Short synopsis: Pop superstar Amelia (stage name Rae Rose) runs off to Rome (Kentucky) for some alone time before her big tour. When her car breaks down in front of Noah’s house, she ends up staying in the guest room until her car is repaired.

My thoughts: I love a good celebrity troupe and mix that in with small towns and it’s sure to be a winner!

Noah, the handsome pie baker with an “obsession” for flowers, and Amelia the beautiful superstar looking for some quiet time out of the spotlight. I adored Noah’s relationship with his family, how he tucked everyone under his broken wing to take care of them. Amelia was witty and adorable and her lack of pancake skills was funny!

The side characters were amazing with just enough depth that I’m hoping for a spin off for a few of them.

There were definitely some predictable parts, and the strained mother/daughter relationship broke my heart, but I thought the ending was adorable and loved how it wrapped up.

Read this if you love:
* Witty banter
* Celebrity/ small town romances
* Pancakes and pie
* Intrusive siblings

This modern take on the Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday, is a quick, fun, slow burn, rom-com.. I loved every minute of this book- perfect to devour this summer!

Small town romance, grumpy love interest. The perfect light fluffy ready when you need a light fluffy read.

a man who bakes 🧑🏻‍🍳 💋 🥧 ✨

*thank you to NetGalley, Random House, & Ballantine for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Only the first book of the Rome, Kentucky character series & I’m already looking forward to diving back into this world next year 🥰 umm, Sarah Adams, I’m going to need there to be at least 3 more books so we can get more than a glimpse into Noah’s sisters lives! 🤩

I found Amelia (Rae Rose) & Noah to be such lovable characters. The grumpy sunshine trope was executed EXTREMELY well & left me feeling all the warm fuzzies 😍 Such a fun & sweet romcom that I hope y’all pick up next month!!

ALSO, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but WE LOVE A BOOK WITH NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Read if you like:
- grumpy sunshine ⛅️
- forced proximity one 🛏
- small town vibes 🏡
- LOL moments 😂
- swoon worthy moments 🥰
- no third act breakup 👏🏼

Rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️💫/5

Grumpy + sunshine? ✔️
Small town coziness + hilarious busybodies? ✔️
A gentle slow burn + delicious banter? ✔️
Everything I want in a rom-com? ✔️

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon, I mean, my gifted ARC!

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘦 follows pop star Rae Rose, or Amelia for her loved ones, as she decides to throw abandon to her tight schedule and show herself some mercy and take off to Rome, Kentucky. Only for her to be betrayed by her car in front of a handsome but surly gentleman who she soon learns hides a gentle charm and so much more underneath.

- ~ -

We start off with Amelia who despite seeming to have it all, is miserable in her house which is decidedly not a home, she desperately misses the relationship she once had with her mother and her loneliness is suffocating her. On top of it all, her jam packed schedule doesn't let her breathe and her manager can't seem to see how desperately she needs a break.

So she decides to take matters into her own hands and for her to slowly but surely come out of her shell along the course of the story was an incredible growth arc. She learnt to enjoy the food she wanted, to live a little freely and most importantly to say no to her overbearing manager.

Noah embodies one of those five foot teddy bears. He is a gentle, sweet pie shop owner who is obsessed with flowers and inspite of his grumpy nature, he cares deeply for the ones he loves.

Amelia and Noah together turned out to be as sugary sweet as the pies Noah sells in his shop.
They balance each other well and being with Noah, opens up Amelia to more.

The small town vibes were immaculate. The setting the story, along with the mention of pies brought out fall vibes and I was living for it.

Overall: The plot provided for great relief with it's cozy atmosphere with lively people and friendships and relationships for the ages.

- ~ -

4.03 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

WHEN IN ROME - SARAH ADAMS
4.5⭐

PLOT -
Grammy award winner Amelia' Rae' Rose is burnt out wanting a break desperately. She has always been inspired by Audrey Hepburn esp her movie Roman Holiday and hence drives to the nearest Rome in Kentucky.
On arriving her car breaks down in front lawn of Noah Walker a pie shop owner who let's her stay in his guest room till her car is fixed.
Noah has zero patience for city dwellers on a break but he sees a different side of Amelia and can't help but be drawn to her.
But will their limited time together be enough before Amelia has to go back on her tour ? Will Amelia fall for the small town experience and have second thoughts?
MY THOUGHTS -
I love Sarah Adams books! They are so bingeable, lifts up my mood bringing a smile on my face and a big warm hug.
The troupes ..celebrity romance where it's the female who is a celebrity this time around..quite refreshing.
Noah is perfect grumpy to Amelia's sunshine.
Small town romance with stong familial bonding (Walker sisters ..can't wait for each of their stories)
Sarah's domain closed door romance will leave you wanting more.
We are all burnt out from our jobs and routine and to read a story based on it was quite relatable too.
Next up will be Annie's story soon!!
Thank you Netgalley and Random House publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love!

Pop star falls for small town baker? Say no more.

This is a fun, adorable read that has you craving all the sweets. Noah and Amelia are hilarious and will steal your hearts.

The friends who are family people of the town also bring this book to life and make you fall even harder.

Definitely don’t skip it’ll warm you heart and having you loving the south and all it’s charm ☺️

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a review.

There is something about author Sarah Adams’ writing that makes her books such a joy to read. Her new book When in Rome features Amelia who is a pop star and ends up in Rome, KY in front of pie shop owner Noah’s house. Noah is grumpy and Amelia is all sunshine.

The small town atmosphere and secondary characters in the story were fabulous and so endearing. Noah’s sisters were hysterical and I wanted to join them while viewing When In Rome with Audrey Hepburn. The story had great romance and it was gratifying to watch Amelia and Noah work through their issues and become better people. I felt connected to them through their banter and the alternating POV of the story.

When in Rome has great chemistry, characters, and is laugh-out-loud funny. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and highly recommend it.

I was given a copy through the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

A good, low spicy romcom!
Loved the hero, your typical, conflicted, kinda grumpy man.

A celebrity falls for the small town man straight from a Hallmark film. If you love that storyline, this one is for you!

For my smut lovers, it is a fade to black.

QOTD: Do you have a pet?
My A: Yes! Two cats, Luna Mae & Felis Catus 😻
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I'm going to start by saying this is totally a It's Me, Not You, thing I think. I've never really been a fan of anst heavy romances or instant-love romances and those are two big components. I also think the MMC, Joe, came off too strong and slightly creepy at some points (why so many erections, dude?). I know it's fiction, but I kinda couldn't stop thinking that if this happened in real life, I'd be calling the cops. 🤣🤣 The FMC, Marley couldn't decide what she wanted or how she felt the entire book and the emotional whiplash was extreme. Honestly, she was a total bitch at some points and I don't know why Joe bothered.
.
I liked it enough to get to 70% and then skimmed the rest because it just felt so fast, but so slow. Like so much happened and also nothing really happened. I can't tell if I just wasn't vibing with the book or what. You'll have to read this one yourself to find out!
.
BLURB:
Marley Masters runs a successful chain of bikini barista stands, secretly supports her elderly neighbor, Alice, and has rid her life of bad boys.
She even deflected the advances of her new neighbor Joe, the ex-con. Okay. Lie. The lawbreaker is irresistible and relentless.
Hard as Marley tries to fight the attraction and protect her battered heart, Joe proves time and time again that he's playing for keeps.
***
Joseph Kaine struggled his entire life to ditch the family curse. Finally, after a stint in prison, he's ready to walk the straight and narrow.
Marley, his new neighbor, seems the perfect way to fill his lonely days. But that feisty woman is a magnet for trouble, and Joe is nothing if not a man who'll fight to keep his ladies safe.
Can he shake the Kaine legacy, or will an average Joe have to call on his inner thug and play dirty?

This book was EVERYTHING!!! Funny and swoony and electric and fast-paced and emotional and impactful and everything in between. Sarah took some popular and well loved tropes and made them completely her own, infusing them with her unique brand of humor and light and just enough realness to make your heart squeeze in the best possible way.

Where do I even start with Noah and Amelia? The chemistry? The banter? The way their instant attraction develops into something much much deeper? PERFECTION! I’ve always thought that Dual POV romances are superior, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the Grumpy x Sunshine trope, and this was a perfect example as to why! Nothing compares to hearing a heroine talk about how positive she is that the hero despises her and everything she does, only for it to switch to his POV where he’s thinking about how obsessed he is with her! UNMATCHED!

I’ve never wished for a fictional town to be real so badly in my life! Everything about Rome, KY is what small town dreams are made of! The cast of quirky, meddling, lovable side characters made the whole thing feel so real in a way that made me want to climb inside the story and live there myself.

This is a story of love and loss and stress and burnout and adventure and family and the ways in which we all escape the hard, scary, and harmful aspects of our lives all wrapped up in a package that feels like a Taylor Swift song, and episode of Gilmore Girls, and the best, sweetest pie you’ve ever tasted. Also with some of the best kissing scenes I’ve ever read. Obviously.

I seriously don’t have words to express how much this book means to me. Y’all know how much I love The Cheat Sheet, and I genuinely didn’t know how I could love a Sarah Adams romcom as much as that one, but this story just filled me up in ways I didn't know a story could, and it has taken its spot right up there with Nathan and Bree as not only my favorite romcom of all time, but in my very top favorite books of all time. 5 stars. 1,000,000 stars. All the stars! ✨

This book is absolutely giving my Gilmer girl vibes. Absolutely adorable. Definitely read this book is you love:

•Grumpy/sunshine
•Small-town romance
•Famous person/regular person trope
•rom-coms with hilarious old women

Honestly this book did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When in Rome - Sarah Adams

I have nothing but high praise for this one. When in Rome is the perfect light and fluffy romance between two adorable people.

I was sucked into this story from the very beginning and I was completely hooked. Such a cute and quick read, I literally read it in a day. The characters were everything - the sisters, Mabel, and all the townsfolk made you feel like you were apart of their world. I loved the witty banter between all the characters especially Amelia and Noah. Noah might be my favorite book boyfriend so far this year.

I highly recommend grabbing this one when it releases on September 20th!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Adams, & Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a warm hug. That’s the best way I can describe the feelings I had while reading this adorable romcom!

Amelia “Rae” Rose, international pop star, is feeling burnt out and lost. In order to take some rest and find herself and her love for singing again, she escapes to Rome, Kentucky- inspired by her adoration of Audrey Hepburn and the movie Roman Holiday. Her car happens to serendipitously break down in the front lawn of grumpy local baker Noah Walker… you see where this is going, right? 🤭

What I loved:
•grumpy sunshine (Noah’s grumbling and surly personality was 🤌🏻 so good)
•forced proximity
•small town setting
•beautiful familial bonds (I LOVE the Walker sisters)
•sweet slow-burn romance (no spice but lots of romance)
•Amelia- she was such a fun main character to root for. Watching her slowly unwind and relearn who she is behind that celebrity persona was a beautiful and emotional journey that I loved being on with her. Her teasing and dorky personality was just adorable 🥹
•James, lovable, snarky sidekick and Noah’s childhood best friend

I really don’t have anything I disliked about this book! It was a very sweet, endearing and lovable romance from start to finish.

Noah is one of my favorite male MCs of all time. The banter between Amelia and Noah was fantastic. Witty and right on point, had me laughing out loud multiple times. I loved Amelia's internal dialogue too. She was quite funny and I really enjoyed her.

This is the second book by Sarah Adams I've read and she's got me hooked. I'll be reading more of hers for sure. I'm a sucker for a small town romance and love the grumpy/sunshine trope. This one didn't disappoint on those two fronts. Shoutout to Noah's 3 sisters and Mabel also. She has great side characters that really add to the story.

I personally would have liked to have seen a little more conflict and higher stakes at the end, but it was still a great read despite that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Pub date 9/20. Highly recommend!

Sarah Adams strikes again!! It’s no secret that Sarah Adams is an auto-buy author for me and When in Rome was just a DELIGHT.

⭐️ small town romance
⭐️ grumpy/sunshine relationship between a famous singer and a pie shop owner
⭐️ Forced proximity & mutual pining - the chemistry was just 💯
⭐️ delightful side characters, including our MMC’s 3 sisters

There is so much to enjoy about this book! The plot is great, the romance is swoon worthy, there are some sweet and tender moments that will make your heart happy, and so much great witty banter that Sarah is known for (and that we love!).

Please read this book and thank me later 🥞 🥧

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sarah Adam is the queen of heartfelt fluffy romances. She makes so easy to fall in love with her characters in the most pure form. This is romance at it's best. Rome is the perfect setting for these two

Oh, Sarah Adams, I’ll forever read what you write. And your books just keep getting better and better! This is such a good sunshine/grumpy celebrity romance and just dang perfect.

Amelia Rose is pop star sensation. Every minute of her life is planned out and needs a team of people to approve. But when she gets inspiration from Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday to go to Rome, she packs up and leaves town and heads to Rome…Kentucky. Where her car breaks down in front of grumpy pie-shop owner, Noah.

The whole cast of characters were lovely. The banter is so cute. And in true Sarah Adams fashion, I was smiling from ear-to-ear the whole book. One of my favorite things about Sarah Adams’ books is that she doesn’t follow the typical “romance book formula” and I’m a huge fan of writers who break free from that mold.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5
Genre: RomCom
Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance

📖 Read if you like 📖
🚪 Closed Door Romance
👩‍👧 Gilmore Girls
🎤 Hannah Montana
🥞 Pancakes
🥧 Pie
🏡 Forced Proximity
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine

ARC Review:
When in Rome is beautifully written and reading it felt like a great big hug 🤗. I loved the banter, blossoming relationship between Noah and Amelia, and how they both developed and worked through their personal struggles throughout the book. I would suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a sweet feel good romcom with small town romance, forced proximity, and grumpy sunshine tropes.

I especially loved the small, Southern town charm that gave off 💫 Stars Hollow 💫 vibes from Gilmore girls!! Excuse me while I go read every book Sarah Adams has written, because this was so beautifully done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.