The concept of this one was too good to pass up! Practice Makes Perfect is a fun, light and fast read (take this one on vacation with you, trust me) that follows a small-town florist and a tattooed bodyguard who is there to protect her future sister-in-law (this is a standalone but is connected to another book by Adams as far as I can tell). Annie is known for being the perfect, shy, angelic girl by her family and neighbors, but she's tired of feeling boxed in by this role that's been pushed on her and is ready to find a partner. Will has been hiding from connection from a young age after growing up around his parents' toxic relationship (this man needs THERAPY). When Annie decides she needs dating "practice," Will becomes her teacher, despite the sparks they both feel.
While the writing was a bit literal and cringey at times, this was a fun read! I enjoyed the small town vibes of Rome and think Annie's arc was an interesting one. Getting into Will's head in his POV chapters was great (I love a pining man, what can I say) but I wish he was a bit more self-aware. Great premise, okay execution. I audibly laughed during the little league scene.

This book was adorable! I love, love Annie and Will. I think I love them more than Amelia and Noah! I honestly don't know how Sarah Adams will be able to top this book, but I look forward to reading it!

Annie, the small-town florist with a reputation for being too sweet, meets Will, the famed bodyguard who doesn’t believe in love. What an absolute perfect combo for fake dating (ish) filled with exactly the amount of ‘Just don’t fall in love with me’ moments that you’d expect. This was my first read by Sarah Adams and it was so good – I couldn’t put it down. The communication and character growth from both MCs was so delightful and really sets this apart from other contemporary romance books. (And if you’re wondering, this is a closed-door romance!) I’d highly recommend this book to friends, family, and romance lovers alike.

Thank you Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the chance to fall in love with these characters!

Well. This was a book. It was honestly completely my fault for reading another book by this author knowing I wasn’t a fan of her first one. It was cute, just unfortunately not my style. But if you love quirky main characters then I completely would recommend! I will not be reviewing this book on my social media platforms due to 2 star rating.

This book is Sarah Adams at her finest! Right from the start, I was drawn into the story and characters. I loved how Annie and Will contrasted each other so much initially, and with every layer of the story that was revealed, they gradually realize that they are more aligned than either could've imagined. The love wasn't insta-lovey, but slowly built from mutual attraction and good conversation. I loved how dynamic the plot is, and any story set in the landscape of Adams' Rome, Kentucky contains the perfect roots for an iconic small town romance. I love how attraction was so well portrayed for a close-door romance. I love that Sarah Adams books are a break from the spicy, and this book had the perfect amount of pining, fluff, and substance for the ideal closed-door romance. This book is probably my favorite Sarah Adams book yet, and I cannot wait to read what Adams will release next. If you are a romance lover, this book is a must read!

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

💐 small town romance
🩷 good girl x bad boy
💐 opposites attract
🩷 bodyguard x flower shop owner

Introverted Annie Walker hasn’t had the best luck with dating…or hasn’t dated much at all, really. But now she’s ready to find her perfect someone. So when her sister-in-law’s bodyguard comes back to town, she knows the flirtatious bad boy Will Griffin would be her perfect dating coach. Not wanting to change anything about Annie, Will reluctantly agrees to help her find the love of her life. Only their practice dates and tutoring lessons prove there’s much more than friendship between these two…

Introducing one of my top reads of 2023!!! I loved everything about Annie and Will’s story 🥹 after reading When in Rome last month, I was pleasantly surprised to find out we’d be getting more of the Walker family and Rome, Kentucky. Practice Makes Perfect had me kicking my feet and giggling, and even tearing up a few times. Annie’s an introvert who struggles with social anxiety (it’s me) but has always wanted a happily-ever-after. She thought she knew exactly what she wanted in a man, and with Will’s help, she’d gain the confidence to find that man. But spending time with Will, her polar opposite, forces Annie to realize that maybe she’s had it all wrong.

Annie and Will’s passion and chemistry were undeniable from the first time they meet. Their banter and growing friendship made me giddy! Annie’s been misunderstood all her life, but Will’s the only one who truly SEES her. What I loved most about their relationship was the open and honest communication, something they both struggled to do with others. Their relationship just felt so mature and healthy, and it was refreshing to witness.

And I know this is a closed-door romance but y’all are not ready for Will Griffin 🥵 there was so much palpable tension and, as a lover of spice, I really appreciate how the author handles these scenes.

Practice Makes Perfect WAS perfect. The storyline, the tender romance, the meddling side characters and lovable small town—I ate it all up and wanted more. And thank you Sarah Adams for all the bits of Noah and Amelia 😭🫶🏼

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of PMP, which is available now!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this wonderful book! This was such a fun read! My first by this author but definitely won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two, and found myself smiling multiple times throughout the book. My only critique is the virgin troupe. I find the perfect virgin finds a bad boy to change a little silly, but this book did accomplish it in a very cute way.

As always, Sarah Adams wrote a bingeworthy, delightful, romcom. This closed door yet spicy, and light yet has characters with depth. I love the little Rome, KY community that Adams has created, and my only wish for this book is I would’ve liked a little bit more of the Rome characters she had us fall in love with through the first book. Sarah Adams will always and forever be an auto-buy author for me. The thing I loved most about this book was it felt like Adams was more confident in writing this story, and we were able to see a little more of her personality through these characters. I cannot wait to read her next book in Rome.

Rating: 4/5 stars

I was hesitant to read this as I did not particularly love the first book in this series (When in Rome). To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. It was very cute (albeit a little predictable), but I appreciated the characters and the character development. Some of the background characters are a little one-dimensional, but the main characters were more fleshed out.

Overall, this was a very cute romance about two people who seem to be opposites (but are they?) coming together.

Fine, but forgettable. "Practice Makes Perfect" is very Hallmark. I suppose the flower shop was a clue. Overall, the story is pretty basic and cliche and the writing is not particularly inspiring.

Lots of telling and not showing, so Annie and Will's relationship is not very engaging or action oriented. Lots of repetitive thoughts and not much character development, especially for Annie. I did like that while Will was not interested in relationships, he is still portrayed as very respectful of the people he dates casually. He is very intentional with his actions and doesn't lead people on.

Heads up: fade-to-black. And while this story is not listed as part of a series, it was very clear that it followed an earlier title - lots of repetitive references to the earlier book that were not relevant to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

omg was I happy to be back in Rome, Kentucky. This book was so freaking perfect I can’t even explain it. Annie and Will were #goals to the max. I saw a lot of myself in Annie and I feel like that’s why I loved this book so much. She’s the quiet, nice one who deep down has a little firecracker in her. Will was the perfect book boyfriend. I loved how patient he was with Annie and how he helped her find that firecracker. I loved the appearances from the sisters, Noah and Amelia. I think their connections made this book even better. I loved how another perfect found their family with the Walker siblings. Will’s quote about being yourself out loud has been stuck in my head since I read it that I wrote it on a post it and put it on my door to read every morning. This book is out now so RUN TO READ IT. I’m so excited for the next Rome, Kentucky story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, and Sarah Adams for allowing me to read the eARC!

Sarah Adams does it again!

We go back to Rome, Kentucky which has easily become one of my favorite small towns.

This is the second book in the When In Rome series. You don’t have to read When In Rome first, but you should because it’s great!

Practice Makes Perfect is told through a dual POV. It follows Annie Walker, who owns the flower shop in town, and Will Griffin. Will Griffin is Amelia’s bodyguard and is back in town for the month to keep Amelia safe due to her upcoming wedding to Annie's brother, Noah.

Annie just wants to find her soulmate. And after a failed first date, she asks for help. Will who doesn’t want love or marriage offers to become her "practice date". Will helps her with tips and tricks on how to be more comfortable on a date. During this they both fall hard for each other.

Annie is one of my favorite characters. She is an introvert that just wants everyone to be happy. I love how she found her true self along the way. I loved watching Will’s walls come down slowly. I am so happy he let Annie in.

My favorite scene was the little league game. I could not stop laughing. All the characters in this book are great!

This is the perfect friends-to-lovers romance with all the Gilmore Girls small-town vibes. Such a great book!

I am so excited for the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is perfection. PERFECTION. Believe me when I tell you I was straight up grinning the entire time. I buddy read this one and our texts back and forth were full-on giddy.

Sarah Adams brings us back to Rome, Kentucky where we last met Amelia and Noah in When in Rome. Annie, Noah’s sister, is the star of Practice Makes Perfect and I think I adore her even more than Amelia. Is that possible?

If you follow Sarah Adams on instagram, you know that she writes romances for the anxious girlies where third act bad behavior doesn’t happen. And as an anxious girlie myself, I thank Sarah for her service. 🫡

Sarah Adams has done it again, folks! When in Rome was amazing, and Practice Makes Perfect just might be even better! I have fallen in love with Rome, Kentucky and I was sad to close the covers on this story at the end. Well, I was reading on my Kindle, so I was sad to turn the last page. It doesn't quite have the same effect, but the sentiment is there, all the same!

I loved reading about Annie and Will. Two total opposites who learned to totally love each other. Annie, girl next door who owns a flower shop, and Will, ex-military and tattooed bad boy, don't seem like they'd go together and Annie was very opposed to it from the beginning. But Will had other plans for her. The wit and banter was strong in this story!

Fake dating is such a popular trope in romance stories, but I loved the spin on it that Sarah Adams wrote - dating practice! Seeing Will with Annie in this way was special. And it was these moments that caused them to draw closer together. Will was super protective of Annie and I love that in a male main character!

Another thing that was perfectly done in this story was the communication. I can't stand a romance novel where the main characters have issues due to a miscommunication...and this is so common. In Practice Makes Perfect, there was plenty of open communication, which helped the story to develop beautifully!

There was a scene in the book - I don't want to spoil anything - but it totally reminded me of a scene from Gilmore Girls when the town had to choose between Luke and Lorelai. And this parallel honestly gave me all the feels!

This book was everything, and I can't wait to spend more time in Rome, Kentucky in the future!

🌷🌷Practice Makes Perfect is absolutely perfect! 🌷🌷

By author; @authorsarahadams

You bet your bottom I paused reading this to look into the pirate romance trope. I adored this book so much. It is a fun lighthearted read that I was able to finish in less than a day. I love how the author is able to quickly give us a little backstory from When in Rome, but moves right into Annie & Will’s story. Absolutely entertaining us from the very opening scene. This is a great spin on the classic Audrey Hepburn movie Funny Face, which of course also happens to be Annie’s personal fav. Will aka William aka Wilbert aka Wilson aka Wildon is a dream of a leading man. His every intention is to accept Annie for the shy nervous awkward perfect woman that she is.

“If some jacka** doesn’t take the time to peel back her layers of nervousness to find out who she really is, he doesn’t deserve to have her when she’s at her most comfortable.” 😍

Gosh, this is the first Sarah Adams book that brought tears to my eyes (in a good way). Annie's feelings hit close to home several times. I loved Annie's journey and growth, and how stupidly William fell in love with her, despite trying to resist.
And here's why I like closed-door romances like this one: it takes unmatchable talent to be able to infuse romance and intimacy in gestures and feelings, and the mundane things without having to take it to the bedroom. Practice Makes Perfect served that and more!
Definitely a keeper!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and the author for the ARC via Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! The plot was great and the romance was cute. Would recommend for young adults, cute love story with the normal troupes and was ridiculously adorable

This book was gifted to me by the publisher through NetGallery and all opinions are my own.

#PracticeMakesPerfect #NetGalley

Rome, Kentucky and its nosy little town are at it again in this adorable new RomCom by Sarah Adams. The trope list is epic:
⭐️Friends to Lovers
⭐️Forced Proximity
⭐️Fake Dating
⭐️Bad Boy & Good Girl
⭐️”lessons”/virgin heroine

Dual POV was exactly what this novel needed and getting to know Will Griffin as more than just the “bodyguard” in town from When in Rome (book 1) is what readers were begging for. Sarah Adams delivered! I loved that Will got a story and it’s with “Angel Annie”. Amelia (always obsessed with Audrey Hepburn) sets Will and Annie up for “lessons” so she can find herself a husband eventually. But there’s been some secret pining and the fake dating….. well no spoilers.

SARAH ADAMS DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!!!!! I was such a big fan of the cheat sheet, so when I got to ARC read this one I could not have been more excited and it was so cute. I loved that it had a HEA, and it had Dual POVS, and an adorable epilogue. I don't want to give too much away, but it is so good!

Griffin is peak book boyfriend with his tender heart wrapped in floral tattoos. And his desire for Annie to change absolutely nothing about herself in her quest to become someone different and more exciting. Sarah has written a tender, witty, emotional love story and I adore it to pieces. Will and Annie's journeys as individuals and as a couple were healthy and mature, and I really loved seeing efforts at clear communication and therapy being championed in this story. Honestly, I fell for the bad boy-good girl trope with amazing chemistry between Annie, the girl next door, and Will Griffin, the ex-military, tattooed, emotionally uninvolved, badass bodyguard. Even though they seem like opposites, they find themselves in a pretend relationship to coach Annie to find her future husband, and they are amazingly adorable!