Thank you first of all, netgalley and Sarah Adams for letting me read this early! While I did think this was a nice and easy read I may have hyped myself up too much for it. I am a cheat sheet defender with my life and I think I had the issue of comparing the two books the whole time. I was not as attached to the characters in When in Rome as I was with the Cheat Sheet but that may also just be because I read it second. Overall, it is still a solid read with a cute premise and I am still a big Sarah Adams fan. 🙌

Reader’s Notes:

– this is told from Amelia & Noah’s points of view

– there are about 70 curse words

– there is some innuendo

– there is a fade to black scene (prior only has the guy without his shirt and them kissing)

– there is an on page sex scene (not tons of detail, but still enough)

– there is a scene where they kiss and the girl’s shirt is removed so it’s just a bra

Review:

I took off stars because there was a lot more cursing than I expected from this author (in general I don’t like to read curse words in books either) and because of the last 2 points from the reader’s notes. None of that am I ok with reading. Had it none of it been in this story, I would have rated it the full five stars (see below what I loved about it).

I loved the people of Rome, Kentucky! I loved that they welcomed Amelia into their small town life with barely batting an eye and kept her location secret from the media. I loved Amelia and Noah’s banter and how Amelia knew what buttons to press for Noah to give her a reaction. I loved that the author gave us the distinction of what Rae Rose would have done and showed us who Amelia is to better show the weight Amelia had been carrying around. I loved Noah’s sisters and James and how they interacted with our main characters and also would poke fun at them. I loved Annabelle especially with her tally book and her quiet personality taking everything in. Some of my favorite scenes included: pancakes, dinner at James’ house, nights with Noah’s sisters (whether it be with Amelia and/or Noah), escaping the paparazzi, and the town’s people being nosey.

Amelia is a pop star known as Rae Rose who feels like she isn’t seen/known by the people around her and is burdened with constant things to do for work with little to no time for herself. She needed to get away and decided to follow one of her all time favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, Roman Holiday, and go to the closest city of Rome that she could to have her own adventure where no one could find her. Which is how Amelia finds herself in a broken down car in Rome, Kentucky. Luckily, she ends up in front of a man’s house who is willing to help her out. Unfortunately, he also doesn’t want her around once he realizes who she is. But the fact that he doesn’t like her pop star persona is refreshing and Amelia soaks up every moment she can, especially when Noah begins to warm up to the real her that no one has allowed her to show in so long.

When Noah found a woman’s car broken down in front of his house, he knew he had to help in whatever way he could. After all, that’s how his grandma raised him. But when he finds out that the woman is a celebrity, he’s reluctant to continue the hospitality. He was burned once by someone who loved the hustle and bustle of city life and couldn’t understand his loyalty to family. But after a firm talking to from a strong voice in his life, Noah knows he can’t assume Amelia is the same and act accordingly. So Noah allows her to stay in his guest bedroom until her car is ready for the road again, but he avoids her like the plague. At least, he tries to. But Noah keeps getting drawn to the woman he knows will have to leave him behind. Amelia is much different than he expected, and he’s finding it even harder to believe he won’t fall for her.

When Amelia’s life finds her, will they be able to stand for their love? Or will the life of a pop star celebrity tear their love apart?

Read it for the:
- unique, romantic plot
- Grumpy/ Sunshine, opposites attract trope
- Flirt and Humor
- small town vibes (gossip, meddling neighbors, best friends, supportive sisters)
- Aubrey Hepburn references

Final rating: 4/5

Content overview:
Mild language
Trigger warnings - talk of panic attacks and depression, childhood trauma including dealing with the death of parents, abandonment issues
Heat level - Mild. Kissing scenes (including one steamier make out scene) two closed door scenes but nothing graphically described (skippable for a more clean read if preferred)

The review:

Famous singer Amelia Rae Rose planned to escape from the lime light in the very small town of Rome, Kentucky. She didn’t expect her car to break down or the lack of cell service in the mountains. She definitely didn’t expect to find herself sharing a home with the handsome, albeit grumpy, Noah Walker. And for sure, neither of the two expected or could ignore the growing connection between them.

This was my first book by author Sarah Adams and It made a good first impression.

The relationship between Amelia and Noah was well paced and realistic. Both had flaws and struggles that I felt readers could relate to and kept the characters grounded. the plot tackled some difficult topics, but never overshadowed the romance and the chemistry between the main characters.

I felt the focus of this book was the romance rather than the plot overall. I will say the romance, although closed door/fade to black, was steamier than what I am comfortable reading. But, I found it could be modified for a cleaner read.

I also loved the elements of humor and banter the cast of side characters brought. Each character added to the story and gave it a light heartiness to make this a well rounded read. Be warned though, you will crave pie and or pancakes at any given point while reading.

Looking forward to reading more books by Sarah Adams, and rereading this one. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before the official release. Although this book was provided to me in the form of an ARC, this review is my own.

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review! This does not impact my review

A cute, charming, small town romance with your much needed dose of grumpysunshine trope. Amelia “Rae” Rose is a famous singer who’s car breaks down and she finds herself on the lawn of a handsome small town boy who has no phone and dislikes fame but knows exactly who she is – but is not impressed.

When in Rome was incredibly sweet and a fun refreshing story to kick off fall. I was surprised to find I liked the fame storyline because those are often hit or misses with me. Amelia was a likeable MC and I think it was great we got to have the dual POVs for this story. The town the story takes place in feels cozy and I felt like I was right there with the characters and was another town member wanting the gossip from local pie shop owner, Noah.

The one thing I didn’t like was the heavy internal dialogue. I’m not usually a fan of it. It wasn’t a make or break situation here since the rest of the writing wasn’t bad but if I were to nitpick it would be that.

I wasn’t a big fan of Adams other work ‘Cheat Sheet’ but I found myself really liking this one. I’ll be on the lookout for more of her works in the future.

When in Rome...but make it Rome, Kentucky.

A burnt-out pop star takes time off and ends up in the love interest's front yard in a broken down car, but won't get out of the car because he might be a serial killer..
I felt attacked and laughed so hard at this book. 'Though the main character was a pop star, Sarah Adams makes her so relatable.

A super cute grump vs sunshine romance. Amelia Rose aka Rae Rose is a burnt out pop star that just needs a break and some peace to herself. After watching one of her favorite Audrey Hepburn movies “Roman Holiday,” she decides to find the closest Rome and visit. Rome, Kentucky is where Amelia ends up.

Amelia’s car is a beaten up 20+ old car on its last legs that she keeps around for old time’s sake. She drives the several hours to Rome but just outside the town as her car breaks down on someone’s front lawn. The homeowner, Noah Walker, comes out to try to help her. Thus begins the banter of Noah and Amelia. And banter it is. He tries hard to stay away and she pushes all of his buttons. The road to falling in love is lightening fast (seriously, like a week and a half) but the chemistry written between the two is lovely.

There are some great secondary characters like his sisters, Mabel, and the other small town residents. It’s an entertaining, pretty clean romcom that uses the following tropes:

Grump vs sunshine
Small town
Forced proximity
Famous girl and ordinary boy

This book comes out today! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for this eARC.

Rae Rose is a iconic, award-winning pop singer who finds herself at wits end. Burnt out from a career that demands the world of her, Rae ventures out on a road trip that will be a journey all her own. That is until her car breaks down in approximately the middle of nowhere.
Noah Walker is a seemingly simple man living in a small town. So he is certainly surprised when he finds a pop star broken down on his front lawn.
Will this trip result in a heartbreaking Roman Holiday or is there something greater that will take root?

I really enjoyed this book. I have come to appreciate Sarah Addams charming and hilarious writing style. I read the Cheat Sheet recently and found the banter to be amazing. The same can be said for this book. I loved the small town feeling and how connected everyone was. It was fun to watch Noah become more open throughout the book. Overall, a great read. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Addams backlist as well as future releases.

⭐️ Pub Day Book Review ⭐️

Book: When in Rome
Author: @authorsarahadams
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend: Yes

This was my first Sarah Adams book and it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved Noah and Amelia. Their banter had me laughing out loud a few times. I also love the small town romance. It definitely reminded me of Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls so of course I was a fan!

Synopsis:

Amelia also known by her stage name of Rae Rose, is a famous pop star who is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. Amelia decides to take a break from the limelight for a little bit before her scheduled 9 month tour. She channels her inner Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday and drives off in the middle of the night to the closest Rome she could find which happens to be a small town in Kentucky. During her night travel, her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere.

Noah Walker is a grumpy pie shop owner in the small town. When he finds Amelia in his front yard in her broken down car, he helps her get her car fixed so she can be on her way. Noah lets Amelia stay in his spare room until she gets her car fixed, but he makes it very clear that he wants nothing to do with her famous life or a relationship.

Over the span of the two weeks it takes for Amelia's car to get fixed, sparks fly between the two. They keep denying their feelings for each other since they know Amelia's time in Rome has to come to an end just like Audrey's did in Roman Holiday.

#wheninrome #romekentucky #sarahadams #pubday #pubdayreview #bookreview #smalltownromance #pieshopowner #popstar #pie #gilmoregirlsvibes #grumpysunshine #thrillerswithtibbs #romcom #booksmakemehappy #readingismyhappyplace #bookwormlife #bookworm

3.5

this was a cute, fast paced small town romance with grumpy x sunshine trope and sprinkle of forced proximity. It was a delightful story. Very corny may I add.


I liked Amelia and Noah. They were so adorable and I enjoyed reading about their journey together. The book is very clean so there wasn’t any spicy moments but their was a sexual tension in the air. I loved their banter it was hilarious and i never wanted it to end. Also I need to talk about the side characters in the town because they are funny and also very sweet! I want to know more about them and I want to live in their town.

I loved some scenes in the book. However, I found the dialogues cringy at times (I kinda counted them and they were around 10ish cringe worthy moments). The book didn’t dive into the feelings the characters were having. It was on the surface level which i get considering it’s a rom-com but i didn’t really appreciate that. I wanted more. Still i enjoyed the book.

If you are looking for a simple, teeth rotting fluffy romance, this one is for you.

Thank you so much penguin random house for providing me an eARC in exchange of an honest

This was my first novel by Sarah Adams and it will not be my last. I loved this one and I could not put it down.

Right off the bat, this story had me hooked and I had a hard time putting it down. I stayed up very late one night to finish it. Sometimes you just crave a good romance and this was it for me. I have to point out that this story got some bonus points because I am so in love with the MC’s name- Amelia Rose. This name is #1 on our baby list! So crazy but it made me love the name even more by the end of the book. This is also a modern take on Audrey Hepburn’s Roman Holiday. I was so excited because I love Audrey!!

Amelia has been in the limelight since she was a teen. She’s adrift, lost, and feels the need to get away. She ends up in this small town and is broken down in a random yard. Turns out, it’s the resident’s cranky bachelor. I got some enemies-to-lovers vibes in this one. We all know that it’s my favorite romance trope! Anyways, of course, things set in motion that keeps bringing these two together, right?!

I loved Amelia! She’s been struggling for years and doesn’t know what to do. She’s so out of touch with the real world but I loved seeing her learn things for the first time. She was so open to helping out, trying something new, and so kind. Her relationship with Noah’s sisters was one of my favorite things about this book. They were crazy and all had their own personalities but were so lovely.

Some things were a bit too predictable. I sometimes can struggle with that but I didn’t mind it as much here. I loved all the relationships in this small town. Sometimes I miss the small town feel because it’s so personal and everyone cares.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! It was a great introduction to Sarah Adams and I cannot wait to get my hands on more. If you are looking for a sweet, romantic, and fun book- I highly recommend this one. It’s such a quick read too because you will not want to put it down!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and Ballantine for an ARC to review!

ALL OF THE STARS.
THIS IS ME SCREAM TYPING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This book is everything you could want in an romcom from a small town vibe to a famous popstar falling for the grumpy but beloved town hero.

I adore this author and her books, though this is only my second by her. This was all charm, whereas The Cheat Sheet was much steamier; both are wonderful in their own right. This will not be the last I read from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sarah Adams for the ARC of this book!

Absolutely adore. Heart eyes emoji. Stars, if I was a person to trust to give them out. Swoon.

Small town. Pop star meets hometown cinnamon roll romance. Close proximity. Pie. Pancakes.

If you want to laugh and cry all in the same sitting, pick this book up. I love Noah and Amelia so, so much.

This was my very first Sarah Adams read and what an absolute DELIGHT it was! It had all the makings of a cute rom-com that oozed absolute sweetness. A pie-shop owner a pop star on the run from her hectic life???? I'm IN.

I loved picking Amelia's brain while reading her chapters as she tried to find herself again. She was pulled into the trenches of her pop star life and felt like she lost herself along the way, so reading her character arc was fun. I also really enjoyed Noah's chapters as he tried his very best to avoid Amelia, as she was an out-of-towner that he didn't want to chance his feelings on. His love for his family also made me swoon my butt off. :')

Super fun, small-town read with all the swoony, "will-we-won't-we-this-is-a-bad-idea-but-f*ck-it feels" and I loved it!

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 out of 5

I was thrilled when back in April I got an eARC for Sarah Adams’ newest book. I convinced myself I’d be able to hold off until closer to the pub date to read it and then promptly started it a day (two days max!) later and then flew through it! This book is so cute and so swoony and instantly became a new favorite.

Amelia Rose is a pop star who desperately needs a break. She takes inspiration from her personal hero, Audrey Hepburn, and pulls a “Roman Holiday”. She escapes to little Rome, Kentucky where car troubles leave her stranded outside grumpy pie shop owner Noah’s house. Noah wants her gone, Amelia isn’t ready to leave.

This book easily lands amongst my favorites for this year and I’m SO excited we will be getting future stories from Rome, Kentucky because I am not ready to say goodbye to this small town. As a big Audrey Hepburn movie fan, I loved the little references to Hepburn throughout the book.

CW: while still closed door, this book has more steam/innuendo than this authors previous books. Alzheimer’s.

I LOVE Audrey Hepburn. Not only do I love Audrey, but I LOVE this book!! It was such a quick read for me, I related to Amelia so much (other than the whole popstar thing), I fell in love with the male lead Noah, and I just loved how she wanted to run away like Audrey's character did in Roman Holiday.

In When in Rome, we follow Rae Rose (or actually known as Amelia Rose) as she makes the rash decision to follow the lead of Audrey Hepburn. Amelia decides to pick one of Hepburn's movies and follow the lead of her character (thankfully she lands on Roman Holiday and not Charades or Breakfast at Tiffany's..) So, she runs off to Rome. Well, Rome, Kentucky. On her trip, she takes her beat up Toyota Corolla that she has had since high school. This decision fails her as she breaks down on the side of the road with no cell service! All of a sudden, a man comes to her window to help. After convincing by the man's character reference, Amelia decides to stay with said man, Noah Walker. Noah lives in the house right where Amelia's car broke down.

Noah helps Amelia figure out how to get her car fixed, which will take two whole weeks. Noah gets bullied into letting Amelia stay in his house by his fellow small-town acquaintances. Amelia uses this time to relax from the stress of her singing career and gets to know the town and its people, and Noah.

If you love small-town romances, grumpy-sunshine romances, or less steam in a rom com book, you'd enjoy this one! It was a quick binge read and I loved every part of it. I've read 3 others of Sarah Adam's books, but this is by far my favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the ARC! I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!!

4.5

When in Rome is a light and fun "Roman Holiday"-esque story of a Hollywood singer that meets an everyday guy in a small town. I find this a tricky trope to pull off since the whole falling for a celebrity comes off a bit unrealistic sometimes. But this was well done. Believable. The characters were funny and entertaining. Our small town hero is grumpy but well mannered and sweet. The celebrity singer is charismatic and witty. Lots of fun side characters that scream that this is going to be a series.

Ultimately this is the sort of book that doesn't take long to read and will put a smile on your face.

***Advanced copy obtained from Random House via Netgalley***

Easily the best book I’ve read this year! Such a fun rom-com! I loved the slow burn, but it was also a quick read! Fantastic!

This book was sweet as apple pie (though I’ve never actually had apple pie, but I imagine this book is what it would taste like) and such an entertaining read. Set in Rome, not the capital of Italy, but rather a small town in Kentucky this book had all the small-town charm a city girl could ask for, down to the grumpy pie shop dreamboat that is Noah.

Yes, this book will give you a healthy dose of grumpy x sunshine and I, for one, really enjoyed it. It was not my favorite Sarah Adams couple, an honor that is bestowed to Nathan and Bree from The Cheat Sheet, but Noah and Amelia were super sweet and I did squeal with the romance of it all.

The book also features a cast of secondary characters that are as lovable and entertaining as the main couple and the wit and humor are never far behind. I loved watching both Noah and Amelia grow into their own and each other and I would definitely recommend this as an early fall book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced copy of When in Rome by Sarah Adams.

This is possibly my favorite rom-com I've read all year! For me, this was a perfectly sweet romance novel. Slow burn, closed-door romance, grumpy / sunshine troupe (love a good Mr. Grump), in a small town with forced proximity. I didn't know I needed all these things in one book, but apparently I do! I absolutely loved it. 

I sometimes struggle with a romance novel setup for why a relationship won't work, or a character's backstory of why they may not be ready for a relationship. I did not feel this way about Rae (Amelia) and Noah. I loved their individual stories and why they were cautious contemplating more than friends. And I always appreciate a dual POV. I also fell in love with the secondary characters - they felt like a warm hug and perfectly supported the main characters and their stories.

AND... I have been craving pie for DAYS because of this book. :) 5 star rom-com - definitely pick up this book. Especially during pie season!

This book was adorable! It was my first Sarah Adams book and it was incredibly swoon worthy. Amelia was a perfect mix of vulnerable, funny, kind, and smart. I loved the banter with her and Noah. The small town setting of Rome, Kentucky was absolutely perfect. Being from Kentucky myself I loved to finally have a book set closer to home.

I can’t believe that I’ve had Sarah’s other book The Cheat Sheet on my shelf for a couple months and haven’t read it yet. It will definitely be one of my next few reads!

If you’re looking for a small town, grumpy/sunshine, closed door romance this is the PERFECT one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & author Sarah Adams for the wonderful ARC! 🫶🏼

Review will be posted to my Instagram on 9/20/22.