As heartbreaking as the overall theme of this book is, Emily has masterfully made it a light read. I liked that the multiple viewpoints allowed insight to the very different characters...each one lovable on their own. If you are a Giffin fan, then this is absolutely a must-read!!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine via NetGalley for providing this ARC!!

Pack your bags & get ready to dive into this summer adventure— The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin comes out in less than a month ✈️

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
#gifted @randomhouse — tysm!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Multiple POV 🔄
▫️Character driven stories
▫️Traveling/Summer vacas ☀️
▫️Found family feels
▫️Short chapters
▫️Themes of: friendship, grief, forgiveness, & moving on 😢

MY THOUGHTS & RATING:
I adored this book! This adventurous read was full of deep friendships, summer travels, and emotional baggage. 🩵

When tradegy strikes, a group of 3 friends make a pact to come together in times of need. Years later, they are reminded of their promise to each other, so they set off together on a trip of a lifetime. 🗺️

Giffin’s writing was as spectacular as ever! Although the vaca vibes were vibing 🍹, Hannah, Lainey, & Tyson were some flaweddd characters with DEEP wounds. I grew to like them bc their problems felt realistic. ❤️‍🩹 I was actually debating 4.5 stars for this one but, there were some turns in the second half of the story that felt a little random/rushed? 🤔 I could have done without the subplots tbh, not needed. It also felt like the book was trying too hard to include current events (you’ll know what I mean if/when you read it lol). I really loved the emotional pull we got from this one but keep in mind it’s a heavy read! 😞🫶

‼️ You should always look up triggers before reading fiction. This book mentions triggers before chapter 1 starts, which I include on the last picture. But IMO, they missed a major trigger... I hope they fix this for the final copies. DM me for specific triggers. ‼️

DETAILS:
▫️Publishes: 7/9/24
▫️Pages: 352
▫️Format: Physical

Another friends-to-lovers romance that creates a great summer read. Although the underlying reason that the pact was made, it has true friendship, cheaters and lovers all in one.

Definitely recommend if you are going to sit on the beach somewhere!

Review:

A story of friendship, loss and love, The Summer Pact wasn’t really what I was expecting and it left me mostly underwhelmed. I chose this book based on the author and the cover and it was the epitome of don’t judge a book by its cover! Parts of the story were funny, while others dealt with heavy real life situations like suicide and alcoholism. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read and it wasn’t the worst, but it would be pass for me if I could read it over again.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy of The summer Pact, all opinions are my own.

I've been waiting a long time for a new Emily Giffin book! This one wasn't my favorite but I read it in 2 days and was a quick read. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the development of the friendships between the characters on their journey, but the ending felt a little too contrived.

4.5 stars
I literally devoured this book. It took me all of like 10 hours to read. The chapters were short and kept you coming back. It was addictive and so hard to stop reading.
This story takes place when a tragedy brings a friend group even closer together. They make a pact to always be there for each other. As life goes on - one calls in that pact and they take a trip of a life time.
"literally loved everything about the friend group - Erin, Lainey & Tyson - they have been there for each other through thick and thin.. found family at its finest.
I love having the multiple perspectives - seeing how each person is dealing with their own life. There was definitely drama, definitely tension, definitely heat break - but also real life. This book has a lot of feelings and I really enjoyed it.
Trigger Warnings: suicide

Emily Giffin does it again! Her books are so comforting to me and the writing is always exceptional.

The Summer Pact is an amazing recognition of tragedy and how valuable a good friendship is. You get to know, love, and understand the three main characters and root for their friendship and happiness along the way. I loved how real the story was and tackling sensitive topics with grace and care. I truly enjoyed this story and hope others love it as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC of The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin.

Another perfect summer must read. If you are already a Giffin fan this will not disappoint. If you are new to her as an author be prepared to want to binge all of her other novels.

More often then not our closest family members are not the ones we are biologically tied to but the ones the universe knows we need. The friends we collect along the way that fit, understand, and accept us at all costs. The friends who have your back through all the rough patches and remain unwavering even in times of indifference and friendship struggles.

Lainey, Tyson, Hannah, and Summer find one another as freshman in college. They bond over their differences, similarities, and emotional traumas. They all come from different paths in life and socioeconomic backgrounds. They are dynamic and unbreakable. Their bond allows them to step away from their family’s preconceived notion of what their lives will be and they set out to make their own paths. It’s not until the stress of life tragically takes Summer from them. After committing suicide with no explanation the Summer Pact is formed. The remaining three vow to always ensure this never occurs again and at a drop of a hat when someone is in need no matter how far or the circumstances everyone will come together.

Fast forward to Hannah finding her soon to be husband in bed with a local low grade influencer shortly after their save the dates have been sent and their future home has been purchased. When Hannah calls Lainey, who is up for the role of her life, Lainey rebooks a flight because Hannah as hit her bottom. Lainey informs Tyson who despite being up for partner in his prestigious law firm and being in a seemingly great place and relationship gives it all up because of the pact.

Unknowingly all 3 need one another because realistically they are all at their bottom or pretty close. Each picking a destination they set off on a trip not only to fix Hannah but themselves individually and as a group. Struggles with family relationships, alcoholism, sexuality, and appropriate meaningful relationships are tactfully and meaningfully addressed in this must read summer hit. Family isn’t always about blood it’s about unwavering loyalty. Surviving your worst and coming out your best with people who love you unconditionally speaks volumes as does this amazing read by Giffin.

Pub Date: July 9, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Emily Giffin's The Summer Pact is a coming-of-age story of four friends who meet in college and vow to see each other through life's ups and downs. The group agrees to come together when one of the members suffers through a difficult situation. They decide to take several trips together and work through their problems together. It has been several decades since I read an Emily Giffin novel, and I remembered them to be easy, simple, feel-good reads. This is the same quality. It felt a bit juvenile, but it could be that I, as a middle-aged woman, am not the right demographic for this type of book.

DNF @ 50%

This is a book that I don’t see myself picking back up. Don’t let Fun summery cover fool you, There are many triggering and depressing topics that are constantly being talked about Which is bringing my mood down. The second half might be better? I’m not sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

A well-written story about friendship and the ties that bind. There are heavy themes embedded within The Summer Pact showing how each character had their own personal struggles.

Overall I enjoyed this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Emily Giffin’s “The Summer Pact” was a beautiful story about friendship after tragedy. I loved the connection and journey that these friends take after their loss of Summer and the growth they all do. You won’t be able to put this one down!

Emily Giffin delivers an interesting peek into 4 friendships crafted at the pivotal transition between their childhoods and adulthoods. Connections made in college run deep, but why? These characters walk with each other through heartbreak, betrayal, fledgling careers, travel, huge revelations about themselves, shifting dynamics with parents, and even death. I knew them as my own friends by the end, and I felt that Giffin wrapped up their storylines well for her readers. While some of the dialogue was whiny at times, I can’t say I haven’t sounded *exactly* like that at points in my own life, so kudos for a realistic portrayal of the 20s and early 30s times of life. I had a treat of a reading experience and enjoyed my time with “The Summer Pact!”

*Trigger warnings for suicide and alcoholism.

Enjoyed the read a lot. Started off very strong. Kind of petered off a little for final third but still a great summer read

This book had so much potential.. the premise was really good and the story could have been so emotional and heartwarming and it just… wasn’t. The characters were SO unlikable and mean to each other even though they claim they’re best friends?? Not buying it. I honestly wasn’t rooting for anyone and by the end I didn’t care how everything was resolved.

The imagery was really beautiful and it made me want to travel but this one just did not resonate with me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Emily Giffin has written a story of friendship before, during, and after tragedy. Three friends who are always there for each other despite any other obligations. Great beach read…get ready to be fully involved in the lives of all the characters.

Emily Giffin just keeps getting better and better! Her writing has evolved so much but she still has so many of the characteristics that made me fall in love with her voice all those years ago.

The Summer Pact is BY FAR the best book I’ve read so far this year. It starts out with a tragic event but follows the group of friends from college as they grow up and keep the promise of the pact they made all those years ago. I loved the flashbacks to the college years - it was so genuine and authentic. And to see those relationships transcend into different decades was amazing.

This is a little heavier than your normal “beach read” but it’s so so so worth it! I promise you will love it!

Thank you so much to Emily Giffin & NetGalley for sending me the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

"The Summer Pact" by Emily Griffin

Emily Griffin's "The Summer Pact" is a poignant novel about friendship, secrets, and healing. The story follows Tyson, Lainey, and Hannah, three lifelong friends who reunite after due to a pact they made to always be there for each other.

Tyson, a driven lawyer, grapples with work-life balance and career pressures. Lainey, an actor and alcoholic, while Hannah, thinking she is about to marry the love of her life calls in the troops.

Griffin's characters are relatable and well-developed, and her evocative writing brings the setting to life. The alternating perspectives and well-balanced pacing keep readers engaged, as the friends' summer pact becomes a vital support system, emphasizing the themes of loyalty, honesty, and the enduring power of friendship.

"The Summer Pact" is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that captures the complexities of friendship and the journey towards healing. It's an ideal summer read for fans of contemporary fiction and character-driven stories. .

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I had high hopes for this book based on the synopsis, however, the inciting event that happens just pages into the book feels unearned as we barely can tell the characters apart before their lives are turned upside-down. Even once we got into chapters told from other perspectives, it did not feel as though the characters developed throughout the book. I'm confident many readers will love this book as it is a great beach read that people will fly through, but it was not for me. Again, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
The characters came alive in this,book and were so realistic. There are 4 very close friends and when something happens to one of them it opens their eyes to just how much they care about each other. They decide to make a pact if any one of them is feeling down and out they will reach out and be there for each other. I devoured this book and want a sequel. I definitely think there could be one and carry the story on . I hope the author thinks about doing that. I would highly recommend this book. Emily is a wonderful author.