I went in blind thinking this was going to be a great beach read but it's a little heavier than that. It's about grief, friendship and dealing with struggles in life. I loved the friendship that Hannah, Lainey, Tyson and Summer have. It's so special to find those friends that become family. There were times that I thought Hannah and Lainey each acted like brats; I was getting annoyed with them. I enjoyed the ending and the overall message in the book.

While this book was not entirely what I was expecting, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters are likable and relatable, the story has true Emily Giffin heart, and the plot was touching. I didn’t like how one of the plot points wrapped up - too quick & predictable - but still a wonderful book!

Four freshmen become inseparable friends at the beginning of their college careers even though they come from different worlds: Lainey is a California party girl, Tyson is from D.C. and hopes to become a lawyer one day, Hannah is a Southern belle and Summer is a recruited athlete from the Midwest. Tragedy strikes their small group, however, and their lives are forever changed. Now, years later, the friends reunite to help Hannah through a horrific break-up just before her wedding, and she knows she can rely on her friends in her time of need. This book was both heartbreaking and uplifting, and I give it all the stars!

A heart warming story of friendship in the midst of an adventure but don't mistake the cover for being light-hearted. Poignant and tough to read at times, novel tackles some deep issues in a realistic manner. I so appreciate the author's trigger warning from the beginning as suicide, depression, and mental illness are all addressed within the pages. The adventure the characters go on is described so beautifully, it made me want to visit Capri and experience the sights, sounds, and food too!
Novel packs a punch but at its core is a beautiful story of friendship and finding yourself perhaps when least expected.

Perfect story to get lost in. Didn't want to put down but didn't want it to end. The friendships felt genuine. It explored the real meaning of friendship and the layers of inclusion. Sometimes you think you are exclusive with a friend but will have different levels of friendship between eachother. Recommend.

A well-written book about friendship. The story begins when 4 very different college students form a strong bond. When a tragedy happens to one member of the group, the remaining 3 promise to always be there for each other. Years later, one of the women brings the group together after reminding them of their promise. The story is told from the points of view of the 3 women. I enjoyed reading about the issues the women were now having and how they worked to resolve them.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you know me, you know I love a book about dysfunctional, broken people. And when people are rocked by tragedy, you know you’re going to get them. The title might give readers a certain impression of this story and then you discover its meaning, and the emotion hits you like a truck… unfortunately, it doesn’t stay there long.

Hannah, Tyson, Summer and Lainey are all incredible interesting people all searching for themselves in this story. Their shared grief surrounding the major tragedy of the plot depicts a wonderful story of friendship and found family. In many ways, however, I don’t feel as though we truly get to explore this in as much detail as I would have liked. We never get a full picture of the tragedy (which I get is the point to an extent though) so nothing ever feels fully fleshed out. The novel sometimes feels both too short AND too long given what we were and weren’t provided.

I genuinely loved these characters but I just wanted MORE! Definitely a hard hitting but heart warming read all the same.

This book may be my least favorite of Emily’s so far. The character plots seemed to take a bit to get into. I really liked Tyson’s character the most. Lainey was a bit unhinged. Hannah was a pushover. They were all immature at times for their ages. This wasn’t what I’ve come to expect from Emily. I will always read her books. I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as I have her others. Thank you NetGalley & Random House-Ballantine for the ARC.

The Summer Pact is a great summer read that explores the themes of found family, friendship, travel and love. Emily Giffin always does a good job writing interesting stories that explore the complexities of friendships. This book tells the story of three best friends- Hannah, Lainey, and Tyson. All live very different lives. They became best friends in college where they lost the fourth member of their group, Summer, whose death continues to impact their lives a decade later. An added bonus is the friends travel to Capri - a magical place that the author describes in such detail that I want to hop the next flight to Italy to eat, shop, hike and watch beautiful sunsets over the water!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy. Definitely recommend!

Another delightful beach read from Giffin! As usual, there's no deep literary river here, but it's light, fun, and the perfect companion for a summer vacation. Really enjoyed.

I liked this book but did not love it as much as some of her others. I went into this expecting it to be a summer beach read and the backstory behind the summer pact was a bit of a downer. I did not care for Lainey as a character, and felt that all the romantic relationships in the book were off, and unnecessary. I did love the setting, and enjoyed imagining myself in Italy.

This was a miss for me. The premise had good promise, but I felt like it missed the mark and lacked depth. The voices from the characters all sounded the same. It was too messy and I did not buy the love stories. Seemed rushed and forced.

This book is sweet and cheesy in a way that only Emily giffin can get away with for me. Following the death of a close friend in college the remaining three bffs set out to take a once planned trip. A nice little story of love-loss and all that comes between. Definitely a sweet summer read

Trigger Warning: Suicide

An examination of grief, friendship, and the lasting impact of our most formative years. Emily Giffin's newest novel will break your heart while inspiring you to prioritize yourself and the ones you love.

Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite authors from the moment I read "Something Blue". She was one of the first "adult fiction" authors I ever read and she will forever hold a special place in my heart. Her latest novel shows off her incredible talent in capturing each character's unique voice. I was struck by the difference across all three main characters!

This "Eat, Pray Love"-esque novel will be one that you continue to think about weeks after finishing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, mainly because the relationships between the main characters felt extremely strained given they were supposed to be best friends who would do anything for each other. They barely acted like adults throughout the story and they’re supposed to be 30 years old. I also thought the author said a lot directly that should have been shown through actions. The Capri bits also felt over romanticized.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC on this book for my honest review.

Emily Giffin does it again. This book had all the feels. The book starts with the how 4 people meet in college and become friends. One of the friends is lost in a tragic situation which created the Pact to always be there for one another by the other 3 friends. Years later one of the friends is cheated on by her fiancé and the friends come together because of the Pact. The story follows the 3 friends on a trip to unite in their friendship and heal from the long ago loss of their friend and their own personal difficulties.

DNF at 53%. I know a lot of Emily Giffin fans, but it ultimately wasn’t for me. I appreciate the author’s dedication to raising awareness of important topics such as mental health, suicide, alcoholism, etc. and having the characters navigate their grief, coping mechanisms, and how to talk about those things. However, the story hinges on Tyson, Hannah, Lainey, and Summer’s friendship/connection, and we didn’t really get much background into their relationships, just 1 or 2 chapters explaining how they met and Summer’s suicide. We are told they grew close, but we didn’t actually see it. I will still post about the synopsis and release date for those interested.

I loved this book, and i mean i just love everything Emily writes. This is such a good summer read, friendship and relationship vibes. Follows ups an downs in life.

I really enjoyed this one! I ADORED Meant to Be, her last novel (5 star that I think about so often) and was ecstatic to receive an early eARC and audio copy from the publisher; thank you so so much! I liked that this one was character-driven & had so much development of each friend in the summer pact friend group, following their lives over the years since college. There was a found family sense, and a big focus on tackling life's hardships, and how to maintain friendship while navigating the years of finding yourself/big change. This one was heavier in topic, but I love that Emily disclaimed trigger warnings at the very beginning. Overall, I really liked it, and enjoyed each character. The audiobook was great because it was full cast (some of the fake accents got a bit annoying- though I am certain I could not do any better, lol). I didn't enjoy as much as Meant to Be, but I did like it/recommend it!

Will be sharing my full review on Instagram/bookstagram ASAP! :)

Thank you to net galley for the ARC of Emily Giffin’s latest novel. The premise of this novel revolves around four college freshmen who become fast friends in their first year of college. Tragedy strikes and following the loss of one of them the remaining three make a pact. They promise that if any of them hits rock bottom the others will drop everything to be there. 10 years later they come together to honor the pact. The result is an exploration of their past and present lives in an effort to come to terms with life.
The concept of the story was very intriguing but unfortunately the connection of these 3 characters falls short. The novel is told from the perspective of all 3 characters without too much background of their relationships. This definitely focused on a difficult subject matter which Giffin handled most respectfully. Tragedy and a crossroad for all involved grabs the readers attention immediately! I would definitely recommend this as a summer read although not my favorite Giffin.