The Cheat Sheet (and really anything by Sarah Adams) is such a delight to read and will have you smiling. This story follows Bree and Nathan, friends who have secretly pined for one another for years. I always love a friends-to-lover story, but this one was especially fun with a bit of fake dating and navigating Nathan’s celebrity as an NFL football player.

I loved the characters as Bree and Nathan both don’t want to ruin their friendship by confessing feelings, and couldn’t help but laugh as we got each of their perspectives as they blurred the friendship line. I appreciated the inclusion of Nathan’s anxiety and panic attacks and how the characters addressed their struggles with mental health. I also especially loved Nathan’s friendship with his teammates – the guys all had his back to help him get out of the friend zone and they reminded me a bit of The Bromance Book Club crew.

If you want a sweet story full of humor and loveable characters, then pick up The Cheat Sheet when it publishes August 17. Sarah Adams continues to be an auto-read author for me, so check out her books for closed-door romance.

The Cheat Sheet is such a fun, delightful read. I love friends to lovers tropes. Throw in fake dating and I’m sold. Sarah has such a fun writing style which makes for an enjoyable light read 😍

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Cheat Sheet for almost as long as I’ve been reading Sarah Adams’ books (seriously, two of my three reviews of her books mention it by name 🤣) so I jumped at the chance to read and review this ahead of it’s pub date!

I’ve read a ton of romance this year - both open and closed door - and The Cheat Sheet (closed door) is one of my favorites of the year. I fell head over heels for Bree and Nathan, longtime athletes and best friends who’re struggling to keep their feelings for each other under wraps. Some friends to lovers romances can get icky - they don’t really seem like friends or they get toxic - but Bree and Nathan are a delight together; while their reservations about changing the dynamic of their relationship made total sense, I was also squealing JUSTKISSOKAY! I was rooting for them to be together because they just *work.*

Bree’s sister and Nathan’s teammates really added to the story - they gave me Ted Lasso vibes with their determination to support Bree and Nathan and it was so sweet and funny. Dylan, the makeup artist/stylist stole the show in the best way. It’s a testament to Adams’ skill as a writer that these characters gelled and felt so real. I don’t want to say too much - but the little details really shine in this book!

The representation of a male MC - a pro athlete - with anxiety and panic attacks is super awesome to see, although I wish there had been more time to see Nathan address it on page. The only other book with that rep that comes to mind is Take a Hint, Dani Brown (🔥) which is, coincidentally, also in my top romance reads of the year!

I don’t know if @authorsarahadams has any plans to spin this book into a series, but I would kill for more books in this world - stories about Jamal, Derek, Price, and Lawrence, perhaps? 🤞🏻

TW: panic attacks

Sarah Adams has become a favorite author of mine. Every one of her books leaves me with a big smile on my face. I always enjoy the chemistry, banter, realness of her characters. Nathan and Bree of course had all of that. Best friends since high school, skirting around their feelings-you know it’s going to end well! Although I felt it took them way too long to have those feelings come forward, I absolutely loved their story! Without spoiling anything, I will say that the big event at the end was my favorite. Talk about PERFECT!!



Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do not know where to even start.

First, Sarah Adams and her style of writing is amazing! I can feel the awkward, goofy, flirty, and anything else she throws into the story. Not only are the characters relatable, the stories are realistic. Second, This may be my favorite story she has done yet. I laughed so hard, so many times, even once laughing aloud that i scared my cat awake! This story is not only funny, but has honest moments and all around a well done story! I look forward to more of her books and will be reading her again soon!

Thank you to Sarah Adams and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

In many ways I will never recover from the true joy that is this book. I’m currently on self-prescribed bed rest as I try to get over my book hangover and pull myself together after crying for 20 minutes through the ending.

Sarah Adams does it again - a sweet closed-door romance with a heart-stopping, stomach-butterflying leading man and a down to earth, relatable, powerhouse of a leading lady. I think I related to Bree the most out of all of Sarah’s heroines, and I’m NOT just saying that because Nathan is now my everything. But he is. My everything.

I already told you how much I cried (it was a lot) but I was laughing out loud and smiling like a loon the entire time as well. The best part? I know absolutely nothing about football and found myself obsessing over Nathan’s teammates and even enjoying the football talk. Though fear not, fellow football haters, it’s fairly minimal. In mentioning Nathan’s teammates I would be remiss to not fangirl over them for a moment. I’m typically annoyed by too much side character action in romcoms, but I was DYING to know more about Jamal, Derek, Lawrence, et al., who were so perfectly written and so cute in their quest to help Nathan get his girl.

This book has officially converted me from an enemies to lovers gal to a friends to lovers gal, and I’ll let you know if I ever recover from the SUFFERING that this book has so lovingly put me through. Love you forever and ALWAYS, Sarah Adams.

Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of Sarah Adams. I have been since the fist novel I read by her: To Con A Gentleman. Sarah Adams' books are full of humor, sarcasm and hilarious inner dialogue. This book was no different. Full of humor, loveable side characters, funny situations, and, of course, lots of chemistry between the H&h.

I think my favorite trope is enemies to lovers but I can appreciate a good friend's to lovers as well. I would have preferred to see them go from friends to lovers over the course of the book rather than have them both secretly already be in love. That being said, it doesn't take away from the unique and fun writing style of the one and only Sarah Adams so I still enjoyed the story.

Having never had anxiety I can't fully appreciate what someone might be feeling or going through when having a panic attack but I thought the author did a great job of explaining what that might feel like and how someone might cope. The relationship between Nathan and Bree felt the most real to me during these times.

My only real complaint (if you want to call it that) is the swearing in this book. Though she doesn't use any *f* bombs, there is still quite a bit more swearing in this one than in her very first rom com (The Match, still by far my favorite of her books). I read Sarah Adams because I consider her a clean read author, meaning no open door sex and relatively little swearing. But this book was getting to be outside my comfort zone with the language. This is not a criticism, just an honest review on content in the book because I know there are enough people out there who care. Also, still a closed door romance but plenty of kissing and physical attraction/ chemistry throughout.

Sarah Adams continues to be a favorite modern romantic comedy author and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

Absolutely amazing book. This book is full of the laughs you come to expect from Adams, but it also drops some huge truth nuggets and includes some amazing character growth.

As a huge football fan I loved the main character!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Sarah Adams… *chef’s kiss*

The Cheat Sheet was everything I hoped it would be. Sarah uses her genius brain to write the best romances with fantastic chemistry, great main and side characters, and wonderfully hysterical phrasing. I loved the sports aspect in this one and also the accurate portrayals of depression and anxiety.

I love Bree. I LOVE Nathan. I will read anything Sarah writes. The end. Now… about a book for Jamal….?

This book is everything I love about books by Sarah Adams and more. They have the humor, the fun, the slow burn, the swoon and the sweet. It’s hard to say this but I think Nathan and Bree Cheese might be my new favorites. They are both so great! I love them separately and together. This story was perfection. A sports romance is high up on my list of favorites things and this one didn’t disappoint. I think I might read it again right away to pick up on all the details I missed and just to laugh again. Another great thing about this book, its a closed door romance, my favorite. Don’t be deceived though totally swoon-worthy. I enjoy a lot of genres but if I had to pick one kind of book to read for the rest of my days it would be one like this. Totally therapeutic.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. You made my year with this one!

Just finished reading. There are no words to describe it. Sarah Adams has a way with words that no one has. I fell in love with Bree and Nathan in a heartbeat. Bree and Nathan met in high school and became instant best friends, then lost touch but once they met again their friendship returned in no time. They've been best friends for six years now and Bree was always controlled about her feeling, until, on one drunk night, she spills her guts to a journalist and the whole world finds out about her feelings for her best friend. They start fake dating and these is the part where everything changes and question start to arise "what if?".
You will laugh out loud, you're face will hurt from smiling so big and you will feel their feelings.
Bree is so funny and Nathan is such a sweetheart. They really are perfect for each other. They're each other anchor, safe space and they always put the other first.
We should all thank Sarah Adams for writing this perfect best friends to lovers + fake dating story, she never disappoints.