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.

One word: Noah.

Ok, maybe I do have more than one word. The setup to this lovely book is pulled from the movie Roman Holiday but with a twist. Pop star Rae Rose needs a well deserved mental health break and decides to go to Rome- Rome, Kentucky that is. Convenitently, our MC ends up on the lawn of non other than the small-town, gorgeous yet grumpy, pie baker Noah Walker. Rae, whose real name is Amelia, has an instant connection with the quiet and incredibley kind Noah, and so our journey begins.

The small-town of Rome, Kentucky lent itself to an amazing setting full of eccentric side characters who really brought this place to life. Through a dual POV, we are gifted with reading the story through the eyes of both Amelia and Noah. Their tension is palpable from both sides and sizzles just enough, even behind closed doors.

Amelia's character growth was also an important part of the book. She finds herself adrift, unsure of what she is doing and wants out of life. She has become so used to hiding behind a mask that she is not sure who exactly she is anymore. Her time away from her manager and the industry allows her the room to grow, as does Noah and his baking lessons. Both Rome and Noah bring out the best in her and ultimately help her grow into herself.

Overall, this book was like one big, warm hug. The small-town romance meets pop star added something different to the usual trope and the characters were the icing on the cake...or maybe in this case, the syrup on the pancakes.

When in Rome do as Audrey would do

When in Rome is a delightful rom-com that will leave you laughing and in love by the end. Amelia or Rae Rose as she is known by her fans has lost the passion she held in her music career that she had burning before she became famous. Looking back at her love of Audrey Hepburn and the freedom Princess Anne had in "Roman Holiday", Amelia takes a detour before her big nine-month tour to Rome…Rome, Kentucky that is. There she not only finds her spark but love in a grumpy pie maker named Noah, *swoon*. I well and truly loved everything about this, plus we had dual pop’s done flawlessly!! This was my second Sarah Adams book after the Off Limits Rule and I would without a doubt read more by her.

I have been a huge fan of old movies since I was a kid Audrey Hepburn especially, I had a huge selection of her films on DVD that I love to break out when I need a little pick me up or just to relish in the time and the beauty of Audrey herself and the cast of characters she portrays.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Spice: high on the tension, fade to black 🌶
Troupe: Celebrity (FMC), Grumpy Sunshine

When in Rome- book review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻. 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂”

I read this book so fast, started at 5pm and finished at midnight. Amelia Rose, a famous pop star, is burnt out from years of portraying the perfect pop image. She is inspired by her favorite movie Roman Holdiay, so she gets in her car and drive through the night to Rome….or the closest she can get which is Rome,Kentucky.

Noah Walker finds Amelia in his front heard with a broken down car, and no where to go. He has no intentions or time for a relationship running his grandmothers pie shop. Despite all this, he lets her stay in his guest house while her car is getting fixed.

Noah starts to realize he missed judge Amelia, and sees a different side of her. This goofy, fun loving girl who has been lonely for years. He can’t help but feel a pull towards her, but after his last relationship Noah has taken himself off the market.

Amelia helps open up Noah’s broke heart, while he helps heal this loneliness inside her, but just like the movie eventually Audrey had to leave Rome….

This book is the perfect combination of grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, small town romance. It checked all the boxes for me!

This book is set to release September 2022, and I highly recommend this to all rom com lovers!

Thank you NetGallery and Random House Publishing for this sweet as powder sugar arc in exchange for a honest review.

So so cute!!! Amelia, a pop star, breaks down in the front yard of Rome, Kentucky native, Noah Walker. Amelia, or Rae Rose, is trying to be off the grid and take a break before her 9 month tour starts up. Noah Walker has no time for distractions with taking car of his sisters, checking in on his grandma, and running the pie shop that she left him. He lets Amelia stay in his guest room thinking it will be one night and her car can be fixed the next day, but it turns out to be two weeks. Noah and Amelia start to form a friendship, and they can't help but develop feelings for each other, but Amelia will have to leave soon and Noah can't handle someone else not staying in Rome. I loved this and seeing how they formed a friendship first. His sisters were so cute getting attached to Amelia, but Adams showed character growth through them trying to let someone else in and how they all did that in different ways.

My review will be live on instagram @annas.book.reviews the week of May 15th and I will review on amazon on publication day.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this new book by Sarah Adams (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors) it did not disappoint! I loved the premise of the story I couldn’t help but picture a brunette Taylor Swift taking a break from her chaotic life to find love in a small town in the middle of no where. Such a great idea and Sarah is a master of creating chemistry with her characters! With so many laugh out loud moments and so much whitty banter, I loved this book so so much!

Wow. This book just became my favorite book by Sarah Adams! I loved the sarcastic remarks between Noah and Amelia, the bantering between the elderly women in the book, and the relationship between Noah's sisters. I found myself either laughing out loud or smiling to myself while reading this book. I felt that even though Amelia is a pop star, she was very relatable. I easily fell in love with Noah by then end of the first chapter with his hard exterior but soft and kind personality. I definitely recommend this book and give it five out of five stars!

4.5 stars for this one…this is everything you expect from Sarah Adams, a sweet hug of a love story! This one throws in celebrity with average joe, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine and a lovely nosy little small town! The flirting between the two MCs was so sweet and pure it had me cheesing in the best possible way!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

I had trouble getting through this book, it was almost a DNF for me. I found the premise to be cheesy and not very believable, and unfortunately the writing and the character development didn’t do much to redeem it.

Who drives into a strange man’s front yard and then spends the night alone in his house?! The romance with Noah felt very rushed and insta-lovey. Usually when I read a book there are some quotes or lines that stand out to me. This didn’t have any. The writing was overly descriptive and juvenile.

Overall a light, fluffy read I just didn’t find engaging.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this early. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book. Amelia, was relatable/funny/thoughtful and Noah was grumpy but so charming. I loved Noah's sisters and i liked the relationship he had with them. I also loved the small town they were in. I devoured this book in one day and would definitely recommend to others.

Wow. This book was so perfect! First of all, the cover is beautiful, and I was shocked to see that the book is in fact, not set in Italy, but In Kentucky!! It is one of my favorite tropes; grumpy/sunshine. The main character grew so much, as did the other characters. This book felt like a big hug. I recommend to everyone!!

This book was the perfect distraction at the airport and on my flight to Aruba!! Sarah Adams just has the best way to make my heart swell with her adorable plots and swoon-worthy book boyfriends.

A family-loving, pie-baking, hero-in-disguise.. Noah just made my heart happy. How he always goes the extra steps to make sure that Amelia feels safe and protected. He’s literally perfection.

Although it may be a little cliche, celebrity escaping to a small town when the pressure builds up, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Adams has perfected the fade to black scenes which also were a highlight for me. Add this one to your list!