Sarah Adams writes very sweet closed door romances with great characters and great chemistry. The Rule Book is no exception, really enjoyable story.

Nora has just been promoted as a sports agent and is about to take on her first client who happens to be her college boyfriend whose heart she broke. Derek refuses to admit that he still has feelings for her, so he decides to be the worst client ever so she either quits or he has grounds to fire her. But Nora won’t go down without a fight and on one drunken trip to Vegas, the pair finds themselves married and forced into a fake marriage to protect their reputations. What happens, though, when they realize none of it is fake?
On the whole I enjoyed this book. It has some great banter and humor. This is a great second chance romance with two characters who are clearly meant for each other. There were only two flaws for me. The first hangup I had is that I can’t take Nora seriously as a professional. A lot of her character is based on the fact that she doesn’t bend to expectations and is the bright, cheerful, over the top personality. I loved that about her because she’s a fun character. I just don’t believe that would ever fly in the real world, so it took me out of the book. The other negative is that Derek was a real jerk when it came to getting revenge at the beginning. While we know he’s still in love with her and trying to hide those feelings, it just makes him petty and unlikable. Sure you see his true character when he realizes he’s gone too far, but it was a bit of a struggle to get behind his character when he’s intentionally cruel and undermining her profession.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and would gladly pick up another by this author.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Sarah Adams is the author for me. I enjoyed When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect, but I just haven’t felt motivated to read any of her other books. I started this one, but it just didn’t grab my attention.

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was not for me. I love a well-written romance but this wasn't it. I haven't read anything else by this author but I'll see if I can find something more suited to me! I think it's because it had Hating Game vibes, which wasn't my favorite.

1.5 stars
I really struggled with how to rate The Rule Book. I give it 1 star for the intent of the book and 4-5 stars for the execution outside of that intent. I absolutely hated the premise of football player Derek playing toxic boss for his surprise new sports agent, and ex-girlfriend, Nora. Honestly, that whole setup is toxic and derivative. Guy gets dumped by the love of his life so he executes a whole revenge plan of power dynamics to get her to quit and abandon her entire career to satisfy his butthurt need for payback and amusement. I wish I had 3 thumbs so I could turn them all down. However, it wouldn’t have taken much editing to remove that aspect and instead we’d have had a snarky, funny and endearing second chance at love. But that requires one to overlook the toxic revenge harassment plot in the first third of the book, which doesn’t deserve to be overlooked. #timesup

You never know when your past is going to come back to haunt you…Nora is starting out as a sports agent and her first client just so happens to be her ex and not just any ex, Derek Pender, a famous NFL tight end. She convinces him to stay with her although he wants to shut the whole thing down, as their relationship ended on a terrible note, and it was all her fault. Their lives become increasingly complicated - can we say a Vegas quickie wedding - the two have to decide what they will do to keep their careers on track.

I adore Sarah Adams! Her writing is so good and although she throws in the tropes we enjoy, somehow they seem elegant and original. This enemies-to-lovers romance is such fun. You root for both characters while reveling in the animosity he feels for her. There’s a bit of spice, a lot of longing, and a very well-earned romance. I enjoy Nora’s job as a premise for their re-meet: she is ascending in her career in a male-dominated field and the trials and tribulations of trying to make yourself known in that sort of world hit home for a lot of women. And the fact that SHE was the one who left him in college - all good stuff. A highly recommend romance - I love everything Adams does!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The perfect book for when you miss football season! I loved the premise of this book and there were a lot of twists and turns the plot took that I was not expecting. Like every Sarah Adams book, the characters are lovably quirky and have you rooting for them from the first page. They are also hilarious which makes the rom com reading experience that much better.

While I do wish the writing was a little more mature, with less internal thoughts from the main characters, this book was exactly what I wanted: a fun and quick read with a great romance. If you loved The Cheat Sheet, this is a great follow up!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dellromance for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed "The Rule Book" by Sarah Adams. The plot moved along nicely and the main characters were likeable and their romance was believable. There was also plenty of sarcastic banter which is a sure win for me. I usually do not enjoy the second chance romance trope in general but this book has me rethinking that by the end.

Sarah Adam’s is the master of quick, fun, silly romances. I always find myself giggling and swooning throughout her books. That being said, this was not one of my favorites of her. It was a little too cheesy at times for my taste, but still an enjoyable read!

📝 The Rule Book by Sarah Adams 📝

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5

💭 Thoughts:
I am a Sarah Adams STAN! I absolutely love her writing, and I loved that she branched out and added a little spice 🥵 to this one! It’s a second chance sports romance, with sprinkles of several other tropes: grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, etc. I enjoyed the dyslexia rep and would have loved more of it sprinkled in, even. The love story was so sweet, and I love the cameos of our faves from The Cheat Sheet. This book was delightful, and I recommend it when you need a light read to spark some joy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House (Ballentine) Publishing, and Sarah Adams for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Look, go into this looking for a nice easy read. This was the perfect weekend read - bring on a beach trip for the summer type of book. I loved The Cheat Sheet and this was really fun and cute but not quite at the same level as the Cheat Sheet... I didn't connect with these characters quite as well, but still really enjoyed the story overall.

This was a decent, fluffy romance. I liked it a lot more than The Cheat Sheet. I do really love second chance romance, sports romances, and books set in Los Angeles which are all things that The Rule Book offers. Even with that being said, will I remember anything from this book tomorrow? Probably not. The Off-Limits Rule and When in Rome are still my favorite Sarah Adams books to date. I probably will not continue this particular series of hers, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes light, fast reading romance with minimal spice.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell, and Sarah Adams for the eARC.

The Rule Book is out now.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for letting me read this ARC. I am absolutely OBSESSED with this book now. I love a good sports romance and this book gave everything that it was meant to give. The drunken Vegas wedding, the second chance at love, the forced proximity — ate. And left not a single crumb. The banter had me giggling, gasping, and kicking my little book gremlin feet. The tension was so well written and everything that you would expect from college exes. Derek Pender, please accept my marriage proposal through this review. He was everything that a man should be. Funny, hot, generous, incredibly rich, hot, supportive of his woman's dreams, did I mention that he's hot? Aside from all of that, one thing that really puts this book in the same tier as some of my other favorites is the fact that it's not just about the romance, it's about the people. The romance is built around the characters and not the other way around and that is something that I look for in a good book. If you needed anymore reasons to read this book, I could not put it down for the entire day that it took me to finish it.

I adored every single second of this book. Being able to dive into Sarah’s worlds will forever be one of my favorite experiences.

The MC’s had chemistry coming off the page and their experiences together had me laughing and crying and just wishing I had more.

I highly recommend this book to people who also aren’t typically sports girlies but appreciate a sports player. I don’t want to read a sports romance where 80% of the book is taken up by the sport, so Sarah is a magical balancer.

5 stars | 1.5 spice

Derek and Nora <3
The chemistry in this book is off the charts. Sarah Adams knows how to write tension and chemistry and I love her for it.

Sweet and spicy romance between two exes, one is now in the NFL and the other is a sports agent. The second chance romance here is SO good! There's miscommunication but I wasn't annoyed by it, was very realistic for the situation and maturity levels (then in college and now as 30 year olds) of the time.

I loved all the twists and turns and tropes. There's tie in to The Cheat Sheet but can be read as a standalone.

3.5 - 4
A sports romance full of friendships, character development + growth. Quirky characters. Fun rom com.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! The tension, the chemistry, the romance, the steam!! All so amazing! Norah was absolutely adorable and DEREK! Derek was beyond dreamy. I loved how they communicated and were kind to each other. It was a wonderful, beautiful story!

Yes, 100% yes! The moment the Rule Book was announced I knew I had to read it right away! I LOVED the Cheat Sheet and was thrilled to find out we were getting another book in this series! The wait was so worth it!! It’s full of humor, swoon worthy moments, witty banter, friendship and all things football!

🏈 NFL
💖 Swoon Worthy
🥈Second Chances
💍 Faking It
🫶🏼 Friendship
📱Sports Agent
🤺 Enemies to Lovers
🗣️ Banter

Sarah Adams never misses! This was absolutely adorable and I hope we get more books in this wonderful series!

Thank you Dell for the gifted copy!

If I'm being honest it took me a bit to get into The Rule Book. Nora was a character I had to get used to and I didn't really love how Derek treated her in the beginning, but once I got to know these two characters a bit more, I couldn't put this book down.

Sarah Adams gives us a strong female lead with Nora. She works in a male dominated environment, but doesn't let that stop her at all. She's willing to do the work and won't let anyone tell her she can't be an amazing agent. I have to say I loved the fact that we learned that her mother gave her this faith and confidence in herself and I adored the conversations we read between her and her mother.

Derek is recovering from an injury that has risked his career with the NFL. It's brought a lot of insecurities back to his mind. He didn't have an easy childhood and never felt like he was enough, so to possibly lose something that makes him feel accomplished is very scary. Derek is a very gentle guy and I loved how protective he was about Nora. He felt genuine and I really appreciated that.

Then we can't not talk about their romance. It doesn't start off smoothly, because they didn't have the best break up in college and Derek is still really hurt. But it's clear from the start they haven't lost their chemistry or feelings. The banter was amazing, their chemistry jumped off the page, and they just cared for each other. Sometimes I just wanted to scream at them that they needed to talk and when they actually did, my heart was happy. These two are perfect for each other, but they just needed to realize it.

Also, I have to mention the side characters. Derek's teammates and friends are the best and made me laugh a lot during this book. Nora's boss Nicole seems a bit distant, but she's amazing and fought for her spot in a male dominated field as well and knows what Nora is up against. All in all, I really enjoyed The Rule Book and recommend it to any reader who loves sports romances.

Nora Mackenzie’s career is in the hands of L.A Sharks tight end, Derek Pender..who just so happens to be her serious college ex-boyfriend.
Nora didn’t end things very gracefully back then, and they haven’t seen each other sense. Will they be able to put their differences aside for the sake of the media, or will things unravel between the two ex’s?

Sarah Adams is one of the best closed door romance writers, who is exploring in open door.
the romance between Nora and Derek was unmatched! this story was one that had me crying one minute and laughing the next. the humor and wit between the characters pulled you into the story and made you feel apart of the friend group.
this was my favorite Sarah Adams book and i can’t wait to read what she puts out next!