This was a great story, with a FMC and a MMC that I really liked. I was invested in their story from the beginning. In addition to the main characters and their romance, there were dynamic and fully fleshed out side characters who were lovable and added depth to the story. The tension between the characters is realistic and they’re somewhere between enemies and friends when they meet, never quite meeting the criteria for either category. It’s a slow burn, which I love! Will they? Won’t they? 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻



Spice warning:🌶️🌶️🌶️ I personally don’t read graphic/explicit books and was unaware that this ARC has a detailed scene where sex is graphically described. It was easily skipped over, just occurring in one chapter (chapter 15). If you are looking for closed door romance, skip this one.


#netgalley #ARCreview

thank you to netgalley for the arc to review.

this book was honestly a drag for me. the characters were hard to relate to and the story was so slow. too much telling and not showing for my liking. it was very hard to get into and overall just sunk me deeper into my reading slump.

that being said though, i do see how this book could be enjoyed by someone who reads mostly romance and just wants a lighthearted story. just not for me.

This book was cute but in my opinion it was very slow moving. The characters were very likable but things were dragging along till about 80% through the book. This book makes you want to eat lots of scones & drink tea!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I am usually a big fan of the fake dating trope but there were aspects I didn’t necessarily find to be high enough stakes for either of the main character. Yes definitely gaining popularity for a struggling business is something but neither one of them are generally in the public eye as part of their daily lives so going public with a fake dating story didn’t necessarily make the most sense for them. And I know they played it off like Levi was trying to make his ex jealous but then he’s basically been in love with June since they were kids. Also they didn’t really build much before they agreed to the fake dating scheme to begin with. There was also an annoyingly unrealistic reference to their cake tasting moment turning into some viral dance. Dumb things become viral all the time but this really didn’t work for me.

I realize I’ve offered quite a bit of criticism for a book I rate a 4 but again a fake dating trope is one I generally like. I also like friends turned lover stories because there’s already so much built into the relationship vs characters falling in love after a week (not that that’s impossible but the larger population likely can’t relate to this as easily). While it did feel like the characters agreed to fake dating too soon, it still took a few fake dates doe them to realize they didn’t want it to be fake anymore. I like the slow build of that. Additionally, as someone who has lost a sibling, I appreciated how the characters navigated a world in which that sibling is no longer around.

This one was not for me. It was slow but also fast at the same time? The writing was a bit immature and I felt like there was continuous telling and not showing. So much so I didn’t feel any attachment to the story and characters I had to DNF.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Always love Emma Lord’s writing and this book is no different! I loved the characters from the start and I was hooked right away!

4.25 stars
super cute read, perfect for the summer and i absolutely love the fake dating trope! i definitely recommend if you love emma lord, childhood friends to lovers, fake dating, books with a cute setting, and/or second chance.

Thank you St. Martin’s Publishing & the author Emma Lord for the eARC of The Break-Up Pact in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I would recommend The Break-Up Pact for Emily Henry and K.L Walter fans.

This book contained a multitude of tropes and while I love most of them, all of them together was a bit jumbled and overwhelming to the reader, in my opinion. I felt it was hard to connect to the romance element of the story due to this. I did enjoy the grief processing aspect of the story, but after the characters resolved their conflicts it seemed like that entire plot line was lost/disregarded.

🤍 Fake dating

🤍 Internet fame

🤍 Childhood friends to lovers

🤍 Saving small business

🤍 Small town romance

3 ⭐️

This was the usual romcom trope. I enjoyed the ever predictable ride! But there were some twists that weren’t expected!

This book gave me all of the early 2000s rom com feels. Loved the small beach town setting and quirky cast of characters. The exes were really giving 'reality tv villains' and I couldn't stand them (which means it was well written). The premise was a little ridiculous, as all the best romcoms are. The main characters had a lot of heart and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I enjoyed seeing their shared history together and how their families were intertwined. Seeing them navigate grief in their own ways felt very real and resonated with me. There was an extended miscommunication trope, but thankfully it mostly happened off-page and before the story starts. The story itself focuses on improving their communication and creating meaningful connections and building trust, which was a joy to read.

I absolutely adore this book. I will be buying a copy for my shelf and re reading this summer! Absolutely cute and lovely. Recommend for all rom-com fans!

If you liked this season of love is blind you'll like this modern take on the "blast from the past" highschool sweet hearts story.
It's cute and light with some interesting incorporations of modern social media and reality TV.

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was brutal for me🙃 this book definitely lacked steaminess big time.. I found it extremely difficult to connect with the characters. Reading this felt more like an actual job than a nice enjoyable read.. connecting with this one was just way to hard🙃

I would like my next vacation to be to Benson Beach! To walk outside and be at the beach, what a dream!

I really enjoyed this story!! Super well developed, the community was fun, great side characters, and the love story was so sweet. I love that the two main characters have history! I love that they got their Happily Ever After!

I look forward to more adult romances from Emma Lord! 💓

Hey there! So, I just finished reading "The Break-Up Pact" by Emma Lord, and let me tell you, it's a real gem!

So, June and Levi, who used to be inseparable as kids, haven't spoken in years. Funny thing is, they've both just been dumped, and it's all over social media.

June's back in her hometown after her sister's passing, taking care of the beachside tea shop they always dreamed of owning together. But she's hesitant to make any changes out of guilt and loyalty to her sister's memory. Trouble is, the shop's struggling, and if things don't pick up, it might have to shut down.

Then Levi shows up out of the blue, and while June's hurt they drifted apart, she's secretly thrilled he's back. And when a pic of them together surfaces online, suddenly everyone thinks they're dating – cue the "revenge exes" label. June's bestie suggests they play along to boost their public image and save the tea shop. Fake relationship, anyone?

As they dive into this pretend romance, old feelings resurface, but so do past misunderstandings that could tear them apart for good.

This book really digs deep into insecurities, loyalty, and family ties, and the supporting characters are an absolute delight! If you're into rom-coms that explore human nature, this one's a winner. Trust me, you won't regret picking it up!

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

I loved this book. Emma Lord is hilarious! I giggled, cried and cackled! The banter is so good!

I enjoyed the first 70% of this book. I sped through it in about 2 hours. Then I felt like it lagged a little between 70-90%. And then the last 10% was magic again!
I will be adding Emma Lord to my TBR with all the rest of her books.

June and Levi find themselves publicly dumped at the same time and overnight they are TikTok famous. But not in the good way.
They were friends when they were kids and decide to make a pact to fake date. From then on it is funny and cute and makes you feel like the first day of spring when flowers bloom, birds return home and the sun decides to come back out. If you like any of those feelings you need to read this book.

This was an enjoyable read for me, but at times, I lost interest. I especially felt like the ending dragged on and could have been wrapped up a little quicker. Through the middle, though, I was so invested in June and Levi's story that I couldn't put it down. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a summer romance about friendship and second chances.

The Break Up Pact is a love story between two childhood friends that drifted apart (through stubbornness and fear) during college and have hardly seen each other in 10 years, but we find that their spark they had back then is still burning.
Both Levi and June have rather public break ups, they run into each other a few weeks after and still in the aftermath of the publicity of it. Someone catches a photo of them in a seemingly flirtatious act in the sand where they are virally deemed the “Revenge Exes” which is where our title comes into play. Levi wants to win his ex back, while June just wants to move and get more business into her shop, so they agree to use the Revenge Exes to their advantage, and they agree to “break up” the second it isn’t helping either of them out anymore.
They go on fake dates to keep the momentum going while June’s friend Sana photographs them but all their caught in the act photos to draw attention to themselves for the sake of exploiting their situation are genuine candids not all caught by Sana.
While this story is a friends to lovers kind of romance it is also a story about the ebbs and flows of grief which was wonderfully done to see both sides revealed from the sister and best friend of the deceased and the guilt and love they both carry for her about moving on with their lives while accepting that she doesn’t get to do that along with them.
This was a good, quick (for me), tear jerking story that I would recommend. I just wish we got to actually see some of Dylan and Mateo’s wedding that we watched Levi and June plan, but I guess since they resolved their issues before that it wasn’t necessary but I still would have liked too see it, Also the epilogue with their last race, I loved that!

What better way to make things in your life better than to fake a relationship? June and Levi will fake it to use the internet fame they found themselves in to make things better at work and hopefully bring back an ex. This romance is swoony and I love Emma Lord’s shift from YA to adult, all of her sweet with a little spice.

It was quite repetitive and boring. The leads had no personality and the supporting characters felt like caricatures. This disappointed me as a BIPOC reader. The premise seemed interesting, but the execution fell flat.