I don’t know why I waited so long to read this one. Perhaps it’s because The Cheat Sheet was cute and I enjoyed it, but didn’t have that wow factor for me. Well call me wowed, because The Rule Book is everything I look for in a sports romance. Sarah Adams’s ability to get inside her characters heads and make you feel their yearning and desire for one another is top tier. So much so, that even though this book is mildly spicy (one open door scene), intimacy and emotional connection are never neglected.

This is the kind of second-chance romance I love; characters that haven’t seen each other in years are forced to work together and deal with their unresolved feelings. Communication is key for understanding why the relationship didn’t work out the first time. Just because they haven’t interacted in a long time, doesn’t mean those emotions were dealt with and at the opening of this story, Derek treats Nora like the enemy because of his hurt from never stopping loving her. In fact, he even has a little bedside drawer reminder of that unrequited love. We discover that Nora had very valid reasons for ending the relationship years ago, but now as his agent, it’s justified that Derek is putting her through the ringer, testing her ability to commit to him professionally as his agent.

I love a good plot twist early on, and Derek and Nora find themselves tied to each other more than they ever expected, so will they make the most out of their forced time together? This book is all heart, big swoony feelings, and truly lovable characters. The way Derek interacts with Nora (past his initial jerking her around), is the reason why readers flock to the romance genre; he loves her so much and it’s written into everything he says and does and how he prioritizes her. If you’re looking for your next book boyfriend, he is the epitome of manliness in its most desirable form. The Rule Book gave me all the feels, and all the reasons to pick up more books from Sarah Adams—an easy five stars for that sparkly, heart-pounding feeling. I received an early copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded down

Nora and Derek have a history, they dated in collage and it didn't end well. Now Nora is about to talk on her first client and it is Derek, unbeknownst to him because she has been known professionally as Mack for years. Once he realizes who he is going to be working with he decides to make her regret everything! Then one crazy night in Vegas ends in them waking up married! Unfortunately, this may be the best thing for their careers. They make a rule book, and choose to fake it til they make it for their respective jobs. But, can they also right the wrongs of their past? This was a fun read.

I received an ARC from Dell Random House via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Cute follow up to The Cheat Sheet! Book one was my favorite of these two but it was fun to read about another characters story. I enjoy how Sarah Adams writes her characters personality traits and quirks, always with fun details.

Sarah Adams' books always feel fresh, funny, and lively. Second Chance Romance is one of my favorite tropes, so it was enjoyable to follow Nora and Derek through their escapades in this story!

Sarah Adams is the BEST. Her books are sure to leave a smile on my face no matter what. She writes banter and flirting like no one else. I absolutely adored this second chance, fake dating, sports romance. I also enjoyed the open door romance which is a departure from the normal for this author. It was a fun addition!


Thanks Ballantine for my copy!

Loved this one so much more than The Cheat Sheet! The angst, the marriage (of convenience?), the only one bed trope, second chances. I enjoyed it so much. I love how unapologetically herself Nora is, in an industry ran by men, with her yellow converse and bubbly personality.

This book had everyone's favorite tropes combined:
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Second Chance Romance
-Forced Proximity
(and my personal favorite)
-Only One Bed

The first book in the series had the most loveable characters, and it was impossible for The Rule Book to be any different. Also, I absolutely loved the girl power in this one. It is an absolute can't miss read.

*Thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Sarah Adams, and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.*

My new favorite Ssarah Adams book! This storyline was unique and fun to read and learn about the athlete/agent dynamic

Let me tell you, I am officially a sports romance girlie through and through! This is my first Sarah Adams book and I am now her number 1 fan. I need to go back and read every single one of her books. This book was so charming and witty and the banter was top notch!

The Rule Book is a sweet book comprised of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, second chance, forced proximity and a not so fake Vegas marriage. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cheat Sheet so I was excited to read this. The banter between Nora and Derek was sublime and I loved the chemistry between them. I was a little frustrated by Derek and his still being hung up over the breakup that had occurred over 8 years ago but they definitely worked for and deserved their happily ever after..

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.

Give me the enemies to lovers trope all day long! Flew through this rom com and loved the character development!

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did! Technically this is a sequel to The Cheat Sheet however I never read that one and was fine to skip to this.

This is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes! The main characters had a past and now find themselves working together. They try to create some rules to keep their relationship professional but after one night in Vegas that all goes out the window. Now they have to navigate making a Vegas marriage seem real in order to help our FMC keep her job

This was a good romance and perfect summer read! I would rate the 5 stars and will be recommending it to my followers!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC

Nora is a rising star assistant to a high profile sports agent who is excited to take on her very first solo client... until she realizes that said client is Derek Pender, star tight end for the LA Sharks and Nora's ex-boyfriend from college. Desperate to prove herself to her boss, she's willing to overlook their history, but Derek only agrees to the arrangement to make Nora as miserable as he was when they broke up and force her to quit. Coming back from a serious injury, Derek needs all the help he can to get his career back on track and Nora's ideas just might help his cause, if he'll let her. But of course, nothing is that simple in a romance book and the two soon catch feelings.

Loved this enemies-to-lovers story with a fake marriage thrown in for fun. Derek's pining for Nora was palpable and I'm always in for the only one bed trope. :) I didn't care for the ending regarding Derek's career as much (too over-the-top) but overall, a quick and enjoyable read.

Overall: 3.75/5
Spice: 2/3

4.5 stars!! THE DEDICATION!!!!!

“This one’s for my girls: Dream Ben bigger. Reach impossibly higher, Don’t you dare settle.” TOP. NOTCH. DEDICATION.

This book was stellar & a true treat! I loved it way more than I enjoyed book 1. This book shows us Nora & Derek & some fake marriage to help each other out. They were together in college & parted ways when college was coming to a close. Derek’s career was just starting to take off with graduation around the corner, so parting ways seemed most logical. Years later—they find each other once, unexpectedly, wanting to completely ignore & disregard theirs past together. Nora is given the chance to manage Derek as a sports agent as a rookie. But you see her feeling unsure if she’s up to the challenge of being around him too much during this time & being able to ignore all those old feelings……enter, drunk marriage, OOOPS. Even though it was snot exactly intentional they decide to play it off as it was with the risk of Nora being fired. Can they handle it being all fake to save Nora’s career?

This was such a treat. I loved watching them grow & develop through this book, the way they treated each other was so so sweeet. I will say the reason I didn’t give it more than a 4.5 is because of the lack of communication. It’s a hot point for me, but only enough to only take a half a point because truly it was a sweet & fun story. They had such good chemistry & Sarah did these tropes very well. Usually second chances are very iffy for me, but she did this & played that well in this book. I was rooting for them immediately when they tried to fake til they made it.

Sarah also is wonderful at representing mental health concerns in books & within her characters to where it’s so incredibly relatable. Highly suggest this book!

Thank you to the publisher, Sarah & Netgalley for the arc!!

Sarah Adams writes the sweetest romances and I can't get enough of them. This one was excellent! I'm so excited for the next one!

Sarah Adams has done it again!! This book was all the things. Charming, tunny & tull of unquestionable chemistry!! Nora & Derek's second-chance romance is one of my favorites & you just can't help but root for them trom the start! The other relationships in this book, like those between Derek & his teammates and Nora & her mentor friend are also so endearing! The growth you see in both characters as they rediscover their connection is so real. Oh & did I mention you Tet to eat shee within out Whats next for them! "The Rule Book" is 1000% a must-read!

Nora Mackenzie is trying to make a name for herself in the world of sports as the best up-and-coming agent to professional athletes. She just landed her big break with Derek Pender, who is trying to make a comeback to the NFL after a serious injury. The only problem is that Derek is Nora’s college ex-boyfriend, whose heart she happened to break. To make the whole agent/athlete relationship work, Nora and Derek come up with a list of rules that they cannot break – however, they are really bad at following their own rules.

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams is an extremely cute story about two people who are exactly right for each other. It is so obvious that Nora and Derek are meant to be – especially as they keep breaking the rules they made for their professional relationship. Told through dual POVs, you really do get to see how in love these characters are with each other.

This book does have a lot of tropes in it, so if you like forced proximity, second chances, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience or any combination of those, then this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Adams has single handedly reignited my love of sports romances. I can't say I've ever been the BIGGEST fan of them, but I'll be damned if The Rule Book didn't change that for me.

I loved the characters, plotline, and overall feel of the book. My only gripe is that I wish the sex scenes were a bit better written. I wanted more detail and less assumptions.

This is disappointing to say but I didn't love this book. I found the main characters annoying. Some of the dialogue seemed immature and juvenile at times. The plot was okay. I still love Sarah Adams and I'll read whatever she writes this was just a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.