This book was absolutely lovely. I am a long-time fan of Sarah Adams, but I think this just might be my favorite of hers yet. It was passionate, heartfelt, relatable, and so, so sweet. Annie was the most relatable character I’ve read, and the way Will treated her was absolutely beautiful to see. I can’t wait to visit this town and family again!

Read if you love:
- good girl x bad boy
- small town
- practice dating
- Audrey Hepburn movies
- book lover heroines

Another great Sarah Adams romance! Sweet and swoon-worthy, this is a perfect read for anyone looking for a love story with a happy ever after!

i am one of the biggest sarah adams fans i know. i will push her work on anybody that will listen, including this. it wasn’t my favorite of hers (good girl, bad boy trope will never be for me) BUT. if that is your thing, by all MEANS pick this up. annie is such a sweet character, and i loved seeing characters from the previous book again. thanks to the publishers for this ARC!

Sarah Adams always has a way of writing romances that feel so cozy. It was amazing to be back in Rome, Kentucky for Practice Makes Perfect.

In this book we follow Noah’s younger sister, Annie. She’s an introvert with a life for romance novels but is ready to get married and settle down. She’s not into dating and feels that she is horrible at it. Will Griffin is the security guard for Amelia and is known for being single. With some meddling from Amelia, Will agrees to be a dating coach for Annie. The spark is undeniable but they agreed to be strictly friends for their coaching sessions.

Will is what book boyfriend dreams are made of. He has the broody, dark haired love interest thing going on along with tons of tattoos. His flirtatious nature was giving me butterflies throughout the book.

Will and Annie’s story is so beautiful, cozy, and full of angst. I loved every minute.

Thank you to NetGalley and Randomhouse Ballantine for this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

My review is also available on goodreads and my bookstagram account (@sirius.book.lover).

When in Rome was a little slice of magic but I knew that Noah’s sister’s had stories of their own and I needed to read them. Practice Makes Perfect proved that to be true. Taking us on Annie’s journey to find love and marriage in the small town of Rome with the help of super hunky, tattooed, bodyguard Will, Annie finds out who she really is, finds her confidence and finds love.
This story is an absolute winner. I loved When in Rome but I think I loved Practice Makes Perfect even more. From the vulnerability of the characters to the love of flowers, everything hit just right for me🌸

Annie Walker is known around Rome, Kentucky as the sweet, quiet, angel of the Walker family. She is ready to settle down but when her first date doesn’t go as planned, she comes up with a new plan: learn how to be a good date by practice dating the bad boy bodyguard Will Griffin who is temporarily back in town. Will has just returned to help provide security to Amelia Rose in the lead up to her wedding to Annie’s brother Noah and his only goal for his time in Rome is to keep his distance from Annie. Will quickly learns that there isn’t much that he wouldn’t do for Annie including helping her practice dating.

I love the connection between Annie and Will and how they bring out the best in one another. Although they appear to be vastly different at the start, this book shows that there is more to people than looks and the opinions of others. I found Annie to be incredibly relatable and really enjoyed seeing her learn to embrace herself as she is and not let everyone else’s opinions limit her. The way that this book explores the way that Will and Annie are coping with things that have happened in their past feels very honest and helps the reader to connect with them. I really loved returning to Rome in this book and getting to know the Walker siblings more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so cute and swoony. I read When in Rome a few months ago and when I found out that Sarah Adams's next book was about Annie, I got so excited. She was a lovely minor character in When in Rome and I loved getting to see her shine in this one.

Annie lives in the same small town that she grew up in with her three siblings, and owns a flower shop. Will is part of the security team for her brother’s fiancé, and they could not be more different. I loved the split narrative between Annie and Will, and I adored each character. Watching them grow and change while they develop feelings for each other felt so authentic and raw. Not to mention all the quirky and unique situations they get in to - all entertaining and fun to read

I also loved that Amelia and Noah were such a big part of this book, and the other side characters that I grew to love in When in Rome. I hope that where are more books based in Rome, because I can’t wait to check in on these beloved characters again! 

One of my favorite things is when characters talk about going to therapy - and especially men. We need more of that! And men reading romance novels. More of that please! 

I highly recommend this sweet and fun rom com. Can't wait to read what Sarah Adams writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This book was a BANG! Sarah Adams is one of my favourite authors ever and is the absolute queen of closed-door romances!!!

This book was sweet, funny, charming and entertaining! I can never decide on my favourite Sarah book so it’s a tie between The Enemy, The Cheat Sheet and now Practice Makes Perfect. (If you haven’t read those other beauties then what are you even doing?)

This book follows Annie Walker— an adorable, charming, sweet flower shop owner and Will Griffin— body guard , panty-dropper and my new favourite book boyfriend.

If you’ve read When In Rome then you’ll know all about Noah and Amelia. Will is Amelia’a bodyguard who returns to Rome Kentucky to provide security till their wedding.

Will saves Annie from a super embarrassing date and through Amelia’s insistence, dating expert Will starts giving Annie coaching lessons on how to get through a date perfectly and indirectly; find a suitable husband.

But the no-touching agreement slowly fades away as the chemistry between Will and Annie is unbreakable. Soon enough, dating practice turns into kissing practice and both end up catching feelings they never planned to before.

But one doesn’t believe in love and marriage and staying in one place while the other is ready to settle, get married and start a family. Despite these differences and trying their best to resist each other, will Will and Annie get through their differences or decide they’re not what the other wants? Read to find out!

I completely DEVOURED this book. Reading this book was the only thing I was doing when I was free. I loved the characters, the story, the town, the plot, the EVERYTHING!! This book is one of the best romances out there and I will quiet literally force you to read it 😤💙

So excited for the world to read this book <3 Can’t wait for May!!

I fell in love with Rome, Kentucky in “When in Rome,” so I couldn’t wait to revisit these characters and I was giddy when I began reading this book. I definitely enjoyed this story.
These characters are delightful.Annie and Will each have some internal struggles that cause barriers to the attraction they feel for each other. And our favorite meddling town residents find a way to get involved and some of those scenes made me laugh out loud.
While for me it lacked the sparkle of the first book, overall this was a great read. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy,

Where do I even begin. This book was an absolute masterpiece as usual. I laughed so hard I cried, I cried during the more emotional scenes, and I felt every emotion the characters felt. I have never in my life related to a character so much. Annie was me to an absolute T. I felt so seen in every single way possible. The low confidence, perfectionism, taking on everyone else’s burdens, a love for pirate historical romances, being a goody goody my entire life, and desiring for more but feeling afraid to grab it. I mean the list literally went on and on. Now let’s talk about Will. He was chefs kiss. He was kind hearted, helpful, loving, strong, hot, and of course misunderstood. His backstory was heartbreaking, but something relatable for sure. The desire to be perfect in his parents eyes. Hoping if he was the “perfect” son it would make them happy. Put Annie and Will together and the chemistry/sexual tension explodes.

Now let’s talk about the rest of the book. Every character is amazing. I loved Amelia’s character and her crazy antics. I loved her relationship with Annie. Annie’s siblings were all very entertaining. Don’t even get me started on the small town antics and nosy towns people. It was all just absolute perfection and heartwarming. My favorite scene was the Tee Ball scene. I cackled!

If you love fake dating, heartwarming characters, sexual tension, small town vibes, and pirate historical romances definitely check out Practice Makes Perfect.

Holy smokes, Batman. Did I think anything could be better than When In Rome? nope. But you know what Sarah Adams did? She went and wrote a better book. Will Griffin is now the true love of my life. And AnnaBelle Walker is one of the best leads, EVER.
As an enneagram 8, I have a fierce protective spirit, and Sarah wrote Annie in such a way that I would have torn the world apart for her.

Annie is a sweet lil muffin who wants to break free but people call her Angel Annie and they don't think she can handle the "bad boy" the mmc is. And like my enneagram 8 has come to play.

The way she wrote Annie and Will and their desires and fears. Woo. She made Will a safe space for Annie and it reminded me of my husband. And then Sarah was making me chuckle and swoon and I spent maybe 3 chapters crying.

There's a specific scene between Mabel and Will which gives me serious Molly Weasley after the triwizard tournament vibes and I was a hot mess express crying.

Sarah cannot write a bad book. I screamed when I got it. Stopped reading everything else and read this. It was incredible to escape back to Rome, KY. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Dell. But really, thank you Sarah Adams.

I truly don’t think I can adequately describe how much I loved this book! I received the ARC just this morning, dropped everything to read it, and am currently still swooning over the perfection of this story.

Practice Makes Perfect follows Will and Annie, secondary characters from When In Rome who absolutely deserved their own love story. I related so much to Annie as a fellow sweet, introverted reader and loved seeing her truly blossom and get to know herself better in this story. She and Will are opposites who start off looking for opposite things, but their chemistry and their connection prove to be too great to fight against.

The emotional connections in Sarah Adams’ books always get to me. I was teary through a whole bunch of the end at the sweet bonds between Annie and her siblings, the peeks at Amelia and Noah from When In Rome in present day, and the discussions of grief.

The connection between our main characters was incredibly strong and I loved reading their open and honest communication with each other. The intimacy is mostly closed door, but the chemistry sizzles right off the page.

Their banter is fun, the townspeople are still incredibly entertaining, and man do I love the small town of Rome, Kentucky. I laughed out loud at so many of the interactions with the people in the town. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next trip back, which I have to believe might center on Madison and a certain best friend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine, Dell for the ARc in exchange for my honest opinion.

After adoring When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. And it lived up to expectations. Basically, I loved this book so much.

Annie and Will are, on the surface, all opposites-attract vibes. She's a shy, introverted florist and he's an impossibly cool tattooed bodyguard. She wants commitment and he wants anything but. But as they both let down their guards around each other, it turns out that they're both far more complex on the inside than they would let others believe. And their complexities are a perfect match.

Look. I loved the characters. (Annie in particular had some moments that came into my home and called me, specifically out.) I loved the setup (We love seduction lessons.) I loved the town, and the appearances by Amelia and Noah, and the sisters, and the way both characters got to grow and change without leaving their truest selves behind. This is a book about defying your own expectations for yourself and letting go of your fears. And it feels like a great big hug.

Anyway, go read this book.

5/5

Practice Makes Perfect follows Annie and Will, Noah’s sister and Amelia’s bodyguard from When In Rome.

Sarah Adams does it again with this one. Idk how she does it but she gets better and better with every book. The chemistry gets better, the banter, the emotional depth, the intimacy but keeping it closed door. And seeing Noah and Amelia 🥺 I swooned the entire time and I couldn’t get enough of these characters.

And the communication!! Literally there wasn’t an inch of miscommunication. They always communicated and knew where the other stood and I loved that.

Annie has a soft spot in my heart because I can relate to her a lot, and Will is just an angel that needs to be protected at all costs.

I loved being back in Rome, Kentucky and seeing all the characters there and I already can’t wait for the next one 🥹

If you want a book that’s going to make you happy and melt in a puddle because of how sweet it is — preorder this and read it in May when it comes out!!

I’m so honored I got to read it early and I can’t wait for everyone else to 🤍

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything about this book. Sarah Adams is one of the best writers that I have ever read from. The cover of this is perfect, the characters sweet and complex, and the small town vibes were wonderful. I don’t have enough wonderful things to say about this little perfect book. I felt like the characters were my friends and family. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Annie is sweet, angelic, and… hopelessly awkward on dates. She would love nothing more than to settle down with a local man who is ready for a family, but she hasn’t found the right person or gotten past a first date. When her soon to be sister-in-law’s smoking hot, smooth-talking bodyguard, Will, comes back to town, they strike up a plan to fake date. Will has no intention of settling down so they think it’s the perfect plan. Unfortunately, the line between what’s real and what’s fake doesn’t take long to become blurred.

I love Sarah Adams’s books, and this one was no exception. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one! This is the second book in a loosely connected series set in Rome, Kentucky. The small town setting is quirky but fun, similar to Gilmore Girls’ vibes. There are a number of side characters who add to the story and provide that sense of small town found family. Annie is a very relatable and likable main character. Her awkward moments are laugh out loud funny, and you can’t help but smile at some of her antics. Will is a big teddy bear and his backstory makes you root for his happiness. This story will make you smile and leave you eagerly waiting for the next book in the series!

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House- Ballantine, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Adams always gives me what I want! I loved Annie and Will together. The good girl/bad boy vibes were fun and I appreciated that Will had the bad boy reputation, but made Annie feel so safe. Both characters had a lot of depth and I enjoyed seeing them find out what they really want in life, instead of just what is expected of them. I laughed out loud multiple times and ended up teary eyed a couple times too. If you loved When in Rome, you will love this one too!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (fade to black sex scene and lots of sexual tension and build up)
I was provided this free advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For sure one of my fave romance of the year ! I wanted to read one of her books for so long and this is a good place to start
The couple makes me swoon and how cool is the cover ??

This was my most anticipated book of 2023 and man did it live up to all my expectations! It is my new favorite book and the best yet from Sarah Adams! It just was so fluffy and fun that I literally smiled the whole time reading it! Made my romcom loving heart soar! I laughed out loud at so many different parts! It was perfect on every page and I wouldn’t change a word. I freaking love Annie and Will so much! I am a sucker for heroes with tattoo sleeves and the bad boy look but who us soft and emotional on the inside so I simply fell in love with Will Griffin! As for Annie I related so much to her and loved her story and truth! I just felt like every character in this book was my best friend! And when I say I NEED more of James’s story, I truly mean that! I loved him in When in Rome and loved him so much more in this book! I home the next book features his story!!! I devoured this book! Could NOT put it down! If you love love and want just a fun, light read that makes you smile, this book is for you! I can’t say enough good things about it! Sarah Adams truly has a gift of bringing fun, dynamic characters to life and writing cheesy but unique stories that I just love so much!!

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

This was an absolutely adorable book. I devoured it quickly. It is kind of a second to the book When in Rome. This story is all about Annie, Noah’s sister.

I really enjoyed getting to know Annie. She was on a journey of self discovery throughout the story and I felt like I was there cheering her on. Then there is Will. He has the hard core exterior, but underneath is he so caring and attentive. I mean he even read Annie’s romance novels and didn’t make fun of her over it?! He is truly a gem of a guy. Don’t let the hard exterior and tattoos fool you.

This was a very relatable story. I really enjoy it and recommend it.

Thanks NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Sarah Adams for the E-Arc! I loved it.