3.5 ⭐️

This book was so freaking cute!!

Derek was such an amazing book boyfriend! He was attentive, sweet, caring, sacrificial and always put Nora first. It was always Nora for him, and I loved reading his POV when she thought he hated her, but he was trying to hide how much he loved her 🥹

Nora was pure sunshine ☀️ She was funny, sweet, just pure light and joy! She was such a fun character because she spoke literally every thought that went through her head and she entertained me to no end 😂

This was such a sweet second chance romance, throw in a not-so-fake-marriage, only one bed, a bit of football and of course grumpy x sunshine, and I was SOLD! I loved the found family vibes with Derek’s friends, and seeing all the familiar faces again! (And a special shoutout to the infamous whiteboard, IYKYK 😉)

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Adams for granting my wish and sending me this absolute gem of a book!

Tropes:
- Football Romance
- Marriage of Convenience
- Second Chance
- One Bed
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Football Player X Sports Agent
- It was always you
- Found Family

the girl who feels like she’s too much meets the boy who feels like he’s not enough 🥹

✔️ second chance🫂
✔️ athlete x agent 🏟️
✔️ college lovers to ex-lovers to idiots to lovers 🤪
✔️ vegas marriage 💍
✔️ no third act 🥰
✔️ no owd/omd(mentions of other people in the past)😋

i have to admit that i didn’t like him at first. he was acting like a petulant child, throwing tantrums and making everyone around him miserable😔 after Nora and his friends put some sense in his head he became such a lover boy🥰

i love that both kept loving each other all those years but also they tried moving on. they didn’t know if they would see the other one ever again so i’m glad both of them tried to move on🤗

their love was so strong🥹 he tattooed her initial on his arm after they broke up to remember her always😭 he found a charity for her&her mom, kept something for her on his bedside table🥹, and she watched all of his matches, bought all of his team jerseys😭😭😭😭😭😭 they just kept waiting and watching the other from afar💔💔💔

I'm convinced Nora is ADHD coded. (She is not intentionally written as ADHD, I checked with the author. But it still feels like ADHD, at least in the way how it looks in me!)
I love an organised colourcoded Queen who struggles to keep friends because she is seen as 'too much'!

Derek has dyslexia and was diagnosed later in life. He has not been treated well as a child and has a big sense of failure. The journey he goes on was truly beautiful and I felt so seen as a neurodivergent reader. The feeling of not being enough, how you try your hardest and still you 'fail' in the eyes of society. The way this was talked about and handled was done very very well.

Nora is often seen as too much. And she is learning and growing to become fully herself and not feel sorry about it. She is super badass and very good at what she does as an agent. And I loved the relationship between her an Nicole (her boss and mentor). The way both women are going about the powerimbalance in the workplace. I loved how much of an example Nicole was to her!

But most of all I loved the emotional vulnerability between Nora & Derek. The way they are growing and learning to love and be open again. I was rooting for them from the very start. The sweet moments + the banter had me kicking my feet many times!

Also, the scenes with the other LA Shark boys were absolutely hilarious but also heartfelt.

Sarah Adams is an amazing author and truly has a gift for creating a safe and loving space for readers to feel seen and loved and valued. To feel validated and supported. I hope she writes many many more stories! ✨️💕

It’s been almost a year since the last time I read a Sarah Adams book and omg I’d almost forgotten how much I love them!

I had THE BEST time reading this book. Literally couldn’t put it down once I started it.

Second chance is one of my favourite tropes and Sarah did it flawlessly in her new book. I loved Derek and Nora and how in love with each other they were. Seeing them spend more time together and getting to know these new versions of themselves was lovely and I also really enjoyed the fact that they were very open with each other about what happened between them in the past and ended up realizing that as much as it hurt then, it was the right thing and they probably wouldn’t have worked back then.

Another one of my favourite things about this book was Nora and her bubbly personality! She was such a ray of sunshine and her goofy phrases were adorable but underneath all of that, she was incredibly hardworking and fought to make the world a better place. It was great to see her achieve her career goals, stand up for herself and find her place in a male-dominated industry. Derek’s support through all this was great and I loved the he was her biggest supporter. His personal growth journey was also great to witness and I loved the way he went from thinking football was all he had and that he would be nothing and have no one if his career ended to someone who knew he was a lot more than that and knew his friends and Nora would never leave him because they truly loved him for who he was, not because of his job.

I really enjoyed the dyslexia rep and learning more about it as Derek opened up to Nora about his struggles and the hurt he still felt from his school years and the way the people around him treated him when he was trying his absolute hardest to succeed.

In short, I’m obsessed with this book and have found a new comfort read.

Thank you to Headline Eternal for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I need to begin my saying this is my first read by this author, and I absolutely love the way she did her author’s note and content warning. I love that it lets us readers know exactly what we are dealing with and lets us know where to skip if sexy time makes us uncomfortable. This will for sure not be my last book by this author.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes (I must admit I’m a big trope girly). There are so many tropes in this book that are done to perfection. I think all of my favorites were included and not in a cheesy way.

I enjoyed reading from Nora and Derek’s points of view, it always makes the story more emotion filled to me. Nora is so quirky it’s easy to connect to, and they both get so petty it’s hilarious. I loved their banter and their connection in general.

I can’t wait to read this authors back log. Her writing style made it so easy to fly through and enjoy the story and characters. It was such a fluffy read with a bit of seriousness thrown in, I couldn’t help but love it.

I have the biggest smile on my face from reading this book. It is so cute and made my heart happy. I recently read [book:The Cheat Sheet|58100280] and was introduced to the group of friends and teammates of Nathan and Bree and I found that Derek was a great addition to the guy group. I'm happy that the second book of the series was his story.
Oh, the love between Derek and Nora...I could feel it from day one.
Here is a quick run-down of the story:
Derek is currently on the injured list and hasn't been playing football for a while. He is nursing his ankle back to playing capacity but is scared his position on the team is in jeopardy. His current agent is stepping away from work for personal reasons so Derek is assigned to a new agent, a brand new agent and he is her first client. She also happens to be his ex-girlfriend and the love of his life, the one that broke his heart into a million pieces.
Nora is a woman working in a man's world and she is trying to carve a career for herself. Her first client is her ex-boyfriend, the one that she broke up with despite being in love with him. She now has the difficult task of getting him to trust her enough to want to work with her and is trying to survive all the hurdles he is putting in her way.
However, it's obvious that they both still have feelings for each other. One drunk night in Vegas and these two end up married. To save Nora's career and reputation (because, apparently some men think women can only succeed in a career if they sleep their way to the top), Derek and Nora continue with the charade of the marriage. Time together makes them face their true feelings for each other and come clean about their past.
It's a HEA story with loving and caring characters. We continue to see the found family and friendships that were presented in [book:The Cheat Sheet|58100280] and see how they continue to grow.
There was a bit more spice to [book:The Rule Book|182484354] than in [book:The Cheat Sheet|58100280] but it's still very mild.
I can't wait for the rest of the stories of this series to be released.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for granting my wish and allowing me to pre-read this book. I'm really becoming a fan of Sarah Adams.

I enjoyed this a lot, it was sweet and funny, I loved the dual points of view and there was just enough pining for a good second chance romance.

I loved that characters from The Cheat Sheet made an appearance too, and Nora's relationship with her mum.

I also loved that both characters had meaningful careers, with Nora navigating the male dominated sports agency.

It was a little too surface level though. With Derek's dyslexia and Nora likely being neurodivergent, I expected things to be a little deeper I guess? But neither of these were explored in any meaningful way, and Nora was just written as very energetic, organised, and too much for some people.

The spice was also just a little disappointing. It's nice that the author warns you when it's coming so you can choose to skip it, and honestly, it didn't bring anything to the story. Considering the second chance romance aspect, I was expecting it to be a little more intimate and hotter tbh, and not so... flowery?

Overall this was a very quick, lighthearted read, with great banter and chemistry between the characters.

Sarah Adams is one of my favorite authors, and I was really excited for Derek's story.

Gotta say, it was worth the wait.

I love the second chance trope, and I think it was executed perfectly here. And the fact that they got married drunk just made the story even better.

With the right mix of laughs and gossip, this story won my heart over.


I thought the characters had great growth throughout the story; this book really warmed my heart.

Thank you so much, the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Headline for this arc copy!!
I'm so glad I picked this up because there's something so comforting about Sarah Adams and how she writes love and life. I LOVED Nora, I don't know what it is about me and connecting to fictional Nora's but we will never know!!
Her amazing style, her confidence, her independence, her vulnerability and determination for change, it allowed me to see the qualities of myself I often redefine as making me too much to just being defined as just the right amount. It was so lovely for them to communicate so openly and fight through the past and their insecurities together instead of alone. Plus I love the conversations surrounding woman in male dominated fields and the sexism that resides in those spaces and how we are meant to settle for that, I loved how they overcame and overruled their scrutiny and won in the end. This couple was just like a warm hug and this book is a credit to every book Sarah has wrote because she just keeps getting better and better.
Thank you for granting this wish it was a gorgeous read!

The rule book 🏝️🏈📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book needs to be turned into a movie asap!!

Derek- I love this man, he drinks chamomile tea!! He plays American football but he loves his wife/ex girlfriend/ client more then anything because he said

‘ because regardless of how it ended, I needed a way to prove it existed’

after Nora found out this man has a tattoo of the letter N, that he got it AFTER they broke up!!

I mean if this isn’t love I don’t know what is.

Nora- my crazy girl, I have never laughed so much over a FMC before, she a little cringey and crazy yes, but that’s what I love so much about her. The way she has to organise everything and her funny catchphrases. But also the fact that she is a boss women. You just can’t help but love this girl!

Also it’s been so long since I read the cheat sheet but Nathan and bree 🥵
They are still perfect, this books makes me want to re- read the book so bad!

I also forgot how funny the side characters are, I was living for the found family in this book!l

This book hit so much, just like every Sarah writes. The plot the romance everything and just to top it of a THEY WAS NO THRID ACT BREAK UP!!

What more could a girl ask for!


Thanks so much NetGalley for the book for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book 🩷

SARAH ADAMS YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!

If you loved The Cheat Sheet you will LOVE this book!!

In this book we follow the story of Nora and Derek, who were college sweethearts, meet again when Nora is now Dereks agent. We see a rocky beginning for these two as Derek is still in love with Nora so he’s doing everything in his power to distant himself from her but Nora being Nora doesn’t give up!Until one day she forces him to do an endorsement deal in Las Vegas, where two of Dereks friends ended up eloping, so what could possibly go wrong?

A drunken night after a long day of filming that’s what! After waking up confused on what happened the previous night Nora finds Derek in her bed with the same tattoo as her on her left finger. Can they work out any remaining problems and go separate ways or will their feelings keep them together?

The Rule Book, Sarah Adams
Rated - 5 / 5 ✨

I freaking loved this book so much, I was completely hooked from the first page. It was the perfect second chance romance read 🥰♥️

Nora might be my all time favourite lead, I wanted to be her best friend, spend time with her and colour coordinate everything in my life in rainbow themes.

I loved getting to know Derek, what a guy. What a dreamboat. Reading his and Nora’s story was so delightful and seeing their history and growth come together was so perfect. I was smiling endlessly and kicking my feet with happiness.

Nora’s mum is a queen, I loved everything about her. You’ll see what I mean when you read it.

Sarah Adams can do no wrong, everything she writes I absorb and will forever auto-buy all of her books. She has such a way of captivating the audience and I honestly cannot wait until she releases her next read.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Headline Eternal and Sarah Adams for this arc.

❀ second chance romance
❀ enemies to lovers
❀ one bed
❀ forced proximity
❀ right one, wrong time
❀ sports romance

#Review: *The Rule Book* - ARC - Sarah Adams
5/5✨

I can say that I enjoyed sooo much this book!💕 Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Adams for this copy🤗.

Norah Mackenzie is a young sports agent. She had a though time at this job and being NFL player, Derek Pender, agent makes things even harder. He is her ex college sweetheart and their relationship didn't end in very good terms. So, Derek is keen on making Norah's job a nightmare, but she is not that kind of person to give up that easily and makes her own plan regarding Derek. They decided to make a rule book where they added points which would protect them from getting closer to each other.

But only one, wild night in Vegas will chance their lifes. They woke up being married to each other and they need to fix this situation, so Norah could keep her job. And with this, every point from that list they've made is doomed to be broken 🤭.

I looved the grumpy side of Derek and the way he teased Norah. He was mean to her, but at the same time he cared so much for her, that he couldn't help being kind and caring with her. The banter was sooo good and I enjoyed each of their interactions.

Another thing I loved was the role their friends played in this story. They were fun and they rooted for this relationship between Derek and Norah. We also have a wonderful surprise appearance from 'The cheat sheet' protagonists, Nathan and Bee✨💕.

This book was sooo good, fun and relaxing! I truly recommend it if these tropes are to your taste:
🏈#EnemiesToLovers
🏈#FirstLove
🏈#SecondChanceRomance
🏈#ForcedProximity
🏈#GrumpySunshine
🏈#Rivals
🏈#MistakeMarriage
🏈#MarriageOfConvenience
🏈#Banter
🏈#OneBed

I really enjoyed The Cheat Sheet and also loved The Rule Book - Sarah Adams will definitely be an author I'll look out for again in the future. This was funny and sweet and a great second chance romance. Perfect love story to get you hooked and out of any reading slump!

"The Rule Book" by Sarah Adams is a fun and steamy romantic comedy that serves up a delightful mix of second-chance romance, sports, and humor. The novel follows Nora Mackenzie, a fledgling sports agent, who finds herself facing off against her ex-boyfriend, NFL tight end Derek Pender, as her first client.

The tension between Nora and Derek is palpable from the start, with their complicated history adding an extra layer of complexity to their professional relationship. As Derek seeks revenge for Nora breaking his heart in college, the stage is set for a battle of wills and wits between the former lovers.

Adams skillfully crafts a story filled with witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments as Nora and Derek navigate their newfound roles as agent and client. The author expertly captures the ups and downs of their rollercoaster relationship, from their initial animosity to the rekindling of their feelings for each other.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek waking up married, throwing their carefully constructed plans out the window. As they grapple with the consequences of their impulsive actions, they must confront their unresolved feelings and decide if they're willing to take a chance on love once again.

Adams' writing is engaging and entertaining, drawing readers into the world of professional sports and the high-stakes world of agent-client relationships. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each grappling with their own insecurities and fears while also striving to achieve their goals.

Overall, "The Rule Book" is a charming and captivating romance novel that will leave readers swooning and smiling. With its lovable characters, witty dialogue, and steamy romance, it's a perfect escape for fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedies. Adams delivers a winning combination of humor, heart, and heat in this irresistible love story.

I really liked this book. It was a very fun read that made me laugh several times. I would definitely recommend it to others.
Thank you so much for the ARC!

I’ve read a few (five) Sarah Adams books, I’ve enjoyed and liked them but if I’m honest most aren’t ones I’d reread. This is not the case with The Rule Book, a story I’d happily enjoy over and over again. It feels as though this is the book I’ve been waiting for from this author (and not just because it is open door).
As an overview The Rule Book is / has:
🏈 F/M sports romance (MMC is an NFL player)
💍 Workplace romance (FMC is a sports agent)
🏈 Second chance - college exes!!!
💍 Accidental Vegas marriage
🏈 Interconnected stand-alone, you’ll recognise some characters from The Cheat Sheet.

•I loved both main characters. Sometimes a ‘quirky’ character is hard to pull off without it seeming contrived, but this was not the case with Nora. Derek is prime book boyfriend material, the man made me swoon (it’d be a long list if I listed why) and he was endearingly vulnerable.
•The book covers a lot of ground - and tropes - without them feeling laboured or shoehorned in. This makes reading it a delight for romance readers.
•I really enjoy a second chance romance - The Rule Book explores this wonderfully. The history of the characters add to their dynamic throughout the story. However, their previous relationship (and remaining issues) are not resolved instantly, instead they are explored. Combined this results in excellent tension.
•Side plots were also interesting, such as: workplace misogyny, adult friendships, career changes, dyslexia diagnosis.

A big testament to how much I enjoyed and love this book is my plans to buy it when it releases next week, as I need a copy on my shelf!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this novel for an honest review

I have enjoyed Sarah Adams’ previous novels so was very excited to be granted the opportunity to read this one.

A second chance romance, Nora and Derek discover each other again in adulthood. Both the lead characters were well developed, and overall fun and likeable.

The plot was well paced and kept my attention throughout. The developing relationship was well done.

I really enjoyed Nora as a character and her refusal to fit into a certain box.
I did find Derek’s career change at the end a bit off - it didn’t feel like that was where the story was going, given the way his career was explored throughout the novel.

Of course I‘m dropping everything for a Sarah Adams ARC!! This is the perfect frothy, fun and steamy (steamier than Sarah Adams other books I think) read for when you‘re feeling down.
I loved Nora, the FMC, so much. She is a sunshiney whirlwind of puns, quirky outfits and general adoreableness. Even if you don‘t usually like the quirky girl trope, I believe Nora being „obnoxiously cute“, as she is called by another character in the book, will wear you down.
I also enjoyed Derek, the MMC, but more so in the latter half of the book. He was being so petty in the beginning which I didn‘t love. But he was so obsessed with Nora later on and really seemed to get her as a person, so he redeemed himself for me.
Things that I also loved: the guy friend group that Derek has, Nora‘s „friendship“ with Nicole (Nicole would call it workplace acquaintances) and the storyline around Nora being a sports agent.
For my personal taste, this book was a little too low conflict and I also don‘t super enjoy second chance romances. But Sarah‘s bingeable and sugary sweet writing style makes up for the few shortcomings that I saw.
Highly recommend this book if you‘re looking for a fun, low-angst escape from daily life that will supply you with all the happy feelings,

(Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Adams and Headline Eternal for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

*arc The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

🌟 4/5
🌶️ 1/5
Genre: new adult romance
POV: dual

Tropes:
✨ second chance
✨ workplace romance
✨ sports romance
✨ lovers to enemies to lovers
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ found family

Derek is a Sharks player in the NFL coming back from a potentially career ending injury, when he’s assigned to a new agent “Mac”. Little does he know, Mac is in fact Nora Mackenzie, his college ex girlfriend who he still holds a torch for.

This second chance romance explores a “right person, wrong time” theme, with discussions of putting yourself first. Whether that be to allow your career to soar, or to find fulfilling connections.

I thought the communication between Nora and Derek was mature and realistic, they were both afraid to voice their feelings but found a way to navigate it together.

Little sprinkles of appearances from Bree and Nathan from the cheat sheet were appreciated 😌 it really felt like a found family with the guys from the Sharks ❤️

I appreciated the discussions of misogyny in a male dominant workplace. Nicole was such an important character in showing that strong women exist at the top. But also Nora was so important as a rookie agent, in showing that you don’t have to approach things in a cold, hard and dominant way; You can be soft and funny and still succeed against the men trying to hold you down.

Another great book from Sarah Adams! 🥰