Ok, I was surprised with how much I loved this! I originally was worried I wouldn’t like the main female character because I didn’t think I’d be able to relate to her problems, but she was very relatable and likeable as well. I saw a lot more of myself in Amelia than I thought I would, which made me love her journey so much more. I’m obsessed with Noah and his sisters and that whole stinking town. This was such a feel-good story - it left me smiling like a dang fool. My only wish was for there to be some more spice, but this story was so tasteful and pleasant by itself that I literally can’t even be mad, the inclusion of their obvious chemistry helped, too. Loved it!

This story was adorable and swoony. Sarah Adams is the queen of the closed-door, cutesy, romance books and she hit it out of the park again. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

This is absolutely my favorite of Sarah Adam's books and series, her closed door hallmark style lends itself better to the small town romance than the saucier and spicier end of the genre.

Sarah Adams writes some of the best banter out there right now. When in Rome is so fun, so well-written, so swoony, and just a perfect afternoon escape! When famous singer Rae Rose breaks down in front of Noah Walkers house, she has no idea just how much her life is about to change.
Some of my favorite parts:
-Noah's pa-ja-mas
-The blanket burrito
-The horrible pancakes
-Noah's sisters! I can't wait to read their books.
-The fishing trip. IYKYK
-The nicknames
-stormy night chats
-The whole entire town of Rome. Every time Noah tried to walk through the gauntlet of store owners, I died laughing.
This book was charming and delightful, and I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Unfortunately, just like The Cheat Sheet, When in Rome did not hold my interest enough to finish the book. I just didn't connect with Amelia and couldn't get past chapter 2.

It's such a shame because I used to ADORE Sarah Adams. My favorite was The Off Limits Rule, but I also loved The Match and The Enemy. I wasn't a fan of The Temporary Roomie, but I didn't connect with The Cheat Sheet at all. I was hoping When In Rome would win me back. I was particularly interested because this was Sarah Adams's first trad pubbed book, but unfortunately, it was a DNF for me.

This just felt clunky. I couldn't get into the writing, let alone finish the book. I'm not sure why this author is so popular, to be honest.

Cute, fluffy and entertaining romcom. The book was full of fun small town characters that I wanted to know more about. I enjoyed Adam's small town vibe that he had. Delightful enough that I would recommend it for a Fall read for anyone looking for something easy.

This book was sweet. It had just the right balance of character development and romance - a great summer beach read.

This is a cute grumpy sunshine rom com. This small town romance gives you all your favorite tropes including the nosy townspeople and your favorite pie shop. It’s a quick and easy read.

So much about this book was enjoyable to me!! The whole celebrity romance trope is becoming a favorite of mine and I was hooked early on with Amelia wanting to take a step back from the celebrity lifestyle and just lay low in the small town of Rome, Kentucky.

The characters were likeable, Noah gave me Luke from Gilmore Girls vibes, and I definitely won't complain about that! I loved the small town vibes of Rome, Kentucky, I mean, come on, spunky Mabel is who I aspire to be like when I'm old! Noah's sisters were endearing, I loved seeing their relationship with Noah, and they even reminded me of my sisters. (Im even more excited for Annie's story coming soon!)

The only thing I will say against this one is the wrap up at the end, and the conflict between Amelia and her mother felt rushed, in my opinion, and left me wanting more.

Overall, I'm giving it 4⭐️ because it was still a perfectly cute and light-hearted romance that was definitely sweet as pie!

Read this if you like:
🥧 Small town romance
🥧 Grumpy sunshine
🥧 Closed door romance
🥧 Baked goods, especially pies
🥧 Audrey Hepburn or Gregory Peck

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I finally got to read this one and really enjoyed it. The chemistry between the leads and the small town charm are off the charts, but honestly, the build up took way too long. With a brief amount of editing in the beginning and an even more flushed out ending, this could easily have been a 5 for me. Sarah Adams comes dangerously close to Emily Henry comparisons and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I had the hardest time getting invested in this book. I enjoyed the plot, but the chemistry of the main two characters fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed Sarah Adam's first book, but did not connect with this one as much. But, I definitely will still be checking out her next book.

This book was so cute! Amelia is a popstar who came across Rome, Kentucky because of her love of Audrey Hepburn (which i love because I love Audrey so much) and she ended up stranded on Noah's front yard worrying he was a murderer when he is actually a sweet grumpy teddy bear. I was smiling through almost every page of this book, and I absolutely loved it! I felt so bad for Amelia for everything she went through because of her fame,

Oh my goodness was this book cute! I tend to read open door romance but this was closed door and i was still ALL OVER IT. I like that the title is my what it seems to be at first. The main characters are relatable even in the parts of them that are the norm. I could see this become a fun light hearted movie.

DNF @ 51%

I jumped into When in Rome immediately upon finishing my reread of The Cheat Sheet because I love that book so much, and wanted more of those feelings. It’s hard to believe this book is by the same author. There is no chemistry between Amelia and Noah, the same things and the same conversations keep happening over and over again, and I think Noah’s eyes might be getting more obnoxiously green as the book goes on. I keep reading about how everyone in this book is so beautiful and so perfect and so pretty, and that’s it. Noah is supposed to be grumpy, but he just comes off like a jerk instead because he’s so wishy-washy with his grumpiness. He doesn’t want to connect with Amelia because she will be leaving eventually, so he goes back-and-forth between wanting to kiss her face off and saying really mean things to her. I don’t believe any kind of romance that is founded on this kind of treatment. Amelia is a poor little celebrity who is tired of her life, and latches on to anyone and everyone who offers her a crumb of kindness or affection. I don’t feel like it’s Noah that she’s falling for, I feel like it’s the personalized attention he’s giving her. The book started off so promising, with a really fun meet cute and characters I thought I was going to fall in love with, but I feel like I’ve been reading forever and I just barely passed halfway.

Note: There’s stronger language in this book than in The Cheat Sheet. I don’t remember many, if any swear words in that book. I read a review that said there’s over 160 in this one, and I feel like they were thrown in just to be thrown in. I’m not against swear words in the books I read, but I wasn’t expecting so many from this author and thought it was worth mentioning to those who were hoping for another Cheat Sheet.

A quick read and an adorable story - it is a must for all of my rom com fans out there! I really loved seeing Noah and Rae's relationship evolve throughout every chapter.

When Rae Rose sets out for a break from her stressful life she finds way more than she could have ever dreamed. This beautiful story brings light to how we can truly find our best selves when we let others see who we really are. Everyone needs someone that they can be completely themselves with. And Rae Rose and Noah find that in each other.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
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Unfortunately I DNFed this, it just didn’t catch my attention and maybe I’ll get into it again when I’m in the perfect headspace to give this another try! But I would buy and recommend this to others definitely!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy of “When in Rome” by Sarah Adams. All opinions are my own.

This book begins with Rae Rose, celebrity pop-star wanting to get away from her busy life and accidentally ending up stranded on the lawn of certified grump and pie shop owner Noah Walker.

These two had such good chemistry. I loved their back and forth and I was really rooting for them by the end. I can definitely see this being turned into a movie.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

When in Rome was a book I waited way too long to read! As a kid I always wondered what it would like to be a famous person, but I can't imagine the stress it must give you. So I could definitely understand that Amelia wanted to flee for a bit. Feeling like your life is being controlled must be so suffocating.

Rome, Kentucky sounds like a great small town and I have to say I fell in love with it. The cast of side characters made this story so much fun and made it seem like a place I would want to live in. Amelia and Noah have a grumpy/sunshine romance.It wasn't over the top though. Noah had been through some things with a previous relationship and I could definitely understand his look on love. Amelia was very pleasant and was open for new experiences. I love how she slowly broke down his walls, because the chemistry was there from the start.

There was a twist and some drama near the end, but it wasn't like we see in a lot of other romances and it fit the story for me. I loved how everything came together near the end and was sad when it was over. When in Rome had me smiling often and I was invested in these characters. I'll definitely be reading more by Sarah Adams.

My review is already on Goodreads and will be posted on https://thebookdutchesses,com on April 29th.