Practice Makes Perfect Sarah Adams
I think about this book quite often. It’s pretty rare for me to give a contemporary romance a five star rating, but I fell utterly in love with Annie and Will. This is 100% a book I could see myself re-reading at some point. It may have taken over Better Than the Movies as my favourite contemporary romance. Especially as there was no miscommunication in sight. Both Annie and Will were great at expressing how they feel.
This was the first ‘let me teach you how to date’ book I’ve read and I loved it. It’s not a trope I’ve come across very often but it’s one I will actively seek out now. The tension between Annie and Will in these scenes was insane but in the best way imagineable. Will never made fun of Annie for waiting till marriage and he didn’t take advantage of her naivety. Not that she was completely naive, she loves a good steamy romance novel. Just like the rest of us.
I think I may be in need of a Sarah Adams romance soon.
Book Review: Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Synopsis: 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.
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.
Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
This is the audiobook that made me fall in love with full cast/duet narrated books. I’d listened to Daisy Jones & The Six previously and loved how that was narrated, but this is on a whole different level. It’s not just a book being read to you, it’s a full dramatised performance. Which as someone with ADHD, I love as it’s so engaging.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best way to deliver a convincing romance is to have the narrators actually interact. I swear Luci Christian Bell (one of the narrators) has chemistry with everyone. The fact that this entire book takes place over texts and phone calls makes the romance so enjoyable. Unfortunately, this isn’t free of everyone’s least favourite trope, miscommunication, but in a book that’s all about communication, it makes sense.
All I remember about this book is thinking the romance was very cute. This is more on the sweet side, as are most of Cara Bastone’s books, so can be enjoyed by anyone. Especially if you’re not a fan of spice.
If you have an Audible Plus subscription, this is a great pick up from their free catalogue.
Synopsis: True love is on the line in this charming, laugh-out-loud rom-com—created specifically for the audio format!
Paint your toes. Pick up the wrong coffee and bagel order. Drive from Brooklyn to Jersey in traffic so slow you want to tear your hair out. It’s amazing all the useless things I can accomplish while on hold for three hours with customer service. Three hours when I should be getting the Date-in-a-Box website ready to launch at the big business expo in a few days. Except my shiny new website is glitching, and my inner rage-monster is ready to scorch some earth… when he finally picks up. Not the robot voice I expected but a real live human named Cal. He’s surprisingly helpful and really knows his stuff, even if he’s a little awkward…. in an adorable way.
And suddenly I’m flirting with him? And I think he’s flirting back.
And suddenly it’s been hours, and we’re still on the phone talking and ordering each other takeout while he trouble shoots my website.
And suddenly we’re exchanging numbers and sending texts and DMs every day, leaving voice mails (who even does that anymore?!).
And suddenly I’m wondering if it’s possible for two people fall in love at first talk.
Because I’m falling… hard.
Audiobook Review: Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
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