cute and I loved the whole premise of fake dating to get back on their exes, and just falling in the process on a foundation they had previously already built, which made them following in love pretty quickly explainable. Although their romance is the big reason the story was also about grief of losing someone close and moving forward with life without them and trying to keep their memory alive but also being yourself which I thought was handled very well in the story.

On top of the main plot there is an amazing cast around June and Levi, who I just loved to pieces, their friends and family were funny and rooting for them which I appreciated because sometimes your friends know before you do.

Their "problem" was pretty annoying and I am not the biggest fan of miscommunication and retaining information, but it's something that happens so I can't be a hater about it. What I do like though is that they didn't immediately moved forward I appreciate that they grew and worked on themselves which I never see in romance books so it was a breath of fresh air.

This book comes out on August 13, just in time for the end of summer and I would highly recommend it for an easy fun read. It made me happy and it would be so perfect for a vacation or just afternoon in the sun. I would recommend not just for the romance but also because life has issues and problems but we always have support in the end.

I really wanted to finish this and to love it but I got 35% of the way through the book before I decided it’s just not one for me. The book starts out with multiple characters and it was very confusing trying to figure out the who’s who and put together what’s happened to them.
Thank you to Net Galley and Emma Lord for the opportunity!

What a delightful book this was! I loved everything about it, the characters, the setting, the second chances. June and Levi was flawed in their own ways and the way it was worked through in a believable way really resonated for me. I’d also like to live in the beach so those scenes were so nice to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Emma Lord's newest novel follows the rekindling of childhood friends June and Levi as they navigate their new found internet fame. June and Levi were inseparable as kids, but due to various reason became estranged later in life. After many years apart, these two ex best friends bump into each other in June's tea shop in their hometown. Both reeling from very public and devastating heartbreaks, they discover themselves in a media frenzy and decide to play into the fame. Lines start to blur as June and Levi embark on their fake dating journey, making both characters ask the question fake feelings can't become real feelings, right?

Tropes:
- Faking dating
- Friends to lovers
- Revenge plot
- Small town
- Second chance

This lighthearted and funny book was easily a 5 star read for me. Lord wrote about June's grief of the loss of her sister in a way that makes you understand how unexpected and life changing it can be at a pivotal point of a young adult's life. As a reader, I was taken through the complexity of grief and how to continue living without that special person in your life. The Break Up Pact is more than June's grief though, her and Levi's fake dating took center stage of the plot. From their first interaction, sparks were immediately flying between the two and I couldn't put down the book until they finally confessed how they have felt for each other all of these years. The tension between June and Levi kept me on my toes!

I loved Emma Lord’s YA novels but I gotta say I’m so thrilled she’s writing for adults now too. The Break Up Pact has the lovely characters, strong sibling relationships and food-centric plot I’ve come to appreciate in her books, with an adult-appropriate level of spice. I’m here for it and ready for more!!

"The Break-Up Pact" was a charming, small town romance about high school friends Levi and June who plan to fake date each other to get back at their exes. Both had internet famous breakups. Levi and June, and their exes and most of the supporting cast, grew up in the coastal tourist trap town of Benson Bay. High school era crushes resurface once they start fake dating, and things get--naturally--more complicated. Levi and June are both likable and endearing leads. Some of Levi's actions in act 3 stretch the limits of romance genre logic, but do seem like something a real life person would fumble through. The chemistry between the leads is enjoyable and most of the supporting cast is great too. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I have heard so much about this author and was so excited for this one. The cover looked precious! The book fell a bit flat for me. A little juvenile maybe? Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! Publication date August 13, 2024.

I was obsessed with tweet cute and was looking forward to an adult romance from Emma Lord. While I enjoyed parts of the story sometimes I felt like he story read a little young. Perhaps that is my familiarity with her as a YA author or the formatting as I sometimes struggle with ebooks but I just did not become obsessed with this like I did Tweet Cute

I really wanted to love this book and I did at times… but I really found myself having to push through the pages until I got to roughly page 150. That’s when the spark of being pulled in started.

I was hoping for more of a build-up and tension between Levi and June. Which I don’t personally find there was… there were definitely moments where I was like “that’s cute” or “that’s sweet” but I want BUTTERFLIES.

The story of June & Levi definitely had its moments of being sweet and loving. I enjoyed their story especially the end because it seemed realistic. Especially if you’ve been in that situation where you fall for a friend and you assume they couldn’t or wouldn’t feel the same.

This story will definitely resonate with everyone differently and though it wasn’t my favourite book.. I still did enjoy it. I just think if there isn’t much “spice” they need to have that emotional burn for each other that makes you want to scream at your book and be like LOVEEEE EACH OTHER.

I personally think this book would have been better as a dual pov - both June and Levi’s point of view. I think this would have helped, especially in the beginning when I felt the book was a bit more lacking in certain aspects.


Wrap-up:

While The Break-Up Pact might not resonate with everyone on the same level, its exploration of friendship, love, and the journey back to each other is undeniably touching. For those who relish stories of reconnection and the rediscovery of lost bonds, June and Levi’s journey is a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the unexpected paths love can take. In the end, I’m glad to have seen their story through, finding joy and reflection in the evolution of their relationship.

I truly do appreciate getting the opportunity to read this book. Overall, it was still a likeable story and I’m happy to recommend to others!

I had a difficult time enjoying this book. It started out so fast paced and then couldn’t hold my attention. The characters were immature and had some issues that made me not like them much. I don’t think I could recommend The Break-Up Pact.

To start off, I did feel like the main characters had old history and chemistry there and I usually love a good fake dating book.

Some issues I had with this one is that he lets all of his feelings out to June and saying how he wasn't faking one bit of this and then goes and tells his ex they are fake dating. What is that all about? That didn't feel in line with his character at all and seems he's normally better at communication in other areas of the book.

Also, all of the social media stuff wasn't my favorite in this one. I did enjoy parts of the book, but overall the few bad parts made me just really not love it. I don't mind characters growing, changing, or even making mistakes, however, when it doesn't feel like something that character would ever do it's just kind of out of left field to create another conflict and don't enjoy that.