REVIEW: The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams: If breaking into the largely male dominated industry of sports agents wasn’t hard enough, Nora had to go and make things just that much more complicated for herself or has she? The last thing that any good agent should do is get drunk and accidentally marry their client. Well that is kind of what happens when Nora and her very first real client Derek Pender, who also happens to be her college boyfriend, spend a drunken night together in Vegas. With the news of their very sudden elopement making headlines, the two have to think fast if they have any hope of saving Nora’s budding career. Best solution, fake it until the heat dies down. The only problem with this is all the old feelings that begin to resurface, can old hurts be forgiven and this be the start to their perfect happily ever after?

“I’ll gladly lose to you every day of my life – because for me, the prize is just being near you.”

LOVED!! I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!! If you though Cheat Sheet was good then you have no idea just what Adams has in store for you with this insanely cute second chance, sports romance with the sweetest fake dating turned real marriage. Honestly if I could rate this book higher, I really would, I loved it THAT much! There was absolutely nothing not to love about The Rule Book, with a cute back story to draw you in Nora and Derek only made me love and ship them all the more as their story progressed.

“She is sunshine parting the clouds in my miserable day”

I think it is safe to say that Nora was the best leading lady ever! She was cute, funny, a bit quirky but gosh did she have a heart of gold with determination and drive to match. I loved that she was so determined to remain her bright and bubbly self even in such a male dominated work place, she did not let anyone pull her down regardless of how uncalled for their remarks might have been. I truly loved the fact that she knew she was a great agent and put in the work to prove this to Derek even after he made her run around doing busy work at first. In short I just loved Nora, her love for organising, her quirky saying and her never back down attitude made her one of my all time favourite leading ladies.

I truly love a sports star hero and add in the fact that our guy had been secretly hung up on his girl all these years and you will find it impossible not to adore Derek. This guy was just a big ole teddy bear. He might have been all muscles but on the inside he was so soft and kind. I loved that even though he was going through his own career hiccup he did not think twice about standing up to help save Nora. I just loved getting to see his possessive side make an appearance whenever it came to sharing Nora, these two were just to cute together. As much as I loved our hero, my heart really broke for him, not only did he have to deal with coming face to face with the girl that broke his heart but he was also facing possibly losing his career, all while dealing with his dyslexia. The way that Derek finally dealt with everything only highlighted what a great guy that he truly was and only made me love him all the more.

“Do I hate her? I hate when your mouth curves into a smile, I can’t kiss it. I hate that you hold my heart in a vise grip and you have no idea. I hate that I’ve never been able to move on from you-not for a single day.”

The connection between Derek and Nora was just incredible! Even after being apart for so many years and having had such a bad break up their chemistry did not waver one bit. That instant spark was there and did it turn into a raging flame. I loved that they both tried to put up walls and create rules to keep thing professional only to break every single one. They really worked the slow burn element but it was so worth the wait! I adored seeing them relearning each other while on honeymoon and really falling back in love with each other all over again. One of the best things about their relationship was the fact that they supported each other completely, they genuinely wanted the best for each other.

I just loved the supporting characters in this book! There were a whole bunch of them adding to the giggles and really making this book one of my favourites of 2024. I loved that Derek had a found family in the guys on the team and that they helped him realize that even without football they will still have his back. I just loved getting to see Nathan and Bree again, these two just get cuter by the second! I also really liked the fact that they group instantly welcomed Nora into their little family. I have to say I also really liked Nicole, she was giving of some real boss girl vibes and truly was the best mentor for Nora.

Truly I could go on and on about The Rule Book, this was easily the cutest sports romcom that I have read in a really long time. Reading this book was like seeing a romcom movie play out in your mind, pure perfection! This book is a total must read!!

Book Info:

Publication: April 2, 2024 | Dell |

College sweethearts meet again years later, in this highly anticipated romance and companion story to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?