I always love a small town romance! This one definitely hit the mark! I loved Amelia and Noah together. I loved this book. It was such a fun entertaining book. I wanted them to end up together the whole time and loved everything about them together! I loved the sunshine city girl meets the grumpy country guy and his noisy sisters.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Rome is one of my favorite backdrops for any story, particularly a romantic one. This twist on Audrey Hepburn was pretty adorable, I must say! Also, like every book littered with book, show, and movie references these days (something I've seen utilized in a lot of fiction lately but ESPECIALLY romance, please watch Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck (classic!) beforehand or be okay with spoilers.

Amelia Rose is full of life, the sunshine, who meets Noah, our classic grump. Honestly, I didn't feel like they had much chemistry in the beginning. It had That small-town vibe and I would definitely recommend this book if you're missing Gilmore Girls or just something precious and touching. It was very funny with Hallmark movie vibes and honestly, I kind of wish I waited until fall to read this book (I can see why it's not being published until September!) because this is a perfect book to cozy up with with a hot drink.

This is actually my first of Sarah Adams and I am pleasantly surprised! Her other books look to be more summery so I guess in that sense, it worked out after all since I'm reviewing this in the midst of summer. This is definitely the start of my Sarah Adams collection!

3.75 stars.

rating: 3.5 (rounded up to a 4!)

i was a little nervous going into this book because while the cheat sheet was okay, it was definitely a little too cringey for my taste and i didn't really like the mc (bree? i think). but this mc? LOVE. the love interest? LOVE. i love grumpy/sunshine (esp when the grump has such a soft spot for his small town). and the mc not giving up her career or dream ??? ALSO LOVE.

i will say, i wish the amelia (the mc) would've gotten more book time to fix things with her mom. she mentioned how affected by the fallout of the friendship was and while you see a small phone call that reveals why they weren't as close anymore, you aren't given much for their closure. i just felt like that was rushed a little.

anyway, what a fun, cute read!!

thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc!

synopsis:
Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own.

Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more.

Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.

see see when i was coming into this book, i was a little bit scared. like on a scared-o-meter, id rank probably somewhere near 6 out of 10. i was nervous because all of my friends who have read previous sarah adams books have not liked them. not one bit. i usually am one to come to my own conclusions but when that many people do not fuck with you.. it makes you just a tad bit wary.

however, all critiques and criticisms need to be put on PAUSE because we’re talking about when in rome, and i’m gonna take the most wild assumption and say this book is not like the rest. i personally have not read the author’s other books but my oh my did i eat this one up. i ate it so hard and so fast i’m buying the cheat sheet as we speak!

let me get to the review because i don’t wanna make this unnecessarily long.

when in rome was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to all the other books im currently reading right now. i finished this book and was thinking of bad small town guy, big city girl, forced proximity romances and couldn’t think of a single one (they probably do exist, i can’t deny there are objectively bad takes on these tropes together, i just haven’t read them/this isn’t one of them).

the lust between noah and amelia would’ve been completely annoying if they were written in any other way but because the tension between them is explained so carefully and thought out, it works. i spent a good part of this book genuinely worried that this would be a roman holiday situation; she’d have to leave him for the dream she wants to carry out. but i was 87% sure it wouldn’t based on two things: one, this is a romance novel. and two, the comfortability that was shared between amelia and noah in that short amount of time proved they’d be in love with each other for a long time. i don’t think they had insta love, they definitely had an insta connection tho. it’s totally why i can genuinely see them living it past the epilogue. there were no secrets between them in the small time they were together for, and i think that’s a plus considering who she is!

anyways, my ending thoughts are simple: i need annie and james neeeeed to have their book because i’m a visionary! I SEE A FUTURE WITH THE TWO OF THEM!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What can I say? Super cute read. Great for the beach! I got lost in the book and wanted to visit Rome, Kentucky! I love the small town with the cast of quirky characters.

Definitely worth a read! You won't be disappointed!

I was lucky enough to get a chance at reading this ARC and ohhh this was a good one!!! It’s what a romance novel should be, and knowing Sarah Adams never disappoints- I just knew I was going to love it ♥️ My favorite of hers has been The Off Limits Rule for a while now but this one might bump it.
The book is about pop star Rae Rose and the break she needs from stardom. When she gets stranded in Rome, Kentucky, she meets the no-nonsense Noah Walker- and so begins their story as well as all the best tropes (close proximity, tons of tension, grumpy/sunshine)! I loved their story as well as the tribute to Audrey Hepburn. This is the perfect read if you just want some feel-good romance in your life!

Sarah Adams is able to write the prettiest and cutest love stories that are both clean and nice! I love having a writer that I can read and know it will be appropriate.

3.5 ⭐

When In Rome is a very cutesy, grumpy vs sunshine romance about pop star, Rae Rose, who feels that for a life so fully scheduled, it seems pretty lonely. so she takes the cinematic life of Aubrey Hepburn, and runs away to Rome...in Kentucky. Enter, Noah Walker... he has no time for another big city woman to come and uproot his small town life. sadly, no amount of avoidance can cure the sweetness that is Amelia Rose

first and foremost, if you haven't watched Roman Holiday (and still plan to), do not read this as it spoils the ending of the movie; something i wish i knew beforehand :<

as easy and as fun as it was to read, I'm ngl in saying that i struggled with a few things... what i completely understand about small town romances is that people are all up in your bussiness, i get that. but what i don't appreciate is how rudely meddlesome the townsfolk were in discussing Noah's past (with a stranger), and also how i felt that they pushed Amelia onto him.
the other thing was the first kiss. they have shared no personal connection at this point so that gave me lust vibes instead of chemistry

i might just be nitpicking so take that with a grain of salt...

i did really adore Noah and his sisters though! they seemed really fun and supportive, while Noah was this reserved grump. but he always showed his care towards those he loved, and also his protectiveness towards Amelia can do things to a person's heart :')

there weren't any spice as it was fade to black but it was a slow burn with a lot of mutual pining

in the end, i did enjoy it to some extent, i just felt that it was missing that oomph...that little bit more than the usual predictability... but still highly enjoyable

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

This author can do no wrong in my eyes. All she had to do was just say she has an upcoming book and I know instantly it would be one of my favorites. Her writing style is quirky and charming with hints of awkwardness and emotions spewing from the pages. This book will have you smiling, laughing, and enamored from start to finish and when it’s over you immediately want to pick it back up and read it again.

I adore Amelia from the moment I read her first inner thought. She’s a huge start and rightfully so, but also she’s relatable, aloof, and just quirky. She feels like your best friend because she is so down-to-earth and doesn’t let fame disconnect her from reality. Noah has my heart. Why am I such a sucker for the caring, huge heart, knows the way to my heart is a delicious pie kind of man. His internal struggles and constant fighting of this instant and obvious connection just made him sexy. He’s not an alpha man nor a nonsense man. He’s a man who follows his heart but is careful who sees it.

The tension between Amelia and Noah is deliciously slow to where you savor every interaction and every moment loaded with angst. Their chemistry was playful and emotionally charged and I just ate up every chapter. What this author does well is use her words to project chemistry, angst, and tension in a way that doesn’t require the use of explicit descriptions. She slowly exposes the hearts and souls of Noah and Amelia in a way that is more intimate than any steamy open door scene. I’ve said it before and I will continue saying it, this author just excels with every new book she puts out and this book was perfection. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine - Dell for this ARC

This book was SO PRECIOUS! It was funny, emotional, touching, fun, and again, so funny! I loved ALL of the characters, the chemistry between Amelia and Noah, and the small-town setting (it gave me Stars Hollow vibes, so if you love Gilmore Girls too you'll have to check it out!).

When in Rome gave me major hallmark-movie feels, and it was so cozy. I cuddled up on my couch and had a wonderful reading day with this book. I’m definitely going to purchase a physical copy so that I can read it again! ☺️

this book was absolutely adorable! i loved the characters so much! it was a very quick and easy read. perfect vacation & beach read vibes. if you are obsessed with old movies, specifically audrey hepburn’s movies, the way i am you need this book in your life!

it took me a little to get into the book and warm up to both amelia and noah but once i got into the story i was in love. the town’s dynamic and the fact that everyone there was so supportive of amelia even though she was an outsider was very touching. i will now be endlessly yelling about this book, thankyousomuch

This is hands down Sarah Adams best book yet! I absolutely ADORED this story. This will be one of those books I re-read when I'm in a slump because I had a smile on my face the entire time.
Amelia and Noah's flirty banter is adorable and their chemistry is sizzling. I just love the dual POV so we can see what each of the MCs is thinking.

Other than the MCs I loved this small town and all the people who came with it! Noah's sisters are a hoot, as is Mabel. I love they way they treat Amelia and their relationships with Noah tell us so much more about him.

This book was absolutely 5 stars for me. It was funny, romantic, and full of the Sarah Adams charm which I love so much!

When In Rome by Sarah Adams is a cute romance set in, not Italy, but Rome, Kentucky which was honestly such a fun setting with so many lovable characters. I got to read this book in advance thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review, and I have to say I really liked this book! It kind of feels like a Hallmark movie in its setting and premise, but I really like the familiarity and comfort of that type of media. Plus the leads are both amazing and the dual perspectives was great! I won’t say too much more and spoil the story for y’all though, you will just have to read it yourself! If you like pop stars, men who bake pies, and a small town romance, this book may be the one for you when it comes out this September!

This was such a cozy and cute small town vibe book. I loved the setting of “Rome” and the inspiration behind it. This was a perfect read for fans of Gilmore Girls and gave me major Stars Hollow vibes as well. Amelia is a famous singer and Noah is the perfect small town guy. The tropes in this book were some of my favorites including grumpy/sunshine and small town romance. If you’re looking for a cute romance read this one is perfect 🥰🥞
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read & review this book! I can’t wait to read more books by Sarah Adams!

Oh my gosh! I absolutely loved this book. From the minute I started reading it I already was hooked on the authors writing style. It was funny, cute & emotional all in one. If you liked It Happened One Summer, you will definitely enjoy this one! When a celebrity pop star is feeling burnt out and has a couple weeks before her next tour takes a trip to Rome, Kentucky, she finds herself broken down in her car on a man’s front lawn. Convinced he is a serial killer, their banter begins in the first 10 minutes of the book! What will happen next?

Thank you so much NetGalley for letting be read this book! Definitely will be reading her other books! I just got my copy of the Cheat Sheet to read next!

This book was magic. I love a small town romance so so much. I love grumpy/sunshine so much. It has such Gilmore Girls vibes which I LOVED. I will be purchasing this book for my book shelf so I can read it a million times.

Amelia is off to have her Roman Holiday adventure just like her favorite person Audrey Hepburn, of course Rome is actually too far, so she settles for Rome, Kentucky. She is going on tour for nine months soon and she is feeling burnt out, so now is the perfect time to get away. Until her car breaks down in Noah’s yard and quickly everything changes. He is grumpy, he doesn’t want her around, but he wants nothing more than to help her so she can be on her way. Two weeks is nothing while her car gets fixed, right? Maybe?

I love Amelia. She clearly needed the break and this is the perfect place for her to be. Rome is just like Stars Hollow and I for one love that for her. Everyone knows everyone, everyone helps everyone, everyone GOSSIPS about everyone. Noah isn’t looking for a relationship, he was hurt and he can easily see himself falling back into something with Amelia that will leave him hurting once again. But of course, she has a way of sneaking right into his heart. Also Noah is WONDERFUL. The way he takes care of Amelia and his sister warms my heart.

There was no third act breakup and I LOVED that. The villain was someone you kind of expect but also not really? It’s pretty subtle throughout and I’m glad it wasn’t a main focus, it was necessary for the ending, it tied up some things which was nice! The semi-epilogue was sweet, but since I am a FAN of epilogues I was wishing for more. Maybe there will be more books??? I’d love to see which of Noah’s sisters ends up with James (😉).

I haven’t read any other of Sarah Adams books but they’ve been on my TBR forever and they’ve officially been bumped to the top!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll post this in my Instagram story highlights under ARC as well as Goodreads, Bookbub and Storygraph (all will be in the attached links). I will also post an Instagram post on the day of release (September 20, 2022).

When in Rome felt like the pleasure of licking your fingers after a good meal - to put it simply.

In want of a much-needed brake from fame, Amelia, also know was Rae Rose, chooses to take a vacation in Rome. Rome, Kentucky, of course. After her breaks down she meets a handsome man named Noah who makes her doubt everything about her perfectly laid out life.

It was perfectly delectable and tooth-aching sweet.

Like in so many romance novels, the third act was quite dense. Yet, the characters are so adorable they make up for it. However, those same characters fell so easily into tropes they read like caricatures.

Overall, my lack of deep thoughts gives away that this is book is something I'm not going to think about in the long run. Although, it was a satisfying distraction.

This is my favorite Sarah Adams book to-date. This book was so well-written and full of wit and smiles. I found myself grinning throughout and laughing out loud regularly. This is the perfect sweet/grumpy trope and will fill your heart with all the feels. It took so long to read because I kept having to stop and highlight sections.

Amelia is a celebrity popstar who needs a break from her high-pressure life. Taking inspiration from Audrey Hepburn she decides to escape to Rome, but with no time to head to Italy she finds the closest Rome to her hometown of Nashville - Rome, Kentucky. On her way there, she breaks down in Noah's yard. But being broken down in a place with no cell phone service, no WiFi, and without her bodyguards, Amelia is hesitant to accept Noah's help.

This book absolutely melted my heart. Noah was surly and grumpy while also being tender and sweet. He reads, bakes, and loves & supports his family...what more could you want? I loved Amelia's journey through this book, and I think Sarah Adams did a great job with the topic of burn out and mental health here.

Things I loved:
•Celebrity herione x small town hero
•Pies, pancakes, flowers, and books
•Small town with meddling (but well meaning) neighbors
•Grumpy x sunshine
•FMC finding her way again after burnout

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell/Random House, and Sarah Adams for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Absolutely adored this book - I couldn’t put it down.

I am a complete sucker for a grumpy/sunshine pairing but these two characters had my whole heart. On top already winning me over with this class rom-com trope, there is a bit of a modern take on “Roman Holiday”, which is an Audrey Hepburn classic.

Not only did I fall in love Noah and his sisters, but the entire town is as sweet as pie. Rae Rose (Amelia) finds herself again and you just hope her and Noah have a better ending the the Hepburn movie.

This is a rom-com, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, small town romance book that is a must read for fans of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance review copy. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.