This was SO CUTE and I loved it!!!! Thank GOD Sarah Adams is starting her open door romance journey!!!

At first I was wondering what the heck was going to happen (tbh I would have known what would have happened if I would have just read the synopsis but I always just go in blind lol), and then when I hit the 50% mark I FLEW through the second half of the book.

-college sweethearts second chance romance
-dual pov
-football romance
-marriage of convenience/fake marriage
-tension
-only one bed!!! (my fav)
-disability rep (dyslexia)
-strong fmc! (F the patriarchy am I rite???)

Overall, I loved this book. I loved reading about Nora & Jonah falling back in love with each other and seeing Jonah rooting for Norah every step of the way with her career (and her with his!) my heart is just bursting after reading this rom-com!! This NEEDS to become a movie!!!

This charming and heartwarming story captivated me. It's about Nora and Derek, two college exes who unexpectedly reunite and become allies in a delightful mix of humor and romance. Their journey from foes to lovers, sparked by an accidental Vegas wedding, is hilarious and touching. Adams skillfully blends lighthearted banter with deeper moments of connection, making the characters' evolution genuinely captivating. The supporting cast enriches the story, making every page a joy. This book is a perfect mix of fun and genuine emotion. It's a story that warms the heart and leaves you smiling long after the last page.

This book was such a fun time! I absolutely love a second chance romance trope (when it's done right) and The Rule Book was done SO RIGHT. There's plenty of tension between the two exes when their forced to work together. I loved the push and pull in the beginning between Nora and Derek. It added the perfect amount of humor to the fact that the break-up wasn't super amicable. And then the book pivoted and Nora and Derek had really good communication as they rekindled a relationship. The banter between them was adorable - especially Nora's jokes. They were so corny and got a laugh out of me every time. I loved that there were some deeper topics this book discussed, like learning disabilities and sexism in the work place and the way Nora and Derek handled these challenges was done so well. All in all, I had such a fun time reading this, as I do with so many of Sarah Adams books!

Such a fun story full of life, Nora is a sports agent working hard to prove herself in the industry, Derek is a grumpy NFL player. After a wild night things take a turn when a joke turns into their new reality. Can they stand each other long enough to get what they need out of this unfortunate dilemma, or will they break, only time will tell.

I didn't love this as much as the first one, but The Cheat Sheet is one of my favorites. With that being said, it was still a wonderful read. I enjoyed the second chance romance in this. How they worked together and how we get to see both point of views. I recommend this to anyone who likes second chance romances and sports romances.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

I absolutely loved it!

Nora Mackenzie is quirky, but while she doesn't take her personal life too seriously, she works hard as a sports agents in a profession dominated by men. NFL tight end Derek Pender is her college ex-boyfriend, and also her first ever client. They decide they need a Rule Book of dos and don'ts in order to be able to work together. While Derek sets out to make her life miserable because their break-up came out of left field for him, Nora sets out to get him the best deals she can. One of those deals takes them to Vegas...and what happened in Vegas shows up all over social media as the two drunkenly announce they're married.

So much fun banter, lots of laugh out loud moments, and a great second chance romance. The ending got a little OTT but honestly, it was such a great read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Adams, you delivered with this one. Truly I have never been disappointed by her. I am no the biggest sports romance girly but Sarah got be hooked with this one!
If you are looking for a cute, realistic, fluffy, and full of banter second chance romance make sure you pick up this book! I thought the whole story was done well and there was no point in the story where I lost interest. The characters felt realistic and were very likable. I really enjoyed stepping into the MMC shoes and experience his insecurities/emotions throughout the story. I don't get to do that a lot in romance books so it is always refreshing for me when we get a dual POV. Derek and Nora's story was one you will not want to miss. It was empowering and had healthy communication between our main characters which we all love. Let's not forget to mention that the book had me laughing out loud and kicking my feed. Derek Pender had me feeling some kind of way! I just love how happy Sarah's books make me.

Thank you PRH, Dell romance, and netgalley for my free copy.

I adored The Rule Book, Sarah Adams' follow-up to The Cheat Sheet. The novel follows Derek Pender and Nora Mackenzie as they navigate a tense athlete-agent relationship. Derek is a star player on the LA Sharks facing a potentially career-ending injury, and Nora is a up and coming young sports agent assigned to help Derek out of a rut...and who just so happens to be Derek's ex-girlfriend and the reason he hasn't been in a committed relationship for nearly a decade. This book is filled with Adams' characteristic rom-com sweetness, plus some difficult topics like self-worth, workplace harassment, and learning disabilities. I absolutely loved Nora and Derek, not to mention the found family aspect of the football team that carried over from The Cheat Sheet and Nora's relationship with her single mother. While most Sarah Adams books are closed-door romance, this one does have a spicy scene that the author warns the reader of in an author's note, and, in my opinion, it was very well written.

Once again, Sarah Adams has given me what I needed from a romance book-grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity and even a not so fake Vegas wedding! There’s oodles of chemistry between the MC and their banter is also quick and fun. And to have Nathan and Bree, characters from The Cheat Sheet, which introduced me to Sarah and the sports romance genre in the first place, back in my life, just sealed the deal for me. And then there’s quirky Nora our FMC, and the sweetest of all sweets, Derek, the MMC who just makes you want to snuggle up with him and never let him go.
Nora is a sports agent who’s climbing the ladder in a male dominated field and has just been handed the client of her career, the only problem is that it’s her college ex and it’s didn’t end well. And now he holds her fate in his hands. Derek is an injured NFL player ready to get back to the field before he gets replaced by a younger player or his team trades him so he needs his new agent to get him the best representation possible. So he forces Nora to go through so excruciating tasks to make her quit but Nora is stubborn enough to stick it out and their close proximity forces them to realize that they’re each others “the one that got away”
Y’all. I’m not a sports girl but this is one that I highly recommend. This couple is sweet and one of a kind and easily resonated with me.
Thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This was a super sweet second chance lovers, high school romance. Unexpected banter and relationship. I’ve never read a book by this author, but I will read more.

Thank you to @randomhouse @dell & @netgalley for the ARC of Sarah’s latest book!

As a fan of Sarah Adam’s book, The Cheat Sheet, I was THRILLED to return to that world with exploring the story of Derek & Nora 🤍

The themes explored in this book center around football, college exes, sports agents - especially female agents, accidental marriages & the dynamics of a very diverse yet close friend group. Not only are these things explored, but they are so well articulated! I absolutely adore Sarah’s writing and the banter she writes between characters is *chef’s kiss* 👩🏻‍🍳💋🤌🏼

The pining between Derek & Nora, their hilarious interactions and sweetness toward one another truly warmed my heart and often also made me giggle, all at the same time!

I typically get nervous about the second book in a series, especially when I loved the first one - but The Rule Book exceeded my expectations and is the perfect companion to The Cheat Sheet 🙌🏼

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!
I find Sarah Adam’s books so cute and fun every time!
It’s so cute to see her past characters in The Rule Book and also meet new ones.
I was hooked from beginning to end. Although it’s not a very ground-breaking romance, it’s easily enjoyable.

i received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!!

this book follows college exes Nora and Derek as the are reunited as adults.

HONESTLY i have a lot of thoughts about this book.I hate to say I am disappointed because i was SO looking forward to this.

there were definitely moments I enjoyed toward the middle of the book! there were some sweet moments between Nora and Derek that I really enjoyed. I love Sarah Adams’ writing style and I am a big fan of her books.

my biggest complaint with this novel is just how much I disliked Nora’s character. I want to be able to see myself in a main character or find them relatable in some way and I unfortunately just did not like Nora at all. throughout the book, her behavior was just childish and cringey. I couldn’t get behind her.

I also have so many issues with the way that Derek acted in the first half of the book!!!! being a complete jerk is not cool, even if you think you have a good reason.

LASTLY, i just felt like the book was disorganized and choppy. there were chapters that I just really didn’t find necessary and the concept of the “rule book” was really not focused on enough.

Honestly I enjoyed this book but I will admit there were certain parts of the book that were not perfect. For one there was a plot hole with the story behind her scar ?? The story mentioned it twice and then never mentioned it again. I also wasnt super into how the story started but after about 40 pages into the book I ended up loving parts of the story.

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams is a 5 star quirky, wonderful, and addicting read! I absolutely loved the characters and fell in love with this story! Nora Mackenzie is a sports agent at a company that is mainly men. She has just been promoted to full time agent from an assistant. Derek Pender is an NFL tight end who is coming back from a serious ankle injury that sidelined him most of last year. Derek is worried he won't be the same kind of dominating player and has worked hard in rehab and training to give him the best shot. A hot young player took his place and a lot of reporters and fans are saying he should start when Derek comes back.

Nora's boss tells her that she has a client coming in and she's giving him to Nora. He will be Nora's first official client. The client is Derek and Nora already knows him. Nora and Derek went to the same college and they dated each other. The were quite serious spending every moment together that they could. Unfortunately, Nora got spooked and broke up with Derek out of the blue with absolutely no warning. Derek was blindsided, hurt, and had no idea why Nora wanted to break up. He still thinks about it to this day as Nora was the one that Derek wanted before he got rich and famous playing football.

When Derek comes to the office to meet his new agent, he doesn't know that it's Nora, because they call her Mac at work. Nora is very nervous about seeing Derek again because she's terrified he'll take one look at her and walk out. She's also nervous just to see him again. Derek decides he'll go with Nora, but he has a plan. He's going to make her work for it. Derek decides he'll make Nora's life so miserable that she'll quit. Let the fun begin! This book will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between. Will Derek stay with Nora? Will Derek make it back to a starting tight end in the NFL? What is Derek hiding from Nora? What was it his teammates found in his bedside stand that they threatened him with. What's Nora hiding? Why hasn't she found someone by now? Will Nora be a good agent? Will Derek drive her to quitting?

The Rule Book is one of those books that you wish you could read again and not have any memory of so that you could relive the laughs and the emotional parts. I'm a huge Sarah Adams fan and love every book she writes. Pick up The Rule Book, settle in, and enjoy every moment! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of The Rule Book in exchange for a fair review. The book is now available to purchase.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Ahh what a perfect sequel to The Cheat Sheet! This book was absolutely amazing!! Sarah Adams never fails to write such cute romance books!

Derek and Nora were absolutely perfect! The tension, the slow burn, the romance, the chemistry, it was amazing! This novel was emotional, funny, and overall just an amazing read. I felt so connected with the characters and 1000% saw parts of myself in Nora, I loved her uniqueness and especially the way that Derek loved all parts of her body and personality.

Whole the romance was absolute perfection and definitely a little spicy, I’m amazed at how many other real world elements the author added into this novel. Especially the strong feminist aspects that were truly inspiring to read. I loved all the amazing advice for women as well as watching Nora and Nicole’s journey through a work field that is mainly ran by men. But most importantly Nora’s positivity towards her body despite its “flaws” (according to the media). It was truly so amazing to read on so many levels.

On top of this, I always appreciate Sarah’s use of mental health/disability reps in these novels. In The Cheat Sheet, one of the characters had anxiety and their journey was very emotional but inspiring to see and I loved reading it, especially as someone who has many family members that suffer from severe anxiety. In The Rule Book, a character has dyslexia and has unfortunately experienced childhood trauma and slight neglect from it, but it was lovely watching them overcome their sadness and obstacles as well as spread awareness about the disorder.

Overall this book was perfection and probably the best contemporary romance book I’ve ever read. I’m so thankful to have gotten an arc of this and to be reunited with so many amazing characters. Words truly can’t describe how much I loved this book.

I 1000% recommend this and I can’t wait to read Sarah’s other series in the future!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this amazing sports romance book.

As always this was sunshine in a book! Sarah Adams’ district charm really shown through in Nora. I adored the 2nd chance romance between Nora and Derek. Their chemistry was sizzling! The ending made me surprisingly emotional and I am looking forward to rereading this gem of a book!

Second chance romance FTW! Nora and Derek were in love in college until Nora broke his heart. Years later they meet again, him trying to get back to his football team after and injury and her his new sports agent he didn’t see coming.

This book was cute. Nora and all her “Nora-isms” was a little much but the story and the couple were cute. I recommend it if you enjoy Sarah Adams.

Thank you NetGalley and Random Publishing House.

I was beyond excited for this book but was a bit disappointed. I love Sarah Adams, but this book just felt forced. I felt like it was repetitive at times, and second chance romance is one of my least romance tropes.