Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great book! I loved the relationship between Nora and Derek, they had great communication and there was a very genuine feeling that I got from reading them. I really love how Sarah Adams writes both relationships and friendships, we get to see a very sincere and heartwarming friendship with Derek and his group of friends. This book is definitely in the running to becoming my favourite Sarah Adams book!

Advance read, digital copy thanks to Net Gallery!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it’s everything I want in a romance! Slow burn, ex-lovers rekindling, relatable and strong female character, over coming dyslexia struggles, lots of banter and sarcasm, best friends, career decisions, his obsession with her.

I read this immediately after finishing the Cheat Sheet and so enjoyed following the characters a year later when Derek discovers his new agent is his ex (who he still holds a flame for). There are lots of elements to this book and an event half way through I didn’t see happening!

The perfect feel good romance, grips your heart and warms the soul! Highly recommend.

I haven’t read The Cheat Sheet before this book (although I will now!), but I had read When in Rome and Practice Makes Percect, so I was already a little bit familiar with Sarah Adams’ writing. I expected a very fun, lighthearted, enjoyable read, and this was exactly what I got !

Nora is an ambitious sports agent who just got her own solo client after 2 years at her company. The only problem? He is her ex college boyfriend, who she broke up with years ago. And, no, obviously, it wasn’t a nice amicable breakup. When Derek shows up he is furious, but sees an opportunity for revenge by making Nora miserable on the job. (We did not say boys are smart what can you expect). One thing led to another and they somehow end up getting drunk and married in Vegas. And Nora’s job hangs on the balance of making it look real… but the feelings that they’ve ignored and tried to forgot all these years feel real enough too.

As far as second chances romances go, I loved this one because even though they didn’t communicate well at the they broke up and why or how they felt, you can tell they needed to break up when they did. That allowed both of them to be whomever they needed to be as a person. Nora, an ambitious young woman who has been able to focus on her job and make it into a male-dominated industry without getting lost in her football star of a boyfriend’s rising fame. Derek has grown into a star athlete but a recent and grave injury puts his career at risk, and he is struggling with self-doubt. All these years later, they can find each other and rebuild a relation on the love they still have, but with strong foundations as adults that they didn’t have before. I loved Nora’s bubbly over-the-top personality, and I wanted to hug Derek so many times in the book!

« I’m really sorry, Nora, and hoping you can forgive me for it. All of it.”
“Oh.”
“You’re speechless?”
“For the first time in history, yes.”

Sarah Adams is one of my go to authors. Whatever she’s going to publish I’m going to read. The sports romance trope is incredibly popular today and she had a really fresh take on the sports romance. Derek and Nora are characters who are the epitome of right people, wrong time. There’s nothing better than when the main male character is so supportive of the female main characters career and ambitions. And I was also so happy to see Adam’s football cast of characters popping up and being their absolutely charming selves. Nora’s quirkiness could come off as annoying, but I found it very beautiful how accepting she was of herself. I’ve always recommended Sarah Adams to anybody looking for a new romance and I’m going to add The Rule Book to the top of the list!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for granting my wish. This wasn't my first Sarah Adams book and it definitely won't be my last. The writing was once again so fluent that I forgot I was reading. The second chance romance was so well executed and I loved the sports romance trope as well. It's ticking so many boxes without it being superficial and I love that. Nora is such a strong woman and Derek is just falling for her so easily, it's so cute. I wish it wasn't over so quickly, I really would have loved to spend some more time with these characters. Especially since some of the side characters were really fun and interesting. LOVED THIS BOOK.

(will post on instagram closer to release date!)

I loooooved this book! My first Sarah Adams book and definitely not my last. It was funny, deeply romantic and heartwarming.

Derek and Nora were the epitome of grumpy vs sunshine ☀️ the tension between them was EPIC and the way they just bounced off each other is what dreams are made of.

More than that, the way they supported each other and loved each other exactly as they were was so special.

I loved how this book tackled the topic of young love. How it can be life altering, how you can be with the right person at the wrong time, and how time can be your greatest blessing. It was beautiful to read about Derek and Nora realising how they could now love each other in a full way - but also just as recklessly.

Cannot recommend this enough! Thank you for the DRC!

In the past year I have delved into more romance books, some high intensity and some more calmer. This was definitely on the calmer side for me but it was a nice change to read something romantic that wasn't all dark and intense this made it an easier and chilled read for me.

4.5 stars

I received an ARC copy of this novel for an honest review

I have loved Sarah Adams’ previous novels and couldn’t wait to read this one too.

This was a great second chance romance with lead characters that were likeable (not always the case!) Nora and Derek both admit their flaws which was refreshing.

The characters were fairly well developed. The plot had a suitable pace and development throughout - the only issue I had coming with the twist for the lead male lead at the end regarding his career. This didn’t seem to fit with the early parts of the novel to me. The development of their relationship ship didn’t feel rushed, instead it felt that Nora and Derek found their way to one another naturally.

There were some really funny and sweet moments throughout. I also loved that Nora was a female character that refused to bend and change to the expectations of her male dominated field.

I’d love to see/read more from the side/supporting characters as they were fun and engaging - just the kind of characters readers love!

I loved Nora and Derek’s story and definitely look forward to reading more of Sarah Adams work in the future.

The Rule Book takes place in the same universe as The Cheat Sheet, and is the story of NFL player Derek and his sports agent, Nora. Except that they are not simply football player × agent - they were absolutely in love with each other back in college.
Never a dull moment in this story. It went to places I wasn't expecting, and was a well-rounded second-chance romance where both Derek and Nora found their way back to each other, while finding their places in the world.
I loved Nora. She had a quirkiness to her that brought some fun moments. Derek was her champion, and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.
The Rule Book is another hit from Sarah Adams. Her stories are some of the most fun ones I've read in a while. Can't wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to Headline Eternal for the ARC via Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own.

There is something about Sarah Adams' books that just feels like a warm hug to me, and The Rule Book was no exception.

Nora Mackenzie never thought she'd see her ex college boyfriend again after abruptly ending their relationship back in the day, but Derek Pender ends up being her first client as an official full-time sports agent. While Derek has his heart set on a little revenge, Nora fights back to prove herself in this male-dominated industry, but both their plans went awry as they find themselves married after a wild night in Vegas.

I will start by saying that I have not read The Cheat Sheet, to which this title is a companion novel, but I will get back to it because I feel like I'm missing out on something great there. This was to say that these characters were completely new to me, but I loved every single one of them. The supporting cast truly shines in this for me: Derek teammates felt like a real family through and through, and on Nora's side I really loved both her mother and Nicole, and how they both worked to empower her in their own ways.

Nora was such a strong, fierce, witty character to follow. Watching her struggle through this industry without ever giving up and always doing her best to work through the most difficult times was so inspiring. She was so relatable, and I felt immediately connected to her. The way she had me laughing all the time definitely played a huge part in it, I loved everything about her. Derek truly was such a great character as well, I loved his backstory and how attentive he was towards her. Even when he was not to keen on the idea of being around Nora again, he had these little moments where he would say/do things that showed you just how much he cared still, and he had me swooning the whole time.

This genuinely was such a comfort read. It felt like I was watching a romcom, the tension between the characters was undeniable and the banter was amazing. It also has some more emotional moments as it covers more meaningful topics, but I found it does it pretty seamlessly, in a way that doesn't make the story too heavy, but still without shying away from them. The characters also had great communication as the story progressed, which I truly appreciated. It was such a tender, beautiful read, and I definitely recommend this one.

Many thanks to Headline & Netgalley for allowing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

*I’d like to thank NetGalley, Headline Eternal and Sarah Adams for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Rule Book” by Sarah Adams did surprise me in the best ways possible. When Sarah announced a sequel to “The Cheat Sheet” featuring a marriage of convenience with “open door” scenes, I was already over the moon, but reading it sent me somewhere far far away in the galaxy. I absolutely loved it!

Nora and Derek used to date in college, but broke up before Derek’s career took off. Almost a decade later, they met again. As agent and client.
A drunken night led to them waking up married and their trashy wedding picture splattered all over the Internet. It’s time for damage control. They decide to pretend the wedding was intentional and that they are indeed in love. They get sent off to a romantic honeymoon in Cancun.
In their luggage, hidden among color coordinated socks is their rule book with 20 rules not to break while working together.
The only problem? Nora wants to follow the rules, and Derek wants to break them.
Guess who wins?

I barely find the words to describe how much I love Nora and Derek. Especially Nora. You’d expect her to be that cold-hearted, black pantsuits wearing career woman, but she is not! (She is also not punching down on the stereotype!) Nora is girly, more than friendly and has the taste buds of a seven-year-old, but also ambitious, smart and calculating. She’s like the Elle Woods of sports management. I absolutely adore her.

Derek, or Dere-Bear, is also a true book boyfriend. He starts off all grumpy, but defrosts in Cancun. The golden retriever energy in this one is off the charts. He protects her, supports her and simply loves her as she is. When it’s revealed what he has kept in his bedside table, I almost cried! He is too cute!

Nora and Derek’s relationship was the heart of this book. The reason they broke up during college, appeared silly at first, but when they have their first big conversation about it, puzzle pieces fall into place and it makes sense. Nora’s fears, Derek’s immaturity. They simply met the right person at the wrong time. But when they got thrown at each other again almost a decade later, the time was finally right. Though Derek didn’t make it easy for Nora and Nora clearly had her walls up, they slowly but surely found their way back into each other’s arms, and this time they stayed.

I also loved to meet the Shark Crew again! Nathan and Bee being happily married, the others also off the market and with babies on the way. But still the same old silly bunch who’d do anything for their friends. The ultimate found family!

“The Rule Book” felt a lot more mature than “The Cheat Sheet”, not just because of the spice, but also because of the themes. Derek battling his late diagnosis of dyslexia as well as his injury that put him off the field were definitely hardships to overcome. Nora’s battle against sexism at the workplace and family issues that felt resolved, but clearly lingered in her adult life, put rocks in not only her development as a person, but also her relationship with Derek. The story is still very light-hearted, fun and littered with humorous banter, but the themes discussed go beyond “Argh, I love my best friend!”.

And while I’m already talking about maturity, let’s go quickly into the spice level of this book as this is Sarah’s first open door romance. It was one scene, a couple of pages and beautifully written. It almost made me sad that we didn’t get that with Annie and Will. I’d sell my left kidney for a spicy chapter for those two! I hope Sarah includes open door scenes in her future works (not all of them, but some). Spice-level wise I put it somewhere with Ali Hazelwood’s “The Love Hypothesis”. It’s there, but it’s not over the top or too mature for a teenage reader (16+).

Overall, I loved it so much. It was funny, cute, and had a lot of heart. And I will get a physical copy once it hits the stores, because having the ARC on my kindle is not enough.

Thank you so much to Headline Eternal, Sarah Adams and NetGalley for an eArc of this book!

I know going in to a book that if it is written by Sarah Adams it is in no way going to disappoint and this book was no different! I devoured every single page and wish it could have never ended!

I’m not usually a fan of second chance romances but I loved this book so much. There were so many things that made this book special but the main thing for me was that this book just radiated happiness, I smiled so much whilst reading this book and cried happy tears more than once!

I was blown away with how much I loved this book and cannot wait to see what Sarah Adams writes next!

4.5🌟
Having read a few sports romances recently, I think this one comes out top. I love the whole 2nd chance trope that features throughout this book, and how Nora has been written as a character who isn't afraid to be unapologetically herself in so many ways.

Derek is the perfect combination of rugged and handsome whilst also being devoted and so so caring.

This book champions the idea that both people in a partnership can achieve their goals and dreams whilst still supporting each other, and the importance of doing so.

I enjoyed the idea of the rule book itself and how this, inevitably, led to the development of the relationship as they realised how fun it was to break the rules.

Another great read from Sarah Adams, that fans of The Cheat Sheet will swoon over. This is a sweet, gentle, low-conflict romance that makes for the perfect comfort read, full of sparkling banter between characters you really care about. Love a marriage-of-convenience trip and absolutely obsessed with the cast of emotionally intelligent men in this book. I really enjoy the way Adams writes about their friendships and all the open communication that takes place - whatever the opposite of toxic masculinity is, this book celebrates it whole-heartedly.