<i>thank you netgalley and dell for an eARC of this book!</i>

<b>rating:</b> 5 stars

i had VERY low expectations when i started reading this, mostly because the last time i tried reading a sarah adams book i ended up DNFing,
but this plot stuck out to me and i just knew i wanted to read it.

i could NOT put this book down. i started it a day ago, and i genuinely flew through it because of how hooked i was. adams builds this adorable world and this cute small town romance that honestly just had me swooning.

amelia and noah were so cute, and i loved their opposites attracted, close proximity romance and the way everything in this book ties together. it's the epitome of a romcom, and its definitely leaving me thinking maybe i should revisit sarah adams' works

I was given this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Prior to reading When in Rome, I had read Sarah Adam's The Cheat Sheet, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I thought I would give this book a chance.

It has the trope of sunshine meets grumpy put into small town charm with a plot twist of a famous singer. Amelia "Rae Rose" leaves Nashville in search of her own Roman Holiday and heads to Rome, Kentucky, where her car dies in front of the home of Noah Walker, the town grump. While waiting for her car to get fixed, she stays at his home and tries to unwind from her life in the spotlight and her and Noah find a very easy rhythm. The two main characters are surrounded by well thought out supporting characters, who not only go to bat for Noah, but Amelia, as well, as they realize they could have something great together.

I am a big fan of dual POVs and Adams provides that by having the chapters flip flop from Amelia to Noah's perspectives. It felt like you got to know them more personally through this and understanding the fact that every story has two sides to it. Throughout the book, you can tell that there is a whole lot of love in the story. It has a slow-burn romance for Amelia and Noah, and while I usually enjoy that, it personally came to be too much. I felt like I had to force myself to continue to read at times because it got redundant of "I like him/her but I know I shouldn't".

It was a cute story and while I really like Adams writing, I personally had a hard time getting through it. I would recommend this book to those who love the slow-burn, sunshine meets grumpy, and small town charm!

Read if you like:
✿ Sunshine x Grump
✿ Forced proximity
✿ Friends to lovers
✿ Small town charm
✿ Closed door romance

★3.5 rounded up

Summary: Burnt out in the midst of an uber successful music career, Amelia “Rae” Rose decides to follow in Audrey Hepburn’s path via Roman Holiday, and take a trip to the closest Rome to her, Rome, Kentucky.

After he saves her from overheating in her broken down jalopy, and then gives her shelter while her car is being repaired, local pie maker Noah Walker becomes the closest thing she has to a friend. And as she begins to meet and interact with the townspeople, she finds that for her, unlike Audrey, leaving isn’t so easy.

Thoughts: This is my first book by Sarah Adams, but going in I had very high expectations given the hype surrounding “The Cheat Sheet.” Ultimately, I feel like that did this book a bit of a disservice, especially since this book is a bit different than her previous ones. Overall I liked it, and will read other books by her, namely the aforementioned Cheat Sheet, however, it didn’t blow me away like I was so hoping it would.

As a lover of classic movies, I have seen Roman Holiday, the movie this book is a loose retelling of, multiple times and am also a huge Audrey Hepburn fan like Amelia. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and it kept me hanging in even when I struggled to connect to either of the main characters.

I also really loved the small town vibe Adams creates. Rome, Kentucky is the closest I’ve seen to the beloved Stars Hollow in book format (the Gilmore Girls setting for the 3 people who won’t get that reference) and I give Adams a lot of credit for recreating that special vibe. I found myself chuckling at Mabel, Harriet and the other busy body townspeople as they snooped, gossiped, and did everything else I imagine is a crucial part of small town living.

What I struggled with was the inability to connect to the story in any meaningful way, nor the MC. This confused me a lot because it has all of the ingredients I love. Why would I not love this book then?

In part, the MCs dialogue got to me. In general, I’m not a fan of internal dialogue that’s repetitive throughout the book. I mean, I get it, you can’t want her. It wouldn’t work. Okay! I think this was what kept me at a distance throughout the book never fully connecting with either Noah or Amelia. I must have felt something for them at the end, however, because I did shed a tear during the epilogue so there’s that.

Adams is a huge BookTok sensation and I have read many rave reviews on this one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt and check it out for yourself if you are on the fence.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll admit I’m not a huge romance reader but this one looked interesting. It was definitely cute and cheesy with a capital C. It also was a little too far fetched for my taste but I think lovers of the romance genre would enjoy it for sure. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

When in Rome is a charming small-town romance with a big-town cast of characters. The story begins by international pop sensation Rae Rose attempting to escape her lavish and seemingly glitzy existence for the quaint town of Rome, Kentucky (the nearest Rome available, since the Italian edition is out of the question). Much to her dismay, her car breaks down in the front yard of someone she’s sure is hellbent on murdering her. Instead, she finds grumpy-but-endearing Noah Walker, who for all of his bluster and frowning is really quite nurturing. Queue Nicholas Sparks falling-in-love montage.

I loved this book and read it in approximately four hours from start to finish. If you love Gilmore Girls, think of this as a Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore love story in an alternate universe. I honestly did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I found the dual-perspective of Amelia/Rae and Noah a compelling insight into both of their psyches, and I wasn’t annoyed by either of them, which is shocking since their final conflict basically boiled down to: TALK TO EACH OTHER. I also loved all of Noah’s sisters and found his relationship with James incredibly fun. Sometimes I think grumpy-sunshine tropes can be overdone, but Sarah hit it just right.

For me, the story did drag a little bit at the beginning, but other than that, a great beach read that will make you wish your car broke down in some hunky man’s driveway.

I liked this book a lot more than I expected. It almost read like a Wattpad story that was loosely based around the Hannah Montana movie, but in a good way. There was a lot of detail behind the characters and good development up to a satisfying end. I wish there had been more build-up to the characters' eventual relationship because it seemed they met and were quickly swept away with each other, but otherwise, this book was enjoyable. It’s a great summertime backdrop, and the family of characters is fun. Initially, I wished there was more about Noah's parents and otherwise loosely discussed past, although the focus on the present was somewhat refreshing.

Oh my gosh why is this the first time I am reading Sarah Adams? This book was small town, grumpy hero meets overworked, lonely pop star perfection! It was a wonderful closed door romcom and I was obsessed from start to finish.

This story starts off with a Audrey Hepburn obsessed Amelia, who is the famous pop star 'Rae Rose'. She feels lonely in her repetitive life. Everyone around her does not seem to be in her life for the right reasons and she feels overwhelmed and needs a break. On a whim, she pays homage to "Roman Holiday" and takes her old car to the closest Rome she could find in Google Maps.... Rome, Kentucky. In a turn of events, her car breaks down in the middle of the night, smoking in our dreamy hero's yard (Noah). And this is their story.

I loved this book! The chemistry between Noah and Amelia was incredible. I loved how grumpy but caring Noah is. He liked her, which made him a grump, which made Amelia like him even more. I loved how the characters didn't push each other away and how well they communicated. Even the extra characters were so well developed and added to the story. There was so much to love about this romance and I highly recommend it! This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Sarah Adams can do no wrong. Seriously. She could send me a text at 2am saying she needs help hiding a body and I'd simply tell her to be waiting out front, I'll be there in 5. So when I saw that she wrote a POP STAR. SMALL TOWN. ROMANCE. I might have let out a few choice words. Okay, more than a few. Because COME. ON. Fold up the chairs and hand out the trophy because we won with this one, folks. When in Rome follows Amelia Rose, a pop princess just looking for a taste of normal before her upcoming tour, on her trip to Rome, Kentucky. Cue the wacky neighbors, total hunk pie shop owners, and sneak-up-on-you-sabotage that you can only find in literary small towns. This book is going to be a definite win for grumpy/sunshine trope lovers everywhere.

When in Rome is the perfect summer read. The grumpy (but secretly a softie) male MC and the pop-star female MC banter was everything I needed and more.

This book would have been a perfect beach read. Light and easy to follow along with, but the banter and the hometown feel kept me entertained the entire time.....PS can we talk about Mabel? I love her!

Props to Sarah Adams because this was such a fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy, I really enjoyed this one!

This is my first Sarah adams book but it will not be my last. I loved this! The setting, the characters, the whole thing. I love Noah’s story with his family and how close he is with his sisters. The cute close knit community they live in. Amelia standing up for herself and doing what made her happy and whole. Very sweet book!

3.5/5 ⭐️’s

“A surge of protectiveness rams through my body and suddenly I want to hunt down anyone who has ever turned her down for a game of Scrabble and force them to play all night with her.”

grumpy/sunshine ☀️ + small southern town + found family vibes 💗 + forced proximity + a pie shop owning hero 🥧 (!!!!) + pop star heroine 🎤 + dual pov

I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah’s since “The Match” and have absolutely adored every book she’s written since, but sadly “When in Rome” just fell a little bit short for me.

Don’t get me wrong, this was an incredibly cute (!!) read and it definitely gave me the same warm & fuzzy feelings as her other books, but there was just a bit of a disconnect with the characters for me. I never really felt that deep connection between Amelia & Noah (like I was v surprised when they kissed for the first time!!) and even as the story progressed, their connection felt more physical to me than anything. I also felt like the ending wrapped up too quickly and I didn’t get a chance to fully digest everything that happened with Amelia’s mom.

Overall, if you’re a fan of Sarah’s books, then I’d definitely still recommend picking this one up! Her books always feel like a big warm hug and despite my minor issues with it, “When in Rome” still has those same feelings! It’s cute and fluffy and everything you want in a romcom, it just didn’t totally work out for me.

Thank you so much to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a sweet story. It was definitely 1000% unbelievable (the lack of wifi, how long it took to find Amelia in the small town) but the relationship between her and Noah was adorable. I also loved Noah's sisters and hope they get their own books!

🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆 ----⤼⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝚃𝙸𝚃𝙻𝙴: When In Rome
𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶: ★★★☆☆
𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝚃: eBook ARC
𝙿𝚄𝙱 𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴: September 20, 2022

Okay look, this book wasn't bad. I think a lot of factors went into this that just didn't work for me. No, I'm not deducting points because I don't like the tropes, but this is what I disliked in it:

↠ Small town romances. I've come to realize I hate this trope. Maybe because I live in San Diego, but it makes me so skeptical people are really that intrusive, rude.. and in this book, so open about something someone wanted to be kept private.
↠ Amelia. She felt more like a child than a 30-something pop star who didn't know left from right. She was helpless. Clueless. Completely useless! The ending didn't feel realistic or believable.
↠ The chemistry. This was very closed door, which is fine by me. I know this author doesn't do open door and I'm okay with that. But the tension was nonexistent. It felt completely forced! I felt no connection to the two main characters.

Maybe I'm looking too deeply into a feel good, light, cutesy book. But there are ways to do it right and I feel like this one missed the mark. HOWEVER! I do think tons of other readers will obsess over this and how amazing Leo is.

Give it a chance when it comes out. But if you're like me and you want it somewhat relatable, this won't be for you!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

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I just could not get into this one. The characters seemed just like that - characters, not real people. The town was like any generic “small town” from a book or movie with no genuine vibes. The writing was sub-par and juvenile. Wish I had better news, but this was a 2/5 for me.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It was the perfect amount of witty banter and swoon. Noah and Amelia(Rae Rose) are so good together and I couldnt help but be a giggly mess the entire time I read the book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

ARC BOOK REVIEW

When in Rome
By Sarah Adams

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publishing date: 9/20/22

Amelia is a mega famous pop star who is BURNT OUT. She is about to start a world tour and desperately needs some "me time" to rest and recharge.  Because of her love for Audrey Hepburn, she decides to flee to Rome (Rome, Kentucky... since she doesn't have the time to make it to Italy)  While traveling, her car breaks down and she encounters a pie shop owner named Noah. Noah is a grump who was badly burned in his last relationship  but there is something special about Amelia. Noah and Amelia become friends and quickly feel a connection. However, Noah doesn't want a relationship (so he says) and Amelia has a world tour coming up, making any new love connections impossible.

Guys. THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!! I loved every second. It was funny, touching, romantic and checked everyone one of my rom com boxes.  It was so great, I found myself   wishing  I could go to Rome, Kentucky and meet all the super fun characters!

There is not one thing I would change about the book. It had incredible banter and so many amazing moments.

Thank you #netgalley and #randomhouse for the ability to read this awesome book

If you're a fan of grumpy x sunshine, close proximity, or celeb x nonceleb then look no further. A wonderful take on Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday, we follow a pop star in need of a break, Amelia aka Rae Rose and Noah, a grump of a pie shop owner who wants nothing but for Amelia to fix her car and leave his small town. No one from the city stays in Rome, Kentucky. Huge fan of the MC's in this book! The humor, chemistry, and love. And not only between Amelia and Noah, but the entire town. Think Stars Hollow, and now I'm totally getting a Luke Danes vibe from our Noah. The side characters of Noah's three sisters, his grandmothers best friend Mabel, and the rest of the entertaining bunch will leave you captivated. I really enjoyed the overall motivation and strength in this story to fight for yourself and for what you love. Both MC's were faced with difficult choices and had to decide to keep going, sometimes with a swift kick from Ms. Mabel. Overall, one of my favorite romances this year. I cannot wait for this one to hit the shelves.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Adams, and Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fun fact: I’ve never seen an Audrey Hepburn movie. I obviously know who she is, but I’m not that type of girl so I had no idea this was a take on Roman Holiday. What I can tell you is I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute romance between small town Noah Walker (swooooon) & Rae Rose aka Amelia. I fell in love with Amelia even though a she came off slightly snooty but turns out she was just lonely. Noah was instant book boyfriend with his grumpy-like personality turned softy. I’ve read 3 other Sarah Adams books and I’ve loved them all.

#wheninrome #netgalley

This was a great story to read. I loved the storyline and the characters, definitely recommend this book!

When In Rome
Sarah adams


Amelia is burned out. She a pop star that is just running on E and wants to get away. Her love of Audrey Hepburn has her searching for the nearest Rome she can find, which happens to be just a few hours away in Rome, Kentucky. She just needed to get away, but she didn’t expect to break down in front of a strangers house in the middle of the night. Noah finds Amelia on his front lawn and knows that this is a problem that he doesn’t need. He lives a quiet life and avoids women and love at all costs after getting burned so badly in his last relationship. Even though he knows who Amelia is, and tells himself he wants no part in her life, he still finds himself inviting her to stay in his guest room until her car is fixed. As they get to know each other, they find that they can’t stay away from each other, but they both know that eventually Amelia has to return to her tour life.

UGH! You guyssss! I loved this book with literally ever single fiber of my being. Sarah writes the swooniest (is that a word? If not, I just made it one. You’re welcome) men that just make you want to scoop them up and keep them for yourself. The banter is top notch. I ALWAYS am laughing at loud with any of Sarah’s book and this one may take the cake, or Pie (see what I did there?). There is literally not one thing that I didn’t absolutely love about this book. It’s her best one yet and Noah is now in a top boyfriend contender spot.

100% must read!