Cover Image: The Cheat Sheet

The Cheat Sheet

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Member Reviews

The Cheat Sheet is one of those books that's so sweet you nearly get a cavity reading it. Luckily, I happen to have a massive sweet tooth! I loved Nathan and his "Cheat Sheet". And Bree and her need to hope. If you love all things contemporary clean romance, best friends to lovers, fake dating, football, or happy endings, this book should be your next read! 4 Stars!

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Dance instructor Bree and pro quarterback Nathan (best friends since high school) sign a contract to fake date until after the Super Bowl...

Normally, I hate the friends-to-lovers trope - I hate when the female friend pines for the playboy male friend, HATE IT!, but The Cheat Sheet does friends-to-lovers right. I listened to the audiobook and stayed up way too late listening. I loved this sweet romance!

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I. Loved. This.

I can't remember the last book I read in a day. I loved Nathan and Bree and I loved absolutely everything - although the ending seemed very, very rushed. I had whiplash over how fast they moved from the friend zone to getting married, so I had to bring this down to 4.5/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy!

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Loved this book so much. It's clean, it's funny and lighthearted and was a major win. Highly recommend this book for romance readers, sports lovers, and those looking for an escape.

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This was one of the best books I've ever read and it kept me laughing and entertained the entire book. I will definitely be reading more of Sarah Adams in the future!

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Absolutely adored The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams!! It has my two favorite things -- sports romance and friends to lovers. I loved the slow burn in this book and of course I am a sucker for fake dating. This was such a fun read and I loved Sarah's writing style. I will be looking for more books from her!

Is it ever too late to leave the friend zone? Discover the heartwarming friends to lovers romance that became a sensation on TikTok—now with a new chapter and a Q&A with the author!

The friend zone is not the end zone for Bree Camden, who is helplessly in love with her longtime best friend and extremely hot NFL legend, Nathan Donelson. The only problem is that she can’t admit her true feelings, because he clearly sees her as a best friend with no romantic potential, and the last thing Bree wants is to ruin their relationship. But those abs . . .

Nope! Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for Bree. In any case, she has other things to worry about. After a car accident ended her chance at becoming a professional ballerina, Bree changed paths and now owns her own dance studio, with big dreams to expand it. But one more rent increase could mean the end of the studio entirely.

Then, as usual, Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building. A stubborn Bree is not happy about it and decides to rebel with a couple—okay, maybe more than a couple—of tequila shots. Then her plan backfires as she spills her deepest, darkest secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple. Before they can really talk about her confession, Nathan’s publicist proposes a big opportunity that could mean financial security for Bree. The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. For three whole weeks.

What will happen when Bree gives in to the feelings she’s been desperately hiding for so long, and could she be imagining that Nathan is actually enjoying it? Sarah Adams scores more than touchdowns in this exciting romantic comedy.

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The Cheat Sheet was the first Sarah Adams' book I've read and it was quite an enjoyable one. (Childhood) friends-to-lovers has been and will always be my most favorite romance trope so after reading the synopsis, I knew this book would be right up my alley.

To my satisfaction, the main characters, Bree and Nathan, had literally the cutest relationship I'd ever seen. Their banters were hilarious, the chemistry and sexual tension were off-the-charts, and their awkwardness was adorable. In short, I just shipped them so much.

Aside from the protagonists, the secondary characters in this book were pretty lovable as well. Bree and Nathan's groups of friends and classmates were supportive of their romantic development so that was also why Nathan's buddies came up with this ridiculous idea of ticking off the boxes on his cheat sheet...just to win over Bree's heart. LOL

All in all, I couldn't be happier to know both Bree and Nathan got to venture out of their comfort zone, a.k.a. friend zone, and became the most swoon-worthy couple FINALLY! If you're looking for a light-hearted, fluffy-romcom, then The Cheat Sheet is for you! I'd recommend this to everyone who'd like a cute and simple college sports romance. The laugh-out-loud moments in this book can surely lift your spirits and provide you with something refreshing. :)

***Thanks to Penguin Random House International Sales and the author for the review opportunity.***

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This was okay. I found there was nothing special about this, but it hit just the right amount of cute, quirky, and swoon worthy that it made it interesting enough to keep going. Wouldn't especially recommend it, though.

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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams. I really enjoyed this book. You can't help but love Bree and Nathan. Both are such generous souls. Their friendship is so sweet and you just root for them from the start. The development of their relationship from friend to more starts when Bree has a few too many drinks and maybe says more than she should to a stranger in the bathroom who just happens to be a reporter. America wants Nathan and Bree to be together so a "fake" relationship starts to appease them and help Nathan's image and Bree's pocketbook. They are both hoping it will lead to more but can't image losing their frienship which makes the stakes even higher.

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A super cute rom-com, with a lot of predictable turns that don't really take away from the ending. Bree and Nathan have a clear friends-to-lovers trajectory, and spend a lot of time trying to respect the boundaries of their friendship. The author does a reasonable job of explaining away why they don't just talk about their feelings already, but anyone looking for sophisticated character development and plot should look elsewhere. A cute and fun read that will entertain most romance readers.

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***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Though at times a little repetitive, this rom-com was delightful. The characters had wonderful banter and chemistry and their love story was strong.

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3.5/5
While this was definitely an enjoyable fake-dating story, I thought the second half of the story was rushed. I liked the characters and their voices. I appreciated the depiction of anxiety and how Nathan eventually accepted his condition and made strides to working on bettering himself. I really just wanted the fake-dating to continue a bit more, or have more situations that Bree and Nathan had to deal with as a fake couple. Overall, a fun romance.

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A cute but predictable sports romance, this book was a good palate cleanser while I was reading books with heavier topics. I did recommend this to a few friends as a good summer vacation read!

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I'm not usually a fan of sports stories. I usually find them much too testosterone-injected. I didn't particularly care for this sports story, either, but it had nothing to do with too much testosterone. It was just too - immature? Annoying? The level of "pick me, pick me" demonstrated by the female MC was just cringeworthy. And the first person POV made it worse.

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Bree and Nathan's story is so cute. Bree runs her own dance school and Nathan plays football in the NFL. They are best friends, but they both secretly want more. I loved how Nathan wanted to take care of Bree, but Bree kept pushing for her own independence. A wonderful story with characters that had depth and real feelings.

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A 3⭐️ for the 25% I managed to read...

Unfortunately this was not the book for me...as much as I had higher expectations for a "friends to lovers" sports rom-com, I was served the same cliches: she is not confident/he thinks she is the goddess; all his friends love her and know they are meant for each other; rich guy/poor girl; she is tiny/him and all his freinds are massive. I hoped I might find something to make me continue after being 25% into the book, but the "getting drunk and admitting some feelings" was too much for me...

I do love their banter and their thoughts about each other were so much fund to read 😂 probably the only reason this is not a 2⭐️

Alas...I have decided to not continue reading 😭

P.S. Who the hell gives their best girl friend a key to their appartment for her to come inside at 5 AM while the girlfriend is there?! No, just...no...this was clearly not the book for me...

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The Cheat Sheet is the first book that I have read by Sarah Adams and it certainly won’t be the last. The Cheat Sheet is a best friends to lovers type of romance. The Cheat Sheet is about Bree, a dance teacher and Nathan, a NFL quarterback who have been besties for years, but they each are harboring a secret they have been secretly in love with one another for years. What will happen when you add in them fake dating each other to the mix, will they finally have the courage to admit their true feelings to one another? Read The Cheat Sheet to find out if Bree and Nathan will get their own happily ever after or will they be forever stuck in the friend zone.

I absolutely loved reading Bree and Nathan’s sweet romance story. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a friends to lovers type of romance with some football and dance thrown in and of course some funny mishaps that happen along the way, that will have you laughing out loud.

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Como vocês já sabem, essa resenha é em parceria com a Random House Internacional, de quem recebemos esse eARC (Advance reading copy: algo como “uma cópia de leitura avançada, ou seja, o livro ainda pode sofrer alterações antes de ser publicado). Também lembrando que essa resenha terá um formato diferente: por ser um ARC, não haverão quotes, já como os livros podem sofrer mudanças em seu texto antes de serem comercializados. Gostaríamos de agradecer profundamente a Editora pela oportunidade de parceria.

A primeira coisa sobre o livro “The Cheat Sheet” que vocês tem que saber: logo no início tem um aviso de gatilho para ataques de pânico, porque um dos personagens passa por isso em algum momento. A segunda coisa que vocês precisam saber: “Cheat Sheet” é um termo usado lá entre os jogadores de futebol americano que é basicamente uma “cola” que os quarterbacks usam para lembrar os nomes das jogadas que o técnico passa. E a terceira coisa que vocês precisam saber: é um dos livros mais fofinhos que eu li atualmente.

Eu até brinco com a Virna volta e meia sobre isso, porque eu vivo falando que não gosto de romances, mas eu vivo lendo romances clichês e me divirto bastante com eles. E com “The Cheat Sheet” não foi nada diferente. Então vamos a resenha:

O livro conta a história de Bree e Nathan. Os dois são melhores amigos desde uma manhã completamente aleatória no ensino médio em que eles começaram a correr juntos e não se desgrudaram mais. Nathan era o famoso jogador cheio de fãs no colégio, super popular e todo resto. Enquanto Bree era uma grande nerd que, entre os estudos e os trabalhos para ajudar a pagar as contas em casa, não tinha tempo para se preocupar em fazer amizades. E assim, essa amizade completamente improvável nasceu entre eles – e também uma paixão que nunca foi anunciada por nenhuma das partes.

Alguns anos se passaram em que eles ficaram distantes: Nathan foi para a faculdade onde ganhou uma bolsa por esportes e Bree ficou para trás por motivos que não posso falar aqui porque é um pouco de spoiler do livro e é algo que vale a pena ler. Quando eles se reencontram, já adultos, ele jogando nos Sharks (um time da NFL) e ela sendo uma professora de dança, foi como se tempo nenhum tivesse passado entre os dois e eles pegaram a amizade de onde se separaram e não só a amizade veio junto, como também os sentimentos de amor que ambos achavam estarem adormecidos.

Porém, todavia, entretanto, com medo de estragar uma amizade tão rica para os dois (e também porque Bree estava namorando quando eles se reencontraram), eles nunca abordaram esse assunto e assim ficaram, um de cada lado, sofrendo pelo outro, entre troca de namorados, naquele clássico clichê de friends-to-lovers que todos nós amamos bastante. Até o dia em que, em meio a uma crise de bebedeira, Bree assume todos seus sentimentos para ninguém menos que uma jornalista do TMZ, que prontamente espalhou para o mundo todo – e o que todos não imaginavam aconteceu: as fãs de Nathan começaram a shippar os dois loucamente e graças a isso eles resolveram entrar em uma estratégia de marketing que ajudaria ela principalmente, com o dinheiro que ela precisava para montar a própria escola de dança.

E é aqui que entra a “Cheat Sheet” que ele precisa: com tudo isso acontecendo, os amigos do time de Nathan resolvem ajudar ele a partir para o ataque e tentar ver se os sentimentos dele são recíprocos e com isso fazem uma lista de ações românticas pra ele ter com ela e ver o que a agrada – e principalmente, se ela também se rende e demonstra se é apaixonada por ele ou não.

Como eu disse acima: esse é um dos livros mais fofinhos que eu já li nos últimos tempos. Cheios de momentos fofos entre os dois, não só sobre o amor que eles têm um pelo outro – o livro é dividido no ponto de vista dos dois, mas também mostra o quanto a amizade deles é bem forte e como eles se conhecem muito bem.

Mas não só o romance, o livro também aborda assuntos importantes (vale dizer que não muito profundamente, mas não de uma forma desrespeitosa também): depressão, ataques de pânico, pressão familiar. Tudo no livro é mesmo muito fofo, até essas abordagens assim.

O meu conselho é: se você está em busca de um livro tranquilo e de leitura leve para desanuviar a cabeça, para sair de uma ressaca literária, eu super indico esse livro. Ele não é aquele tipo de obra que marca a sua cabeça pra sempre e você vai levar pra vida – pelo menos não foi pra mim, mas ele é um livro divertido de se passar o tempo, engraçadinho e cheio de momentos que aquecem nosso coração.

Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House International.

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I almost dropped it. Both of the leads are too dense, I just want to knock their heads together.

But it's all cute stuff so I still got to the end. It's a close-door romance by the way, which is something I am a bit meh when it comes to romance novels, I meaaaan.

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Bree Camden é completamente apaixonada por seu melhor amigo Nathan Donelson. Sendo um jogador de futebol americano famoso, Nathan está sempre com uma mulher diferente, o que faz Bree acreditar que ele não tem qualquer interesse nela. Durante uma noite de bebedeira, ela desabafa com uma desconhecida no banheiro, e no dia seguinte a internet inteira acredita que os dois pertencem um ao outro.

Bree fica apavorada com essa situação, ela não quer perder a amizade de Nathan, mesmo que nunca fiquem juntos romanticamente, ter ele por perto é mais importante. O que Bree não sabe é que Nathan também nutre sentimentos por ela, e quando sua equipe sugere que eles finjam um relacionamento até o Super Bowl e que façam uma campanha publicitária juntos, ele vê nisso a oportunidade de finalmente conquistar a mulher dos seus sonhos.

A Bree é uma personagem muito generosa, sendo uma bailarina que perdeu a chance de ter uma carreira após um acidente, ela dedica seus dias a dar aulas para garotas que não podem pagar aulas em escolas caras. Nathan quer ajudá-la financeiramente, mas ela não quer misturar a amizade deles com dinheiro, e é algo que dá para entender. Já Nathan tem o sucesso nas mãos, mas parece que nunca é suficiente para seus pais, principalmente sua mãe que sempre busca algo para criticar. Eles tem muito em comum, e por isso a amizade deles é tão forte.

Teve muitos momentos que eu só queria sacudir esses dois para acordarem pra vida, principalmente a Bree, que mesmo entendendo seus motivos, era um pouco cansativo vê-la fugir da felicidade e da esperança. Assim como outros romances que li da Sarah Adams, esse não contém cenas hot, apesar de ter uma grande tensão entre os personagens. É um romance de leitura rápida, que vai conquistar principalmente quem gosta de friends to lovers.

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