First, thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. This book publishes on August 13, 2024.

Secondly, it took me over a month to get through this book. I felt like all the tropes were in this book - fake dating, best friends to lovers, and so on. The writing felt super rushed. Although I did really enjoy Levi as a character, the story was a little rushed throughout. If you are into a romance with all the tropes, this one is for you.

I did really like the parts focusing on the “best friends” portion of the romance, they were really well written. These parts were 4 stars.

Review also posted to GoodReads!

Friends-to-lovers, fake dating, rom-com.

I was in a reading slump, so I thought a rom-com would pull me out as it always has. Not this book, it dug me even deeper into that slump.

Something was just missing. It was lacking any sort of steaminess. Maybe they fell in love too quickly and I was hoping for a slower burn? Idk. I found it hard to connect with the characters. Then you throw in all the grieving when it should be a happy story. It just felt all over the place.

It took me awhile to finish the book, so I’m having a hard time writing a review. It just wasn’t my cup of tea (pun intended). The main character’s best friend was the best part of this book. If the author did a spinoff of Sana and Aiden’s love story, I might give her a second chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the digital reviewer’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to the publisher for the advanced digital review copy.*

tropes include: fake dating, social media viral, childhood friends to lovers, slowburn romance, she falls first.
TW: talk about a family member (sister) that passed.

What I liked about this book: the nicknames he gave her made my heart melt, the pop rocks in the food as pranks, cozy vibes, it feels relatable as a love story.

I don't often read friends to lovers but who am I kidding? They're great!!

SLOW BURN IS SO UNDERRATED. All the tension, the scene on the dancefloor!!! THE FIRST KISS. Oh my. Very much worth the wait ;)

The beautiful way June wants to remember her sister, clings to memories and keep the Tea Tide just as Annie dreamt it made me tear up. It very beautiful.

Overall, the book was really good, there was no moment where I thought it was slower or dull, I wanted to keep reading all the way. Not in a "I need to binge this book in a day" kind of way, but still, I was bringing it everywhere and sneaking in pages whenever I could.
Emma Lord's writing speaks to me, it's easy, it flows really good and I enjoyed it a lot.
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SPOILER:
I think June loosing Tea Tide, creating the Tea Tide mobile and getting back the original spot was such a full circle moment and I lover her so much for her.

Emma Lord is back on track for me... after her last book not quite hitting the mark for me I am happy to report that I absolutely loved this story!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

The book follows June and Levi who were once high school friends. They both recently went through a very public break up and have that in common when they reconnect years later. A rumor gets spread around their home town that they're a couple and they decide to role with it in both benefiting from the situation.
I had a hard time getting into this one, fake dating/friends to lovers can be such a fun one, I just wanted finding that here. I had a hard time connecting to either of the main characters and found myself getting distracted often while reading. There were some good, fun and sweet moments throughout the book, very much light hearted. If you're looking for an easy lighthearted read in a beauty setting you might just enjoy this read! I feel like this would have been a good summer at the beach read and instead I read it in the cold winter.
2.5 rounded up for me.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!!

This book was so fun and I binged it so quickly. The only thing missing is I wish I was reading it on the beach!

I definitely can’t wait to read more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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 :)