This is such a cute romcom! I love the small town setting and the relationship between Noah and his sisters, their personalities are so fun and I loved their interactions. I think I enjoyed those sections of the book even more than reading about Amelia because she felt a little too predictable.

A quick and fun read. I love Sarah Adams approach and take on things. This is a cute take on the grumpy/sunshine trope of a pop star that wants to her away from the spotlight. This book is a great escape.

I loved this book. It was a quick read and a cute story - loved the characters & the whole town. I couldn’t put it down!

“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”

Amelia Rose, aka Rae Rose to her fans, is need of a break. Feeling burned out from her career, she spontaneously drives off to Rome, Kentucky in the middle of the night inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn movie. Things don’t go right especially when her car breaks down in the front yard of the grumpy, pie shop owner Noah Walker, who wants nothing to do with Amelia. But since she has nowhere to stay, Noah offers his guest room. Slowly, he starts to see a different side of Amelia and the two develop feelings for each other. However, their lives are completely different so they make a rule to stay just friends. Will they be able to keep things platonic between them?

AH! Sarah Adams, you are the queen of writing the best and swoonworthy male characters ever because here I am falling in love with Noah Walker. Another five stars read and possibly my favorite book of yours.

🥧READ IF YOU LIKE🥧:
- dual POV
- grumpy x sunshine
- Audrey Hepburn
- princess of pop & pie shop owner
- forced proximity
- nosy, lovable, meddling neighbors
- witty banter
- opposites attract
- small town
- pies, flowers, & pancakes
- found family

cw: death of loved ones, parent abandonment, cheating, Alzheimer’s, trust issues

Thank you to @netgalley & @randomhouse for the advanced copy! When in Rome is available on September 20, 2022!

I am a huge Sarah Adams fan & she has done it again with When in Rome. Amelia & Noah have the sweetest chemistry, and I really love the side characters in Noah’s family and town. I’m a sucker for the grump / sunshine trope, but Noah’s grump has way more layers than meets the eyes. This is a great slow burn, feel good read with some laugh out loud scenes - highly recommend!

This book is the full of the kind of fluff I love! The books opens up with our leading lady Amelia feeling wanderlust after watching Roman Holiday. She decides a much needed trip is in order. As well as a much deserved break from being her pop star ulter ego Rae Rose. What she did not expect was to literally crash into Wilderness Ken's front yard. She is reluctant and hesitant of Wilderness Ken aka Noah. Safety first though. Soon she realizes Noah isn't as grumpy (or an ax murderer!) as she thought he was. Noah also starts to see the real Amelia and not the persona of Rae Rose.

What I loved:
- the enemies to lovers trope. Maybe more like annoyed to lovers? But I always love the conflict at first! The angst, the want, the tension...I love it.
- Dual POVs. My favorite way to read romance!
- One word: Mabel.
- The humor. I was already cracking up in the first chapter.
- Noah and his pie shop. I am a sucker for pie. Plus it just screams romance movie vibes, and I love that!
- Amelia's journey and figuring out herself and her needs. She was very relatable on how she felt.
- Romance isn't always my go to genre. But this really drew me in immediately. The first chapter was interesting and kept my attention!

I went in reading this book not sure what to expect. But I loved this book! The Hallmark story vibes, the fluff, the humor, all of it. 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amelia Rose is burned out pop star, running away from her life. After watching one of her favorite movies, she decides to take after Audrey Hepburn and run away to Rome. Since Italy is too far, she chooses Rome, Kentucky and heads out to a B&B for a chance to get her head on straight.

When her car gives out in a stranger’s yard and with no cell service, she ends up depending on the kindness of a grumpy pie shop owner, Noah.

With a great cast of characters in Rome, Amelia finds herself falling in love with the town and its people.

This was a fast, entertaining, heartwarming, closed door romance. It has all the best parts of the grumpy/sunshine and small town romance.

Highly recommend this for all lovers of rom-com and Hallmark movies. Adorable and I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

4 ⭐️
This book is dual pov, following Amelia (Rae Rose) who is a celebrity pop star and Noah, a pie shop owner in a small town called Rome. Amelia decides to take a break from her busy life and decides to go to Rome, Kentucky (inspired by Audrey Hepburn's movie Roman Holiday). On the way, her car breaks down in front of Noah's house. He invites her to stay with him for a day, but she ends up staying for much longer.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I actually read the Cheat Sheet right before this book and liked that book too, It was definitely a slower read, especially in the beginning, but I definitely recommend it.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group title and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"He smiles. SMILES. It's bliding. My heart stops and then starts again, galloping right out of my chest. Good Gouda, that man has gorgeous teeth. And crinkles besides his eyes. When he smiles like that, he looks so approachable and comfy that I want to drape myself over him and just squeeze him in a giant hug. He's huggable. The Grumpy Pie Shop owner is absolutely huggable."

THIS BOOK HAS ALL THE CHEESY FEEL GOOD VIBES AND I ATE IT ALL UP. You can always go into a Sarah Adams and know you're in for a sweet feel good lil romance.

Amelia, aka pop star Rae Rose, is ready to live out her Roman Holiday dream of escaping the pressures of stardom, but instead of running off to Italy... she ends up in Rome, Kentucky. Rom coms are ten times better when we get a good meet cute, and Sarah Adams delivers in form of Amelia's broken down car in front of kind but grumpy Noah Walker.
Determined not to get too attached to Amelia on her short trip, Noah does what he can to avoid her, until he sees maybe she's more than just a "pop princess".

Watching a grumpy character break down their walls for the person they have feelings for is the best!!! Noah was easily my favorite character in this book. I love him and all his grumpy. pie shop owning, big brother, charming self.

This is a perfect choice for anyone who wants a small town romance, grumpy/sunshine, celebrity/normal person tropes. Sarah Adams is the author for you if you're looking for an ooey gooey sweet romance with low stress.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell, and Sarah Adams for the early copy of this book!

↠ 5 stars

Another great read from Sarah Adams! When in Rome features Amelia, a huge pop star, taking a break from her hectic, public life to spend some time in Rome, Kentucky (the closest Rome city near her home in Nashville). Rome is a super small town, and her car breaks down in front of Noah's house. Noah wants nothing to do with her, but is too nice of a guy to turn her away, so he invites her to stay for a few nights.

I loved the grumpy/sunshine trope and the way Amelia loved to annoy Noah. Amelia and Noah feel the instant attraction but know that their lives are too different and try to maintain their distance. I wasn't sure I'd love a book about a big pop star, but still immediately related to Amelia's down-to-earth self and love of Audrey Hepburn. I loved her getting to know this small town and the caring people within it. This reminded me of a cross between Abby Jimenez's Happy-Every-After Playlist and the Virgin River series (both of which I also loved)! Sarah Adams has quickly become an auto-read author for me, and When in Rome did not disappoint! I'd love to get some spin-off stories about Noah's sisters!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pre-reading:
I know nothing about this book. Seemed like a good bit of fluff. I'm reading this after Corinne, and that seems unfair.

Thick of it:
The Toyota Corolla. A classic. Another book I'm reading with a Peanuts reference. Singer romances are not my genre. So why do you have a Corolla if you're that successful? Oh, thanks for the explanation haha. You know it's really fun when you don’t read the book synopsis and go in blind. Definitely thought this was Rome, Rome, and not Kentucky, but that’s timely with the Derby. Did think we were going to be falling in love hand-making pasta and not just in Smalltown, USA. Disliking someone for how they voted is very valid. This T-rex metaphor is awkward. I don’t like the instant love. If it’s not the Pie Hole, I don’t want it. How is the old lady going to get her pie if he closes for the day though? After he just told her she could have it no less. It’s also very standard romance book cringe of just like man avoids his feelings. It’s very Hallmark. It’s aggressively contemporary with its references. I don’t know what speaking dip is. I tuned out for one second while I was making myself dinner and all of a sudden they’re kissing. She doesn’t have pajamas, but she does have hair ribbons that perfectly match her outfit instead of scrunchies. OK. You know this book glosses over a lot in favor of getting straight to the action of the romance, but like if she’s been staying with him for three days has she done laundry? Who’s cooking? Did she pack initially for that much stuff? Also, I feel like it just would be rude to make yourself that at home. You’re taking a stranger’s, who you’ve never met before, clothes and rifling through his fridge. What does she do all day? I also just find her categorically rude. Like bestie, I get it. You're stressed, but you still have to tell people you’re not showing up for your interviews and stuff. Those are peoples’ jobs. You're very replaceable. I’m so tired of hearing about how men don’t like makeup and other girls are superior because they only wear a little bit or they don’t wear it at all. Where is my cake face Barbie romance? I want her. So Susan buys your phones. I don’t buy for a second that the mom tried to let her go. It’s definitely Susan being a villain. She should know not to drink on migraine meds. Great, she took a sleeping pill by accident, but she still shouldn’t have been drinking on migraine medication. Bestie, you don’t wanna be friends with her, you want to fuck her. There’s a difference. Hold on. Of all the deaths that she could’ve used to make him an orphan, she picked they went camping and got struck by lightning. Just do a car accident. His tattoo is a pie surrounded by flowers? Come on. I thought her name was Merit. Did I miss something? Update, her name is Merit, but the random Audrey Hepburn reference in there was very disorienting. This hug scene is awful. Spicy chicken calzones sound amazing. she just dropped the name Jenna‘s Breadbasket in, and I’m pretty sure we haven’t mentioned that store. Or it's a Kentucky thing and going completely over my head. Has the author not thought about what life would’ve been like in Kentucky three generations ago? May not have been able to have that sort of relationship. Also should probably address all the racism they would've encountered. And still encounter because the world is trash. Cringe. All the lines in this book are so cringe. Wait, they’re gonna fuck outside? Please don’t do that. Think of the dirt, and sand, and bugs. You were just in a Kentucky country lake. That thing is filthy. She did not just call herself an emoji. Why was I positive that the grandmother was dead? Oh cool, she also thought that. Glad we’re on the same page. Aren’t they still like dripping wet from the lake? I’m confused. Opposites are terrible like pickles and brownies; honestly, I will unflinchingly eat those together. I think that sounds really good actually. And then she’s like maple syrup and bacon are opposites. First of all, wouldn't say opposites. They're both breakfast foods. I feel cheated by this book not having any sex scenes. Omg cringeee. (Probably at some dialogue.) So there were never any stakes to begin with. The solution is they’re just gonna decide to do long-distance anyway? Stupid. When did she get sleep shorts? It was pointedly mentioned that she didn’t have pajamas. You know I complained, and then they explained. Thank you for that. This man knows what a cell phone is, come on.

Post-reading:
You know, it’s fine. It reads like every other half-baked romance story where you don’t have to think at all. I don’t think it’s particularly good. I don’t think the dialogue is zippy. I think it reads more like a Wattpad novel than an actual novel. It kind of reads like Ariana Grande fanfiction. There’s no depth to it at all. It’s very easy reading, but there’s nothing redeeming about it. I think it’s very skippable. It’s not offensive to read, so I wouldn’t say it’s exactly one star. It’s just kind of cringey and average. Do you know what? Not even average. Below average for me. I just think your time would be better spent reading something else. It’s fine. Overall it's fine. I will never recommend a book that is just fine.

Who should read this:
Do you like Wattpad romances about singers/ celebrities and normies

Do I want to reread this:
no.

Similar books:
* Driven by K. Bromberg. Vaguely famous person dates a civilian
* Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec. Small town baking

I am so grateful to Netgalley for the ARC of When in Rome! I LOVE Sarah Adams' work. I really liked When in Rome, but I didn't *love* it. I love a celebrity romance moment, but I just don't love the way this grumpy sunshine was written. The steam rating on this one is pretty low, BUT with that said, I did love the scene at the lake (if you know, you know) I thought it was so well-written and allowed for the perfect amount of tension.

This wasn't my favorite, but I cannot wait to see what Sarah Adams comes up with next!

GOOD GOUDA and SWEET POWDERED SUGAR. I absolutely loved this book, it was sweet like pie. Amelia and Noah are from two completely different worlds but their chemistry and how their feelings developed is so so sweet. It was a long battle of push and pull and balancing on a tight line of when either side was going to give in to their feelings due to the barriers between them, but it was so worth it in the end! I loved the witty commentary and internal dialogue, there were many moments I laughed out loud because of their humorous banter. The descriptions of both the main characters were endearing (for ex. the adorable puppy comparisons). The development of Amelia's character in realizing the parts of her life she was missing and how she found the simple joys in life in a town and lifestyle completely different from her own made me want to cheer her on. Noah was hilarious but also the sweetest. His character in being the surly, grumpy man owning a pie shop with special affection for flowers made me love him so much more. The whole story was wholesome and just made me smile the whole time. Amelia's references to Roman Holiday and Audrey Hepburn were also fun. The addition of nosey townspeople, Noah's sisters, and James was added to the perfect small-town romance atmosphere.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC, and congratulations to Sarah Adams for writing a very sweet story well done.

5/5 stars!

If you want a feel good book, then this book is for you. I honestly am giving this book such a high rating, because this book has done what no book has done for me in awhile. Sarah Adams made this book feel like a nostalgic hug from my mom while watching Hallmark romance movies. With dual POV (my favorite), the writing allows for you to see what both Amelia and Noah are feeling throughout the storyline, and it is so cute seeing their inner thoughts and dialogue during their "will they? won't they?" relationship. Also, their banter with each other cracks me up! I laughed out loud, I blushed, and I squealed throughout this book. It just gave me all the feels.

Synopsis without giving any spoilers:
Essentially, Amelia is a celebrity pop star sensation that goes by "Rae Rose." She is getting this massive sense of burnout from her demanding job and falling out of love with singing. Due to this, she turns to her role model - Audrey Hepburn - for advice. After playing "eenie-meenie-minee-moe," Amelia decides she is going to live our her "Roman Holiday" movie. She can't really go overseas as she is about to begin rehearsal for her international tour. Instead she heads towards Rome, Kentucky. It is here that her car breaks down and she meets Noah. Noah is a simple town baker who has his way of doing things. The rest of this book unfolds their relationship and you see as it takes many different turns, while also seeing what is going to happen to her career. Will she fall in love? Will she bounce back after burnout? You'll have to read to see what happens!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sharing this warm and fuzzy book with me via an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

When in Rome was such a cute RomCom that had me smiling and laughing through out. Grumpy sunshine is one of my god tier tropes and this was written perfectly. This was my first book I’ve read by Sarah Adams, and it definitely won’t be the last!

Upon finishing this book all I wanted to do it start from the beginning and read about Amelia's and Noah's story again. That is exactly what I did as soon as I finished the book! It was such a fun read that I read it within a few hours and didn't even realize that time was passing around me because I was so invested in the story.

The book is roughly about a popstar named Rae (Amelia) Rose who takes a small break before the start of her world tour and goes to Rome! Rome, Kentucky to be exact. There her car breaks down in front of Noah's house and at first she is hesitant on letting him help her in the middle of the night but soon trusts him. She stays with him for a short time and in that time period she gets to know him starting to develop a small crush. Noah on the other hand is conflicted with his feelings for Amelia because he has sworn off women. But there she is a woman that he starts falling for. Throughout the book you get to read in both Noah's and Amelia's povs which was amazing because the reader can definitely see what both characters are going through. I also especially love how the entire book isn't just focused on their relationship but also the relationship that she starts to develop with some friends she meets in town as well.

This was a great rom-com book, especially for people that like Hallmark movies I definitely recommend reading this book! When the book comes out, I'm going straight to the store and buying my own personal physical copy. I plan on reading this book many more times!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adorable! I love romance and I love Italy, so who could ask for anything more? You will devour this delightful romantic comedy, I promise!

I ADORED this book! Such a perfect opposites attract romance! This has all the feel good things you need for the perfect rom com and I was here for all of it!

Review for NetGalley: Such a cute read that gives you all the warm, fuzzy feelings. It has all the makings of a perfect romance: the meet-cute you can’t resist smiling at, the grumpy versus sunshine personalities, and the lovable side characters found in Noah’s sisters. Adams also does a fabulous job at taking the expected pieces of romance, but adding her own flare in the details of her characters. I mean, Audrey Hepburn, right? What was hard for me was the quick timeline with little to no explanation of why they fell in love so quickly. The character depth was mentioned but not fully brought in as a piece in the plot, so it felt like the focus was more on the attraction between the two, but not much explanation as to why that attraction led to more. It just left me wanting more of the depth and intrigue that was hinted at or acknowledged but not brought in fully. Even with the short timeline and only slightly believable falling, Adams knits together a cute love story between a pie shop owner and a pop singer that is sure to give you all the cozy night in vibes you want. And by the end of it… you’re going to want some pancakes. Happy reading, friends. You can’t go wrong with this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

If you are looking for a feel-good read, this is the book for you! This book is full of grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. Noah is a pie shop owner, he is surly, had a failed engagement and is not interested in getting to know anyone else. Amelia is a pop star and is the epitome of sunshine (even to a fault tbh - she seemed extremely naive for her age which could be due to the fact that she was famous).

I felt that a bit of the romance seemed rushed, especially with Noah’s trauma from his last relationship. However, I did truly enjoy how they fell for one another as time went on.

Side note: Noah’s sisters were a shining light, I really loved them.

4 stars.