“He says no, but the word slides across my skin as if he were whispering he’s against the back of my neck.”

Phew! Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Friends who enjoy closed door romances, Sarah Adams should be your go-to author and When In Rome is just so perfectly HER. It’s witty, filled with tension, and sweet, heartfelt moments. I laughed out loud at multiple scenes (“homemade chastity blanket” - iykyk) and swooned in many (many!) others.

I loved Noah’s desperation to hold back combined with his inability to actually hold back at all. I loved Amelia’s tenacity and how she took back control of her life. I loved the small town setting and all of the side characters. James and Noah’s sisters are BEGGING for books of their own. (James + Emily, sitting in a tree?)

This one comes out in September and is definitely worth the pre-order! Thank you to the author for sending an e-ARC my way. ♥️

I will forever love plots set in small towns. A male character who reads AND cooks + bakes? Sign me up! Despite being in the limelight for so many years, Amelia struggled with self-esteem and confidence and Noah had his own share of struggles that made him put his guard up. I enjoyed the banter between Amelia and Noah, the complexity of Amelia and her mom’s relationship, and the steamy build up.

The book felt a little slow to me initially but once more characters were introduced especially Noah’s sisters), it picked up pace and there was no turning back! It’s a cute, fun summer read with depth to the characters that we get to peel back one layer at a time. When in Rome was cute, charming, and full of sass and I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted on my Bookstagram account two weeks before pub date as requested.

What do you get when you combine a meddling small town, a super star with an Audrey Hepburn obsession, and a grumpy pie maker? A delightful romance with wonderful characters and chemistry! When in Rome by Sarah Adams was such a fun read. From the first page, this book was full of humor. I loved Amelia's mental dialogue and witty comments. Despite being a famous singer, Amelia struggles with confidence and taking ownership in her life, and I loved watching her grow and learn to stand on her own feet. Noah might be my favorite character (read grumpy, but with a soft heart). He's a pie baker who hates pie. A small-town guy who wishes people would stay out of his business, yet watches out for his community, particularly his sisters and the elderly ladies who meddle in his business the most. I loved the dynamic between Amelia and Noah and how they push each other to be something more. This book does fade to black, but it is steamier than Adams' previous novels and also contains some swearing. Overall, it was a fun, quick rom com that I personally enjoyed.

*Thank you to Sarah Adams, Random House, and Netgalley for an e-arc of this novel. All opinions are my own.

I’m obsessed! I stayed up all night to finish because I could not put it down! Then when I finished I immediately purchased two more Sarah Adams books. The characters just draw you in and make you feel so many emotions. Amelia and Noah have great chemistry and are just all around likable characters. The writing is so excellent that scenes can have both humor and romantic tension and blend beautifully. The plot, while slightly unbelievable, is so well done that I didn’t even care about getting into specifics. Love the small town setting and a town that has no secrets and everyone is family. Supporting characters make the book shine even brighter and I would love to read more stories from this world. Noah is my new cinnamon bun book bf to obsess over… so dibs. Definitely recommend! Good times had by all! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

3.5 rounded up to 4

I have VERY conflicted feelings on this one ...

I love a good grumpy MC and Noah was so perfect! Loved him and his sisters!!! I'd read a book from a sister's POV in a heartbeat!
I adored the small town - Rome, KY - and want to befriend everyone who lives there and hang out with them!

The first kiss between Amelia and Noah was AWKWARD AF and I hated it.
Amelia kinda sorta drove me crazy and I really didn't care for her that much.
I had a really hard time getting into this one.

Unfortunately I think Amelia just kind of ruined this one for me. Give me Noah and I loved it. LOL

my goodness.
i have literally never been so enthralled by a book. amelia and noah mean everything to me and i mean EVERYTHING. i cannot wait for everyone to meet them.
the banter, the setting and all the characters- it was all pure perfection.
if you like gilmore girls you will like this. love it, actually.
gosh. all this did was solidify sarah adams as one of my favorite authors.
thanks so much to the publishers for the ARC, because i have never enjoyed a book more.
my favorite book of hers for sure :)

In many ways this was a sweet romance with a bit of humor revealed in the teasing dialogue between the two main characters. I believe that being familiar with “Roman Holiday”, a 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, enhanced the reading. There wasn’t anything innovative in the storyline, but it proved to be a pleasant diversion from all the conflict currently in the news.

Amelia Rae Rose, aka Rae Rose, is teetering on the brink of burn-out. Dubbed the “princess of pop,” she has found that her fame and celebrity status has left her isolated and longing for the past joy she felt in her singing/songwriting career. Amelia impulsively decides to escape her constraints – at least for a short while – before the rigorous schedule of a nine month international tour. Inspired by her favorite movie star, Audrey Hepburn, Amelia knows she can’t go to Rome, Italy so she settles for the closest option – Rome, Kentucky.

Arriving in Rome, a quaint, friendly town, Amelia’s car breaks down in the front yard of Noah Walker, owner of a pie shop and local grump. A romance ensues after much resistance on both their parts with a happily-ever-after promise despite their wildly divergent lifestyles.

My biggest problem with this novel was the paradoxical nature of the pacing. The romance develops over a two week period, which seemed unrealistically fast given the baggage each one brought to the relationship. In contrast, I found the pacing of the writing with the character development was sometimes repetitive and slow.

There are some quirky characters among the town residents that added interest and I particularly enjoyed Amelia’s discovery of a new family through Noah’s siblings, as well as the restoration of her relationship with her own mother.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Amelia Rose, superstar known to the world as Rae, decides to get away from her demanding life and take a little time out to connect back to herself. Unfortunately, her car breaks down two hours away in a little town called Rome, Kentucky, in front of the house of the world's grouchiest man, Noah. Noah has been through heartache before and is closed down and wants nothing to do with Amelia. However, seeing s she gets stuck in town for a while, of course, he starts to change his mind.

Okay, I am a sucker for these kind of stories- cheesy, predictable, and just make you feel good reading them. Nothing about this book was surprise, but there was comfort in that. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am giving it 3.5 stars for keeping me entertained. The romance is SLOW, but that is okay, also. It was a cute story.

A runaway celebrity meets a grumpy guy in his quaint small town in this adorable rom-com. This book was well paced and jumped into the plot straightaway. All the characters were well developed and lovable, reminding me of the town people from the show "Gilmore Girls". I also appreciated that I was unable to figure out exactly how this love story would end. A great and refreshing read for any rom-com lovers!

Rating: 4/5 stars

4.5
This was just as good if not better than the author's previous books. The book is about a worldwide famous singer and a small town pie shop owner. It was a cute, small town romance with the grump- sunshine trope. The story had dual POVs so you can read from both Noah's and Amelia's perspectives. It was a slow burn contemporary romance with so much anticipation because of their tension. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a fun, cute quick read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the ARC!!

Sarah Adams brings all the small town charm in this funny and sweet story of a country singer and the town grumpy pie baker.

When in Rome is so hilarious, sweet and a little steamy with the sunshine and grumpy dynamic. She is forced to stay in the small town when her car breaks down and needing a break from her life, he begrudgingly agrees but the more time we spent together the harder it’s gonna be for them to say goodbye. I loved how the town just embraced her as their own and protected her. I love the way his family instantly loved her when she felt like she had no one in her corner. The banter and tension between them was so hot and fun to witness. It has opposite attract, forced proximity and roommates, a famous country singer and a pie Baker and hilarious side characters that you get to know and love.

This book gives you all them warm fuzzy feels and will have you fanning yourself from all the banter which was one of my favorite things from the book. The only thing is I wish the epilogue was a little longer because it felt a little bit rushed but maybe that’s just me wanting more content because I was not ready to let them go

When In Rome - Sarah Adams /// REVIEW

4.5 stars

Princess of soulful pop Amelia Rae Rose sets out on a journey to Rome in an effort to take a break from her buzzing popstar life and her controlling manager before she must hit the road for her international tour. However, unlike her favorite actress Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she doesn't end up in Italy; rather, she finds a getaway closer to home - Rome, Kentucky. Ending up in the front yard of the small town's pie shop owner when her car breaks down, she must find shelter in his home until it is fixed. As Amelia begins to open up and get settled in, she begins to fall for the town and everyone in it. But what will happen when she must return to her life of stardom?

This novel is the perfect fun, modern take on a classic film, and I honestly did not want to put it down. As per usual, Sarah Adams delivered with lots of witty banter and an amazing storyline that had me hooked until the end. The banter and conversations between the two literally had me laughing out loud. One of my favorite parts of the book was how well Amelia and Noah communicated and their emotional intelligence throughout the novel. It was so refreshing to see! If you are a fan of small-town romances, this is the perfect read for you because the people of Rome truly made the book for me - I just loved how welcoming and accepting they all were. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

I am a sucker for a grumpy-sunshine trope and small town romance, lucky for me this had both! I loved the way the author was able to set up the small town vibe/characters. It really added to the book for me.

The communication between Noah and Amelia was refreshing for a contemporary romance. I enjoyed that they were upfront about different worlds in attempt to stay apart.

I would recommend this book to contemporary romance readers and anyone who loved Gilmore Girls!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine.

Amelia aka Rae Rose the pop star finds herself stranded in a tiny Kentucky town. She needed a break from her life and now is stuck stay at the house of Noah Walker aka a pie shop owner while her car is fixed.

Such a cute story! I love the small town stories where everyone knows your business. It's pretty predictable, but it's in a cute way and there's plenty of character development. I read it, enjoyed it, and it left me in a good mood.

I have been a fan of Sarah Adam’s books for awhile now! She always delivers funny, heartwarming, and the most romantic stories! This one was just that. Big time pop star, Amelia, meets small town boy, Noah. At first they don’t hit it off. Noah is a grumpy man, but yet has a heart of gold. I loved the small town feel and all the towns people in this book. I also really loved Amelia and how she was so sweet even for being a huge celebrity. My only complaint is that the story felt dragged out. We didn’t see any real steam or romance between Amelia and Noah until almost 75% into the book. I also felt a lot of the story was repetitive and boring.

This was a very very slow-burn romance. Amelia is a pop star who needs a break and takes inspiration from her favorite Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday. She decides to drive to the nearest Rome, and lands in Noah's front yard when her car breaks down.

Noah has lived in Rome, Kentucky for most of his life, other than that one time he fell for a tourist and got his heart broken. When Amelia lands on his doorstep he vows to help her, but nothing else.

I enjoyed this story, it was cute and I really loved Noah. He was sweet and genuine. Amelia was fun once she figured out she could be herself. What was lacking for me was the ending. This was an extremely slow burn, with fade-to-black love scenes. That wasn't an issue for me, but they worked so hard to get to a point at the end that it felt rushed, and like this couple deserved more at the end. It was a sweet read, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves tension galore, and sweet small-town characters that make you laugh.

This book was a delightful, fun read, that made me laugh out loud several times. I fell in love with every character and the town of Rome, Kentucky. This book was full of romance and reminded me of a hit 2000's romantic comedy. Amelia is a burnt out pop star that finds herself stranded in the small town of Rome, Kentucky, home to the surly Noah Walker. Noah has been burned by love and has sworn off women when Amelia is dropped literally in his lap. This was the best romance book I have read this summer and would highly recommend.

This title was ok and library patrons will like it. However, I was hoping for more. There's not a lot that happens in the book and the connection between the characters falls short of Audrey Hepburn/Gregory Peck levels. Still, people will enjoy this. It's just not one of my favorites.

Ok I think this one is my favorite Sarah Adams one yet!

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC! A grumpy sunshine trope is always a fun read and Sarah just hit it out of the park! I loved the small town setting and Noah is perfection. The writing, banter, romance was SO GOOD and I can’t wait for this book to be released!!

This book legitimately got me out of a reading slump. I love the characters, small-town vibes, and supporting characters like Noah's sisters. I felt like I kept wanting to keep picking up and reading this book.
The scene while Noah and Amelia went fishing was one of my favorite scenes in any romance book I have read.
The only thing I would change about this book was at points, I thought the book was repetitive, but even that was rare. Overall I really liked this book!