Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - The Cheat Sheet

This was a nice book with a somewhat sweet romance. I liked the whole idea of the book and the moments with the football players coming up with their list was funny. However, it started to feel very repetitive and started to be a bit annoying as they, though mainly Bree, doubted each other’s feelings and whether they saw them as more than just friends. Bree started to become frustrating and I just wanted their friends / her sister go to them and say the other person told me they want more just because the back and forth was getting too much and it felt like they were stuck in high school where they first met. I also wish we got more depth, getting into what Bree went through with her accident from years before and what Nathan was going through with all the pressure he felt under. This was an okay book but it felt a little too light and like it only skimmed the surface of the topics which it raised.

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laneelizabeth's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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? No

4.5

My only complaint with this book is that I wish we got more of Nathan's POV. Although, I do appreciate the author putting us in the characters' heads so we know exactly what they're thinking and feeling at all times.

However, with that being said, I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't stop laughing the entire book! This was friends-to-lovers done the right way. I also love the guys on the team and need more books with them in it.

The emotion and vulnerability were written so well in this book. Writing the male MMC to be the one to have panic attacks and show so much unguarded emotions is incredible. His ability to communicate (after he stops fighting his feelings) is so refreshing. They're love revelations are so pure and so them and I loved every minute of this book.

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tanvi45's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

3.5

Very cute. Also very cheesy. Still, it was light and fluffy and just what I needed. In my football era!!! This really was the perfect book to read as a companion to the Taylor/Travis hysteria (I love them so much). Even though Bree was a ballet dancer/instructor and not a mega superstar singer, the It NFL Couple vibes were definitely similar.

I love a good friends-to-lovers romcom, and although this one didn’t really have much conflict and didn’t have me as invested as other books, I still enjoyed it. Sure, it was hard to suspend disbelief sometimes when the two main characters were so obnoxiously convinced the other didn’t have feelings for them after years of friendship and ALWAYS being there for one another, and the whole “fake dating” trope was kinda just… there…

I found Bree and Nathan both likable and sweet, and their friendship/romance fun to follow, especially given the circumstances of their relationship being in the spotlight. But Bree’s chapters had WAY too many exclamation points and immature lines (literally no one says hanky panky in the twenty-first century, or anyone in their twenties, period), while Nathan’s chapters needed a little more exposition, especially concerning his anxiety. The third act felt a little flat without anything unexpected happening.

In any case, you know going into it that a HEA is guaranteed, and there is always comfort in that fact. Chicken soup for the soul and all that. Plus, I respect Sarah Adams for her closed-door romance because there aren't a lot out there in the adult contemporary fiction world and not everyone is into lengthy steamy scenes. (I, for one, am very much into those, but I know not everyone likes that!)

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