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!

I absolutely loved this book. Emma Lord can do no wrong, this book was one that I could not put down. The characters were developed nicely and the tropes were perfectly executed.

WOW. Easily a 5 star read. This was lighthearted and fun in so many ways. Even though this book deals with the impact of grief and loss, the author does it in a way that really captures how it can sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. She captures how you can continue to live your life and move on while still honoring your lost love one. And, while that was happening as the undertone of the story, one of the quaintest fake dating tropes was center stage. The connection between June and Levi was evident from their very first interaction. The tension was screaming off the pages. There was moments that I really felt everything to my core, but also moments where I was hysterically laughing (Catch me making a bracelet that says be like Gouda). The side characters were also woven into the fabric of this book in such a beautiful way that truly allowed them to be a huge part of it and not just an afterthought. I loved everything about this!!

This was a cute read and honestly wanted to enjoy the characters felt a bit bland. The miscommunication also wasn’t done as well as I’d hope. I just don’t think this book was for me!

2.75 stars.

This book follows June and Levi, who were friends in high school and reunited a couple of years after their public break-ups hit the internet. When a photograph leads everyone to believe they're a couple, they fake a date to boost June's business and help Levi win back his cheating fiancée. As they navigate their staged relationship, filled with fun, cute dates, they unexpectedly fall in love again.

While the story is cute and has elements of fake dating and second chances, it lacks some depth. The romantic aspect may come off as immature, leaning heavily on the overused misunderstanding trope, which may remind readers more of a middle school rom-com than a story about mature adults. Despite this, the journey is enjoyable, albeit somewhat predictable. The characters' chemistry as a couple feels slightly off, and the miscommunication trope, although a personal preference for some readers, doesn't add much depth to the plot here. The lack of high stakes leads to an anticlimactic resolution.

Overall, it's a cute read, but may not be everyone's favorite from Emma Lord. This might be for you if you're into cheesy, cute stories with familiar tropes. However, if you're looking for something with more depth and complexity, you might want to pass on this one.

I want to thank Netgalley for giving me this ARC! I thought this was a cute little story. I really liked the setting and the atmosphere. For some reason I found myself not connecting to the characters as much but I still enjoyed their story. This is a quick and easy romance to read that I think most people would enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Emma Lord for the opportunity to enjoy this advanced reader copy.

This is my first time reading Emma Lord's work and my understanding is this is her first in the adult genre. This is a classic trope of getting a second chance at love missed. I found the romance to be positively adorable as I admittedly have a soft spot for this particular trope. The book has a bit of a slow start but I do think it's necessary that it does as the world building is set up rather well from there on out.

I loved that rather than have characters that fight or miscommunicate Lord has made actual functioning adults who talk about their problems. I feel like this is such a rarity in romance novels that it actually felt like a breath of fresh air.

This book just oozes with summer cozy vibes and I highly recommend taking it along with you to the beach this summer.

June and Levi are former close friends who have known each other since they were kids traipsing through the woods and playing on the beach, along with June's sister and brother. They haven't spoken much in the years since Levi left for a job, and a future with his long-term girlfriend, in New York City. June is back in their hometown after many years traveling the world on crazy adventures with her own long-term partner, Griffin. When both of these old friends are involved in viral social media breakups, they decide to turn the tables on TikTok, reality TV, and all the rest by starting a fake relationship with each other.
I enjoyed both of the main characters and their individual growth throughout the story, as well as the ways in which they were able to come to terms with many different things that happened in their shared past. June and Levi know when to push each other, and when to give each other space, as only those who have a real understanding of each other can do. I loved the supporting characters in this story. Dylan, Mateo, and especially Sana, are the kind of friends and siblings anyone would be fortunate to have in any circumstances.
The Break-Up Pact will be a fun summer read for romance readers, so be sure to grab a copy for your beach bag when it comes out in August!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Emma Lord’s YA novels, and her debut adult novel just confirmed that I will read anything and everything that she writes. I LOVED this one!

She immersed me in the world of a coastal beach town tea shop and kept me on my toes with the fake dating/viral relationship situation.

June and Levi were so sweet, and I felt like they were mature enough to not frustrate me with any avoidable miscommunication. The backdrop of figuring out your new dreams after losing someone you love brought emotional layers to the story.

If a fake dating, small town, and friends to lovers second chance romance with a side of scones and cute banter sounds like a good time, READ this one please!!

This book has all my favorite tropes - fake dating, second chance romance, & childhood friends to lovers.

This book was a cute and fun read for me. I found myself laughing at certain points (hello, scream poetry!), and also sad & heavy in the grief of June losing her sister. I wouldn’t be mad if there was a sequel following Santa’s story, she was such a fun character I wanted more of.

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martins Press for providing me with the ARC!

This one fell a little flat for me. I didn't really like either character and feel like there wasn't much plot. It was just fine. I do like the cover though!

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised with this novel! The characters were hilarious and brought in the sort of drama that makes you want to keep on reading. I was a big fan of the way Emma Lord created her storyline and kept the characters alive on the page throughout the whole novel. Great read!

Emma Lord's break-out adult novel was a joy to read! I started following her work as a young adult author and am so glad she decided to cross over into adult. For any young adults that want a smoother transition into the next "level" I would recommend this as a good new adult read.
June and Levi were best friends growing up, coupled with her sister and brother they were an unstoppable team. That is until Levi upends the post high school graduation plan and goes off on his own. Skip forward a couple years, and June is struggling to keep up on her rent for her beachside tea shop and Levi is a failing novelist in New York, and the two have barely talked in years.
Is there anything that going viral for a couple of publicly humiliating break ups that TikTok can't fix? Levi finds himself running back home in wake of the drama, looking for a calm place to write. Looks like that will be hard to accomplish when the internet gets a hold of a picture of him and June reconciling and thousands are convinced that they are together. Suddenly the benefits of letting the people believe what they want holds more appeal as the tea shop is getting more business and Levi might be making a certain ex jealous. Separating the fake dates from real life will be a breeze, especially because their history and current situations would make navigating a real relationship very difficult. And anyways, neither of them feels that way about the other... right?

"I ache for both my sake and hers, because I never wanted to imagine a future where we weren't each other's first lines of defense."

The Break-Up Pact is a solid example of how the Contemporary Romance genre can use its tried-and-true tropes to provide a comforting read while allowing the reader to explore more abstract topics of grief and healthy engagement with social media.

This book beautifully addresses the complexity of losing a close relative. June's compulsion to preserve everything exactly how her sister left it, and guilt at wanting or needing to do something different. The way home doesn't feel the same now that the person she lost is not around. The way she clings to the things within her control when there is so much in the world that outside of it.

The framing device of the viral social media breakups, while implausible, is a unique way to bring two estranged friends back together - you can see Emma Lord's digital media background in how this part of the story is written. The fake relationship trope is alive and well in The Break-Up Pact. But as much as I thought I would roll my eyes at the stereotype, I don't mind it so much? Because the dialogue is funny and the chemistry between June and Levi is more than believable. I buy their shared history and think it serves the narrative well. I would not. be. sad. if Emma Lord decided to write a whole book on Sana (a la the Soulmate Equation followed by True Love Experiment) because I 100% want to read more about that lady. The characters have human, complex reactions to their emotions and (generally) make mature, non-impulsive decisions.

The aforementioned (generally) is what kept this from being a 4-star book, in my mind. Where I, for the most part, applauded June and Levi for using their words in times of conflict and stress, there are moments where it doesn't feel as consistent throughout the book. There are more stereotypical rom-com "misunderstandings" that, while eventually resolved, don't jive with the thoughts and actions of the characters during the previous chapters. While humans are imperfect beings and characters in contemporary fiction benefit from being less perfect than most, I still want my characters to use the lessons they learned in earlier chapters to inform their behavior in future ones.

All that to say I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance. Fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren will feel right at home. Of the books within this genre I've read so far this year, The Break-Up Pact is one of the better ones. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a scone.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

This was such a warm and wonderful book that felt like a big hug! I loved June and Levi, as well as the entire side character cast. Everyone was so well fleshed out and just fun to read! There were a few dated millennial lingo references that jumped out at me in a not so good way but honestly i don’t even care, this book was so lovely. I loved June and Levi’s chemistry and I loved that the premise was funny but executed beautifully and with such depth. Probably my fave Emma Lord book yet