The Rule Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“When he’s around, the rest of the world might as well not exist.”

Whenever you need a lighthearted rom-com, any book by Sarah Adams is a fantastic choice. Her stories are so funny, flirty, and feel-good!
I was so thrilled when I got the email that I’d received an ARC of this book because it was on my most anticipated list and I’ve been so excited for it. This book contains multiple of my favorite tropes and it did not disappoint.
Nora is a sports agent who deals with criticism from the men at her workplace every single day. If I had to assign a song to this part of the story it would without a doubt be “The Man” by Taylor Swift. It was also giving Barbie!
Derek is a football player and they find themselves unintentionally working together.
The characters are big softies and I guarantee that the banter in this book will have you giggling. Nora is incredibly quick with the jokes.
I really admire the way this story was balanced. Yes, it’s a lighthearted rom-com, but there are so many meaningful conversations and deep moments. You can really see how the characters grow with each other through the story.
This book is an interconnected standalone. You can read it on its own, but it’s more fun if you read The Cheat Sheet first! The Rule Book will be available on April 2nd!

Read If You Like:
🏈sports romance
🏈dual POV rom-coms
🏈second chances
🏈forced proximity
🏈marriage of convenience

Someone said Nora reminds them of Leslie Knope, and I couldn't unsee that. Nor would I want to because Nora is as lovely as Leslie Knope. She's funny, she's good at her job, she's full of quirky sayings, she's unapologetically herself, and she supports women. She's honestly kind of goals in her ability to be herself.

Meet Derek. A lovable grump. A misunderstood partier. The best tight end in the league. A heartbroken man who works hard to distract himself from how it still hurts that Nora dumped him years prior.

When Nora's career as an agent hinges on Derek, he decides to get a little payback. But after a drunken night in Vegas, the two wake up as husband and wife. Will it save her career? Will Derek get payback for Nora breaking his heart?

The Rule Book is a gooey marriage of convenience, silly, laugh out loud romcom. Thank you, Sarah Adams, for prefacing the novel with content warnings! So appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

The Rule Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Rule Book is a dual-POV sports romance. It focuses on Nora Mackenzie, a newly promoted sports agent about to take on her first client, and Derek Pender, a football player who recently recovered from an injury… and her college ex-boyfriend!

I loved everything about this book! I enjoyed the carefully constructed rules they put in place to maintain a professional relationship, and watching them break all those rules! I loved how they became each other’s biggest cheerleaders, supporting each other’s goals and careers. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and this one did not disappoint!

Thank you to @netgalley , @randomhouse, and Sarah Adams for a chance to read this enjoyable second-chance romance!

Read Dates: 03/01/2024- 03/03/2024
Goodreads review: 03/03/2024
Instagram review: 03/04/2024
Blog review: 04/02/2024

This was a fun and funny follow up to The Cheat Sheet. It can absolutely be read as a stand alone but those that have read the prior book will enjoy the cameos in this story. The main characters were engaging even when they were at odds and the found family and friendships were entertaining.

Let me start by saying that I am typically not a fan of any sports related love story, but this book has completely changed my perspective on anything sports related. Derek is one of the most emotionally mature male characters that I’ve seen in a long time. The themes of men supporting women and what true feminism looks like makes this not just a typical romance novel, but an inspiration for all women on what being loved by a man should look like. Most romance novels have a woman upending her whole life for a man, but this was a refreshing take on staying true to yourself and loving a man that supports you in all your endeavors.

The tension of enemies to lovers jumps right off the page. The emotional maturity paired with the physical attraction of Nora and Derek left me clinging to every page. I wish I could read this book for the first time again.

Nora Mackenzie has worked hard hard to become a sports agent, so she’s ecstatic when her company finally gives her a client of her own. Then she finds out who she’ll be representing…Derek Pended, star NFL tight end and the ex-boyfriend Nora dumped their senior year of college. Derek is recovering from a career threatening injury and dealing with a recent dyslexia diagnosis. He doesn’t need to add the woman who broke his heart to his already full plate. Derek reluctantly agrees to the contract solely to make Nora’s life as difficult as possible and force her to quit. But Nora is strong, stubborn and determined to be the best agent Derek has ever seen. As Nora works her magic on Derek’s career and image, he realizes his feelings for her have never gone away. In an attempt to save himself from another broken heart, Derek decides to let Nora go. Then disaster strikes in the form of a drunken night in Las Vegas and a wedding neither of them remembers. Now Nora and Derek must pretend to be happily married in order save Nora’s job and reputation. Except their fake marriage starts to feel all to real.

Sarah Adams’ The Rule Book is an exceptional follow up to The Cheat Sheet. It’s a squishy, smushy hug for your heart. A second chance romance that’s both joyfully fun and emotional. Pure sunshine, Nora navigates the sexist climate in her workplace and her chosen profession while never losing her spark. Marshmallow Derek’s confidence has taken a hit, leaving him lost and lonely. Watching Nora and Derek find each other again was magical. Their growth throughout the story was meaningful and grounded as they realized they needed to let go of their past to make room for their future. Nora and Derek’s romance was sweet and heartwarming. It was a treat seeing the characters from The Cheat Sheet as they helped make their friends’ Happily Ever After a reality. A cute slightly grumpy/sunshine romance that leaves you with a smile of delight on your face.

Which came first: The Rule Book or Travis and Taylor? I received this book as an ARC right after the airing of the Superbowl. As I read I couldn't help but picture our main man as a Kelce look-alike. If you think this is a typical sport romance where girl falls for meathead pro-athlete, you are wrong. Our main man has depth, he is emotional, and he is so easy to fall in love with. This book compiles realistic circumstances with celebrity-like accommodations. It was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend, Swiftie or not.

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved the cheat sheet and brie and nathan’s story but nora and derek’s story had me giggling and kicking my feet and rooting for them from the start. I loved how nora’s character is strong and independent but learns that she can be both of those things and be in a relationship. As someone who had a pretty absent father who found a new family to love and had only my mom who is my best friend, i connected heavily to nora and loved the representation of single moms. Then with derek’s character, i loved how he was not brushed off as this big mucho guy who plays football but about a guy who actually has feelings and expresses them. His struggle with dyslexia was well represented and loved how it was written into his story. overall, i loved this book, this story, the characters, and the message of this book. by far my favorite sarah adams book!

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams | Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Sarah Adams has done it again! The Rule Book is definitely my favorite novel by her so far!

This novel follows Nora, the outgoing, yellow-shoes wearing sports agent, and Derek, our lovable Sharks offensive player, as they figure out their surprising second chance at love.

This book was extremely captivating, and I could not put it down. The amount of representation in this book was phenomenal, and makes the characters even more relatable.

Even though I absolutely loved Nathan in The Cheat Sheet, I can now officially say that I would choose Derek over any member of the Sharks!

I definitely definitely recommend checking out this book when it is released on April 2. This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it did not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Dell, and Sarah Adams for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this adorable, witty, funny, charming, and totally swoon-worthy romance! I finished this in one day because I literally could not stop!

Sarah Adams has officially become an auto-buy author for me. Second chance romances aren't usually my favorite trope, but I thought the way Adams wrote this story was well done!

Nora and Derek were so cute and adorable. I loved that this second chance had some rivalry and competition between the two. Nora reminded me a bit of Annie Walker and so I automatically LOVED her - her optimism, her quirkiness, her corny jokes and catchphrases were so endearing. Her cluelessness could sometimes be frustrating, but it didn't bother me so much. Derek is the sweetest. I totally understood and felt his anger and initial resentment towards Nora (while also still understanding Nora's side!). Their banter back and forth was hilarious. Nora putting the chicken suit costume on his bed for his friends to find had me dying! I loved Derek's friends and Nora's relationship with her mom and Nicole.

All in all, this was such a lighthearted, sweet love story and would highly recommend for fans of second chance, marriage of convenience, football and workplace romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Somehow Sarah Adams combined two of my very favorite tropes — second chance romance and marriage of convenience — into the book of my dreams. This book checked every single one of my boxes for a five star read and I absolutely could not put it down. It made me legitimately laugh out loud, made me swoon, gave me butterflies, and even brought a tear to my eye by the end. I haven’t read The Cheat Sheet but am planning to pick it up right away after how much I loved this universe of characters in The Rule Book.

Nora and Derek are absolutely perfect together. I love that this book was written in dual POV so we get to see both of these dummies absolutely ass over heels in love with each other. In a book with a lot of plot to move the story forward, we also get a lot of satisfying character development individually and together. We even get to see Adams’ first go at an open door steamy scene which was a treat.

Content flags: workplace misogyny; parental abandonment; experiences with dyslexia and being diagnosed as an adult

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Adam’s has done it again! Nora & Derek are just the sweetest🥹 I have loved every book Sarah has written & The Rule Book now has a special little place in my heart because I loved it so much. If you’re looking for a feel good read that has so much heart in it, you will absolutely adore Nora & Derek’s second-chance love story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this incredible book!

A full review of The Rule Book will be up on sheridangregory.com soon!

The Rule Book | 3.5🌟

I liked the book, read it in a few hours. I would’ve loved to see more about Nora’s work as an agent tho and a little less about the honeymoon, just a little bit more sport related. But I enjoyed it 🫶🏻

I absolutely loved this book! I read the ARC over a weekend and from the very beginning, it was everything!!

I loved having the old cast of The Cheat Sheet back! My heart swelled when the old crew was back in action, huddled together to make a new love plan for our main character Derek! Seeing Nathan and Bree still together and still in love was everything! Seeing our gang of guys all in relationships, married, or expecting their first child warmed my soul!! Everyone so grown up! It hit all the feels!

Nora was another cute, likable, and quirky Sarah Adams character and I immediately loved her. Her struggle for her career in a male-dominated field hit so close to home. We’ve all dealt with a Marty in our lives and I felt so strong for her. I also LOVED that her mother was a strong, independent single-mom who put her daughter first and any other man second in her life. Their bond was so beautiful and I was so emotional over it.

While I loved the book and understood why Derek reacted the way he did with Nora at first, I hated how vengeful he was towards her! The poor girl was just pursuing her dreams and trying to help him with her career! I’m so glad that ended and Derek out aside his hurt feelings in order to work with Nora.

The rules they put together in order to work together were so cute and funny! My mouth fell open once their night in Vegas was revealed! I did not see that coming!! It was such a fun twist to the story and I loved how it led to Nora and Derek reconnecting! I will also note that it was so great to see Nicole back again and her relationship with Nora was a perfect example of female friendship!!
‘
Sarah Adams can do no wrong in my eyes and I absolutely LOVED this book!!! Thank you NetGalley & Random House Pub/Dell for this most anticipated ARC!!

A huge thanks to Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of The Rule Book which comes out in April.

I love Sarah Adam's books and while not a sequel to The Cheat Sheet we are back in the LA Sharks universe with superstar TE Derek Pender in this second-chance romance! Nora is a sports agent and when her boss thinks she'd be the perfect agent for Derek it brings Nora and Derek back together. They were college sweethearts but she broke it off and shattered both of their hearts. Can she prove to him she'll help save his career?

I loved this book so much! Sarah Adams writes such fun book (and give me all of the sports books). Second chance romances aren't my favorite, but I liked how this one was written. There were a few times both Derek and Nora were immature, but overall I felt like they both grew and realized that they weren't 22 anymore and that they've always loved each other. Plus great cameos from the Shark guys we all love!

If you haven't read The Cheat Sheet yet, I highly highly recommend reading it and putting The Rule Book on your TBR for when it comes out on April 2nd.

I absolutely adore Sarah Adams. Sports romances aren't usually my go to, but I am just so drawn to everything she writes. Now Derek..... I am obsessed with him. I am obsessed with him BECAUSE he is SO obsessed with Nora. It is inherently attractive when a love interest would basically kiss the ground you walk on. I also just loved their chemistry and felt like they were such a natural fit, no matter how long it took them to realize it. I loved this one!

This was my first Sarah Adams book and I'm a convert! This was a lot of fun, and I don't like football romances. 😆

I’ve read quite a few of Sarah Adams’ books, so I was pretty excited to receive a copy of this arc! Thanks NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group.

Okay, so the book absolutely shocked me in the beginning - and not in a good way. I found the writing to be pretty sophomoric and the characters to be immature and unrealistic.

That being said, I did not hate this book. As a matter of fact, I absolutely adored it. Despite the rocky start, I seriously fell head over heels for this book and the main characters, Derek and Nora. It was swoony, smoldering, delicious… everything I look for in a chemistry-laden romance. It’s like all my favorite tropes rolled into one - enemies to lovers, grumpy & sunshine… like, what even is this? I’ll tell you what it is: it’s a treat.

I can’t say it’s anything groundbreaking or too original, but if you’re anything like me, it scratches that feel-good heart eyes 😍 itch. For all the rom-com gals (and guys) out there, I’d definitely recommend The Rule Book!

4.5 stars - I adore Sarah Adams. I adore her cozy books. I adore how she writes romances - my rating scale is stupid and I'm not giving it 5 for the simple reason that I'm not making it my entire personality. (although I reserve the right to change that if I decide in the future)

I love second chance romances and this one was just nearly utter perfection. Nora/Mac is one of my favorite characters and I loved her attitude that she can do anything. Derek is the ultimate book boyfriend and I loved his relationship with Nora. And the accidental marriage - I literally loved everything about this.

and no third act breakup!!! *cries in happiness*

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.