The Cheat Sheet: A Novel

Is it ever too late to leave the friend zone? Discover the heartwarming friends to lovers romance that became a sensation on TikTok--now with a new chapter and a Q&A with the author!

The friend zone is not the end zone for Bree Camden, who is helplessly in love with her longtime best friend and extremely hot NFL legend, Nathan Donelson. The only problem is that she can't admit her true feelings, because he clearly sees her as a best friend with no romantic potential, and the last thing Bree wants is to ruin their relationship. But those abs . . .

Nope! Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for Bree. In any case, she has other things to worry about. After a car accident ended her chance at becoming a professional ballerina, Bree changed paths and now owns her own dance studio, with big dreams to expand it. But one more rent increase could mean the end of the studio entirely.

Then, as usual, Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building. A stubborn Bree is not happy about it and decides to rebel with a couple--okay, maybe more than a couple--of tequila shots. Then her plan backfires as she spills her deepest, darkest secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple. Before they can really talk about her confession, Nathan's publicist proposes a big opportunity that could mean financial security for Bree. The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. For three whole weeks.

What will happen when Bree gives in to the feelings she's been desperately hiding for so long, and could she be imagining that Nathan is actually enjoying it? Sarah Adams scores more than touchdowns in this exciting romantic comedy.

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336 pages

Average rating: 7.38

149 RATINGS

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25 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

ghostofjess
Jan 03, 2025
9/10 stars
“Bree, hope is healthy. Even if you prepare yourself for the worst in life, it will never make the fall hurt less. So why not let yourself really and truly want this instead?”
Beaullah
Nov 20, 2024
6/10 stars
Didn't really like it
Anonymous
Nov 04, 2024
4/10 stars
There is the friends to lovers trope, which is endearing and you love watching friends navigate into new territory after so many years of unspoken feelings and then there was this.

This was not that story.

This was not a friends to lovers story. This was a friends obsessed with one another because of emotional trauma endured during their adolescence years and formed anxious attachment.

I am a fan of a good slow burn, but this novel was so far past just a slow burn to the point where you want to call it quits by the halfway mark. Yet, you’re too far in at that point and have to see how it plays out.

Then when you finally do reach the pivotal moment in their relationship they go 0-100 in a most unbelievable way.

Sprinkle in the borderline stalker moment by Nathan and his “shoebox of potential horrors” with a stolen scrunchie because it smelled like Bree and you’ve got a whole other story to tell.

I ended up giving this two stars because at the end of the day it did it’s job. It sucked me in where I wanted to see if they eventually did work it out, but like Nathan at the Super Bowl it just fumbled.
Anonymous
Aug 22, 2024
6/10 stars
Closed door romance is not it for me. Sorry. I did love the characters but it did annoy me that he said wait for marriage and then there was a surprise wedding a week later, after the super bowl…….
Anonymous
Jun 28, 2024
6/10 stars
I don’t think this author writes smut scenes but I found myself wanting one. It would have helped make them read as people in their late 20s instead of high school. Or the author needed to write them as more mature because they read as high school/early college age.

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