This book had me in its grip from page one and I loved every moment of it and could not put it down! Easily one of my top romance reads this year! This made me feel every emotion and had me kicking my feet, giggling, and screaming with the romance! I loved Annie and Will! They were great together and had such fun banter and you could feel the chemistry and tension between them! They also both learn to grow with each other and be the best versions of themselves! Also Will was in love from the first page and loved his pov!

Overall I loved this book and do recommend you read it when it comes out Tuesday!

Read if you like…
•fake dating
•opposites attract
•small town romance
•bookish mc
•dual pov

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams!

I absolutely loved When in Rome, so I was very excited to get back to small-town Rome and be with the quirky, fun-loving characters again.

I loved Annie’s character - she was more introverted, and felt stuck acting like she thought everyone wanted her to act. Her thoughts were so relatable as she went through life and had awkward moments with others. I very much enjoyed her just speaking her mind and how open she could be with Will.

Now, WILL! He was charming, funny, and so slick 😁 I love, love, LOVED how well he communicated his feelings. He has some very big fears when it comes to love, but he never hid them from Annie. Whereas many books will use this fear as a way to cause a conflict, I appreciate that Sarah Adams didn’t let it be the thing that blew everything up.

This was very enjoyable - perfect for people who want a sweet, silly, laugh out loud, small-town romance with charming characters that will just make you feel wholesome afterward. Out May 2nd!

I loved the first novel I read by Sarah Adams (The Cheat Sheet) and this third one still doesn’t disappoint. She’s really growing on me. I once again connected with the characters and I don’t think I ever read a more tender hearted bad boy. Loved him. Loved Annie. (And Mabel and Harriet, and the whole lot.) Loved this book. It also was a treat to see Amelia and Noah again, and I really like that they were active in this story rather than relegated to wallpaper background as you sometimes see in series when their chapter is over. I have a clear picture of who’s next in the series and I’ll be waiting for them!

Of course...Sarah Adam's can do no wrong! What a perfect follow up this was to When in Rome! Loved every second of it!

Amelia is about to marry Noah so her bodyguard Will has come with her to the small town of Rome, where Annie runs the flower shop. There aren't many eligible men in Rome so Annie who is considered boring by friends and others alike is in despair for her romantic life. So of course she decides Will should tutor her on how to be a good date. And Will, the rough looking guy has a heart of gold. This is trope-y as can be but it's a light fun read that should make you smile. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good one for a rainy day.

I have read several books by this author and enjoyed them, but this one was disappointing. This was a definite turn from her usual squeaky clean romcoms. I did not appreciate the the the plentiful profanity that was included. There was also lots of innuendo and intimacy that is not something that I would consider appropriate.

The author is very talented and has a way with words, but this book was not for me.

This book was perfect! I read it in two days! Tough looking man with tattoos who is anti-relationship, but happens to be thoughtful with a soft heart? Yes. Introverted woman who is says she wants stability and a simple life, but gets nervous on dates and would rather conform to a mold than acknowledge she’s so much more? Yes. Him becoming her dating coach? Yes. Sign me up for all of it! The family dynamics in it were also great.

Annie Walker wants to find the perfect man for her. She runs the flower shop in Rome, Kentucky where prospects are limited. Add to it, that folks think she is boring. Her dates are a disaster. She thinks she needs a dating coach and she turn to Will Griffin. Will is a bodyguard for a celebrity that has come to Rome to marry Annie's brother. You can easily guess the outcome of this plot, but you will enjoy the ride.

Read it for the:
-Small town setting
-Good girl/Bad boy trope
-Dating lessons
-he falls first
-previous charater cameos

Content:
Closed door romance
Final Rating: ⅗

Sarah Adams has a talent for creating relatable characters . After When in Rome, I was excited to return to Rome, Kentucky and follow Annie and Wills story.

I liked the chemistry between Annie and Will. They understood each other and it was refreshing to see. Overall this was a light hearted read in terms of plot, and heavy on the chemistry without being explicit.

Unfortunately, this read did not excite me as I had expected. I felt there was no main conflict in the plot, or better said, it was resolved quickly and didn’t allow for that potential angst to settle in. I also felt that the romance leaned more towards the physical side rather than building on the emotional connection they had.

While I may not have enjoyed this book as much as When in Rome, I will continue the series as the rest of Annies siblings and the town of Rome have me wondering what comes next

I am so excited to be back in Rome, Kentucky! When In Rome was such a cute book last year, so I was thrilled when this book popped up. I started reading it earlier today, and just couldn't put it down. I read it in almost one sitting (two!). It's always so nice to be able to see familiar characters in a new book that isn't necessarily a sequel. Small towns, opposites attract, personal growth. I loved this book. This book has everything, and will make a light and wonderful summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate seeing a booktrovert like Annie find her happily ever after! If I had to recommend a fluffy romcom about a flower shop owner, this would probably be the one I recommend. It felt like there were nods to certain moments/characters in other romcoms I’ve read, like getting down in a park (reminded me of Chloe Brown haha) and the fact that she was a flower shop owner lol. Overall, the awkward moments were goofy and relatable and both characters had a lot of angst sheesh!

I would describe it as a quick beach read. Probably not my favorite romcom *ever* but really digestible and safe to recommend to your coworkers without worrying that they’ll judge your smut slutty self because it’s closed door. Or alternatively, I’d recommend this to bbs who are new to romance, so they can appreciate the message of not being ashamed of liking romance :) No one on my bookstagram/book took fam needs that reminder but for newbies!! You’re welcome!

Read this if you enjoy:
Tattooed bodyguards (oh, excuse me.. executive protection agents)
Small town romance
Instalove
Opposites attract
“When you know, you know” moments
Main characters overcoming childhood familial trauma
Forced proximity
Awkward booktroverts out in the wild, struggling on first dates
Closed-door romance lol

I loved this book. My first book I have read by the author. It was so sweet and heartwarming. I loved the main characters and the development they both went through. Not so much a change yourself for someone but rather work through what you actually want. Delightful.

This book is PRECIOUS! We follow Annie who is known as the small towns neighborhood sweetheart as she tries to branch out into the dating world. She finds that she’s pretty socially awkward around men and doesn’t know how to make a date go well. Her best friend helps her out by finding her a dating coach, but the coach ends up being an incredibly gorgeous man. And I think you know how the rest goes……

I cried several times reading this but all happy tears! I love how much I loved the characters and wanted to see Annie fall into head over heels love. I realized a little too late that I never read the previous book, but only spoiled things a little for myself. However, this book was just so cute and heartwarming. I love the small town romances and how it was a little bit of a matchmaker situation happening. I loved how easily the two main characters connected and felt comfortable around each other. It just seemed so perfect to me! I cannot wait to read more by this author……as I’m literally about the start her “When I’m Rome”….

This was such a cute and fun read and exactly what I expect from this author, all her books are amazing.

The communication, taking an interest in her likes ( we love a man who will read the books she likes), the banter, and just everything about it was amazing. Will is the most amazing brunch daddy and we all love him.

This book is playful, funny, relatable, and overall so perfect.

I love love loved Practice Makes Perfect! The trope of good girl/bad boy is done so well by Adams and I couldn’t have asked for something better.
These characters are sweet, charming, and have lots of growth (both together and separately) which makes for an awesome plot.
I also loved the use of the secondary characters and humor!! Although this ranks slightly lower than Adams’ other novel The Cheat Sheet, I think this gives a very similar experience that readers will enjoy!

I love this book so much! ♡

𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 follows Annie Walker and Will Griffin, one the sweet, innocent girl next door and the other a certified tattooed heartbreaker. As the two join forces to get Annie comfortable with opening herself up on dates, they realise that what they have is worth more than they could ever imagine.


𓆩 ♡ 𓆪

Will doesn't do love and Annie only does relationships. Reminds me of the Olive theory from HIMYM. A perfect balance.

Annie is the town's poster girl for a saint, however, her supposed innocence is eating at her for never giving her a chance to present herself as anything or anyone else.

Will is Amelia's bodyguard... uhm, excuse me... her Excutive Protection Agent and the job coupled with his tattoos gives him the perfect dangerous, will kill for you vibes. But don't judge a book by it's cover and all because he's also the most gentle with Annie's feelings and the tattoos are of flowers and butterflies 𐀔❁♡.

𝘌𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. "𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦?" 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘥. "𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦."

And when in love, they had the most sensitive and intimate story to tell. The depiction of them going from friends to lovers and that friendship reigning bright even in their romance was just swoon.

𓆩 ♡ 𓆪

4.03 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

4.5⭐️

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an arc!!

WILL AND ANNIE >>>> i loved their little "practice" arrangement - this quite literally is one of my favorite tropes EVER. talk about butterflies, whew ;) also the meddling small town is one of my favorite aspects of this series.

watching will grow throughout the book was such a great time, as i was not liking him in his first pov chapter when he was talking about how he hates love and how he treated his brother?? made me want to punch him through the dang screen.

i found myself relating to annie wayyy too much. her thoughts, feelings, and just overall how she acted in certain situations felt like sarah interviewed for me for the character lmao. i had a great time reading this, and i HIGHLY recommend! this is a closed door, fade-to-black book (meaning no on-page, detailed sex scenes) - which typically i stay away from because i love sex scenes ;) - but sarah does SUCH a good job at still making you feel that tension and ooey-gooey feelings for the mcs that i didn't feel like i was missing a bunch without the on-page action, if that makes sense.

⚠️: grief, death of parent (off page, past), bullying, child abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, infidelity (not mcs), dementia (side character)

This book is just SO heartwarming!! This book was so relatable to me on so many levels and I LOVED the journey of our FMC and MMC.

First, this book has the following tropes: small town romance, good girl/bad boy, banter, slow burn, opposites attract. There is, however, no spice. There is some heat, and some build up, but it ultimately fades to black. I always love spice, but don’t NEED it in a romance - especially when the tension is as good as it is here!

Next: this FMC has a special place in my heart. She’s the towns sweetheart, the girl they all feel they need to protect and watch over… and she hates it. But as the youngest of her siblings, she goes along with their joking jabs and stays in the box they’ve put her in so she doesn’t upset them. All the while, she’s feeling trapped and unable to be who she truly wants to be, unable to figure out what it is she wants and what she’s missing in her life.

Cue our sexy, tattooed, relationship-phobic, MMC. He’s the bodyguard of her future sister in law and she’s got a major crush… so of course she runs into him on the tail end of a horrific date. But she’s introverted and struggles with social anxiety and she’s desperate for help to prevent future disasters… and somehow he ends up agreeing to be her dating coach. What could go wrong? 😏

The challenge each other to grow and push each other out of their comfort zones and UGH! I just LOVE IT.

This is one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read in a long time. I found myself smiling frequently as I was reading, but I also felt my heart clench a few times. Definitely give you all the feels you could want out of a romance. Highly, highly recommend.

Practice Makes Perfect

4.25 ⭐️

I think this is one of my favorite Sarah Adam’s books. If you haven’t heard of her, first off you’re crazy. And second… immediately check her out!

Sarah is famous for closed door romance and this one is such a good example of it. The pining by Annie and Will is really well done in both perspectives. We get to see a lot of familiar characters from When in Rome, but I liked them even more this time around. It didn’t feel as stereotypical in this one.

This comes out next week, so get your copy soon! Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

This was literally everything I could ever want from a romance. I loved it. Fake dating? Yes please! Grumpy x sunshine? Yes pleaseee! Small town romance? Yes yes yes! And I love that it’s dual POV.
I love how Will helps Annie grow into herself, while also growing into himself. His desire for her to not change is so sweet. Their character arcs both were so good! And we love a man who can communicate! I really do love how this story was just sweet and heartwarming, no unnecessary angst or misunderstanding. And the humor in this book was top tier….the scene when Annie is on a date with Brandon and Amelia shows up “undercover” with Will?! I was laughing so hard at how silly it was.
At first I wasn’t thrilled about the closed door part, but it also fit their relationship so perfect since both Annie and Will were struggling to open up about themselves to everyone around them. It would only be fitting that the most intimate part of their romance was hidden from the reader.
I loved this. The perfect sweet, steamy, small town romance.