Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for my e-galley copy of The Rule Book via NetGalley.

The Rule Book is a Second-Chance Romance novel that is the companion to the beloved book, The Cheat Sheet. In this novel, Nora and Derek run in to one another years after their break up when Nora gets her big break the chance to become Derek’s agent. Can they put aside their history and work together for the sake of both of their careers?

Oh.my.gosh. I am a solid Sarah Adams fan. I have read her most popular releases and loved the happy, lovey-dovey feelings they provided. However, this one is one of my favorites. The way Derek is an absolute puddle of love for Nora is just the sweetest, and I really feel Adams portrayed the anxiety both felt at not knowing where the other’s feelings were at any given moment. It was such an enjoyable read that I couldn’t put it down.

I did sometimes roll my eyes at Nora’s silly personality, feeling like nobody can be that goofy/performative 100% of the time, but that’s just me. I also feel like me saying that is probably perpetuating the insecurities she wrote in for Nora, so that may just be something I need to work on.

Overall love this read and will recommend to any and everyone! P.s. loving the sprinkling of spice in there but including the disclaimer of where to skip for those who don’t vibe with that sort of content.

I loved this book. Funny, sweet, steamy read. The chemistry between Nora & Derek was off the charts. Couldn’t put it down. Fire!

Short Synopsis: Nora just got promoted to full-time sports agent when she finds out her first client is her college ex-boyfriend Derek. She ended things abruptly years ago despite them being head over heels in love, and Derek is still holding a grudge.

Thoughts: Adams’ writing keeps getting stronger with each book. The banter was laugh out loud funny, and I thought the pacing was great. As someone who specializes in learning disorders, I thought Derek’s struggle with dyslexic, and not fully understanding his learning profile until later in life, was realistic and Adams did a great job reflecting on how that impacted him in the present. On the flip side, while Nora was such an outgoing and quirky character, she had fears and insecurities that she was working through. The best part was the football crew. While it is highly unlikely that a football team has so many cinnamon roll heroes (a girl can dream), I loved how they meddled in Derek’s relationship and pushed him to admit his feelings. Plus, all the cameos of Bree and Nathan were fun!

Read if you like:
-Married in Vegas
-Fake engagement
-Cinnamon roll football star
-Second chance romance
-Quirky FMCs
-Rom coms

Thank you Random House for the ARC. Pub 4/2

This was a cute continuation of this series! I always like a fake dating trope and this one was funny and well executed. The characters were well developed and there was definite chemistry!

This is more of a "it's me, not you" situation. This didn't completely work for me. I'm definitely in the minority about this though. For the first 30%, I thought this was going to be a 5 star book, but then it just fell apart for me.

Main thing is I'm just not a huge fan of second chance romances. I've been trying to read more with that trope and some have worked better than others. This one, unfortunately, didn't. I honestly didn't like either main character enough. Derek was way too unforgiving in the beginning and then it was like a switch flipped and he was sweet and kind to Nora. It was a huge change of character for him and it just rubbed me the wrong way. The dyslexia thing also really didn't fit in well with the story. Nora was fine. She wasn't completely likable though. She was super quirky, yet not really awkward? There wasn't enough romance in here to really root for them to be together.

I liked the friendships. If you loved The Cheat Sheet, you will see those two in here quite a bit. The feminism and girl power stuff was great too.

Didn't completely work for me, but it's a solid 3 star read for me.

Another fun novel by Sarah Adams. You get caught up with the main characters immediately and don't stop till the end. The friend characters are fun too. I recommend this fun and quick read. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #RuleBook #NetGalley

This book is an absolute delight! I love a second chance romance and this one delivers. The comedy and writing is spot on and I loved the characters and their backstories.

College sweethearts reunite in less than favorable circumstances. Will they be able to get past their broken hearts and find love again?

So where do I start?
This book is by far my fave reads of all time. Everything by Sarah is great, but this one is chefs kiss.

This book gets me back to the time when I first started reading romance novels. I remember I was super in love with accidental marriage, but as far as I can remember, I haven’t read a lot of books that have this trope in them for a while.

And to make it even better, it’s a second chance and workplace romance.

This book makes me laugh and cry. It’s an emotional rollercoaster.

I love Nora so much. She is funny, kind. Her words are true gold and she has several unique qualities that make her stand out. She has officially became my favourite FMC of all time. As a girl who loves annotating, making bullet notes and colour-coding, I feel like she resembles me in some ways. I’ve never felt so close to a character. In my whole life, like Nora, I don’t have a lot of people around that truly understand me. On the outside, I seem all shiny, but I’m pretty lonely on the inside. Reading this is like reflecting on myself, and I find comfort in it.

As for Derek. Wait until you meet this super hot NFL player. He’s everything a girl dreams of, and he still loves her(squeaks) after all these years.

Sarah made me gasp so many times in this cutie because there are so many unexpected moments. You will cry and laugh and do it all over again with this baby.

I love how the tension between these two lovers lead them into this beautiful adventure. This book is for you if you love cute and shiny characters, second chance romance and accidental marriage. Well basically, you should read this, no matter if you love these tropes or not.

Thank you to the Sarah Adam’s, Penguin Publisher Group, and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Sports agent Nora’s entire career lies in the hands of her new client; unfortunately, he’s her college ex and they did not end on good terms. Things get trickier still when the pair wake up after a wild night in Vegas to discover they’re married. Sarah’s books are like a warm hug, and like her others, this will put a smile on your face.

I enjoy Sarah Adams books and her writing style. She tells good stories. This one fell short for me for a few reasons:

1. It was too similar to the plot of book by another author (First to Fall by Jenny B Jones)
2. The feminism was laid on too thick. I think the theme would have served the story better if it had been more subtle. In this case, I felt it pulled me away from the story by referencing it outright too many times.
3. The last 20% dragged for me. The mood shifted from the romance and focused on their careers instead. I would have liked to see the romance woven throughout that part.

Positives:

1. Her characters were well written. I especially enjoyed the interaction between Nora and Nicole.
2. The humor is grade A.
3. The pacing was pretty good.

Overall, I'm giving this one 3 stars.

Thank you, netgalley, for the book. This is my 4th Sarah Adams book, and I absolutely love it. Now I am going to have to buy it. Nora and Derek's college romance didn't last, but 1 year. Years later, they reunite, will their past haunt them, or will it be true love?

This is my favorite Sarah Adams book yet. If you’re a fan of hers, and typical romcom HEA novels, this book is for you. This is very reminiscent of a Hallmark tale; the characters are likable, yet on the shallow end of developmentally complex. Even though this is Adams’ first open-door novel, the spice is on the milder side and the book is still fluffy fun. For me, it took a while to find a strong connection between the characters; having gone years without any sort of speaking or knowabouts since their college breakout seemed a bit far-fetched, as was their instant rekindling of feelings. Did I think the football player friendships were unrealistic? Yes. Did I love reading these scenes anyway? Also, yes. Did I feel this novel was reaching with tropes and book boyfriends and fairy-tale endings? Yep. Did I devour it in two days, despite this fact? You better believe it! I just want to be clear in my review that if you enjoy the typical light romcom, you’ll swoon and love it. If you’re looking for something deeper and more complex, you might not love this as much.

I will say, despite the tropes and typical characters, there were some surprises I didn’t see coming! I felt this book got better and better the more I read. The building to the end was highly satisfying, and I would recommend this book to my gal pals. Thank you to netgalley for letting me review this book!

Perfectly delightful Sarah Adams read. I somehow finished it in a single day (vacation is doing great things for my reading stats this month).

Nora and Derek dated seriously in college and haven't spoken since Nora ended things. Until Nora becomes Derek's agent seeing as how he's a hot shot football player recovering from an injury. A night in Vegas changes things when they have too much to drink and wake up married.

I liked how there wasn't a third act break up and how they respected one another, but I did follow her "content warning" and skipped the steamy bit just because I"m not here for that at the moment. Not sure if I'd read again, but was a delightful way to spend the evening.

Thanks, NetGalley!

I absolutely adored this book! Norah and Derek have captured my heart and I’m not at all upset. Sports romance? Check. Second-chance romance? Check. Brooding, tattooed love interest? Check. Sarah Adams is a phenomenal author and I definitely plan on picking up everything she writes.

I don’t usually read romance, but I decided to give this one a chance. And I loved it. I may need to read more romance if they’re like this! I loved the banter between the characters. I loved their chemistry. I loved the second chance romance. I thought this was such a fun read. I am excited to look at the back list from Sarah Adams. I want more stories like that in my life! Such an entertaining, fun read.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and Sarah Adams knocks all her books out of the park. I love the angst and how we get both sides of the story. HEAs are obviously my favorite.

Sarah Adams does it again I adore her stories this second-chance romance stole my heart! Dual POV is one of my favorites if you like this you will enjoy this story. I loved the cover. The characters were well fleshed out. The book contained open-door love with no spice. A fluffy read one to enjoy if you want a quick light read.

3.5 rounded to 4. I thought it was an adorable beach read about a couple of exes who split up due to the woman wanting to have her career as a sports agent be her first priority, but then she becomes his agent unexpectedly....And the super predictable plot ensues. Although almost annoyingly predictable, very funny and cute nonetheless.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and the publishers for this arc for an honest review.

“Because you, Nora, are beautiful, rare magic and nothing less.” A tear streaks down her face and I kiss it from her skin. “Let’s go.”

Quoting Sarah Adams back to Sarah Adams… YOU are beautiful, rare magic and nothing less. I LOVED DERE-BEAR AND NORA. Sarah Adams said, and I quote, “If you liked THE CHEAT SHEET (me), then I wrote this for you (me, again).” Emotions!!! I adore her and her books. She kicked it right out of the ballpark with this one. (That’s definitely not the right saying). Welp, 10/10. Be like me and preorder.

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-second chance: they met at USC
-sports agent & number one tight end
-go sports! 🏈
-opposites attract
-ice cream topped with cereal
-the most fashionable store in the country: target
-dyslexia rep
-grumpy x sunshine
-oh no, you’re wounded! (hurt/comfort)
-camomile tea
-revenge plan
-tattoos
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. brief non explicit. “You two kiss too damn much. It’s time to play football.”

BIG thanks to dell/prh for the advanced copy!