3.5 ⭐️

This was a light, low-angst second chance novel following college exes Nora and Derek. He's a star football player who has recently been injured and she's his new agent. They wind up married after a night in Vegas and stay married to help their careers, while figuring out what went wrong in college. My biggest issue is more of a me problem... I'm not a huge fan of how cutesy the book was. I've never read a Sarah Adams book, but from what I can tell, that's the norm. If you like her other books, you'll probably like this one.

Trigger warnings: sexism

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC.

Another amazing story by Sarah Adams and is my favorite so far. Nora wants to be a sports agent and finally gets her chance but her first client turns out to be her college boyfriend she broke up with years ago. Derek tries to get Nora to quit and the tension between them is amazing. During a drunken night they get married and stay married so Nora doesn’t loose her job. Both never really got over the other. The tension and love between them is amazing. Also the silly things Nora says always made me laugh. Adorable rom com that made me laugh and smile through out. Loved it!

Thank you to Sarah Adams and Random House Publishing for letting me read this ARC!

I didn’t put The Rule Book down until I had finished it, and it was amazing! I love a second chance romances, and this book has enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and even a singular bed. The FMC is quirky, determined, and authentic to herself throughout the book. I love that MMC has more depth, and a great group of friends.

The Rule Book reminds me of 2000s RomComs that I so dearly miss!

Sarah Adams has never disappointed. I love sports romance and the worlds she creates are amazing. Loved revisiting this world

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Group for this ARC. What a fun set up and it does not fail to deliver! Nora is an up and coming sports agent. She finally gets her big break with a big name football player as her first client. All she has to do is convince him that she's the right person for the job. There's only one small problem - the player, Derek, just happens to be her ex-boyfriend, the one she broke up with, and the one she has regretted breaking up with for years. And at their first meeting, Derek is anything but forgiving.

The Rule Book is a lot of fun and just a little spicy. Nora is an interesting character who seems to rub a lot of people the wrong way with her quirks and obsessive organizing. Frankly, her silly sayings even got to be a little much for me after about two-thirds of the book. But all the more reason to believe that if they only enchant Derek, then he is the one for her. I also really enjoyed Derek's friend group of professional football players who, in one way or another, seem very emotionally mature in the way they care for each other and their significant others.

I think this is one Swifties will swoon over, but even those of us who aren't so wrapped up in her dating life can enjoy it. It takes a special woman to make it in a world where all the men want only to tear her down and ridicule her, and it takes a special man to support and love her through that without trying to step in and solve the problem for her.

My review will be put on Instagram on April 2nd for the release day.
Honestly I had seen such hype behind this book that I was nervous. I wasn't sure I was going to love it. The blurb and the hype made me want to love it.
I adored this book. They made me laugh more than I have any other book this year. I loved Nora and her struggles that she faces with the male-dominated sport industry. I loved how vulnerable she was but her strength is what I gravitated to the most. I am a such for Derek. When he drops his retirement news to get the light off of Nora... I thought my heart was going to burst.
Both of the main characters did what they thought was right and it was a case of right person wrong time. I loved how they fell back together and their "dating" after it all. So good.
I loved it!

The Rule Book was SUCH a delight! I adored it from start to finish. As with all of Adams' books, this was fun and heartwarming and kept me invested from the very beginning. A second-chance romance plus an accidental marriage which means forced proximity is just *chef's kiss*. I really appreciated seeing Nora and Derek's relationship evolved from their past to who they are in the present. Fans of Adams will fall in love with The Rule Book and especially appreciate all the call backs to The Cheat Sheet!

Sarah Adams does it again! The banter, the little sayings, the chemistry! SO GOOD! The Cheat Sheet forever changed reading for me and when I heard there was going to be another book in this world, I could not have been more excited. I enjoyed how the characters grew and developed Nora is a powerhouse and I love her work ethic and drive despite the hardships in her workplace. Derek tried so hard to be a jerk, but in the end just couldn't pull it off! haha! I am so sad that it's over, but I can't wait for my pre-ordered copy to arrive so I can read it again!

4.5 I love this book. Sarah Adams has quickly become an auto-buy author for me, and The Rule Book is no exception. I'm normally not a fan of second-chance tropes, but I absolutely love how this was executed. Their prior relationship was the definition of "right person, wrong time", and their rekindling was so wonderful to read. I'm such a fan!! Also, loved the tie-in to The Cheat Sheet.

Book Review: The Rule Book
Stars: 4 X 5
Author: Sarah Adams
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

Nora McKenzie’s entire career lies in the hand of a famous NFL Tight End by the name of Derek Pender. Nora is a sports agent and everyone knows it is hard to be one and a successful agent in the male dominated world of sports. Derek hasn’t played for a while due to an injury that is taking its sweet time to heal. Derek signs with Nora as his new agent. He had no idea that this agent was is ex-college girlfriend. Nora uses a different last name now. Nora had left Derek heartbroken when she broke up with him. Derek does everything he can to make Nora so miserable that she quits but she does not. I love a second chance romance and this book was just great at it. As Derek and Nora start to hit if off (again) and start to get closer Derek has a commercial shoot in Las Vegas, During this time in. Las Vegas they both got really drunk and ended up getting married. They did everything wrong. They posted the pictures to Facebook and Instagram…oops. Because niether of them can afford the fallout bad publicity, they decide to embrace . But this is a Novel and a second chance almost always works out. I loved this book.

🏈🩷🩵


ARC review

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

Release date April 2nd

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was like a warm hug, this is definitely a new favorite comfort read for me. It was so lighthearted and fun, I loved seeing a lot of the same characters from The Cheat Sheet as well!

Nora is a sports agent and about to get her first client, what she doesn’t realize is that client is her ex boyfriend from college. Derek is the tight end for the LA Sharks, he’s also holding a grudge against Nora for breaking his heart. Derek goes out of his way to make Nora’s job as difficult as he can, but Nora isn’t one to give up easily. Nora gives Derek a taste of his own medicine, two can play that game. A crazy night in Vegas turns into them waking up in the same bed, and finding out they got married. Will this hurt or help their careers?

I loved the characters in this book, Nora is so fun and spunky. Wearing colorful clothes, telling knock knock jokes and being quirky and funny. Derek is such a sweetie, he’s a big teddy bear. The way he talks to Nora and is protective of her 🫠 I also love how Sarah added a representation for dyslexia to this book, she did it so perfectly.

I highly recommend this book, it was such a cute and cozy read. If you love Travis Kelce, you’ll love Derek Pender 😍

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC

I've never had a book start off so slow only to completely devour my soul and make me laugh and cry like a baby. What a fabulous read! The beginning felt a bit like a repeat of "The Cheat Sheet", but I really enjoyed seeing those characters again. As things continued for Nora and Derek I fell head over heels for their story, their love and their friendship. My heart was aching for them throughout. The little twists and turns as the book ended were the perfect touch!

I read When In Rome as my first introduction to Sarah Adams and I absolutely loved it. I've since read all of her books. Sarah does an amazing job writing lighthearted, feel-good books, and The Rule Book is no different. This is a sports themed, follow-up to the Cheat Sheet, although it can certainly be read as a stand-alone book. Nora is a sports agent who receives her first client, who happens to be her college ex-boyfriend, Derek. I loved both of these characters. There is cute banter between the two and a number of really funny scenes. It's a perfect vacation read!

Thank you Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC 📕

4.5/5⭐️
2/5🌶️
Sarah Adams has done it again. I hate to admit that I was in quite a reading slump before I received this book, but after devouring this I can no longer say that. If you are a fan of second chance romance, excellent banter and TENSION, you will thoroughly enjoy this. I also appreciated how well done the disability representation was.

Sarah Adams is always my comfort author and this book definitely solidifies that! I love Noras character SO much! She was just such a bright light in this book but it also makes you feel seen in the way people might think you’re “too much” for them. I loved her attitude she brought to every situation. She was definitely a character you wanted to see get everything and more! Derek went from the grumpiest of men to an absolute ray of sunshine for Nora. I love it when the women in their lives can bring them to their knees. :swoon: The way that Derek not only embraced Noras quirky tendencies but encouraged it made me fall in love with this man even more! I also loved getting to see what Nathan and Bree were up to too! This was such a fun read, I never want to leave Sarahs books! 💕

Believe it or not this was my first “sports romance” and I really enjoyed it! This was a 2nd chance romance about a female sports agent and her first real client, a well known football player who just happens to be her college ex boyfriend… what could go wrong?

The main characters were extremely likable and relatable with lots of enjoyable banter and history between them. The female main character was well written and such a breath of fresh air. She was also strong and there was a great female representation and common theme of strong women throughout the book which I loved. This was a fast, fun, easy read!

I think everyone knows if I hear the words "accidentally married in Vegas", I will read the book. As soon as I saw this was a second chance and a bit enemies to lovers, I knew I was all in. Nora and Derek dated in college and Derek thought Nora was the one, forever and ever, until she broke his heart. Flash forward to now, he is a football star coming back from and injury and she's an agent who needs to sign her first client.
Derek is refered to Mac after his agent retires and little does he know, Mac is none other than Nora, the one love he's never gotten over.
He's not interested in working with her, but he does want to give her a bit of payback for all those years ago. Nora has never forgotten Derek either, how could she? But she also knows it was the best decision at the time so that she could follow her dreams. She is determined to get him signed and will do all of the crazy tasks he asks of her just to prove that she isn't going anywhere this time.
I loved the other Shark players coming in and setting Derek on the right path and telling him when he was being a d bag. He set a ton of rules for him and Nora working together again, but the rules were more for him than her. He had it bad and just didn't want his heart broken again.
After their trip to Vegas and an impromptu honeymoon, when the walls come down and they are able to face what happened before, they realize that maybe now is the right time. As long as she doesn't run again.
I loved these two, I thought Nora was quirky and loved how much Derek protected her even when he was fighting with himself. 4.5 stars. Rounded up cause.. VEGAS.
Thank you to Random House, Netgalley and Sarah Adams for an early copy.

Better than a beach read, this was the perfect airplane book. I was smiling the whole way through.

When sunshine (Nora) is reunited with her college sweetheart (Derek) she has to convince him to put the past behind them so they can have a future. She’s quirky and ambitious he’s a tad grumpy and going through a career crisis.

She’s career oriented and he’s fighting all his complicated feelings for his ex flame. This is a funny and heartfelt journey to rekindle two people that need each other. Sports themed without being too sporty. Feminist themed without being preachy. This book was a touchdown!

I love that Sarah Adam’s always makes happy books! Seriously with all of the stressors going on in life and in the world it’s so nice to have a light romance that you can get invested in. It’s the perfect romance novel that makes you laugh, escape, and makes your heart flutter with how cute this romance story is. I was captivated by the love story. I enjoyed the spunkiness of the main character and loved how open the Love interest was. The plot had many twists and turns to keep you captivated, and I honestly didn’t want to put it down. Can’t wait for her next one!

I have loved everything I've read by Sarah Adams, but The Rule Book is my current favorite! I love Derek and Nora so much in this second-chance sports romance. The audiobook was fantastic! I reread the Cheat Sheet immediately before and I'm glad I did to remember the characters. It's not necessary, but I appreciated the story even more!