Thank you for writing this story and putting it out into the world! I am in awe. This sweet love story has everything you could want - depth, so much love, all the feelings, and humor too. The characters are so lively and fun - I felt like I was a part of the family, living in this small town. It is a beautiful thing when you realize that people will love you for who you are, when you decide to embrace it yourself. And when a person becomes a safe space. I enjoyed this story, and cannot wait to read more of the love stories that will occur in Rome, Kentucky!

4.5 Stars Practice Makes Perfect was a fantastic follow-up to Sarah Adams’ When in Rome. Adams’ sweet and lighthearted novels always make for a good read.

In the small town of Rome, Kentucky, the name Annie Walker is synonymous with “sweet,” “angelic,” and “virginal.” Annie can’t deny that these terms fit to her a t, and she hates them. As the youngest of four orphaned siblings, she has been seen as the baby of the family for far too long and she’s sick of the persona she’s allowed her siblings and the entire town to create for her. Annie dreams of getting married and having kids, so after another terrible date, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Amelia, concocts a plan to have Amelia’s bodyguard, Will Griffin, act as a dating tutor for Annie. Will has avoided Annie since he first met her, because he knows that his attraction to her would be a distraction from his job—and from his plan to never be in a committed relationship, let alone get married and have a family. Spending time practicing flirting and dating, Annie and Will are hard pressed to deny their attraction to each other. They know that it could only end in disappointment, with each wanting entirely different things and the other unwilling to budge.

All of Sarah Adams’ books are guaranteed HEAs and all have a low-stakes feel when it comes to the drama/conflict in the plot. This makes for an easy, light-hearted read, which is nice after some really emotional and heart wrenching novels. The side characters in Rome are hilarious. I’m glad to we got to see more of Mabel and Harriet’s never-ending war to be the queen of the town, and that we got to see a continuation of Noah and Amelia’s HEA from When in Rome. I’m so excited for the next two books about the remaining Walker sisters, Emily and Maddie. I’m guessing the next one will be about Maddie and James, given how he was clearly pining after her at the end of this one. Then I think Emily will get a second-chance romance with her high school sweetheart. No matter what their stories are, I can’t wait!

Favorites:
* the impromptu keep away scene in the flower shop 💌🌷
* Will’s nurturing side 🥣💆🏻‍♀️
* Mabel 👵🏻
* Anna-Banana 🍌
* the little league baseball date ⚾️🧢🥸
* the tattoo 📖

This was definitely a fun book to read. I loved the beginning with the date gone bad and Will swooping in to save the day. I also enjoyed watching Annie and Will’s relationship slowly progress to love♥️

I didn’t appreciate the almost constant bad language in this book or the extent the author went with some scenes. Because of this my rating is lower than it would have been otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for the opportunity to read this book before the release date. Opinions listed above are purely my own.

I have been such a big fan of Sarah Adams since I read The Cheat Sheet last year.

It was so fun to revisit Rome Kentucky and get a peak at how Noah and Amelia are doing, along with the rest of that meddlesome town.

I loved Annie’s vulnerability throughout the story and the bravery she embodies to break the narrative that she is not only the baby of her family but also the baby of the town. It did get a bit exhausting at the end with how much Annie’s naïveté was highlighted.

Will and Annie’s journey was a delight, especially all the practice ;)

Fans of When In Rome will be pleased with this latest entry!

I absolutely adored this book. I was given this as a wish and wow was my wish granted. I love Will Griffin and I love Annie Walker and even better I love Will and Annie together. The characters were so fully fleshed out and had so many lovely details to them. Annie had some major character development that was also very appreciated. I think they both brought out really good qualities in one another and they helped each other grow. This story was a delight, I loved the small town elements and everything else in between. Highly highly recommend.

Ughhhhh So so cute. It was so sweet and didn't feel overdone or overplayed. It was cute but not nauseating

This book was absolutely lovely. I am a long-time fan of Sarah Adams, but I think this just might be my favorite of hers yet. It was passionate, heartfelt, relatable, and so, so sweet. Annie was the most relatable character I’ve read, and the way Will treated her was absolutely beautiful to see. I can’t wait to visit this town and family again!

Read if you love:
- good girl x bad boy
- small town
- practice dating
- Audrey Hepburn movies
- book lover heroines

Another great Sarah Adams romance! Sweet and swoon-worthy, this is a perfect read for anyone looking for a love story with a happy ever after!

i am one of the biggest sarah adams fans i know. i will push her work on anybody that will listen, including this. it wasn’t my favorite of hers (good girl, bad boy trope will never be for me) BUT. if that is your thing, by all MEANS pick this up. annie is such a sweet character, and i loved seeing characters from the previous book again. thanks to the publishers for this ARC!

Sarah Adams always has a way of writing romances that feel so cozy. It was amazing to be back in Rome, Kentucky for Practice Makes Perfect.

In this book we follow Noah’s younger sister, Annie. She’s an introvert with a life for romance novels but is ready to get married and settle down. She’s not into dating and feels that she is horrible at it. Will Griffin is the security guard for Amelia and is known for being single. With some meddling from Amelia, Will agrees to be a dating coach for Annie. The spark is undeniable but they agreed to be strictly friends for their coaching sessions.

Will is what book boyfriend dreams are made of. He has the broody, dark haired love interest thing going on along with tons of tattoos. His flirtatious nature was giving me butterflies throughout the book.

Will and Annie’s story is so beautiful, cozy, and full of angst. I loved every minute.

Thank you to NetGalley and Randomhouse Ballantine for this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

My review is also available on goodreads and my bookstagram account (@sirius.book.lover).

When in Rome was a little slice of magic but I knew that Noah’s sister’s had stories of their own and I needed to read them. Practice Makes Perfect proved that to be true. Taking us on Annie’s journey to find love and marriage in the small town of Rome with the help of super hunky, tattooed, bodyguard Will, Annie finds out who she really is, finds her confidence and finds love.
This story is an absolute winner. I loved When in Rome but I think I loved Practice Makes Perfect even more. From the vulnerability of the characters to the love of flowers, everything hit just right for me🌸

Annie Walker is known around Rome, Kentucky as the sweet, quiet, angel of the Walker family. She is ready to settle down but when her first date doesn’t go as planned, she comes up with a new plan: learn how to be a good date by practice dating the bad boy bodyguard Will Griffin who is temporarily back in town. Will has just returned to help provide security to Amelia Rose in the lead up to her wedding to Annie’s brother Noah and his only goal for his time in Rome is to keep his distance from Annie. Will quickly learns that there isn’t much that he wouldn’t do for Annie including helping her practice dating.

I love the connection between Annie and Will and how they bring out the best in one another. Although they appear to be vastly different at the start, this book shows that there is more to people than looks and the opinions of others. I found Annie to be incredibly relatable and really enjoyed seeing her learn to embrace herself as she is and not let everyone else’s opinions limit her. The way that this book explores the way that Will and Annie are coping with things that have happened in their past feels very honest and helps the reader to connect with them. I really loved returning to Rome in this book and getting to know the Walker siblings more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so cute and swoony. I read When in Rome a few months ago and when I found out that Sarah Adams's next book was about Annie, I got so excited. She was a lovely minor character in When in Rome and I loved getting to see her shine in this one.

Annie lives in the same small town that she grew up in with her three siblings, and owns a flower shop. Will is part of the security team for her brother’s fiancé, and they could not be more different. I loved the split narrative between Annie and Will, and I adored each character. Watching them grow and change while they develop feelings for each other felt so authentic and raw. Not to mention all the quirky and unique situations they get in to - all entertaining and fun to read

I also loved that Amelia and Noah were such a big part of this book, and the other side characters that I grew to love in When in Rome. I hope that where are more books based in Rome, because I can’t wait to check in on these beloved characters again! 

One of my favorite things is when characters talk about going to therapy - and especially men. We need more of that! And men reading romance novels. More of that please! 

I highly recommend this sweet and fun rom com. Can't wait to read what Sarah Adams writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This book was a BANG! Sarah Adams is one of my favourite authors ever and is the absolute queen of closed-door romances!!!

This book was sweet, funny, charming and entertaining! I can never decide on my favourite Sarah book so it’s a tie between The Enemy, The Cheat Sheet and now Practice Makes Perfect. (If you haven’t read those other beauties then what are you even doing?)

This book follows Annie Walker— an adorable, charming, sweet flower shop owner and Will Griffin— body guard , panty-dropper and my new favourite book boyfriend.

If you’ve read When In Rome then you’ll know all about Noah and Amelia. Will is Amelia’a bodyguard who returns to Rome Kentucky to provide security till their wedding.

Will saves Annie from a super embarrassing date and through Amelia’s insistence, dating expert Will starts giving Annie coaching lessons on how to get through a date perfectly and indirectly; find a suitable husband.

But the no-touching agreement slowly fades away as the chemistry between Will and Annie is unbreakable. Soon enough, dating practice turns into kissing practice and both end up catching feelings they never planned to before.

But one doesn’t believe in love and marriage and staying in one place while the other is ready to settle, get married and start a family. Despite these differences and trying their best to resist each other, will Will and Annie get through their differences or decide they’re not what the other wants? Read to find out!

I completely DEVOURED this book. Reading this book was the only thing I was doing when I was free. I loved the characters, the story, the town, the plot, the EVERYTHING!! This book is one of the best romances out there and I will quiet literally force you to read it 😤💙

So excited for the world to read this book <3 Can’t wait for May!!

I fell in love with Rome, Kentucky in “When in Rome,” so I couldn’t wait to revisit these characters and I was giddy when I began reading this book. I definitely enjoyed this story.
These characters are delightful.Annie and Will each have some internal struggles that cause barriers to the attraction they feel for each other. And our favorite meddling town residents find a way to get involved and some of those scenes made me laugh out loud.
While for me it lacked the sparkle of the first book, overall this was a great read. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy,

Where do I even begin. This book was an absolute masterpiece as usual. I laughed so hard I cried, I cried during the more emotional scenes, and I felt every emotion the characters felt. I have never in my life related to a character so much. Annie was me to an absolute T. I felt so seen in every single way possible. The low confidence, perfectionism, taking on everyone else’s burdens, a love for pirate historical romances, being a goody goody my entire life, and desiring for more but feeling afraid to grab it. I mean the list literally went on and on. Now let’s talk about Will. He was chefs kiss. He was kind hearted, helpful, loving, strong, hot, and of course misunderstood. His backstory was heartbreaking, but something relatable for sure. The desire to be perfect in his parents eyes. Hoping if he was the “perfect” son it would make them happy. Put Annie and Will together and the chemistry/sexual tension explodes.

Now let’s talk about the rest of the book. Every character is amazing. I loved Amelia’s character and her crazy antics. I loved her relationship with Annie. Annie’s siblings were all very entertaining. Don’t even get me started on the small town antics and nosy towns people. It was all just absolute perfection and heartwarming. My favorite scene was the Tee Ball scene. I cackled!

If you love fake dating, heartwarming characters, sexual tension, small town vibes, and pirate historical romances definitely check out Practice Makes Perfect.

Holy smokes, Batman. Did I think anything could be better than When In Rome? nope. But you know what Sarah Adams did? She went and wrote a better book. Will Griffin is now the true love of my life. And AnnaBelle Walker is one of the best leads, EVER.
As an enneagram 8, I have a fierce protective spirit, and Sarah wrote Annie in such a way that I would have torn the world apart for her.

Annie is a sweet lil muffin who wants to break free but people call her Angel Annie and they don't think she can handle the "bad boy" the mmc is. And like my enneagram 8 has come to play.

The way she wrote Annie and Will and their desires and fears. Woo. She made Will a safe space for Annie and it reminded me of my husband. And then Sarah was making me chuckle and swoon and I spent maybe 3 chapters crying.

There's a specific scene between Mabel and Will which gives me serious Molly Weasley after the triwizard tournament vibes and I was a hot mess express crying.

Sarah cannot write a bad book. I screamed when I got it. Stopped reading everything else and read this. It was incredible to escape back to Rome, KY. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Dell. But really, thank you Sarah Adams.

I truly don’t think I can adequately describe how much I loved this book! I received the ARC just this morning, dropped everything to read it, and am currently still swooning over the perfection of this story.

Practice Makes Perfect follows Will and Annie, secondary characters from When In Rome who absolutely deserved their own love story. I related so much to Annie as a fellow sweet, introverted reader and loved seeing her truly blossom and get to know herself better in this story. She and Will are opposites who start off looking for opposite things, but their chemistry and their connection prove to be too great to fight against.

The emotional connections in Sarah Adams’ books always get to me. I was teary through a whole bunch of the end at the sweet bonds between Annie and her siblings, the peeks at Amelia and Noah from When In Rome in present day, and the discussions of grief.

The connection between our main characters was incredibly strong and I loved reading their open and honest communication with each other. The intimacy is mostly closed door, but the chemistry sizzles right off the page.

Their banter is fun, the townspeople are still incredibly entertaining, and man do I love the small town of Rome, Kentucky. I laughed out loud at so many of the interactions with the people in the town. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next trip back, which I have to believe might center on Madison and a certain best friend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine, Dell for the ARc in exchange for my honest opinion.

After adoring When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. And it lived up to expectations. Basically, I loved this book so much.

Annie and Will are, on the surface, all opposites-attract vibes. She's a shy, introverted florist and he's an impossibly cool tattooed bodyguard. She wants commitment and he wants anything but. But as they both let down their guards around each other, it turns out that they're both far more complex on the inside than they would let others believe. And their complexities are a perfect match.

Look. I loved the characters. (Annie in particular had some moments that came into my home and called me, specifically out.) I loved the setup (We love seduction lessons.) I loved the town, and the appearances by Amelia and Noah, and the sisters, and the way both characters got to grow and change without leaving their truest selves behind. This is a book about defying your own expectations for yourself and letting go of your fears. And it feels like a great big hug.

Anyway, go read this book.

5/5

Practice Makes Perfect follows Annie and Will, Noah’s sister and Amelia’s bodyguard from When In Rome.

Sarah Adams does it again with this one. Idk how she does it but she gets better and better with every book. The chemistry gets better, the banter, the emotional depth, the intimacy but keeping it closed door. And seeing Noah and Amelia 🥺 I swooned the entire time and I couldn’t get enough of these characters.

And the communication!! Literally there wasn’t an inch of miscommunication. They always communicated and knew where the other stood and I loved that.

Annie has a soft spot in my heart because I can relate to her a lot, and Will is just an angel that needs to be protected at all costs.

I loved being back in Rome, Kentucky and seeing all the characters there and I already can’t wait for the next one 🥹

If you want a book that’s going to make you happy and melt in a puddle because of how sweet it is — preorder this and read it in May when it comes out!!

I’m so honored I got to read it early and I can’t wait for everyone else to 🤍

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.