This is my first Sarah Adams book and I really enjoyed it! It was a fresh take on the “celebrity/normal person” trope where the heroine was the celebrity! I loved that it wasn’t a girl falling for some unattainable hero but the boy falling for a “way out of my league” heroine. Fans of the grumpy hero trope will love this book! It wasn’t too spicy and was a very fluffy romance for those concerned with that kind of content.

I shouldn’t have requested this book because I forgot that I don’t vibe with Sarah Adam’s’ books… but I gave into the hype, and now have to DNF. I just cannot get past the childish inner dialogue of these characters - it makes it difficult to get through the chapters. If the story was a little more straightforward instead of buried between ridiculous dialogue and banter I think I would like it more.

One of my new favorite Sarah Adams books! So cute, very well written, and lots of fun. Celebrity tropes can be tricky but this one was done so well! I love our main characters and their banter. I love their loyalty to each other. Amelia was still relatable, and it was fun to unravel a little mystery in her life as well. I fell in love with the town and the people in it. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

OKAY WOW THIS BOOK.

I am new to Sarah Adams and I am a new fan. This book has so many good things: grumpy/sunshine, great town characters, forced (kinda) proximity, and a lovely family.

Amelia is a famous pop singer, Noah is a small town guy. Inspired by Roman Holiday, Amelia escapes her life to the nearest Rome, Rome Kentucky. Her car breaks down and Noah can't help but help her even though he's not going to be sunshine about it.

SWOON. LOVE. SLOW BURN. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story is a quick and fun romance read that is a great spin on Audrey Heburn’s Roman Holiday. I felt that the writing was a bit rushed and underdeveloped in the beginning, which made me worry, but as the story progresses and the characters become more developed, it’s actually a really sweet read. Perfect for vacation or wanting some sort of escape.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! While enemies to lovers always is a win for me, I love how involved all of the townspeople were through the story. I loved how they were essentially one big family for Rae and Noah. Such a fun rom com!

I was pleasantly surprised by this story! I was a huge fan of Sarah’s first two rom-coms (The Match and The Enemy), but I’ll admit I struggled with her other contemporaries. But When in Rome was a wonderful reminder of why I enjoyed her writing in the first place—I loved these characters and the setting of Rome, Kentucky was just adorable. I definitely need more of the entire cast of characters (hint hint, more books in this series, hint hint). If you enjoy closed-door rom-coms with sizzle, give Sarah’s books a read! 4.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book made my heart so happy!! It’s full of pie, pancakes, small town vibes, Scrabble, and absolute cuteness!

Quick Synopsis: Amelia Rose is stuck. Literally and figuratively. When the famous pop star realizes that she doesn’t want to go on her upcoming tour, she channels her inner Audrey Hepburn and flees to the closest Rome she can find: Rome, Kentucky. But before she can arrive at the bed and breakfast where she’s staying for the weekend, her car dies…right in front of someone’s house. Fortunately, that person is Noah Walker, the owner of the local pie shop and all-around good (but grumpy) guy. As Amelia waits for her car to be repaired, she realizes just how much she needs a break from the world that’s suffocating her. This is her chance to find the passion for music that she once had, to say yes to things instead of being told no, and to just be able to breathe and enjoy the small things in life. And Noah….well, there’s more to the local pie shop owner than meets the eye. Amelia is about to have her very own Audrey moment, and has no idea how her story will unfold.

I absolutely loved this sweet rom-com! The wittiness of the banter between the characters, as well as the inner dialogue from Amelia and Noah, made me laugh. It was endearing and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. I loved both Amelia and Noah, and how the author told the story from both of their perspectives. The small town feel of this book was heartwarming and made me miss my own upbringing in a rural town, where your teachers had your parents in school, everyone knew your business, and people gathered at the local cafe every morning just to chat and drink coffee. From beginning to end, this book radiated warmth, cuteness, and love. It is definitely one of my favorite rom-coms ever! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars

Another awesome book by Sarah Adams! She never disappoints. I love closed-door romances and she's among the best authors of these types of books. Looking forward to the next one!

Music sensation Rae Rose is feeling lost and overwhelmed. Obsessed with Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday, she decides to escape from the pressures of fame in Rome, Kentucky for a couple weeks. After her car breaks down, she's forced to stay with Noah, the town pie shop owner, until her car is fixed. With forced proximity (and a little meddling), sparks fly between the two, even though they both know her stay is only temporary.

Having been a fan of Sarah Adams books from the beginning, I loved every second of this charming and hilarious small town rockstar romance. I am completely obsessed with not only the story, but also all the quirky and sweet townspeople that love to meddle and pry into Noah's life.

Amelia's character could have easily been a surface level pop star looking to hide out, but she wasn't. Living a perfectly cultivated public persona, she hides in plain sight, forced to be someone she's not. My heart broke for her so many times in the book, because at her root, Amelia craves true friendship, belonging, and for people to see the true her. Fame has turned out differently than she expected and I enjoyed watching Amelia's journey finding where she belongs in live and how to navigate her stardom as she ages in the industry.

Noah is unlike any hero I have read in awhile and I'm obsessed with him! He has a wonderful relationship with his sisters and incredibly loyal to the people in town. It was refreshing how blunt he was with Amelia, yet was also so tender and vulnerable with her as well.

Amelia and Noah have the most hilarious meet cute, which is highlighted by Sarah Adams' witty voice. Can't help but smile while reading it. Seeing the interaction between Noah and Amelia was the best, especially as Adams is so goo at building believable tension between the pair. I loved how she lived to annoy Noah, pushing his buttons just to get a rise out of him. This added a fun comedic layer to their budding relationship.

This had lizzie mcguire movie vibes all over it in addition to roman holiday. It was a fun book and my first by the author. I've seen her all over tiktok and ku so it was fun to read something by her for a change. I'd recommend the cozy vibes of this book to anyone.

The title totally threw me and the story was unexpected. I throughly enjoyed this book and loved all the likeable characters. This was a perfect summer read and I flew through the story. Well done Sarah Adams!

Not really a fan of this book sadly. I looked forward to this one but honestly I was pretty bored until the end.
Pop star, Rae Rose; real name, Amelia, breaks down in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. Unfortunately, her car chooses to do so in the front yard of Noah's house. Noah is a local pie shop owner and has had his heart broke in the past. He has zero interest in dating, relationships, etc. But when Amelia shows up as the damsel indistress, she needs a place to stay until her car can get fixed. This puts Noah and Amelia in close proximity which naturally leads to feelings.
The longer Amelia stays, the more she questions her lifestyle and who she can trust. Not everyone is who they seem.

"He’s a little grumpy, there’s an edge to him that says careful, I might bite, but then his eyes whisper, but I’ll be gentle."

You can't go wrong with a secretly sweet, grumpy hero who owns a bakery and gets his defined forearms from making sweet treats all day. Throw in plenty of small town charm, a fish out of water romance, and several troublemaking community members, and there's a lot to love about this easygoing romance. It's closed door (with a decent amount of swearing), which just added to the all-around charming and lighthearted feel. I loved the hero, in particular, who feels an instant connection to the heroine, but resists it every step of the way - though he doesn't stand a chance against several meddling community members and one irresistibly adorable heroine. I enjoyed it the whole way through, though the sweet vibes turned a little sedate at times; they kept talking about all of their physical chemistry, and I just didn't see it. But I liked a lot of this, and I'm excited to see what's next from the series.

The story follows Amelia, a pop star who needs to get away for awhile. The overbearing people in her life threaten to destroy her love of music, and she needs a break. A big fan of Hepburn's Roman Holiday, Amelia decides to run to the nearest Rome... which just so happens to be in the middle of nowhere, America. So when her car breaks down and a sexy stranger comes to her aid, Amelia isn't sure what to think. But it's not long before Noah is begrudgingly assisting Amelia in more ways than one. Though Noah is attracted to the pop princess, he's a hometown guy who has already had his heart broken by someone who was just passing through. And since they both know that Amelia will be leaving soon, there's a very good reason for Noah to stay away... which is easier said than done.

There were times when I found this to be a little boring and lacking in sizzle (and not just because there is no spice), but I really enjoyed the story as a whole and see a ton of potential in this series. The small town aspect was super cute, and the characters were all very easy to like. I loved Noah, and I empathized with him so much - he already went all-in on a woman who he knew wasn't sticking around, and I truly understood why he resisted. Though... the townspeople did not make that easy for him, lol. The whole book was lighthearted and low angst, with a swoony feel that worked - it's easy to see why Adams has built such a following recently. Personally, I do find her style to be slightly TOO laidback for me; I need more of a spark, but this story already shows significant growth from her early work. Here's hoping that this series gets better with every installment - this was pretty good. I received an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this small town romance.

Rounding up my rating from 4.5 stars since I can't do half star ratings.

This book was so cute and fun. This was the first of Sarah Adams's books I've read, but I will for sure pick up a few more of them because I so enjoyed this one.

I loved the storyline of a burned out popstar escaping to Rome (Kentucky) Audrey Hepburn style and finding a life there. The thing I think I most appreciated was that Amelia didn't actually give up her music or fame for the romance, and Noah didn't leave his entire life behind either. So many of these opposite attracts stories end up with one of the people (often the woman) giving up career/life for the other, which is a trope that I don't love.

Speaking of tropes, I'm a sucker for a grumpy-sunshine trope, and this one had it in spades. The banter in this book was fabulously written and you could just feel Noah's constant annoyance and underlying attraction to the sunshine-y Amelia.

Overall, this was a super cute romcom that was everything I expected and wanted it to be. If you enjoy a fluffy romance, this is probably a book you'll like. Be warned, however, that there is no real spice in this book. I know some people live for that, but I really like a good romance that leaves that to the imagination, and this book does just that. I'd definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. I love how Amelia gets the break she deserves from her life, and that she gets to have it with Noah. I like that she thinks Noah is one way but he's the complete opposite. I liked the romance between the two of them, how they fit together so well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy, I loved it.

Loved this book! Definitely got what I expected as I’ve loved what I read previously from this author

This book took me a few chapters to really get into but once I was in, I was hooked!! I enjoyed the banter between the characters.

Sarah Adams is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! This slow-burn-grumpy-sunshine-close proximity romance about a pop-star and small town pie shop owner was everything and more.

When Amelia, aka, Rae Rose, escapes Nashville and her demanding manager, she finds what she’s been longing for, a home.

Amelia and Noah’s slow burn love was incredibly believable. Because of her job and his history of heartbreak, they delay their connection as long as possible, making every moment of longing and chemistry absolutely palpable!

It’s funny, heartwarming, and everything you need from a happily ever after! It was a joy to get to know Amelia and Noah. The side characters, including Noah’s three younger sisters, were charming and added so much to an already lovable cast.

Fans of her previous book, Cheat Sheet, will love this just as much.

My first Sarah Adams book and will definitely not be the last!

When In Rome is a modern take on the classic movie, Roman Holiday. The story follows Amelia a.k.a Rae Rose, a popular singer and is also obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. One day she finds herself burned out with her career and so she follows what Audrey did in the movie, she escapes to Rome... Kentucky (the nearest Rome she can find). And there, she meets her own Gregory Peck, the grumpy pie shop owner, Noah Walker! *dreamy eyes*

what i like:
- funny and heartfluttering banters
- their "will they-won't they moments" are so adorable
- i just found myself a new book boyfriend!
- dual pov
- grumpy/sunshine trope
- closed door romance
- love the side characters! i would love to read more about the sisters!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

(full review will be posted on bookstagram near or on pub date)