I really did not enjoy The Cheat Sheet so I was hesitant to request this book, but my adoration for the Rome series won out so I gave it a chance.

Ultimately, it was fine. I liked it more than The Cheat Sheet because it had actually enjoyable characters. But it does not come close to the quality of the Rome series. I'm not sure what it is about Adams with these two series, but it really does feel like all of her talent goes into the Rome series.

If you had to pick, skip this and The Cheat Sheet and pick up When In Rome. If you wanna be a completionist and read her whole backlist, I bet you'll have no issues getting through this one - it just may not change your life.

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams was a solid second chance romance that I enjoyed reading; However, it was not at all memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Nora’s dream of becoming a sports agent is finally coming true, until she realizes who her first client is supposed to be. Her ex-boyfriend. Derek has never understood why his college girlfriend Nora broke up with him, and has never fully gotten over her. Will they be able to set aside old feelings for the sake of their careers?

I found this to be sweet sports romance with endearing and relatable characters. I really liked Nora, her quirky sense of humor and her commitment to independence and her career. Derek was such a wholesome and sweet character, and his supportive teammates were adorable. I liked how the book explored his self-esteem following his injury and adult diagnosis of dyslexia. I trust Sarah Adams to deliver sweet rom-com vibes, and it was the perfect summer read!

i loved nora and derek so much! sarah adams knows how to write the perfect romance novel with minimal spice, which i really enjoy.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved every book that I have read by Sarah Adams and this book is no different. This book was so much fun. It made me laugh a lot and it put a giant smile on my face. Derek and Nora are adorable together and have amazing chemistry.

I also love me a book with no 3rd act breakup!! There was no stupid miscommunication tropes or anything else and I love it.

I give it 4.5 stars rounded up just because it felt a little slow at the beginning.

I loved this even more than The Cheat Sheet! The characters annoyed me at first but I grew to love them! There was such great tension between them!! I’ve already added a few more of this authors books to my TBR and purchased the physical copy of this because of how much I loved it!

🌶️

Ok. I honestly loved this one more than The Cheat Sheet, so as a sequel that is an amazing accomplishment! There was a hint of miscommunication, but the second chance romance was leaning harder on them evolving to be better together, and I’m here for it! I loved seeing all the characters I got to know and love in The Cheat Sheet, and see Derek get his own HEA. 10/10, definitely recommend.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 football/agent romance
💋 second chance romance
💋 oopsies Vegas wedding
💋 fake marriage
💋 forced proximity

Derek’s agent retired, and he is getting the new guy on the block, named Mack. Is there any more obvious sign that your agency thinks your career is done after a devastating ankle injury? Only when the agent walks in, it’s his college ex Nora Mackenzie. His gut reaction is to nope out of there, but then he realizes this might be fun hazing her, especially since she never gave him an explanation for why she was breaking up with him.

A very fun Sarah Adams rom com! (And with spice!?!?!)
Derek and Nora are a couple that are soulmates in every sense of the word. In all the books I have read I have never met a character like Nora. She was truly unique in such a lovely way. While i recognize she may ignore me if she was a real person, as a character she was charming.

Also a secret tattoo?? I will go crazy for it EVERY. TIME.

This book was absolutely adorable! I loved the witty, hilarious banter between Nora and Derek or Derebear. This is the perfect book to make you smile and laugh. Nora is spunky and fantastic! Easily she’s one of my favorite female main characters! And Derek is hot. I loved the dyslexia representation. I loved the second chance romance. I would recommend this to everyone!

I love Sarah Adams! The humor in her books is just so good and she’s great at writing romance! I do feel like it was a touch long and maybe there needed to be more communication but overall I had a great time reading this.

୨⎯ 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔 ⎯୧
rating: 3
plot: 2.75
characters: 2.75
writing: 2.75
romance: 3
spice: 2
narration: 4

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

°•*⁀➷ what to expect
🏈 sports romance
💻 she’s his agent
💕 second chance
❤️‍🩹 he’s not over her
🫢 fake relationship
🗣️ banter

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

°•*⁀➷ the plot
the plot was interesting enough. i thought i would DNF it and did for a few days, but decided to keep going and it was… okay. she’s a sports agent and currently up to be an agent for her ex-boyfriend. the storyline that follows from there was really fast paced and was underwhelming. i was expecting a lot more banter or pining but it wasn’t long before they were back together.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the characters
𝜗𝜚 nora: she’s a spitfire and quirky and entertaining but i didn’t really connect with her as i usually do with Sarahs characters.

𝜗𝜚 derek: he still had feelings for nora and instead of handling his feelings like an adult he decided to play stupid childish tricks and games on her to get her to quit. but when he finally decided to be an adult i started liking him again. he was kind and still knew every detail of nora.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the writing
this is what caused me to quit the book for a few days. the writing was just not it for me, it didn’t feel like a Sarah Adams book. everything was rushed so much and it was really cringe to read because random men were flirting with Nora inappropriately just to try to show Derek’s jealousy and i feel like it’s so unbelievable. i feel like i had severe whiplash that morning at the hotel, i feel like a chapter with the night of would’ve been really important to both the characters and the story instead of just throwing it in there and then saying “this happened and then this” because it’s not believable for the characters to randomly do all the events of that night. even if intoxicated. this just doesn’t make sense and makes me so upset.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the romance
they were cute but tbh not my fav

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the narration
the narrators were really great and did a phenomenal job bringing the characters to life.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ in conclusion,
i didn’t like it, it felt rushed and didn’t really blend well. i had such high hopes for this one. it was too sappy

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 do i recommend? — yes and no….

I’m not sure this one was much of a home run for me. While there was that typical Sarah Adams magic, the descriptions just felt odd - what exactly does it mean that a woman looks like “a sexy stick of gum”?!

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