This book was sweeter than powdered sugar!!! Sarah Adams has done it again! This is the classic grumpy x sunshine trope, and it did not disappoint. I loved the small town feel (Gilmore Girls anyone??), how Audrey Hepburn was sprinkled throughout the story, and Noah's relationships with his family. There were parts of this book that made me laugh and parts that made me cry, but overall it just left me feeling happy and asking myself if one day later was too soon to re-read it... :) 12/10 recommend this book (and all of Sarah Adams' books) if you're in need of a sweet, cozy read. Here's hoping for some sequels with the secondary characters!!!

When in Rome is about exhausted musician, Amelia, who needs a break from her busy, controlled life. Her love for Audrey Hepburn and the movie Roman Holiday inspires her to vacation in Rome... Rome, Kentucky being the closest.

There she meets grumpy Noah Walker, a baker with a scarred heart. Forced proximity, a bucket list, pamcakes, and an insane physical chemistry leads to a relationship of "We can't" and "I can't stay away".

My thoughts: I want to visit a town like Rome. But also, I loved reading about a celebrity as a main character. The difficulty and loneliness that can come with that profession is heartbreaking. The fact that she finds safety and happiness with Noah melts my heart. I could feel the chemistry through the pages and was dying every time one pulled away from the other.

Noah's three sisters brought some cometic moments and ignited my wish for a big family. I would LOVE a book about each sister personally, that's how much I enjoyed their characters and relationships as siblings.

Thanks you Random House Publishing for choosing me to preview this amazing book. Be sure to grab your copy September 2022!

“Sometimes I’m happy… Or at least I used to be. I think.”
Amelia (or Rae Rose, multimillionaire pop singer as she’s known to the public) needs a break. Her life is getting away from her but what can she possibly complain about? She’s a pop star, getting ready for a world tour, and lives the life everyone dreams about. But when she realizes she’s missing joy in her life, she runs away to Rome… Kentucky. Her car breaks down, and Noah, her knight in blue jeans, wants nothing to do with a flashy celebrity who is just breezing through town but shows a brief display of small town hospitality to let her stay in his guest room. The more they get to know each other, the more difficult it is to deny the attraction and feelings simmering, but they are from two very different worlds and someone is going to get hurt when her car is fixed and she has to return to the limelight.

Sarah Adams has the magic formula of stringing together words, developing characters and telling stories that make my heart physically ache. I could vividly imagine Rome, KY, with the family owned businesses, main street, and sense of comradery from all the side characters. I absolutely loved Noah’s sisters and wonder if Sarah will have spinoff stories for them too (one can hope!). Overall I thought this was another sweet and swoony Sarah Adams book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amelia, an A-list pop star who’s completely burned out and turns to Audrey Hepburn for a solution, specifically her film Roman Holiday. Naturally, she gets in her car and drives to Rome, Kentucky to get away from Nashville. Except her plans implode when she arrives in Rome and her car promptly breaks down by someone’s house. Pie baker Noah does not need or want a superstar in his yard, his home, or his life— he’s had enough of women from outside this town messing with his heart. Except Amelia likes the way Noah treats her like she’s normal. She even likes his extremely grumpy exterior, and decides to stay with her very reluctant and inhospitable host in Rome until her car gets fixed. This book is such a sweet grumpy/sunshine small town romance! Sarah Adams is the queen of Couples Who Don’t Know They’re a Couple Yet, and I’m here for it! This author is also a slow burn queen. There were so many small touches and heated glances that I’m still unsure how my kindle didn’t burn to bits. Five stars- I really enjoyed this, and am hoping that we get more stories in Rome, Kentucky. Noah’s sisters, or his friend James, perhaps?

When in Rome follows the story of Rae Rose/Amelia, a famous pop star. Needing a break from reality, Amelia hops in her broken-down car and finds herself on Noah’s front lawn! She ends up staying at Noah’s house while her car gets fixed and their relationship unfolds from there!

Quick thoughts:
LIKES - This book was just so warm and cozy! I loved how the relationship between Amelia and Noah grew throughout the story and I especially enjoyed Noah’s sisters and all of the fun residents of the small town!!

DISLIKES - Nothing!

Read if you like:
*grumpy/sunshine
*slow burn
*small town setting
*awesome side characters
*found family
*forced proximity
*closed door romance

When in Rome – Sarah Adams

I was provided an eBook version of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Sarah Adams novel and I am hooked! I absolutely loved this story of Amelia, aka Rae Rose, and her journey of finding what she really wanted in life. The small town charm, the romance, the banter, the family .. it was all a perfect blend and the transitions throughout the story between Amelia and Noah were seamless! There were a few moments I had to stop reading and come back to it (work, sleep, etc) and every time I picked it up to continue reading I was instantly transported right back into Rome and it was such a comforting read.

While lighthearted and fun, this book also touches on some really important issues of self-discovery and reconnecting.

Overall, one of the best books I have read this year and will be purchasing the book once it hits shelves. I can see myself recommending this to friends for sure!

This book has, like, a lovable Gilmore Girls-esque small town, a baking love story and I'm here for all of it. It's a saccharine-level, much like the author's The Cheat Sheet which I adored, that's full of quick, snappy language that draws me in. There's a found family trope of a Stars Hollow-type small town and I love it. This slow-burn romance is very cute and wholesome that I couldn't help but smile over.

Wow, this book was fantastic! It had everything i would want in a rom com and more. Amelia is a pop icon who needs a break from her celebrity lifestyle which leads her to take a trip to Rome, Kentucky which was inspired by her love for Audrey Hepburn. There she meets a grumpy pie shop owner named Noah who reluctantly lets her stay at his home when her car breaks down and the bed and breakfast is full. She develops a love and friendship with him and the town and maybe a little more.

Over the course of the book you get to see a grumpy sunshine romance take place in a small, quaint town. If this book doesn't make you want to up and move your life to a small town I'm not sure what book will! The characters are funny and have some great banter and you can feel the love this town has for Noah and Amelia. I have read all of Sarah Adams books and this one has to be the funniest and most heart felt.

I think this book is different from other romances because not only does the break in Rome give Amelia her love with Noah but she also finds herself again without the spotlight and learns to love who she really is. She finds out that she is more than just a popular singer and actually a girl who loves people in a small town, spontaneously swimming, trying to make pancakes and helping her friends with anything they need. Amelia has an amazing heart and as a reader I saw that from the beginning but was swallowed by the expectations and pressure that were put on her. Something I loved about this book is she found safety and support through Noah and Rome, Kentucky.

While this book is not overly spicy and is kind of a slow burn I still loved the steam and romance that was in this book. It was sophisticated but still playful without taking away from the heart of Noah and Amelia’s relationship. We got to see a genuine relationship between Noah and Amelia trying to figure out the boundaries they had in their friendship and then to a romantic relationship. And what a beautiful story to tell.

If you are looking for a funny, small town, strangers to lovers romance when in Rome is the one for you! Not only will you fall in love with the main characters but also all the people in the town are just as lovable.

I really enjoyed this book! The main characters seemed a little over the top at the beginning, but eventually settled in. I also appreciated that it was relatively clean.

When music star Amelia (aka Rae) gets burnt out with her hectic lifestyle she turns to her constant companion, Audrey Hepburn films. Upon choosing Roman Holiday she immediately decides she needs a trip to Rome, but with an upcoming tour she cannot go that far from where she is so she chooses the next closest Rome! Rome, Kentucky!

Noah is a local business owner in Rome, Kentucky who leads a quiet and solitary lifestyle after getting burned in his last relationship. One quiet evening someone's car breaks down and begins smoking in his front lawn.

This is where the fun starts!

This is my first novel by Sarah Adams and I could not put it down! Notice all the exclamation points. I started this book one morning on the beach and had it completed by that evening. I was immersed in the writing and humor in this book. Our FMC (Amelia) is our witty and adorable sunshine, while our MMC (Noah) is your classic grump.

I gave the story 4 stars overall because of the closed door love scenes. After being this fully immersed in the characters inner dialogue I anticipated an open door love scene. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely place it on your TBR list.

When in Rome by Sarah Adams is about a famous singer, Amelia “Rae” Rose, escaping her busy life for a self care journey. After being used by the people in her life for her fame and money, she decides to take a page out of Audrey Hepburn’s movie in Roman Holiday. However, since Rome, Italy is too far, she goes to the next best thing; Rome, Kentucky. The journey doesn’t start out so good as she gets stuck on the small town grump’s front yard. Noah walker is not looking for any responsibilities or love, especially with an out of town women. He did that once and it didn’t work out well for him. This book is so cute and I could not stop smiling while I was reading it. This was my first Sarah Adams book and it won’t be my last. This book is for fans of small town romances, sunshine city girl and small town grumpy pie owner, forced proximity, and cute nicknames. This was a wholesome, sweet romcom and I gave this book 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sharing this ebook arc of When In Rome in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Sarah Adams, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Book is out September 20 2022!!

When singer Amelia (aka pop star Rae Rose) becomes overwhelmed with the loneliness and pace of her upcoming tour she runs away to the small town of Rome, Kentucky. Before Amelia is able to get to the town's bed and breakfast her car ends up breaking down in the yard of grumpy pie shop owner Noah. Even though Noah doesn't want anything to do with Amelia, he allows her to stay in his guest room for the night. Well one night turns into multiple night after the meddling of the town, and the sparks start to fly.

Even though I loved the two main characters with all my heart and rooted for them from the start, my favorite part of the book was the people in the town especially Noah's sisters. Yes the towns people turned meddling into an art, but they did it from such a place of love. It created this place where Amelia was able to heal and find herself before fame tore her down.

When in Rome was such a cute story about a pop singer finding her voice again and a grumpy pie shop owner finding it in himself to trust and love again. It had everything I want on a romance novel: grumpy/sunshine, force proximity, and found family. Even though I don't usually read closed door romances, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I hope you pick up this heartwarming book!!

🥞Big thanks to Sarah Adams, Random House, and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of When in Rome, in exchange for my honest review! Out 9/20/2022!!🥞

Gah what can I say other than I freaking loved this book. When in Rome was such a sweet read. The perfect combination of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, small town charm, “I promise I won’t fall in love with you” but total insta love book.

When Amelia(known as pop star Rae Rose to the world) comes crashing(literally) into Noah’s life, he takes some pity on her and let’s her stay at his house while she takes a much needed break for her superstar life.

Noah is your typical grump who doesn’t talk about his feelings, is reluctant to love after having his heart broken, and can not wait for Amelia to get out of his hair. Or so he claims.

Amelia just wants to breathe a little bit. She lives a busy life and as she prepares to go on a huge world tour, she just wants to take a step back in hopes to fall in love with singing again. Taking inspiration from one of her favorite movies, she finds herself in Rome, Kentucky and quickly falls in love with the town and its people.

I found myself laughing, blushing, crying a little bit, and wanting these two get over themselves and just choose love. When in Rome was such a cute and fun read. Closed door romance isn’t always my go to but it is when it comes to Sarah Adams. This book had everything I was looking for. Such a fun refreshing read to get me out of a tiny reading slump! 👏🏼

Now let me go make a huge stack of pancakes and some pie. 🥞🥧

♥️♥️♥️

This was so cute! I have to say, miscommunication/refusal to communicate is one of my least favorite tropes, but it did actually make sense in this one, so I’ll allow it 😂 The side story of her relationship with her manager and mother was important but felt like it could have been elaborated upon - the discovery and subsequent fix was so quick and I feel like it could have had a bigger punch if it had been delve into more. But overall: loved the banter, loved the cuteness, loved the growth.

Wow!! This was the cutest and fluffiest romcom I’ve read in a long time. Amelia “Rae” Rose is an international pop star who decides in the middle of the night that she wants to pull an Audrey Hepburn and run away to Rome due to the stress she’s experiencing in her life but Italy is a little out of reach so she ends up in Rome, KY but when her car breaks down in front of local pie shop owner (and known grump) Noah Walker’s house she ends up stuck in Rome, but maybe that’s exactly what they both need. We have all the best tropes here, sunshinexgrump, forced proximity and (kind of) enemies to lovers. Really just one of if not the sweetest books I’ve read ever.

This book was a winner! I loved Noah and Amelia so much. This book gave me warm fuzzies and definitely gave me Gilmore Girls feels! Noah was grumpy, Amelia was sweet…read this book!!! Sarah Adams always delivers!! I’m just sad I’m already done reading it.

Oh my goodness. Sarah Adams has done it again.

Picture this: A classic, hometown man. Not just any classic, hometown man. This one not only runs a pie shop (ironically doesn't like pie), is an avid reader, writes in cursive ladies and gentlemen, and has a private pancake recipe that he refuses to share. While seemingly perfect on the outside (if not a *bit* of a grump), Noah harbors a deep rooted fear of falling in love and getting hurt.

Amelia, on the other hand, is a ray of sunshine currently being overpowered by domineering clouds in her life. Taking advice from her favorite cinematic heroine, Ms. Audrey Hepburn, she decides to get away from her hectic, pop star life for a much needed break. Landing in our heroes life, and front yard.

Filled with heart, comedy, overbearing sisters and nosey elderly women, When in Rome took my heart, filled it to the brim with happiness, and made it grow 3 sizes like the grinch's.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

When a famous pop star named Rae Rose tries to sneak away for a little R&R, she winds up broken down in the yard of Noah Walker. Now Amelia is forced to stay in Rome, Kentucky, an off the grid town for 2 weeks while her car is repaired. She quickly comes to realize that Rome is exactly what she needed. And Noah, an easy on the eyes pie shop owner, is an added bonus! But after being hurt in the past, Noah has major trust issues and fears being hurt by another career driven woman. Is two weeks enough for these two to work things out?

This hilariously sweet story is full of sexy banter, sarcasm and oh so much love. It’s one of those books I could immediately start over right after finishing.

If you love Audrey Hepburn, you will love this book loosely based on the movie Roman Holiday.

Sarah Adams will forever be an auto read author for me!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousepublishing for this ARC.

When In Rome is available now for preorder on Amazon and releases on 9/20/22.

Overall rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice: 🌶 (more steamy than spicy)

-small town setting
-famous singer
-grumpy/sunshine
-pie baker/shop owner
-strong family bond
-deceit & lies
-dual POV
-broken engagement
-plot twist
-Audrey Hepburn vibes
-Roman Holiday
-off the grid

TW:
*broken engagement
*lies and deceit
*death of a parent
*Alzheimers disease

Thank you netgalley for this book. I absolutely enjoyed this book right from the start. This book had me laughing from chapter one. It isn't a fast paced romance which I'm glad. I adored Noah so much. If your looking for a fun light romance that you can't put down this is it. This book was beautifully written would Audrey do #pancakes # poptart.

This was such a cute romance! It gave me serious Star’s Hollow (from Gilmore Girls) vibes, and for that alone it deserves a solid rating. I don’t read a lot of romance novels, but when I do, I tend to prefer enemies to lovers or grumpy/sunshine tropes. This one is definitely a grumpy/sunshine read, and I loved it!

To be real, it’s a bit of an insta-love story, where the characters meet and sort of immediately fall in love (inside a week or so), which seems crazy unrealistic to most of us — but this is fiction, people. It’s cute, just let it happen. Amelia is an international celebrity and Noah a small-town baker, each instantly attracted to the other but unwilling to form a romantic attachment. Obviously they progress past that hurdle, I don’t think that’ll be shocking to anyone!

But really, this is a cute read with fun banter and hilarious characters. I definitely enjoyed it, and would recommend it as a great light summer read!

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!