The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
Series: Los Angeles Sharks #1
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 311
Published By: Headline Eternal on 17th August, 2021
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:
Bree Camden is helplessly (and secretly) in love with her long-time best friend and NFL legend, Nathan Donelson. And that’s the least of her problems. After a car accident ended her chance of becoming a ballerina, Bree now runs her own dance studio – if she can afford the rent to keep it open, that is.
When Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building, a stubborn Bree is not happy about it. Rebelling with a couple – okay, maybe more than a couple – of tequila shots, she spills her deepest, darkest secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple and Nathan’s publicist has an idea that could mean financial security for Bree.
The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. For three. whole. weeks.
Is now the moment for Bree to finally act on her hidden feelings?
And is it possible that Nathan has been hiding some of his own?
Book Review
I picked this book up completely on a whim second-hand last week. I’d seen this book all over social media for the past few years, but I was never interested in picking it up. I’m really glad I did though as this is the first Sarah Adams book I’ve read!
When I saw it was fake dating, I was immediately sold, but I have to admit I don’t know how I feel about that trope being used alongside friends to lovers… The back and forth between the main characters with their feelings towards each other was a little annoying at times.
That being said, I really liked both main characters! Did they act a little bit like high schoolers sometimes? Yes. Were they a bit cringy with each other sometimes? Also yes. I’m surprised this didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I think both characters were well fleshed out, and the mental health representation was handled well. The side characters were also a great addition into the story. There wasn’t a single side character that I didn’t like… well apart from the MMCs mother.
The book does start off slow in pace but once I got to the 100 page mark I started to really get into the story. The start was okay, but I enjoyed it much more once the fake dating trope was introduced. There were times where I actually giggled which doesn’t normally happen in books for me.
The romance in this book is definitely a slow burn and there isn’t any spice. I personally don’t mind whether there’s spice included in the books I read or not. I love how the author included what the ‘cheat sheet’ looked like at the end of the book — it was great to help with visualisation. The romance isn’t anything jaw dropping but it was very cute and a lot of fun.
I haven’t read many sports romances before so I was a little apprehensive going into this one. However, I like how the author didn’t shove the sports aspect in my face. I think it complimented the story well and I enjoyed getting to see glimpses into both the ballet and the football throughout.
If you like sports romance, fake dating or friends to lovers then I would say to check this one out. Yes, the romance could be seen as cheesy, but I sometimes love a cheesy romance. If you need this type of fix then this could be the book for you!
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