When you bake a pie you always have to make sure to vent the top so the steam can escape and OOOOH, BOY, there is a whole lot of heat under this cover. Sarah Adams is a master of building up to the burn and When in Rome has all the sweet, delicious, warm gooey filling you'd want in a pie. I mean a romance! And in a super hot baker who is a bit crusty but you know that's only the flaky, butter crunch you want to get to the good stuff.

Okay, enough about pie.

Super famous pop singer Rae Rose is about to go on a major tour, but she's also just about burned out. After bingeing Roman Holiday starring her favorite, Audrey Hepburn, Rae decides to break out her old car from before she was famous and find the closest Rome to her house in Nashville. Turns out, her car is a clunker that gives out in the front yard of Noah's house. Chica needs a break, not a breakdown! But the universe has other plans, thus putting her and Noah on a path neither of them could have chosen without fate (and the town of Rome) intervening.

This book is sweet heat all the way through. Perfect for your own little holiday - escape and see where the road leads.

I just finished reading When In Rome and jumped on immediately to write this review, because YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! Sarah Adams how to continue to surpass yourself? I think The Cheat Sheet might still be my favorite, but When In Rome was such a surprise. Sarah Adams' writing has evolved which each book she publishes.

Amelia (aka Rae Rose) is a famous singer and life has just gotten away from her. She barely recognizes who she is anymore. In a now rare moment of spontaneity, she grabs some clothes and jumps in her old beat up car and makes a run for it. All she's looking for is a bit of R&R. Hyping herself up to keep going down the road less traveled, Amelia's beloved car craps out. When a stranger approaches, Amelia is certain her blissful moment of going incognito is blown and worse he could be a killer. Amelia ends up in Rome, a small town in Kentucky where cell services can only be achieved by standing on one foot on a bed. She's instantly drawn to the people and the way this town treats her differently than her normal interactions with crazed fans.

Leave it Adams to create for us another dreamy man, a pie shop owner. Noah is brooding, grumpy, and yet altogether a sweet, gorgeous, and kind man. I love the complexity of these characters and the themes Adams explores. What does it mean to home? What defines family? How do we quantify success? How dependent are we on those handheld devices we all use every day?

I read this in a day at the beach, because I couldn't stop reading. My poor family kept asking me questions and I ignored them to finish. I highly recommend reading ALL of Sarah Adams' books. This one is in my top 3!

This was adorable. Always a softie for small town romances and this did not disappoint. Noah Walker was the perfect "town grump" who morphed into the guy we all love and swoon over as his true personality was revealed. Adams did a great job with the two characters and making them both likeable and relatable, which is impressive when writing a celebrity character. Rally enjoyed and another hit by Adams.

Cute but very predictable. I liked the characters and the setting but there was nothing to make it different from any of the other stories with the same plot line.

I DEVOURED this book. It was SO cute that I read it in less than 24 hours! While at times it felt like a Hallmark Movie with the big successful singer and the small town boy, it also was just so cute, I couldn't put it down! I wanted to drive down to Rome, KY and stay with Mabel and buy a Hammer from Phil. I seriously couldn't put it down and had to know what was going to happen (even though i kind of already did know....).

Also, I will be renting Roman Holiday ASAP since I've never seen it!

I was drawn to the plot description and adorable cover of When in Rome and expected a fun, frothy small-town romance where a “fish out of water”/world-famous pop princess seeks refuge and finds herself falling in love (and learning how to bake!) with the handsome owner of a bake shop. What could have been an interesting exploration of Amelia’s burnout and quest for a break to recollect her thoughts and rediscover what made her love music in the first place (perhaps with some baking lessons along the way, courtesy of Noah) was instead a push/pull between two characters who didn’t quite act or talk like we’d expect real people to. These characters are ~28 (Amelia) and ~32 (Noah) and behave more like they are in their mid to late teens.

Like many readers, I thought that the love interest, Noah, was a sweetheart. After some reflection however, I realized he was actually a jerk. He is emotionally stunted and rude to Amelia (likely because he is attracted to her and annoyed by that). He perpetuates a cycle of ogling her, flirting with her, telling her they can’t be together, and then making the moves on her. How exhausting. Quit messing with her emotions, sir!

Perhaps the worst part is that Amelia doesn’t seem to mind! At one point, she fondly reminisces about a mean thing he said once to her without seeming to realize it was an insult. Her lack of critical thinking skills was upsetting. It is difficult to believe a person without any discernible personality traits besides “nice” would be able to secure a $90 million (!!!) recording contract.

I am sad this didn’t work out for me but suspect that many readers will love Amelia’s and Noah’s story. It is a light, quick read. There are several tropes here including forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, celebrity romance. 1.5 stars from me for the darling premise and some charming moments scattered throughout.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this via NetGalley.

I have read many of this author’s books. I especially loved her Regency clean romance books. I requested this book on the basis of what I know of her works in the past. I’ve always looked to this author to be in the clean genre. However because of the use of profanity in this book I didn’t make it through the first chapter. I scanned ahead and saw more of the same use of profanity. I’m sad to not finish this book. I just feel disappointed that she changed her style in this one.

overall very cute! i thought the premise was sweet and it was the perfect beachy vibe, rom-com book. nothing too serious, nothing too surprising. if you want a quick, sweet romance, this is great.

Rae Rose is a singer trying to escape it all for a while. She gets in her car to get to Rome (KY) to follow the footsteps of her heroine Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”. However her car breaks down in the front yard of Noah, a local pie shop owner, and so begins an adorable meet cute.

This book was completely predictable, but in a cosy, sweet and light way, giving me the feels of a Emily Henry book.

Would definitely recommend.

This was adorable, but otherwise unexceptional. Plot and character development were all fine, but not memorable. It wouldn't be something I would recommend, but it also wouldn't be something I would recommend against. It's fine and easy, and I'm sure it will have its audience.

This book was so cute! Emily Henry is a master of writing slow burn romances. A modern adaptation of Roman Holiday, When in Rome is a typical beach read.

This was my first book by Sarah Adams and already can't wait to read another one by her. When in Rome is a sweet story about Amelia, a singer who is burnt out and feeling as if she has lost her true self over the years of being a star. Out of desperation, she decides to escape for a bit before her next tour begins without telling anyone where she is going. En route to her destination, her car breaks down in Noah's front yard. Noah is living a solitary life in the small town where he grew up with his three sisters. He offers to help Amelia although he'd prefer to keep to himself. With the help of the meddling cast of characters in the small town, Noah and Amelia keep getting thrown together and eventually develop feelings for each other.

Highly recommend this book!

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

This book gave me all the feels! I had so many moments where I actually laughed out loud at the internal dialogue. I even read a few parts out loud to my husband which made him chuckle, too.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Adams but I’ll definitely be reading more! Z do The characters came to life and I was completely immersed in this small town.

Summary:

Amelia (also known as famous pop star Rea Rose) suddenly feels the urge to get away from it all and take her own Roman Holiday..in Rome, KY that is.

When her old Toyota breaks down in front of the home of the sexy small town baker, Noah Walker, he makes it clear that he is not looking for any sort of relationship. Amelia also knows she will only be in town for a few days and to not get involved. But as days turn to weeks, their friendship leaves them both feeling torn and wanting more.

Where Noah is grumpy (yet also so caring and kind), Amelia is goofy (but lonely and yearning to be loved and fully known as Amelia - not Rae Rose). They are exactly what each other needs and with time running out before Amelia goes back on tour, she is beginning to fall in love with this small town and the people in it…and vice versa. So what happens when it is time to leave? Look out for this one on 9/19/22 to find out 🥧

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Sarah Adams for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHEN IN ROME
By Sarah Adams
5/5

When it comes to happy rom-coms, Sarah Adams does it best. I squealed with delight when this showed up in my inbox.

Synopsis: Amelia “Rae” Rose is a successful pop-star who finds herself overwhelmed with the constant “go” of her life. Influenced by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, Amelia sets out on a whim for the closest Rome she can find only to end up stranded when her car breaks down. Noah is the grumpy pie shop owner in small-town Rome, Kentucky who finds Amelia broken down in his front yard. Somewhere along the way, a deal is struck giving Amelia a place to hide out from her fast-paced career in the public eye and giving Noah more than he bargained for.

I loved this. I was hooked from the very beginning and didn’t want to leave Rome, Kentucky. Amelia and Noah had great chemistry and I found myself rooting for them from the start. I definitely got small town vibes from the setting and loved that Noah’s sisters played a big part in the story. This story left me feeling happy (always a given in a Sarah Adams book) which may have been the best part. Add this to your list immediately and thank me later.

Read this if you love:
♥️ grumpy x sunshine
♥️ famous person x normal person
♥️ small town vibes
♥️ a pie shop
♥️ forced proximity
♥️ dual pov

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted on @booklovingtaylor on 7/18/22 and Goodreads on 7/17/22.

Sarah Adams novela always leave me with a smile on my face, and this one did not disappoint!

Amelia is a world famous pop star in desperate need of a break before her upcoming tour. She channels the spirit of Audrey Hepburn and takes off for Rome…Kentucky.

Enter Noah, the slightly reclusive pie shop owner in Rome. When Amelia’s car breaks down in his front yard, he chivalrously offers to help her out—out of town as fast as possible that is.

Unfortunately, the speed of car repair shops don’t always match the desires of its patrons, so Amelia and Noah end up shacking up for a few weeks. What follows is a beautifully tense and emotional journey for the two as they explore what they have unexpectedly found and are afraid to hold on to.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy!!

When in Rome by Sarah Adams
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is that kind of romance book you want to read, with a cute plot and a sweet ending. At first I was annoyed because this book starts just like "Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez" with a broken car in a small town, a guy helping them out and city-girl meets country-boy plot. But besides the similarities I still enjoyed this book.

Amelia, known as Rae Rose is a pop star that is burned-out from her celerity life and in an attempt to get away from everything for a while she decides to follow her favorite actress Audrey Hepburn, from Roman Holiday's film and run to Rome, but Italy is too far so she goes to Rome, Kentucky. When she gets there her car breaks down right on Noah's front yard. Noah is a local pie shop owner, and after helping Amelia he makes sure that she knows that he has no time for celebrity problems but he still lets her stay in his guest room until her car gets fixed.

In the next day, he helps her calling a local company to get her car and they find out that it will take about 2 weeks to get fixed. Noah takes Amelia to a local B&B but the owner says that they're all booked and that she will have to stay with Noah, which wasn't true and she was just trying to keep both of them together. The whole town wants to know about Noah's new company and they're all very nosy. As the days go by Amelia gets to know more about the town and the people and gets to meet Noah's sister and hung out with them. She shows a different side of herself that makes Noah starts to fall for her. Noah doesn't want to break his heart again. The last time he helped an out-of-town girl he ended up asking her to marry him, moved to NYC and then finding out she was cheating on him. He doesn't want a long distance relationship so he tries to stay away from Amelia. Which of course failed because as the days go by they fall more and more for each other.

Very cute story and an enjoyable book!
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

this was simply such a fun, enjoyable quick read that i consumed within hours. there's something so heartwarming about a small town, grumpy x sunshine read especially when the girl is just looking to get away from everything. being the pace it is, the romance was of course whirlwind, but there was some depth to our two mains, amelia and noah that i appreciated. with their flaws and the things they've been through explaining their reasons behind their actions and hesitancy in going into a relationship. still, this story had me smiling at many moments and was endeared by amelia and noah's push and pull and by the characters in the small town that rooted for them all along. i would definitely recommend this as a charming, brisk read for the summer that's engaging making it easily bingeable!

This book was sooo cute and had me in love with Noah and Amelia right off the bat! Sarah Adams just seems to write the cutest love stories that always leave me cheesy smiling at the end when the characters get their happy ending. When in Rome follows pop star Rae Rose, Amelia, to a small town in Kentucky when she needs a break and an escape to find herself again. When her car breaks down in ,“hillbilly- joe- serial killer”, Noah's front yard and his southern hospitality takes over. These two have that witty banter, and chemistry right from the get go but this book is a slow burn for sure. This dual perspective story has you following these two as they become friends and as they turn into exactly what the other needs.

If you liked the Cheat Sheet you’ll love this one too.

Thank you Sarah Adams, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for gifting me an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
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This book was very entertaining. This is the second book this month I've read about a famous singer and surprisingly this is a trope I have really come to enjoy. This book was a grumpy x sunshine, small town romance. The small town and all the townspeople in the book were cute and hilarious. I loved all the scenes in which the MCs went into town and we got to witness all the gossiping and meddling from the townspeople. There really wasn't a single character I disliked.
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The plot was good. Only thing I would say is that the middle of the book was slightly lengthy and maybe a scene or two could've been cut so we could get to the main issue and then the resolution.
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There is lots of good banter in this book between the MCs, so if that's your thing this book is for you. If you liked Beach Read by Emily Henry, I also think this book is for you. It has many similar elements from that book except this book is not enemies to lovers.
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Overall a very entertaining read and I can't wait to read more of Sarah Adams' books.

This was darling!! The chemistry between Amelia and Noah was palpable, and the townsfolk were a trip! It was a happy, engaging story that made me super hungry for pancakes…just not Amelia’s. 😊. A must read!!