SO cute! 4.5 stars!!!

Read this if you like:
•small town romance
•celebrity romance
•forced proximity
•grumpy x sunshine
•dual POV

Famous city girl falls for a small-town grumpy man, literally SAY LESS👏🏻

Not going to lie, I went into this book fully thinking this was a love story set in Rome, Italy but quickly found out it was actually set in Rome, Kentucky lol. I guess that is what you get for going in blind all the time hahaha. But I actually really loved the small-town vibes Sarah Adams created & enjoyed all parts of the quaint town.

Side note, this is a closed-door romance – with a crack. Which didn’t bother me one bit as it was written so well and the pacing just seemed right. But I think going in knowing that may be helpful!

Things I loved:
Noah and his grumpy attitude
Ameilas kind and humble personality
All the foodie elements
The Roman Holiday movie references
🥹Mabel and all her nosiness / sass
🫂Noah’s relationship with his sisters
The slow burn and tension
James and Noah's bromance
All the other meddling townspeople

Overall, this book felt like a warm hug. Huge thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC!

This one was the coziest kinda book ever. It was like one huge hug bringing you into its pages and I could not get enough of it. From beginning to end it was such a joy to read and I could not recommend it enough! The writing was simply superb and character development was just 👌

Here are the only things I should have to say in order to convince you to read this book:

🛣 immaculate small town vibes
💖 she falls first, but he falls SO MUCH HARDER
🥹 found family excellence (i mean the community in Rome, Kentucky is one of my most favorites ever)
🎤 pop star x small town boy which is a trope I don’t read enough of and it is wonderful

But I will also share some more of my thoughts with you starting with…

Amelia! I absolutely loved her as a protagonist. She was so precious, I just wanted to give her a big hug, and I loved how she was immediately welcomed by Noah’s family and the town. One of the best things about her is how she literally thrives off of Noah’s grumpiness, which makes their dynamic that much more fun.

It was SO MUCH FUN reading Noah’s perspective. His internal dialogue in all its grumpiness was pure brilliance. He was also such a sweetheart, and I could spend ages raving about my new favorite introverted bookish baker.

I ADORED Amelia and Noah’s relationship. I mean the angst? The tension? The yearning? The lack of a third act break-up? An elite couple.

If you ever wished for a version of Roman Holiday with a swoony, romantic happily ever after THAT WE DESERVED, then this book is for you.

And you’re telling me Will is getting a book? With our girl Annie? A bodyguard x flower shop owner romance??! You already know I will be seated.

Following her favorite leading lady’s example, Amelia is heading to Rome. But unlike Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she is driving through the night to the closest Rome- in Kentucky! After her car breaks down in a stranger’s lawn, pop superstar Amelia manages to create her own vacation with the help of local pie shop owner (hot, grumpy, and emotionally jaded) Noah. They admit that a relationship couldn’t work, but even as the two are fearful of catching feelings, they begin developing almost immediately.

I like to think of this almost as a contemporary fiction of two individuals growing and healing from past heartache and trust issues with a side of romance! Noah is stoic yet snarky, while Amelia is cheerful and a little goofy. They slowing breakdown the tough exterior of the other, helped along by Noah’s sisters and a charming town reminiscent of a southern Stars Hollow.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author for an advanced copy of this book! When in Rome is available now!

Wow, she does it again. I'm not gonna lie, I love smut. I tend to steer clear of closed door romances. But when I read the cheat sheet last year I was blown away by how much I didn't care that there weren't any spicy scenes. I received this book as an arc and was amazed again!!! The connection between Noah and Amelia is incredible and the sexual tension is REALLLLL. Noah is absolutely the perfect grump who cares (aka my literal favorite trope). Sarah does such a wonderful job on not only making real characters that you feel deeply for but also making you laugh/squeal/giggle/gasp hahaha pretty much every emotion. A perfect book by a perfect author!

"Care is reckless because it doesn't come with the seat belt that selfishness offers. Care has so much to lose, and almost always ends in heartbreak. Unfortunately, I'm powerless against keeping my heart in check around her anymore. There's a very short list of people in my life that I allow myself to truly care for, and it looks like I just added another name to it."
"This woman looks like a fantasy come to life. Plucked straight out of my best dreams and placed right in my living room. The audacity of her."
When Amelia, "Rae Rose" to her fans, finds herself slowly being emptied, she watches an old classic, Roman Holiday. Audrey inspires her to take a road trip and a break to help her reset. When she ends up broken down in front of Noah's house, he is the last person that wants a run in with someone famous. He treats her like a normal person, and lets her know he's not interested in having a relationship with anyone anytime soon. Noah quickly becomes a safe place for Amelia, and the town of Rome does as well. As she slowly finds herself and her love for music again, will she be able to keep her safe place or will it and her possible relationship with Noah fall by the wayside due to her fame?
I have been eagerly awaiting this new one from Sarah Adams! She is a favorite author of mine and this story didn't disappoint. I loved Amelia and Noah. They were so delightful to get to know, and I enjoyed their banter so much. This author writes romance so well, and watching these two grow in their relationship was so much fun. I loved the town of Rome and the secondary characters. I have high hopes for more stories from Rome and Noah's family! :)
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Before Reading When In Rome, I had never read any of Sarah Adams books. I had heard of her very popular book The Cheat Sheet on Booktok (TikTok) but I never made the move to go and read it. But after reading this book I will for sure be reading all of her books.

When in Rome is a dual POV between the two main protagonists, Noah and Amelia. Amelia is a pop star who is tired of the spotlight and wants to get away. Noah is a small town pie baker who has taken over the family pie shop. He has three other sisters who are all so close you will instantly get jealous of their sibling relationship and dynamic.

Spoilers ahead

We first meet Amelia as she realizes that her car is breaking down in the middle of nowhere in a town she does not know. Granted she is on a mission, a mission to get to Rome... well Rome, Kentucky. Inspired by her favorite actress Audrey Heprun she tried to get away from her very hectic life as a singer. Little does Amelia know that she has broken down in front of a grumpy pie shop owner's home. From the window of his living room he is watching a strange lady inside her car. Against his own better judgment he comes outside of his house towards the car and in the process startles Amelia who has already made the decision of sleeping in her car.

The book overall was a fast read, It had a great pace and a good plot twist. I did wish the ending didn't feel rushed.

I won't spoil the rest of the book because it is a journey for you to read but this book has everything you’ve wanted.

A Grump x Sunshine trope ✓
Small Town Romance ✓
City girl x Small town boy ✓
Only has a soft spot for her✓

I also want to give a huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a cute romcom done by Sarah Adams! I don't have many critiques, it just wasn't my favorite. I absolutely LOVED "The Cheat Sheet" but unfortunately I didn't love this one as much. I will continue to read the books put out by sarah adams!

In this novel we find Amelia, a popstar who is on the lam, trying to escape her high stress busy life. In a fit of probable mania and not thinking straight, she gasses up her old car and takes off towards the nearest Rome a la Audrey Hepburn. That's all fine and dandy until the old car gives out. Noah, a once scorned pie shop owner with a chip on his shoulder happens to own the yard in which Amelia's car dies. Fast forward to a romantic comedy that ensues.

You know those books that once you start, you absolutely have to cancel all plans because you have to know how the story ends? Even if that means that you have skirt all responsibility for the next few hours... or maybe that's just me. I absolutely fell in love with the writing style and the characters of this book. You wanted to cheer for Amelia, especially when she finally showed up for herself. You also wanted to just pinch Noah on the cheek, because dangit if it wasn't the perfect love interest. It was like they both were my old friends by the end, and I myself grew up in the town of Rome, Kentucky. It was an incredibly easy book to just lose yourself in. The story made my heart feel whole, and I might have even shed a tear at the end. Truly, a well written, adorable, mostly clean romance book that was just as sweet as powdered sugar.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of When in Rome. All opinions in this review are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5
🌶️ No spice, some tension.

Let me start off by saying that the writing style of this book was not my cup of tea. I feel that the style came off very juvenile which had me going back and forth over how I felt about the story overall. I think I just had a hard time believing that these characters were in their late 20s / early 30s. As I read, I found myself frustrated with the main characters and the way their stream of consciousness came off. Don’t get me wrong, the story hooked me and the slow burn kept me reading, but I wish there had been more.

Read if you liked:
Part of Your World 🐐
Slow burn 🔥
Celebrity/small town romance 🎤
Pancakes 🥞

When I’m Rome was published on September 20, 2022.

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House Ballentine, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, bless my ever lovin' Audrey Hepburn pie loving heart! Adams writes a delightful grumpy/sunshine story set in a small town with one of my favorite indulgences--a celebrity vs a normal person. Gah, I love that trope!

Amelia needs a break from the high demands of performing on stage before she sets off on her world tour and turns to her idol, Audrey, for inspiration. Rome, Kentucky is a lot closer than Rome, Italy, so that's where she heads and a hilarious first meet with resident grump, Noah, is all it takes for her heart to settle and sparks to fly.

I absolutely adored the close-knit Walker family, as well as the quirky, nosy small town residents. The flowers, pie, fishing trips, and pancakes had my heart soaring. I couldn't get enough of the banter and chemistry as I watched slow changes occur within the characters. In fact, I'm ready to pack my bags and find myself a small town where you never know where your truck is because everyone just borrows everyone's. But...I could've done without the amount of language. I've been an Adams fan for years and was surprised but this turn in her latest book. Personally, I appreciated the swoony moments and that things faded to black. I love a good romantic anticipation, as that build up is so engaging. Depending on preference, the innuendo could be considered light to moderate+. I would consider this a PG-13 book.

I'm hoping to read more about the Walker family--wouldn't that be a fun series *hint, hint*? Amelia and Noah have a swoony place in my heart for sure.

Content: moderate romance (innuendo, fade to black, swoony kissing); moderate language (mild words but A LOT of them)

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

This was a perfect segue into fall rom com. Thank you @randomhouse for the free #gifted copy of When in Rome by Sarah Adams. This book is available now.

Amelia, aka Rae Rose, is a pop sensation that is burned out. In the weeks leading up to her international tour, she decides to peace out for a bit without telling anyone. Because of her obsession with Audrey Hepburn, she chooses to go to Rome, which is unfortunately too far, so she settles on Rome, Kentucky. Before she even arrives, her car breaks down in the front yard of Noah Walker, the very cute, and very grumpy, owner of The Pie Shop. It’s going to take two weeks to get her car fixed, so Noah reluctantly agrees that she can stay with him until then. And I’ll stop there, because #nospoilers.

Be warned, this is a closed door and slow burn rom com. It was cute and funny, but y’all know I like my 🔥🌶️ so that was really the biggest drawback for me.

Fans of this author will definitely enjoy this one, and unless you don’t like closed door romances, I think most rom com fans will like it.

3.5 stars rounded up

I absolutely loved The Cheat Sheet, but this one fell a little flat for me. Definitely cute and would suggest to read, but nothing spectacular.

I liked this book! It had some funny sarcasm and wit and was a RomCom with substance and a few scenes that made me tear up.

It was the first book in a while that I read most of it in one sitting! I’ve been so busy and in a bit of a slump the past few months.

The ending was a little weak. It seemed rushed and wrapped up too neat and tidy and the little old ladies were cheesy characters.

Overall, I give it 3.5 stars!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

This has all the makings of a super cute romcom!

Celebrity in hiding - check
Grumpy hottie - check
Small town perfection - check
Hilarious supporting characters - check
Witty banner & swooning - check

Romance fans, enjoy!

When In Rome features Amelia Rose, famously known as Rae Rose the pop sensation. She is burnt out and wants a break. She takes inspiration from her favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn, and heads to Rome. Well, Rome Kentucky. Her car breaks down in the front yard of Noah Walker, a local pie shop owner and the grump to Amelia’s sunshine. The local lodging is booked so Noah lets Amelia stay with him while sparks fly. Yep. This is a sunshine-grump trope, also close proximity trope.
I have read many Sarah Adams books and she just keeps getting better with her writing. She really does a good job of bringing characters to life. I really enjoyed Amelia and Noah. Sure. Noah is a grump but he has a sweet heart and is only grumpy to keep people at a distance. He has a love for everyone in his small town. I was rooting for Amelia and hated that the people around her were not being supportive. The way she talks about she used to love what she did but almost feels obligated to keep doing it was sad. Love the townsfolk and how everyone was so colorful and memorable even if they were featured for only a short chapter. I am hoping there might be other Rome books since Noah has 3 lovely sisters and a funny best friend.
I would highly recommend this book. It was a cute read and once I got into it, I needed to finish it in one night. If you are looking for a closed door romance, Sarah Adams does a really good job of keeping the heat and spice but also keeping it respectable. I like a good raunchy book but it is nice to have ones where we don’t have to know everything that goes on in the bedroom (nudge nudge wink wink as Noah says).
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Dell, and the fabulous Sarah Adams for the e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own 😊

Going into this book I was not expecting a lot, much less to love it as much as I did. This is my first book by Sarah Adams and I still have to read "The Cheat Sheet" which will happen at some point. Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed reading "When in Rome" which was a fun, entertaining romance.

"When in Rome" is the world of Rae Rose and Noah Walker. Rae Rose is a grammy award winning artist, very much sunshine gal while Noah Walker is a grumpy country guy. The grumpy-sunshine trope shined bright within this book. Rae aka Amelia needs an escape from her life as a star so she takes a little trip to Rome, Kentucky where mister Noah lives. When her car breaks down in front of Noah's house, she has to stay in guest room while her car is being fixed up. Noah is obviously very unhappy with this and plans to keep his distance from her as he does not need another city girl coming to disrupt his life.

However, as one night turns into several nights, the chemistry cannot be ignored and you soon are on a heartwarming journey where they find their happily ever after with each other. This book was really cute and had so many feel good moments. If you're looking for something light and fluffy, this one is for you!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute, light romance featuring Amelia, a hugely popular pop singer who has lost her spark and her joy in music. She’s about to embark on a world tour but she feels like she's drowning and no one around her seems to notice. She adores old Audrey Hepburn movies, so one night she turns to Roman Holiday for inspiration and decides to ditch her constant security detail and “run away” to the nearest Rome, which just happens to be Rome, Kentucky, 2 hours away from her Nashville home. Just outside of the village, her car breaks down on the front lawn of Noah, an outwardly grumpy, inwardly cinnamon roll of a baker who owns the local pie shop, which he took over from his grandmother even though he hates pie. Amelia ends up taking up residence in his home temporarily when she has to wait for delayed car repairs. These two proceed to bicker and banter in equal measure, while fighting a powerful attraction to each other. The problem is that there’s no way Amelia can stay past her two week break, and there’s no way Noah will leave. He did that once for an out of towner that he fell in love with and 3 years later, he is still not over the collapse of that relationship.

There were plenty of tropes I loved in this book and lots of fun banter, but for some reason, I wasn’t able to connect to the characters and found that I wasn’t fully engaged in the story. Once I put it down, I didn’t feel compelled to pick it back up, but I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t love it. I do think that other readers will love it. I did love all of the family and friends that Noah was surrounded with, especially his three sisters who didn’t hesitate to pull Amelia into their orbit when she so clearly needed some sympathetic friends. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

When In Rome is a standalone rom-com by Sarah Adams. It's told from POV with a HEA
Tropes:
✔️ small town
✔️ forced proximity
✔️ grumpy-sunshine
✔️ insta-love

When pop star Amelia Rae Rose realizes she’s too tired and disillusioned with her career, she does what Audrey Hepburn did and went to Rome. That is Rome, Kentucky without much of plan and then finds herself stranded in middle of nowhere, without cellphone.

After Noah Walker, the small town’s cantankerous pie shop owner, finds Amelia in his front lawn and convinces her he’s not a serial killer, he offers her to stay at his place while her car gets fixed.

Even though the attraction was instantly mutual, they never imagined they’d feel so deeply about each other, but can their completely different lifestyles blend together?

I’m a bit conflicted about this book. It really was a sweet and pleasing story with lovely meet cute, incredibly charming side characters, a grumpy hero who’s really a sweet cinnamon roll and a heroine you can’t help but love. Their banter was fun and the happy ending was swoony.

I feel like I was never able to fully connect with the Noah and Amelia’s romance. Yes it was slow burn and closed door, but I was ok with that. Mostly I believe it was because I was told about their chemistry and connection rather than actually see it developed. I also felt like the ending was a somewhat rushed.

Overall though, I did love how Amelia rediscovered herself and enjoyed the light and sweet story that made me smile.

By the numbers quick review:
★ Hero: 👤👤👤👤
★ Heroine: 👤👤👤👤
★ Plot: 📚📚📚📚
★ Romance: 💕💕💕
★ Overall Rating: 3.75
★ Sexiness: 🔥 <-- I'm not including this since it's a "clean romance." Just thought you'd like to know

Big town, famous Amelia runs away from her life for a quick solo hiatus to the middle of nowhere. She drives away in a beater and, as one would expect, breaks down in front of a house in the middle of nowhere. What could be the perfect setup for a horror film leads to her meet-cute with semi-reclusive Noah (which is the highlight of the book for me).
The strong beginning had me utterly delighted and ready to read another fun romcom from Sarah. Fairly quickly though, I lost the urge to binge. The characters came across as shallow and the writing was repetitive - constantly mentioning the way characters looked or dressed, for example - with little substance. I expected more and was sadly disappointed. I read half about six weeks before pub day, set it aside, and then just barely picked it back up through audio just to finish it.
The narrators, Karissa Vacker and Andrew Eiden, are always a delight to listen to and the main reason I returned to the novel and finished it. I think I could read almost anything from this duo.
Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for the advanced copy and PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.