I usually prefer reading really spicy books but sometimes you just have a need to read the cute, tender, wholesome book filled with communication and stuff that makes your soul smile. Sarah Adams is just so good at what she does and you won't pick poorly when you read her. And look at that cover! Who wouldn't love it?

I loved the flower shop scene! Combining tension and laughter is fantastic! I wanted to reread that scene the moment I finished it!

Will is Amelia’s bodyguard and has come to town on assignment. Annie is Amelia’s soon to be sister in law that might just have a thing for Will. When Will becomes Annie’s dating coach all goes downhill from there!

As an mainly extrovert I enjoyed getting a glimpse into an introvert mind.

I enjoyed how there was lots of interaction from characters from the previous book. I don’t think you HAVE to go in order but it would be extremely helpful! Rome, Kentucky is a more fun place to be than most would expect.

You definitely want to read this to find out if Annie finds her pirate!

I do need to add a little bit of not fun things to talk about. If this wasn’t one of my favorite authors I probably wouldn’t have finished. A lot of innuendo throughout the book. Because I’ve loved the authors previous work and the plot was great I continued on. I’m guessing she’s maybe going towards a different audience than past books.

Romance- this book is closed door but barely. I’d say tip toes the line.
Language-some profanity but not overly done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

This was so cute! I've been looking forward to it since reading When in Rome, and I'm glad to say that, while I prefer the first book, I had a lot of fun reading the sequel. I just love a good fluffy small-town romance.

Annie was instantly my favorite Walker sibling upon meeting her in the last book, and I loved her even more after getting into her head. I relate to her on a lot of counts (minus a few key features like the tattoo, the smutty romances, and the fact that I'm majorly allergic to most flowers, lol), but being the "quiet one" in my family, I found a kindred spirit in her. Will was great, communicative and doing his best to heal from his past hurt, which makes him prime book boyfriend material, haha! I'd seen this called a "dislike-to-love" romance, which could not be further from the truth. They're both into each other right away, and honestly, they don't work that hard to not be together, lol!

I will say that this series has a lot more crude language than I prefer, and while it's not explicit about the characters doing it, it's definitely there. It's mentioned that Will is more "experienced" than Annie (whose virginity is brought up... a lot). There are some steamy kisses that I was just kinda like "do I need to be here for this? this feels private, I should go..." ((but I know this is totally a personal comfort level thing, it's just toward the upper end of my comfort zone))

All that aside, though, I really had a delightful time reading this, and I do intend to pick up the rest of the series (because we got some hints at what I have to assume will be the romances of the future books and ummmm I need to see those happen) and read more from Sarah Adams in the future! Four stars from me!

((also Amelia and Noah are the cutest. we already knew this. but I love them so much.))

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

Adorable sweet closed door romance! Made me smile and was filled with emotion that o wasn’t expecting! Will definitely recommend t this for a fun summer romance!!

I absolutely loved this! My favorite Sarah Adams book to date! The two main characters have to be new favorites.
I really loved the banter! And it was funny and pretty refreshing because the feelings were all out on the table. No angst! Wow! What a concept! I loved it.

Sarah Adams has a wonderful way of taking a character that in the hands of another author could turn out to be annoying and kinda cringy and making her adorable and completely lovable.

I couldn’t get enough of this book and I can’t wait to read more about this cute little town.

This book was PERFECT! I was expecting a cute little story but was not expecting to read one of my new favorite romance books.

I am a sucker for a dating coach story and that plot point paired with Will being the perfect combination of attractive and respectful. The banter was hilarious and the scene where Will and Amelia went to spy on Annie on her date had me dying and laughing out loud.

Annie was such a strong character while still being emotional and I wish we got more of that in media. She was real without being a caricature.

Will and Annie are the perfect couple and I wish we got to see some type extended epilogue with them because I just need more of them in my life

thank you NetGalley for my copy of Practice Makes Perfect !

when in rome was such a great read for me & i fell in love with Rome, Kentucky. as soon as i saw the cover for practice makes perfect & who it was about, i was so excited. & i was not at all disappointed. this book gave what it needed to give & i loved it <3

annie is the sunshine girl that everyone in town loves & she runs a flower shop, has a swear notebook to keep tally on everyone’s cursing, & she’s the youngest of her siblings. she is a successful businesswoman yet she feels as if something is missing. that something is a ~relationship~

then enter will, he is amelia’s bodyguard & he’s brooding, tattooed, gorgeous, everything you’d expect from an ex-air forced, turned bodyguard. amelia sets them up so will gives annie some dating lessons since her last date ended so poorly & she wants to settle at this point.

overall, this book was amazing! i loved the profession from beginning to them falling for each other to the end. the writing was spectacular & the characters were so well developed, i cannot want for the next book in the series !

Will, Will, Will. You were just adding to my growing list of book boyfriends. Wow I loved him in this book. He was so kind and attentive and I really enjoyed the opposites attract aspect of this romance.

I feel for Annie as I have been referred to as “sweet Jen” or “Pollyanna” through college and my early 20’s and I really do feel like it puts you in a box for people not thinking that you can handle adventure. She was so well written!

Did I also like a little more spice from Sarah Adams?!?! Definitely!

I would for sure recommend this book!

Spice: 🌶️.5/5

Read this if you like:
🌺 Opposites Attract
🌺 Small town romance
🌺 Fake Dating

I love this series so, so much. Never thought I'd say this, but I am fully embracing my soft-girl era. Give me all the cozy small-town romances. And please, dear universe, give me a man like Will!

There are so many wonderful things in this book. I love opposites attract, bodyguard (ahem, sorry executive protection agent), dating lessons, physical touch as a love language, tattoos for days, flowers, caretaking, nosy neighbors, fake dating, pirate romances, self-discovery, and all the communication you could dream of! I can't quite put my finger on why this wasn't a perfect 5-star read for me, but it had me gushing within the first few pages. It absolutely fit my reading vibe for the start of this summer, and I would totally go back and reread! I can't recommend this series enough!

Thank you to Penguin Random House/Ballentine and NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.
I have pretty conflicting feelings on Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams. I think that this book tells the story from an interesting perspective that I don’t feel like I see in the romance space too often, that of really needing an emotional connection with someone before you are ready to get together but simultaneously feeling like you are missing out on something while you wait for the right person.
There is a large cast of characters in this small town and I really enjoyed most of them and some scenes even had me laughing out loud to myself (the little league game with Joe and Sam.) However, the character in this book that I truly disliked the most was the FMC. The B plot of Annie wanting her sisters and the town to stop treating her as a child when she is “a few years away from being 30” is totally valid, however Annie is infantilizing herself as well. I really didn’t think going into an adult romance novel that I would be reading lines like “h-e-double hockey sticks,” the worst insult she can think of for someone is “butt munch” and being, again, almost 30 and feeling like she needs to hide the books she reads and the tattoo she got from her sisters. A majority of the treatment she hates so much from her siblings is a direct result of her own actions. I just can’t imagine a nearly 30 year old woman not even willing to THINK certain “bad” words in her own internal monologue.
Though this was not my favorite book, I do think it led me to want to read more from Sarah Adams. I have not yet read When in Rome but Amelia and Noah in this book were so fun that I think I am definitely more likely to go back and read it.

Practice Makes Perfect was adorable. I loved everything about it. Small town, bad boy, grumpy/sunshine, coming of age. So many good things all in one book.

Annie Walker is the towns sunshine, their good girl, the girl next door.
Will Griffin is a tattooed, grumpy, ladies man.

When Annie sets out on a quest to find her happily ever after, her future husband and father of her kids, she realized how terrible at dating she is. She needs help. Bad.
Enter Will Griffin— a pro at dating and helplessly gorgeous.

Will reluctantly helps Annie practice her dating skills to help her find her man. And find her man, she does.

This was seriously adorable and I loved it. I probably should have read When In Rome first. But I didn’t and I wasn’t confused so it can totally be read as a sequel or stand alone.

5/5!!

Perfectly nice and sweet grumpy/sunshine romance. Lots of family trauma and drama to unpack from both sides, but small town magic kind of takes over to cover any plot holes. Quick and fun read, steam level mild.

Practice Makes Perfect IS PERFECT. I said what I said.

From chapter 1, I am feeling all the swoony feelings and falling in love with Annie and Will. These two were magnets that couldn't stay away from each other and yet they went into this "arrangement" with their eyes wide open. They knew they wanted different things out of life, but they could not stay away. GAH! I loved it so much!!!

I loved Annie's journey of finding who she really wanted to be, and how Will helped encourage her. I loved Will's journey of coming to terms with his past and his inner scars. And most of all I loved how these two communicated!!! AND I LOVED THE ENDING!!!!

This is probably going to be my favorite romance all year. I could see myself reading it over and over. Seriously, if I know you I am going to push you to read this book until you do. Love you!!!

If you are interested in this book, I highly recommend reading When In Rome first. It takes place in the same little town with the same people.

Sarah never fails to write books that make me smile and kick my feet. Practice Makes Perfect was hopeful, playful and feel good! There was so much I loved - the tension, the pining, the flirting and the banter! Annie and Will’s individual journeys as well as their journey as a couple was mature and emotionally intelligent. It’s always refreshing to read a novel that showcases efforts at clear communication and therapy!

From the first page Annie is so awkward and relatable and William “I will never catch feelings” Griffin is the epitome of the perfect book boyfriend with his floral tattoos and sweet gestures!

I loved When in Rome but I think Practice Makes Perfect has become my favorite! I am so grateful to have been sent this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Thank you so much to Sarah Adams, Net Galley and the publisher!

Annie Walker is the town's good girl. Hurt her, and the village will come for you. Angel Annie's reputation precedes her, and no one wants to take her out. She even goes on a horrible date with the Hot Bank Teller, but even he needs to fake an emergency to get out of it. Enter Will Griffin. Bodyguard--sorry, executive protection agent to Annie's soon to be sister-in-law. Will Griffin has sworn off love. He's a no commitment guy due to the toxic household he grew up in. Somehow, some way, Will agrees to be Annie's dating coach. He'll help her sort out her jitters and learn what makes her so awkward and boring on these dates. But somewhere along the way, their feelings become real, and they have to realize that they want different things out of life. But it's all practice anyway. For when the real guy comes along to sweep Annie off her feet.

Practice Makes Perfect is the second book of Sarah Adams' Rome, Kentucky series. I read it as a standalone, thanks to NetGalley. This book was everything I wanted it to be. The character development of Annie is absolutely beautiful, and I really enjoyed seeing her shine. There's just something about a fake dating trope that gets me! I love them so much because they're just so entertaining. Annie and Will have obvious chemistry, and I loved reading their interactions. Will is a HUGE swoon-worthy guy. He always said and did the perfect things, and I think I fell in love with him. I read this book so fast because I was enjoying it so much. 
The dynamic between Annie and Will was EVERYTHING. And their tension was extremely palpable. Will sure knows his way around. I'm not sure who falls first, but Will falls so hard for Annie, and it's so sweet. Yes, it's typical and cheesy. Guy who doesn't believe in love falls head over heels for the girl who wants a white picket fence. But it was done so well that I can't even fault it. Especially with the small town setting. I think putting it into perspective really helped me ignore things I usually don't like in a book. Annie was refreshing, even though she could come off as a helpless heroine at times. I think it was all integral to her story.

Which brings me to two of my favorite parts of the book. One, Will helping Annie when she's sick. It's so sweet, and I'm a sucker for being taken care of. Now, second. ANNIE'S LIBERATING MOMENT. She finally says how she's feeling to her siblings. They are there to protect her, but gosh, she's old enough to not still be called an angel and protected from the world. Let her live. I was screaming every time her sisters would treat her like a porcelain doll. Honestly, I feel like the other sisters are just not as interesting. I first need to read When In Rome, but I am excited to see how the rest of the Walker siblings' stories play out. If I learned anything from this book, it's that I need to read more Sarah Adams right now.

After reading When in Rome last year, I was looking forward to this one! Specifically, I was excited to get more of Annie's story since she was such a sweet side character.

The thing I enjoyed most about this one was Annie's character! It's refreshing to see a shy main character who isn't forced to become outgoing and extroverted, and I identified a lot with her as an introvert.

Sadly, I found the story to be slow and lost interest. Annie and Will's dynamic was sweet, but the book began to feel repetitive, and there wasn't enough "will they, won't they?" for me. It seemed pretty clear they were going to end up together and how that was going to happen.

Nevertheless, I look forward to reading the next book from Adams! She sure does write a cozy small-town setting.

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 💐
by Sarah Adams

I knew that I was going to love this book the minute I read the dedication page. I was so excited to get to fall back into the When In Rome series and Sarah Adams absolutely delivered with this one!
This book made me kick my feet from giddiness and cheese so hard it hurt. I never wanted it to end.

💕If there is one place I want to live—it’s Rome, Kentucky.
🍌If there is one fictional character I relate wholeheartedly to—it’s Annie Walker.
🏴‍☠️If there is one perfect, swoon worthy book boyfriend—it’s Will Griffin (I call dibs).
🌸If there is one book you should be reading right this moment—it’s Practice Makes Perfect.

Rating—all of the stars. I love and adore this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Dell for the eARC.

"It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud."

One thing you can always expect from Sarah Adams is that she will create worlds, stories and characters that will just make you SMILE. Her stories are undeniably sweet, and within these stories are characters that you can't help but love and connect with.

I deeply relate to Annie. I found so much of myself in her character and the way she approaches life. I loved her banter with Will (and how she constantly called him the wrong full name). And I LOVE a book with characters who can COMMUNICATE. There is nothing I dislike more, than problems in books that could be solved by having one conversation. It was refreshing and amazing to see Will and Annie actually talk to one another and grow together.

My one complaint is that it seemed like Annie and Will kept denying their attraction toward each other even when they both knew that they liked each other? It seemed to go on for almost too long. But it did add that surface level tension to the book, without feeling too heavy.

Overall Practice Makes Perfect is a sweet, hilarious story and an undeniably romantic read and was published on May 2, 2023. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn't have to interact with other humans."

Sarah Adams gets better and better every book. I loved this book so much that I was ready to start it over before I’d even finished. Sarah writes unique and quirky characters that are SO easy to root for. Annie is no exception. She’s so endearing. Will was the type of outwardly arrogant alpha that I wanted to hate, but hearing his perspective made it impossible. The banter is incredibly and swoony. The chemistry is off the charts. This book had SO MUCH TENSION for a closed-door romance. I love that there wasn’t a lot of pretense and bottling up emotions like typically comes with a fake dating style romance. It was a joy to return to the meddling town of Rome. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

Sarah Adams may have just published one of my favorite happy go lucky books of 2023!

Annie is the owner of a flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. Not really knowing how to act on dates, she's okay with living the single life and planting flowers. What she won't admit to herself is her heart crazy crush on Will, Amelia's bodyguard. Will is in town for Amelia's wedding and that is all. He doesn't want to stay in the town that doesn't have cell service. What he will agree to however; is giving Annie relationship advice and dating lessons. He would NEVER admit his feelings to Annie. Remember what they all say though... practice makes perfect.

Practice Makes Perfect had me laughing and smiling throughout the read. Adams delights once more in writing fun characters and banter. The fun nods to Annie reading and Will's jealousy quips made this novel a huge win for me. I look forward to what Sarah Adams has up her sleeve next.