5 glittery sparkling stars! I adored this book!!! From the first page I was completely hooked. Amelia was the perfect sunshine-y heroine, and Noah was the perfect grumpy hero. As soon as I read the synopsis that included the name, Audrey Hepburn, I knew I had to read it. Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies and Amelia's love for it and the parallels between the book and movie are sweet perfection. This book gave me all the feels....I laughed, cried and smiled. I love a good small town romance and the fact that it was in Kentucky was special to me as my Grandma was from there. Coming from a family of southerners made this all the more endearing. The supporting cast was so fun and the character development was chef's kiss! I would love for this to be a series and to see where Noah's sister's stories would go.

So what are you doing still reading my review? Go pick this book up ASAP!!!! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute and charming read for me! What really drew me into this book was it being based in a little town named Rome, Kentucky. Though I haven't been to Rome, having a book based in my home state and where I live is so exciting!! I loved this cute little romance, although there were some quirks I didn't love as much, but would definitely recommend or even read again.

Are you looking for a sweet escape? Do you enjoy a Hallmark vibe? When in Rome is exactly what you are for in your next read. From quirky town folk to small-town romance, this closed door love story checks all the boxes.

Is there a character (except you know who in this book) that Sarah writes that I won’t love? That remains to be seen!⁣
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Noah and Amelia have some sizzling chemistry from their first meeting, on his lawn after her car broke down. The string pulling these two together was strong and did its work quickly! ⁣
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Noah was one of the best grumps I’ve read in a while and I loved him and his caretaker personality! ⁣
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Rome, Kentucky was filled with the best side characters! Another fictional little town I wish I could go visit to buy flowers at Annie’s flower shop and pick up one of Noah’s pies on the way home! ❤️⁣
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Highlights:⁣
🥧 grumpy/sunshine, celebrity romance⁣
🥧 small town⁣
🥧 sisters who you’ll love and want a story for each of them⁣
🥧 Sarah’s signature fade-to-black steam felt a little less “closed door” this time and I was here for it! (You go, Sarah!) She has a way of satisfying that steam-itch without leaving that door open and it’s magic! ⁣
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Don’t sleep on this one, friends!!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read anything by Sarah Adams, but I will be planning to go back and read more of her work after this book! I had a fun time reading about Rae Rose (a.k.a Amelia) and Noah Walker. I love the Audrey Hepburn style of story. Was it cheesy? Yes. Did I love it? Also yes. If you love a small-town romance with sunshine/grumpy vibes, this book is for you. I often giggled or smiled due to the banter between Amelia and Noah. Overall, I was impressed with the book and would recommend it to others.

When I started this book, I was turned off immediately. The main characters seem to be around my age, but their internal dialogue is so immature and repetitive. I was very close to not continuing with this book by chapter 3, but decided to continue on.
Now, for me this book did get better. There was still a LOT of internal dialogue, but it kind of tapers off towards the end and I was getting sucked into the storyline and was invested about halfway through. Although there were many cheesy parts, it was still a cute story. I would have given this 4 stars, but the beginning was way too cheesy with the immature, constant, internal dialogue.

Amelia is a pop singer that goes by Rae Rose. Amelia used to have a close relationship with her mother, but it seems as if she might just be using her daughter. Amelia's manager, Susan, is the closest person to her. She LOVES Audrey Hepburn and decides to try and give herself a break in her busy schedule by recreating one of her movies. But with Rome, Italy being too far away, she drives through the night to get to Rome, Kentucky. Did I mention she didn't tell her manager? When she gets to Rome, she finds herself in a small town that has no cell reception, but really great people- one of them being Noah, a handsome, hospitable pie shop owner. Will Amelia's adventure be just like her favorite movie of Audrey Hepburn's? As Noah and Amelia become closer, Amelia's celebrity life comes knocking with paparazzi and her manager saving the day. With this Amelia learns a lot of new things about herself and her life and decides to create her own path and finally make her own decisions.

When in Rome by Sarah Adams is a brilliantly fun romance between a pop star looking to find some peace and a grumpy baker wanting to be left alone. When Amelia Rose's (stage name: Rae Rose) car breaks down in Noah Walker's front yard—her main objective is just trying to escape her life and his main objective is to get her away from him. However, the more time that they spend together—the more that their attitudes change. When in Rome by Sarah Adams is a beautifully sweet romance with great main characters, hilarious banter, and fun side characters set in a charming small town. For lovers of The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams or other sweet small town romance novels, When in Rome by Sarah Adams is a must read.

Amelie, AKA Rae, Rose needs a break from stardom and before her upcoming tour. She embarks on a vacation after inspired by Roman Holiday, which lands her in Rome, Kentucky. She finds herself alone and afraid in a smoking broken down car in the middle of no where.

Noah is a baker, jaded in love, and just happens to have a strange woman in her smoking broken down car stuck in his front yard. After eventually convincing her to leave her vehicle and come inside, the two end up stuck together waiting out repairs. Over the course of the book, they learn about each other, themselves, and romance.

When in Rome is a wonderful small town romance with elements of Roman Holiday. It's a really nice sweet romantic read perfect for an afternoon. Amelie and Noah are likable despite their faults. Adams does a wonderful job expressing their emotions in writing. Amelie and Noah both grow as individuals over the course of the story. The book is a closed door romance. There is plenty of tension and intimacy, but keeps the spice off the pages. Overall, it's a really nice small time romance filled with plenty of endearing moments.

Such a cute book!!! Super easy to read and a sweet romance! Picture a Hallmark movie in book form!! I loved all the characters and enjoyed seeing how their relationships developed. This was my first Sarah Adams book and it did not disappoint!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital version of this in exchange for my honest review!

“Don’t push her away and become unreachable because you’re afraid to lose her.”

Amelia, aka Rae Rose, Pop Princess needs a break from her hectic life. Taking after one of her favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, Roman Holiday she also left for Rome. In her case though Rome, Kentucky. Small town with lots of amazing people including grumpy baker Noah.

Noah Walker is grumpy, pie shop owner just wants to focus on his business and his family. He has no time for romance though everyone in his small town disagrees. He especially has no time for someone who’s just passing through, been there, done that, definitely not doing that again.

While in Rome, Amelia ended up staying at Noah’s house, not his first choice but it seems fate wants to meddle for a little bit. Opposites attract and all, the more they spend time together, the harder it is to ignore the attraction and chemistry between them. They both try their best though because she’s about to leave for a world tour and he’s definitely not leaving Rome again.

This slow burn, close proximity, sweet romcom is a gem!

Enjoyed the bantering between Amelia and Noah. Love Noah’s grumpy cinnamon roll self and Amelia’s journey to finding herself again. The meddling but loyal townspeople are the best!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Let me just start off by saying, this small town is definitely giving me the vibes of Miley’s home town in the Hannah Montana Movie. I love the trope of celebrity woman meets ordinary man that has non-corporate job- I just eat it up. Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies and I feel like this book did it justice. The ending is absolutely delightful and the epilogue was exquisite- a celebrity gossip article speculating on her new engagement and quiet life, perfection. The execution of her celebrity status was very refreshing and not over done. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed this one immensely more. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cute quick read.

I don't think there is a book that Sarah Adams can write that I won't enjoy! She is the queen of closed door romance that gives you all the feels and still gives the spice. If you enjoy a dual pov with cute banter then this is your next read. I'm a huge fan of going into a book blind and I would just recommend you pick this one up and give it a read.

Tropes
* Insta attraction
* Celebrity/small town
* Grumpy/sunshine
* Audrey Hepburn topics/references

My thoughts:
This one started off so abruptly. It jumped so suddenly into the story that I didn’t feel invested in these characters until 35% ish. Instalust/love is not my cup of tea. Additionally, celebrity tropes are not my favorite, so I think I was coming into this one a bit behind on the game. The first 30% of the book felt so rushed for me, and I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and understanding their connection to each other. But then something clicked and it started to feel a bit more like a Sarah Adams book once I hit 35%, and I couldn’t put it down after that. Knocking a star because I did have a hard time getting into it.

Overall, I loved getting to know Rome and Noah’s sisters; and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

I’ve seen a handful of reviews saying this is their first Sarah Adams book to pick up, and not feeling the vibe - but if that’s the case, pleaseeeeeee give her other books a try because it did feel very different in a lot ways from her previous work (her self published books are my favorites).


Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Immediately this book felt like a hallmark movie. The celebrity ending up in a small town and meeting the single town hunk? Yes, please!

After the fun start, however, I felt like it slowed down a lot. I found myself less enthused in the back and forth between the two main characters — and thus less invested in their relationship. I felt like while the book attempted to build angst, it did not succeed in doing so. The more drawn out their non-relationship was, the less I believed they’d end up in one at all.

By the halfway point of the book I found myself really checked out. Before hitting 80% I was bored. I felt terrible about it because I had high hopes for this one but I ended up skimming through the end to finish it.

Unfortunately, not recommending it. Two stars for the start/potential.

I loved this book from the start and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. It is a slow burn with off the page romance. I found myself rooting for Amelia and Noah and loved their banter back and forth. #WheninRome #NetGalley

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

When in Rome was an adorable celebrity meet cute romance. I LOVE Sarah Adams as an author - all her books have such great banter and lots of great sarcastic jokes. All around this was a great story - there was a good plot outside the romance but the romance was fun and interesting and a little unpredictable.

If you love the small town, celebrity, and forced proximity tropes then you will enjoy this romance. A grumpy/sunshine combo made for a fun and flirty romance. This is a closed-door romance so there are no steamy parts.

I loved this book so much! The grumpy/sunshine main characters were so lovable and had me adoring this right away. Insta love is not usually my favorite but the author made it work this time in a more believable manner. The “big issue” that always happens toward the end of a romcom was so refreshing in this book. I don’t want to say too much and create spoilers. I just loved that it wasn’t some big stupid thing that could have been resolved if the characters just talked which is so common in the genre. I was so sad when this was over.

A perfect light read for these times. I’ll recommend to bookclubs and to friends who are traveling. Thanks for the galley.

Se você quer um romance doce e gostoso para passar a tarde lendo, Sarah Adams sempre terá uma boa opção para você. Desta vez, a autora traz a história de Rae Rose, uma cantora famosa que está esgotada mentalmente por manter por anos uma imagem de diva pop. Inspirada pelo filme Rome Holiday, ela pega um carro e parte para Roma. Não essa que você está pensando. É Roma, uma cidade do interior em Kentucky.

Noah Walker vive feliz na pacata cidadezinha, então jamais esperaria que, em frente a sua casa, uma mega cantora famosa que quebraria seu carro e ele teria esperado que abrigá-la. De início, ele queria fugir dessa responsabilidade, mas não é como se fosse possível. Além disso, a medida que ele passa os dias com Amelie, ele percebe que é ainda mais difícil manter seguro o seu coração.

A tentassem ainda super autoras, que o tentam manter como todos os personagens e suas pessoas sejam bem próximas que elas sejam capazes de manter. Apesar de Amelie estar fugindo da sua outra vida, ela sabe que em algum momento terá que ir embora. E, em contrapartida, Noah não tem pretensão nenhuma de sair.

É difícil não ficar aflita durante a leitura porque eles são muito fofos juntos, mas como fazer um relacionamento de mundos tão diferentes dar certo? Ambos querem proteger, mas é impossível.

Não julgo Amelie por ficar de quatro num cara que faz torta, ama flores, é um leitor assíduo, bonito e atencioso com sua família e de um caráter invejável. E, ainda que Noah tente se proteger, não tem como não ser atingido pela doçura de Amelie.

Eu torci horrores pelo casal e curti a imensidão de cenas doces entre eles. O final foi maravilhoso e ainda me apeguei aos personagens secundários e estou torcendo para ter mais livro deles. Inclusive, já sei que Will e Annie terão um ano que vem e estou ansiossísima.

Happy pub day @authorsarahadams 🥳

What do you get when you mix a grumpy pie shop owner with a ray of sunshine pop star? A recipe for a fan-freaking-tastic book, that’s what!!

Noah is a small town pie shop owner and a classic, no frills man, through and through. He’s been burned by past love and has had more than his fair share of heartache. When Rae Rose, Amelia IRL, lives out her Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday fantasy and escapes stardom in little Rome, Kentucky, their paths collide in a way neither expected.

This is where all of the best bits come into play.
🥧 grumpy/sunshine
🥧 cinnamon roll hero
🥧 small town
🥧 forced proximity
🥧 endless tension
🥧 chemistry that just won’t quit

Ugh, the tension and chemistry 🥰swoon🥰 I mean, these two had to literally lay out ground rules to keep themselves strictly in the friend zone. Let’s face it, who are they even trying to kid.

What really got me with this book was all the emotion and vulnerability. Noah and Amelia both laid down their masks and bared it all for each other. It was so achingly sweet and tender. They were each trying to keep their struggles hidden, but when they were able to really, truly SEE one another, it was like a shot to my heart ♥️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️