4.5/5 stars. An adorable small town romance with steamy tension. I really enjoyed this book. Noah is my new book boyfriend. He's so dreamy I hope I can find someone like him (probably not but a girl can dream). If you love those cozy cheesy hallmark movies you will definitely like this book.

When in Rome sounded so cute - and who doesn't love a small town romance? MC Amelia is on a journey to take care of herself, set better boundaries, connect back to her music. Noah, small town guy, is a lovable one under a tough exterior. Put them in the community of Rome and kapow receive for a beautifully delightful story.

This book was a fun, quick read that will leave you with all sorts of good feelings.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

Well, well, if you're looking for a quick-to-read rom-com that makes you giggle like a school girl, you've found the right book.
It's amazing how Sarah Adams manages to make novels with deep meaning, with characters who struggles about finding themselfs in the world, about rediscovering ther passions ans learning how to love again is amazing.
AND THE ROMANCE!! *chef kiss*, grumpy x sunshine never fails, my friends.
You have no idea how this book made me want to run away to a country town and fall in love with a grumpy man who *COOKS* and has a soft spot behind all the angry faces.
Something I also loved about the book was about Amelia's evolution, how she finds people she can trust and how to smile again, as well as being an influence for her to rediscover her passion for music. She doesn't become dependent on other people, but allows herself to receive help, which is needed in real life as well. After all, we are never really alone and every time is the right time to go after your happy ending. I loved it!

3.75⭐
PG for a very closed door romance

What do you get when you take a Hallmark movie and turn the yearning up to 100? This book. Definitely this book!!

Amelia is trying to escape her pop star life when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere in Noah's yard. (SEE?! Definitely a Hallmark movie setup.) So instead of going home or staying at a hotel, she ends up staying with Noah because the town she's in is full of meddling townspeople who would give Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow a run for their money.

This book was the sweet and sappy romance I wanted to read right now. Amelia and Noah couldn't help but want each other even though they knew their lives were not compatible. I loved the small town setting in this book with its vibrant cast of characters, including Noah's sisters. I think the drawback for me was that the full story just didn't feel completely plausible and the ending was pretty predictable.

Overall this book was a fun quick read. If you enjoyed Abby Jimenez's Part of Your World and all the famous/non famous people books released this year, I would pick this book up. I can't wait for Noah's sister Annie's book!

What do you get when you cross a small town pie shop with an international popstar having a mid life crisis? You get When In Rome 😅

3.5 out of 5 ⭐

Sidebar, but anytime I read a book involving baking pies I get SO nostalgic for Pushing Daisies. When In Rome is about a popstar who's crumbling under the pressures of her career and runs away to a small town where she falls in love with a local pie shop owner and learns to take a new look at the relationships in her life.

It's cute but not the greatest small town romance ever. The writing was developed but the prose was not particularly sophisticated. It felt like the equivalent of watching a Lifetime romance on a Friday night with a pizza and an apple pie (my fav!).

Here's some tropes from the story:
- girl's car breaks down and boy rescues her
- guy's family falls in love with her first
- guy puts her career first
- surly guy tries to resist falling in love

Read it or skip it? Read it, but only if you enjoy romance with a side of baking pies 📚

Sarah Adams is an author who quickly became an instant-buy. After reading this, I went back and read everything she has published. When In Rome is a beautiful story that I will recommend to every romance reader.

What an absolutely sweet and delightful novel! I'm so happy I found Sarah Adams' work. I quickly added her to my list of favorite rom-com authors and look forward to reading more from her.

Amelia is an international pop star and burnt out after years of touring nonstop. She worships Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday. If she can't make it to Rome, Italy, she'll make it to the next best thing: Rome, Kentucky. She takes to the road one night to escape and ends up with a broken-down car in Noah's front yard. They have an adorable meet-cute and instant chemistry. She stays at his house for a few weeks while hiding from her public life.

She quickly meets all the local personalities, gets taken in by his three sisters, and eventually reignites her creative spark. She and Noah have amazing chemistry, and watching them fall for each other was so much fun.

This rom-com had so many things that I love in a rom-com: a small town setting, tension without being explicit, a famous person, and lots of funny banter. I really did laugh out loud so much during this one.

Noah and Amelia's banter reminded me of Luke and Lorelai, and I enjoyed that dynamic. So many funny and sweet moments in this book, and I'm happy that she introduced us to Noah's sister, Annie, in this book, who is the main character in her forthcoming rom-com. I can't wait to see more from Annie!

While the cover and description of this one really drew me in, I didn't click with it in the way I hoped. It's definitely more of a "it's not you, it's me" situation. The writing and dialogue are light and fluffy, the characters are your classic grumpy/sunshine, and the overall vibes gave me Hallmark movie to the max. Unfortunately I did not connecting with the characters or their chemistry; for example, their first kiss came out of nowhere. Like, I was blindsided by it because I still saw them as in their early stages of attraction. Overall, though I can definitely see Romance readers enjoying this, and if you're looking for a fun, easy read then this might be for you!

Roman Holiday is my favorite movie, which means this is now my favorite Sarah Adams book (so far). I cannot wait to see more of Rome, Kentucky, and these characters! The dazzling little creampuffs Noah and Amelia made this one a whole treat. Full, more eloquent review here: https://marvelousgeeksmedia.com/2022/09/23/when-in-rome-by-sarah-adams-review-heartwarming-and-full-of-longing/

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

This was my first Sarah Adams and I really enjoyed When in Rome! I loved the small town with the hilarious nosy, but ultimately protective and caring, townspeople. I fell in love with Amelia and Noah's dynamic with her being the sunshiny pop star and him the grumpy pie shop owner. This was a fun, sweet, sexy, and emotional romance that leaves me wanting to read more from this author.

this is Sarah Adams at her best. the banter was on point, I laughed and I cried and I pined. the happily ever after here was well deserved and I can’t wait to see more of this town and the Walker family!

He’s a grump, but he has a tattoo of a pie with flowers. That’s because he owns a small-town pie shop, his sister owns the flower shop next door, and he loves his family dearly. If you’re a grumpy sunshine fan, this might just be your all-time favorite rom-com🧡.
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Oh, and it takes place in Rome. Rome, Kentucky to be exact. No gondala rides, but everyone in town owns a pickup truck 😊.
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Rae Rose is the polite princess of pop and she’s drowning. Everyone wants a piece of her. Her manager wants to control her every movement. Her own mother sells tips about her to the tabloids. She’s had it. So she escapes to the closest town named Rome, but then her car breaks down stranding her on Noah Walker’s front lawn.
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Noah’s already had his heart broken once, and he refuses to get attached to another beautiful big city woman who’s just passing through. He’s the type of guy who falls hard and fast, so there’s no way he’s letting this pop tart into his heart. But will he be able to guard his heart against Rae Rose while she stays with him as her car is being fixed?
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If a snuggie could be a book, it’d be this book🥰. I gasped, I laughed, I cried. (I looked pretty unhinged in a coffee shop while reading this TBH 😂.) Pitch perfect witty banter, grumpy sunshine, cozy small-town vibes, forced proximity, slow-burn. This book has it all!
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Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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When in Rome - Sarah Adams
5/5⭐️

4 stars

I am such a huge Audrey Hepburn fan and Roman Holiday is one of my favorite of her movies. So when I found out the concept of this book was based on Roman Holiday, I couldn't wait to read it.

Rae is a fancy pop star who goes to Rome, KY to escape for a little while from the stress. Noah is a small-town cinnamon roll of a man and the rest of the small-town cast was just lovely. I love small-town romances and this one was lovely. It made my heart happy.

I recommend this book if you like small-town romances. It was just super sweet all around.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to random house and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

No one talk to me. All I can think about is Rae and Noah. This was so good. This is probably one of my favorite type of re-tellings/inspiration books. I love the idea of pulling from Audrey Hepburn and using it in this way. What a fantastic read! This is one you won’t want to miss!

A sweet romcom that had me cozying up with my blanket. Sometimes I just need a light read that has me feeling like a Hallmark movie. This book was it. This was my first book from Sarah Adams and I can't wait to read more.

A fresh spin on the celeb-in-real-life story featuring a pop singer and quiet, country baker dude. Nice cast of supporting characters, great baking scenes and a dash of villainous paparazzi.

When in Rome, by Sarah Adams, is a light-hearted, charming, small town love story about a soulful pop star, Rae Rose who is in desperate need of a break from the chaos and constant pull of her very public life on the road. She’s weary of the superficiality of her stardom and in desperate need of a dose of real life authenticity A spur of the moment decision finds her escaping to Rome…Rome, Kentucky that is, because she only has a few days to spare from her rigorous schedule.

When her plans are foiled by a broken down car…at night…in someone’s front yard, things take a sharp detour. Amelia, “Rae”, ends up staying with reluctant, brooding, once hurt, twice shy, local hunk and pie shop owner, Noah Walker. Noah’s heart has been broken before by a woman passing through who ended up not wanting to live the small town life, and he’s determined not to do it again!

Amelia is down-to-earth, endearing,, and captivated by the small town residents and slower, more genuine way of life, but her life is on the road, touring and making music. The tension and tenderness between the two fated, but resistant lovers mounts, Amelia’s friendship with his quirky, warm and wonderful sisters grows, and questions mount of how she could keep these precious connections when her life is elsewhere.

When in Rome is a sweet, heart-warming story, easy-to-read and one that will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.

Simply saying that I loved this book does not do it justice. I loved everything about it. The small town romance. The "forbidden love". The grumpy/broody man who deep down a big ol softie/teddy bear. I ignored all my responsibilities to read this book. Sarah Adams did an amazing job with this. It was descriptive but not overbearing to the point that there is lack in dialogue. The dialogue.. the banter.. when he called her pop-tart?? I lost it. Immediately I lost it. This book brought joy back to me after reading 3 star reads. If I could give this 10 stars I would. Absolutely loved.

Who wants to move to Rome, KY with me? I fell absolutely head over heels in love with this book. Part celebrity romance, part grumpy sunshine, part small town, and part forced proximity, this book has so many amazing aspects to it. Amelia, better known as superstar singer Rae Rose, decides she's had enough of the insanity of her life and runs away only to find herself in a broke down car on the outskirts of a small town. Her rescuer is local pie shop owner, Noah, who begrudgingly lets Amelia stay with him when the local hotel is supposedly full.

Sparks instantly fly with these two. They have so much chemistry and tension throughout the book. Even though this is closed door, something I'm normally not the biggest fan of, Adams writes her characters with so much longing and intensity that you almost don't notice. I loved every scene with Amelia and Noah. The banter was great and had me laughing out loud while I read as Adams really understands what makes a romantic comedy. Celebrity romances are hit or miss for me, but this one really works. I felt for Amelia and cheered her on as she worked her way to putting herself and her wants first. Noah is a complete mush of a cinnamon roll. The interactions with his friends, sisters and the townspeople only made me fall for him more. While I knew that Adams would leave us with an HEA, I couldn't see how they would work out their situation which kept the book both entertaining and intriguing. I enjoyed it right up to the very last page.

If you love Marina Adair, Jill Shalvis or Kristan Higgins you will love this and any other book that Sarah Adams writes. She is solidly on my must-read list and should be on yours as well.

When In Rome by Sarah Adams is the cutest rom-com! Amelia and Noah are so quirky and fun. The character development moves at a quick pace without missing important details. Everything about this book is fun and gives so many relationship ideas. Everyone in a healthy relationship can relate to the pancakes and the pajamas and the verbal sparing. This is another Sarah Adams win!