I stumbled across Sarah Adams one day on Instagram and ended up reading The Match, which I still reread to this day. When In Rome has the cutest cover and the ideas of the characters are good. I just don’t find them to be flushed out enough for me to root for them. Noah was kind of too mean or cranky for me to love him. Maybe I just love Jake and his love for Evie in The Match too much to give Noah and Amelia a chance.

This was a cute one full of small town charm, tight knit families, pancakes, pies, and flowers. IYKYK. I did feel that the celebrity hiding in a small town was a bit cliché, but that’s just me.

This book was just delightful!
It had so much great humor. The characters were genuine and relatable.
The story was engaging. And the ending was so satisfying.
It was a tiny bit steamy but still closed door- nothing I was embarrassed to be reading.
This book was just the distraction I needed when I was having a tough day.
Just be aware that once you start reading you will not want to put it down!

Great book because the author is great! I had high expectations going in due to the fabulous reviews Sarah gets. Just love the story. Feels like a movie and a dream!

Another great read by Sarah Adams! I do love a good famous music star meets hometown boy trope and this story did not disappoint! From the time Amelia crashed into Noah's yard, the chemistry was on! The plot was good and believable and not cheesy. I liked the banter between the characters and the side characters added to this already well-written story. Rome KY was down to earth and somewhere where I would visit. Overall this was a terrific book!

Ok, this book was adorable and sweet and everything you want out of a romance without the 3rd act drama.

📖When in Rome follows pop singer Rae Rose after she attempts to escape her life and run off to Rome, Kentucky where her car stalls in Noah Walker’s front lawn.

The thing I love about Sarah’s books is that they are simply a great love story. They don’t tend to be stereotypical or tropy, just great stories with a HEA.

This one is a celebrity romance in a small town. Simple and lovely. ❤️.

It’s also dual perspective!!!

And has really funny sisters and townsfolk.

I mostly listened to the audio of this one and was really well done. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to @netgalley and @prhaudio for the ARCs, all views expressed are my own.

I really wanted to love this story because the premise is super cute and should've been everything I'm head over heels for in a contemporary rom-com. Unfortunately, I just found the writing incredibly bland, couldn't get into the story, and didn't care about the characters. Amelia and Noah have some fun banter and I appreciate all the inverted gender stereotypes, but it just wasn't enough for me to want to recommend this novel to other readers.

There is something about a small town romance! Amelia, also known as pop star Rae Rose, is stranded on Noah’s front lawn when her attempt to flee and head to Rome lands her in Rome, Kentucky. Noah Walker is a grumpy baker that wants nothing to do with love.

This was such a fun rom com! Amelia and Noah had such fun chemistry. I loved all the small town characters. Noah is grumpy, classy, and the best family man!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you enjoy forced proximity, Aubrey Hepburn references, scrabble games, matching pajamas, and all the pies, pancakes, and pop tarts.

Sarah Adams is one of my favorite authors! I have read and loved all of her books and this one did not disappoint!

4.5 stars!

"When in Rome" by Sarah Adams is a feel-good insta-love, forced proximity, grumpy-small-town-man-meets-famous-sunshiny-pop star romantic comedy that has my entire heart. UGH, THIS BOOK IS SOOOOO GOOD.

Amelia, also known by her stage name Rae Rose, is one of the most famous pop stars in the world. On the verge of starting a nine-month world tour, she is in desperate need of a break because she is mentally and physically. She has lost touch with her love of singing, and her songwriting spark has dimmed to the point where she can't create anything new. Obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, she chooses to flee to Rome, Kentucky (since it's closer than Rome, Italy) to honor one of her and her mother's favorite movies, "Roman Holiday." When Amelia's car breaks down in pie shop owner Noah's front yard, she has no idea that they will quickly fall for each other over a few short days. As it turns out, the entire town of Rome might just be what she needs for inspiration and love to strike.

Sarah Adams sure knows how to craft intimate relationships between characters who pine deeply for one another. My god, she's good. This is a closed-door romance, so the fact that she is able to build *that* much tension and longing without being overly dirty is mindblowing. Amelia and Noah bicker and banter and fuss and muss over one another and it's just so swoony and intense that it makes my heart ache. From their very first interaction, I was hooked on them as a couple. Noah is the ideal grumpy, moody, brooding, standoffish (but tender!) main male character, which contrasts Amelia's ray-of-sunshine, chatterbox personality perfectly. The setting, the will-they-won't-they, and the pie! AGH! Love! In addition to their story, the rest of the Southern charm-y residents of Rome, Kentucky also play important figures in this book, including Noah's three protective & nosy sisters, the wise-cracking Mabel (his grandma's best friend), and handsome heartthrob James (Noah's best friend). They are all zany in their own way and contribute to the humor in the story.

I hope Sarah Adams writes stories about Noah's three sisters. And James. And Mabel! Ha! She has found a lifelong fan in me. Please read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Adams, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review in any way.

sunshine x grumpy and famous x ordinary guy!! do i have to say more?? this genuinely feels like a romance movie (that has bad acting) that you watch on a sunday. its so typically cliche yet it’s still so fun to read. this was very hallmark-y in a good way ! i really recommend if you’re looking for a quick fun romance story

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I read a good portion of this in public and had a goofy grin plastered to my face from page one. At one point, I squealed audibly (luckily, I was at home by then). The tension throughout the book is PALPABLE (I considered knocking a star off my rating because the resolution didn’t take place on the page 🤣). Noah is the prototype book boyfriend that all of the romance book memes are about - brooding, sexy, layered, sweet, caring, yada yada yada. Everything wrapped up very quickly - I could have used a little more breathing room there, but overall this was a delight! Will watch the movie that ultimately gets made (and who wants to go on a road trip to Rome, KY? It’s only a few hours away!).

3.5 stars

Mega pop star Amelia, stage name Rae Rose, is in need of a break. In a flurry of inspiration based on a favorite movie from her favorite icon, Audrey Hepburn, Amelia decides to take off to Rome. But, well, Italy is a little too far from Nashville. Rome, Kentucky, is just a short car drive away. It may be just what she needs.

Noah is tied to his hometown and has no immediate plans to find love, but when Amelia lands in his front yard, he has trouble fighting his instant attraction.

Can these two fight their urges or will they end up falling in love?

This one is a cute rom-com with some back-and-forth taunting, romantic tension and attraction between the main characters, and fun meddling from the residents of the small town. I adored Noah’s Southern—albeit begrudgingly bestowed—hospitality and the way his sisters embrace Amelia.

If you pick it up, buckle up for a sloooooow burn. Sarah Adams does deliver on the heat, though. When things finally happen, she manages to make things steamy without being explicit. This one falls into the fade-to-black category.

I’m all for falling into a story and going along with plot devices, but the fact that Amelia’s manager and security team can’t track down her location for what seems like weeks is tough to believe—even if she did land in a cellular dead zone.

And, in my opinion, the inner monologues about why the two characters shouldn’t be together went a little long and got very repetitive.

If you are a die hard Sarah Adams fan, though, this one will not disappoint. Go ahead and grab some pie or a Southern style breakfast and dig in.

If you are new to her books, I suggest starting with the friends-to-lovers pair in The Cheat Sheet or the brother’s best friend scenario in The Off-Limits Rule.

I received an advance copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

One thing you should know about me is I’m a sucker for Hallmark movies. In fact, I’m watching Hallmarks Christmas in July right now.

I loved this book. I love a small town romance and I love that Amelia was finding herself with the help of Noah, even if he was being a grump. Also we love a girl who purposefully irritates her guy just to rile him up.

One last thing…pie shop owner who loves his family, will always help anyone who needs it, and will make pancakes? SIGN ME UP.

I can’t wait for you all to read when it comes out in September!

I didn’t read much about this book before diving in, so I was quite surprised to learn that this book is not set in Rome, Italy. Instead, it is sad in the quaint town of Rome, Kentucky filled with quirky and endearing characters. I enjoyed watching the growth of the protagonist, Amelia, throughout the novel. And her leading man, Noah, also went through his own transformation. Plus, pies are prominent. What’s not to like? Overall., a fun love story.

What an incredible, refreshing, and fun story. I ate this book up and loved every second of it. I loved the take of grumpy/sunshine trope; only he’s not so grumpy—he’s obsessed with flannel pajamas. This love story was every great about romance.

It looks like I'm in the minority for this book. I have loved every book of Ms. Adams that I've read so far and I was excited to dive into this one. It quickly became apparent that this isn't like any of her books I've read. While she's considered a "clean romance" author, this one is more sketchy clean, bordering on not clean depending on the taste of individual readers.

I really wanted to love this book... I promise.... I did. Amelia and Noah were fun characters and I enjoyed getting to know them. I think it had so much potential for being one of the cutest books I've read all year. But there were a few things that held me back from loving it.

The swearing in this book was ridiculous. I'm fine with swearing in books as long as it moves the storyline along or if it's mild swearing. That was not the case for this one. It seems like the swearing was thrown in there just to be thrown in. 160+ swear words doesn't move the storyline along. In my opinion, it detracts from it.

There was also innuendo throughout the book. I would say it could be considered moderate to heavy, depending on the individual reader.

I know some readers didn't like the fact that there was no actual sex scenes in the book, but true to Ms. Adams style, she kept it sweet, with a hint of swoon and spice, and of course, fade to black.

Again, I really did want to love this book but it ended up falling short for me. But like I said in the beginning of my review, I'm in the minority on this one so please don't let me review stop you from diving into this book.

Amelia is a burnt out pop star about to go on world tour. When she rashly dashes her Nashville home in search for a getaway she comes upon Rome Kentucky. Except her car is broken down and she's now stuck with no cell service and no where to go. Noah offers to help her, and while she's reluctant, she eventually takes him up on the offer. He's a grump with no wifi, cell phone and small town hero running his family Pie Shop. They both know this is a temporary solution, but both can't help but feel the connection. Unfortunately Noah has been burned by big city girls rolling into town before, and vows not to go down that road again. He wants to stay in his small town, close to his family and his quaint life, but Amelia can't give up her life for him. Can they keep things platonic? Or will their feelings for each other take over.

I wanted to love this story. Everyone loves this author and I'm now 2 for 2 of feeling underwhelmed. It felt too fluffy and not necessarily in a good way. Did anyone else feel like the whole Audrey Hepburn obsession is so cliche? Is anyone actually obsessed with her? The beginning, for me, was rough. I found myself skimming a lot. It did get progressively better towards the end when it strayed from the slow burn aesthetic and "Roman Holiday" theme. With that said, there were some parts I enjoyed about the story. I love a grumpy/sunshine trope. Noah is swoon worthy character and is written pretty well. A small town setting with the classic quirky side characters were great. I enjoyed the drama at the end between Amelia and her manager. And lastly Noah and the relationship with his sisters was so charming.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 9/13

Pop Tarts and sunflowers. Pies and bangs. Small towns, celebrities and gossip. Family. This is what this story is to me.

The story follows Amelia, or Rae Rose, a pop star who decides to get a break and drives to Rome. Well, Rome, Kentucky, not Rome, Italy. Her car breaks down right in the front yard of Noah Walker, a small town pie shop owner. After some persuasion (stranger-danger, after all), Amelia lets Noah help her with the car. And what starts as an inconvenient encounter, turns into a friendship. Which turns into more.

I LOVE the humour in this book. It made me laugh out loud so many times.
It's also got so many great moments that are quote worthy. Noah is such a gentle and kind person but he was hurt before so it's hard to open up for him. But behind all the grumpiness there's this guy who just wants to love someone and be loved in return.

The slow burn omg!! The way Noah and Amelia become friends and then fall for each other was done beautifully. It didn't feel rushed and I really enjoyed how they were able to avoid miscommunication tropes by simply talking about their feelings.

There is one thing I didn't really enjoy - the breaking of the 4th wall, then the character would talk to the reader. That is not my style and I feel like this is the Fleabag influence. There weren't a lot of instances so I don't really mind.

Overall, this is one of the new favorites for me and I am gladly going to be reading more of Sarah Adam's stories.

4.5/5

Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her "princess of pop" image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car and though he made it clear that he isn't interested in celebrity problems and long distance relationship, he made her stay in her guest room. They couldn't resist falling for each other, but it was time to go.

Well, this is my 5th Sarah Adams and it didn't disappoint. All the books I've read by the same author were all light read.

The book was told in dual POV which was nice to know both sides. Amelia and Noah, they surely had chemistry. I was hoping that things would get more spicy though because there were a lot of tensions between our two main characters. Haha. You can't blame a woman for trying.

If you love small town romances and a grumpy leading man, then this is definitely for you. It was a quick and enjoyable read. It got me hooked up and swooned. I love all the characters, they were all built up well.

I just want MORE!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for providing me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was a cute book. I laughed & cried at times. I always love the small town folks. I see there’s a follow up book so I look forward to diving in deeper with these characters.