I loved this book so much. I felt like I was living alongside these friends and Annie. I loved the small business ownership aspect because of owning a small business myself. The chemistry between Will and Annie was one that I'll remember, and I will be recommending it to all of my friends.

I always love when it feels like forbidden love prevails because the tension feels so good between the two! I'm glad that both characters found out more about themselves through the process as well. It gives the romance a little more depth.

Welcome back to Rome, Kentucky. Annie Walker is tired of being described as sweet, innocent and angelic by her siblings and the rest of the residents of Rome. It makes her feel like she doesn’t have anything of depth to offer and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Will Griffin (executive protection officer to Annie’s soon to be sister in-law) sees Annie for the amazing woman she is and that terrifies him. Annie wants nothing more than to meet the love of her life and settle down, but she’s terrible at dating. Cue Will to be her dating coach. What could possibly go wrong?

Part of why romance novels like this one have been speaking to me lately is that I absolutely know where the story is going, but I don’t care because the journey is so fun. I love the quirky small town characters, the silly banter between the siblings and the sexual charge between Annie and Will. And, it’s clean enough that I can recommend it to my teen romance readers.

Can’t wait for the next installment.

Sarah Adams' Rome, Kentucky series is so cozy
This is only book 2 of 4 but I am so freaking excited
Pirate Song - Ben Barnes
Will and Annie are so precious. I love how they talk. Like the act of talking. About everything and they're grocery shopping trip. Mabel is a freaking cutie.
Seriously, can't speak highly enough :)

Oh, dear sweet innocent Annie, a flower shop owner in Rome Kentucky wants to settle down and have a family but is that what she wants or just everyone's expectations of her? A hot off-limits bodyguard (cough cough executive protection agent) comes back to town and is convinced to become Annie's dating coach, but sets clear rules that he "doesn't date". Their lessons might just bring these two opposites closer to finding the missing piece in both of their lives.

Sarah Adams has done it again, if you like slow-burn and Audrey Hepburn romances you'll be sure to enjoy this one.

As much as I loved Amelia and Noah's story this one had almost all the things I look for in a good cheesy romance, my rating: 4.5⭐'s

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this advance copy!

In Practice Makes Perfect we are brought back to the small town of Rome, Kentucky and get a glimpse into the lives of Noah’s sister/ local flower shop owner Annie Walker and Amelia’s tattooed bodyguard Will. The two scream opposites in every way, but when Will offers to help Annie break through her shell and gain confidence with dating, the two form a relationship way beyond attraction. The only problem is that Annie is looking for her soulmate while Will does not believe in relationships.

I only have positive things to say about this rom-com. It was sweet, funny, entertaining and filled with a fabulous cast of main and supporting characters. I love how Adam’s wrote an introverted FMC who struggled with her own anxiety but was open to stepping outside her comfort zone. Will was the perfect hero to support Annie through this process and the way he always checked in with her before making any move was perfection. Also, if you were a fan of Noah and Amelia in When in Rome, get ready for many cameos of their HEA.

Read if you like:
-Bad boy/good girl
-Fake dating
-Closed door romance
-An introverted FMC
-Stern brunch daddy hero
-Flower shops
-Dating lessons

Pub date: 5/2. Thank you Random House for the ARC!

Practice Makes Perfect ARC
Sarah Adams
Stars: 4.5/5
Spicy Level: 2/5

I received an ARC of this book through the publisher, and I am in love. This story was absolutely adorable and had me blushing and squealing. I blew through this book and fell in love with the cute little town of Rome and its snoopy townspeople.

Everyone sees Annie Walker as the angelic youngest child who took over her grandmother’s flower shop. She’s sweet, loveable, and desperately wants to be in love. Underneath the overalls and the perfect sibling persona, Annie has an addiction to bodice rippers and the desire to finally settle down with her one true love so she can live happily ever after. Annie knows she needs a nice, normal guy, but her heart longs for her soon-to-be sister-in-law's broody, tattooed bodyguard Will. When Annie and Will strike a deal to teach Annie how to date, the whole town might lose their minds, and Annie and Will might lose their hearts.

Honestly, I loved basically everything about this book. It was sweet, funny, honest, and so heartfelt. I loved Annie as a character. She felt relatable, silly, and like the perfect rom-com heroine. The way she talks to herself in her head as though she’s living out one of her romance novels made me chuckle, and the fact that she grows into the woman she wants to be made my heart happy. Will was the perfect broody protection agent, and I loved him, even though I also wanted to hit him for thinking he was an emotionless romance hater. The combination of their personalities almost seemed like opposites attract, until Annie dove deeper into herself and started considering who she really was and what she wanted. Their chemistry was so good, and anytime Will taught Annie a new dating lesson, I grinned like an idiot. I also loved that even in the middle of a tension-charged scene, Will always got Annie’s consent and made checking in hot.

Sarah Adams has mentioned that she writes romance books for anxiety girlies, and it's true. While there is some relationship drama, there isn’t a big break-up, and you know Will and Annie end up together. While I tend to prefer spicy books, this one faded to gray, or at least offered very vague, and I still adored it. If you haven’t read one of Sarah’s books, then get going. This is my favorite by her so far, and I can’t recommend it enough.

CW: mentioned death, grieving, Alzheimer’s disease, mentioned stalking

This was a very sweet rom-com. A perfect feel-good book when you need something to cheer you up. I liked the style and would recommend to readers who like chick lit. I will look for this author again!

I am a big fan of Sarah Adams, and have loved all of her books. I thought this one was paced well, and had characters you couldn’t help falling in love with. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

5 stars

Review in a nutshell: I loved this book!!! So much. Literally enjoyed every minute.

Stream of consciousness thoughts…
Annie and Will- how can you not love them immensely. Pirate romances? I didn’t know I needed them. I laughed out loud. I loved getting to see Amelia and Noah more. The front cover design? Literally amazing and perfection. Both characters had such a strong voice. Lighthearted, tender, sweet, swoony, romantic. Loved the good girl/bad boy trope. Loved seeing Annie really come into her own. Telling everyone I know to please read this book. So excited there will be more of Rome, Kentucky.

I waffled between 4.5 and 5 but honestly for sheer delight of reading and for what it is- a contemporary rom-com, it’s a good 5-star book for me. I can overlook a slight lack of depth in certain areas or a pulling the story forward at a faster pace than I’d prefer because that’s the nature of the genre.

I received a free copy from NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

This book had me laughing out loud few times throughout the book. I loved it. The whole body guard and flower girl who reads pirate romance is ways a win I want more in this series.

Thank you to Random House for our copy of Practice Makes Perfect!

This book comes out May 2, 2023!

Rating: 4.5 to 5 ⭐️
Genre: Romance

Thoughts: Sarah Adams is the 👸 of closed door romance!👏👏👏

I enjoyed When In Rome SO much so I knew I needed to read Practice Makes Perfect!

This book did not disappoint! 🥰 I loved Annie and Will so much

Read this book if you like:
-small town romance
-witty banter
-close door romance
-stories that surround siblings!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc! All views and options are my own.

I’m a huge fan of friends-to-lovers, fake dating, and small town romances. This book had all the ingredients for an unputdownable book. I was immediately intrigued by Annie and Will from the description and from the cover (flower shop girl and tall dark and handsome - LOVE!). However, I don’t love the writing style and it took me out of the book. I really wanted to love this book, but the characters felt forced and a bit two dimensional. I didn’t feel attached to the characters and understand their motivations like I wanted to.

That said - this might just be due to my writing style preferences and I know that anyone who’s read the first book in the series and other books by the author will probably devour this book in one sitting!

A very sweet romance that ticks all the boxes I'm looking for in a romance: banter, slow build relationship from friends to something more, yearning. You can tell Annie and Will actually like each other and care for one another and that is often missing in contemporary romances. Yes, they pine and yearn for each other, both having an attraction right away, but this stays away from insta-love (and kinda winks and diverts this trope at the end), instead focusing on these two as they become friends and confidants, then turn into something more as they vocalize their feelings.

Also, the characters communicate! So often romances rely on miscommunication to create a conflict, which is unnatural and aggravating. Annie and Will talk and confide in each other - and the last third conflict is one that they've been discussing and knowing is coming for the entire book. Neither character has to change themselves to be in the relationship - in fact Annie and Will are adamant to not allow the other to give up what they really want. This made the love between them really evident. It is refreshing to see this more and more in romances. They are more realistic, especially when you have adult characters.

There is definitely a Gilmore Girls - Star Hollow feel to this book (more so than When in Rome) and I liked it, even though the town hall meeting felt almost word-for-word a scene from the show. And the ending was a little cringey and over-the-top cheesy, but I'll overlook it since the rest was so strong.

A good, heartfelt, cozy romance that was exactly what I needed.

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I had been aware that this was the second book in a series of other couples, but I could not stand the constant mentions of the past book couple. Like we get it.. you’re a pop star that moved to a small town. Another issue with this book I found was just the amount of cliches that made me outright cringe. I only got 15% into the book, but I already seemed to know all of the plotlines and third act conflicts.

I loved this novel. It showed us that preconceived notions are rarely what a relationship is based on.

Second in the series and this is just as good as the first. We follow Will coming back to be Amelia's "E.P.A" and running into Annie.

Annie is a sweet introvert who has always been babied. Will shows her the world she is missing and teaches her a few lessons on living life.

I really hope Maddy and James story is next.

I didn't think Sarah Adams could top When In Rome but she only keeps getting better and better. I loved Annie and Will's story and appreciated the open communication as they navigated their relationship. The Walker family and the town of Rome lives rent-free in my head and I only hope we'll get more stories for them. Will, in all his tattooed glory, was swoony and sensitive and Annie was so earnest and so sweet - but strong and tenacious - underneath it all, you couldn't help but fall in love and root for them.

Looooved it. An adorable look at the changes a life can need and how they're not always the changes we thought they would be.

What a beautiful story! I loved Annie’s character and related so much to her. Will and Annie are a dream together. Such good character growth, and I loved the cameos of all the other characters from When in Rome. Sarah Adams knocked it out of the park again!

OMG THIS BOOK. Favorite romance of the year so far!! Fake dating, bad boy and good girl, small town, recurring characters from book one?! This is a closed door romance but it felt steamier than many open door romances. I was SWEATING. I loved it all. 6/5 stars.

So glad I stuck it out on this one. The first chapter was not promising- Learning about Annie was pretty cringe. Long blonde hair that's simultaneously unruly and adorable? Check. So tiny she's basically a hot elf on the shelf? Check. Dead parents? Check. Everyone in town foaming at the mouth to protect her? Check.

That being said, I'm always a sucker for the grumpy one loves the sunshine one, and this was a good example of that trope. It gave me It Happened One Summer vibes, but with much less spice.