If the vibe of Gilmore Girls and a Hallmark movie had a baby, Practice Makes Perfect would be the result. While I’m usually not a fan of the predictable, cheesy over the top romances, I ate this up. I was reading this every minute I could squeeze in.

There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book. It was predictable (which I oddly liked), there was witty banter, strong sibling relationships, strained sibling relationships, small down DRAMA (I’m looking at you Mabel & Harriet(), and humor sprinkled throughout. There’s fake dating & forced proximity.

I don’t know how she does it, but Sarah Adams has a way of writing romance with all the spice and no steam. I was feeling hot and bothered by hand holding people! HOW?!

If you’re looking for a cute, fast, cheesy, swoony read, then Practice Makes Perfect is for you! Lucky for you it comes out tomorrow!

✨ ARC | R E V I E W ✨

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Out May 2nd!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥MUST READ!!

I felt this book to my core, in my bones, and in my heart. Sarah Adams has crushed my expectations for swoony romance books. You know when your heart sinks when something bad happens to the characters? And it’s lifted back up again when they figure it out? SO MANY EMOTIONS in this book! I really connected to Annie. I’ve always kind of been called the “innocent one”, not sure how or why, but my nickname is “Shelby Sunshine”. It always makes the book better when you can really get inside a characters head. Sarah does such a good job of making them relatable and so easy to fall in into the story.
But these characters, this small town, and the love they all share, are in my heart forever. ❤️ My review could go on for pages, but I love what’s happening in Rome, Kentucky.

Summary: Annie is the local flower shop owner, Will is her future-sister-in-law’s bodyguard. Sweet and innocent Annie needs helping finding a husband, but isn’t good with dates. But guess who is willing to help? A dark, mysterious, and doesn’t-believe-in-love Will. Practices dates make for perfect ones right? 😉

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

To be quite honest, I wanted to read this book just because of the cover – I mean, can you blame me? And also is about some tattooed bad boy who is likely to fall in love with our heroine? Sold!

And I'm so glad I give it a chance because this was a fun and fluffy romance which was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up.

I really loved how the author built Will's layers, not only putting him as a bad boy womanizer. But with traumas and demons that shaped him up to that point. And also how Annie isn't just the sweetheart girl from the countryside and ends up discovering more desires and dreams than just getting married and having kids.

I couldn't put it down and read the whole book in one day. So yeah is THIS good.

Tropes:
💖 fake dating
🏡 small town
😈bad boy(ish) x good girl

Can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams is one of the sweetest small-town romances I've ever come across. And I wish I savored each moment longer instead of finishing it so quickly! But honestly, it was so hard to put down!

Annie Walker owns a flower shop in Rome, Kentucky, and all she wants is to find the perfect man, get married, and have kids in the town she's loved all her life. However, dating is a nightmare for introverts like her. But here comes Will Griffin, Amelia Rose's flirtatious, tattooed, and drop-dead gorgeous bodyguard who is back in Rome to provide extra security as Amelia and Noah's wedding gets closer. Will doesn't do relationships, especially since his job requires him to pick up and go with barely a moment's notice. And he definitely knows he's too much of a bad boy for the town's angel. However, when Annie asks Will to be her dating coach, he finds it almost impossible to say no.

If you love fake dating, bad boy x good girl, small-town romance, practice dates, funny moments, and lovable characters, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. Annie and Will's chemistry was flying off the pages, and their conversations were just so sweet, playful, and genuine. This book is not only a wonderful, wholesome rom-com, but a story that shines light on the importance of finding who you are and not shying away from it.

All in all, I loved Practice Makes Perfect, and I'll be thinking of the perfection that is Annie and Will for quite a while.

This book comes out May 2, 2023! Happy reading! 📚💕

A small town flower shop owner and a tattooed bodyguard who does not believe in love. How could you not get hooked right away? This small town romance follows Annie, the sweet and innocent girl next door and Will the broody, ex-military bodyguard who is emotionally unavailable. While the two are complete opposites, Will agrees to help Annie learn how to casually date so that she can find her future husband. The two soon realize that maybe they aren't as different as they think, and it becomes hard for them to distinguish what is practice and what is real between them.

The emotions you witness from each character in this book is truly beautiful. You get to see Annie go from being "Angel Annie", to being a badass woman who is not afraid to speak up about what she desires. You also get to see Will, someone who has closed off his heart since childhood, slowly fall in love with Annie the more he spends time with her. There is no drama between the two, and it is great to see how open and honest these two characters are with each other. They both work to make each other comfortable and to better their relationship which is so sweet.

This book made me wish I was part of the loving community that is Rome, Kentucky. From the nosy town folk, to the motherly siblings, and the observant inn keeper, this place feels so cozy. Everyone in this town truly cares about their residents and it makes you wish you could be there to witness it.

My favorite part about this book wasn't the heartfelt moments shared between characters, the cute little town, or the romance, it was the witty banter. There were so many scenes in this book that had me laughing out loud.

Overall, this book is beautifully written and I would recommend it to anyone who loves romance. It is a cute and cozy read that will leave you with all the feels. Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I can't wait to get my hard copy when this comes out!

Y'all, a book has to be very good and very romantic to counteract the lack of spice and this DELIVERS. I am in awe of the balance Sarah Adams was able to create.

Annie is known as the town Angel, but that comes with standards and pressure that she can no longer tolerate. She's looking to break out of her comfort zone and finally give dating a shot. She feels ready to settle down and find a true partner. Will is Annie's future sister-in-law's bodyguard. He is one of the only people who lets her be whoever she wants to be and explore whatever she wants to explore. She's not just sweet Annie, she's the girl he can't quite ever stop thinking about. But, he doesn't do relationships so he'll never go there with her.

When Annie's future sister-in-law suggest that she practice date Will to get some tips, these two have to fight their attraction and the town's opinions. The other issue? They both grow and in doing so, become versions of themselves that fit perfectly with the other.

The small town aspect of this was really truly great and I can't wait for the next book!

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’m in love.
I wish I could express into words how much I love this book, but I know I won’t do it justice so I’m going to try my best.
Annie & Will’s story felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such a genuine connection between the main characters. And I relate so much to Annie it’s not even funny lol. Her personality made me absolutely feral for her, you see, because often the FMC can’t be soft nor sweet without it being seen as something bad and the plot deals with this too, I liked it because Sarah Adams did a fantastic job showing us that vulnerability can be a strength too! Annie’s journey is beautiful because I feel she finally blooms and breaks out of her shelf, staying true to her own beliefs and feelings. Will’s a good influence if I dare to say so 😉.
Will, Will, Will, gosh where can I get my own Will? He’s on a whole new level of book boyfriend, sure it all begins with him being a not so typical f boy, afraid of commitments and what not buuuuuuut he had a nice character development. Who doesn’t love when the bad boy falls for his special girl? He’s soooooooo *chef’s kisses* he’s definitely hot AND respectful. He always had faith in Annie, even when she doubted herself.
I believe in the love Annie & Will shared, and may I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say I’d like to have something like that.
By the way, I cheered for Annie every time she mentioned her beloved romance novels (go pirates-historical romance! Ahoy I guess hahahah)

Adams writes such great stories and this was no disappointment. Another fabulous story small town feel good read.
This picked up from When in Rome, but you can absolutely read it on its own.

We reviewed Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams for our most recent podcast episode. Overall, the book is incredibly sweet, beautifully written, and gives you all the feels.

Things we liked:
- Will. Gear up, he's going to be your next book boyfriend.
- How Will falls in love.
- Main characters making all the right decisions - Adults making adult decision
- The two side characters of Amelia, Noah, and James are delightful
- Annie's growth as a character is empowering

Things we didn't like as much:
- The sisters, oh god, the sisters. Rae was physically going to fight them for how they treated Annie.
- We have this really hot lead up to 'sexy times' and with it being Annie's first time, we felt we needed a bit more of how she's feeling in the moment.

Overall, it's an enjoyable low stakes romance and it's a quick read.

For more reviews and to hear the podcast, find us at www.chicklitbookclubpodcast.com

The 2nd in a series, we’re back to Rome (Kentucky of course) just in time for the upcoming wedding of Noah and Amelia from When In Rome.

Noah’s youngest sister Annie is so socially awkward when it comes to dating it’s painful- especially for herself. She’s a secret romance novel enthusiast - currently on a pirate kick - but when it comes to reality? Let’s just say if she could figure out how to end up happily married to a once in a lifetime love without all the dating stress she absolutely would.

Bodyguard Will - excuse me, executive protection agent - has been temporarily reassigned to Amelia in Rome, in case things get hot with the coming wedding. While he might be happy for them, he is personally marriage-phobic to an almost ridiculous degree thanks to parents that had a terrible marriage full of fights and cheating, constantly putting the kids in the middle while pretending they were staying together for their sakes. He’s a serial dater, with more confidence than anyone but - with the except of a brother he’s avoiding - no one that really knows him.

Things get a little messy when Amelia concocts the perfect plan to help Annie get better at dating, and maybe get Will to open up to someone. The solution? Practice dating, since they both want such different things in life this couldn’t possibly end badly for Annie and Will…
If you thought the townspeople of Rome meddled with Noah’s relationship, just wait until you see how much further they’ll go to “protect” local favorite Annie!

Dual pov with mutual pining, which is a favorite combo of mine. This is more the type of attraction and daydreams, than of the heart wrenching angsty variety.
Not to say there isn’t *any* angst.
The emotional punch is there, but lighter than a lot of my recent reads.

Overall I’d say this was an enjoyable, lighthearted read. It’s closed door, but it feels like you’re maybe peeking in through a teeny slat in the closet door? Not spicy, but there’s some heat.
I liked revisiting favorite characters from the first book and getting to know more about them and other people in the town - even if they did get more than a little heavy handed in their meddling this go round. Still, you know they come from a good place, and - since they’re fictional - I’ll give them a pass 😂
(Side note on the side characters - I am looking forward to seeing more of James in the future!)

Thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the arc!

Practice Makes Perfect is another really good read from Sarah Adams. This book is the second book to When In Rome which I gave 5 stars. Annie is the sister-in-law to Amelia and Will is Amelia's bodyguard. The two connect again by agreeing to be Annie's dating coach. Even though they are opposites, they form a deep relationship that is undeniable even to the town. My favorite parts are when Annie calls him by different names that begin with "Will" throughout the book. I thought that was super cute and sweet.

This series has been so unexpectedly cute to read and fall in love with the characters. The first two books have been some of my favorites that I have ever read and I'm crossing my fingers that she doesn't stop here and continues the others characters stories in future books. I will read anything that Sarah Adams puts on the bookshelves!

4.5 ⭐️ I absolutely adored this book!! No surprise because I loved When in Rome… but wow I am obsessed with Will. The thing I appreciated the most about this book was the lack of a miscommunication trope- these characters were really good about communicating with each other and that was a breath of fresh air. I hope we will be getting more from Rome, KY!

Annie is tired of how her family and small town treat her after being called boring on a date- and honestly agreeing with the assessment.
Will has always liked Annie but has refused to get close because he knows she'd be trouble to his necessary on the go lifestyle.
When Annie decides to step out of her comfort zone, her soon to be sister-in-law and Will's boss suggests Will can be her practice date, someone so different, he can help her take those steps. But acting becomes a whole lot like real the longer it goes on, opening up a whole lot of underlying issues for them both.

Cute read. I know there was a first book but not having read it I didn't feel like I was missing anything. The whole town is such a cast of characters I kind of wanted to live there and see what else happened next.

#arc
#netgalley
#practicemakesperfect

I know I thoroughly loved a book when even when I'm done reading it, I wish I could continue to have a glimpse into the characters lives. The main character, Annie, always put others and their emotions before her own which made it easy to connect to her . She was a relatable, small town girl who was just dying for her big adventure even though she didn't know it. Insert the supposed "bad boy" character, Will, and I was sold.

How the author told their stories and brought their truths to the surface not just to themselves but gave Will and Annie the courage to take their truths to others was really special. I loved the family/friend dynamics and support throughout the story and thought it really added to the depth and richness of the main character's development.

I'm already looking forward to reading Sarah Adams' other works and anything she publishes in the future!

This might have just replaced The Cheat Sheet as my favorite Sarah Adams book!! I’m not sure how she does it, but Adams has become the master at creating a steamy book that has no spice/is closed door. I can’t say enough positive things about Practice Makes Perfect! Rome, Kentucky is such a cute small town with (in Gilmore Girls fashion) a ton of entertaining townies. Adams does a great job giving Annie dimension—she’s complicated and has pretty well developed dreams and fears. Will was great—I was crushing hard on him. The way that Adams wrote certain passages like a steamy pirate novel was super clever and added a fun element to the storytelling. Plus there was the added bonus of getting to see Amelia and Noah from When in Rome prep for their wedding (we love). I feel like Adams has left the door open to write about Annie and Noah’s sisters and I’m personally crossing my fingers that we get a Maddie story soon!

-closed door romance
-small town romance
-opposites attract
-grumpy x sunshine
-fake dating
-friends to lovers

I love Rome, Kentucky. I would love to live in Rome, Kentucky. Do we think there are towns that exist that are like Rome, Kentucky???

Annie is a sweet girl who wants desperately to be seen by the people she loves. To be seen for who she actually is and not for they think she is. Will is an executive protection agent who's way too ready to get out of Rome, Kentucky. He's in town protecting Annie's soon-to-be sister-in-law, and on his time off, he's providing sweet Annie dating lessons.

Dating lessons, kissing lessons, plenty of confusion and more passion than Annie's ever known in her life. That's what Will Griffin is providing while he's in town. But he's chomping at the bit to get out, and Annie needs dating lessons so that she can settle down and get hitched. So she can have what she's always wanted. The husband and the family and the being settled.

Except the more she learns from Will, the more she realizes that settling down is maybe not exactly what she wants. Because she's quite enjoying the passion. And she might be more adventurous than she realizes.

This is a fade to black, pirate-adjacent, small-town romance. It has all of the heart-swelling that you could possibly want. Well, all that I could want. The character growth is profound and very satisfying. I cried, but in a good way. A few times. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Madison and Emily, the two remaining Walker siblings, get their happily ever afters.

First. Thank you @netgalley & @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OKAYYY SARAH, thank you for allowing me back to visit Rome.

@authorsarahadams it's now going to be an auto buy author for me. I throughly enjoyed a second visit to Rome, Kentucky with this book. The character development here is absolutely phenomenal. I enjoyed the banter, chemistry and seeing all the familiar characters in this book. I don't normally like closed door romances but this one was just perfect.

Easily a bingeable book and LOL funny. The communication in this book was superior! We love a book with no miscommunication trope. This can be read as a stand-alone but I highly encourage you to read When in Rome to get to know the backstory of many of the characters.

I'm counting down to the next book !!

This was so cute! I love the characters and the small town feel! I didn’t read the first book before this, so it’s not really necessary to read it before this. I loved how the relationship felt real and loved the communication throughout!

There are several standard romance tropes here - the hero who is scarred emotionally and thinks he can never truly love a woman plus dating practice that soon becomes real. Neither of those tropes are among my favorites. I did like the twist that the heroine seems so impossibly sweet, but she’s sick of everyone in their incredibly idyllic small town thinking of her that way. She was more interesting than it first seemed when we’re introduced to her. It was more understandable that the hero would fall for her beyond the idea that she’s pretty and pure. And he’s more than a sexy, tattooed tough guy.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

OKAAAAYYY Sarah Adams!! I see you. Sarah Adams is an automatic read for me. So when I found out I got accepted for this Advanced Reader Copy - I was basically jumping up and down. I was so excited to read more about Rome in Annie's story. Annie and Will (apart and) together made me swoon. Like her other books, I loved it. We get to see more of all the beloved Rome characters while focusing on Annie and Will. It was a fun, romantic read. I enjoyed the character development of both MCs. Unlike her other books, this one is not as sweet and innocent as you have grown to love Sarah for. Don't get me wrong though - it was perfect given Will and his reputation. This book is still closed door but definitely flirts the line. This book was so well done staying true to Sarah's closed door roots but also pushing the envelope - something that is definitely new for her. I fell in love with Rome (again) and can't wait for more.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.