First of all, I love Sarah Adams. This book was great and I read it in a day. The characters were great and I loved the small town atmosphere. There were laugh out loud moments and I loved the way the romance grew. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Sarah Adams for the ARC.

First of all I want to start this review off by saying that I absolutely loved this book. I laughed, I cried, I could not stop reading… so much so that I finished this entire book in one sitting. This was not my first Sarah Adams book, but I think this was my favorite so far!

Amelia Rose (Rae Rose as fans know her) is a pop star sensation who needed escape from the hustle and bustle of her demanding career. She decided to replicate her favorite actress and “vacation” in Rome… except she doesn’t have enough time to go to actual Rome. Amelia instead lands herself in a small town of Rome off the beaten path. During her drive to her destination she breaks down and lands in Noahs front yard. Immediately both of them have instant chemistry.

Rome turns out to be exactly what Amelia needs. All the people she meets treat her like a real person and not just a celebrity. Amelia learns in the process during the short stay that she needs to stand up for herself and not let her agent dictate her entire life.

Noah is pie shop owner who came back to his small hometown after his brief engagement to an “out of towner” came to an abrupt halt. He has sworn to himself that he would never fall for another passerby girl to safe himself from heart break again. Noah is straight forward, abrupt, caring, trust and unapologetically himself… which is exactly what Amelia finds attractive.

The entire book is them denying this instant passion and connection and trying to be friends. Without spoiling the book I was 100 percent rooting for them. I absolutely loved the passion I felt between these two characters. The banter, the chemistry, the passion…I LOVED it.

The supporting characters in this book were all thought out and contributed well to give shape to the main characters. Everything in this book was well thought out and in the end it felt complete. I can’t wait to see what Sarah Adams comes out with next, but in the meantime do yourself a favor and read this book. Its a Gilmore Girls small town feel with a bit of It Happened Last Summer twist… I can assure you that you will instantly be consumed.

Do you want to read an escape to make your heart smile? Do you like pancakes? Sweet and feisty little old ladies? This book has it all. I picture Noah Walker almost as a younger version of Luke Danes; on the surface he’s a bit of a grump, but under the surface, he has a huge heart and is loved by everyone (with good reason!). Amelia is so down to earth and a little ray of sunshine wherever she goes. Sarah Adams has hit it out of the park with this one. Being that I’m from Kentucky only made me love this book even more. This book was the equivalent of a perfect hug.

It’s a story of Amelia Rose or known as Rae Rose the princess of pop music, and Noah Walker, a pie shop owner in Rome, Kentucky. They met first time in a scene that usually turns out to be a mystery thriller opening scene LOLOL. Amelia who is in the middle of stressful life fled to Rome, Kentucky, and somehow on the way there, her car broke down and that’s when knock knock on her window, a stranger came and said that he wanted to help her. It’s Noah Walker.

It’s clean, funny, fluffy, full of small city vibes contemporary romance book. It’s slow-paced but you can’t help but want to know how Amelia and Noah’s ending is. At first, after reading 85% of the book, I can’t think of any happy ending for both our MCs. The resolution and the ending are not my favorites but I still think they’re great and well-written, especially both our MCs’ baggage and how they overcome every fear they have before, how they can step out of their comfort zone, and how they change for each other. I love how Sarah Adams can write a fluffy romance with deep conversations and discussions. I teared up three or four times while I read it because damn it looks like a sad ending book. The cons of this book are the pacing and the smut scenes (I hope for smut scenes, but if there are none, it’s still okay). Sadly, the pacing is pretty slow and as someone who prefers fast-paced books, some parts in this book drag me). Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone who loves contemporary romance!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Sarah Adams has done it again! I fell in love with Amelia and Noah and my only complaint for this book is that it wasn't longer! I read this book in one sitting and now I'm ready to pack my bags in the middle of the night with the hopes my car will also break down in front of a hot baker's house. This was the perfect grumpy and sunshine love story with just the right amount of emotion in it. The happily ever after was perfect and is it bad of me to ask for a sequel?
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

SARAH ADAMS DOES IT AGAIN!! This is hands down my favorite book by her!! She captures the emotions and makes it feel real and the characters are sweet and perfect together. They’re a dream.

Reading this book was like a breath of fresh air. It was the perfect amount of surly + comedic relief and it literally took me into another world while I went on Noah and Amelia’s journey with them. I truly enjoyed the different timeline - it wasn’t so boy meets girl, they fall in love, have one big fight, and then split before coming back for a big finale. It was raw, realistic, and heartwarming. I could not love it more

I binged this in under 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down but then I was so sad it was over. 😫
I LOVE a dual POV romance. I love grumpy x sunshine tropes. I love the stuck with you trope. I loved Noah’s sweet sisters. I loved everything about this cute heartwarming story.

Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, & Sarah Adams for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve read most of Sarah Adams’s books, and love them all, so I was absolutely thrilled to get approved for the ARC of When In Rome. I had high hopes and boy, did she deliver!

Amelia, aka Rae Rose, a pop superstar, is overwhelmed and burned out. She makes a spontaneous decision to run away to Rome, a la Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, just for a little break. Except, the Rome she heads to (incognito in her old Camry) is Rome, Kentucky, where her car breaks down on the side of the road. But it turns out, the side of the road was actually someone’s front yard.

From their first hilarious encounter when Noah steps out of his house and goes to check on this stranger that sputtered into his yard, the chemistry is UNDENIABLE! I love the playful banter between Noah and Amelia, the special bond Amelia forms with Noah’s three sisters, and how the residents of Noah’s tiny town accept Amelia as one of their own. But can Amelia drop her Rae Rose persona and let Noah see who she really is? Will Noah learn to trust again after heartbreak? And what happens when Amelia has to return to Nashville to prep for her international tour?

I just loved every minute of this book! I found myself wishing I could walk the streets of Rome, Kentucky and step into The Pie Shop for a slice of pie, or play a round of hearts with the Walker sisters. This is one I’ll read over and over, and recommend to anyone who will listen. Five stars from me!

Any new Sarah Adams contemporary romance is a must-read for me and When In Rome did not disappoint. Adams writes real characters with depth, community, and heart. You root for them and want to protect them at all costs. Though she writes tropes and you can guess how the story will unfold, the trials and missteps of her characters are not overly contrived, resulting in an enjoyable, steamy romance between two characters you care about.

This story has everything needed to step away from the world and get lost in a happy tale: game nights, broken rules, white knight moments, sunshine and grump, small town charm.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you’ve read a Sarah Adams book before, then you know what you are getting with her stories: cute, cheesy and funny; lots of silly scenes and swoony romantic moments; minimal angst but lots of heart. When in Rome follows in that same vein, so while the story itself feels familiar, it still stands out as something new and different from Sarah.

Our two MCs are the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope (which the reader is reminded of, often). Amelia is a runaway pop star and Noah is a surly pie shop owner. Their meet cute results in a forced proximity situation where both parties agree that a romantic relationship is the last thing they should pursue. But of course, we know how well that will go (*wink, wink, nudge, nudge*).

This was a fun read, and I enjoyed the meddling of the small town cast of characters and Noah’s sisters. I felt like there were a few missed opportunities for more story and character development (for example, Amelia is a world-famous singer, and Noah is a baker? Neither of those traits were explored in depth as their relationship develops), but there are plenty of sweet slow-burn romantic tension moments that make the reader root for these two to finally figure things out.

I think you need to be in the right mood for this type contemporary romantic comedy. It’s cheesy and silly, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not still a fun, sweet and romantic story that leaves the reader with a smile on their face.

4/5 ⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: mild language (no f-words), closed-door romance

I like Adams’ closed door romances more than I thought I would when I first stumbled upon them. This one is especially lovely, in that the secondary characters are so well-developed. In addition, the setting practically serves as a character itself! It’s lovely and it’s easy to picture the places described. I’ll even get over the pretty predictable ending. It was all pretty sweet. And achingly romantic.

Ohmygodwhattheheck?! This book is the cutest book and I have no idea where @authorsarahadams thinks it’s totally okay to write the most precious southern modern rom com and just melt me like that, but she did and I forgive her. 🥰 Honestly, Rae had me in love with her by chapter 2. & Noah, oh sweet Noah. So many times did I just want to hug the hurt right out of him, but seeing him work through all of his layers with his charming friends and family really sealed it for me. I really don’t want to spoil this book, because it was truly a darling romcom about a Popstar with a love of Audrey Hepburn who finds herself “taking a break” from the fame in a small town filled with what felt like the cast of Gilmore girls (in the best way). Definitely recommend this one and thank you a million times over to @netgalley for getting me addicted to a new author 💜

Thanks for my early copy, Random House!
This was such a cute book! A romance about a famous pop star that needs a break, so she travels to a little town called Rome. She happens to have some car trouble outside of Noah’s house. He’s very busy running his pie shop, but he decides to help. Will Rae fall in love with the small town or return back to her celebrity life?
This book releases on 9-20!

Sarah Adam’s totally hits it out of the park again with this book! Always loved her books and is one of my favorite authors and this book shows why! Loved it so much I couldn’t put it down!

BOOK REVIEW:

When in Rome by Sarah Adams (ARC Copy provided by NetGalley)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What can I say? This book THOROUGHLY surprised me. This way my first read by Sarah Adams and I am blown away!

Amelia wants to know what a normal life feels like again. Noah wants to just continue to live his life without letting anyone new in. Both don’t expect to find pieces that they have been missing.

I was skeptical because I normally go for books that are full on spicy but the slow burn in this was fantastic…the will they won’t they is well written and does not feel rushed at all and I found myself not missing any of the detail you would normally get in a heavily spicy book. I also loved the banter between Amelia and Noah which really moves the story along. I found myself not wanting to put this down because I was afraid that if I did, I was going to miss some small sliver of their lives. This book also made me cry the more you delved into their pasts (particularly Noah’s ) and brought up some memories that I was happy to relive despite the fact that they made me somewhat emotional.  Plus, who doesn't love a Southern Gentleman who is all about family?

RUN don’t walk to get this book when it comes out September 20!

Delightful. Simply delightful. Reading When in Rome brought me so much joy. I loved the small-town vibe Rome, Kentucky had going on with its lack of good cell reception, cute shops, and close-knit townspeople.

I adored grumpy pie hating pie shop owner Noah Walker and the ever-pleasant popstar Amelia "Rae" Rose. Those two had AMAZING chemistry and banter. This may have been a closed-door romance, but the passion between them was high.

The side characters in this book were perfect. Noah's three younger sisters and his friend James were my favorite of them. They were all vibrant characters who managed to stand out in their own ways within Noah and Amelia's story. I want and need all of them to get their own books and make this a series.

I even loved the little bit of drama that was thrown in to shake things up for Noah an Amelia. It wasn't too over the top or too angsty. The drama made things even more exciting.

I didn't want When in Rome to end. There really wasn't anything I didn't like about it. I can maybe see a few people complaining that the timeline was too fast, that Noah and Amelia's relationship was too instant love, but nope. That's not my opinion. When in Rome was the charming rom com I have come to expect and need from Sarah Adams. If this was an assignment, she would get an A+.

This book is perfection. I was swept away within the first few lines and barely put it down. Five stars! Sarah Adams is the queen of rom com’s and is most definitely an auto buy author for me. Can’t wait to read more about Noah’s sisters.

This book was so cute!! Grumpy/sunshine is my absolute favorite romance trope. Add in a side of forced proximity in an adorable small town with a host of lovable side characters and you have a winner in my book.

Our heroine Amelia is an international pop superstar who desperately needs a break before her next tour, so she after watching her favorite Audrey Hepburn movie she escapes to Rome, Kentucky, where she meets Noah Walker. I loved the dual POV and watching these two circle each other and fight their growing feelings - it's a slow burn for sure! My only complaint is that I wanted more and it felt like the story wrapped up too quickly in the end.

This was my first Sarah Adams book and I can't wait to read more of her backlist!

So unexpectedly good. I had seen a lot of buzz over The Cheat Sheet so decided to give this one a try, pretty much without even knowing what it was about, and oh boy. I'm hooked. I will be reading all her work from now on. I loved all the characters (except Susan obvs), laughed out loud in several spots, and appreciated the steamy qualities with the more intimate details being closed door. I really liked Noah's backstory being drawn out, thought his and Amelia's chemistry was *fire emoji*, and, being from KY, looooved that it took place in the second most famous Rome. All in all, keep it up, Mrs. Adams.