I loved this story! The dual perspective about friends-to-lovers was so much fun. I loved the banter, I loved the characters, and I loved the plot. It was a great read to get me out of my slump and I read it one sitting!

Sarah Adams's THE CHEAT SHEET is a friends-to-lovers romance with a cute premise undercut by weak writing.

I wanted to like this book because I thought the premise had so much potential--the friends-to-lovers between a dancer and a quarterback. I really wanted to be able to recommend it at my library. Unfortunately, the prose and dialogue were clunky, the characters one-note, and the final product underwhelming.

I loved this sport romance. I have not read friends to lovers romance for a while and i was so glad I finally gave got the chance and I am grateful to Prhinternational and Netgalley for this great arc.

I love both main characters. I loved the idea of true friendship. They were both finally singel and how to risk something. They are both succesful in their professtion. But then come a challenge for them as fake dating and then .... Sweet and tender. Just perfect.

"I think some things are worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes."

Ok, here’s my dilemma with this book: I love love love fake dating, and I Do Not Like Friends-to-Lovers (on very rare occasions, I will enjoy one. But that is few and far between)

I requested <i>The Cheat Sheet</i> because if I see fake dating mentioned anywhere I have to read it. As such, that’s my main concern in this review.

So, how was the fake dating? Mediocre to Terrible

My opinion, as mentioned, is tainted by my dislike of friends to lovers. It took a while to get to the fake dating, and we already know at this point the main characters have been in love with each other for nearly a decade (I can’t remember the ages of the characters, so that’s a rough estimate. They could be thirty, they could be twenty (they act more like teenagers so it’s hard to judge)).

<i>The Cheat Sheet</i> featured many of the aspects of Friends to Lovers that make me dislike the trope. The central premise of the book is that Nathan and his friends come up with a list of things to try to get Bree to see him in a romantic light. Aka – getting out of the friendzone. A plus of this situation – he’s fairly sure she might have feelings for him already. A negative – it gives me the ick. I can’t express well what puts me off, but the fact they don’t just sit down and have a conversation now that they’re grown adults and both single is annoying. Also, it feels underhanded. Relationships change, and friends do become lovers. But it feels like a violation of trust when Nathan uses the pretense of the fake relationship to kiss, hold hands, and touch Bree when she isn’t aware of his feelings and purpose. It made all my favorite parts of fake relationships feel slimy because there was a personal agenda behind it.

Another drawback: the writing. It read like mid-tier fanfiction (and no, I can’t expound on that. That’s just what it is) It’s the kind of writing where if you’re reading a fanfic of a ship you love and it’s an intriguing premise, you don’t care about writing as long as you can understand what’s happening. When it’s a published book with characters you don’t already know or care about, I expect more.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I could not connect with this one. The characters and pacing were off and I couldn't get through it. I don't usually leave a goodreads review if I can't finish the book!

Bree and Nathan are so fun. It’s sweet and cute the way their friendship evolves. Nathan being in football and the best friend and Bree always being there for him and her passion for dance. I love how they interact and how fun this book is. Would recommend,

Thank you to Netgalley and @prhinternational for the chance to read this book in advance.
The Cheat Sheet is a very sweet story, the perfect one if you love the friends to lovers kind of relationship and you want something light to read. And I think here lies the "problem" too.
The story was so cute and adorable, and I've really appreciated the main characters and how the dealt with their personal problems and issues, but the ending was really too predictable and like a sort of "fairy tale closure", not really relatable with how things works in real life. It was too fast, like the author wanted to close the book in a rush and I think instead it deserved at least 20-30 pages more. That disappointed me quite a lot because until that point it was fun (really fun) and I was enjoying the reading so much..
The extra ending chapter suffers from the same problem, it was nice but it doesn't add something that can really capture the reader attention.

So, 3 stars are absolutely deserved, but I can't give it an higher rate.

Thank you PRH international #partner for my eARC!

If you’re looking for a friends to lovers trope with unrequited love, a lot of pinning and banters and fake dating then I suggest you add this to your tbr!

Nathan and Bree’s friendship was really adorable and heartwarming, they had a perfect friendship and relationship dynamic. Their romance was a slow burn, and it was so good yet frustrating at the same time. I love how they were always there for each other, providing support for everything.

Bree is very quirky and eccentric and I love her for it. She is one of the most thoughtful characters I’ve read about. She takes care of everyone around her and always making sure everybody is doing okay.

Nathan is not a stereotypical football player here, which made me love him more. His friend group was also hilarious, I always enjoy scenes where the men try to figure out how to get the girl!

Highly recommend especially to those looking for a cute fluffy read.

4.5 stars!! This book was so so cute! It’s a sports romance, best friends to lovers, and fake dating all wrapped into one book. Nathan has my whole heart. That man is the sweetest person in the world, and he deserves the most wonderful things in life. As for bree, i genuinely liked her a lot as a character but she definitely had her moments where i was like “girl what??”. Overall there was soooo much angst between bree and nathan! like you could cut their sexual tension with a knife. The end of chapter 27 through the end of the book was everything i was waiting for *chefs kiss*. That’s all, 4.5 stars!! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ms. Adams for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This was not my favorite but there was a lot to like here. Specific things that stood out were:
- Compassionate, empathetic approach to mental health, especially the gender-neutral outlook. In my personal opinion, Nathan’s case would probably be even more difficult to resolve than Bree’s, considering that several of the major sources of his anxiety were ongoing and unavoidable. A couple life and outlook overhaul is much easier said than done. Nonetheless I appreciated that the issues were raised and that equal gravity was given to Nathan’s as Bree’s.
- I’m a fake dating sucker, so of course I liked that. And I loved the guys sitting around workshopping strategies for Nathan. (I read in the Author’s Note that she was inspired by Ted Lasso (the show) and I can totally see that.) I’m surprised that Nathan didn’t try foot rubs more often, considering Bree’s vocation.
- Nathan was a too-good-to-be-true sweetheart. His frequent commitments to his team seemed realistic to me, although my only personal experience has been with collegiate athletes. I would assume that professional athletes’ commitments are exponentially greater since their entire world revolves around their team.
- Frankly I did not mind the closed-bedroom scene. I didn’t realize that it was that type of book but it’s ok. Referring once again back to the author’s note, she mentions that that choice was inspired by K-Dramas and foreign films, which are rarely so explicit, and that’s fine. If you’re into a smut-free romance preceded by chemistry-filled physical interaction, you’ll find it here. However, considering there is only one such scene in the book, some readers may feel cheated (pun intended).
- Bree’s relationship with her sister was cute.

I’m not entirely sure what differentiated this version of the book from its originally published indie version. The author was not explicit on what (if anything) had changed.

Things I didn’t love:
-I love fake dating, and I love friends-to-lovers stories, but I really cannot believe that neither Nathan nor Bree would have picked up on the VERY OBVIOUS subcurrents between the two of them at any point in the preceding years. The two densest individuals in the world, right here.
-Some of Nathan and Bree’s interactions felt very immature. That’s just me though. #littleoldlady
-I felt Bree’s role as a ballet instructor to underprivileged girls was a little underdeveloped. I would have liked to hear as much about that as we heard about Nathan’s day-to-day life as a QB.
-The ending, or perhaps I should say the last 20%? Felt very rushed to me. After that long slow buildup and extended should I/shouldn’t I, the last part felt like it didn’t match the rest of the book. I am reminded of my dog, when I make him waaaaaaait…. And waaaaaaaait…. And waaaaaaaaaait for that treat, and then when given the release word he gulps that treat so fast I’m not sure he even tasted it. I digress here but you get the idea.

I would try another book by this author but I hope the characters act their age a little more in the next one ;)

This is an adorable contemporary romance that pretty much got me in the feels as I was reading it. It's a best friends who secretly love each other and want to get together but are afraid to do so in case they ruin their friendship sort of novel. The hero is a star QB for a football team, the heroine a ballerina whose career was tanked by a car wreck before she could go to Julliard and become a star herself. I did like the treatment of mental health issues with both of them - they were matter of fact and sensitively handled. There is no bedroom action - the one scene they have has the door shut firmly in our faces until the next morning, but the slow build and deeply emotional ups and downs that the book takes us on are satisfying in and of themselves (never fear, though, if you have patrons clamoring for spicier romances - I just downloaded 5 upcoming romances from Edelweiss and Netgalley so I'm sure I'll be reviewing at least one fiery novel for your insatiable readers soon!).
This is a romance that might appeal across lines - there is a good deal of sport talk with the hero being a player on a professional team and there are plenty of great moments between the hero and her sister to make anyone who loves "chick lit" happy reading about that (very well drawn) relationship. It's coming out soon (next Tuesday) so if you are interested in having this for your patrons, grab it!

Book Review:
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

This was really cute and (very) clean. I really liked the dynamic between dance and football as well as the friends to lovers story line with a dash of fake dating thrown in.

Both Bree and Nathan take their passion seriously and with determined passion. I also really loved Nathan’s teammates. Every scene with them was very funny and I loved that everyone in both Bree and Nathan’s life knew they both had feelings for each other but both were too scared to make a step forward.

I did think that the fake dating portion went by a little too quickly. It was an easy step to finally get them together but I would have liked to see more of it. Bree’s transition from the friend to the girlfriend required a lot more of her but it went by too quickly.

Thanks @netgalley for this advanced reader!

The Cheat Sheet releases April 26 so make sure to add it to your TBR!!

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Tropes: fake dating, friends to lovers, unrequited love, pining, sport romance, slow burn, on-page kissing, off-page action.

What a sweet story! I really liked Bree and Nathan's dynamic as they move from friends mutually pining for each other, to fake dating, to real dating, to admitting that they've loved each other for years. Watching the dynamic between Nathan and his football team friends as they help him plan the Romance Cheat Sheet to win over Bree was a delight. Their friendship was supportive and genuine. I love the portrayal of Nathan's anxiety. It's well done and I like that he can lean on Bree. She's had them before and knows what to do and how to help someone through them. I also loved watching Nathan be honest about his anxiety and why he feels like he has to be perfect. It was great seeing him get help in the form of therapy and setting boundaries with his parents.

Did I wish that they had an honest communication about their feelings sooner? Yes. Did Bree sometimes seem childish in her refusal to believe that Nathan really liked her? Yes. But I liked how that became a way for her to grow as a person. Especially when she realized that her accident in high school was keeping her from hoping and chasing her dreams.

Thank you so much for PRH International and Netgalley for my e-copy!

I absolutely adored this joy filled romcom from Sarah Adams! It was so entertaining, heartwarming and funny at the same time that I truly flew through the pages!
Bree and Nathan were so relatable and extremely adorable, not to mention their supportive group of friends! An ex-ballet danced and now dance instructor Bree, and the star quarterback Nathan discover their true feelings and what it means to step over that thin line of friendship into something more!

Read it for:
- friends to lovers
- football games
- funny real life events
- all the sweet romance but no smutt!

Hello, I am a puddle of goo. I am mush. I have collapsed into a pile of swoons and sighs. The Cheat Sheet is the most adorable and heartwarming swoonfest of a best friends to lovers romance I’ve ever read, and I’m slightly depressed now that it’s over because I miss it and because I want this kind of love story for myself. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I love Bree and Nathan, so the fact that we get chapters that alternate between each of their POVs was wonderful. Bree is a former ballerina who was injured a few years ago and now owns a dance studio devoted to giving young girls an outlet, whether they can afford tuition or not. She’s barely scraping by, but this studio and these girls mean so much to her that she sacrifices everything to be there for them. She lives in tiny a mold-infested apartment with sticky floors and armpit stench in the air, and she loves her life. I love her! She’s so goofy and spunky and I love that she’s doing good with her life. Oh, and she does this super cute thing where if she’s out shopping and sees a little thing that reminds her of someone she buys it and gives it to them. Her friends and family call them Bree-nkets (like trinkets, but with Bree’s name). Nathan is the star quarterback of an NFL football team that he’s brought to the Super Bowl once and might bring them again! He has a heart of gold. He doesn’t care about the fame or the fortune or anything. He’s down to earth, sweet, loyal, protective, and so loving. He lives in a beautiful, sprawling home, with a gloriously huge kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. And no matter what girl is hanging off his arm at the moment, he has a special bedroom in his home for Bree so that she can sleep over if she’s too tired to walk home after and evening of watching movies with him.

2. Bree and Nathan have been best friends for years, and their friendship is the cutest. They run together every Tuesday morning, no matter what else is going on in their lives. They hang out together as often as they can, have keys to each other’s places, and will commit any crime necessary to protect the other. They have been secretly in love with each other since high school, but are too scared to ruin their friendship by talking about it. The pining is real and thick and frustrating to read because I just wanted to smush them together! Nathan’s inner thoughts about Bree are some of the sweetest ever. She can do no wrong, embodies everything that is perfect in this world, and will always be chosen first in his life. He worships her. He wants to spoil her and take care of her at all times, even platonically, but she won’t let him because she doesn’t want to fall even more in love with him then she already is. But does he know this is why she won’t let him? Nope. He thinks she has no interest in her at all, so he plays it cool and acts aloof and dates other women, further sending her the message that he’s also not interested. Ahhhhh the angst!

3. I love fake dating tropes, especially between friends, and The Cheat Sheet does this so well. Bree drunkenly admits her feelings about Nathan to a reporter while sitting on the floor of a public restroom and the video goes viral. The world falls in love with Bree, and Nathan finally has hope that she reciprocates his feelings. They end up agreeing to a fake relationship that will help his career and give her money to support herself. Wow, like it’s going to be hard for either of them to pretend to be in love. Nathan decides to take this opportunity to test the waters of their friendship and see how Bree responds to flirting and physical touch from him. As they make public appearances and stage instagram photos, they each start to wonder if their best friend actually might love them back.

4. There’s an amazing. cast of supporting characters. The friendships in this book warmed my heart so much. We’ve got Bree’s sister, who is so supportive and loving. Then we’ve got Nathan’s teammates, who help him come up with a list of things to do to see if Bree is really into him after all (it’s called a cheat sheet, hence the name of the book). I LOVE his teammates. They’re big, bulky teddy bears who believe in true love and self care. They also all love Bree and the little trinkets she gives them. The same drunken night she spills the beans to the reporter, she asks them all if she can paint their toenails in team colors and they let her. I could just see these men sitting there with tiny Bree bouncing from foot to foot, painting their toes. And what’s even cuter is that they win their next game and are convinced it was because of the nail polish so Nathan and his friends start going out and getting pedicures together. I just loved them all, and I would love it if this book became the first book in a series, and each of Nathan’s friends get their own book. Another supporting character I loved was Bree’s stylist, Dylan. He’s flashy and bubbly and hilarious, making sure Bree always looks great when making public appearances. At one point in the story, he’s not around and tries to coach someone else on how to do Bree’s hair over facetime. When he tells this person to pull back Bree’s hair like a wave rushing over the shore at sunset I literally cackled. I love Dylan.

5. There’s some amazing discussion centered around anxiety and mental health and healing, and I just loved it. Mental health needs to be talked about more, and it was so refreshing to see it handled with such reverence in a light-hearted romantic comedy. I felt very seen and understood.

6. The romance was so sweet and extremely swoony. And there was still steam, even though the big stuff happened behind closed doors. This was different steam. It’s hard to put it into words, but the emotion and the love that was present was more than enough for me. The build-up to the big stuff, like the tension and the wanting and the kisses were so well written, that I didn’t feel disappointed or like I lost anything by not reading an actual sex scene. I loved it, and felt it was perfect.

7. The end of the book was perfect and everything I needed. I actually cried, and I don’t do that!

8. I have also listened to the audio of this book, and I highly recommend it. Teddy Hamilton brought Nathan’s sweetness to life, and Renee Dorian was perfect for Bree. Her voice and humor made for an amazing listening experience.

The Cheat Sheet is my new favorite book, and I will scream about it every chance I get. I’ve already pre-ordered a paperback for my bookshelves!

3.5 ★

I decided to read The Cheat Shee because I needed something light and cute. I liked it, even if the last chapters take a different and unexpected turn.

Bree Camden and Nathan Donelson have been best friends their whole life, but what Nathan doesn't know is that Bree is madly in love with him. However, she doesn't want to admit it because she doesn't want to lose his friendship.

However, in one crazy night, Bree confesses something to a journalist that she shouldn't have said, and that changes her relationship with Nathan for good.

The plot was quite long because... everything could've been solved with communication. The dynamic between them is organic and beautiful, Nathan is a sweetheart. Also, the book not only talks about their relationship but also about mental health and how it can affect your work if you don't take it seriously.

As for the characters, as I said before, their dynamic is very natural, it feels real. What didn't convince me was the ending since I felt it was very rushed and unexpected.

Even so, if you want to read something cute and with the trope of friends to lovers, I recommend it.

I found this one to be just meh. I would recommend to readers looking for a cleaner romance. Probably not a top purchase.

Thank you @prhinternational #partner

Bree was a best friend to Nathan and he has a girlfriend named Kelsey. Kelsey has been frustrated because of Bree and Nathan’s relationship. Until Kelsey ask him to choose between her and Bree. I can’t imagine this kind of situation, but Nathan choose Bree.

Nathan was so nice, he always helps Bree especially when she was getting hard to get a money to pay her rental. But the problem is Bree doesn’t know that Nathan is paying half of her rent because the landlord keep increasing her rent. When Nathan chose Bree over Kelsey he told her that she doesn’t want a girlfriend who can approve they’re friendship.

They’re friendship was so strong. But then they both need to fake dating for 3 weeks until after the Super Bowl because they have signed a contract. Overall it was a fine read.

The story itself was good, it was great twist on a familiar plot. I was just trying to figure out what made this edition special than the one previously released.?

Content: Some steamy kissing, one F-bomb (I think), some other milder cussing, NO SEX!

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was right up my alley. I loved it. I'm big on the friends to lovers trope, which I feel this book does really well, and I prefer some well balanced physical affection without graphic sex. This book totally delivered.