I went into this hoping for a fun European rom-com, but boy was I surprised when it was set in Kentucky! But, I wasn't let down, since this one was adorable, sweet, and one of the best romances I've read in a while! It was so much fun, and the banter was quite literally PERFECT!

I enjoyed this grumpy x sunshine small-town romance trope. It's a heartwarming book, but the dialogue was cringy. I had high hopes for this book from reading the author's previous books.

The dynamic between the family members was the best part. It helped move the storyline along.

The chemistry between the love interest wasn't that grappling. I struggled with caring if they would end up together. But there were some adorable moments sprinkled here and there.

The dual POV made it fun. Overall, it was cute, but it dragged. I can picture this as a Hallmark movie, super cheesy and predictable.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: When in Rome
Author: Sarah Adams

Ch: 37 Plus Epilogue

Pg: 320

Genre: Rom Com

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher: Dell



When in Rome is my favorite Sarah Adams book I’ve read. But I think it’s because I’ve always been a sucker for the grumpy sunshine troupe since I was a kid thanks Beauty and The Beast. But I do have to say that even though Noah is a grump he is a perfect modern-day hero who truly does care about his family. Amelia Rose may be a pop star but there’s more than meets the eye.


As a Kentucky girl I loved the small Kentucky town setting. The book has all the charm that makes small town living a charm. But also pointing out that even small-town living isn’t perfect. But people do care.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

To say that I quickly fell in love with this book, would be very accurate. Not only is it a nod to my favorite Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday. The characters are such a joy to get to know. Amelia (a partly cloudy sunshine) and Noah (total grump) were a fun main character pair. This book is easily one on my favorites in 2022 and I recommend to those that want a little small town and big star energy.

Okay - so When In Rome taught me I have an obsession with celebrity/regular people trope novels. Much like The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams, this book follows someone 'in the spotlight' mixing with a regular Joe, and all the things that could alter their relationship should there be one. I LOVE IT. Is that even a trope? If it is, it's close to the top of my favourites.

I absolutely adore Sarah Adams ability to write closed door romance novels that still manage to make me sweat. I usually don't care for closed door, because I want the dark and dirty, but boy does she still make me blush with the absolute TENSION her characters feel and create. I loved the small town setting of this book, they always extra points for me and my small town heart. I loved Amelia, but NOAH ARE YOU KIDDING? Absolute perfection. Bottle him up and sell him because he's an addiction. When In Rome will make you giggle, leave you wiping tears away and smiling from ear to ear - and don't forget a little red and sweaty!

Off to make some pancakes now!

This one is sweet. It's the definition of romcom: light, funny, and definitely romantic. Small town. Sort of gruff hero who is all mush inside. Adorable female protagonist. I thought the retelling of Roman Holiday in Rome, Kentucky was clever. This is definitely a slow burn, but you don't mind because the characters are all really great, and the banter is hilarious. I love the way these two characters tease each other. On a beach, a lazy afternoon, or vacation--this is the perfect getaway book!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC of this book.

I have adored Sarah Adams as a contemporary romance author for quite some time. When I need a palette cleanser or something light, sweet, and funny, she’s one of my go-to authors. This book was exactly what I was expecting, yet so much better. Adams continues to get better with each book she releases.

When in Rome is the story of Amelia Rose, the princess of pop, who needs just a minute to take a deep breath and escape her desire to constantly make sure everyone else gets what they need from her. Her manager is pulling her in every direction, trying to make sure she succeeds. She’s always surrounded, but honestly, she’s lonely. This is very reminiscent of being an almost 30-year-old during a worldwide pandemic, where I imagine Adams drew some personal feelings from. Wouldn’t it be great to just, take a break for a moment? Step back and realize that things move on when you aren’t constantly trying not to fail. I felt those feelings right along Amelia. I even related to her hopping into her first car, a Toyota Corolla, to hit the road to the nearest Rome she could find… Rome, Kentucky (shout out to my own first baby, a 1997 green Toyota Corolla named Franklin).

While her trusty old Toyota helped her escape, it also broke down at exactly the right moment, leading to one of the best meet-cutes in romantic comedy. Amelia’s literally broken down on the lawn of our main hero, Noah, and as a woman in 2022, Amelia smartly doesn’t get out on the car when Noah comes a-knockin’ on her window. You can’t trust most strangers these days, but Noah turns out to be one of the good ones… which he proves, using little old ladies and landline telephones that stretch from kitchen to front yard, apparently.

Noah’s got his hands full with his own personal life, putting it back together after a failure of an engagement. This leaves him weary of females around his age as well as outsiders to his small town. He’s adopted a posture of trusting no one new, and that includes Amelia. He let’s her stay the night, but doesn’t let her in beyond the four walls of his house, until he does. Noah’s unable to resist Amelia’s charm and smile, but these two are AWKWARD AND I LOVED IT. Denying their feelings, or, rather, acknowledging them but trying to avoid them at all costs, leads to some truly funny moments in this story.

When Noah finally decides that Amelia could hurt him but he’s willing to try friendship, the tension bleeds from the page straight into your soul. You just want them both to accept that their chemistry isn’t just, convenient. But they hold on strongly to the desire for friendship, getting to know each other through activities and taking care of one another in small ways. Amelia gets to know a side of Noah he doesn’t really show others, because he’s fiercely protective of his family. He shares vulnerably about his parents and the tragic accident that left its scars on Noah as well as his sisters. Equally as vulnerable, Amelia starts to share some of the ways that she feels disappointed, although selfishly, because she thinks she has the world at her feet.

Adams helps each reader feel like their anxieties, wants, fears, and feelings all matter through the characters of this book. It’s not as if the world gives you everything you want, even if you have everything at your fingertips because of money or privilege. It’s hard to admit when things aren’t going well or that something in your life isn’t working, but watching Amelia and Noah both work through their own feelings helped me feel like I’m not alone. And isn’t that what we all want? To feel seen, valued, important, understood? Adam does that and more within these pages.

There’s a lot of cute moments in this book, some moments that will make you angry, a twist at the end, and then there’s Noah’s big gesture. It’s falling in love in 300 beautiful pages, but not just romantically. It’s love with oneself, love with friends, love with family, and even love within a community. It’s the love of finding your own voice, for taking charge in your own life and speaking truths that you need to in order to get where you’re going. And I’m with Noah, it’s a love of cookies over pie and pancakes any time of day.

Rating: 5 Stars

If you love fade-to-black stories, this is a great romance for you. I also highly recommend The Cheat Sheet and Sarah’s other books. I’ve loved them all. Let me know if you check out Sarah! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you so much Net Galley for providing this ARC*
5/5 stars!!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year!! Sarah Adams can have my whole heart in her hands!! this was such an adorable book. I loved every second.
I don't know what is it about Sarah Adam's books where I can vividly picture every scene in my head and just wish I can bring the whole book to life. I am absolutely obsessed with the small town, grump/sunshine, popstar/pie shop owner details of this book!!

After every book, I just feel so light and happy. It is THE perfect feel-good, sweet and fluffy romance. I couldn't put it down!! I loved everything about it, the banter, the tension, the pining, NOAHH (top-tier book boyfriend!!!).

I love all things Sarah Adams and I think this is my new favorite!

I thought this book was a very cute and quick read. I loved the small town vibes and the celebrity meets small town romance. If you like cutie Hallmark movies, I think this would be a book for you. Unfortunately, I thought the book seemed a little surface level. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and just couldn't really grasp who they were. Overall, I thought it was fine. Not mad I read at all but not a new favorite.

Sarah Adams writes the cutest books. The setting and characters are too stinking adorable! I love Mabel and I cannot wait for the continuation of this series! So so stoked! Plus Audrey Hepburn is seriously the greatest!

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and impartial review:
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4,5*
Pros: Sweet, wholesome and healing, a warm hug in a jar! As a huge countryside fan, this small-town cutesy romance was just up my alley. Amazing and kind main leads, fantastic cast, interesting tropes and plots... It will wrap you up with a nice cup of tea and a slice of pie this winter.
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Cons: Often overly descriptive and very fast-paced for such a deep romance.

When in Rome was another sweet romance by Sarah Adams! I really enjoy her books and look forward to each of them! Definitely an unrealistic plot, but a true breath of fresh air read that was greatly appreciated amongst some heavier books. Thank you Netgalley, Dell paperback and Sarah Adams for the e-copy of this book!

This was cute. Was it something that blew me away and made me eagerly want to pick up at the end of the work day? No. But if you like Hallmark movies in the form of a book then you will definitely enjoy this.

I immediately got excited for the premise of this book. Amelia, aka Rae Rose, a world famous singer, finds the heavy expectations of her rich and famous life to be too much and after watching one of her favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, Roman Holiday, she decides to escape to Rome herself....Rome, Kentucky that is.

This was my first book by the author and I would be interested in reading her others, especially The Cheat Sheet, just to see if her style is similar or not and to see if I'd enjoy that one more.

This is a grumpy/ sunshine trope and those usually aren't my favorite. I also grew a bit frustrated and bored while reading, because we didn't get any romance until I was 85% into the book. It mainly consisted of them trying to deny their feelings and attempting to be friends the majority of the book. If you are wanting a book to recommend to your mother or grandmother, this would be a good one, becasue it is low on the spice meter, like almost nonexistent. So if you prefer that, you are in luck. If you like steam and spice, you will not enjoy it at all as we barely get a description on when they kiss.


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Sarah Adams has done it again! I absolutely loved this cute, romance book and think it should be made into the next Hallmark movie! In the book, Amelia Rose is looking for a quick escape from her pop star life when she first heads to Rome, KY. There she meets Noah, a grumpy, pie shop owner. After helping her out of a bind the two begin to form a fun friendship that turns into something more. This book kept me flipping through the pages with anticipation for when one of them would make the first move. Overall, I highly recommend it, especially if you are looking for a book that will put a smile on your face.

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.