practice makes perfect book review

Practice Makes Perfect: Review

Post author: Chrissykreads
Post published: May 19, 2023
Post category: Book Reviews
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Practice Makes Perfect

Annie owns a flower shop in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. She’s known as the “sweet” girl and just wants to settle down, but her introverted nature and quirky interests make dating harder than she’d like. Will recently moves to town as a bodyguard for Amelia, a local pop star and Annie’s friend. Will agrees to teach Annie how to date. But will they fall for each other in the process? Of course, it’s a rom com lol.

Author: Sarah Adams
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: When in Rome #2
Published: May 2, 2023

Practice Makes Perfect Review

Apparently I don’t know how to read books in order, because I completely skipped book one and went straight to Practice Makes Perfect! Reading this as a standalone was great though.

I laughed so much while reading this one because I am Annie. She is me!! I felt so seen as an introverted small town girl who loves to read romance. Will was a great MMC with a bad boy exterior but a heart that just wants to be loved.

Annie and Will were such a fun couple! They definitely had an “opposites attract” vibe, but the flirting and tension was off the charts! Their relationship didn’t have unnecessary drama or random conflicts just because. It felt very real and mature, but still so fun. They were very flirty, lots of steam, kissing, but fade to black. While I prefer open door, I was still squealing the whole time. The “fake dating” or “practice dating” trope was executed so well.

I also really loved the town of Rome and the side characters. I grew up in a small town, so it felt very familiar, and also hilarious! Annie’s siblings were a great addition to the story.

Overall I LOVED Practice Makes Perfect. I’d totally recommend this book if you love rom coms and want a quick, funny, and sweet read.

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Young Creative Press

Books & entertainment, book review: practice makes perfect by sarah adams.

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.

Practice Makes Perfect was my first book by Sarah Adams and it certainly won’t be my last. It takes a lot for me to rate a romance book five stars but this one felt easy. I loved every page of this book and I’d kill for a sequel.

It’s so refreshing to have a couple in a romance book that actually communicate with each other. They were somewhat hiding how they felt about each other, but they weren’t afraid to say what they want in other areas. Miscommunication is my least favourite romance trope and thankfully that was nowhere in sight.

The banter between Annie and Will felt so effortless and it was such a joy to read. They’ve very quickly become one of my favourite book couples. When the love interests become friends first it makes the inevitable relationship so much more satisfying – the angst and longing are top-tier. Especially between Annie and Will. Are they both in When in Rome? If yes, I absolutely need to read it, even if it’s just to get a glimpse of the first time they meet.

This was the first ‘let me teach you how to date’ book I’ve read and I loved it. I think I have a new favourite trope. Well actually, fake dating is still my absolute favourite and that does kind of feature in Practice Makes Perfect, which makes this book even better.

The tension between Annie and Will in these scenes was almost too much to bear in the greatest way possible. I love that Will never made fun of Annie for waiting til marriage and he didn’t take advantage of her naivety. Not that she was completely naive, she loves a good steamy romance novel.

Speaking of romance novels, Will must be the most perfect male love interest ever written. Why you ask? Well, he doesn’t say romance books don’t count as real books, he read the one Annie was reading and wasn’t ashamed to say he loved it.

Annie was also a great main character. She had a lot of depth and I loved the development she went through. It was so satisfying to see her finally stand up for herself and do what she wants without worrying what other people will think about her. These characters were such a breath of fresh air.

I don’t have much more to say about Practice Makes Perfect that isn’t gushing about how much I love Annie and Will. I’d highly recommend checking this out.

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Book Confessions: Series I’m Never Going to Finish #7

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Lessons in Love: Practice Makes Perfect Review

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Last updated on February 6th, 2024

In this Practice Makes Perfect review, we’re going to dive into Sarah Adam’s sequel to When in Rome , which follows the youngest Walker sibling, Annie, and her romantic relationship with Will, Amelia’s bodyguard from the previous book.

Annie is the sweet girl next door, while Will is the commitment-phobe bad boy. Although I was excited to read this one because of the bookstagram hype, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.

Practice Makes Perfect – Sarah Adams

illustrated book cover of Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams showing a couple staring at each other in the doorway of a flower shop

GENRE: Contemporary Romance PUB DATE: May 2, 2023 TROPES: Opposites attract, fake dating, closed door, friends to lovers An adorable read about being honest, vulnerable, and brave enough to be yourself. While it was entertaining and quick, several elements felt childish and over the top.

open, honest communication between characters

good character development

hilarious comedic scenes

entertaining and quick read

melodramatic inner monologues

unlikable side characters

anti-climactic intimate scene after a lot of slow burn and build up

immature female MC

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.

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.

Will and Annie are the classic “opposites attract” couple. He’s the bad boy who hates commitment, and she’s the sweet girl next door who wants to settle down and start a family.

Their relationship begins as an instant attraction but develops into a deeper emotional connection that allows both characters to be themselves with each other.

I appreciated how they encouraged each other to be honest and communicate. At times, I was concerned that their relationship could become toxic, but fortunately, these moments were infrequent.

I liked reading about the life of a bodyguard…sorry, I mean executive protective agent. The character’s backstory was relatable, particularly his fear of commitment.

“ If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live. “

I found him more likable than Annie because he was written to be closer to his actual age, in his 30s.

I found it difficult to warm up to her in the first half of the book. She seemed much younger than her 30 years, as her inner monologues felt like reading a teenager’s diary.

She keeps a swearing notebook, calls people a ‘stinky butt munch,’ and is way too self-deprecating. Her melodramatic dialogues almost made me DNF the book.

However, as the story progresses, she learns to stand up for herself and becomes much more engaging to read about. I empathized with her frustration of constantly being underestimated and put in a box for other people’s convenience.

I’m not a huge fan of the virgin trope in books because many tend to shame the person for being inexperienced. While Practice Makes Perfect did touch on some of those aspects, I appreciated the reason behind Annie’s decision to hold out and how the story supported and normalized it as being okay.

Side characters

I adore small-town romances because of the charming TOWNSPEOPLE and the cozy atmosphere. However, I found the town’s quirkiness in this book too juvenile for my taste.

Without giving away spoilers, I felt that the petition the townspeople started regarding the MCs was too over the top and didn’t really add anything to the storyline.

I loved the affection between NOAH AND AMELIA in their scenes. Although I didn’t read book 1 , I’m looking forward to checking out their story simply because of how adorable they were in this one.

ANNIE’S SISTERS were a bit unbearable. Their constant teasing and taunting of Annie gave off ‘mean girl’ vibes, and I found it very hard to like them.

Although the plot points about the town petition and swearing notebooks seem childish, there are some hilarious moments in Practice Makes Perfect that made me laugh out loud.

For instance, the scene where Will and Amelia dress up in disguise to ambush Annie’s date is absolutely hilarious.

And the various names Annie comes up with for Will to figure out what “Will” is short for are quirky and cute.

Annie’s growth is evident at the end of the story when she learns to stand up for herself. I particularly enjoyed the climax scene where she chooses to make space for herself in her relationship with Will. Her actions and dialogue were commendable.

Sarah Adams is known for writing closed-door romances, and while this one had a bit more steam than her other novels, I was still disappointed. The angsty slow burn and build-up of sexual tension warranted an intimate scene, and cutting it as a fade-to-black moment was anti-climactic.

It’s easy to tell whose POV you are in based on each character’s dialogues and inner thoughts. As mentioned earlier, Annie is portrayed as much younger than 30, which is evident in the tonal differences between the two perspectives. And her chapters came across as melodramatic and juvenile.

While I enjoy sarcastic comedy as much as the next person, it becomes tedious and excessive if it’s overdone.

The author’s dedication was super sweet – “This one is for the softies. The tenderhearted sweeties. The introverts who are afraid to shine.”

The epilogue was unnecessary, and I felt the book would have ended much better without it.

Best Quotes

But the thing about quiet people is, we’re only quiet because our brains are so busy overthinking everything .
“If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live.” He stares into my eyes. “This lesson is one as old as time: Fake it till you make it. If you want something, pretend you’re the kind of person who’s not scared of it.”
Grief – that mean son of a bitch – doesn’t have a timeline or rules. It hits when it wants.

“I need you in my life like I need air, Annie. You have wrecked me in the best way I could ever imagine, and I’ll never be the same.”

Until I met her and held her in my arms, I never knew I could be capable of so much tenderness.
“Please. Just let me be here. I don’t know why, but I can’t be anywhere else. I tried but my feet keep bringing me back here to your door.”
“Honesty is a gift, Annie. And if you really love them, too, you’ll be honest with them about who you are.”

Practice Makes Perfect is an adorable read about being honest, vulnerable, and brave enough to be yourself. While it was entertaining and quick, several elements felt childish and over the top.

Nevertheless, it’s worth a read if you’re looking for a closed-door, opposites-attract romance with some small-town feels.

Enjoyed this Practice Makes Perfect review? Then, be sure to add this book to your TBR. And if you have already read this book and have some thoughts to share, drop them in the comments below. I would love to hear them!

Founder & Writer of The Creatorpreneur Diary blog. I'm an overworked doctor by day and an aspiring content creator by night. My goal is to share my journey as I learn to navigate the world of online marketing, in the hopes of helping you do the same.

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Book Review: Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

“I am the quiet one in my family. The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn’t have to interact with other humans. It’s so much easier to read about relationships than to foster them. Less dangerous too.” Sarah Adams, Practice Makes Perfect

Title: Practice Makes Perfect Series: When in Rome (Book 2) Author: Sarah Adams Genres: Romance, Contemporary Fiction Pages: 352 (Paperback) Published: May 2nd, 2023

My Rating: ★★★ ¾ Read: 7/5/2023 – 7/13/2023

For some reason, I’m a person who tends to prefer the sequels over the first installments. I read this book back to back with When in Rome and found myself much more attached to Annie and Will than Amelia and Noah.

Shy and introverted Annie has her heart set on finding her other half. Thanks to small-town talk, she begins to fear her quiet reputation has her out of luck in the dating department. She enlists her friend Amelia’s bodyguard Will to help her come out of her shell.

I’m not usually a fan of plots where the ‘good girl’ has to become someone she isn’t just to find ‘love’ but it worked for me more here than usual. Will’s personality has a great contrast with Annie’s. They fit well together as the narrators.

Like When in Rome , this book has quite a few references to Audrey Hepburn, albeit, not quite as many as the first. The film of focus this time around is Funny Face . If you’ve seen the film, you can see some of the similarities between Annie and Jo Stockton. I’m curious to see if this theme continues should the series go on.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

A shy protagonist. I feel like this level of quiet introversion doesn’t typically take center stage, although I’m not an authority on that since I’m picky when it comes to this genre.
Good contrast between the two main characters.
I do admit the Audrey Hepburn references warm my heart.

What I didn’t like:

The writing felt more polished in this book but it’s still not a style I prefer. It does, however, fit into the genre. I’m aware of this being a preference issue.
Still not crazy about the ‘good girl’ trope but I chose to continue with it.

Afterthoughts:

Even though it’s not a head-over-heels read for me, I’m attached to the series and hope it will continue.

Where to buy the book:

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“Practice Makes Perfect” Book Review

A spoiler-free look at the new contemporary romance from author sarah adams.

Hello again everyone! Once again I’m coming to you from a not-so-lovely mini-hiatus. An abundance of apologies; I still haven’t quite figured out this whole “time management” thing now that I have a full-time job. Not the best excuse, but here we are.

I was lucky enough to get this ARC from the lovely folks over at NetGalley. When I started reading it, I didn’t actually know it was a sequel. However, reading this before its’ predecessor “When in Rome” does not take away from enjoying this book.

This novel follows our main characters, Annie and Will, as they navigate their time in Rome, Kentucky, pretending they’re not smitten with each other. Annie, the local florist, wants to find The One, and Will, returning to Rome for a job as an “Executive Protection Agent” for pop sensation Amelia Rose, truly believes he’s allergic to all things monogamous. However, when the idea of Will becoming Annie’s dating coach is floated to the duo, Will decides to try and help out the “hopeless” Annie. However, being a dating coach for a girl you already have a crush on is easier said than done. Will Will (heh) catch feelings, or will he be able to get out of this arrangement with his heart – and his dignity – unscathed?

Okay, so this is a cute one. I’m a sucker for a good “fake dating” trope, and this one managed to make it work with a special kind of sweetness. I always love when characters deny their feelings with such indignation, like there’s no possible way they can fall in love, because they’ve never done it before and besides, I already told myself I wasn’t going to fall for the sweet, adorable, kind, loving Annie Walker who smells like a bouquet of flowers and has managed to wriggle her way into my heart so I guess I’ll just accept the fact that I’m in love with – hey! Wait a second…!

I don’t want to give away too much, because this is a pretty new title. (Just released May 2nd!) But I do want to say how much I enjoyed the progression with Annie’s character. She’s known for being the baby of the family. She’s sweet, kind, innocent, an “angel” if you will. However, over time she’s grown to hate these comparisons. She wants to be less innocent and more daring. This could be one of the big reasons why she was drawn to “bad boy” Will, but I don’t believe it’s the reason why she stuck around. I liked seeing how Will helped her along with opening up and transforming into a beautiful butterfly – one that stands up for herself, kicks ass and takes names. While it was done while spending time with Will, I’d like to believe she always had that in herself, she just needed a little push.

Overall, I give this a solid 4 out of 5 stars. A lovely book that I’m sure I’ll come back to (after I tackle more of my TBR list).

Thanks again to NetGallley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the ARC. “Practice Makes Perfect” is out now!

Have you had a chance to read “Practice Makes Perfect”? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below! I always love hearing from you.

Published by Monica Juárez

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