I dove into 'The Break-Up Pact' by Emma Lord seeking a breezy, enjoyable read, and it delivered just that—nothing groundbreaking, and kinda disappointing.
As a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I appreciated the cozy setting, but I felt the relentless focus on the characters' physical attraction was excessive. We got it—they're attracted to each other; there was no need to belabor the point.

Centered around June and Levi, childhood friends whose messy breakups become social media sensations, the plot takes a twist when they decide to play along with an online rumor suggesting they're a couple. This situation leads to a rekindling of old feelings amidst the backdrop of a charming beach town. (I do love that)

My biggest issue lies with June, whose judgmental demeanor grated on me from the outset, hindering my feelings about her overall in the book. It's challenging to enjoy a story when the main character fails to resonate with the reader...

Nevertheless, there were still pockets of sweetness in the story that I savored, making it a decent overall read. If you're seeking a light-hearted romance set against a beachy backdrop, 'The Break-Up Pact' might just fit the bill.

This is the first Emma Lord book I’ve read, and I definitely enjoyed it! June and Levi are former best friends who fell out of touch, lost their mutual best friend (and her sister), and both ended up back in their beachside hometown after very public breakups. Enter the fake dating romance trope, and the entertainment that always accompanies it!

I cruised through this book at a pretty good clip – it seemed like there was always something to look forward to. I also thought the author did a good job of describing grief and all the assorted emotions that go with it. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. This was a solidly written romance that I think fans of contemporary romance will enjoy.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advance copy. 4 stars, recommend.

June and Levi haven’t seen each other in years. But when they both go through extremely public break ups and need a break from the negative media, the two agree to fake date. Can they keep their distance? Or will fake dating become real feelings?

Im so torn on this one. Everything was just fine. June and Levi both had moments that I struggled with and some that I really liked and the same goes for their relationship. The hardest part for me was how fast they jumped into fake dating. It’s a shorter book so I understand but after not seeing each other for ten years they immediately start this ruse. It was a a good light hearted summery read and I’m glad I read it! But I also wasn’t blown away.

Quick read for me! Excellent story. Loved the characters. Found a new author to add my to must read list! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC of this book. This does not affect my review.</i>

This week, I cried watching Abbott Elementary twice so no surprise this had me shedding tears as well. (I blame overall election stress or something) Grief runs heavy through this, this time the unexpected death of June's sister (and Levi's best friend) and it got me having all kinds of feels about siblings being suddenly gone. But the central relationship was moving for me to, and because I think Emma Lord is so good at YA books, it really helped propel this book into a more genuine territory with respect to June and Levi. Their relationship complexity integrated nicely with what was happening in adulthood and never felt it leaned too heavily on the juvenile, and the characters felt adult despite their long history.

A couple things I was tangled in and didn't quite work though-one- relationships with exes are complex, and the exes in this turned a little too one-dimensional and easily resolved in this one. The second thing that I kept snagging on is that paparazzi were central, and these two had "famous" break-ups. One seems to be from an Apprentice type reality TV show, and the other would have been from a cheating with a Hollywood Heartthrob situation. I kept wondering why they were so interesting. These are not any kind of "listers" yet their snapshots at the beach when they'd be generally unrecognizable kept going viral? In a small town--a town so small in fact that the landlord can tell rent-payers that their biz isn't up to the vibe (it's not problematic in this book in the way I can imagine this could be the complete cartoon villain, but uh wow)???

That said, snippets of this writing and the feels help really pull this one off. Just not as strongly as it could've been, without some aspects to the credibility that even had me saying "really?" Still, given my emotional investment and my suckertude toward second-chancey in love with each other forever friends, I'd be willing to revisit, so it's a 4. But just.

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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This was a cute rom-com and I believe Emma Lord’s first outside the world of YA. It centers around two high school friend/frienemmies who have lost touch and are both having viral break up moments at the same time. ⁣
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As the story unfolds we learn about their past connections and that their idea to be #revengeexes might have some interesting repercussions. ⁣
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It’s a cute and funny rom-com with the expected bumps and twists along the way to the #hea. ⁣
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Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This will be a good beach read when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this earc

Unfortunately, this one just fell flat. At first, I thought it was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” but then I realized that I just didn’t care about this book at it.

I can’t tell exactly why but by the time I got to 25% all I kept thinking is “please let it be over” but as a person who doesn’t dnf, I made it to the end.

I couldn’t connect to anything. Relationship? Boring. Plot? Boring. Even the drama was boring.

It’s ended up being one of those book I wished I never picked up

I’ve only read one other book by Emma Lord and it was a YA romance and amazing (Tweet Cute). Knowing this was another book by Emma Lord I went in with high expectations.

First, this is not a YA romance. This is a friends to lovers, second chance, fake dating romance. It is character and plot driven, full of raw emotions and somewhat intense situations.

June is running a beach boardwalk tea shop which was a dream she and her sister had since they were little. Her sister, Annie, unexpectedly died before June moved back home to help with the shop. When the novel starts, June has become a meme of “crying girl” after her reality star boyfriend of a decade dumps her on TV.

Levi was Annie’s best friend growing up and has returned to the beach to regroup and write after a bad breakup in New York. He has also made the news with his break up to a high stakes realtor who dropped him for an action hero movie star.

The two make a pact, spurred on by Annie’s friend Sana, to get revenge by being seen together and exploiting it on social media. In the middle of all of this, the tea shop is failing and June needs to save it. Her internet fame helps the tea shop more than she could imagine.

I found the emotional content of this book intense. There’s a lot of grief as the two main characters work through their feeling and guilt after Annie’s death (which happens before the book begins). I really enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down.

The Break-Up Pact is an easy to read, more adult version of an Emma Lord classic.

This book is full of tropes. It has a staple theme and a prevailing storyline but it jumps around through so many tropes. You have second chance/friends to lovers/fake dating/celeb romance/self discovery/life after loss etc etc. It covers so much ground yet I felt like I knew very little. The book begins with so little background I was never able to fully grasp the dynamics between the characters. I couldn’t connect with the story and the emotions because I never understood what they meant to each other in the past. All the major points seemed to brush right past and I felt like I missed so much! It was easy to read and had some fun elements. There was a whole wedding planning (for other people) segment that was fun and exciting to read about. I wanted to like this one so much more but I just didn’t feel any connection to it. I’ll forever read her books but this wasn’t a favorite.

June and Levi are *chef’s kiss!* It was great seeing how June handled her grief for Annie and guilt in result of it. I really enjoyed reading how both June and Levi worked on themselves to better understand and communicate. There were some times where things June said or thought made me want to pull at my hair but I was able to understand why she was doing what she was doing or having those thoughts. Also Levi when Kelly comes to town. Made me want to reach into the story and get rid of Kelly. I can also say Griffin is the absolute worst. Good riddance for June. Wish we could have gotten more of Dylan, Mateo and Sana.

This book was a cute, quick read. However, it fell a bit short for me with all the cheesy references to social media throughout and the absurdity of the plot with both main characters going “viral.” But I did enjoy the happy ending and the supportive friend group.

Childhood friends June and Levi find themselves back in Benson Brach after both going viral for nasty breakups. June is trying to save her business, Tea Tide, and Levi is trying to finish his manuscript. Despite not having been in contact for 10 years, they decide on a plan to fake date to get back at their exes. A break up pac of sorts. Throughout the whole ordeal, June has to deal with resurfacing feelings for Levi. There was tons of mutual pining from both main characters. I loved that they did a lot of self reflection before fully jumping into their relationship. Their childhood friendship was highlighted beautifully in their blooming relationship. It really fits the friends to lovers trope perfectly. I was hooked the entire time!

tl;dr: i really liked this one despite too much miscommunication and a desperate need for all the characters to go to therapy

longer version: if emma lord writes it, i'll read it. this one hooked me from the get go -- june is an incredibly likeable MC and the viral break up hook was excellent. i normally hate childhood besties to lovers and despise the second chance trope but this one was great. levi is deeply swoony and i liked how lord slowly unfurls their shared history.

admittedly, both levi and june deeply need to go to therapy as neither of processed the trauma of annie (june's sister) suddenly passing away and they're both unrepentant people pleasers who let terrible partners dictate their lives for the better part of a decade. AND a lot of the third act conflict in this book revolves around miscommunication or noncommunication to the point where it gets a bit annoying.

that being said, the strength of lord's dialogue and the strength of the chemistry between june and levi overwhelms the downsides. i really liked this one and if you're a fan of lord's previous work odds are you'll like this one too!

This was super cute! The main characters are very lovable and easy to root for. I would kill for a book about Mateo and Dylan- I love them so much.
The plot went by quick, it was a very fun read. I liked this one more than her previous books! The characters were thought out, the side stories were fun to follow without overtaking the plot, and it has some great banter!
This will be a really great beach day or pool day read!

The Break-Up Pact was an easy read with an imaginable theme. The characters were lovable and cheeky. Everyone will want to own a fledgling tea shop by the sea after this sweet read!

June and Levi were childhood friends but drifted apart over the years. Suddenly they’re back in each other’s lives after they both go through public breakups. Naturally a picture on the internet leads the public to think they are dating. June and Levi decide to go along with it and fake date to get back at their exes. Will they end up rekindling old feelings while trying to get back at their exes?
Overall this was a cute, fun, easy read! This was my first Emma Lord book and I can’t wait to read more.

Thank You Net Galley for this ARC

This is the first Emma Lord book I have read so I wanted to like it, honestly but it was a struggle to read. I rarely have to force myself to finish a book, with this one I had to & even then there was a lot of skimming over. The book does have that cute beach town vibes so I wanted to like especially having a coffee/tea shop that is totally my dream but it just wasn’t there for me in this story of June & Levi.
I do not want to give any spoilers away but it dragged,& I think the transitions in the story were not great.
I do have to say Sana was my favorite just her character & how she protected June fiercely, may we all have a Sana in our lives who loves us that deep & stands by our side in all our joys & sorrows.

Where do I start? I was majorly enticed by the adorable cover and the synopsis for this book! I was super excited when I got an arc, thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press andddd the wonderful Emma Lord for hooking me up for my (very) honest review.

But let's just get right into it, shall we? I will start by saying this was a super fast read. I read it in a day. Sadly, I was pretty underwhelmed and I think that's why it was such a fast read. There wasn't a lot to it? Just very mindless. Which I actually really enjoy a lot of the time when the mood fits. And perhaps the mood wasn't there and I was looking for something with more content. But this just felt like something was missing.

We've got main characters June and Levi and they were just okay. I had no major connect with them. They had been friends since little kiddos and then stopped talking, chased other dreams and then randomly bump into each other and start to fake date. Legit the words used, fake date...and I just didn't like it. They do it to make their exes jealous but during their fake dating sesh, discover all their old feelings for each other and actually decide they want to real date.

I usually love the friends to lovers trope, but not even sure that's what this was and not sure why it just didn't hit for me.

The writing was fine, the plot was fuzzy, the mention of scones (man these people can talk about scones!) was a lot, and the ending felt a little bit pushed.

Read it for yourself and see what you think!!

3.5. I loooove Emma Lord books but this one was just not at the same level as the others. I feel a bit lenient in my review because i know this is her adult debut but I just found the characters less entertaining than they were in her other stories. In theory the plot would have been interesting but I think it just needed something more

This book was so fun! Emma Lord does it again! One of my favorite authors and she truly never disappoints. I loved June and Levi— they both felt dynamic and multifaceted.