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Practice Makes Perfect: A Novel (Rome, Kentucky)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.
A POPSUGAR AND CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,” Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.
Will—the sexy , tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.
Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational” tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.
Look for all of Sarah Adams’s When in Rome books:
WHEN IN ROME • PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT • BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL (Coming Soon!)
A POPSUGAR AND CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,” Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.
Will—the sexy , tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.
Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational” tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.
Look for all of Sarah Adams’s When in Rome books:
WHEN IN ROME • PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT • BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL (Coming Soon!)
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Community Reviews
This had me laughing, giggling, kicking my feet, and thinking heavily about the two main topics mentioned. It was absolutely amazing. I love them individually and as a pair. I will never forget this reading experience.
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QUOTES THAT STUCK WITH ME!
"The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn't have to interact with other humans."
"If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I'd never live." - Will
"It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud." - Will
"I'm quickly learning I'd do anything for you." - Will
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QUOTES THAT STUCK WITH ME!
"The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn't have to interact with other humans."
"If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I'd never live." - Will
"It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud." - Will
"I'm quickly learning I'd do anything for you." - Will
I loved this book! Here are my notes:
A. While reading questions:
- Q: Do you like historical fiction?
- Q: Do you like it when a man opens the door for you?
- Q: What do you do when things go cloudy?
- Q: What does girl’s night look like to you?
- Q: Do you think tattoos are sexy?
- Q: What are your favorite flowers?
- Q: If you got a tattoo, what would it be of?
B. Favorite quotes:
- [ ] “Are you one of those non-readers? The movie is never better, I promise you.” - Annie
- [ ] “He disturbs the status quo of my sanity.” - Annie
- [ ] “Welcome to the South, where you get third degree burns from leaning against your vehicle.” - Annie
- [ ] “If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I wanted to do, I’d never live.” - Will
- [ ] “Grief doesn’t have a timeline or a set of rules. It hits when it wants.” - Mabel
C. Disliked:
- [ ] Long paragraphs
- [ ] “I have a hole in my heart and marriage is the only thing to close it up.” - Annie…love how she realizes later that the hole is from avoiding her feelings, though.
- [ ] Will becoming a teacher. DON’T DO IT WILL!
D. Made me laugh:
- [ ] “Some of us are not teachers on summer break and have jobs in the morning.”
- [ ] “You about made Gemma pass out into her clearance fabric bin this morning.” (When Will went running without a shirt on)
- [ ] Will and Amelia disguised at the baseball game
- [ ] Squeaks and moans from a “ghost” at Mabel’s inn
E. Relatable:
- [ ] Childhood with parents who fought all of the time and expected me to be perfect
- [ ] Brother who went away to the military and left me
- [ ] Grandma with Alzheimer’s who fell asleep in her chair while watching wheel of fortune
A. While reading questions:
- Q: Do you like historical fiction?
- Q: Do you like it when a man opens the door for you?
- Q: What do you do when things go cloudy?
- Q: What does girl’s night look like to you?
- Q: Do you think tattoos are sexy?
- Q: What are your favorite flowers?
- Q: If you got a tattoo, what would it be of?
B. Favorite quotes:
- [ ] “Are you one of those non-readers? The movie is never better, I promise you.” - Annie
- [ ] “He disturbs the status quo of my sanity.” - Annie
- [ ] “Welcome to the South, where you get third degree burns from leaning against your vehicle.” - Annie
- [ ] “If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I wanted to do, I’d never live.” - Will
- [ ] “Grief doesn’t have a timeline or a set of rules. It hits when it wants.” - Mabel
C. Disliked:
- [ ] Long paragraphs
- [ ] “I have a hole in my heart and marriage is the only thing to close it up.” - Annie…love how she realizes later that the hole is from avoiding her feelings, though.
- [ ] Will becoming a teacher. DON’T DO IT WILL!
D. Made me laugh:
- [ ] “Some of us are not teachers on summer break and have jobs in the morning.”
- [ ] “You about made Gemma pass out into her clearance fabric bin this morning.” (When Will went running without a shirt on)
- [ ] Will and Amelia disguised at the baseball game
- [ ] Squeaks and moans from a “ghost” at Mabel’s inn
E. Relatable:
- [ ] Childhood with parents who fought all of the time and expected me to be perfect
- [ ] Brother who went away to the military and left me
- [ ] Grandma with Alzheimer’s who fell asleep in her chair while watching wheel of fortune
Based on the many five star reviews, I'm obviously in the minority on this one. But the entire time I was reading Practice Makes Perfect, I just kept thinking "ugh." I pushed through and finished it for the sake of writing a review, but I was very, very tempted to DNF this one.
I think the biggest issue I had was with the main character, Annie. A 30-year-old woman with a vocabulary and world experience of a third grader. Eight pages into this book she uses the term "H-E-double-hockey sticks" and I think I audibly groaned. Annie feels immature and naive the entire book and it makes you wonder how the "h-e-double hockey sticks" this woman somehow got a business and has functioned in the world for 30 minutes - let alone 30 years.
The male protagonist, Will, is a body guard and ex-military. He hates romantic relationships because of his parents bad marriage.
The concept of their opposites attract relationship has the potential to be interesting but it never is. They pretend to date under the guise that Will is going to be Annie's dating coach. But they're enamored with each other from the get-go. Annie loses all of her signature social awkwardness and shyness when Will is around (characteristics that I don't think were present for her in the first When in Rome book, btw) and Will loves how sweet and angelic she is.
I don't know, I just felt like both of these people need a looooooot of therapy. Will needs to unpack his parents marriage and how that has made him a commitment phob and Annie needs to deal with the grief of losing her parents atA such a young age.
Maybe this story would have worked if it had been a YA book, but for a romance book dealing with 30+ adults, it just didn't.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I think the biggest issue I had was with the main character, Annie. A 30-year-old woman with a vocabulary and world experience of a third grader. Eight pages into this book she uses the term "H-E-double-hockey sticks" and I think I audibly groaned. Annie feels immature and naive the entire book and it makes you wonder how the "h-e-double hockey sticks" this woman somehow got a business and has functioned in the world for 30 minutes - let alone 30 years.
The male protagonist, Will, is a body guard and ex-military. He hates romantic relationships because of his parents bad marriage.
The concept of their opposites attract relationship has the potential to be interesting but it never is. They pretend to date under the guise that Will is going to be Annie's dating coach. But they're enamored with each other from the get-go. Annie loses all of her signature social awkwardness and shyness when Will is around (characteristics that I don't think were present for her in the first When in Rome book, btw) and Will loves how sweet and angelic she is.
I don't know, I just felt like both of these people need a looooooot of therapy. Will needs to unpack his parents marriage and how that has made him a commitment phob and Annie needs to deal with the grief of losing her parents atA such a young age.
Maybe this story would have worked if it had been a YA book, but for a romance book dealing with 30+ adults, it just didn't.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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