I was very excited to read the next installment of this series. I loved the chemistry between the two characters and the history of their story made sense. Some of the football stuff was not super believable, but that’s totally fine. I wish I would have gotten a little more history of the guy friend group in the beginning. I love Sarah Adams and her writing style. Being the first book with an open door scene for her was fun to read. Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend. it aligns perfectly with The Cheat Sheet and is a great continuation.

This is a true sloooow burn but it is chemistry filled. Funny, whitty, second chance romance. There are strong female characters that support each other: Nora & Nicole and Nora & her mom. Healthy, strong feminism.

The main characters are each other's biggest cheerleaders, they give the best pep talks, they celebrate what makes them who they are. They push each other to succeed and be the best they can be.

The descriptions, the playful take on many common phrases was perfection, funny, unique.
Nora: "The bird that catches the worm never sleeps."
Derek: "That's not the phrase"
Nora: "It should be,"

Nora is a woman who is hardworking, determined and takes no shit from anyone with the grace of a Queen. ADORE her. Derek is protective and loving and possessive without suffocating or pulling her back or fighting her battles for her. ADORE him.

The storyline, the history, the build up/slow burn, the friend group, women supporting women, confident men supporting women - so much to love about this book.

5 Star Read Alert!!!! Y'all even if you THINK you don't like sports romances, please read this. Sarah Adams has done it AGAIN.

What to expect:
-second chance romance
-dual pov
-grumpy x sunshine
- sports romance
- ONE BED BABY
-dyslexia representation

We've got Nora, a sports agent, getting her first big break managing the NFL's best tight end (helloooo TRAVIS KELCE, I mean....Derek). So Derek has been injured for an extended period of time and is struggling with recovery. Nora goes by her surname at work so Derek had no idea he was hiring...his college girlfriend who broke his heart, so he decides he's going to do everything he can to get her to quit.

Eeep screaming crying throwing up I love it so much!!!! Sidenote, Derek reads fantasy books...so...sign me up.

Y'all the tension in this book is UNREAL. I could literally see the perfect rom-com movie playing in my head while reading this. I ate it UP.

*Favorite Quotes*

"She is sunshine parting the clouds in my miserable day"
"When you smile at me, my world feels whole"

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Copy :) It was a pleasure!!!!!

This will easily be one of my favorite books of the year 🙌

THE RULE BOOK is the companion story to THE CHEAT SHEET, which I adored. It was so fun getting cameos from all of the characters we were introduced to in THE CHEAT SHEET 💚 I love the friend group and their meddling antics!

Nora Mackenzie is making a name for herself as a sports agent. When she gets asked to represent NFL tight end Derek Pender as her first client, who just so happens to be her college ex-boyfriend, everything is on the line.

Second chance romance is my absolute favorite trope, and this was a master-class. The history and connection between the MCs, their banter, and their chemistry was everything.

I loved Nora so much and all her phrases and puns 😂 both Nora and Derek are lovable characters that you want to root for 🩵 an accidental marriage in Vegas and having to fake a honeymoon in Cancun leads to some forced proximity 🤗

🌴 second chance romance 🫶
🏈 sports agent and athlete
🌴 enemies to lovers
🏈 only one bed

Sarah Adams scores a touchdown! (Ha! Like my pun? lol) this book had so many tropes and kept me invested from beginning to end! I was blessed to be gifted this e-ARC through NetGalley, and finished it in less than 24 hours. This book consumed me. If you are looking for a sports romance that gets you hooked from jump, look no further! Get your copy April 2nd!! I know I’ll be at the bookstore that day grabbing a physical copy!!

I absolutely loved this book it was the perfect mix of grumpy sunshine and enemies to lovers with second chance romance. The MMC was grumpy while the FMC is a total rain of giggly sunshine this book had me laughing constantly and I thoroughly enjoyed how interconnected all the characters were the author did a fantastic job of writing this book and I absolutely plan on buying a paperback copy :)

Thanks to Random House / Ballantine for this ARC! I enjoyed Sarah Adams’ The Cheat Sheet and recently read Practice Makes Perfect, so I’m excited to talk about where The Rule Book fits in!

I didn’t know this book was a spin-off of The Cheat Sheet when I picked it up. That definitely raised my standards, because I found that book to be fresh, well-written, and fun! Similar to TCS, The Rule Book has decently depthy characters and is on the more wholesome side of the genre.

However, where TCS is realistic, well-paced, and easy to buy into, TRB has a quite choppy narrative timeline. This is an ARC … maybe it will get more fleshed out in the final version, but … with structural things, I’d assume not. There’s also a lot of miscommunications and managing beliefs that logically make no sense. Because of these gaps in the story, I found it hard to root for the characters in the end, regardless of initially liking them.

In my opinion, it’s still better than Practice Makes Perfect, which I know is a BookTok favorite. I wouldn’t avoid this book if you’ve liked her others, but it’s definitely not for everyone and not her best book.

4.5 stars! If Sarah Adams has a million fans, I'm one of them. If Sarah Adams has one fan, it's me. If Sarah Adams has no fans, I'm no longer alive.

Returning to the LA Sharks with Derek and Nora was such a joy. There were both such dynamic and interesting characters and I loved watching them together. Derek's experience with dyslexia and the hurt he carried from the past felt very real, and even though I lowkey wanted to smack him a couple of times (mostly toward the beginning), I thought he was great. And I ADORED Nora! She was so bright and strong and unapologetically herself in a way that really spoke to me.

Second-chance romance is probably my favorite trope, and I loved Sarah’s take on it! There were some serious hurts in the past and real issues the two of them had to deal with, but watching them come back to each other with a connection and love stronger than ever was so beautiful.

The LA Sharks mean the world to me, and I had so much fun seeing them again. Bree and Nathan have my whole heart, and I soaked up every single moment the two of them were on the page again.

This book has Sarah's signature brand of snark and heart and just straight-up fun that makes you want to return to it over and over again. This book is steamier than her previous books (one open-door scene and innuendo throughout), but it's still tasteful and sweet and true to who she is as an author.

This isn't my favorite of Sarah's books, but I've already read it three times and I'm sure that number will continue to grow. Please, please read this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the advanced copy!

I absolutely adored this one. Nora and Derek have my whole heart. Sarah Adams has this amazing ability to create the sweetest relationships and special characters. I love this friend group and I loved Nora and Derek.

We follow Nora and Derek, college sweethearts who broke up and went on their different paths. They find themselves back in each others lives as Nora becomes Derek’s new sports agent. They create a “rule book” to keep things professional but after a drunken night leaves them married, they have to figure out how to navigate their relationship.

I truly love a second chance romance. There is something so special and unique about two people who knew each other in their early 20s at a completely different stage of life to seeing each other again present day years later. There is so much history for these two and we see them have real and genuine conversations about their past and their relationship.

I loved both Nora and Derek and their individual stories as well as them as a couple. This and the Cheat Sheet truly feel like comfort reads. I was giggling and smiling the whole time reading this.
I highly recommend this one to everyone! I loved it!

Thanks again to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine

The perfect fluffy rom-com! I thought the banter was hilarious and the romance was swoon-worthy. Really appreciate Sarah giving us a steamy chapter!! What a win.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Nora might just be one of my favorite characters ever. I really enjoy the side characters in Sarah's books too! Such a great second chance romance with all the feels and no over the top drama.

Synopsis: Nora Mackenzie has finally gotten her first client as a sports agent - but that client is her college ex-boyfriend, Derek Pender. Nora didn’t exactly end things with Derek on good terms, and now she has to convince him to work with her. He reluctantly agrees but not so secretly decides to make her miserable enough to quit. When a night in Vegas gets a little too wild, they wake up the next day married and confused - but their accidental marriage might just be the thing to save both of their careers.

Thoughts: Sarah Adams can do no wrong. I absolutely adored this sweet and hilarious romance. While this book is a companion to The Cheat Sheet, it could be read as a stand-alone. I would read The Cheat Sheet first if you can, though; there is an amazing cast of characters that you will love even more if you read both books! I loved both of the main characters - Nora is the perfect mix of strong and quirky and unapologetically herself. Derek is a swoon-worthy cinnamon role with a prickly exterior. They had great chemistry, too. This is Sarah’s first open-door romance, but nothing too over the top. Some other elements I loved included the found family vibes and the disability representation (vasovagal syndrome and dyslexia) - I think it’s so great when authors make their characters so relatable with real-life problems. This book really speaks to anyone who has ever felt like they are “too much” or underserving of being loved and shows that the right people will love you for exactly who you are. A note on the audio: the dual narration for Nora and Derek’s characters worked so well and I loved it!

Read this if you like:
🏈 sports romance
🏈 second chance romance
🏈 found family
🏈 forced proximity
🏈 fake dating/marriage of convenience

Sarah Adams has done it again! I couldn't put this book down. It was so dang cute! Adams is the queen of banter and a good slow burn.

I loved The Cheat Sheet and wasn't sure if this book was going to top it, but it did! I loved having all of the Shark football players back together. Their camaraderie is hilarious.

I appreciate Adams closed door romance books. Her writing takes you to the edge and leaves you wanting more, but she always gives you enough to make you happy in the end. I loved the spice in the book. but appreciated the heads up at the beginning of the book. For those that want to keep the door closed and skip over that spicy chapter.

Sarah Adams has become my go to comfort author. Highly recommend this!


Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

This is my second Sarah Adams book I've read and she does not disappoint. Nora and Derek's relationship is one that is frustrating in the best way possible. Nora's character is very jumpy and fun while Derek's is very grumpy and sensitive which pairs perfectly. So when they reunite after eight plus years well it keeps getting crazier and crazier. A true page turner.

I will say the characters although I do feel, do grow throughout the book, were lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. For example, although dyslexia is not a easy topic and very hard and real...it felt as if there just wasn't enough there to truly feel and connect with the character.

This was adorable. I loved both Nora and Derek. It was also fun to get another glimpse into this universe. I loved the first in the series, The Cheat Sheet. This is a great sequel! It’s nice to have such a strong female lead that also keeps her charms and quirks. It’s refreshing when a character like that doesn’t change due to a toxic, male dominated workplace. I would certainly recommend this to a friend looking for a fun, flirty sports romance!

I loved reading this book. I thought the story line was so so fun. I did think there was a lot of unnecessary back and forth small miscommunications toward the end of the book, but it’s a romcom, what should I expect? I especially loved Nora’s relationship with her mom. I’m so tired of the single-mom/daughter relationship being only toxic and strained. This relationship was so refreshing and beautiful I really loved their love for each other. I went into the book blind and was surprised with the direct plot of the book. It’s one of my favorite tropes though so I thoroughly enjoyed!!

I’ve been anticipating The Rule Book’s release for months now. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The plot: Nora is a sports agent and is excited to sign her first client, a big-shot football player who’s coming back from an injury. But she finds out that he’s more than just a client of hers—he’s also her college ex-boyfriend. To set some ground rules, Derek and Nora make a rule book…but can they follow the rules they’ve set?

🏈 Sports Romance
💛 Cameos from Nathan and Bree, the main characters in “The Cheat Sheet”
💍 Marriage of convience
🙌 No third-act breakup

A couple little things that bothered me were that a lot of the narration shows rather than tells and gets too caught up in over explaining certain details. I also thought some of the dialogue was too cheesy/unrealistic.

BUT overall, it’s a cute romcom and a great read if you want something to make you smile! Will always read Sarah Adams’ new books!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the tenth book I've read by Sarah Adams, and boy oh boy did this one rocket to the top of list!!! It was everything I didn't know I needed. I loved Nora and her persistence throughout the whole book...but Derek (*dreamy sigh*) was perfection! Whether or not you're already a fan of second chance romances, read this & and I guarantee you will be!! I'd give this one six stars if I could <3

This Grumpy meets Sunshine, second chance is a breathe of fresh air. Nora is so fun loving and quirky I just loved her.

Sarah Adams can do no wrong; I loved everything about this book! Derek and Nora were the perfect story of second chance romance. The story was written with comedy, serious topics and just all around love. I loved the cameos from the teammates from The Cheat Sheet as well!