This book was just a ton of fun. I absolutely love the movie Roman Holiday - and so the main character’s obsession with Audrey Hepburn was so cute and quirky that it made reading this novel even better. I love the grumpy sunshine trope, and even though it’s more closed door than spice, these Amelia and Noah’s love story had me just swooning. I am completely smitten with the little town of Rome, Kentucky, and I wish that I lived in a town with a dedicated pie shop! I thought this book was utter perfection, I couldn’t put it down and I will be reading all of Sarah Adams’s works going forward.

I am a Sarah Adam's fan, and have been since I stumbled upon the cheat sheet and then raced through the rest of her books immediately following. This book felt a bit more serious than her others, but I still adored it and knocked it out in a day. The Mc was so sweet and precious, and I loved the surliness of the love interest. He was different than a lot of the current surly mcs I've read lately, more quiet and playful than rude, and I loved it. And THE TOWN! The towns people were my favorite of the whole book

When in Rome was a delightful, slow-burn love story. This book read like a super sweet Hallmark movie, complete with the burned-out, lonely celebrity retreating to the small town to heal. There she meets her surly yet dreamy love interest, of course!

Amelia (aka Rae Rose) is a pop star princess who has totally lost her way. She's overworked and has no personal life at all. When she's about to embark on yet another world tour, she pulls an Audrey Hepburn (a la Roman Holiday) and retreats to Rome, Kentucky to escape her high pressure life. There she meets Noah, the local pie shop owner. He's the grump to her sunshine, but he secretly has a cinnamon roll heart. Both of these characters had things they were working through, and those issues gave the book some depth without venturing into angsty territory. Amelia and Noah had a slow burn relationship that really worked for me and helped the book not feel like typical Hallmark insta-love. The side characters (James, Noah's three sisters, Mabel, the entire town of Rome, KY) all were charming, and I especially hope the sisters get their own books!

When in Rome was my first Sarah Adams books, but it won't be my last! I was impressed with the pacing, character building, and easy storytelling style. I can tell Sarah Adams writes joyful, happy books that remind me a lot of Katherine Center's novels. Read when you are in the mood for an endearing, romantic story with lots of fun tropes!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publish Group for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

A runaway popstar and a small-town baker? Sign me up!

Sarah Adams writes books that make you smile, a lot! Amelia Rose is a runaway popstar who is inspired by the Audrey Hepburn movie "Roman Holiday", so she decides to run away to Rome, Kentucky. Then she quite literally breakdowns (her vehicle) in the middle of nowhere on Noah Walker's, a grumpy small-town front lawn.

He does not want to start a relationship with someone who will leave his small town again and she just wants an escape. The friendship they developed was fantastic and I loved seeing her relationships with the other characters in the town. It is one of those stories where everyone is likeable and you find yourself rooting for everyone's happy endings!

I’ll forever be a cheerleader for Sarah Adams. She always creates characters that you click with right away, regardless of their backstory. Am I a celebrity pop icon? No. Did I resonate with so much of Amelia’s story? YES.

Amelia and Noah were absolutely adorable together, fighting their chemistry while laying down a foundation of friendship. Noah, Mr. Grump, was so grumpy but he just couldn’t not smile when it came to her and that made my heart swoon.

Noah was tender and affectionate, Amelia was sassy and likable. I loved this story and all of the characters in it!

When in Rome is a sweet, few good romance. The slow-burn romance between Amelia and Noah had realistic qualities as they both try to be true to themselves, responsible and respectful of each other. I loved the fun story line of a big time pop star running away to a small town to get away for a break, falling in love with the town’s people, the town and possibly falling in love herself. I found myself wanting to read more and finished the book in less than a day. Definitely a great romance read!

✨ Small Town Romance - complete with quirky, meddlesome friends and family
✨ Sunshine Grump ☀️😠
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Feel good, sweet romcom
✨ All the romantic tension 💕

Amelia Rose, better known as pop star Rae Rose, is burned out and desperately needs a break and some time away. Inspired by watching one of her favorite movies, Roman Holiday, Amelia decides to take her own break in Rome…the nearby small town of Rome, Kentucky that is. During her time there, Amelia meets the Grump to her Sunshine in Noah the local pie baker and classic, hometown guy.

Once again Sarah Adams has managed to deliver a fun, sweet, feel good romantic comedy. She has quickly become a go to after I first tried, and then binged all of her books last year. As in her other reads, she brings together a great cast of characters- they deliver banter, are fun and you just want to know more about them.

I really enjoyed Amelia and Noah as our leads, and enjoyed reading about their journey together but I also really loved all the secondary characters (Mabel, Noah’s sisters, James) - I hope we’ll get more books in this town.

This one has a great mix of some of my favorite tropes - and I can never pass up a good small town romance. It makes me especially happy when it has that quirky small town feel a la Stars Hollow. Adams is a master at the slow burn, romantic tension and I love it.

Definitely recommend this read - especially great summer read or if you’re just looking for a little escape. 😊

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A super famous popstar burns out and has a bit of a breakdown leading her to drive away in the middle of the night. Her car breaks down in a small town. The grumpy pie store owner finds her and they fall in love.

This book is everything that I love about romcoms. Heartwarming and cute. Both main characters have depth to them and they aren't just falling in love at first sight. Highly highly recommend!

Sarah Adams does it again! I've adored everything I've read by her, so having the opportunity to read an ARC of When in Rome, when it doesn't get published until September(!) was a dream!

Amelia is a pop star who has been living life in the spotlight. But she is burnt out, lonely and lost. Audrey Hepburn is her idol and she looks at life with a "What Would Audrey Do?" mindset. One evening, she watched Roman Holiday and decided she needed to do what the Princess did in that movie... escape to Rome, without her entourage. But being in Nashville, TN and unable to hop a flight without everyone finding out, she settles for the closest Rome she can find... Rome, Kentucky. Enter Noah, the grumpy pie baker who discovers Amelia in her broken down car in his front yard. He gives her a room for the night, which turns into longer after the nosy small town folk of Rome get involved and start their meddling. Opposites attract and sparks fly, but Amelia is only in Rome temporarily, and Noah isn't going to leave his small town.

Ugh, this book.... ALL THE FEELS. I could FEEL the pining Noah and Amelia were doing for each other coming off the pages. The tension between the two when they were trying to avoid each other was palpable. Noah was the perfect grumpy MC with a heart of gold. And Amelia was the most perfect ray of light when she finally got to let go of her walls be Amelia instead of Rae Rose. Both Noah and Amelia had real life issues that affected their ability to open up and you got to watch them as they began to identify their hang ups and try to work through them, separately and together.

It was sugar sweet and full of chemistry. The side characters, Noah's three sisters, his best friend James, all the different characters in Rome, were all delightful and made the charming small-town vibrant. If you love a feel good, small town romance, with characters you root for, Audrey Hepburn fangirling and laugh out loud moments in between the sizzling chemistry, this one is for you!

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was captivating and it hooked me from the very first chapter! I was glued to my seat! Such a romantic and sweet story. Love Sarah Adams!

When this book became available on netgalley I was so eager to have a chance to read the next Sarah Adams story and I was even more excited when I was approved to read an advanced copy!

This story is all about Amelia, a pop star who's decided to take a break from her hectic life and Noah, the grumpy pie shop owner who's forced to help Amelia out if she's stranded in his hometown. The last thing that he wants is to go out of his way for her, assuming she's arrogant and entitled because of her fame and status. As the two are forced into one another's company however, they quickly realize there's a lot more to each other than what meets the eye. With their time running short, they need to decide what their future will look like and discover if a happily ever after is worth fighting for.

Read this book if you love:
🧡 Grumpy sunshine
🧡Opposites attract
🧡 Small town
🧡 a hero that resembles Luke from Gilmore Girls
🧡 Forbidden romance and forced proximity

In addition to a great set of main characters, this story has a vast array of unique characters with all types of entertaining personalities. I enjoyed getting to know Noah's sisters, his best friend James, Mabel and all of the rest of the shop owners in town. They made for a humorous and entertaining supporting cast. Is it too much to hope that maybe Nick's sisters will get their own stories one day? 😏

While this book stated off as a slow burn, I did get swept up in the small town vibes and cheered Amelia and Noah on as they strived to find a happy ending for their romance story. Many thanks to Sarah Adams, Dell, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts are my own.

Content: abandonment, grief, closed door romance (fade to black)

When in Rome

“ Maybe … just maybe this adventure wasn’t a mistake after all.”

Sarah Adam’s is one of my favorite closed door romance writers. She makes relevant and funny connections all throughout her books! When in Rome features pop star Rae Rose (aka Amelia) and down to Earth Noah. While these two may be from different worlds that can’t deny the immediate connection they both feel. I love seeing Amelia transform throughout this story. I love a good heroine who’s stands up for herself. This story is a must read!

Boy, do i love a good romance! I absolutely blew through this book, I couldn’t put it down. This book was such a pleasure to read. This was my first Sarah Adams book and I’m looking forward to reading more from the author. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this arc.

Amelia is a huge celebrity that goes by Rae Rose. When she’s had enough she takes an impromptu trip to Rome.. Rome, Kentucky that is. She needs some space from it all to get her mind together and get her passion for music back. When her car breaks down in front of a handsome strangers house her life takes an even bigger turn. Will she give it all up for love or follow her dreams?

This book was very cute. If you’re looking for a wholesome love story than this would be right up your alley. I wish it was a little steamier but this would be perfect for the YA genre or for those who prefer not to read more erotic things. It does have potential to have more books through other characters but the ending leaves you satisfied.

“𝘐 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳—𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴.” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩. “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 … 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯.”

YES SARAH!!! I AM HERE FOR IT!!!! All OF IT!👏👏👏
I always know that picking up one of Sarah's books means; cheek hurting smiles, countless belly laughs, swoon-worthy tender moments, & all the feels for days after are sure to come. AND When In Rome did NOT disappoint! Sarah - You. Are. A. QUEEN. 👑

When in Rome is like sweet tea on a hot summer day. ☀️ It's a delicious slice of homemade apple pie. 🥧It's warm, fluffy pancakes on a Sunday morning. 🥞 You won't be able to put this one down. Think Gilmore Girls meets Audry Heberns, Roman Holiday. Small town vibes & the family love alone had my heart gushing. Then add the banter, the flirtatiousness, the looks, & the tender moments - It's all too good, My heart couldn't take it!

Amelia Rose - Pop Star Princess, lover of all things Audrey Hepburn, maker of shitty pancakes, and a smile that rivals the sun will capture your hearts with her witty comments & lovable personality. 💕 Noah Walker- Mr. Hillybilly Joe or more like Wilderness Ken. Mr. Classic Man. Mr. Grump. Mr. Romantic - will have you swooning endlessly with his grump-like demeanor but truly cinnamon roll heart! 😍

Sarah's OTP will have you daydreaming for days to come! So... for the love of sweet bread & butter on Christmas morning, if you know what's good for you pre-order this one NOW! 🫶

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I thought the characters were fairly well-developed and complex. I found their hesitance to engage romantically pretty realistic, given both of their personalities and past experiences. I was expecting a little more steam and actual romance, but the book was mostly about them getting to know each other.

One thing that bothered me about the book was that I felt Mabel was written in a very stereotypical way. I noticed it throughout the book.

This book is literally a Hallmark movie in book form. So sweet, funny, with just the right amount of depth and heart. Amelia & Noah are so well written and the way they get together is perfectly paced, complete with a little frustration at times. Sarah Adams wrote a wonderful & cute book! Loved it!

Okay, the cutesy premise had me hooked - a Grammy-winning soulful pop sensation looking for her own Audrey Hepburn escape from reality, ala Roman Holiday, high-tails it to Rome, Kentucky where she finds herself stranded in a remote smaller-than-small town and lodging with the town's perpetual bachelor, a grumpy pie shop owner whom she catches feelings for. I had high hopes, but unfortunately, this floundered for me.

I loved Amelia, she was the only redeeming factor in this book for me. While the "celebrity whose every actions and thoughts are controlled by a team" trope has been done to hell, her genuine innocence and struggle for autonomy and an identity is immediately worth rooting for. There was perfect groundwork for a kick ass transformation at the end and, while it did happen, it didn't feel as cathartic as it should have been. It didn't feel like it came from her, it felt forced which, ironically, everything in the book felt overly orchestrated by the author and nothing felt natural.

The first act is solid, the second act is wobbly, and the third act just fell apart completely. The conflict in the first and third act is identical, and it's all half-heartedly resolved in the blink of an eye for the sake of racing to a HEA. Personally, I'm not a fan of Adams' writing style, it's too juvenile for me, so it made for a more challenging read.

It's a perfect light autumn read and ideal if you want to shut your brain off and enjoy something cute. If you want something with depth or strong storytelling, skip this.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

When young pop star Rae Rose finds herself on the verge of a pre-tour breakdown, she trusts her Audrey Hepburn-loving roots and heads to Rome. She doesn't have enough time to visit Rome, Italy so she goes for the next best thing: Rome, Kentucky. After a car breakdown and AirBnb mishap leave her stranded, she finds help in the surliest of small town neighbors: Noah Walker.

Noah's own romantic past keeps him aloof. This is easy to do by hiding out as much as possible at the pie shop he owns in town. He does what he can to establish and maintain a clear boundary between his temporary roommate and himself. It doesn't take long before Amelia "Rae" Rose breaks down his walls. Noah can't help himself; he quickly learns to enjoy making the most of their time together.

A sweet-as-pie romance with characters who are easy to root for.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

If your looking for the perfect summer read, look no further. The slow burn chemistry between Amelia and Noah leaves you reading all night just to finish. If you love Emily Henry or Christina Lauren you will love Sarah Adam’s. “When in Rome”. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc.