Member Reviews
Sarah Adams never fails me! I LOVED The Cheat Sheet, and The Rule Book was no different! This story has heart and humor and kept me hooked from the first word until the last. It was so easy to feel like I really knew these characters. Sarah will forever be an autobuy author for me!
4.5 โญ๏ธ
Sarah Adams does not miss. ๐๐ผ
You can always count on her for a fun, easy and overall feel-good romance read.
This one had so many fun tropes (sports romance, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, fake/accidental marriage) and pop culture references. I am never not going to appreciate a nod to the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.
Nora was such a fun, quirky FMC and Derek gave golden retriever disguised as a grump. I appreciated seeing them open up about their past selves, relationship, and insecurities while working to make their present relationship work.
I also loved Derekโs teammates. Every time they were in it, I found myself laughing out loud.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. This one releases April 2nd and I highly recommend checking it out!
I got this book when I was in a massive crescent city 3 slump and it was the PERFECT fit for digging me out!
I have loved Sarah Adams books for so long. Something about them hits just right every time. I love that I know a happily ever after is coming, also because of the way she does the third act it wont give me anxiety, and the whole book is going to feel like a warm hug! They don't call her books Sarah-tonin for nothing!
This particular book had the fun banter, the adorable and quirky FMC, the handsome and smitten MMC, sprinkled with some real life hard situations that are handled with the utmost care!
I think if you have loved Sarah's books before you will love this one. It reminded me most of The Cheat Sheet and having some of the characters from The Cheat Sheet come back into this one was a delight!
Thank you to netgalley for the eARC of this book!
4.5 stars!!
Look, I love Sarah Adams. All her books are so wholesome and bingeable. Second chance romance can be hit or miss for me, but I absolutely loved this one. Nora was so fun and quirky, and Derek was such a sweet MMC.
This book had the perfect amount of spice (imo), some slow burn, tension, enemies to lovers, fake marriage/honeymoon, and forced proximity - all the best tropes hehehe.
Ms Adams you have now cemented yourself as an auto buy author from me!!!
I absolutely LOVED this book (which tracks given how much I love Sarah Adams' writing). I usually am a hard sell for second chance romances and this was done so authentically I had to love it. Nora and Derek are both intricate characters who feel like real people, and thats such a hard feat for an author to pull off. Well done and I will definitely reread it soon!!
Eternally grateful to NetGalley for an advanced copy of one of my most anticipated books of 2024.
You could call me a Sarah Adams loyalist. She can do no wrong. Iโve been eagerly waiting for this one since she announced a follow up to The Cheat Sheet and it did not disappoint. Having been around since the It Happened in Charleston series, it has been such a fun journey to watch her writing evolve. This was her first open-door romance and she executed it beautifully - even though it wasnโt necessary as Adams already has a talent for writing a slow burn and building up tension and anticipation on the pages. I loved the story of Derek and Nora, though I will admit it took me a bit to warm up to Noraโs character. Some of the inner dialogue felt a bit cheesy, but she grew on me and I ended up loving her quirkiness by the end. Derek proved to be book boyfriend material, as are all the male mcโs that Adams writes. Will this book be for everyone? No. Will it be argued that itโs too cheesy and unrealistic? Probably. But for this girl that is a sucker for a love story and happy endings, it was perfect.
Iโve read several of Adamโs books and have loved every one including The Rule Book. What could be better than a second chance romance, fake wedding/honeymoon and sports? I loved the dynamic between Nora and Derek and the revisiting of characters from the Cheat Sheet. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy!
Thank-you to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for an ARC of the Rule Book. The Rule Book features a bit of second chance romance with a dash of enemies-to-lovers, with a sprinkling of one bed trope.
This is the story of sports agent "Mac" or Nora who gets her first major client -Dereck Pender (tight end of the LA Sharks) Dereck is coming off a major ankle injury and will need to prove himself this season.
When Dereck finds out Nora is his agent, he puts her through his paces. However, she exceeds and excels at it despite losing her sleep. They go to Vegas for a brand deal for him, and at a bar he tells her he can't have her as his agent. To celebrate they are no longer going to be working together-they get drunk.
The next morning they wake up and discover the consequences of their booze filled night. They end up "faking" the marriage and go on a 10 day honeymoon. When the honeymoon is over -will the marriage be for real or will they go their own way. Find out when you read the book!
I have been dying to get my hands on this book since it was announced. Iโve literally had it preordered since September. I read The Cheat Sheet last year and, while I found it a little cheesy, itโs such a sweet book. When I saw The Rule Book was a sequel to it and that it would be an open door romance, I was even more excited. It definitely did not disappoint! This book has everything I loved about The Cheat Sheet and more.
I thought the care and nuance put into the character development of Nora and Derek was so well done. Nora is organized and career focused, but instead of being the stereotypical severe personality, sheโs bright and bubbly and full of life and color. Sheโs someone I would want to be friends with. Derek at the beginning of the story is a bit grumpy and jaded, but soon we see heโs an absolute sweetheart. While he may have been the flirt and party boy in The Cheat Sheet, we get to see behind the layers to his struggles and insecurities in The Rule Book. While it still had the charm of Sarah Adams other books, this one felt raw and real. I loved Nora and Derekโs interactions throughout the story and appreciated their growth both as individuals and as a couple.
Overall, I absolutely adored this book. It is my favorite read so far this year. I can already see it as one of my comfort reads I reread over and over again. If youโre looking for a sweet, low conflict, second chance romance, definitely add this one to your TBR!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! I cannot even tell you how excited was when I got the e-mail that I was approved for this book. Since Iโm still new to NetGalley and I donโt have much of a following yet, my requests are frequently denied, so I really want to express my gratitude for this opportunity!
4.5 โญ๏ธ
Tropes:
โ second chance romance
โ sports romance
โ fake marriage
โ fake honeymoon
โ quirky, headstrong FMC
I was hooked on this book from the moment I started reading. Sports romance is one of my favorites and Adams writes it so well. I enjoyed how it picked up after Cheat Sheet and we still got to see those characters interpreted into this story.
The banter and tension between the two main characters in the first half of the book was so fun to read. The story played out in a really beautiful way that showed how they were able to trust each other and have their love story come full circle again.
Nora is an awesome FMC. Sheโs quirky, but in a way that you canโt help but love her. And on top of that, sheโs headstrong. Sheโs an agent in a field thatโs run predominately by men, but she knows what she wants and what she deserves.
And Derek is an incredibly MMC. I wanted to wrap him up and hug him so many times during this book. I loved his friendship with the guys (and Bree) and his relationship with Nora.
โIโm yours, Nora. I always have been. Always will be.โ
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What I Loved:
The rawness and realness, healing process, and relatable struggles of the characters. The hot sex scenes. Sarah is a master at comedy.
What I Didnโt Love:
The length: This book couldโve been shorter. There were parts that were boring to me and I skipped them. There were 15 punctuation errors. I hope her editor fixes them before the book gets published.
Love! Love! Love!
Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Adams for the chance to read this.
I am new to the world of sports romances, having only read a few books and this DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It was the perfect sports mix with lots of ROM-COM. Noraโs funny misspoken phrases are perfect in every way. Derekโs love for Nora is the sweetest thing, he is perfect in every way possible and I love everything about their love. I love the character growth and โwatchingโ the relationship really blossom. Also, breaking rules is the reason they were made right?
**Review will go live on instagram, goodreads, and storygraph 3/19!**
This book was like candy. Not just any candy, but your favorite candy. I devoured it and fell in love - much like Derek and Nora!
The Rule Book follows Nora, an up and coming sports agent who finally gets her first big name to represent! She is thrilled - until she learns that her assignment is none other than Derek Pender, the tattooed tight-end for the LA Sharks โ and her ex-boyfriend from college.
Tensions run high when the two decide to proceed to work together, creating a rule book to keep their relationship strictly professional. Nora canโt let Derek get in the way of her big career goals, and Derek canโt admit that he has never healed from their break-up seven years ago. Will they stick to their rules, or will they find a way to break every single one?
Highlights from this book include:
๐ A female main character who is afraid of her own big feelings and deflects with humor.
๐ Dealing with the trauma of being told, โyouโre too muchโ and being replaced.
๐ Dyslexia Representation
๐ Derekโs core group of friends on the LA Sharks. If you want a group of guys that give you all the Diamond Dog feels from Ted Lasso, this group of guys will do it for you.
๐ An open door scene that was simultaneously sweet and spicy - but if you are used to a closed door romance, have no fear! Sarah Adams adds a content warning at the beginning and lets you know what chapters to skip if the spice isnโt for you.
Sarah Adams keeps me coming back to her romances. Her characters feel like real people, the situations they find themselves are believable, and the words she writes are simply lovely. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!
โ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท, ๐ซ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ ๐น๐ต๐ช๐ท ๐ธ๐ท ๐๐ธ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ธ๐ท ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ท๐ธ๐."
โ๏ธ P L O T L I N E
Nora Mackenzie is finally having her big break in the male dominated sports agent field. The only problem is that her first client happens to be her super hot college ex boyfriend and current NFL Tight End, Derek Pender. Derek only agrees to work with her if she promises to follow everything in his rule book. After a drunken night in Vegas, their rule book completely goes out the window. Will this new relationship be the one to save both their careers?
๐ญ โโ โโฝโโโผโฝโโ
Iโm still swooning from this book! With the extra hard week I had, it was the perfect pick me up! I related to this book so much because my husband and I also fit the college sweetheart and second chance love trope. Letโs not get started on what an amazing character Nora is. She is sassy and hilarious and brings the perfect amount of sunshine everywhere she goes! Her obsession with ice cream with cereal on top is also an obsession that I share with her. ๐ I love that this book has an underlying theme of overcoming the patriarchy. Pam (Noraโs Mom) and Nicole (her boss) were such great example of strong female roll models that we all need. The bromance between Derek and his friends adds an extra level of warmth to the story. And did I mention that there is NO third act breakup?!?! Sarah Adams always has the perfect recipe that makes me smile from ear to ear. I bet you will love this one too!
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐:
๐ซSecond chance love ๐
๐ซSports Romance๐
๐ซMarriage of convenience๐
๐ซFootball player x Sports Agent๐
๐ซGrumpy x sunshineโ๏ธ
๐ซOne bed๐
๐ซA little bit of spice๐ถ๏ธ
๐ซSwoon worthy๐ฅฐ
๐ซBromance๐ฏโโ๏ธ
๐ซDual POVโ๐ฝ
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ: late diagnosis of dyslexia and parental neglect.
๐๐๐ โ๐ธ๐๐โ๐พ๐
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐ซ
๐Q U O T E: โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐๐น ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐ธ๐๐
๐๐ป ๐๐๐ถ, ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐น ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ๐๐.โ
๐ Thank you NetGalley, Random House- Ballantine, and Sarah Adams for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts ๐
Sarah Adams writing sparkles with magic!
The Rule Book is a fun, banter-filled sports romance you won't want to miss. Nora and Derek dated in college and everything was great... until she broke up with him out of the blue. Now, years later, neither of them are over it. When they're. unknowingly partnered up as sports agent and football player they struggle to make it work. After an accidental drunken night and Vegas marriage, the two are in hot water with the press and their careers are on the line. Now, they've got to play along with the ruse to protect their careers but somehow also keep their feelings at bay.
Can these two follow their rule book or will they end up making their mistakes again?
I love everything Adams has written and this is no exception. 10/10 banter and humor-- I read this whole book with a smile on my face.
This is a Sarah Adams special ๐ฅน it feels like coming home and cozy and soft and so so happy! It has everything youโd expect from Sarah with a LITTLE bit of spice and it was honestly perfect. Nora and Derek were full of longing and love and tension and heartbreak and FUN. I loved this book so much.
Nora is my FAVORITE. She is sunshine in all of the best ways. Her colorful outfits, her pink couch, her silly little phrases, her need to organize and color code. There is no one I love more than Nora. She spoke to me in a such a personal way that I canโt even describe. Derek is also such a SOFT BOY. I loved him so much. His tattoo?? The thing in his bedside drawer?! The way he loved Nora even when he was sure he shouldnโt/couldnโt?! They were honestly the best kind of second chance because they were forever each other champions, even from afar. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.
I loved both of their individual story arcs! Nora and her work, how hard it is to be a woman in a male centric field. But she worked SO HARD to get where she was, and thankfully had someone in her corner!! I love her and Nicole! And love where they needed up!! And Derek and his struggles when he was a kid, and getting a dyslexia diagnosis and how that helped see his childhood in a new way.
The guys are always in a silly goofy mood, even when theyโre being serious, and I LOVE them for it! I love that they are always there for each other no matter what!! And I loved that Bree was INSTANTLY ready to be best friends with Nora!!
Thank you so much to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 4.5/5
Sarah Adamโs books addictive and I have been looking forward to this book for so long! It was great to be back with this NFL teamโGo Sharks! ๐ฆ
Second chance romances are my favorite! I love how Derek and Nora navigate opening up about their past selves to make their present relationship work. Throw in a marriage of convenience and ALL the chemistry and tension and you get a great love story.
Derekโs teammates added so much humor and fun to the story. I loved seeing what Nathan, Bree, and everyone else were up to now.
Content: one open door scene (low explicit), some language
Many thanks to Random House & NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Derek is a tight end for the Las Vegas Sharks, recovering from an ankle injury, leaving him concerned about his future. Nora has just gotten a promotion and is ready for her first client, who just happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Will the two play nice or be enemies going forward?
I absolutely loved this book! I loved seeing familiar faces again from โThe Cheat Sheetโ and getting to know Derek and Nora more. The college sweethearts-breakup-meet again storyline drew me in from the first page and I couldnโt put this down! I laughed, cried and kicked my feet giggling as I read this. I loved Nathan but Derek might be my favorite guy in this series. If you loved โThe Cheat Sheetโ youโll love this one just as much.
Practice Makes Perfect was one of my favorite romances in 2023. Sadly, I think Iโm in the minority here but I did not love The Rule Book. I thought Nora was annoying and Iโm kind of sick of the quirky girl trope. This had some of my favorite tropes but felt very surface level and rushed. We kept hearing that Nora was a great sports agent but never saw it. We kept hearing what a star Derek was and then he retired??? I just was left wanting more. That being said, I still enjoy Adamโs work and will always come back for more.
โญ๏ธ4.5
i love nora and derek so much, i am so happy i got to experience their love story. i enjoyed the various tropes and how their love developed deeper after finding out they have to work together (as exes). thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc! i highly recommend this one!
trips: enemies to lovers, second chance, grumpy x sunshine, not-so-fake marriage, forced proximity/one bed, sports romance, and dual pov!