I will read anything Sarah Adams writes!
The fake dating trope and the bad boy/good girl aspect made for a perfect, swoon worthy romance. I loved When in Rome, so I was excited to still be in Rome, Kentucky (which has big Stars Hollow vibes) with Annie and Will. Annie is so sweet but longs for surprise and adventures, and Will is the bad boy, bodyguard that doesn't believe in true love. They are obviously a match made in Heaven. I loved watching Annie and Will fall in love with each other. It was is so sweet and will have you falling in love with them, too.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Loved this read! This is my first Sarah Adams book and it did not disappoint. Coming from someone who did not read When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect can definitely be read as a standalone. This read was cute and funny! Our main character Annie is determined to improve her romantic life after a date gone wrong. She is able to recruit some help along the way and things get very interesting from there! This pick is full of romance, quirky moments, sibling love, family grief, and self-discovery.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

*4.5 stars!

this was so so so adorable, i loved annie and will!! i think i liked this one just a teeny tiny bit more than when in rome (i gave both the same rating though).

i saw so much of myself in annie and i think that’s why i liked her and this story so much. i can’t wait to see more of both her and will in the coming books in this series!

there were a few times where both of the characters frustrated me (as happens with basically every book for me), and there was some back and forth that i didn’t love, but it wasn’t enough to affect my rating more than -0.5.

I loved this book and the whole series so far. Somehow the characters seemed completely different and yet not so different at the same time. The author described both characters evolution so well, and to me that's a huge sign of a good book. I really felt for their growth journey. I also definitely laughed out loud at times, especially with the siding scene. The supporting characters are so sweet and well defined and I just want to live with them.

Rome, Kentucky is the hometown of my dreams. I love reading about this quirky community full of love for one another. Also, who wouldn’t be excited to read about a flower shop owner/inexperienced dater fake dating a hot bodyguard. I mean… this book has pirate romance novels, practice kissing, and a swoon worthy ending. If you loved the Cheat Sheet or When In Rome, Practice Makes Perfect is another gem. Sarah Adams knows what she’s doing! I can’t wait to read the rest of her novels.

I recommend this novel for fans of fake dating, small town romance, and Audrey Hepburn movies. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it releases. You won’t regret it!

When in Rome girlies, this one is for you! Sarah Adams is back with her second book in her Rome, Kentucky, "series" and it is BEYOND. Practice Makes Perfect follows Noah's baby sister, Annie Walker, as she is tutored on all things romance by Amelia's bad boy bodyguard Will.

Told in dual perspectives, Practice Makes Perfect is a sweet fake dating, opposites-attract, mutual pining contemporary romance full of cute language that immediately drew me in. The small town setting gives off strong Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow vibes and I'm here for it. This novel, chock full of banter galore, offers even more insight into the Walkers and Rome than When in Rome. A perfect companion to When in Rome, and I already can't wait for Adams' next book in the franchise.

This is a tender romcom with plenty of laugh out loud moments with the tight-knit Walker family. Annie is the youngest and also the most angelic according to her older siblings, but she is tired of being pigeon-holed into this role. She loves her swashbuckling, pirate romance novels and dreams of a man who will sweep her off her feet, but she just can't get past the first date, Along comes Will, the handsome tattooed outsider that agrees to be her Dating Coach. Annie feels safe with Will but Will doesn't do long term relationships or marriage. However, Annie can't stay away and neither can Will.

I'm not a big fan of the "practice dating" romcom trope but this one had some sweet and heartwarming moments as well as some hilarious family and small town hijinks that made me belly laugh. If you are the fan of a (mostly) wholesome romance between the good girl and the bad boy, then this is the book for you. It's a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Practice Makes Perfect is the second book in the When in Rome series by Sarah Adams. This book follows Annie Walker, a florist in Rome, Kentucky. Annie Walker has always been the sweet one. When a date goes sour and she overhears him say that she's too boring, she realizes she needs to do something to change things up. Soon she's being coached by her sister-in-laws bodyguard, Will.
This was so cute and such a good follow up to the first book. I loved the characters and they had a lot of depth. This was a great HEA and I can't wait for next book in the series.

This book is absolutely ADORABLE. It had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire time I was reading it!! Will Griffin had me absolutely swooning from the very beginning.

The pining, the tension, the chemistry - they were all perfect!! This book was so cute and I can’t wait to get a copy when it’s released.

Things I loved:
-Small town
-Good girl/bad boy
-Practice dates
-Nicknames
-The pining
-He reads her romance books!!
-Opposites attract

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book!

I just don’t have any words at this point… I mean honestly, Sarah Adams can do no wrong.

Ok for real, Sarah 1000% delivers the sweetest, swooniest romances, and I couldn’t stop smiling with Practice Makes Perfect! I absolutely adored Annie. Her innate sweetness, desire to really be herself, it was all so well balanced and evolved so well! And Will… I loved how he was gruff and tough and majorly closed off, but such a good guy. And people knew it. They are so perfect together and the entire story just blew me away! And if you thought you loved the city of Rome before, you are in for a treat because I thought a few times while reading “omg I love love LOVE this small town and these town people!” And if you do annotate get your highlighter and sticky tags ready, because it is chalk full of some of the sweetest and funniest moments!

Practice Makes Perfect is definitely a “go ahead and pre order this bad boy” type of book!

Tropes:
•bad boy/good girl
•fake dating
•small town romance
•closed door
•friends to lovers?
•bookish fmc

[thank you @randomhouse for the gifted book. All opinions are my own]

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Reading this book was like receiving the most comfortable hug while being wrapped in delicious tension at the same time. A closed door romance that still has all the heart stopping, butterflies in your stomach, tender hearted feelings you want.

The back and forth between Will and Annie was so much fun to witness. I loved the glimpse of Annie we got in When in Rome and enjoyed seeing her grow more confident and become her own person in this story. Having Will’s devil may care attitude and grumpy gills personality turn vulnerable and soft was such a highlight.

Highly recommend adding this to your TBR, you won’t regret it for a second! Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This was my first Sarah Adams book and it will definitely not be my last. This was just the remedy I needed for the cold winter nights. A well executed faux-dating trope that I couldn’t put down. Set in small town, rural Kentucky we meet Annie our innocent, good-girl daughter of the town. But after years of being single and people-pleasing Annie decides she needs to step out of her comfort zone and find Mr. Right. But when sexy, bodyguard Will becomes Mr. Right Now Annie needs to decide whether she will continue to play it safe by being the town’s darling or will she be brave enough to find love in unexpected places. By then end of this story, I promise you’ll be signing the town’s petition for Annie and Will to live happily ever after 💕

This was cute and really funny. The spice is understated but well developed. It's nice to be back in Rome and Annabel and Will are a great couple. Amelia and Mabel were delightful in this installment. I'm excited to read the stories of the other two Walker women. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

As soon as I heard Annie was getting her own book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I didn't think I could love the town of Rome more than I did after the first book, but Sarah proved me wrong. I enjoyed getting to see more sides to this kooky town and the family I loved so much from When In Rome. Annie had already been my favorite character in this little town and I spent the whole book wishing more for her. I'm so glad we got to see her blossom and have her first taste of love. Of course, adding the sexy bodyguard to the mix doesn't hurt this story. I feel like by the end, Annie got everything I hoped for her and more. Between her trying to find love and learning to stand her ground, I just love her character even more. I just can't wait to see what comes next for these characters.

Thank you netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this book. 25 pages in and I’m already squealing! Annie and Will are just so cute and the chemistry is making me blush! This book held my attention from the beginning and I feel like Sarah Adam’s books are such cozy reads that have a way of just making you feel so happy. The tension and chemistry is off the charts I just could not put this book down! I really enjoyed the pace of this book and every character in it. I loved the small town vibes is reminded me of Gilmore girls with Will and Annie being an older version of Rory and Jess! I am a sucker for romances where the bad boy falls for the good girl and this was done perfectly! I loved the depth of the characters and this book is definitely one of my favorites of 2023 so far!

3.5⭐ Clean romance, closed door scenes, slow burn.
Perfect for teens, YA romance fans, adults who like their romance light and clean, and anyone who needs a light read.

Annabel has one of the worst dates of her life when she overhears her date talking about how boring she is and bailing on her in the middle of the date. She has had enough and decides she needs a dating coach, and when her meddling soon to be sister in law interferes, she ends up with the hot bodyguard Will as her coach.

The only problem is, she has a HUGE crush on Will. He is a modern day rogue and doesn't do love or relationships. Annabel is only looking for commitment and marriage.

When sparks fly and they both have to confront what they think they want in life, they realize they both need much more.

I like a little more confidence in my female characters, but I think if you like the trope, you will enjoy it.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Based on the many five star reviews, I'm obviously in the minority on this one. But the entire time I was reading Practice Makes Perfect, I just kept thinking "ugh." I pushed through and finished it for the sake of writing a review, but I was very, very tempted to DNF this one.

I think the biggest issue I had was with the main character, Annie. A 30-year-old woman with a vocabulary and world experience of a third grader. Eight pages into this book she uses the term "H-E-double-hockey sticks" and I think I audibly groaned. Annie feels immature and naive the entire book and it makes you wonder how the "h-e-double hockey sticks" this woman somehow got a business and has functioned in the world for 30 minutes - let alone 30 years.

The male protagonist, Will, is a body guard and ex-military. He hates romantic relationships because of his parents bad marriage.

The concept of their opposites attract relationship has the potential to be interesting but it never is. They pretend to date under the guise that Will is going to be Annie's dating coach. But they're enamored with each other from the get-go. Annie looses all of her signature social awkwardness and shyness when Will is around (characteristics that I don't think were present for her in the first When in Rome book, btw) and Will loves how sweet and angelic she is.

I don't know, I just felt like both of these people need a looooooot of therapy. Will needs to unpack his parents marriage and how that has made him a commitment phob and Annie needs to deal with the grief of losing her parents atA such a young age.

Maybe this story would have worked if it had been a YA book, but for a romance book dealing with 30+ adults, it just didn't.

Practice Makes Perfect is the second book in the Rome Series. I loved the first book When in Rome. So I was excited to read Annie's story

This was a cute yet predictable story. A little Hallmark-ish but overall a good read.
Why do I say Hallmark-ish? I honestly wasn't expecting the whole adult virgin thing. But overall it was sweet. I loved reading more about the people who live in Rome, Kentucky and there are some very funny moments that made me laugh out loud. In my opinion this wasn't as good as When in Rome but it was still enjoyable.

So if you're looking for an adult virgin, small town, good girl and ex-military tattooed bad boy bodyguard romcom. This is the book for you. It's a quick, cute, simple, clean romance read.

Book Releases in May 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Dell for the E-ARC.
All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

3.5. I think? Rounded up to 4.

I don't know. I liked the premise a lot. The story was cute. Loved the small town setting. Adored the MMC. But I just didn't click with the FMC. She felt so young to me, to the point that I forgot she was an adult woman a few times. The dialogue was slightly immature.

Good tension between the two character, too.

I love this book so much. It reminds me a lot of Tessa Bailey’s book, “It Happened One Summer”, because the characters were so lovable. I had already fallen in love with the town of Rome in the first book of the series, but I honestly liked this one even more. The romance felt genuine, the relationship was sweet, and it was so cool to see Annie come into her own.

I became excited because I noticed the author seem to be sprinkling in hints about future books, like those that focus on Annie’s sisters. I will happily read any book with these characters.