The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams Summary

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams is a contemporary romance novel about Bree Camden, who secretly loves her best friend Nathan Donelson, a famous NFL player. After accidentally revealing her feelings in a viral video, they enter a fake dating arrangement for three weeks to capitalize on publicity and save Bree's struggling dance studio. The friends-to-lovers story follows their journey from the friend zone to real romance through staged intimacy, romantic gestures, and mutual pining.

The Cheat Sheet is perfect for readers seeking lighthearted, low-angst romance with emotional sweetness rather than explicit content. Fans of friends-to-lovers and fake dating tropes will appreciate the dual perspective narrative and heartwarming humor. This book appeals to those who enjoy TikTok-viral romcoms, sports romance with NFL settings, and comfort reads that prioritize emotional connection over dramatic conflict. It's ideal for readers wanting a palate cleanser between heavier novels.

The Cheat Sheet is worth reading if you prioritize sweetness and emotional warmth over complex plots or high-stakes drama. Readers praised its adorable swoonfest quality, mutual pining, and feel-good nature, calling it heartwarming and charming. However, some critics found the characters immature for their age and the plot thin. The book works best as a quick, fluffy comfort read rather than a deeply layered romance, making it worthwhile for fans of cozy, low-angst contemporary romance.

Sarah Adams is a Nashville-based contemporary romance author known for writing heartwarming, humorous love stories. Born and raised in Tennessee, she's a coffee enthusiast, British history enthusiast, mother of two, and self-described indecisive introvert married to her best friend. Adams began writing when her daughters napped, turning her lifelong dream into reality. Her writing style emphasizes humor, emotional connection, and happy endings, with The Cheat Sheet becoming a TikTok sensation and establishing her as a beloved voice in romantic comedy.

The romance cheat sheet is a literal list Nathan creates with his NFL teammates to win Bree's heart through escalating romantic gestures. Each item represents calculated risks—from hand-holding and surprise visits to slow dancing and playful food fights. Nathan fumbles through awkward moments like staged winks and planned encounters, but the cheat sheet successfully breaks down Bree's emotional walls. This device provides both humor and structure, transforming their friendship into deeper intimacy through intentional romantic actions that blur performance and authenticity.

The Cheat Sheet combines three popular romance tropes: friends-to-lovers, fake dating, and mutual pining. Bree and Nathan have been best friends for years, both secretly in love but afraid to confess. The fake dating contract forces them into staged intimacy for three weeks, creating situations where their true feelings emerge. The dual POV narrative heightens the mutual pining by showing both characters believe the other is uninterested, creating delicious dramatic irony and emotional tension throughout their journey from friendship to romance.

Bree Camden is a former ballerina whose professional dreams ended in a car accident; she now owns a struggling dance studio facing financial difficulties. Nathan Donelson is an extremely attractive NFL legend and Bree's longtime best friend who secretly loves her. Both are trapped in the friend zone by fear of ruining their precious relationship. Nathan suffers from panic attacks, while Bree carries pride about her financial independence. Their mutual care—Nathan buying Bree's building, Bree supporting Nathan through anxiety—demonstrates love before either admits romantic feelings.

The Cheat Sheet is not a spicy or explicit romance novel. Sarah Adams focuses on emotional intimacy, sweetness, and slow-burn tension rather than explicit sexual content. The story features "practice flirting," electric kisses, and sensual moments like a food fight turning romantic, but the intimacy remains relatively tame. Reviewers specifically noted the lack of explicit content as a defining characteristic, making this book ideal for readers preferring swoony, heartwarming romance with emotional vulnerability over steamy scenes.

After Bree drunkenly confesses her love to a TMZ reporter in a viral video, Nathan's publicist proposes a fake dating arrangement that offers financial security for Bree's dance studio and positive publicity for Nathan. They must pretend to be in love for three weeks, appearing as the "perfect couple" publicly. The arrangement forces them into close quarters where staged intimacy—photo shoots, public appearances, and practiced romance—sparks genuine desire and chips away at years of restraint, ultimately making their fake relationship real.

The Cheat Sheet alternates between Bree and Nathan's first-person perspectives in separate chapters. This narrative structure reveals the misunderstandings, secret longings, and parallel fears keeping them apart while creating dramatic irony—readers see both characters desperately love each other while each believes the other is uninterested. The dual POV deepens emotional resonance by exposing vulnerabilities, internal conflicts, and the comedy of their miscommunication, making their eventual confession more satisfying and emotionally impactful.

Critics found The Cheat Sheet's characters immature and childish for their ages, with behavior seeming unrealistic for adults in their late twenties. Some readers felt the plot was thin and lacking depth, with minimal conflict or tension beyond misunderstanding. The book was described as overly fluffy without substantial angst, disappointing readers expecting more mature themes or complex storytelling. Additionally, some audiobook listeners criticized the female narrator's performance, finding it distracting enough to switch formats mid-book.

Readers who enjoyed The Cheat Sheet should explore Sarah Adams' companion novel The Rule Book, which delivers similar humor and romance. Other comparable reads include Beach Read by Emily Henry for witty banter and emotional depth, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne for workplace tension turning romantic, and People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry for friends-to-lovers dynamics. Fans of sweet, low-angst sports romance might also enjoy Kulti by Mariana Zapata or The Deal by Elle Kennedy for athletic heroes and heartwarming relationships.