Another enjoyable story from Sarah Adams. Loved being back with the gang again after absolutely loving The Cheat Sheet. This was a great 2nd chance romance with a strong fmc although she needed to give her head a wobble at times but that's what I like about Sarah's writing, she writes floored realistic characters not just cookie cutter versions of people. I enjoyed where this story took us and it gave me some laughs along the way. A great easy read.

This was a fun, lighthearted romance that was easy to read. It was filled with a lot of cute moments, but I didn’t always gel with the writing style. I sometimes found it to be too cringey and the humour usually didn’t land. This was most noticeable during Nora’s POV chapters. I understood that her character was meant to be endearingly quirky, but to me, she often came across as just plain annoying. For this reason, Nora’s characterisation didn’t seem realistic. I couldn’t picture her in the real world. In a similar way, the friendship between Derek and his teammates felt contrived. I liked how they all wanted to help him find happiness, but something about their interactions just seemed too “tropey”, like the author had to tick a “found family” box. Once I suspended my disbelief, I could get on board with the aspirational world being created.

Even though Derek was surrounded by supportive friends, the same couldn’t be said about Nora. I wished there was a greater emphasis on Nora making friends, as it was obvious that she was lonely and lacked that kind of companionship. The dynamic between her and her boss was surprisingly understanding and compassionate in its own way, yet I still longed for Nora to build a solid support system outside her sweet mum and Derek.

I appreciated how the plot always felt like it was moving forward, even if I wasn’t always completely happy with the direction. Specifically, I wasn’t a fan of Derek’s early behaviour towards Nora, which definitely didn’t help endear me to him. Luckily, his grudge didn’t last for too long, but this didn’t mean there was no less angst. Derek and Nora clearly had feelings for each other (Derek was particularly obsessed), but they were so wound up with whether or not they were reciprocated. As it was plainly obvious, it got tiring the longer the charade was drawn out. Nevertheless, the novel was still a fun time.

OVERALL: This sweet, lighthearted read toed the line between being aspirational and unrealistic. I definitely had to suspend my disbelief in moments, but it was still a fun and easy time.

I haven’t read The Cheat Sheet (although I have heard of it, I don’t live under a rock) but I’ve heard so many great things about it, so I was looking forward to this, first off, love the cover. Snappy and colourful. I’m not always a fan of second chance romance but in this book it worked perfectly. Great chemistry and banter between Nora and Derek, and the whole waking up married in Vegas was a cool plot direction. It was a fun, easy read. Thanks Netgalley and Publisher.

When being perky and quirky is your whole personality.

Honestly this book was exhausting to read.
The MMC has zero personality and is angry and treats the FMC like crap because she broke up with him in college. Then in 5 lines he has forgiven her and is back to being madly in love.
This is your typical over hyped tiktok book for those who like romcoms.
This book offers absolutely nothing new or exciting to the genre
And it's sports romance in the loosest sense of the word concidering he is a NFL athlete and she is a sports agent.

Trigger warnings express 'spice' in a certain chapter and I didn't see any spice. At all.

This book was so much fun! I would call myself a huge Sarah Adams at this point, as this is the 3rd book of hers I have read, and they have yet to be a disappointment. I absolutely adored her When in Rome duology (and secretly wish for more!), and so despite the fact that I haven't read The Cheat Sheet, which this is set in the same world as, I knew I'd enjoy it regardless. I always enjoy a good sports romance, but I didn't even mind that this hardly featured any playing, as the chemistry between Nora and Derek was so palpable that I didn't want to be distracted by any sub-plots. You could tell that they truly cared for one another, and just wanted the best for them, no matter what that looked like. I also really enjoyed the interactions between Derek and his friendship group, and the little glimpses of the relationship featured in The Cheat Sheet, which I will be sure to read soon.

It really pains me giving a Sarah Adams book anything less than 4 starts. This was a fun and light romance book and I really appreciate that there is minimum conflict! But at times it felt a bit predictable and the dialogue wasn't very realistic. Said that I very much enjoyed it and I will read every one of her books in the future.

Another classic Sarah Adams for the win.

I can't tell you how excited I was for this follow-up to the Cheat Sheet. I LOVED that book.
And I'm happy to say The Rule Book did not disappoint!

I soooo wanted to dislike Derek at the beginning of the book. The way he handled the situation with Nora at the beginning felt so harsh, but at the same time, I think a lot of people would have had similar feelings, if not acted the same way.

It was great seeing our old characters show up again, but seeing Derek open up to Nora and Nora coming to terms with what she really wanted were the highlights of this story for me.

Can't wait to get my hands on everything Sarah Adams writes in the future.

What a gem!

I really enjoyed this fun, light-hearted and easy read, so much so, that I'm now going back to read her other books!

Nora is a great character and her relationship with Derek is swoony, but still realistic and relatable. As was the original reason for their breakup which is gradually revealed. The humour was great, without being cheesy, as was the spice! Its open door but not over the top. The spice adds to the plot and the love story, rather than being the plot. Perfect.

Overall, a definite recommendation from me!

I’m highly convinced Sarah writes with people like in mind, cause she gives me everything I always want in a book. I loved loved loved the rule book finished it in a night when I wasn’t even planning on reading because I couldn’t put it down.

Sarah Adams has always been and will always be an auto - buy author for me!

this book did not disappoint! 5 stars!!

I really appreciate Sarah's ability to write a story centring around great characters and a really sweet, low - conflict romcom!

the tropes of this story were excellent: marriage of convenience, second-chance, banter, sports romance etc.

Sarah always writes such great men too! I love how they all differ in one way or another but ultimately are gentle, patient and head over heels for their girl!!!

Thank you so much to Headline Eternal, Sarah Adams and NetGalley for granting my 'netgalley wish'! X

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Nora Mackenzie's day goes from bad to worse when she realises that her first client as a sports agent just happens to be the one man she ever loved, and whose heart she broke all those years ago. Derek Pender may be one of the NFL's best tight ends, but his accident last season has left him worried about his future. Maybe a new agent would be good for him, but not the woman he planned on marrying. Nora convinces him to give her a chance, but he's not going to make it easy for her, no matter how much he still loves her.

I loved The Cheat Sheet when I read it a few months ago, and when I heard that there would be a companion novel released, I knew I needed to get a hold of a copy, so was buzzing when Headline approved my review copy. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Nora was a wonderful FMC, one of only two women working at her agency, in a very much male dominated world. She had worked her way to becoming an agent with grunt work, and was now given her first solo client. The fact it was her ex was just a minor stumbling block. She wanted to clear the air straight away, but Derek wasn't ready for that, and they created a "rule book" of what they wouldn't do. Obviously, these were all broken at some point in the book.

The action really picked up after Nora was sick of Derek's shit, and forced him to go to Vegas for a photo shoot, with a new endorsement deal in the cards. They grew closer on the set, and after a few drinks, found themselves married, with an Instagram post telling the world. Rather than denying it and ruining both their careers, they decide to make a go of it, using their connections to pretend to be happily married. But now the lines between fake and real start to blur, and Derek realises he wants to make a real go of it, and he wants to give Nora the engagement ring he's been hiding for all these years. The guys on the team were as great as they had been in The Cheat Sheet, and seeing Bree and Nathan so happy was great. Sarah is definitely an author on my auto-read list, and The Rule Book just cemented that!

Thank you for sending me this copy of Sarah Adam's newest book. I absolutely loved The Cheat Sheet and The Rule Book did not disappoint. I enjoyed every second of this book and couldn't put it down. Sarah Adams is one of my favourites and every book just keeps getting better and better.

A fun sports romance with a second chance at love! Sarah Adams is one of my favourite romance authors, and The Rule Book delivers! Fun banter, some delightful pranking, and a love so wonderful and sweet. Would definitely recommend!

This was the perfect romance book! I had so much fun reading it! Both main characters were really loveable, there was no unnecessary drama, a great friend group and all in all a great romance book! One of my favorite books of this year!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sarah Adams for sending me this book over in exchange for an honest review.

Derek, a famous 30 year old NFL player, snapped his ankle in a game and has been off during his recovery time, is scared he won’t be able to play again for his favorite team. He needs an agent to help him get back in the spotlight.
Meet Jovana, a sport agent who doesn’t fit in but loves standing out, between her extravagant wardrobe and her witted comebacks, she’s perfect at what she does. So when Jovana is matched to Derek to help him it couldn’t be better right? WRONG! Turns out, they were dating in high school and Jovana dumped him after a year of dating for no actual reason. It seems Derek hasn’t forgotten all about that. So they put rules in place in order not to cross any lines whilst working with each other.
He uses petty ways to make Jovana want to quit, such as making her do useless tasks, however she doesn’t back down, in fact she puts him back in his place. So when a trip to Vegas for a suit photo shoot for Derek turns into a very very drunk night out and getting eloped, things can get a little troublesome.


Cute, funny, witty and simply refreshing, the Rule Book makes you swoon, girl giggle and just melt in a puddle. And also want to murder both of them because of miscommunication and just misunderstandings that are still misunderstood 10 years later. But all in all, I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Cheat Sheet and loves cutesy romances.

4.5🌟

Not only did this book make me happy, it gave me joy from within the depths of my soul or heart (anyone or both).
It was hilarious, with Nora’s sunshiny personality and bizarre but cute catchphrases (with Derek always saying “That’s definitely not how the phrase goes”), her colorful organizational skills, and how she always has something to say every time 😂. Her strong will and determination is another aspect I love.
It was so sweet, with how Derek was hooked and still obsessed with her, his support and love for her ❤️.

Everytime Derek’s friends were mentioned, I find myself grinning like crazy because they are so fun and loving, even Pam (the coolest mum ever).


"You're a gemstone. Rare and unique and vibrant.
And anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve to have you in their life."

Thanks to Netgalley, Headline Eternal, Sarah Adams for an eArc of this book!

The Rule Book is a delightful and entertaining read for anyone who loves a good enemies-to-lovers story. The chemistry between Nora and Derek is off the charts, and their witty banter had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. I also loved the unconventional aspects of their relationship, from the forced proximity of being agent and client to the unexpected marriage of convenience. Adams expertly weaves these elements into a heartwarming and hilarious story that will keep you hooked until the very end. If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with a healthy dose of humor and unconventional relationships, then The Rule Book is a must-read. Adams’s writing is engaging, the characters are lovable, and the plot is perfectly paced. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and feel-good read.

Sarah Adam's! I could happily read her grocery list and be thoroughly entertained!

College Sweethearts,
Second Chance
Sports Romance

This book tells the story of Nora (Mac) and Derek. In college, Nora breaks up with Derek to focus on her grades, career and goals. Years later, Nora is exactly were she wants to be in relation to her career, landing her first client, who happens to be Derek. Derek still holds a grudge about how Nora broke up with him, because for Derek, she was her happily ever after.

I loved that so much happens in this book, within such a short period of time. I couldn't put this book down, and I didn't want to. Each page had a fantastic, inspirational quote, or something sweet and wholesome would happen!
The characters were inspirational. There was a small bit of miscommunication, but it was done extremely well, that it worked and it was understandable.

Overall I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the author, headline and netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute and the writing style was great! However I found the beginning a little slow for me but that may be because I am trying to come out of a very big reading slump! For this reason I will be giving it a 3 stars as I haven’t thought about it much since reading it but it was fun to read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc!

I devoured every single page and wish it could have never ended! 

I smiled so much whilst reading this book! I love Sarah Adams’ writing so much, especially how she writes about the friendship group/side characters so well.

Nora & Derek were both very likeable and it was nice to see them reflect on their flaws & mistakes.

Overall this was a lighthearted and enjoyable read.

Thank you Headline & Netgalley for gifting me the arc in exchange for an honest review.