I absolutely loved this one! It has become one of my favorite romances of all time. Will is the ultimate book boyfriend and I'm obsessed with him. He's a bad boy, sweet and great at communicating exactly how he feels. He is also not played out which was so refreshing. Annie is also a sweet girl who wants to explore the world around her, she is considered innocent and perfect. But her character is actually so relatable. None of this characters feel over the top and I was completely rooting for them the whole time. I read this in two days and wanted more!! I will be now reading everything by Sarah Adams. Their tension the entire time was so vivid, it made me tingle a bit. I was so excited for these characters.

Practice Makes Perfect
by Sarah Adams
Pub Date 02 May 2023
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell
Romance
Rating: 5/5

In this swoon-worthy romance, a bubbly flower shop owner meets a handsome bodyguard. The setting is Rome, a small town in Kentucky where gossip reigns and banter flies. Everyone thinks they know everything about everyone and funny scenarios capture your heart. It's easy to fall in love with Annie Walker and Will Griffin, and root for them throughout the book. Some characters may feel familiar as they carry on from Sarah Adams' mega hit When in Rome. Practice Makes Perfect is delightful, wholesome and suitable for most audiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, DellDell for sharing this incredible book with me. I can't wait to share it with my friends.

thank you to netgalley and random house publishing for the opportunity to read this arc of practice makes perfect!

this book was so sweet and fun. very much rom com vibes! these days when i read romance novels i can't help but feel like a lot of them are out of touch and millenial... but i think the fact that this one is set in a nosey small town helped me ignore any of that ~millenial~ vibe. the secondary characters were actually quite a lot of fun to read about, maybe even more than annie's actual sisters and brother.

i think the internal conflicts of both the main characters were slightly underdeveloped in the first half of the novel and then it all came rushing out towards the end and got wrapped up fairly quickly. obviously it's clear to the reader what the problems are, but it's not really discussed by the characters until 70% through.

the spice level is low... it's sexy... but the real sexy scenes are very much fade-to-black... which is fine! but if you're looking for spice, this isn't really it.

i did really enjoy this novel. the romance/tension/burn between annie and will was very much there and i loved their banter and the way their relationship built throughout the book. and now i have to go back and read when in rome!!!!!

4.5 stars. This was even more fun than the first book! I’m so glad that Annie finally stood up for herself and found someone that sees her for who she is. The banter between her and Will was great and I love how excited Will was about the books lol. Hopefully there’s more books in this series because I’m really enjoying it!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing. This book is everything I would want a follow-up book to be. I loved the way that this book is intertwined with When in Rome, it adds a depth to the story for those who have read When in Rome while still allowing those who haven’t to understand and enjoy the whole story. The characters were great, the plot was enjoyable, and the setting was fun.

Thanks @netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this Good girl / Bad boy rom com. I was obsessed from the first page to the last. I found the relationship very real and mature and I enjoyed the growth they experienced together. My favorite part was that he loved her for HER. Just perfect . From start to finish!

MY HEART. This is hands down my favorite book (so far) of 2023 and it’s going to be really hard to beat it. The perfect sequel to When In Rome, it takes place in our favorite small town of Rome, Kentucky and this time focuses on Noah’s youngest sibling, Annie and Amelia’s surly, broody, roguish bodyguard, Will. My god, I loved them. They were so funny and sweet. THE TENSION. My god. I was rooting for them from day one and could not get enough; I needed this book to be at least 700 pages. I laughed, I cried, I kicked my legs and giggled like a school girl. This was *the* perfect book.

4 ⭐️

THIS BOOK WAS SO FREAKING CUTE. LIKE KICKING MY FEET AND GIGGLING AND BLUSHING. If you’re looking for a wholesome read, pick this up. The vibes of this remind me of that TV show Hart of Dixie. It’s just a cute cheesy romance that leaves you smiling.

Note: this is a stand-alone novel but exists in an series of interconnected stand-alone (When in Rome is the first book, I have not read it yet 🤣)

Annie is an introverted flower shop owner (in a small town) who HATES dating. Every single date is a bust. When she runs into her brother’s fiancé’s (Amelia) bodyguard while on a date, she can’t stop thinking about the sexy, tattooed Will Griffin. Amelia thinks that Annie should “practice” date with Will to get more comfortable with dating. As Will and Annie start practice dating, they fall more and more for each other…but with Will’s past and inability to feel like he can fall in love, he knows this can never go anywhere. Will and Annie navigate life and heartbreak in this adorable “hallmark-esque” novel.

Things I liked:
-Dual POV
-adorable romance, like kicking my feet
-small town setting
-protective MMC
-introverted FMC
-healthy communication

Things I didnt like:
-sometimes a little too cheesy but I still really enjoyed it💀

Tropes:
-small town romance
-“fake” dating (kinda?)
-protective MMC
-taking care of her when she’s sick <3
-closed door spice

Overall, so fun! I can’t wait to read When in Rome. Sarah Adams just writes the most wholesome romance ever.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Super cute and easy closed door romance with a bodyguard trope in a small town. I enjoyed the banter between Annie, who owns the flower shop, and bodyguard Will who is there to protect pop star Amelia (I probably should have read When in Rome first). Since Will is professionally single he is the perfect man to coach shy introvert Annie into how to tackle first dates and her terrible track record. It’ll give him something to do in this small town so he doesn’t get too bored. I’m sure you can guess where this is going …

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams comes out on Tuesday, but I was hashtag blessed to have my request approved for the ARC through NetGalley.

It is such swoony fun! Adams is perfect at creating passion but without cringe-worthy body part euphemisms. Heat without spice. It's not the Doing It that's sexy, it's the longing and desire.

It made me laugh ("Will Griffin wants to remain as single as a prewrapped slice of American cheese."), it made me cry (unprocessed trauma), it made me want to buy some overalls and a bouquet. It's very cute and I loved it.

The biggest thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Practice Makes Perfect comes out May 2, 2023.

I loved this book so much!!! Honestly part of my top five books I have read this year. This is the second standalone in a series and loved the first one (When in Rome) and this second one didn't disappoint. This book had so many amazing tropes too: fake dating with dating lessons, the care for the other character when they are sick, small town (so many shenanigans). I loved Annie, I thought she was as sweet as everyone thought she was but also, she had so many other layers to her that made her a very likable and relatable character. She also learns how to stick up for herself and really learn what she actually wants from life. Will was basically the same but in the other direction, like everyone thought he was this bad boy player but once you start to learn about him you find out he is kind of a big cinnamon roll. He goes through a lot of emotional growth by the end and even before that he was such a softie when it came to Annie. Also, a big shout out to the side characters that made this book extra special and make me super excited for the other books to come. If you are looking for a book full of humor, heart and low spice Practice Makes Perfect is the book for you!!

Ok first of all, I adored this book!
I loved how we didn’t just get to see Will and Annie grow as a couple, but in their own personal journeys as well.

Plus:

- Good girl/Bad boy rep
- This is dual POV
- There is fake dating!!!!
- There are characters that actually communicate!
- There are characters that love reading romance (lol) and some hilarious references to those books/tropes 😂

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book was everything I need and more. It was so sweet, tender, the banter, the lessons and mutual pining was everything. I love the dual POV and you could get into their heads (especially Will's).

Like Annie, I am also in love with Will Griffin. Swoons.

This was a fresh take on the bodyguard trope, where Annie was not the one that Will was guarding.

My heart breaks for Will's past and everything he was running from.

Annie, I was so happy when she stood up for herself and become confident in who she wanted to be.

I love the side characters and seeing Noah and Amelia (When in Rome) and their wedding. I can't wait to dive back into Rome, KY on the next book.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House/Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book! Social Anxiety is not featured in many books (especially romance) so I really appreciated the representation. Annie and Will were sweet together and I liked watching their relationship develop. I'm a sucker for fake dating/practice dating and grumpy/sunshine tropes and this book has both (and its set in a small town which is even better!). Watching Annie learn more about herself and her goals for life was nice to see, and I was happy to see that she expanded her horizons instead of settling. I found myself wanting a little bit more development of Will and his relationship with his brother, but the little part we were given did the job well enough. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a sweet, happy read this spring/summer!

Sarah Adams has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors, and she solidified that with Practice Makes Perfect.

Will Griffin doesn’t do relationships, or love, or anything of the sort. Annie Walker doesn’t either, but for different reasons. While Will is extroverted, hunky, swoon worthy and tattooed, Annie is sweet as a southern peach. She cares too much, is kindhearted, and wants nothing more than to find her soulmate, get married and settle down…or so she thinks.

Annie and Will are total opposites, but they work together so well. He’s everything she didn’t know she needed and she is the same for him. Their silly, steamy and at times sweet banter really made me love this book even more. I also really enjoyed that it picked up where When In Rome left off.

I so loved this book! I found the main character so relatable and really liked her. From the start I was hooked and finished this super fast. Fake dating trop is one of my favorite's. This book was just so sweet but has some emotion as well. Thought the ending was wrapped up really well didn't leave me hanging or anything, thought I would total read more about Will and Annie relationship. Highly Recommend!!

5/5 stars!

i can tell you right now that there is something sarah adams has put into this series. both practice makes perfect and when in rome give me all the feels of an incredible hallmark/lifetime movie. more than that, it feels like she has written books for those teenagers that loved disney channel movies and grew up.

this book was beautiful how it went into explaining annie and who she was. i loved seeing how will and annie both brought out the better parts of each other and truly got to know each other on a level no one else knows.

synopsis without giving away spoilers:
annie walker is the youngest of four in the small town of rome, kentucky. she has lived a life full of flowers, people pleasing, and being seen as the sweet angel girl. one day she decides to go out on a first date, and it ends horrible. her future sister-in-law comes up with the brilliant plan to have her tattooed bad boy body guard will griffin teach annie all about first dates. annie wants a marriage and a family whereas will wants absolutely nothing to do with either of those. find out all the details by reading practice makes perfect!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sharing this wholesome and cheerful book with me via an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

Ohhhhhhhh my gracious this book. I swear I’m sweating just thinking about it because the tension and angst and heat was THAT 👏 GOOD 👏❤️‍🔥 Sarah Adams is the queen of heat with no spice and this book is easily her best yet. She has never failed to write a book that I absolutely love and this was no exception. The amount of times I closed my eyes and internally and sometimes externally squealed because I loved it so much!!! It might even come close to beating The Cheat Sheet for me….and that’s saying something.

Here’s what to expect:
🌸 flower shop owner meets bodyguard
🌸 good girl bad boy vibes
🌸 fake dating
🌸 he doesn’t “do feelings”
🌸 small town romance
🌸 opposites attract
🌸 the TENSION ❤️‍🔥
🌸 she reads romance novels

I mean can it get any better than this 😍 Go read this book ASAP.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I have loved every Sarah Adam's book up until now.

I am clearly in the minority here, but I found this book annoying. The female lead made me cringe and be extremely annoyed. When the lead is like this, I just can't handle it.

Not for me.

An adorable but also hot will-they-won't-they, grump and sunshine romance that had me coming back each night ready to gobble more of this story!