Genre Fiction
![Sarah Adams - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B081451VPY.jpg)
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.
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.
Readers Top Reviews
R. Mcglynn
There’s always a BUT. The reason I gave it a 4/5 is because, at times, Bree was so bloody annoyingly dense or irritating with her obliviousness. It was endearing at first, but got old quick. Other than that, a really lovely little story.
Reviewertimeout
I hate DNFfing. Really, I do. But this was awful. It’s the type of book you start to hate at 10% but keep on going to try and give it a shot. But Bree made me want to die from embarrassment and cringe and Nathan was annoying as hell. Not even the good annoying - just the straight up ‘give it a break’ annoying. I disliked the constant use of capital letters and exclamation marks, especially in Bree’s internal dialogue. I would not recommend.
@brenda.indica R
Vou estar mentindo se disser que não fiquei com um sorrisinho bobo no rosto durante toda a leitura. É um clichê? Óbvio Mas você não consegue parar de rir das ideias bobas mas ao mesmo tempo eficazes que esses amigos/ brutamontes/ gostosos/ jogadores profissionais tem de atitudes românticas que com certeza vão conquistar a nossa mocinha. Se prepara que lá vai um resumo da história Bree é melhor amg de Nathan desde a escola e eles são apaixonados um pelo outro mas morrem de medo de falar algo, não serem correspondidos e a amizade acabar e por isso guardam esses sentimentos pra si mesmos até que após uma noite de bebedeira a nossa Bree acaba soltando a língua pra uma desconhecida e dá a entender que Nathan é apaixonado por ela. O grande problema? Essa desconhecida é ninguém menos que uma jornalista e no dia seguinte eles são a sensação da internet e disso tudo surge uma proposta irrecusável que envolve contrato de namoro falso. No meio de toda essa confusão Nathan vê sua grande chance de sair da friendzone e mudar o jogo a seu favor e o melhor, sem correr o risco de perder a amizade, afinal todos os toques serão pura encenação pra mídia, né !? Daí surge a grande idéia dos 5 jogadores de futebol patetas de escreverem uma espécie de livro de táticas de conquistas. Posso afirmar que agora com certeza sei porque todos estão solteiros.
LacyATiffany@bren
Overall it is a cute story, I like Bree's character. It could do with less angst and fluffed up details. Take this paragraph as an example, this is an overly detailed description of contrasting clothing color. It doesn't add any value to the story, just length. This type of description is continuous throughout the novel. (This also has a spelling error, which I just noticed.) "As I step forward between his legs, the fabric of my skirt brushes against his pants. It’s jet black against pure white. A moon in the night sky. A white page speckled with ink. Starkly different, but together, a perfect complement."
A JaneLacyATiffan
Fun read, not much of an arc but witty and fun. The two MCs feel more like the same person in two bodies, very similar voice and thought process. Also very similar to a lot of her MCs, crazy quirky hot mess that undervalues herself. Similar to Adam's last two books, this is a "closed door" not sweet but it feels like she cant decide what she wants it to be. I like her writing but I worry that if she tries to please everyone she is going to end up with offended sweet fans that wont read her books and underwhelmed spicy fans that want more action. The hero POV reminded me a little of Bromance Book club but maybe PG version.
Short Excerpt Teaser
1 Bree
Balancing two cups of burning hot coffee and a box of donuts while trying to unlock a front door is not easy. But because I'm the best friend a person could ever ask for-which I will remind Nathan of as soon as I make it inside his apartment-I manage it.
I hiss when I turn the lock and a splash of coffee darts out onto my wrist through the little hole in the lid. I have fair skin, so there's a one million percent chance it's going to leave an angry red mark.
The moment I step inside Nathan's apartment (which really should not be called an apartment because it's the size of five large apartments smooshed together), the familiar clean and crisp scent of him knocks into me like a bus. I know this smell so well I think I could follow it like a bloodhound if he ever goes missing.
Using the heel of my tennis shoe, I slam the front door shut with enough gusto to warn Nathan that I'm on the premises. ATTENTION ALL SEXY QUARTERBACKS! COVER YOUR GOODS! A GREEDYEYED WOMAN IS IN THE HOUSE!
A high-pitched yelp sounds from the kitchen, and I immediately frown. Peeking around the corner, I find a woman wearing a light pink shorts-and-camisole sleep set pressed into the far corner of the wraparound white marble kitchen counter. She's clutching a butcher knife to her chest. We're separated by a massive island, but from the way her eyes are bugging out, you'd think I was holding matching cutlery against the jugular vein in her neck.
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" she screeches, and I immediately roll my eyes, because why does she have to be so screechy? She sounds like a clothespin is pinching the bridge of her nose and she has recently inhaled a whole balloon full of helium.
I would raise my hands in the air so I don't get knifed to death, but I'm sort of loaded down with breakfast goods-goods for me and Nathan, not Miss Screechy. This isn't my first rodeo with one of Nathan's girlfriends, though, so I do what I always do and smile at Kelsey. And yeah, I know her name, because even though she pretends not to remember me every time we meet, she's been dating Nathan for a few months now and we have met several times. I have no idea how he spends time with this woman. She seems so opposite of the type of person I would pick for him-they all do.
"Kelsey! It's me, Bree. Remember?" Nathan's best friend since high school. The woman who was here before you and will be here well after you. REMEMBER ME?!
She releases a big puff of air and lets her shoulders sag in relief. "Oh my gosh, Bree! You scared me to death. I thought you were some stalker girl who broke in somehow." She sets the knife down, raises one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows, and mumbles not so quietly, "But then again . . . you sort of are."
I narrow my eyes at her with a tight smile. "Nathan up yet?"
It's 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, so I know for a fact he's already awake. Any girlfriend of Nathan's knows if she wants to see him at all that day, she has to wake up just as early as he does. Which is why Satin-PJ-Kelsey is standing in the kitchen looking pissed off. No one appreciates the morning quite like Nathan. Well, except for me-I love it too. But we're sort of weirdos.
She turns her head slowly to me, hate burning in her delicate baby blues. "Yes. He's in the shower."
Before our run?
Kelsey looks at me like it grieves her deeply to have to expound. "I accidentally bumped into him when I came into the kitchen a few minutes ago. He had his protein shake in his hand and . . ." She makes an annoyed gesture, letting it finish the story for her: I dumped Nathan's shake down the front of him. I think it's killing her to admit she did something human, so I take pity on her and turn away to set the donut box down on the ridiculously large center island.
Nathan's kitchen is fantastic. It's designed in monochromatic tones of cream, black, and brass, and an expansive window wall overlooks the ocean. It's my favorite place in the world to cook, and exactly the opposite of my dumpy little garbage bin five blocks down the road. But that dumpy little garbage bin is affordable and close to my ballet studio, so all in all, I can't complain.
"I'm sure it wasn't a big deal. Nathan never gets upset about things like that," I say to Kelsey, waving my white flag one last time.
She takes out her samurai sword and slices it to shreds. "I already know that."
Alrighty then.
I take my first sip of coffee...
Balancing two cups of burning hot coffee and a box of donuts while trying to unlock a front door is not easy. But because I'm the best friend a person could ever ask for-which I will remind Nathan of as soon as I make it inside his apartment-I manage it.
I hiss when I turn the lock and a splash of coffee darts out onto my wrist through the little hole in the lid. I have fair skin, so there's a one million percent chance it's going to leave an angry red mark.
The moment I step inside Nathan's apartment (which really should not be called an apartment because it's the size of five large apartments smooshed together), the familiar clean and crisp scent of him knocks into me like a bus. I know this smell so well I think I could follow it like a bloodhound if he ever goes missing.
Using the heel of my tennis shoe, I slam the front door shut with enough gusto to warn Nathan that I'm on the premises. ATTENTION ALL SEXY QUARTERBACKS! COVER YOUR GOODS! A GREEDYEYED WOMAN IS IN THE HOUSE!
A high-pitched yelp sounds from the kitchen, and I immediately frown. Peeking around the corner, I find a woman wearing a light pink shorts-and-camisole sleep set pressed into the far corner of the wraparound white marble kitchen counter. She's clutching a butcher knife to her chest. We're separated by a massive island, but from the way her eyes are bugging out, you'd think I was holding matching cutlery against the jugular vein in her neck.
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" she screeches, and I immediately roll my eyes, because why does she have to be so screechy? She sounds like a clothespin is pinching the bridge of her nose and she has recently inhaled a whole balloon full of helium.
I would raise my hands in the air so I don't get knifed to death, but I'm sort of loaded down with breakfast goods-goods for me and Nathan, not Miss Screechy. This isn't my first rodeo with one of Nathan's girlfriends, though, so I do what I always do and smile at Kelsey. And yeah, I know her name, because even though she pretends not to remember me every time we meet, she's been dating Nathan for a few months now and we have met several times. I have no idea how he spends time with this woman. She seems so opposite of the type of person I would pick for him-they all do.
"Kelsey! It's me, Bree. Remember?" Nathan's best friend since high school. The woman who was here before you and will be here well after you. REMEMBER ME?!
She releases a big puff of air and lets her shoulders sag in relief. "Oh my gosh, Bree! You scared me to death. I thought you were some stalker girl who broke in somehow." She sets the knife down, raises one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows, and mumbles not so quietly, "But then again . . . you sort of are."
I narrow my eyes at her with a tight smile. "Nathan up yet?"
It's 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, so I know for a fact he's already awake. Any girlfriend of Nathan's knows if she wants to see him at all that day, she has to wake up just as early as he does. Which is why Satin-PJ-Kelsey is standing in the kitchen looking pissed off. No one appreciates the morning quite like Nathan. Well, except for me-I love it too. But we're sort of weirdos.
She turns her head slowly to me, hate burning in her delicate baby blues. "Yes. He's in the shower."
Before our run?
Kelsey looks at me like it grieves her deeply to have to expound. "I accidentally bumped into him when I came into the kitchen a few minutes ago. He had his protein shake in his hand and . . ." She makes an annoyed gesture, letting it finish the story for her: I dumped Nathan's shake down the front of him. I think it's killing her to admit she did something human, so I take pity on her and turn away to set the donut box down on the ridiculously large center island.
Nathan's kitchen is fantastic. It's designed in monochromatic tones of cream, black, and brass, and an expansive window wall overlooks the ocean. It's my favorite place in the world to cook, and exactly the opposite of my dumpy little garbage bin five blocks down the road. But that dumpy little garbage bin is affordable and close to my ballet studio, so all in all, I can't complain.
"I'm sure it wasn't a big deal. Nathan never gets upset about things like that," I say to Kelsey, waving my white flag one last time.
She takes out her samurai sword and slices it to shreds. "I already know that."
Alrighty then.
I take my first sip of coffee...
