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!

DEREK PENDER!!! I was SO thrilled to hear that Sarah was giving him his own book. I loved how fun he was in The Cheat Sheet and getting to read his story made my heart so happy!

Derek is going through it y'all! He's trying to bounce back from an injury that most of the media thinks could be career-ending. He's never felt like he was good at anything before football came along. Football is all he has, or so he thinks, so losing it would be devastating. His teammates have tried their best to get him out of his funk, but can't seem to get through to him and he feels even more isolated now that they've all found love. Meanwhile, Derek has been hung up on his college sweetheart who broke his heart. Though he wants to hate her for it, he can't seem to move on from her.

Enter Nora Mackenzie, his new agent and oh yeah, that college ex who broke his heart! Nora is focused, and organized, and she wants nothing more than to prove herself in a male-dominated industry. Having her ex as her first client won't be easy, but she never expected Derek to hold such a grudge that he would put her through the wringer just to push her away.

The banter and tension between these two was SO good. I loved that Nora took whatever Derek threw at her with a smile on her face and she was determined to stand her ground and be the best agent he's ever had. Nora isn't afraid to put Derek in his place. The way these two know each other better than anyone else and accept each other made my heart burst. He's never thought he was good enough and she's always felt like too much, but together they're so good for each other. I love it when a second chance romance is done so well that you really feel the two characters deserve to be together and truly belong together. There were so many fun and sexy moments in this one and I loved seeing the guys again!!

Thank you to Random House/Dell, NetGalley, and Sarah for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I have loved every single Sarah Adams book I’ve read and this was no exception.

College sweethearts Nora and Derek went their separate ways right before graduating and they’ve never quite gotten over each other. Now Nora is a sports agent and Derek is a pro football player. When Nora gets Derek assigned to her as her first client she’s nervous and for good reason. Will they reignite their love for each other or end up ruining each others careers?

This was such a fun quick read!

4/5 stars and will highly recommend.

I was in bit of a romcom slump when I first read The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams. It was about the quarterback of the Sharks, a professional football team, who end up falling for his best friend. I absolutely loved the book and it pulled me out of my slump. It also instantly made me a huge fan of Sarah. Now I’m thrilled that Sarah has once again brought us a story about the Sharks. This time around it’s focused on tight end Derek Pender. In the last season he suffered an serious injury and has been working hard on making a comeback. He’s just gotten a new agent, Mac (aka Nora MacKenzie), who just so happens to be the woman who broke his heart back in college. He’s never got over how much it hurt when she left him. Now he’s determined to return the favor, planning to toy with her, make her do endless grunt work and then fire her (or more likely get her to quit). The problem is that he never really got over Nora and the more time he spends with her the more he realizes that he still wants her in his life. As with The Cheat Sheet, the characters in The Rule Book are great. (Bree and Nathan from the first book are back as well and just as adorable as ever.) I instantly connected with them, understood the feelings of both, and naturally was rooting for them to get together and finally get their happily ever after. The twist that occurs in Vegas halfway through was unexpected but took the story in a fun new direction. If you enjoyed The Cheat Sheet, you’ll love The Rule Book. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Rule Book.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34F9WKT7MDMS/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The Rule Book written by Sarah Adams was PERFECT in so many ways. This book was beautiful, heart warming, inspirational, and even gut wrenching at times. Football is one of my favorite sports, so when I saw The Rule Book was about football, I knew I had to get my hands on it, even though this book wasn't five stars for me, I still loved every minute of it. I fell in love with that adorable cover, but the characters truly pulled me in. It might have been a bit cheesy at times, but sometimes all we need is a palette cleanser, and this book was definitely very cute and fluffy. Sarah Adams truly writes the cutest novels that you could just sink your sweet tooth into. The banter in this book was literally top tier, it made me kick my feet up in the air and giggle nonstop, but there was also bittersweet moments and discussions that just pulled at my heart strings and made me want to reach into my kindle and hug these kind hearted characters. If you love Tight End Chiefs player, Travis Kelce, you will LOVE The Rule Book even more. I will say though, you don't even have to be a fan of football to read this book because it doesn't entirely focus on the sport itself. I can't recommend this book enough, please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book immediately.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP-BALLANTINE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!

Derek Pender is the tight end for the LA Sharks, but when an injury last season could possibly determine Derek's career with the Sharks, he needs all the help he can get. Last season, Derek snapped his ankle and needed surgery, so he had to train and do physical therapy, so he can be the strongest for the upcoming season, if the LA Sharks team doesn't cut him. Nora McKenzie is now a full time sports agent, and her first client? DEREK PENDER!!!!! Nora and Derek were college sweethearts, but Nora thought their lives and careers weren't compatible, so she decided to end things with Derek. The day Nora broke up with Derek, he went and got her initial tattooed on himself, so he can always remember the times he and Nora spent together and the memories they made, I truly thought that was so freaking sweet. Derek is Nora's first client as an official full-time sports agent, and Derek is holding a grudge against Nora for when she broke his heart. Derek's plan is to make Nora's life absolutely miserable, but if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved, he knows Nora won't quit easily. Derek has a group of football friends that love him dearly, including his two friends Bree and Nathan from The Cheat Sheet, that want nothing but the best for Derek, ugh I was swooning, Derek's football friends are the definition of a personal hype group.

If you are a people pleaser, I stand with you. As a people pleaser myself, it's extremely difficult at times because you don't want to let anyone down, you want people to see your accomplishments and be proud of you, but when you fail, it's hard to get back up and keep going. In school Derek couldn't function properly, he couldn't read out loud in front of his class because kids would laugh at him. Derek's parents would always ask him why he couldn't be as bright as his sister. why were his grades not as good as his sister's, this truly broke my heart because I don't think one person should be compared to another person, everyone is different in their own ways. Later in his life, Derek was diagnosed with Dyslexia. One night when Derek and Nora are in Las Vegas for a commercial endorsement, Derek and Nora wake up the next morning married to each other, with wedding rings tattooed on their ring fingers. Despite Nora and Derek's past history, Nora's support to Derek's career was just heart warming to witness, when Derek had his self doubts, Nora would hype him up and tell; him the truth of how great of a tight end Derek is. Nora and Derek have my heart completely, I loved those two so so much. If you are a people pleaser and you are struggling to please those around you, The Rule Book will truly be an inspiration to you. NORA AND DEREK, I LOVE YOU BOTH TREMENDOUSLY!!!!!!

This was my first book by this author and the story really sucked me in! I cannot wait to go back and read all of her other books! This was a quick and fun read that had me in all my feels! Nora has sacrificed so much to get where she is at and finally get her first solo client as a sports agent…and it is none other than her ex, Derek! The banter between these two had me cackling so hard! There is so much I loved about this book and I can’t stop thinking about it! If you love second chances, marriage of convenience, slow burn, grumpy sunshine, Vegas marriages, sports romances then this book is for you!