Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Rule Book

Sweet romance with a male lead pining for the girl who broke his heart in college. When she was being an adult, the story was great, but there were so many times that she was immature in various ways.

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embroidery_by_booklover's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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kaelynbyers's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I have nothing bad to say about this book. I would give it 100 stars out of 5 if I could.

Everything Sarah Adams writes turns to gold. EVERYTHING.

I swear, every single time I read a new release from Sarah Adams it becomes my favorite book that she has ever written. And The Rule Book is no exception.

From start to finish, this book is perfection to me.
Nora is bright and completely herself but also tired of being too much for those around her.
Derek is strong and reserved but also terrified to lose the one thing he has always been good at.
And together, Nora and Derek are the perfect pair. Funny and honest. Competitive and loving. Confident and safe. I don't think I will ever get over them.

I love this book. It is my happy place. It is a warm hug on a cold day.
I will never get over my love for this book.

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readingonthefly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There are just no words I can formulate for a review of this book. I’m just fully obsessed. Derek and Nora are just the cutest couple there ever was. The banter, Nora’s silly jokes, the flirting, 😭 why is it over already?!

“Maybe one day it won't feel like such a struggle to simply exist as a woman in my field, but today is not that day. So I'll continue to fight with all I've got to prove I belong here.”

As a female who graduated college with a Sport and Recreation Management degree and who wanted to work in sports, this was a great representation of what it is unfortunately like to this day in the sporting industry. While I loved my time working in sports, I realized I liked watching them better. I loved having something in common with the MCs of this book.

Huge fan all around of this book, the characters, and Sarah Adams. Love u girlie

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ella_chu's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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turnthepages_nl's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I LOVE ITTTTTT

Nora is ADHD coded. I felt so seen!!! (Not intentionally written as ADHD, I checked with the author. But it still feels like ADHD, at least in the way how it looks in me!)

Derek has dyslexia and was diagnosed later in life. He has not been treated well as a child and has a big sense of failure. The journey he goes on was truly beautiful and I felt so seen as a neurodivergent reader. The feeling of not being enough, how you try your hardest and still you 'fail' in the eyes of society. The way this was talked about and handled was done very very well.

Nora is often seen as too much. And she is learning and growing to become fully herself and not feel sorry about it. She is super badass and very good at what she does as an agent. And I loved the relationship between her an Nicole (her boss and mentor). The way both women are going about the powerimbalance in the workplace. I loved how much of an example Nicole was to her!

But most of all I loved the emotional vulnerability between Nora & Derek. The way they are growing and learning to love and be open again. I was rooting for them from the very start. The sweet moments + the banter had me kicking my feet many times!

Also, the scenes with the other LA Shark boys were absolutely hilarious but also heartfelt.

Sarah Adams is an amazing author and truly has a gift for creating a safe and loving space for readers to feel seen and loved. To feel validated and supported. I hope she writes many many more stories! ✨️💕

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katebrownreads's review against another edition

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4.0

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ashs_bookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

*WARNING! I'm not sorry for the football puns*

~Hot Take~
I love Nora and Derek. I see myself in Nora, a little quirky & different. She does what she loves and isn't embarrassed about it. And Derek, he is a giant teddy bear with muscles.

🏈 Touch Down!
Anyone who loves sports, second chance, close proximity, Rom-Coms with a quirky, fun but determined FMMC and a take no shit, but gentle & caring beast of a MMC, this book is for you!

ExCollege sweethearts are reunited when Nora Mackenzie's career comes to rest on Derek Penders' shoulders, BIG shoulders.
Their breakup in college was not handled well, more like fumbled. But Nora has worked too hard to become a sports agent, and in a world dominated by men who don't want her there, she has to stay focused. She can't let their past get in the way of her career. After all, that blindsided her before. But Derek holds a grudge. When Nora broke it off in college, there was no real explanation. She just left, leaving him heartbroken.So! A little game of revenge is what Derek wants to play.
Nora is given Derek as her first client, and this has to work! But Derek plans to make her quit. Rules are laid out, more so to make Nora's job difficult, but when a night in Vegas sees that Rule Book thrown out the hypothetical window, a new game is put in place to save both their careers.

NOREK (my portmanteau for these cuties) are the ultimate field goal! Their witty banter is fun and a huge part of the tension growing between them. There is burn🔥, I'm not talking grass burn. It's a slow and exciting burn. But the story isn't slow by any means. It is one of those books that holds your attention completely. You WILL shut out your own family to keep reading. Responsibilities? Who has them?

Characters we know and love from The Cheat Sheet return, bringing that comfortable & nostalgic feeling. As always, Sarah Adams writing has pace and immerses you in the characters' world, and makes you wish you could score a touchdown with book boyfriend Derek Pender.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

*Thank you, @netgalley and @hachetteaus for this ARC for review consideration. These are 100% all my own opinions.*

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