PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT is the newest book from up and coming author, Sarah Adams! I have thoroughly enjoyed Adams’ other books, so I was super excited to read this new Small Town romance from her, and the sequel to WHEN IN ROME. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT is set in a small town with tons of charm and delight. I found this fast paced and really easy to read, I truly could not put this book down! I am very excited to see what Sarah Adams writes next!

I really enjoyed this one! It was nice to revisit Rome, Kentucky with its Gilmore Girls—level cast of hometown characters. Cute, funny, and sweet!

4.5 stars!!! I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would.. wow Sarah, these characters will hold a special place in my heart forever. I felt so connected to Annie on so many levels. I don’t usually love both characters so wholly but I loved Annie & Will from beginning to end. I laughed (& cried no surprise there!) the way Will was with Annie was just absolutely perfect, sweet, wholesome, I don’t think I could even put the right word on it!! This one was so sweet & I am so glad I was able to read it beforehand. it will probably stay as a favorite of mine from Sarah Adams for a very long time, just like I knew it would.

This was another great rom-com - my favorite genre. I really like getting to know Annie. I related to her inner struggle with being the person others needed and being who she wants to be. Will and Annie together were the perfect match - I loved that he supported her love of romance books. This was a great 4 ⭐️ for me and would recommend to all my fellow rom-com lovers.

Practice Makes Perfect, indeed! This book was so swoon worthy! I adored both the FMC and MMC in this book and their chemistry from the very start! It's hard not to love a dark haired bad boy and a sweetheart FMC.

Annie has lived most of her life being "perfect" for her siblings and her town (some literally call her Angel Annie) but she's so tired of it. She thinks she'll feel more complete if she gets married, so she sets out to find her perfect man. The issue? She's terrible at dating. Enter Will, the hot bodyguard (sorry Executive Protection Agent) who protects her brother's fiancé, Amelia, also known as pop star Rae Rose (from the first book in the series). Will doesn't do relationships so he's the perfect person to coach Annie on how to date. Nothing could go wrong... I absolutely loved this romance from Sarah Adams. I love the whole Gilmore Girls vibe of Rome, Kentucky along with the characters. This was the perfect Valentine read for me!

rating; 5 STARTS
genre: romance
steam: closed door

You guys, I cannot put into words how excited I was to see I was granted early access of this novel. I absolutely LOVED When in Rome by Adams last year and I was excited to get back to the Walker family and see Annie's love story.

And this book did NOT disappoint. A body guard (I'm sorry, executive protection agent) x flower-shop owner romance?
PLUS - Teach Me tropes? COME ON.

I don't think I've ever felt more of a connection to an MC than I did with Annie. The pressure to, in your adult life, always be the "good one," the "one with no drama," or the "peacemaker" is a real thing. And being able to watch Annie realize this about her life, see the changes she wanted to make, and go after them was powerful.

If you're looking for a book full of laughs, easy banter, and clean romance - CHECK THIS OUT.

Other things I loved:
✨ Annie trying out different full names for Will (Did we ever find out his actual name?)
✨ I loved all the playful ways that Annie used to try to pull Will off this "sexual perfection" pedestal. Like when she's intimidated to enter his hotel room...until she realizes it's basically decorated like her grandmother's sunroom. 😂
✨ Annie's perception skills were AMAZING - you could tell that being "the quiet one" in the family had given her a lot of time to hone in on this skill. And it made her evenly matched with Will's EPA training to read people so it added a fun element to their dynamic.
✨ Dual POV! All romances should be in Dual POV, in my opinion. It allowed you to see both Annie and Will stew in their feelings AND their character growth.

5 stars.

“If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live.”

Basics:

- bad boy, serial dater, scared of commitment type meets sweet as pie, sunshine type
- Mabel = the small town, old lady, precious grandma type
- Siblings. Small towns. And Swoony Romance.

Concept:

Annie, having social anxiety and being an introvert, struggles to date. But she is determined to have what her parents had - happily married by 30 years old. At 28 years old, her clock is ticking on finding the one. She wants dependable, sweet, and cozy. She wants a steady, cinnamon roll- not a bad boy.

Enter Will. She’s a homebody. He’s adventurous. She’s sweet. He’s spicy. She’s super awkward on first dates. He’s a ladies man, oozing with confidence. So Annie convinces Will to be her day coach- her practice date, if you will.

Will and Annie may be opposites, but the way they fit together can’t be matched. But how can Will ever go for a relationship when he’s wholly against the idea of love? And how can Annie let herself get involved with someone who never wants the house, the family, or the white picket fence?

My thoughts:

From the first chapter- I was hooked. Queen Sarah does it again. This book was so so so cute. I laughed out loud, I swooned, and I smiled the entire time while reading it. This one may be my favorite of all Sarah’s books. (Which says a lot because I’ve read them all; I’ve loved them all.) The characters feel so real with so much depth. The chemistry is sizzling. The story is such a good one. I loved everything about this one, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. And the mentions of romance novels. Probably my favorite moments involved this. Yallllll. Add it to the TBR. Get in line for the library hold. Preorder. All of the above. Releases May 2, 2023.

Thank you so much to Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Xxxx Hannah

This book was so sweet and wholesome, I--- 😭

💫 Small-town romance (yep there's plenty of gossip and interfering)
💫 Fake dating / dating coach trope (and no, he doesn't try to change her, tg)
💫 Grumpy/sunshine

I'm so happy to be back in Rome, Kentucky again (and even happier that we get two more books in this town, following Madison and Emily !!) - this town and its inhabitants are as lovely as ever, and it was so much fun to read Annie and Will's story. The banter was top-notch, and I loved how they both had self-growth over the course of the book. I just wanna go reread it all over again ❤️ also I really, really want a bonus epilogue of their adventures, fingers crossed that the author released one 😭

TWs - toxic household as a kid (fighting/cheating parents, divorced parents) (MMC), death of parents at a young age and a grandparent with Alzheimer's (FMC), stalking of a celebrity

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I loved When in Rome, and I was so excited to get the chance to read Annie’s book early. This was another win for me. I could totally relate to Annie and her tendency to keep her feelings to herself as both a protection method and so she didn’t feel like she was being a burden to anyone else. I loved that, as the book went on, we learn that just because Annie is more reserved and has sheltered herself a bit, she’s not naive. Part of that revelation is found in her relationship with Will and the safety she finds in him to be herself. That aspect of their relationship was my favorite. This version of fake dating — with an inexperienced woman being ‘coached’ by a perceived playboy — is probably my least favorite variation of the trope, but Sarah Adams writes soft and sweet so well that it was more enjoyable than I usually find it. Will on his own was a conundrum for me. His experience level - and his awareness of Annie’s lack of - made the mixed signals he continually sent her a bit frustrating. I know he was navigating his own confusion about the situation and the feelings he wasn’t expecting to feel, but I was still happy that we got a moment from Annie where she called him out on the unfairness of it. He got there in the end though, and that’s the most important part. Major points for a superb first kiss, a great care-taking scene, and cute, flirty banter. Final thoughts: if you love Sarah Adams, odds are high you’ll love this book.

Is this the perfect romcom? Signs point to yes.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Adams work, but I think it is safe to say she has thoroughly outdone herself with Practice Makes Perfect. Annie and Will are polar opposites yet so clearly perfect for each other. The fake/practice dating, the slow burn, the pining looks, the TENSION all make for an amazing romance that readers will finish in one sitting. I just finished and I already want to reread it! This book also features Sarah's signature humor that had me cracking up at several different points and more steam than her other books (while remaining closed door). If you are looking for a book that will put a smile on your face, I have found it!

Practice Makes Perfect is the second book in the Romes series by Sarah Adams. I loved her first book, When in Rome, and could not wait to read Annie’s story. The shy, sweet, sister in the Walker family surely would have an interesting story.

Nope, this book fell a little flat for me. I was really disappointed by Annie’s character. She could be totally relatable, but her personality doesn’t match her age. As a 27 year old woman who owns her own flower shop, her inner monologue was just so immature. I get that she’s inexperienced, but it just felt like such a stretch for where she’s at in her life. I just felt frustrated with her at times.

What I Loved? Reading more about all the people that live in Rome, Kentucky!

There were are some very funny moments, things that made me smile, and scenes that made me swoon!

Read if you want more of the Rome series, Skip if you read it as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm a sucker for a grump-sunshine love story, and Sarah Adams delivered here. I loved Will's demeanor, his back story, and his tattoos -- and the way he brought balance to "Angel Annie" and helped her learn what she needed and wanted. This a sweet, charming small-town romance had just enough tension, lots of sweet moments, and a perfectly satisfying ending.

4.5 Stars Practice Makes Perfect was a fantastic follow-up to Sarah Adams’ When in Rome. Adams’ sweet and lighthearted novels always make for a good read.

In the small town of Rome, Kentucky, the name Annie Walker is synonymous with “sweet,” “angelic,” and “virginal.” Annie can’t deny that these terms fit to her a t, and she hates them. As the youngest of four orphaned siblings, she has been seen as the baby of the family for far too long and she’s sick of the persona she’s allowed her siblings and the entire town to create for her. Annie dreams of getting married and having kids, so after another terrible date, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Amelia, concocts a plan to have Amelia’s bodyguard, Will Griffin, act as a dating tutor for Annie. Will has avoided Annie since he first met her, because he knows that his attraction to her would be a distraction from his job—and from his plan to never be in a committed relationship, let alone get married and have a family. Spending time practicing flirting and dating, Annie and Will are hard pressed to deny their attraction to each other. They know that it could only end in disappointment, with each wanting entirely different things and the other unwilling to budge.

All of Sarah Adams’ books are guaranteed HEAs and all have a low-stakes feel when it comes to the drama/conflict in the plot. This makes for an easy, light-hearted read, which is nice after some really emotional and heart wrenching novels. The side characters in Rome are hilarious. I’m glad to we got to see more of Mabel and Harriet’s never-ending war to be the queen of the town, and that we got to see a continuation of Noah and Amelia’s HEA from When in Rome. I’m so excited for the next two books about the remaining Walker sisters, Emily and Maddie. I’m guessing the next one will be about Maddie and James, given how he was clearly pining after her at the end of this one. Then I think Emily will get a second-chance romance with her high school sweetheart. No matter what their stories are, I can’t wait!

Thank you for writing this story and putting it out into the world! I am in awe. This sweet love story has everything you could want - depth, so much love, all the feelings, and humor too. The characters are so lively and fun - I felt like I was a part of the family, living in this small town. It is a beautiful thing when you realize that people will love you for who you are, when you decide to embrace it yourself. And when a person becomes a safe space. I enjoyed this story, and cannot wait to read more of the love stories that will occur in Rome, Kentucky!

4.5 Stars Practice Makes Perfect was a fantastic follow-up to Sarah Adams’ When in Rome. Adams’ sweet and lighthearted novels always make for a good read.

In the small town of Rome, Kentucky, the name Annie Walker is synonymous with “sweet,” “angelic,” and “virginal.” Annie can’t deny that these terms fit to her a t, and she hates them. As the youngest of four orphaned siblings, she has been seen as the baby of the family for far too long and she’s sick of the persona she’s allowed her siblings and the entire town to create for her. Annie dreams of getting married and having kids, so after another terrible date, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Amelia, concocts a plan to have Amelia’s bodyguard, Will Griffin, act as a dating tutor for Annie. Will has avoided Annie since he first met her, because he knows that his attraction to her would be a distraction from his job—and from his plan to never be in a committed relationship, let alone get married and have a family. Spending time practicing flirting and dating, Annie and Will are hard pressed to deny their attraction to each other. They know that it could only end in disappointment, with each wanting entirely different things and the other unwilling to budge.

All of Sarah Adams’ books are guaranteed HEAs and all have a low-stakes feel when it comes to the drama/conflict in the plot. This makes for an easy, light-hearted read, which is nice after some really emotional and heart wrenching novels. The side characters in Rome are hilarious. I’m glad to we got to see more of Mabel and Harriet’s never-ending war to be the queen of the town, and that we got to see a continuation of Noah and Amelia’s HEA from When in Rome. I’m so excited for the next two books about the remaining Walker sisters, Emily and Maddie. I’m guessing the next one will be about Maddie and James, given how he was clearly pining after her at the end of this one. Then I think Emily will get a second-chance romance with her high school sweetheart. No matter what their stories are, I can’t wait!

Favorites:
* the impromptu keep away scene in the flower shop 💌🌷
* Will’s nurturing side 🥣💆🏻‍♀️
* Mabel 👵🏻
* Anna-Banana 🍌
* the little league baseball date ⚾️🧢🥸
* the tattoo 📖

This was definitely a fun book to read. I loved the beginning with the date gone bad and Will swooping in to save the day. I also enjoyed watching Annie and Will’s relationship slowly progress to love♥️

I didn’t appreciate the almost constant bad language in this book or the extent the author went with some scenes. Because of this my rating is lower than it would have been otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for the opportunity to read this book before the release date. Opinions listed above are purely my own.

I have been such a big fan of Sarah Adams since I read The Cheat Sheet last year.

It was so fun to revisit Rome Kentucky and get a peak at how Noah and Amelia are doing, along with the rest of that meddlesome town.

I loved Annie’s vulnerability throughout the story and the bravery she embodies to break the narrative that she is not only the baby of her family but also the baby of the town. It did get a bit exhausting at the end with how much Annie’s naïveté was highlighted.

Will and Annie’s journey was a delight, especially all the practice ;)

Fans of When In Rome will be pleased with this latest entry!

I absolutely adored this book. I was given this as a wish and wow was my wish granted. I love Will Griffin and I love Annie Walker and even better I love Will and Annie together. The characters were so fully fleshed out and had so many lovely details to them. Annie had some major character development that was also very appreciated. I think they both brought out really good qualities in one another and they helped each other grow. This story was a delight, I loved the small town elements and everything else in between. Highly highly recommend.

Ughhhhh So so cute. It was so sweet and didn't feel overdone or overplayed. It was cute but not nauseating