This was a really cute read with a feel good ending. I read it fairly quickly and related to the main character. I didn't read the first book and it was easy to jump into. I recommended it to my friends who love feel good romance stories.

Simply put, I loved this book! It was a fun read. I loved the good girl/bad boy (but is he really?!) trope, the fake dating, the meddling small town, and just all the things! You don't have to read When in Rome first to enjoy this one, but I would definitely recommend it! Enjoy your time in Rome, Kentucky!

Will and Annie! <3

Annie is known as the sweet, good girl in her family and town. But she is feeling empty and like something is missing. She is tired of hiding parts of herself from her family in order to be what they expect.

Will has perfected the bad boy persona. Growing up with twin goals of escaping his parents and protecting his brother, he has closed himself off from everyone and all feelings.

These 2 though have the ability to give the gift of seeing past the surface to the real self. The gift of being loved for who they are.

Some favorite quotes:

"I think this emptiness has been a result of constantly isolating myself from my feelings. I know who I am and what I want out of life - I've just been ignoring those needs."

"You are a good person, with a -- good heart. You deserve love and to give love."

"It was easier to say I don't believe in love, rather than admitting to myself that I was afraid I wouldn't be loved back."

Another AMAZING and delightful book from Sarah Adams. The girl REALLY knows how to write a romcom.

This book gave off some serious Gilmore Girl vibes and I loved every second of it. This was such a feel-good romantic comedy and I caught myself smiling and laughing out loud so many times.
Will is a bad boy bodyguard with a traumatic past and Annie is a sweet and angelic flower shop owner. The most unlikely duo, right? WRONG. They fit together so perfectly. Annie wants the cookie-cutter marriage in her hometown of Rome, Kentucky where she has roots. Will wants travel, excitement and adventure; marriage and growing roots is a definite no-go for him.

✨Fake Dating
✨Bad boy, bad reputation MMC
✨Sweet and angelic FMC
✨Supportive family and townspeople
✨HEA

This book was exactly what I was hoping for! I loved heading back to Rome, Kentucky and I loved seeing Annie as the MFC! Sarah Adams did a phenomenal job switching over to Annie and Will while simultaneously showing so much of Amelia and Noah. I can’t wait to see where the next books takes us!

Thank you to PRHAudio, Netgalley, and Ballantine my gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Sarah Adams book and the sequel to her book When in Rome (which is on my bookshelf and clearly I need to read it)

I loved the little town of Rome, KY where Annie runs the local flower shop. Quiet, introverted and socially awkward, I couldn't help but love Annie and her sweet, naive ways. After a date gone completely wrong she calls on the help of her sister-in-laws bodyguard, bad boy Will, to help her
"practice" dating. She is looking for settling down and marriage, he is a fly by the night kind of guy and never plans to settle down, this should be easy-peasy, right?

There is a lot of fluff in this book, which was okay and kind of refreshing. From what I can tell Sarah Adams is known for her cleaner romances with mild spice and I would say that is exactly what this was. I look forward to reading the first book in this series.

I loved this book! Sarah Adam’s makes such easy to read books, I swear! I literally read this in one sitting. I loved the first book and this second is sooooo good! Would definitely recommend!

Practice Makes Perfect was one of my most anticipated romance books of 2023, and unfortunately, it was disappointing. The entire time I was reading it, I just wanted to re-read When in Rome.

I found Practice Makes Perfect to be very one note. I liked both main characters, but their dialogue, interactions, and inner monologues were repetitive. My other big issue was that Annie's inner monologue about marriage and needing to find a husband was exhausting. By the end, I no longer cared about them. I just wanted the book to be over.

This is a part of a companion series, and I highly recommend reading When in Rome first. Many of those characters and plot points will make more sense.

I’ll start off by saying I preferred this to When In Rome. The chemistry between Annie and Will is so genuine and fun to read. A very cute, fun, and lighthearted book.

Annie Walker, a small-town sweetheart, longed to find her perfect match in Rome, Kentucky, where dating prospects were dwindling. After being labeled “unbelievably boring” by a date, Annie wondered if she needed to become more outgoing. She sought a tutor and turned to Will Griffin, a handsome and tattooed bodyguard who has returned to Rome temporarily. Will’s objective was to avoid attachments but he reluctantly agreed to help Annie find love. As Annie and Will spent time together, their friendship blurred and revealed hidden depths to Will’s stoic demeanor. Annie began to question her ideal partner and realized that true love may not be perfect but it was real.

Practice Makes Perfect garnered significant praises from readers leaving me with high hopes and expectations. However, while the book was enjoyable to an extent, it failed to fully live up to my expectations despite the overwhelming positive reviews about Sarah Adams’ writings and previous works.

The narrative unfolded with a steady pace with dual POV as a big bonus that kept me in the loop about what the characters felt throughout the story. However, it felt predictable at times, leaving me longing for a more innovative and captivating storyline.

One of the main drawbacks of the book was the characters. While Annie and Will had their moments of growths, their arcs often felt shallow and repetitive. I also found the protagonists immature for their age mentioned in the book. It felt like reading main characters as high school students instead of around 30ish. These left me feeling somewhat detached in their journey.

While this particular book may not have fully met my elevated expectations, it is essential to acknowledge that reading experiences can be subjective. What did not resonate with me may captivate others. The book might had fallen short of my expectations but it still offered moments of literary merit, like emotional scenes that moved me, and engaged me to a certain extent. This might bring me to still try Adam’s early works like “The Cheat Sheet” and “When in Rome”.

(Review is posted in Instagram, Goodreads, and Wordpress.)

ugh so cheesy in the best way. one of my favorite romances i’ve read in a while. the way she would call him random names like wilburt and williamson was so freaking cute. his tattoos <333 i have no nit picking to give 10/10. i knew i was going to love this book.

Another enjoyable book from Sarah Adams. I loved that the story featured a different character that we had already been introduced to in When in Rome. The characters were great and I greatly enjoyed the storyline. Would highly recommend this book.

I swear no one does cozy romances like Sarah Adams!!!! I love having books where the third act break up isn’t a thing because I’m so so tired of it happening… it’s just overdone and unnecessary people!!

This book was just so mature. The ending was incredible and so well done because I hateeeeeee the insta love trope so damn much. Nothing about this book felt insta lovey but the FMC making the start decision not to marry the MMC after just a month of actually seeing each other was incredible! They were both mature even tho she had never been in a relationship and was a virgin and he had fear of relationships.

It was a bit corny but perfectly done as well! Cozy and funny and so easy to read. Sarah always leaves me wanting spice but I don’t mind that there is none because her characters make it just so easy to be loved!

I have a theory on who the next book is about and I cannot wait to see if I’m right 😉😉

I absolutely adored When in Rome, so I was excited to be back in Rome, Kentucky with some familiar names and characters. Sarah Adams writes such fun relatable characters that are hard not to love.
Annie is a 30 year old flower shop owner who is following in her mother’s footsteps even though she didn’t really know her very well because her parents died when Annie was very young. Annie still feels like this is what her mother would want her to do. Will is in town to be the bodyguard for Amelia, who is a pop star and engaged to Annie’s brother Noah. The wedding is just a couple of weeks away and Will has to ensure that Amelia is safe up until she leaves for her honeymoon and then he’s off on his next assignment. Both Annie and Will have lots of family baggage and so neither know how to handle the instant chemistry that happens-especially since “Angel Annie” is a virgin and Will is known for being a womanizing bad boy who doesn’t want to settle down because he saw he toxicity of his parents marriage and doesn’t want that for himself. Naturally, everyone in this small town has an opinion on whether they should be together-they go so far as to create a petition! And thankfully, we have communication between the MC for a change! I love a man who can express how he feels! Yes he had his moments, but overall, he was open with his thoughts and feelings and I am here for it.
This has more spice than When In Rome, so know that going in, but there is nothing explicit.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I started reading this book with such high hopes that it would be exactly the romantic comedy I needed. But honestly, the characters fell flat and it just didn't keep me interested in the story enough.

Favorite romance of the year? I think so!

This has got it all! Bodyguard, fake dating, teaching how to date, butterfly inducing moments and she's a romance reader who turns him into one too. The chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS. SO much love, hope and happiness. It's just gonna make you smile!

This was my first Sarah Adams and OMG I have been missing out! Running to get more of her books now.

This was a super cute fake dating rom-com book. I loved the tension between the main characters. I gave this book 4.5 stars!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Annie is characterized as a sweet, innocent, people-pleaser by her family and basically the entire town of Rome, Kentucky. Will is a tattooed, mysterious body guard for Annie’s soon to be sister in law, Amelia. After a date gone completely wrong, Annie works out an agreement with Will to be her secret dating coach and help her find a husband. The two couldn’t be more opposite and so there’s no chance anyone catches feelings… 🥹

There is so much good in this book. I loved Annie and her growth as a character. I loved Will’s bad boy persona that hides his heart of gold.

Sarah Adams writes books that leave you feeling happy and this one is no different. My only complaint is that I wanted more of Annie and Will’s story.

You’ll love:
- Small town romance
- Florist + bodyguard
- Opposites attract
- Dual pov
- Spicy but not explicit

Sarah Adams books just keep getting better and better! This story was so sweet and both main characters were just so so easy to root for. I do think that this is my favorite of her books (minus maybe The Cheat Sheet), but I'm very hopeful that we get books following the other sisters in the Walker family in the next few years!!!

I normally read fairly spicy romance and a more closed door romance is a refreshing twist and gave me even more longing and heart aches for the characters/situation.

Read this book, its so lovely and very bingable for the summer.

4.5/5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own and are honestly given.

Desperate to break out of her shell, florist Annie Walker enlists help from bodyguard Will Griffin to gain more experience in dating. When real feelings start to develop but life seems to threaten to pull them in opposite directions, Annie and Will have to decide whether their romance has the roots to stick around long-term.

When I think of Sarah Adams, I think of a Hallmark movie in book form. Practice Make Perfect is a breezy summer rom-com that is sure to make her long-term fans happy. It was maybe a little sweet for my personal taste + the characters definitely read younger than 20s-30s. However, since it was released, it has already been a big hit with our patrons, with our physical and digital copies flying off the shelves. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for future books in this series and will be sure to recommend it to readers who enjoy romance on the sweeter side. 3.4 stars