A romantic novel about a pop star falling in love in Kentucky. I was disappointed by this novel for several reasons. First, it was very unclear why the two main characters fell in love, all of a sudden they were just head over heals in love and it’s very unclear what drew them to each other. Otherwise, not much happened in the book….very little dialogue very few authentic romantic interactions, etc. it was a lot of fluff, which made it difficult to get through.. I wish the author explored more of her life outside of Rome, her relationship with her family and manager were all an after thought but the most interesting part of the book in my opinion.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review.

Who wants to have an Audrey Hepburn movie night with me? After this book I'm so ready!

This really has been the summer of celebrity romances. I got approved of this one and didn't even know that was what it was about. But I have a new appreciation for them now since I've read so many.

I haven't read too many Sarah Adams books but I did enjoy the Cheat Sheet and will have to look at more of her work since this one was so fun! And I just heard it's part of a series so I'm hoping some of Noah's sisters can find some love!

I thought the plot of this was very believable with Amelia being super burnt out and needing some time to rest. I love that she found what she needed in this silly small town. This was definitely giving me Hallmark vibes. Which I love because I'm a sucker for a cheesy HEA!

Also, if you love grumpy/sunshine this is a must read! I loved seeing Noah start to soften his first impression of Amelia and come to understand her and why she needed to stay in Rome, Kentucky.

The sisters were such a supportive bunch (even when they didn't seem that way) They all came through for their brother and I love the found family Amelia had in them. I love strong sister friendships since I have so many in my life.

This was such a fun sweet read! Totally recommend!

I was drawn to this premise because I love a good celebrity love story AND small town romance. This book was sweet and started out lovely but I admit I lost interest as the story started to feel cliche and unrealistic. I ultimately did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

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

Im sorry, but who gave this book permission to be SO DAMN CUTE!
I fell in love with this book from the first chapter. I mean, a singer who falls in love with a pie shop owner? Usually, you hear that plot and assume it's a guy singer but NOPE! Sarah Adams is here to bend gender norms and make us swoon. Amelia (Aka Rae Rose) is a princess of pop who became too overwhelmed by her life in the spotlight. She runs away to Rome, Kentucky (inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday), and meets Noah, a grumpy pie shop owner who has no time for celebrities. As they get to know one another, they begin to form a connection that will make separating so much harder when the real world comes knocking on their door.

I loved Amelia so much! You could feel her struggle with fame and how lonely she was. Her journey to mental well-being and setting boundaries in her life was truly inspiring. I love the progression of her and Noah's relationship and their journey to be together. Everything in this book, from the side characters to the town itself, was well written and well-paced, I finished it in one day! I can't wait for everyone to read this book when it comes out on September 20th, 2022.

Really enjoyed this one! I’m always a fan of celebrity/normal person in romance novels and this one hit the mark. The ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked more time with the couple outside of their mutual pining. This was my first by the author but I’ll definitely reach for more now

Review will be posted on Goodreads and instagram

“The last thing I need is some privileged pop star running up my electricity bill.”

When in Rome by Sarah Adams
Pub Date: September 20th, 2022
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫(4.5/5)
Spice: 🌶 (1/5)

Review:
Amelia Rae Rose is a burnt out pop star wanting to get away. Noah Walker is a heart broken back country family man. Rae tries to make a break to have her own Roman Holiday before her long tour starts. She escapes to the nearest Rome. That would be Rome, Kentucky where her car breaks down in Noah’s front yard where he takes her in until she can figure out what’s next. This rom com is filled with forbidden love and will they won’t they witty banter.

I’m obsessed. Split perspectives and the accidental first kiss is from HIS pov. Noah runs his grandmas pie shop after her Alzheimer’s progresses too far to run it herself. Noah is as surely as they come but as lovable. He might be my new favorite love interest. Also I would love a series with Noah sisters and their love stories. I really thought Madison would go with Rae on tour. The smut here is non existent but that leaves plenty of room for amazing stories of love and betrayal by those you lease expect.

If you like:
- Split Perspectives
- Audrey Hepburn
- Will they/won’t they
- Scrabble


Thank you to Net Galley and Dell/Random House for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

I picked up this book because I needed something fluffy and comforting after a slew of heavier, denser, depressing reads — and this one somehow ended up being the most depressing of all. The writing in these pages made me immensely sad; the editor in me actually started to cry.

Everything was overwritten to the point of exhausting me. There are seven sentences about Amelia’s, the main female character, history of migraines. Six sentences about why someone would let someone else borrow their truck. If you have to use “anyway” to get yourself back on track and “again” keeps coming up as you note you’ve already mentioned that, your writing needs some serious slashing. Sentences are allowed to stand on their own — they don’t need four or five sentences immediately following to explain what you meant. There are paragraphs and paragraphs dedicated every chapter to a character’s appearance — and it makes everything come across super unnaturally.

This felt like an 11-year-old writing a fan fiction about their favorite pop star. (Actually, that might be unfair to an 11-year-old.) And that means Noah isn’t a man written by a woman — he’s a man written by a girl. Because only a girl would find these playground antics (he’s mean to you because he likes you!!) appealing. And only a child would think this is what attraction is like. Katy Adams tried to lay it on thick that they’re attracted to each other, maybe because if she didn’t say that their attraction is intense, the reader would never be able to figure it out on their own.

Maybe that connection is missing because this book is almost aggressively wholesome. She’s in the shower — and he’s thinking about how nice her singing is. She’s in PJ bottoms and a camisole, and he yells at her to ask where her PJ top is (and then he wraps her up in a blanket to cover her up). One of the older women in town says it’s not right for him to be sharing his house with a woman who is tempting him. I think the characters said the sexiest thing to ever happen to them was a hug they shared. A hug. And guys, it’s important to note that she’s super inexperienced in bed. One of the characters even has a swear jar — where the money gets donated to charity, because of course it does.

The characters themselves are never able to make up for the unnatural writing and the missing chemistry. He’s supposedly a grump but comes off more as an asshole, and she’s a naive pop princess who melts at the smallest sign of kindness and is desperate for crumbs of affection. Katy Adams writes both characters almost identically in their POV chapters. They’ve got good bones, and their romance has potential, but they’re overloaded with physical descriptions and with about two or three characteristics that Adams wanted to note that they have that Noah and Amelia never got to breath on their own, and their relationship felt manufactured. Oh, and a super rushed ending doesn’t help.

This is supposedly based on the (wonderful) Audrey Hepburn movie “Roman Holiday,” and as someone who has watched that movie approximately 802 times, I’m confident in saying that’s an affront.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine, and Katy Adams for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Adam’s “When in Rome” will capture not only your heart, but have you booking a cross-country trip. Adams’ story is a unique blend of many well-loved tropes: enemies to friends to lovers; small town romance; forced proximity and so many more! When Amelia decides she needs an escape, she books it to Rome…in Kentucky. But when her car breaks down outside Noah’s house, she’s not convinced that he isn’t out to kill her and he’s not totally sold that it wasn’t planned by the town conspiring against him. The two start of rocky, with Amelia getting the hang of life out of the spotlight and Noah well, getting used to having someone so close. But, after a series of events pushes them closer and closer, there is no doubt that the tension has no choice but to spill over. This is the perfect summer read! Thank you NetGalley for the early preview and be sure to pick up When in Rome when it releases!

"When In Rome is a swoonworthy, slow burn romance that pays homage to Audrey Hepburn’s “Roman Holiday.” Amelia and Noah are as sweet as apple pie together, and individually they are both well-rounded, relatable characters with many layers to them. Amelia is bubbly and polite on the outside, but burnt out, lonely, and struggling to find balance and boundaries in her life on the inside. Noah is a surly, traditional family man with a tender, wounded heart underneath all that grumpiness. The supporting characters are all precious and purposeful, help move the plot forward, and add lovely Southern charm to the story.

I have never read anything by Sarah Adams before, but I loved this book so much that she is officially an auto-buy author for me (which says A LOT after just one book). I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to give my Kindle a gigantic hug and kiss after that perfect ending (and honestly pretty perfect plot). I was truly hooked from start to finish and couldn’t recommend this book more highly! My only complaint is wanting more Amelia and Noah because I’m obsessed with them now.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for graciously giving me an eArc in exchange for my honest review."

I will be posting this review on Goodreads later today and on my Instagram blog @bookedwithkay this upcoming Sunday or Monday.

I LOVE a grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract trope! When In Rome is the perfect summer read! Tbh I was expecting a steamy romance while in Rome, Italy. I was shocked to find it was located in Rome, Kentucky. Throughout the whole book I was gushing over Amelia (a burntout popstar) & Noah (small town pie shop owner). This is the kind of book that will have you grinning from ear to ear and feeling butterflies. So many of the supporting characters are lovable and I love the tight knit community of Rome, Kentucky.

While I can’t say this book was exceptionally original, it was the cute, lighthearted read that I needed to check out a bit from life chaos. Rae ( Amelia) and Noah are completely adorable even if the characters aren’t the most fleshed out. There were some fun supporting characters and I loved the nods to Gregory Peck and THE Audrey Hepburn. I think if we could have gotten a smidge more of Amelia’s story before she ended up in Rome Kentucky that could have added to the overall story and helped the reader become a bit more invested in her character growth as a whole.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

It took me about 30% of the book to fully get into it and love the characters. I wasn't convinced at first if I would love Amelia, and I just found the front lawn/close proximity too cheesy. Once I hit about 30% into the book, I was fully devoted. I loved both Noah and Amelia and I loved the chemistry between them.

I do recommend this book. You'll love this if you enjoy:
- Celebrity falls in love with non-famous person
- Small town romance
- Romcom
- Closed door romance
- Grumpy Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Forbidden Love (kind of)

Sarah Adams has done it again! Every time I read one of her books, I'm convinced it's the best one yet, until I read the next one! Sarah does an amazing job of creating chemistry and tension between characters without it being explicit. Noah is such a lovable grump and Amelia is the perfect sunshine to balance him out. They're an amazing pair. I loved this story and will continue to buy and read anything Sarah Adams writes.


There is some cursing, innuendo and implied intimacy but nothing graphic.

I absolutely adore all of Sarah Adams’ books, but When in Rome takes the cake for my favorite. She is so good at writing sweet and genuine romances with the individual personalities as the focus. I loved watching Noah and Amelia break down their walls and begin to trust each other more as they spent more time together. It attests to the idea that you’ll know when it’s the right person and things will just flow so easily with them. While the romance was so sweet and I adore them as a couple and watching them fall in love, my favorite part was how they each grew as individuals. They both became so much more confident in themselves and were willing to fight for what they wanted. They didn’t let anyone’s opinions stand in their way and went after their true dreams, and not what they thought they wanted. Noah and Amelia are my new favorite book couple and I am so excited to see more of them in another book down the road. Read this for teasing humor, awkward flirting, learning how to grow your self-confidence, and a genuine story of falling in love with someone for who they are and all of their quirks.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC! I’ve been a fan of Sarah Adams and definitely wanted to read this one! It was hands down my absolute favorite of hers! And I loved Cheat Sheet! Using the small town and sunshine/grump tropes that I absolutely LOVE, mixed with her usual wittiness and relatable characters, Adams has created such wonderful story! Noah and Amelia are simply adorable and all the side characters are just as special! This is a closed door rom/com but of all the ones I’ve read of hers, I find this one to be the steamiest without the actual spice. I was here for it, as it was done so so well! Add this to your list, you won’t regret it!

Thank you to Dell Books for the eARC through NetGalley! I thought this was a really sweet romance with good emotional depth. I often mention emotional depth in my romance reviews, because for me, that’s what makes me like a romance. I have to really feel for the characters and their situations, and this definitely made me do that.

In the story, we’re first introduced to Amelia (known as Rae Rose to her fans). She is a pop star who feels she has lost the boundaries between her famous persona and who she really is. She decides to get away from everything with inspiration from Audrey Hepburn’s Roman Holiday. She finds the closest Rome that she can, which is a small-town in Kentucky. She runs into some car trouble and ends up in the front yard of a handsome stranger and the story continues from there. Amelia’s emotional journey was one of the most compelling parts of the story. It showed her journey of realizing that her fame made her feel more isolated despite many people feeling like they knew her.

Noah is the man in whose yard Amelia ends up in her broken-down car. He is grumpy, but super sweet behind that. He gives me similar vibes to Luke from the Gilmore Girls. I loved his emotional journey too, as he was afraid of getting hurt again by someone in a relationship due to past experience. While he didn’t always want to open up, I loved that he was a sweet and caring brother and grandson. He was also a baker for his job, which was fun to read too.

I loved the side characters and the small town. It is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone’s business but they also really cared about each other which also reminded me of Gilmore Girls and Stars Hollow. I loved Noah’s three younger sisters and how they were opening and welcome and treated Amelia like a regular person that they could be friends with, which is exactly what she needed.

I enjoyed this romance story! Both characters had defined emotional arcs and the romance itself was sweet and slow-burn. I definitely recommend this! It releases on September 20th.

one of the best books i’ve read by this author! the characters are equally intriguing and the plot captured my attention easily.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5 (Rounded to 5⭐️ On GR)

Thoughts: First I want to say I went into this book completely blind and did not read the synopsis. The only thing I knew about this book was how freaking adorable the cover was, and that Sarah Adams wrote it! What more do I need to know?

… But, safe to say I loved it! When in Rome had some rather large shoes to fill after Cheat Sheet. I have such a soft spot for grumpy, outdoorsy type male MCs 🥹 Noah might just make it on the book boyfriend list right there with Nathan.

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹…

🥧 Dual POV
🥧 Gumpy / Sunshine Trope
🥧 Forced Proximity
🥧 Small Town Romance
🥧 Pop Star Female MC
🥧 Literal LOL Moments
🥧 Urge to eat pancakes… 🤪

I literally cannot wait to own this one in paperback!

Thank you Sarah Adams, NetGalley, and Random House for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Make sure to add this one to your preorder list! Publication date is September 20th, 2022.

3.5 stars. Amelia Rose, or pop princess sensation Rae Rose, is in dire need of a break and leans on inspiration from Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. So she travels to Rome, Kentucky since Rome, Italy is not feasible on short notice in her old and beat up Toyota Corolla. As her car breaks down in Noah Walker’s front yard, she has no choice but to stay put until her car is fixed. This is a “celebrity retreats to a small town” type of story where she becomes immersed in the simplicities of small town life and its welcoming community.

I liked both Amelia and Noah. Amelia was completely hooked on Noah because he seemed so unimpressed nor did he coddle to her due to her fame. It felt so normal and refreshing to her to be seen as an everyday person and not placed on a pedestal based on her public image. She is used to being gracious, polite and adored. Noah doesn’t waste words nor does he offer false platitudes. He doesn’t want to be attracted to Amelia because any possibility of a relationship is doomed. He’s never leaving Rome, Kentucky and her life is so different from his.

It’s a cute story with a definite sweet, rom com vibe, but sometimes it was too cutesy for me. The angst was mild and the conflict structured around them tiptoeing past their attraction because like in Roman Holiday, Amelia would have to leave once the vacation was over. For all that avoiding for a good chunk of the book minus a few slip ups, once they succumbed to their chemistry, it didn’t seem all that complicated anymore to make compromises where they could share a future after all despite her fame status. I liked this overall, but it wasn’t unique from others with similar themes and tropes.

This was an adorable and entertaining romcom! As a huge Hepburn fan I absolutely adored the modern take on Roman Holiday. Both Amelia/Rae and Noah are written so beautifully I instantly fell in love with them both. Amelia is so down to Earth and relatable and Noah is the best grump!

This was my first Sarah Adams but it definitely won’t be my last! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review