First of all, this book has a gorgeous cover!

I really enjoyed the first 60% of the book! However, when Levi and June actually got together that’s when the book started going downhill in my opinion. I didn’t like the exes coming back into it or all of June’s sudden doubts about Levi. I felt like for those doubts to feel more real to the reader, it would’ve needed to be explored in more depth detail earlier on in the book. I really enjoyed the revenge ex part and their fake dating!

Having just read and loved The Getaway List, it's hard to believe The Breakup Pact was also written by Emma Lord. Don't get me wrong, the book wasn't bad, but it also wasn't necessarily good. It just was.

The Breakup Pact had a lot of potential, some interesting topics, a cute tea and scone shop, friendship, and of course romance, but unfortunately the usual Lord charm I'm used to was missing. In bullet point form her charm elements were there, but that's all they were, elements.

I'm a little disappointed but perhaps this one just wasn't for me. If you haven't read Emma Lord's work before, don't start with this one. If you have read her work, what did you think of this one?

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance e-copy of The Break-Up Plan by Emma Lord in exchange of an honest review.

"Although 'The Break-Up Pact' provides a fast and easy read, the story lacks the depth needed to fully immerse the reader in the journey of the main characters. While the premise of friends-turned-lovers and fake dating holds promise, the execution feels formulaic and predictable. The author's writing style falls short in capturing the emotional nuances and inner thoughts of the characters, leaving the reader longing for a stronger connection and chemistry. However, the book does offer a light-hearted escape and can be read quickly for those seeking a beach read or a dose of second chance romance." This was a 3.5 Star read for me.

I instantly loved these characters. I struggled getting through the book though. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it just wasn’t anything new? I thought it was entertaining but long.

While I enjoyed the overall plot and tropes in this book, something about the writing made it difficult for me to connect with the characters. It felt like we stayed very surface level with their backstories when the opportunity was there to dive deeper with their connection to Annie. I also felt like we very quickly glossed over what caused them to not speak for 10 years. June admitted that she overheard something Levi said and he said I’m sorry I didn’t mean that and then it was never brought up again. I felt the ending was a little lackluster. I was expecting some point of contention between June and Levi but him going back to New York to figure out the apartment and job didn’t feel like enough.

The Break-Up Pact is what you'd get if you threw Gilmore Girls, a hurt/comfort fanfic, and a dash of a Hallmark movie into a mason jar and shook it up.

It's not a perfect book by any means, but for me, this second-chance, fake dating, slow-burn was pretty close. Maybe it's because every single one of those tropes are some of my top five favorites. Maybe it's because I'm coming off one of the worst books I've ever had the displeasure of reading, but I ate Emma Lord's newest book up like it was one of June's cookie-disguised-as-a-scone-monstrosities. (Seriously, can I please get a Tea Tide scone??) Maybe there's just a little bit of magic in The Break-Up Pact that makes it a cute, fun read. Whatever it is, I loved it.

Thank you for the ARC!

Once I got into the book, I was hooked by June and Levi’s story. I like the common thread of Annie and their unique relationships with her. I did keep feeling like something bad was going to come out about Annie and Levi. I think this was due to the author not always painting her as agreeable.

The chemistry of the childhood friends turned lovers was a slow burn with unique twists and turns. The premise of Levi’s book was unique! A male fantasy writer?

Would recommend if you like a slow burn of childhood friends with a modern spin on media expose!

The Break Up Pact by Emma Lord is a contemporary romance that is about June and Levi who are childhood best friends. But aren’t friends anymore in the eyes of June. It’s a good childhood friends to not friends to lovers. June took over her sister’s business Tea Tide which is now struggling to stay afloat. But she is determined to make it a success.
Levi is a writer coming back to his hometown after a viral breakup and new inspiration for his work. That’s one thing these two have in common coincidentally they both went viral when their relationships broke up. When both are seen together in a situation that looks suspicious they are quickly becoming known as the revenge exes who fell in love. They decide to run with it by fake dating. Is it all fake though? The elements of working through change and ending and starting new relationships are difficult.
It has faking dating. It seems like old feelings are still there from one side but is it one sided?If you like small towns, especially small beautiful beach towns you’ll love this. I love how close knit the characters are. They’re family of course but all of their quirks you fall in love with all them. I think it would be a good beach read or summer read.

AH omg the epilogue was so cute. I loved it. Their last scene together was absolutely perfect. The best race ever.

Thank you Emma Lord for this wonderful book, thank you Netgalley and thank you St. Martin’s Griffin for this arc.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord, has such a unique premise. The concept of digital/viral humiliation is very relevant. The writing is engaging and fun to read. The characters each had separate storylines to understand who they were as characters. They also each had a different response to grief which helps make them seem more individual. The story was cute, and I liked that there were little snippets that came back around in the end of the book. My only complaint about this book is that there could’ve been more angst between the main characters. When writing a second chance romance/fake dating the angst between the main characters should be palpable. Overall a cute fluffy rom com read!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I absolutely loved "The Breakup Pact" by Emma Lord! This book had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. The characters were so relatable and well-developed, and the storyline was both heartwarming and engaging. I found myself laughing out loud one moment and tearing up the next. Lord's writing is witty and captivating, making for a truly enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and heartfelt story about love, friendship, and finding oneself. Five stars all the way!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

Read this if you like:
🌊 Slow burn
🫖 Hallmark vibes
💘 Second Chance Romance
📸 Fake Dating

This one didn’t give me all the feels, but it was really cute. I thought Emma Lord’s writing was so beautiful throughout and there were so many quotes I loved. I just wanted a little more between Levi and June. I think that could have been accomplished with dual POVs and I really wish we had gotten to delve deeper into Levi’s character.

It took me a bit to get into this book, the story was alittle all over the place for me but I did enjoy it overall. The storyline did feel like a bit of a stretch at times but I get it because it’s a book things like that happen. I have always enjoyed Emma’s books but this one fell a bit short for me! I would still give it a chance as long as you don’t read into it too much and just let yourself enjoy the ride.

2.5 rounded down. This should not have taken me NEARLY as long as it did but I could barely read a page without getting distracted. The main characters are so clearly in reciprocated love from page one that it just sucked any potential tension out of the story and left me feeling like I had no reason to keep reading.

I did start to enjoy this more around the 65% mark when June and Levi’s insecurities really started to manifest, but that’s sadly also when the timeline started to make less sense. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s INSANE to skip the wedding you’ve been planning the entire book and just recap it in the epilogue.

The thing that does really work about this book is the banter, and some of the details about their community and background were excellently fleshed out. I definitely believed that these two were childhood best friends with a great amount of intimacy and shared history, and all their supporting characters reflected that as well. I think there was a lot of potential here but I could have used more conflict in the beginning and a more concrete understanding of time and space in the end.

4.5⭐️ 1🌶️

This took me a long while to get through but once I got into it, I LOVED it. June and Levi have so much chemistry and it had me giggling and smiling the whole way through! The childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance trope is one that I wasn’t a fan of until really recently and I think this one was done so well. The characters were surprisingly mature and it never felt too dramatic. I loved that we got to see growth in both characters and I loved that even when they called each other out, there was still love there. Such a great read!!!

However, I really didn’t like Annie as a character. I was annoyed with how bad of a friend and of a sister she was. I also spent way too long thinking that Annie and Levi were actually secretly lovers. I think the beginning and the introduction of their relationship could have been written better. It made the book too slow to start for me and I almost wanted to give up. This didn’t really ruin the book for me in the end though because I do appreciate that they explore the complexity of grief and I liked how the characters had the same journey with their grief and their anger with Annie.

Overall I really liked this book!! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!! Definitely one that I would buy a physical copy for my trophy shelf :)

I loved this book! It was a really fun read and I am definitely craving scones now. I laughed and I cried. This was my first Emma Lord novel and it won't be my last.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this second chance, friends to enemies to fake dating to lovers story. But there really was a LOT happening here. Not all of it fully fleshed out- but also too many pieces that felt unlikely. We read for escape- so realism isn't always uber required - but the likelihood that two childhood besties would both be scorned on a national stage is a stretch.

I will absolutely say that there are many redeeming qualities and if you can sit back and not over think it- you're golden. The setting is dreamy- loved loved loved the supporting cast. I would LOVE a Sana follow up story!

This was a cute book, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I love fake dating and friends to lovers. I did enjoy the fake dating part of this book for the most part. However, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Levi. June was okay, but Levi definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Levi didn’t know what he wanted and that simply irked me. Emma Lord does a great job with banter, and I’ll forever recommend her books when it comes to that. I just hate that I couldn’t really vibe with this one.

3.5⭐️ I have mixed emotions about this one. I freaking loved their chemistry but I hated the drama..

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this ARC!! I jumped in the minute I was notified! I love a high school crush, fake dating, “I had no idea you felt the same way” plot. Love, love, LOVE. However, this book just didn’t end up being for me, which sucks.

Let me begin by saying that this book started off really sweet and fluffy. I was immediately hooked on Emma Lord’s writing style. I loved the small beach town vibe, the friendships and family dynamics, and I was really intrigued with how these two scorned exes were going to get their revenge. June’s best friend Sana was amazing and I think she truly stole the show 🙈 and I loved the representation in this book. Dylan and Mateo were the cutest 🥹

Now, by the time we hit the 50% mark, and June and Levi finally have some movement in their relationship, I’ve zoned out. I needed so much MORE from that grand declaration/realization moment!! I needed “how did you not know I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!??”. I wanted big emotions. I think what it all comes down to is that the chemistry was non-existent to me. I wasn’t feeling connected to June or Levi. June’s inner monologue began to feel really repetitive and it didn’t feel like we were getting any growth or development from either of our main characters. It was very much being TOLD and not really shown. And it all felt really one-dimensional and static.

I was also torn between it feeling really YA (juvenile thoughts/actions, honestly it didn’t feel like two grown adults in their late 20s) and adult with the pretty descriptive spicy scene. I think it would have worked better as a fun YA romance set a few years after high school 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is by no means the end of my Emma Lord era. I’m excited to give her work another go soon! I think if you love a cute, easy romance read with fake dating this is worth a go! Just because it wasn’t my favourite doesn’t mean it can’t be yours 🫶🏼

Thank you so much SMP for the eARC of the Breakup Pact. Sadly, this one didn’t super click for me although normally I devour everything that Emma Lord writes.

This threw a lot of names and subplots out there right away, especially when I was trying to understand what the actual plot was and who they were. I felt like I was struggling to grasp what was going on and powered through to understand, but not my favorite read of the year.