This was a super cute and fun book. I loved how well the characters worked together and appreciated their growth as individuals. At times, the plot felt rushed, but overall this was a great read.

Obsessed!!

If you like romcoms... this book is for you! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this one. In fact, I could not put it down once I started reading. Annie's character spoke to my soul. I laughed, I cried, I devoured this lovely book. I honestly cannot recommend this enough. I plan to read literally everything else this author has written, and have a feeling she just may be becoming one of my new favorites.

Thank you, thank you so so much NetGalley and Dell. My honest opinion is... I wish I could reread it all over again for the first time. I loved every second!

When the owner of the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky, makes a questionable agreement with a tattooed bad boy, a delightful friends to lovers romance begins to bloom.
Goodness, this book. Will “I’m not gonna catch feelings” 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.

I loved Practice Makes Perfect so much! It was so cute and exactly what i expected come from Sarah Adams (that's a good thing). It definitely felt like a comfort read to me and is something I will be returning to for that!

It was very cute friends to lovers storyline. Of course I didn’t enjoy the cursing and innuendos, but Sarah Adams does have a great ability to write relatable characters. There’s so many times where I texted my friend “She’s just like me fr” about things that the main character said or did, and if you can get past the things that I didn’t enjoy, then this book is probably for you.

Sarah Adams can do no wrong. I adore her books with all my heart. Thank you @randomhouse for sending me an e-arc of my most anticipated romance release of 2023, it didn’t disappoint!

Here’s what I loved about this book:
• I just love Rome, Kentucky
• the dating coaching
• Annie’s historical romance
love
• the CHEMISTRY
• the growth of Annie and
Will <3

This book was perfection. From page one, it felt like a warm hug and returning to Rome was like seeing old friends again.

Will and Annie are such complex characters and I loved seeing each layer of who they are get peeled back as the fell in love and became more confident in themselves. Also, this was Sarah Adams spiciest (not steamy) book yet and I was HERE for it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5
Steam: fade to black
TW: past death of parents, toxic childhood life

First of all this dedication>>>>>>>
This one is for the softies. The tenderhearted sweeties. The introverts who are afraid to shine.

This book is warm, sweet, hilarious, heartfelt & absolutely wonderful. I love it!!!
I love Annie, Will, Annie's whole family & even these whole nosy-can't-mind-their-own-damn-business people of the town😂


Thank you so much for the review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Summary: A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.

5/5 stars
Bodyguard x small town flower shop owner
This is the second in the series for the small town of Rome. I not only fell in love with the characters, but the setting, too!
The banter, tension, and budding romance between Will and Annie was comedic and adorable.
Now I need to go back and read the first to prepare for #3! I'm hooked!

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams is a tension-filled, romcom, that will have you smiling the whole way through!

This book is a spin-off of her last book “When in Rome” and follows Annie that was introduced in the first book. It takes place in Rome, Kentucky, a small town where everyone knows each other and their business. Annie Walker is Noah’s sisters and business neighbor. She owns a flower shop and has always been treated like the town’s “sweetheart” and “angel”.

This story also follows, Will Griffin. He is the “bad boy”, and bodyguard to Rae Rose. The world sees him in only one way and he does not care to change his reputation. Annie gets anxious in social situations and that includes dating. She is ready to put herself out there but feels like she needs to practice dating first. Will doesn’t have much to do in the small town of Rome while he waits for Ameila’s wedding. So he makes the perfect practice person for Annie.

I loved getting to know both Will and Annie and seeing the layers to them other than what they come across to those around them. Will was so sweet, gentle, and understanding, and gave Annie the space she needed to figure out who she was. Will and Annie had so much chemistry and easy banter, the sparks were flying between them from the start. There were funny and goofy moments alongside sweet and tender ones.

I was hooked from chapter one and didn’t want it to end! The romance was so sweet, but I also loved Annie’s journey of finding herself and what she wants in life. If you are looking for an opposites-attract, swoony romance, this one is for you!

Thank you so much to Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the most charming series. Who doesn't love a sweet and protective bodyguard with a heart of gold?

I loved this one! I couldn't put it down. Annie and Will both just drew me in to their story, as did their town and the people around them. I can't wait to continue the rest of this series.

Thanks to Ballantine for the free book.
I adore Sarah Adams' romances and I am overjoyed each time she writes a new one. I was so excited to be back in Rome, Kentucky, this time with Annie. Annie is a lovable flower shop owner, and the youngest of the Walker siblings. I love how her and Will get paired up to help her figure out how to date. Will was easy to fall for. The pacing of the friendship here was perfect. The author built up such fun banter and flirting between these characters. This book isn't only about learning to date but exploring past trauma, sibling relationships, and what healthy relationships can be. I can't wait to be back in Rome again.

Loved this one! I really enjoyed When in Rome, so I was really excited to dive into Practice Makes Perfect. I love the town of Rome and the nosy neighbors. Annie and Will were a perfect balance for each other. The book isn’t spicy but you really don’t miss it because it’s such a cute RomCom. Fake dating with a hot bodyguard is all you really need to know about it. Definitely check it out!

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I hadn’t heard anything about it before but it was so cute. Easy and quick read with a plot that kept me hooked.

I love Annie so much. She is me. I am her. I don't think I've ever connected with a character so much as I did with her. I hope to one day find my Will.

Thank you netgalley for the arc :)

Enjoyed reading this book overall. It started off strong for me (Will is totally swoon-worthy 😍), slowed down a bit in the middle, but then finished off good, albeit a tad rushed. Adore Sarah's writing, although this one seemed a little edgy as far as language goes (compared to her other books).

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! Much appreciated!

When starting the book, I didn’t know how the “tough” bodyguard would end up with the “sweet” flower shop owner. I absolutely loved how many expectations this book subverted! Will and Annie’s journey to discover that they were absolutely perfect for each other was so refreshing to read! The references to historical romances were perfection! I also love the small-town-in-your-business feel! It was also really fun to see the growth from all of the characters from the first book.

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

There’s just something about Rome, Kentucky that I adore! This book was so sweet and funny! I was laughing on just about every page! I absolutely love Will and Annie! I think it’s cool that the characters have the stereotypes that wouldn’t make them right for each other, which is exactly what makes them right for each other! Both characters’ stories about trying to find out how to be themselves in the face of their trauma was really heartbreaking, yet heartwarming to watch.
I can relate to Annie a lot, especially with Will’s assessment that she’s waiting for someone to give her permission to be the person she wants to be. It felt almost too relatable, like the book was calling me out 😂! I think Will is one of the most supportive MMC’s I’ve ever read!
Anyone who loves fake dating where the couple basically already know they aren’t faking anything should read this book!

Annie Walker feels like something is missing from her life and she is on a mission to find it. She wants to find the perfect man to complement her life but there aren't too many options in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. After she overhears her date call her boring, she wonders if she will ever find the one.

Will Griffin is back in Rome to serve as the bodyguard for pop star Amelia Rose leading up to her wedding to Noah Walker and he thinks he might die of boredom. He made a deal with himself to stay as detached from this small town as possible. But when Amelia suggests that Will help Annie as her "dating coach" everything changes. The residents of Rome only see Will as the tattooed, "bad boy" bodyguard but through their dating lessons, Annie starts to get to know Will under the surface. As Will is tutoring Annie on how to have a great first date, he begins to see that this town has pushed Annie into the sweet, "good girl" stereotype when there is so much more to her.

I loved being back in Rome, Kentucky, and getting to know Noah's sister, Annie! She is an introverted sweetheart with a spunky fun personality that has been hidden from her friends and family for too long. I also loved getting to know Will's softer side and watching him support and push Annie into her true self. Annie and Will had so much chemistry and I found myself smiling at several points throughout the book as they discover they are falling in love with each other. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, "When in Rome," you will love this one too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't love it. I don't know if it's because I haven't read a rom-com in awhile and have been deep in a fantasy world lately, but I just found the characters irritable. Annie's character was written like a teenager when she's encroaching 30. It made her really unbearable. I liked Will's character, but new from his first chapter what the conflict of the story was going to be -- there was zero suspense, zero guessing. We knew immediately that his parents had relationship problems which impacted his view on commitment and that it was going to hold him back from being with Annie who all she wanted was to get married.