I was so EXCITED to read this book, and it certainly lived up to the hype! Sarah Adams killed it again with this cute, swoon-worthy romance. If you are looking for a warm, fluffy read, this definitely checks off those boxes. Even though its a closed door romance, there is still steam/tension/spice.

The banter between Annie and Will had me kicking my feet and I couldn't put the book down. The dynamic of "Girl next door" and "tattooed bad boy" worked really well in this book. Their relationship was healthy and we STAN a man who can communicate. This will be added to my list of comfort reads. I've already read this book twice.

I haven't read the first book in this series, but you can still read it as a stand-alone (like I did). Now I want to go back and read the first book!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Small town
fake dating
Bodyguard and a florist
Friends to lovers

Rate⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Giving this book a solid 3.5
Because honestly I felt like the FMC was immature and I never like that kinda trope also not a huge fan of the storyline “Boy" is going to teach her how to approach men because she's dumb and innocent and she just Kept on repeating the same thing which was a happy stable marriage and it was a turn off for me as a reader
While on the other hand, I just loved Will's character we all need this kinda boyfriend/husband in our life (hot understanding as well as good at communicating)which was a green flag !!
I adore all the cute moments especially making out in public (I also have a thing for kissing or making out in public)
Overall I enjoyed this book it was a cute and fluffy rom-com book that I haven't read for a long time
So if you are looking for YA romance then this book is for you

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book! Annies inner monologue had me cracking up SO many times!! I listened to the audio book and found myself literally laughing out loud at so many different parts and the freaking accent Amelia tried doing had me dying 🤣🤣 I’m not ready to leave Rome so I hope we get more books from this series! ❤️

I picked up 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 not realizing it was #2 in Sarah Adams'' 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘦 series but it totally worked as a stand-alone (and I'll be going back to read the first one). Broody bodyguard meets quirky florist plus fantastic banter and small-town charm equals a complete delight!

4.5 stars

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine for the copy to review.

Ｂｏｏｋ ｒｅｖｉｅｗ

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 by Sarah Adams
Published: May 2, 2023 by @randomhouse
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: Physical book (duh!), and eBook via @NetGalley

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
✽ RomComs
✽ Closed-door romance
✽ Fake dating trope
✽ Journey of self-discovery
✽ Hot men with sexy tattoos
✽ Small town setting (Hello Rome, Kentucky!)

Huge thank you to @NetGalley and @randomhouse for gifting me an eBook ARC of this book. It allowed me to keep my physical book pristine at home while I read on my Kindle at the lazy river at Typhoon Lagoon! #gifted #netgalley #practicemakesperfect

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
The perfect romance doesn’t exi…stop. Stop everything right now and read this series. I adored When in Rome, but the limit does not exist on how much I loved this book. You may ask - but Mel, I saw that it took you over a month to read it, why? Why?! Because I don’t know when the next time I’ll be traveling to Rome, Kentucky will be, so I savored every moment.

Adams’ writing is funny, adorable, and, while it is cheesy, it’s the kind of cheese that makes you grin from ear to ear, close the book, and hold it tight against your chest while you daydream of being friends with Annie, Amelia, and the rest of the squad.

Will I read another romance book this year? More than likely. Will I give it 5 stars after being blessed with Practice Makes Perfect AND Happy Place in the same month? Doubtful. Are these two books my new all-time favorite romance books? You betcha! 🩷🩷

better late than never right??? i got this as an arc a few months ago but it never felt like the right time to read it until this week and now i am kicking myself for waiting so long (typical).

Sarah is my all time favorite comfort author, i absolutely adore ever book of hers that i’ve read and this time was no different! i seriously cannot remember the last time i had this much fun with reading a book 🥹

i have to start this with my heart is actually SO fulfilled that we got such insanely good cameos of amelia, noah and all of my favorite people from when in rome. like god bless you sarah for that because i am still so obsessed with Amelia/Noah that i would read about them grocery shopping if she put it out into the world 😂

before starting this i was so sure that nobody could top grumpy pie making Noah Walker but holy damn was i wrong. Will Griffin is THE book bf of the year for me. i honest to god actually BLUSHED multiple times over how charming and smooth talking this man was. not even the dirtiest toe curling things i have read in the past have ever accomplished that??? i also seriously adore how he was so desperate to help Annie in her journey to find herself but always asked her to never change the things that make her Annie :’)

one of my favorite things about this series so far is how relatable she makes the fmc. i think that i connected with this book so much because i am literally Annie personified lol. the quiet, shy, doesn’t want to do anything to hurt people even if it hurts me kinda girl who lacks so much inexperience in the world due to just plain old being scared to put myself out there. i think that everyone deserves to have a will griffin (platonically or romantically) in their life to help them live life to the fullest.

also while this book still remained closed door can we just talk about how insanely hot and tension filled this was?????

honorable mention to how will legit took pictures of her all the time secretively because he thought she was beautiful and deserved to have good pictures of herself😭

ok anyway i feel like theres 10 billion other things i could ramble on about and if you’re still not sold on how much fun i had reading this i have tons of updates you can go through and see more of my obnoxiousness.

some featured tropes:
small town, stars hollow vibes
literal human sunshine flower shop owner/cynical grumpy hot tattooed bodyguard
fake dating
he falls fast and HARD

lastly, she reads pirate smut & he wants to help her reenact them 😏

Sarah Adams did it again, I absolutely adored Annie and Will. A bodyguard with full sleeve of tattoos who is afraid to love? SIGN ME UP.

Sarah wrote a tender, emotional, witty love story that I could not put down. The growth these two go through is so amazing, could not stop smiling the whole time. I am so lucky to have receive an early copy of this book. I cannot recommended this book enough, EVERYONE needs to get their hands in this book!

If you need me I'll be sitting in a flower shop in Rome!

I received an ARC of this book and couldn’t have been more excited. The first book in this series “When in Rome” was going to be hard to beat, but this met that challenge! Annie was one of my favorite sisters from the first book so I was excited she got her own story. Will was the last person people expected her to be with, but clearly opposites attract here! Another great book by Sarah Adams!

If you are looking for a sweet small town romance look no further!

I loved this new romance by Sarah Adams! I liked it even more than When in Rome. I was looking for comfort read when I picked it up and that’s exactly what I got. I would have finished it in one sitting if life hadn’t gotten in the way. I’m giving it 4.75/5 stars because I’m difficult and don’t give out five stars very often. A great spring/summer read

Thank you @netgalley for letting me read Practice Makes
Perfect!
I loved this trip back to Rome, Kentucky to visit all my favorite
characters and get to know two new ones! Annie is Noah's
younger sister and Rome's very own flower shop owner who
feels it's time to settle down. The only problem is, she is so
awkward on dates, her most recent one ended abruptly.
Amelia and Noah's upcoming wedding have been publicist
anxious about crazy fans, so they send in her bodyguard Will
to make sure everything goes smoothly and safety. Annie has
always thought Will was gorgeous, but she seems to be able
to really talk and feel comfortable with him. They strike up a
deal for him to be her practice dating partner so she can
become more comfortable and snag the perfect husband.
The problem is, the lines between practice and real attraction
become hazy the more they are around each other.
Rome, Kentucky might be my new favorite fictional town!
Between Noah and Amelia's sweeping love affair, Annie's kind
heart, Emily's protector mode and Maddie's fun loving spirit,
they are all characters I've fallen in love with. Mabel's
grandmotherly advice and spunky personality along with her
arguments with Harriet make me want to meet her maybe the
most. I love the character development in this book, it makes
me want to hang out with all of this community in Rome.
Peeling back the layers of Annie in this book as she and Will
became closer, revealed a more complex character than what
we first saw. I loved how comfortable she felt with Will and
how she was able to broaden her horizons and figure out
who she really was and wanted to be. This was such a
heartwarming story of community, growing into yourself, and
realizing life goals change, and love can conquer all.

I absolutely adored this book! I read When In Rome before this and I thought there is no way the second book could top this but was I wrong… yes absolutely! The characters were all just so enjoyable and fun to read about! The banter between Will and Annie. Even being closed door you could just feel angst between the characters! This was just an all around sweet and fun read! I definitely recommend 5/5 ⭐️’s.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grumpy/Sunshine is my all-time favorite pairing. Our leading guy Will doesn’t necessarily qualify as grumpy as he is a perfect teddy bear boyfriend. But I got all the joy of a grumpy/sunshine pairing with this story. Our leading lady Annie is the perfect sunshine character. Annie challenging her good girl persona to discover her true self was skillfully done by this author for great character depth.

I love Annie as an awkward introvert who loves flowers and smutty romances. She is such a fun character as she gets nervous and doesn’t know how to function in the dating world. Which leads to spilling drinks, ten-minute rants on the reproduction cycle for plants, and confessing her need to start a family. Also, the fact that she is a virgin makes her the butt of her sister’s jokes.

The story had a set up for being super spicy but did not give the juicy details. So, I would say it is a classy tasteful smut by skipping over the details in the scenes.

So much trauma in our leading characters’ past and the author addressing mental health and validating therapy made this reader happy.

LOVED LOVED!! Sarah Adams knows how to write cute romance books and this is no exception!!

Thank you so much for the ARC!!

Like all her books, this was very cute. Nothing super memorable but I still enjoyed it.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy

The first thing I have to say is that although I liked the story, this was not what I expected. I have had a hard time knowing how to rate this and review it with such mixed feelings.

1: Not a closed door romance. It is more fade to black than anything and for me, that almost made me DNF. I wasn't comfortable, personally, with the level of intimacy described here. Movies and books feel different in this position, which is unfair, yes, but I didn't like this. It is a big thing for me, which is why I gave this a three.

2: Overall, the story was great. I loved the character development. Both Will and Annie have such great character arcs through the book that make you root for them individually and as a couple.

3: I fell a little more in love with little southern towns, but I'm glad I don't live in one that small.

It had some great things to recommend it, to be honest. But unfortunately the intimacy level kind of ruined it for me. I'm hoping the coming works by Sarah Adams are more like the Cheat Sheet when it comes to steam. That was more my style.

Okay so I loved When in Rome and didn’t realize that this was going to follow one of the sisters. When I finally connected the dots and that it was sweet Annie with her flower shop, I was sold. Similar to When in Rome, this was such a sweet and fun romcom.

The laughter and friendship that forms between Annie and Will is just… perfection. Even down to her trying to guess what “Will” is short for - and her guesses are fucking epic. Annie is a virgin and hasn’t really dated much, she’s quiet and kinda stays to herself. Amelia, who we met in When in Rome, urges Will to be Annie’s practice boyfriend after a disastrous date. So we kinda get those fake dating vibes, but they become such great friends, it kinda turns into friends to lovers. AND, it’s still within that small ass town, so small town romance vibezzzz.

This book even had me crying at 9 AM. AND, I love that they have honest and hard conversations with one another, don’t string each other along, even while working through their own stuff. Just… Sarah Adams truly blew me away with this one and it instantly became my favorite of hers!

Read if you like:
💐Small town vibes
💐Friends to lovers
💐Fake dating
💐Opposites attract

I loved this sweet, lighthearted story! The small town southern setting, witty characters and laugh out loud moments made this really enjoyable. The honesty and open communication between Annie and Will is so refreshing. Their chemistry is magnetic and Will is so damn perfect. 🔥
Along with their love story, Sarah Adams incorporates tough topics like grief, complex family relationships and healing from trauma in a meaningful way. Definitely recommend this!

4/5⭐️
After adoring “When in Rome” I was ecstatic to be approved for “Practice Makes Perfect.”
Sarah has a wonderful knack for tastefully making you swoon and blush with her romances! Will and Annie are OTP. Sarah’s character backgrounds are so rich and immersive, you really feel like you intimately know these people. I really love the dual pov and getting both sides of the love story. In this one, sweet virginal Annie doesn’t know how to date or flirt… or put herself out there… herself being this portrayal of innocence everyone seems to assume on to her. But one man wants to take the time to find the Annie that no one appreciates. Too bad Will is not marriage material… or even relationship material. But when an idea forms that smooth operator ladies man Will, be Annie’s practice date until she can get the confidence to go on her own. But as they practice, they realize that maybe they are perfect together! Can this tatted, sexy swaggering scoundrel keep the heart of the fair lovely maiden without hurting her? Is this actually one of the pirate romances Annie adores? I rooted for them all the way to HEA!

Sarah, I adore your books and you’ll now be an auto buy for me. Please tell me Madison and a certain Farmer are next?!?! Or maybe Brandon and Emily? Hahaha I ship them!

“It’s the kind of love that just works and makes everyone around them envious. It’s what I want. The super-glue-sticky, not-going-anywhere, till-death-do-us-part relationship. Someone to step up beside me and lend me his hand where we’ll walk happily together through life.”

This second installment the When In Rome series brings us back to Rome, KY with Annie the florist and Will the bodyguard. Annie is on a mission to not be the “boring date” and ends up with Will’s help as her “dating coach”.

“It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.”

Practice Makes Perfect is the PERFECT mix of laughter and heart warming swoon wrapped up in a pretty little bow. Annie is so relatable! She is cute, shy, quirky, hilarious and loves her pirate romance books! And can we PLEASE take a moment to discuss how perfectly swoon-worthy Will is? He is tatted, broody, but deep down he is a warm, gooey cinnamon roll who is head over heels for Annie. Plus his grand gesture at the end?!? That is some serious dedication! It’s no secret I enjoy steam in my books, but I never felt like anything was lacking in this, even though it’s closed door. The angst and the raw feelings and the connection are conveyed so perfectly, as they typically are in Sarah’s books. Dare I say this is my all time favorite book of hers so far?

What’s On The Pages:
-tattooed bodyguard
-“dating coach”
-fake dating
-guy falls first (at least I felt like he did)
-a love for pirate romance novels (I think I literally tabbed all of Chapter 20 🤭)
-cinnamon roll MMC
-sneaking in candid photos
-“Anna-Banana”

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam: 🔥/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Dell Books for this eARC! Practice Makes Perfect out now!

Very sweet love story! I liked the main characters and the town dynamic. Small town romances are one of my favorite tropes! I'll need to read the first book in the series now..