PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (Sarah Adams) – Delightful Rom-Com Sequel

Book 2 in Rome Series

Book two in Sarah Adams’ When In Rome series was delightful in pretty much every way. Practice Makes Perfect picks up several months after When in Rome ended, shifting two supporting characters from book one, Annie and Will, into the starring roles.

Summary for Practice Makes Perfect

With Amelia and Noah’s wedding day nearing, Will Griffin is sent back to guard Amelia until the excitement is over. For a month, he is stuck in the little crazy town of Rome, Kentucky, feeling like he’s going to pull his hair out. But then Amelia ropes him into helping her soon-to-be sister-in-law Annie grow in confidence with dating, and well… as you can imagine, Rome becomes a bit more interesting to Will. Inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s 1957 film Funny Face, Practice Makes Perfect hits some popular tropes, but it was a fun and sweet read nevertheless. 

What I Liked

I’m at risk of sounding like a broken record and repeating everything I wrote in my review of When in Rome. But Practice Makes Perfect had all the same things I liked so much about its predecessor while still feeling like its own story.

I loved:

• The little town of Rome and its cast of quirky characters
• The instant attraction but slow-build relationship Adams developed between Will and Annie.
• Unique-to-them relationship (The way their friendship and then romantic relationship progresses is thoughtful, believable, and genuine)

Relatable Characters

I want to break down Annie and Will for you because I actually identified a lot with Annie. She’s an introvert who has a hard time putting herself first and being honest with herself about things she experiences or feelings she has, mostly for fear of others’ expectations for her.

On top of the things she is wrestling with, she’s also portrayed as somewhat shy, not very confident, and trying to figure out if she can branch out of that mold people have placed her in. It definitely felt a bit like a love letter to the introverts, perfectionists, and people-pleasers out there! My life has been very different than Annie’s, but the way her mind worked reminded me so much of myself. I rarely find truly relatable characters in rom-coms, so this was a nice surprise for me.

I loved seeing her progression and growth and how Will helped her in this – again reminding me of my relationship with my husband, who has often led me outside my comfort zone, patiently holding my hand and cheering me on. Just like Will. Okay, stopping that train of thought before I get emotional.

Traditional Isn’t Always Bad

I greatly appreciated Adams writing a novel about a character who adhered to (generally) more traditional values and with a more quiet personality without making her a stick-in-the-mud. While Annie doesn’t want to be a “goodie-two-shoes” anymore, it’s not because that’s bad or wrong or embarrassing.

It’s that she’s ready to grow and move on from who she was at 15. I found that refreshing, simply because rom-coms frequently portray caution and wisdom as being “boring” and “unattractive.” In Practice Makes Perfect, Adams showed that doesn’t have to be the case. 

The Baddie Who’s Not So Bad

This leads me to Will. Will has his reputation as a “baddie,” but I found him the opposite of the bad-boy trope, which was super refreshing. Yes, he appeared a little hard on the outside and was much more soft on the inside.

But instead of glamorizing toxic behavior as so many romances do, Will was actually not a bad guy at all and had no concerning behavioral patterns or control issues or violence in his nature. He had a traumatic past that led him down a path of isolation and thrill-seeking, but Annie shows him that it’s okay to open up, to need people, and to find a safe place to land again.

Their relationship really was sweet, and I enjoyed reading about both of them. I like that Adams actually provides good backstory and character development to her romances. 

Any Negatives?

Any negatives in Practice Makes Perfect? Sure. There’s a little bit of language and plenty of rom-com tropes.

There’s plenty of romantic longing and sexual tension with a touch of spice. The plot was pretty predictable as a whole, but the journey was still enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I loved it. I didn’t want to put it down. I look forward to any other When in Rome books Adams writes – and I do believe she hinted at the next couple pairing. I’ll be waiting!

Content Rating: Moderate

for some language and sexual content

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Copyright Sarah Adams and Random House Publishing. Image from Amazon.