Rae Rose is a pop sensation, but she starts to realize she feels numb. A few weeks before her upcoming tour, Rae Rose (Amelia) takes inspiration from Audrey Hepburn and flees to Rome in the middle of the night. That is— Rome, Kentucky. It starts to feel like a bad idea though when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. As luck would have it— she’s actually in Noah Walker’s front yard. After confirming he’s not an axe murderer, Amelia spends the night in his guest room. When Amelia finds out her car is going to take two weeks to fix, and that her reservation is mysteriously gone, Noah offers up his spare room.

Noah is grumpy and standoffish at first. He has had his heart stomped on in the past by an out of towner and is not about to let it happen again. He’s perfectly content watching over his grandma’s pie shop and keeping all women at arm’s length. Unfortunately (or fortunately) life has other plans for him.

The two quickly learn the deeper aspects of the other. Noah learns Amelia is more than her pop-star persona and Amelia learns there’s more to Noah under his grumpy demeanor. When Amelia learns someone she trusted has broke her trust, she wants nothing more than to have Noah by her side. But with Noah’s life in Rome, and Amelia’s on the road, can the two make it work?

I loved reading Sarah Adams Cheat Sheet, so when I saw this one I just HAD to read it. Amelia and Noah’s tension was immaculate!!! They both tried so hard not to fall in love because they knew Amelia was leaving and it would never work out. Noah spent all his time trying to keep her away so he wouldn’t end up hurt again, while Amelia tried to not show her hurt from his rejection.

Read if you like:
• grumpy/sunshine
• celebrity & “normal person” romance
• baker men
• small towns
• Audrey Hepburn / Roman Holiday
• slow burn romance
• closed door romance
• dual pov romance

What a lovely book! I flew through this because I absolutely adored the grumpy/sunshine relationship between Amelia and Noah. They were fun and interesting characters that were a joy to read about!

A premise based off the movie Roman Holiday (Which I haven't seen yet I'm so sorry), Amelia is a famous singer who decides to escape the limelight by fleeing to Rome... Kentucky. She gets stuck staying with a grumpy baker named Noah with problems on his own.

In addition to how great Amelia and Noah was, I loved all of the side characters, especially all of Noah's sisters. Sarah Adams is great at writing really happy and cute romances that are just fun to read!

This is the first book I have read by Sarah Adams. I was going to rate this 3 stars because I can't stand the grumpy sunshine trope but this book got better towards the end. I was so annoyed at how rude Noah was throughout the book and Amelia annoyed me a little bit as well. I did like to see how their friendship built throughout the book though. It was sweet how the town was protective over Amelia and their own people. I did enjoy this one but it wasn't my favorite book. I look forward to reading some other books by Sarah Adams.

I loved this book. When In Rome was the sweetest and funniest book I’ve read all year. At times, my fave hurt from smiling so hard.

Amelia is a famous pop star who just needs a break from her life.

Noah is jaded and uninterested in love. Even when a beautiful pop star ends up stuck in his house and his town.

-forced proximity
-grumpy sunshine
-opposites attract
-small town
-funny

Rome, Kentucky is the most amazing little town. It has Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) vibes and just makes you want to live there forever.

I love this town, these characters and the sweetest love story.

I’m not typically a closed door romance reader, but I make an exception for Sarah Adams. This book is perfect!

Absolutely loved this book! It was light, humorous and a cute story. The main character of Amelia had a great personality and role, though it took a few chapters in to warm up to. Being a famous singer it could be expected that she is a little pompous, but on the inside she is quite the opposite. As a Gilmore Girls fan, the inspiration and parallels were a perfect addition to the story and helped give the town a close, homey vibe that the reader could clearly feel. A solid ending, as Amelia was able to focus on herself and Noah could come out of his shell more and more.

Really liked it and easy to get swept up in. It's an engaging romance with a meet-cute that just jumps right in. A little bit Hallmark, a little bit Gilmore Girls, a little bit Roman Holiday. The chemistry and banter is so cute, with the opposite personalities creating delightful interactions. Mostly closed door romance but with a lot of attraction going on. I only wish that Amelia played into the “artist” side more, even though she was taking a break, getting inspired and writing song lyrics increasingly that we the readers could see. It would have connected her two sides more and given extra depth. As it was, I had a hard time seeing her as a Pop Star. And the constant spoken and unspoken "we can't be together because..." started to wane over the entirety of the book. It lost strength and dynamic by the end. But the adorableness of the main characters, added in with the great secondary characters, made up for any lag. It really was an enjoyable read.

* I received a free early e-copy from the publisher

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read When in Rome. I’ve loved the previous Sarah Adams’ books I’ve read, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I found Amelia/Rae to be very annoying and immature. Noah at times I liked and at others I just wanted to yell at him to actually communicate his thoughts out loud! I couldn’t even root for them to be together, it felt so unrealistic to me. Hoping Sarah’s next book will be a hit for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Okay this book was so cute, I loved it!

Rom-com’s are hit or miss for me. I have to be in the right mood and even then sometimes they just don’t hit the spot for me. This one hit the spot in a big way. I loved the grumpy sunshine romance of Noah and Amelia! They’re flirting felt natural and the dialogue between them was genuinely cute and didn’t make me cringe. Light and fluffy, cute concept, not much spice. Definitely recommend!!

When In Rome is my favourite Sarah Adams' book to date! If you're a fan of small-town romances and/or grumpy x sunshine pairings, this is the book for you.

When In Rome follows Amelia, a pop star on the verge of burnout, who finds herself driving to Rome in an attempt to escape her life, just like her idol Aubrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday - though in Amelia's case, when I say 'Rome', it's Rome, Kentucky, not Rome, Italy. On her way to the nearest motel, her car breaks down in the middle of a grumpy pie shop owner's yard (aka Noah's) and before she knows it, she's his new house guest.

Amelia and Noah are adorable and I love them. I loved seeing Amelia start to integrate with the citizens of Rome, and how she was finally able to do simple things - like playing Scrabble! - that she'd always wanted to do but hadn't had anyone to do them with. Noah is just such a GOOD GUY, and the way he instantly felt protective over Amelia and wanted to make her smile was so cute. I was rooting for them from page one and I'm sure you all will be too!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When In Rome is a sweet small town romance with the best grumpy x sunshine trope. We follow a pop star who gets stranded in Rome, Kentucky and is taken care of begrudgingly by the ever so handsome Noah Walker. Whew! This book was adorable. Sarah Adams is an amazing author and she does romance right. She shows us how a book can feel steamy without all the explicit details. I have cried twice now over how beautiful the romance is in her books. This one being the second. She’s the only author that has been able to make me do that. Not only did I love the main characters but I loved the side characters as well! They all had the best personalities and the love they had for each other warmed my heart. At times this book did feel a bit rushed and the romance a little too steamy for my taste compared to the other books I’ve read by her but overall it was a joyride to read and I can’t wait to pick up her next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ highly recommend for lovers of contemporary romance
🌶🌶 alludes to sex, “fade to black,” closed-door scenes
🤬🤬

Sarah Adams is one of my favorite closed-door romance authors. Once again, she has delivered a diverting contemporary love story. I love how the relationships between her characters often focus on trust and vulnerability. The banter and romantic tension moments are written so well! I’m eagerly looking forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC.

*Will publish this review on 09/19/2022 to https://instagram.com/hayleys_book_anthology?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Posted to Goodreads:

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Amelia Rae is a pop singer who drives to the small town of Rome, Kentucky for a break before her tour starts. Her car breaks down in the lawn of the grumpy yet handsome Noah Walker. Noah offers her a place to stay while her car is getting fixed, and so begins the romance between these two. This was a slow burn with cute and endearing characters. It gave me Hallmark Movie vibes in a good way. This was my first Sarah Adam’s book and it definitely won’t be my last!

A truly delightful and cozy small-town grumpy sunshine popstar pie shop owner slowburn closed door romance that I had the most fun time with!

I absolutely ADORED this book! Amelia and Noah were easy to love, and their growth throughout the book was beautiful. Adams sets the scene of Rome, Kentucky so vividly; I felt like I could literally see the whole town. The cast of characters surrounding the protagonists added to the color and character of the novel. This is one of my favorite recent reads!

Pop star Amelia “Rae” Rose desperately needs a break from life. Drawing inspiration from Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday, Amelia packs up, tells absolutely no one, and heads to Rome… Rome, Kentucky, that is.

Oof, I read the title and instantly thought Italy… Nope! Instead this was a small-town, celebrity romcom with everything I wanted: sweet, funny, light, and enjoyable. I loved that she was the celebrity and he was the grumpy pie shop owner. And Rome, Kentucky had the stereotypical small town vibe where the hair stylists fill you in on the latest town gossip, everyone knows everyone including your pie preferences, and boy do they look out for each other!

As a person who really could use a vacation, I really enjoyed this book. This may have been my first book by Sarah Adams, but it will not be my last. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭 is waiting on my shelf.

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advance copy.

I could not put this book down! Pop princess meets small town baker sounds as Hallmark as it was but in the best way ever! Adam’s does a great job of exploring a range of emotions from loneliness, to hurt, to joy and so on! She created two characters who were enjoyable from the first chapter! No having to work your way into this book! It will grab your attention from the first page!

This book is super cute. I love Noah and Amelia. Their chemistry is tender and playful and it vibed really well with all the small town quirks. I loved Noah's siblings and all the silly folks in Rome, Kentucky. I also really enjoyed Amelia's journey to owning her own decisions and taking charge of her life in an active way.

One part of this book that really upset me was the excessive use of "male" and "female" to describe the leads. As a non binary person this kind of rhetoric is incredibly transphobic. What does man and woman mean beyond what the person who identifies as such dictates? Those identities are social constructs and repeating them in novels where these terms are somehow used to encompass the essence of the main characters is anti trans rhetoric through and through. There are other ways of describing men and women without rigidly adhering to gender norms. While the book was enjoyable, these instances really pulled me out of the book in a really jarring and upsetting way.

Overall, the book was fun and I genuinely loved the story. This would be a PERFECT book if not for those quips. But I'm hoping those changes can be made to ensure that harmful language isn't being pushed.

When in Rome is a super cute small town romance where a Grammy winning soulful pop singer and a pie baking grumpy country boy fall in love.
I loved this book it was seriously so adorable, I love me a grump and boy was Noah GRUM👏PY👏
Amelia aka Rae Rose was so sweet and fun, they were truly an adorable couple.
-small town romance
-grumpy sunshine
-forced proximity
The only criticism I have is I felt the characters were a lot younger than they were- so it kept throwing me off as I was reading it.
This is more of a preference than critique but I thought it was going to be at least a little spicy but it wasn’t really at all. I’d give it like a one bell pepper 🫑 spice rating.

When In Rome - Sarah Adams
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Genre: Contemporary romance
Length: 320 pages

Amelia Rose a.k.a. Rae Rose is tired from years and years of keeping up appearances as the "princess of pop" she is known as everywhere. Influenced by her favorite movie, Roman Holiday, Amelia decides it's time to go off grid, and ends up in Rome, Kentucky.

There she meets grumpy pie shop owner Noah, and the close knit small town he hails from. While Amelia was only meant to pass through, she ends up getting a glimpse at "normal" life. Will she make it back to the stage?

I really wanted to love this! Sarah Adams has written some of my favorite reads! But, something about this one just didn't make the cut for me. I felt like Amelia abd Noah just weren't as mature as they should've been. I love a grumpy male character as much as anyone else, but I couldn't help but get hormonal teenager vibes from Noah. And Amelia read very much the same, unfortunately.

The whirlwind romance was also too hard for me to get into. Now, I realize that as a romance reader, this is the bread and butter of a romantic read. There's just something about insta-love that I can't get behind. I love a light and fluffy read, but this was just a little over the top for me.

Overall, I appreciated the small town vibes, and the grumpy/sunshine trope. I suggest this for anyone looking for a quick, and light romance.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine, Dell, and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to the publisher for an ARC!

*Note: this is an HONEST SPOILER FREE REVIEW*

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“Care has so much to lose, and almost always ends in heartbreak. Unfortunately, I’m powerless against keeping my heart in check about her anymore.”

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My love for small town romances. That’s it–that’s the whole review (lol jk). Literally one of the best tropes, no one can disagree. So, with that in mind, did I die when I started reading about a grumpy pie shop owner who’s basically the heart of a small town and a total protective softie??? Duh. Thank you, Sarah Adams, for your service.

Now listen, I have a confession: I’m not one for insta-love. It has historically been one of my least favorite tropes, especially when written poorly. But, "When In Rome" gets a pass. I swear the insta-love/attraction + slow burn combo that Sarah whipped out is some sort of crack. The banter/teasing, the wit, the longing, the passing looks…*chefs kiss*.

The story was honestly so easy to pick up and fly through. It’s cheesy and romantic, yet had a good amount of depth. The internal struggles and trauma that each character carried added another layer to the story. However, by the end, I felt that I didn’t get to experience the full extent, or much of an extent, of our two main characters’ (Noah and Amelia) individual growth. This could be because the story mainly took place over about two weeks. I just personally felt like there wasn’t much change. And by no means am I saying that there has to be some drastic, monumental event.

With that being said, I can’t talk about much more without spilling the beans, but I definitely encourage everyone to give this book a try. I hope all of you find some sort of comfort in this story.