This might be my favorite Emily Giffin novel yet! 3 friends, romance, adventure with a lot of highs and lows. It was a quick read and a wonderful escape. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #TheSummerPact

The Summer pact is a moving story of best friends who lose one due to suicide. They make a pact that no matter what they will be there when the others need them. The story is well crafted, the characters are fantastic! Definitely a fun read!

thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group - ballantine for this arc!!

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY ↡
💛 found family
👥 multiple POVs
✈️ traveling with your best friends
📖 character-driven plot

REVIEW ↡
emily giffin is a consistent 4/5-star author for me. her writing always captivates me and keeps me entertained and attached to the characters. i thought THE SUMMER PACT was a great beach read - it was a quick read, had solid character development, and detailed travels in the US and abroad. i liked the pop culture references and feel like i could understand emily’s interests (taylor swift, the royals) that way. so glad to cross this one off my summer TBR and definitely recommend it!

Emily Giffin books are very polarizing: they are either really good or really bad. The Summer Pact is one of the few that break pattern, being a so-so novel.
Freshman year finds Lainey (a California party girl), Tyson, (a brilliant social justice warrior from D.C.), Summer (runner extraordinaire and perfectionist from the Midwest), and Hannah (a mild-mannered Southerner with an overbearing mother) sharing dorm space. Despite their differences, the roommates become fast friends. When Summer commits suicide, everything changes. Stunned and heartbroken, the surviving three make a pact to be there for each other in their time of need, no matter how separated they are by circumstances or distance. Ten years later, Hannah calls on this pact when she finds her fiancé cheating. Lainey and Tyson raced to her despite personal sacrifice. The three decide to take a trip with one picking a destination. Will the three deal with their deepest issues and find themselves again? Can the memory of Summer save them all?
The characters are to the extremes. Tyson is Chidi Anagonye on steroids, Lainey is the stereotypical party girl, and Hannah is the archetypical pushover. There is very little character development: only one character really changes. As for the twists for the other two? I saw those coming a mile away. The love stories come so quickly that they make no sense. If you’re into tropes, this novel might be for you.
But the story itself is a great setup. Giffin explores how people handle grief both in the short and long term. Bringing these friends back together and truly caring about one another throughout the years is inspiring. Few of us have such friends that stay so long, especially with life changes. The trip here is secondary: it’s not the story. Instead, it is about friends supporting each other in an effort to help them stay alive.
The Summer Pact has some beautiful ideas and moments. The characters are archetypes to the extreme, but the memory of Summer pushes the reader forward to see what they will do with their lives.
Publication Date: July 9
I received an ARC from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

Lifelong college friends all in very real, very different struggling phases in life. I appreciated how in touch with reality this book tried to be while also giving us all the drama. I loved each one of these characters and I think they did such a great job showing how we memorialize the people in our lives that we lose young. Obsessed with this. The title was so clever! So much depth but it also moved so fast.

Please check the content warnings on this one. They’re listed right away in the book! Otherwise, I would absolutely you pick up this book ASAP. So good and filled with so much travel! AND SO MANY LAYERS.

thank you NetGalley and Random House publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a snooze. I didn’t like it at all. The story is about friends who make a pact to be there for each other in times of trouble. One of the friends catches her fiancé in bed with another woman and the pact is activated as the friends decide to travel to heal her broken heart. From there, the book takes some unexpected turns-but none that matter because the story is so stupid. This is seriously one of the worst books I’ve ever read, which is sad because I love Emily Giffin so much.

I really enjoyed this book about college friends and the ways they stayed supportive and close through the years, even with some ups and downs in their friendship. I'm always a fan of longstanding friendship stories and Emily Giffin always does a great job writing realistic relationships.

A lovely story about 4 college friends. With the loss of one of the friends, the remaining 3 friends make a summer pact.
The story is told in three POV’s which really let us get to know each one individually.
I thought the deep friendships they had formed was beautiful. Each one is flawed and hurting. Can they find peace and go forward?
(Elements in the story contain suicide, addiction and sexuality)
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have really enjoyed most of Emily Giffin’s previous books and was excited to read her latest!

This one started really strong for me. I love books about friendship and the premise was one I was excited for! The first 30% of the book was a solid 4 stars for me but it quickly went downhill for me.

The characters needed more development and there needed to be more on their friendship developing in order for this book to really work. It was hard to have a time jump and not have the solid foundation for the story to sit on.

I also felt this book tried to do too much. It dealt with suicide, racism, alcoholism, and more with much of it feeling like an after school special.

I had such high hopes after starting this book and it just fell flat. I don’t think I’d recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

While, I have enjoyed previous Emily Griffin, books, this book failed in my opinion. It is a well written book, but I struggled with it. I was disappointed in this book and think it might be my last Emily Griffin read

A book about the power of friendship after tragedy told from multiple POVs. I really like Emily Giffin's earlier novels but it's been a long time since I read one. This one didn't measure up to my memories of her past books. The POVs all sounded the same and became repetitive. It was a quick read but not my favorite.

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley! To sum it up, In the aftermath of a tragedy, 3 college friends make a pact that will have them meet up 10 years later for a life changing journey. At times, it was hard to distinguish between the POV of the chapters which didn't add to my reading experience. Overall, It was a lighter read with some heavy heavy topics that are revealed in the beginning of the book.

I walked into this book expecting a romance (probably on me for not reading the description closer and going on title/cover vibes), but instead it was a gorgeous story of friendship. I felt like the ending was a little rushed but overall I really loved these characters, their growth throughout the story, and the ways they showed up for each other.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner is the perfect summer read if you are a book lover! Shelby Archer, an author, comes to Cape Cod to run her friend's bookstore for the summer. This book includes second chance romance, friendship drama, and author/publishing roles. I thoroughly enjoyed being engrossed in all things books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for the advanced digital copy of the book.

I have read many of Emily Griffin’s books and I was so excited to be gifted an advanced read, thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books! I really enjoyed the premise of the story - three best friends bound together by a special pact after losing their friend Summer in a tragic way. However, once they call upon their pact and set off on a trip together, things became a bit ridiculous. The situations were either too much or seemed forced to get in as many situations as possible to be inclusive to too many situations that can be experienced by young adults hoping to find their place in the next chapters of their lives. I definitely enjoyed the ride and still think it’s a great summer read.

I went into this book completely blind and I had no idea what was meant by the Summer Pact. It turns out it is a pact three friends make after their 4th friend commits suicide early into the book. They all came from different backgrounds and met freshman year at college and became the best of friends. After their 4th friend dies and they graduate college, 10 years passes by. The three remaining friends reconnect again and that's when the story takes off.

I always love Emily Giffin's books. I think I have read all of her books. This one was definitely heavier but with a good message. I enjoyed the journey but I wouldn't say it's my favorite of hers. It felt a tad bit drawn out but overall was an entertaining read. It might not be the best fluffy summer read as the title and cover might suggest. There are definitely some trigger warnings to check out before picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

I'm a big fan of Emily Giffin, but this book wasn't quite what I expected. The story deals with some heavy topics, like suicide and addiction, which can be tough to read about. She does a good job handling these issues, but it makes for a pretty emotional rollercoaster.

I loved the travel parts of the book and the reasons why the friends were traveling. It was interesting to see the story unfold from different characters' points of view. It really helped me understand their friendships.

If you're looking for a book that's not just about a fun vacation, but also explores deeper issues, this is a good choice.

Wow, was this awful! I've read 10 books by this author and have given them an average of 4 stars each. Not this one! I actually DNF at 61% and I'm surprised I made it that far. Terrible characters, unnecessary virtue signaling throughout, a lot of telling and no showing. I could go on. Thanks anyway Netgalley.

I really enjoyed the first part of this book. It had depth, it had heartbreak, and it proved how powerful friendship can be. Everyone needs a ride or die group, and Tyson, Lainey, and Hannah were fiercely loyal. They were found family at its finest. I was surprised how quickly I got sucked into the story with such a tragic topic.

Then, the second part took a wild turn, and I wasn’t a fan of where it went. All of the sudden, our wonderful cast became immature and judgmental. I didn’t like the decisions they made or the secrets they hid from each other.

Sadly, this one was a miss for me, but I have seen some good reviews if you’re still wanting to try it!

Emily Giffin knocked it out of the park again with this one! She develops very real characters with very real problems. Reading about this group of friends and the deep subject matter was both moving and devastating. This is a book that is great for anytime but it’s not a light beach read. It’s heavy and you’ll need tissues. It was so much more than I expected. It’s truly a beautiful story.