When in Rome

“𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚝.” —𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚙𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗

Rating: 4 stars

This rom-com book was sweeter than pie, literally, and it made me so hungry!

Sarah Adams has done it again! She’s created a story that feels like a warm hug, and sometimes that’s all you need.

The trope I love the most, grumpy/sunshine, was perfection in this book. Noah was so grumpy, but with being burned in his past, it’s easy to see why he’s hesitant…especially when he undeniably feels a connection and attraction to the talented singer Amelia aka Rae Rose.

But even though he’s grumpy, it’s all the little ways he shows he cares. The way he sees HER, even her terrible pancakes.

Amelia needs a break and I could connect with her need to just breathe. She’s strong, sweet, and passionate.

While this is a sweet closed door romance, you’ll be able to feel the sizzling chemistry between the two.

You’ll fall in love with the small town that Sarah has created, and with that, the people and places they go to.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute read! I am generally not a huge fan of the pop star or baker characterizations since they can get very cheesy, but I would say that this book wasn't toooo cheesy (just a little bit too much for it to be a five star read for me). I love me a grumpy man, and also loved Amelia's bond with Noah's sisters. Overall a cute book, just not my favorite!

Raise your hand if you love Audrey Hepburn movies?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Well if you answered yes, I have the perfect book for you! And if you have never seen an Audrey Hepburn movie, I still think you will love this one!

You have probably seen Sarah Adams’ books all around Bookstagram & TikTok. I discovered her books a couple of years ago and they are always the perfect books to read when I want something fun and swoony and When in Rome is no exception. 🙌🏻

I have been loving celebrity romances lately, but it was fun to see the female MC as the celebrity and I loved her journey to find herself again. With a charming small town, a band of kooky characters, and a grumpy hero there was just so much to love. Noah reminded me so much of Mr. Darcy. He was guarded and brooding, but an absolute softy on the inside so I was cheering for him and Amelia the whole time.🥰 It is a closed door romance, but despite the fact that I mostly read and prefer open door romances, Sarah Adams’ books are an absolute delight. When in Rome was not my favorite of her books, but I still highly recommend it and I can’t wait for her next book!

Thank you so much Random House and Netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

Sarah Adams is easily my favorite Rom-Com writer! I loved this book . I thought Noah and Amelia were great characters .

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When in Rome tells the story of Rae Rose, a famous pop-star who is feeling burnt out. Who wouldn’t when you have to maintain your image constantly and have a volatile relation with your mom. Inspired by her favorite movie, Roman Holiday, she decides to take a road trip to Rome…Rome, Kentucky where she gets stranded on the front doorstep of Noah Walker.

The town grump, Noah, doesn’t want anything to do with Rae. But this grumpy sunshine decides to let Rae stay in his guest room till her car is repaired. During this time, they both discover there is more to the other than what they first thought.

Sarah Adams has a way of creating the best swoon worthy leads. This book had lovable characters and a plot that kept you wanting more. This was a perfect easy romance for your next reading slump.

I just loved this story. I think the best part was how the whole town got in on protecting Rae Rose when she was in hiding. It was such a small town thing to do. I also loved how Rae Rose was so afraid of Noah at the beginning. Her behavior was very funny. I think this would make a great movie.

Oh my goodness, you can obviously dub me a Sarah Adams fan. I LOVED When in Rome! I loved this movdern take on Roman Holiday. The meet cute between Noah and Amelia was too fun. And the cast of side characters and the small town of Rome, KY was absolutely lovely!!

Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own.

Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more.

Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.

Sarah Adams absolutely smashes the closed door romance. It's so sweet and heartfelt but sooo much tension!! I loved it. I fell in love with her characters and even felt myself goofy smiling at some lines.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Sarah Adams writes fantastic sweet romances with characters you can not help but become invested in, The way Sarah writes plot and builds tension is so satisfying that you do not miss the spice at all, a hard thing to accomplish.

This read made me both swoon and get hungry. Loved the bakery setting and appreciated all the little touches and descriptions. Highly recommend.

Sarah Adam's recreation of the classic movie Roman Holiday is flawless. I was hooked from the beginning and the only disappointment was that the book had to end.
Amelia/Rae Rose is a beautifully written, vulnerable but strong character. She has many issues with the relationships in her life and needs a break. Noah was classically fabulous. He has a good heart but it was broken by his last girlfriend. Noah is not interested in a relationship with the new girl in town but their chemistry is undeniable. The little town of Rome, KY has a wide array of characters that I would love to have as neighbors! They added so many wonderful moments to this book.
This is a vlassic lighthearted romance and is easy to get lost within the pages. Sarah Adams always finds a way to write relatable characters in well-conceived plots. It was an enjoyable book from beginning to end.
I am very grateful to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this heartwarming book in exchange for a honest review.

This was a cute story and I really enjoyed the premise. I read it in starts and stops, which I think made it a bit hard to get into. And at times it felt like it dragged. Again, this may've been a me thing. But as I approached the ending, I enjoyed the book more and more. I was really happy with the ending and it's one I'll recommend to friends who are looking for a sweet rom com.

I thought this was a funny and lighthearted read. I really enjoyed both of the main characters in this novel, Amelia and Noah. I thought that they both had excellent characterization and I was excited to read about them. I also enjoyed reading about Noah’s small town life and the people that lived in it. I think they had a great story. My only critique is that I did not love the parts about Amelia’s life as a pop star, and I usually love books about that subject. I think it was just written in a very cringey way. Overall though, I would rate this 4/5 and I would recommend this novel to a friend.

Thanks to PRH International for gifting me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

When In Rome is one of the best reads if you want a primarily lighthearted, easy, feel-good romance. I adore the combination of celebrity, sunshine heroine, and grumpy hero, and the small-town romance trope can never go wrong. Sarah Adams has a gift for writing excellent books. The story revolves around Amelia, a pop star who wants to escape for a while. Overpowering people in her life threaten to destroy her love of music, and she needs a vacation. As an Audrey Hepburn fan, she decides to take a Roman Holiday, but Rome, Italy, is too far away, so she searches for the nearest town named Rome and ends up in Rome, Kentucky. Sadly, her car breaks down on the outskirts of town, in Noah's front yard. Noah's house is so far from town that he does not have cell service or internet access. He reluctantly allows Amelia to stay with him until her car is repaired. But what happens when they spend so much time together?

It was a sweet small-town romance with a cute couple who quickly fell head over heels for each other. Noah and Amelia had instant chemistry, and while this isn't the most steamy romance, you'll ever read. Their banter was amusing and a slow burn to keep you interested. The story was straightforward to pick up and read. Each character's internal struggles and trauma added another layer to the story. However, by the end, I felt I hadn't seen the full extent of Noah and Amelia's growth. I also thought the ending was a little rushed.

It also addresses more complicated issues, such as parental estrangement, gaslighting, loss, and Alzheimer's disease. Overall, I enjoyed this cute, light romance, and I'm excited to read her other books.

I really enjoyed this attention-grabbing book! I loved the idea of a celebrity taking a much needed vacation in Rome (not Italy) and the small town feel in this book. This was my first book by Sarah Adams, but it definitely won’t be my last!

*I received an e-ARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Although I am not usually the biggest fan of celebrity and non-celebrity romance, this book did it perfectly. I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect fluffy, low-angst read I was looking for at that moment. I loved the small town vibes, and all the side characters. Amelia was the perfect amount of sunshine, and Noah the perfect amount of grump. Who doesn't love a man who loves books, has a special reading chair, makes perfect pancakes, and owns a pie shop? I mean the man has a cozy home and buys flowers every day from his sister's shop.

The relationship was super slow burn, but the sexual tension was perfect. I don't often read close door romances, but it worked for me in this book even though I did not know it was going to be closed door. I also liked that there wasn't a third act break-up. Considering how long we waited for these two to get together, a third act break-up would've been overkill.

My one critique is about the diet comments Amalia makes, and how she can't eat what she wants. I know she is in the public eye and was pressured by her manager to be on a diet all the time, but I wish there had been more push back on those comments, especially after she realized how bad her manager was.

I received an ebook arc for this book, but I ended up listening to the audiobook after it was released. The audiobooks narrators did a fantastic job.

Sarah Adams knocks it out of the park again! I crazily didn’t notice this when I read it, but When In Rome is a modern take on the Audrey Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday. A pop star looking for a break ends up crashing at a random stranger’s house in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. Noah is less than thrilled to have a spoiled celebrity invade his life, but he’s too hospitable to turn her down.

As Amelia soaks up the normalcy of small town life and discovers a great group of people now surrounding her, she starts to think it’s time to regain control of the life she left that’s currently spiraling out of control. And she’s wondering if there’s a way to allow Noah to become a full time part of it…

Sarah Adams is an auto-buy author for me. She excels at sweet, witty romances with memorable characters that you end up rooting so hard for!!

Amelia and Noah’s chemistry was off the charts, and the angst between them was to die for. I loved how Noah, despite his grumpiness, had such a soft spot for Amelia and how Amelia got to experience the littlest happiness in an ordinary life.

What’s more, this grumpy/sunshine & slow-burn romantic relationship was my new favorite and I couldn’t wait to see what this author has to offer in the future.

All in all, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!! If you haven’t read it, please go add it to your TBR and give it a shot! You won’t regret it; I promise.

***Thanks to Penguin Random House International Sales and the author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Sarah Adams makes you believe in love all over again in this cute and romantic new novel! Meet Amelia an artist who is just overwhelmed with stardom as she decides to run away on an adventure inspired by her favorite movie. She finds herself broken down in front of Mr. Right also known as Noah’s front yard. In this small town, Rome KY, these two will find more out about themselves while they try to fight falling for each other. All the small town charm is wrapped up in this beautiful book and it’s truly a must read.

Can’t i just read a book without my stomach starting to rumble? This book captivated me, but also my stomach! Ugh I’m so hungry!!