When in Rome was such a joy to read!
The heroine’s inner voice is charming and funny. Most of the time I get tired of “hearing” all the character’s thoughts and instead prefer dialogue, but Amelia’s thoughts were pretty entertaining alone. Following her journey to finally choosing herself was beautiful. What a transformation!

When In Rome is a celebrity meets local country baker story. It’s a Hallmark channel dream. When Amelia seeks a break from her luxurious lifestyle, she ends up stranded in Noah’s front yard. Amelia is witty and skeptical, and Noah is grounded and confident. So it goes, opposites attract.

I really enjoyed this one and look forward to checking out the author’s other works! Thank you for the opportunity to provide my feedback.

@thebookishcam on Instagram

When in Rome tells the story of pop sensation Rae Rose and her need to escape her life in the spotlight. Following in her idol Audrey Hepburn’s footsteps, she heads to Rome…Kentucky. What she ends up finding there becomes much more than an escape but a place where she can finally feel at home.

The story felt wildly implausible and incredibly predictable but I think that’s why I loved it. There weren’t many twists and turns and it was comforting to know the story would play out how I hoped. I found myself rooting for Rae and the people she came across in her escape. Rae found her escape in Kentucky, I found my escape reading When in Rome.

This book was so cute! Another one of Sarah Adams books that I really enjoyed. This book had it all, small town romance, celebrity artist meets small town pie shop owner, Audrey Hepburn and “Roman Holiday” influences.

Ameila or known to the whole world as Rae Rose is an international pop star who is about to go on a nine month tour but finds herself needing a break. Amelia finds herself overwhelmed and run down from the amount of work that she is doing and after thinking of her favorite person and movie she chooses to find the closest “Rome” without flying to Rome, Italy. So in the middle of the night she packs what's needed and drives to Rome Kentucky where things don’t turn out as she expected.

In the middle of the night she finds herself with no service and in the middle of nowhere when her car starts to smoke and is breaking down. With it being the middle of the night she has no clue that she ended up being pulled over in someone's front yard. This is where she meets the broody but really kind hearted pie shop owner Noah Walker.

Noah finds her in her car even though the car is smoking and in really bad shape. He knows almost immediately that if she doesn’t get out of the car then something bad might happen. But, he sees that she is nervous that he might have the wrong intentions. But, after finally getting Amelia out of the car he almost regrets his decision to let her stay the night because he knows that she can be trouble for him. Noah thinks that Amelia is beautiful but after being broken by someone else who was passing through town a few years ago he doesn’t want to get involved with someone like that again.

After being told that her car will take longer than expected Amelia finds herself stuck in Rome for two weeks and needs somewhere to stay. Noah takes Amelia to Mabel who owns the town’s B&B. Once they get there they are told that there are no more rooms available which means that they are stuck together. During these two weeks they realize that they cannot stay away from each other and that they are truly falling for each other. During this time Amelia meets that whole town including Noah’s sisters who she loves but was hesitant because she isn’t used to having true friends.

This book was so cute and a great romcom. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the small town romance, found family, and forced proximity tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have NEVER read anything by Sara Adams and if I am being completely honest I had no clue who she was when I picked this book. When in Rome starts with a Nashville star feeling burnt out and longing to run away from her life. What better place to run than Rome however; with the lack of time and a passport her travels takes her to Rome, Tennessee. This sweet story has a great meet cute and a lovely small town as the backdrop to one of my favorite contemporary romance of the year.

This book was the perfect blend of a grumpy male hero and our sunshine pop star heroine. Giving me all of the cozy, small town vibes, I see this as a book for fans of Gilmore Girls. Noah is giving me all of the Luke Danes' energy. Pie shops and diners are pretty much the same right?

This story is dual POV which did add a lot to the plot line. The ending warmed my heart and the epilogue! Ugh, so cute!

I would recommend for fans of..

- Dual POV
- Small Town Feel
- Meddling Friends and Family
- Luke Danes
- Men that cook!!!

When I say that I love Sarah Adams' books I mean it. The way that you are able to fall right into the settings of her books grab me right away. I was falling for Noah almost as quickly as Ameila. As I continued to fall deeper I turned pages even faster. I didn't want the book to end so that I could stay in the blissfulness of the bubble that Sarah created in Rome, Kentucky. I easily give this book 5 stars!

This was my first Sarah Adams book and it did not disappoint!!

The first thing I loved about it was that it was a closed door romance. I honestly can't stand when books are too "smutty" so it was very refreshing to read this.

I also loved the small town setting. It's so fun thinking of towns like Stars Hollow where everyone is up in each other's business. There was a lot of silly gossip but you could tell that everyone really cared for one another.

Lastly, I really liked the main characters. There was perfect jokes and jabs between the love interests. I never got annoyed by either character which is a win in my book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I will certainly be picking up another Sarah Adams book soon!

Sarah Adams, you have my heart. If you keep writing, I'll keep reading. Y'all, I loved this book. This is the most fun little rom-com, that made CRAVE pies and pancakes.

While this is a sweet romance (no explicit open door scenes), it is SO well written it reads like a romance just without the true spicy parts. I love all kinds of romances, but sometimes the sweeter ones come across as childish or unbelievable, this one does a great job balancing the incredible chemistry between Noah and Amelia while keeping certain elements off the page. Like, y'all I could recommend this to my mom and younger sister. I love a good small town romance and this was no exception. It had the best settings and side characters. It made me laugh and dream about going to Rome, Kentucky to relax and recharge.

This book is PERFECT for fans of Roman Holiday or any movie of Audrey Hepburn, Gilmore Girls, celebrities, and sweet romance readers. Thank you Netgalley and Dell for my eARC of this book. I can't wait to add this one to my favorites shelf when it comes out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute rom-com with numerous references to Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday. Rae Rose is a pop star who needs to escape the spotlight for a bit. When her car breaks down in a small town and on the property of the town's most eligible (but not emotionally available) bachelor, Rae Rose inadvertently finds the perfect place to hide.

A somewhat enemies to lovers trope evolves as Rae Rose finds what is missing from her life. She is also able to step back and reflect on damaged relationships and reflect on who she can really trust. A few twists and turns lead us through a sweet love affair (both with a man and a town) and Rae Rose's path to a better life.

Great story -- nothing like being super-famous, but forced by crazy circumstances to take refuge in your old hometown. Lots of nods to the film, Roman Holiday, but this takes place in Rome, Kentucky. Slow-burning romance. I look forward to recommending this title.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: September 20, 2022

I would rate this book 4 stars! This is my first book by Adams and will not be the last! This is your typical small town romance with a celebrity MC and hometown guy. The writing was easy and sucked me right in. I found myself reading late into the night and sneaking off during the kids' nap times to read Noah and Amelia's story.

The only thing that hindered this from being a five star read is that Amelia sometimes came across as a lot younger than 28 which then in turn made me feel like the book was more geared toward YA. It's minor but enough that it did rub me wrong here and there.

This would be perfect for fans: small town romance, grumpy/sunshine, celebrity/average, witty banter, young adult romance

OH MY GOODNESS. This book was too cute! Obsessed with the fact that she can't mke pancakes because I can't either.

This book was adorable. I really love Sarah Adams and her style of writing sweet characters that have a sexy chemistry that doesn’t need to portray steamy scenes on page.
You aren’t left wanting for more in this sweet story. I loved Rae/Amelia’s banter with Noah. They were so funny together as they tried to keep apart throughout the book.
If you are a fan of small town romance, definitely give this book a try. I’ll remember all of the family, friends, and side characters. They jumped off of the pages and I could see everything so clearly.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me this early read in exchange for my honest review.

Well this was a delightful little rom-com of a book... Referring to Roman Holiday, pop star Rae Rose ditches her life for a get-away to Rome, Kentucky where she meets Gregory Peck, oh sorry Noah, our loveably grumpy lead. This book playfully addresses so many of the tropes we love when we pick up an illustrated cover romance: grump/sunshine, charming small town, found family, nowhere else to stay but his house... It is a lot of fun with many plot conveniences thrown in to lead to a lovely Happily Ever After.

I really enjoyed reading this fun book, Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to preview before release!

This was my first Sarah Adams book but it won’t be my last! When In Rome is a modern take on an Audrey Hepburn classic. Overworked pop star Rae Rose escapes to the closest Rome she can find after watching Roman Holiday — except it happens to be Rome, Texas.

Car trouble strands her in the small town and Noah Walker, local baker, comes to her rescue. He’s the grump to her sunshine and begrudgingly takes her into his home after her reservation at the local B&B falls through.

Noah sees the real Rae behind her pop star persona despite his hesitations — and Rae finds his heart behind his baked goods. Will their relationship become something real? What happens when someone betrays Rae’s trust?

This is a slow-burn, small-town, grumpy/sunshine novel at its finest. It’s light hearted and worth a read!

Oh my gosh, Sarah Adams, I love you. Sarah's books are always guaranteed to be a fun, cozy read, and as soon as you pick it up, you find yourself immersed in the story and characters, and you don't want to put it down. This book was no exception! I loved the small town, Gilmore Girl vibes, and the side characters were a hoot! Will definitely be recommending this gem to everyone I know.

Sarah Adam’s books are just so much fun to read! I loved this spin on a classic (and all of the references!) the characters were lovable and I definitely want to visit this cute little town!!

Loved this book! Definitely a slow burn but it was so cute and funny. It was my first Sarah Adams book but I’m looking forward to more.

Wow! This was the perfect cute book to read on vacation! Everything about this story was enjoyable. Amelia and Noah were both great characters, and the secondary characters were so fantastic. The town setting was adorable and I just really enjoyed everything about this book. Definitely recommend it for a fun and entertaining story!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

You have the tropes:
- famous person doesn't want to be famous / also hides out in a small town
- You can be surrounded by people and are still lonely / "I'm drowning and no one sees me" (direct quote)
- grumpy / sunshine
- slow burn
- banter

Things I liked:
- The sibling relationships and acknowledgements of their traumas
- sisterhood and female friendship
- importance of career for FMC


If you're looking for spice, this isn't the book for that, but it's super cutesy, which i typically can get into. Including a couple insinuations/fade-to-black scenes. Although the line "This morning after a shower (together, nudge nudge wink wink)" felt very juvenile and young in the writing. It was one of the many moments I felt that it was a preteen/young teen writing. The writing in general overall felt young, beginner/new writer. That initially put me off from the book and made me struggle initially getting into it. Once I came to terms with that being the writing style and looking at it from the perspective of "let me imagine this is a young adult writing a story they wish to see," I was able to enjoy it more. I think this would be a cute book to add to the YA section of a school or library (because I wish I had books like this in middle school and high school). However, it did make me check to remind myself which genre this book was listed under (General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction), but could easily be YA. I did enjoy that she (the FMC) got to have the best of both worlds of her enjoying her career and not sacrificing it and it was refreshing to see the MMC put in the work.

If you're into contemporary romances that don't necessarily need spice, this will be perfect for the reader. It can definitely be considered a fluffy, palette cleanser too.