Absolutely love this book ! I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. Derek and Nora are two of my favorite characters. I also love Nora‘s mom because she is so supportive of her daughter and her choices. The story was excellent, and I love the mental health and disability rep. Derek‘s teammates are funny and supportive and they are more like brothers. If you like fun, fast paced, second chance romance with some spice, you won’t regret picking this one up.

I loved Nora and Derek. I enjoyed the tasks Derek sent Nora on, and the chemistry between the two was really well written. I very much appreciate the low drama/low conflict style of Sarah Adams!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Every single Sarah Adams book feels like a hug. I can’t think of any other way to describe the warm fuzzies these stories and characters give me. I know I can pick up one of her books and instantly feel happier.

The Rule Book is the perfect companion to the Cheat Sheet. Derek and Nora are so different from Bree and Nathan, but they fit perfectly into the LA Sharks world she created in the first book. Second chance romance isn’t my favorite trope, but it works for Derek and Nora. All the pining! The longing! The memories and what-ifs!

As much as it’s a book about their quickie Vegas wedding and their second chance, it’s also about Nora realizing that strength and independence don’t mean denying herself love and intimacy. Will she see that loving Derek doesn’t mean losing herself?

And Derek. I loved him so much, and you will too. He’s grumpy and protective and tries so hard to fight his feelings. He needs to learn to love himself as much as he cares about other people, and I think that’s a really good lesson for all of us. And the boys from the LA sharks are hilarious and weird and warm, and I loved every single thing about each scene they had.

Can’t recommend this one enough. It will put a smile on your face, and some days that’s exactly the kind of book we all need

"The Rule Book" was cute, fun, and enjoyable for the most part but probably not particularly memorable.

I will say - this is a premise where Adams could have fallen into a pretty cookie cutter narrative pattern that's been done a thousand times before. I appreciated that she does incorporate several different plot elements, even if it's just mashing a bunch of tropes together. I don't mind that, I liked tropes. Sue me.

But if you're someone who doesn't like tropes you may not find this book super original. It's kind of a Frankenstein's monster of college ex's forced to work together, accidental marriage, and fake dating on vacation. I thought all of these plot elements were handled pretty well, with a few minor issues with the more antagonistic behavior at the beginning of the book.

Derek, having had his heart broken by Nora in college decides to be intentionally obtuse and difficult to try and get her to quit as his agent. The way he does this is by having her run errands and do household chores for him. Regardless of the context, this felt like a super inappropriate way to treat your female agent in such a male dominated field as sports. I was ready to really knock the book for this, but I do think the dynamics of this behavior are acknowledged and reckoned with in the end. I still didn't love it, however.

Nora is one of those romance protagonists who is super quirky and wears mismatched bright patterns all the time and uses catchphrases that no one's ever heard of and no one ever says in real life (literally). I don't always mind this archetype of female main character, but it feels a little tired. I don't want to say she was grating, because the book dealt a lot with how she struggled with being "too much" for some people (and I loved that arc for her), but sometimes the dialogue was a bit cringey. I liked that we got some depth from her, but I would have liked to see a bit more.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read and my favorite of Adams' books that I've read, but at the end of the day I wanted just a liiiiitle bit more than it was giving.

3 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars!

After loving The Cheat Sheet with my entire heart, I jumped at the chance to read this one, and it did not disappoint. This might be one of my favorite second-chance romances ever. The tension, the banter, the quiet hope...I ate it up.

Derek and Nora had me squealing and kicking my feet...and shedding a few tears. If you're looking for an absolutely delightful rom-com (including a few faces you've seen before), definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Romance for the ARC!

Super cute grumpy + sunshine, second chance romance book. It had me grinning when needed, shaking my head at times and out loud laughing as well. The chemistry between the characters could be felt off the pages.

*** totally forgot to post my review here..posted everywhere else!!!! *****

THE RULE BOOK - @authorsarahadams

5⭐

OMG!! Sarah has done it again..it's my new favourite of hers! Having read all her books I can see her evolve beautifully as an author. The character development of Nora was amazing..she is one kick-ass quirky fun determined woman and Derek was a sweetheart!! Finished it under a day and couldn't stop smiling.
For fans of The Cheat Sheet we also have a cameo appearance from Nathan and Bree!

This has all my favourite troupes too .

✨Fake marriage/ Vegas wedding
✨Sports romance ( a different kind Nora is a sports agent)
✨2nd chance romance
✨Open door romance ( unlike her other books but a special mention about the sensitive chapters for her closed door romance fans)
✨Dual POVs

PLOT -
Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?

Sarah writes the sweetest romances, this is proof.

I loved every second of this book. Second chance is one of my favorite tropes, and this is officially one of my favorite books. Nora and Derek have my entire heart!!!! They are adorable and the way they communicate with one another had me beaming!!!

The tension. The slowburn. The little moments.
Everything in this book was divine.

“When you smile at me my world feels whole.”
I was screaming when I read that line!!!!!

This might be my favorite Sarah Adams book yet! However, I still find some issues with it and I think it's just her writing style I'm uncomfortable with. She writes a lot of empowering women in her books, but her women act very immature in her books and that just doesn't vibe with me. I assumed this one being in her set career path I assumed she'd be older, but it just wasn't the case. The rest of the book was fantastic, I loved the growth of the 2 main characters throughout the story. The interactions between the other characters throughout the whole story. The friend group on both sides. The way the author incorporated the agent world along with sports world.

This book is open door for 1 chapter which is different from her other books. It's stated at the beginning of the book.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

Sarah Adams is just an auto buy author for me at this point. Her books are full of so much amazing tension and banter and I eat it up. She proves that a really well book can be written without having sexual content in it. And it's a refreshing change of pace for some of us! I absolutely loved reading Mac and Derek's story. I was smiling and kicking my feet!!

This. Book. Was. Extraordinary!!!

Second chance romance
Quirky fmc
Cinnamon roll mmc
Fake marriage
Friends/Family
No 3rd act break-up!

Short synopsis:
Nora's dreamed of being an agent, but now her entire career is in the hands of Derek Pender, her college ex-boyfriend. Things didn't end well between them, and apparently Derek's been holding on to a grudge. Cue some petty revenge. But ending up in bed together, married in Vegas, wasn't part of the plan!

The characters! Obviously we love Derek & Nora, but the side characters are definitely worth mentioning. The brotherhood. The camaraderie. The jokes. The loyalty. Who doesn't long for a group of friends like that!?

The character growth, the longing, the romantic setting, the spice, the banter... Derek & Nora were such remarkable, loveable characters. They definitely had their quirks, but it really worked for them.

I feel like I could go on and on about how much I love this book. Obviously I highly recommend giving this one a read.

APRIL 2nd, 2024!

Thank you Netgally and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the chance to read and review this ebook arc!

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Swipe for GoodReads synopsis.

SCREAMING. CRYING. THROWING UP. Y’ALL. Dare I say this book is already in my top 5 for 2024?!? This book was EVERYTHING!!! The second chance romance, plot, chemistry, EVERYTHING! Sarah included a content warning at the beginning of the book and even said which chapter had the open door scene if you wanted to skip it. Which I thought was super nice to include since she usually writes closed door books and she was being respectful to her readers who prefer it closed door.

But YOU GUYS. This book had me GIDDY! I’m talking constantly highlighting my copy, constantly LOLing in public, AND kicking my feet. It’s been a minute since a book has made me react that way. But in all seriousness, this book was absolutely perfect in my opinion and I can’t wait to buy my physical copy to have on my shelf! The pacing was perfect and super easy to binge if you’re looking for your next fav romcom!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. OUT NOW.

4.25 Stars
I am a huge fan of Sarah Adam's and The Rule Book did not disappoint. This is a stand-alone follow-up to the Cheat Sheet with cameos from Nathan and Bree (and some other football friends).

Nora Mackenzie is a quirky, aspiring sports agent climbing up the corporate ladder in a men's world. She has some OCD tendencies (organizing, cleaning), has an extremely colorful fashion style, and an overall sunshine personality quipped with not-so-catchy phrases and jokes.

Derek Pender is a hotshot NFL player recuperating from an injury and attempting to make a comeback before being replaced by a younger player/traded to another team. He's a grumpy giant with a playboy reputation. Nora is tasked with being his agent and hopes he doesn't remember his ex-girlfriend from college (aka her).

Unfortunately, Derek remembers everything, including how broken he was after she dumped him out of nowhere. Payback is a bitch. Derek decides to torture Nora into quitting, but she is stubborn and won't give up her career goals so easily. After a night in Vegas, an accidental marriage post that went viral, Nora's job is on the line. They decide not to divorce and instead honeymoon and pretend they are madly in love to save face. They are just pretending. Right? They aren't still in love with each other. Right?

I recommend this romcom packed with all the best tropes.
If you like:
- Sports Romance (football)
- Second Chance Romance
- Enemies to Lovers (exes)
- Accidental (drunken) Marriage turns Marriage of Convenience
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Dual POV
- Forced Proximity
- Workplace Romance
- One Bed Trope
- Open Door, Mild Spice
- Slow burn
Then you will enjoy The Rule Book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Adams is quickly becoming one of my favorite rom-com authors because I can always count on her to deliver cute swoony romances that are full of laughs. Adams does exactly that with The Rule Book, her latest sports romance, which also happens to be a companion novel to another of her books I love, The Cheat Sheet. You don’t need to read The Cheat Sheet to enjoy The Rule Book, but both are fabulous so I say go for it!

Nora Mackenzie has just been promoted to a full-time sports agent. She’s flying high until she learns her first big client is none other than famous NFL tight end, Derek Pender, who also happens to be her college ex-boyfriend. Their break-up was messy, and Derek is still clearly holding a grudge and vows to make Nora’s life hell by being as difficult and high maintenance as possible. He has clearly forgotten how stubborn and tenacious Nora can be though and she gradually starts to win him over.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story but add in a marriage of convenience and a second chance romance, and I’m in heaven. Adams does a wonderful job getting me hooked on the idea of Nora and Derek rekindling their romance from their very first scene. Even though the tension between them is palpable, the chemistry between Nora and Derek is undeniable. Adams also writes some of the wittiest banter and had me laughing out loud throughout the book. It’s not all laughs though as Nora and Derek also share some moving and heartfelt moments on their journey to forgiveness. I also loved the layer of vulnerability Adams gives Derek by having him struggle with dyslexia. The rep is well done and really made Derek a more sympathetic character.

The Rule Book is the fourth book I’ve read from Sarah Adams and I think it’s my favorite yet. If you’re in the mood for a fun and heartwarming story about forgiveness and second chances, be sure to check this one out!

4 1/2 STARS

I liked it, but I didn’t love it as much as some of The Rule Book’s predecessors.

I loved the characters, and I loved the return of The Cheat Sheet’s characters, but it felt like it took a little bit too long to get to the parts that really, truly excited me— the pacing just felt a little bit off.

I loved that Nora’s character was a bit more complex than what we normally see in romance. She was quirky and funny, while also being a bit uptight and controlling. It made her a very relatable FMC!

Overall a very solid book. I’m very thankful to have received this as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. It absolutely made my day when I received the email saying that I’d been approved. If Sarah Adams writes it, I will always read it.

4.5 Stars.
This was a really cute romcom. It made me laugh out loud while reading. The banter between Nora and Derek was just so good. I loved the sayings that Nora would use that were always just a touch off and how Derek would call her on it. They really were just adorable together.

This is a second chance and accidental marriage trope. It is also a sports romance. So much fun that you simply must read it. Sarah Adams does it right!

Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the book. All thoughts are my own.

Before starting this book, I was looking for something that would take me out of a reading slump and my oh my this bundle of fun, charming, laugh- out- loud romance was it.

The sheer number of tropes in this novel should not have worked, but it didn't just work, it thrived. There are so many amazing tropes in this book that I can almost guarantee your favorite is in there, and the only ones that aren’t in there are the ones we all hate anyways. I started to list them all before I thought about it and then I realized, if I list them all, I will be taking away some of the enjoyment of finding out and potentially spoiling the fun.

Nora and Derek are absolutely perfection level main characters. Seeing the story and the backstory from each of their respective points of view helped to cement the amount of growth each of them had since their college days. It was interesting to think about how much growth can happen between college and the height of one's career or after a series of life advancements.

One of my favorite parts of the book actually had nothing to do with the romance itself. It was the friendship between Derek and some of his teammates on his football team, the Sharks. They were fun and it was great to see the kind of support they had for one another both on and off the field. I have not had a chance to read The Cheat Sheet yet, but apparently some of the characters came from that book. You better believe I am on my way right now to rectify the fact that I have not yet read it if It means I get to see more of this team!

5/5 stars for a book that I could probably give an hour long talk about how great it is if someone gave me the chance.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing- Baltimore for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sarah Adams gave us back some LA Sharks, and aren't we so freakin' lucky for it?!

This second-chance, its-always-been-you, work place, fake marriage love story follows Nora and Derek, college sweethearts who have found their way back to each other after years of pent up frustrations and unspoken feelings.

I........loved this. SO MUCH. Derek is the book boyfriend we all need right now. The tattoo? The hidden item in his bedside table? Him telling her he was going to woo her? Yes PLEASE. Also, we finally got a spicy scene in one of queen Sarah Adam's stories and WOOOOOOOO that was worth the wait xoxoox

Four stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sending me this ARC! Happy pub day!

The Rule Book is everything I want in a romance. The plot was believable, it was laugh out loud funny, I was cheering for the main characters, and there was NO third act breakup! This is the fifth book I've read by Sarah Adams and is my new favorite. Can't wait to read more from her in the future.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

It was wonderful to jump back into this universe — especially with Derek at the center this time. I enjoy a good balance of sport and romance, so this was a good balance between the two. I applauded Sarah’s attempt to not be “put in a box” as a sweet romance author, and the forethought to include which chapters had spice in them will make this book appealing to both of her target audiences. Mt only complaint is that I wish we had more of the team to explore in the future!