The first in this series hooked me and I've been eagerly anticipating each book since. Thankfully, this one didn't disappoint. Adams' signature charm and lovable characters were the highlights, as well as the town and its quirky cast of characters. While this one wasn't my favorite in the series as of yet (Practice Makes Perfect takes that spot), I was utterly delighted once I got into it. One note: I did both audio and print, and the male narrator didn't work for me on audio very well, which might have hindered some of my enjoyment in the beginning.

4.5 rounded up.

Sarah Adams books are always so much fun for me. They bring a lightheartedness that picks me up and holds me close. I was so happy to be back in Rome, Kentucky with these characters and this one felt like it squeezed my heart in all the right ways.

Emily is the oldest sister in the Walker family, and even though her brother, Noah, is older, she's been the one to take care of everyone around her since their parents' death. Now that her siblings are moving forward, following dreams, etc., now that she's no longer "needed" what will she do with her life? She's secretly started writing a romance novel. Her sworn enemy, Jackson, (a college rival and former fellow 2nd-grade teacher at the local elementary school) has returned to Rome and has some secrets of his own. What follows is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity ("ugh, we're neighbors now?!"), story that has a whole lot of humor and heart.

I loved When in Rome when I first read it, but Practice Make Perfect didn't land as well for me (it still got 4 stars). This one brought my love for the standalone series back. I appreciated that Emily and Jack both have strong personalities. Emily takes orders from no one. Jack accommodates everyone. Both of them act in these ways due to patterns set in childhood. But, the thing they've had in common since college is that they don't pull any punches with each other. This is easy for them because they've spent a decade as rivals. This was believable for me because both of them have never seen it any other way. Sometimes in these types of stories there's one character who has secretly been in love. Not so here. Both of our main characters have a slow awakening to their attraction and the fact that deeper feelings may have been simmering under their years of bickering. I wanted a bit more of an epilogue and a tad more resolution between Jackson and his family, but otherwise, this was a big hit in my book.

Here are a few other loves:
1. he wears glasses
2. I teared up and laughed out loud
3. other siblings and characters from WIR and PMP get pagetime

Note: I originally read this completely skipping the chapters the author points out are open-door. This was an experiment of sorts, and I found nothing lost at all by avoiding these scenes. I may return to them and skim to see if my experience changes, but at this point, with a solid 4.5-star rating, I feel very satisfied.

This was favorite book in the Rome series and my favorite of her traditionally published books! I loved Emily and Jack - the enemies to lovers was spot on! It was so fun but had depth. I definitely found myself laughing and smiling while reading. I absolutely loved it!
*has a couple open door scenes but there’s a note at the beginning telling you which chapters to skip if you’d like it to stay closed door.

This was my first Sarah Adams book, and it will not be my last! I loved Emily and Jack’s story so much. Though it is a romance, it was equally a story about family, loss, and friendship. And chapter 16?! So so good!! Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and Sarah Adams for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review. My honest review, add this book to your TBR!

📖 𝑩𝒆𝒈, 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒔

♾️✨ This book was actually PERFECTION. I absolutely adored Emily Walker’s character. I found her so dang relatable and her connection to Jack was next level. The dose of low spice towards the end was also a wonderful surprise! 🫶🏼

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.”

EXCUSE ME WHILE I FREAKING SWOON. That man had me in a freaking chokehold in the BEST possible way! ❤️‍🔥

Both Emily & Jack have carefully crafted their self image so that everyone around them thinks they are perfect. However, inside they are both a mess.

Emily is hyper vigilant in everything she does and always needs to be in control of her world. She’s always been the rock her siblings could lean on after their parents died. Now her siblings have all moved on with their lives and she is lost. She picks up writing as a way to cope and she loves it. When her college nemesis moves to her small town she can’t help but notice that maybe their rivalry could be something more.

Months ago, Jack moved away because his ex-fiancé wanted to. Now he’s back in Rome, Kentucky because he can’t stop thinking about Emily Walker, the woman who loves to hate him. He’ll face meddling townsfolk, and even commit a few crimes just to be close to her! 🤭

“𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.” 𝑰 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆. “𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆.”

Everything about Jackson was swoon worthy. He’s charming, funny and a man with a secret. There’s a scene involving a motorcycle that literally had me overheating! 🥵 DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HIS GLASSES! 🔥

“𝑵𝒐𝒘 . . .” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔. “𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆?”
“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉,” 𝑰 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈.
“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉.” 🫠❤️‍🔥

If you love enemies to lovers stories FULL of the best banter, go add, 𝑩𝒆𝒈, 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒔, to your TBR today!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💞 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
🐈‍⬛ 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘔𝘊 𝘹 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘺
✨ 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
👀 𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺
🏘️ 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘴
❤️‍🔥 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 & 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮
🤭 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯
🔥 𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦

This was my very first Sarah Adams novel and I can now officially call myself a fan. I loved escaping into her Rome, KY world! Jackson and Emily have A+ banter as feuding elementary school teachers. Just when.I think the enemies to lovers trope has been done to death, a story like this emerges and proves there’s more to be told. I found these characters to be very endearing and possess more depth than you’d expect from this lighter genre. I bought this book to 3 of my friends so that they receive it on publishing day, I’m dying to discuss it with them. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

Note - This book is open door, but has modifications included in the author's note.

Thanks to Dell and Sarah Adams for providing the book in exchange for my honest review.

We're back in Rome Kentucky for the third book in the series. This story centers around Emily Walker, the oldest Walker sister. Emily is an elementary school teacher just starting her summer break only to find out that her arch nemesis Jackson Bennett is back in town after a failed engagement. Emily tells herself she's unaffected by his charm, but her limits are tested as the two become neighbors when he move in to fix up the house next door. The pettiness between the two reaches a crescendo, and will it dissolve into love or hate?

Both characters are authors and that adds a fun, bookish element to the story. The pettiness made me laugh so many times throughout as Jack and Emily torment each other. Emily is brash and doesn't hold anything back, so this book contains more language of the cussing and slightly crude variety than Sarah's other books. This is also, in my opinion, Sarah's spiciest book yet. It's relatively low-mid spice for open door contemporary romance readers in general. This book has more bit than her previous novels.

I loved the book, and even though it was a slight deviation from her normal style, I was hooked from page one.

I LOVED this book just as much as the previous book in the series. Emily and Jack were everything I wanted in an enemies-to-lovers romance. Their dynamic was so fun to watch evolve—from tension-filled standoffs to moments of vulnerability that absolutely melted my heart. Sarah Adams nailed their development perfectly, and by the end, I was completely obsessed with them as a couple.

I’ve always related a lot to Annie from the previous book, but there were parts of Emily that hit home for me, too. And Jack? His backstory was so raw and eye-opening—it added so much depth to his character and helped me understand why he acted the way he did. It made all the little moments where he let his walls down hit even harder.

And can we talk about the scene blocking? The tension was chef’s kiss. It felt like you could cut the air between Emily and Jack with a knife. Every interaction had me holding my breath, just waiting to see what would happen next.

Sarah Adams delivered the perfect enemies-to-lovers romance here, and I’m hoping the next book (if there is one) will focus on James and Madison. I need their story ASAP!

I read this book over Christmas break and ugh, it was so cute, as usual for Sarah Adams. After LOVING Practice Makes Perfect (and The Rule Book), I was so excited (and honestly honored 😂) to receive this ARC of Jack and Emily’s story.

Two second grade teachers who have been nemeses since their first day of college together and all along their somehow matching life paths are thrust back together by the universe once again. What ever could occur?

There were multiple laugh out loud moments and so many cute lines that I was ✨glowing✨. There were also so many scenes where I was like WOW this is perfection: the scene blocking, the manuscript, the pancakes, the bar 🥰. Found family vibes are really popping off at this point in the series, and I can’t wait for the next book after the set up in this one. My only complaint is that I wish the characters’ past trauma would’ve been fleshed out a little more, but overall the love story itself was great.

Thanks so much to Sarah and team for the ARC!! This book releases TOMORROW 1/7/25.

Thank you Random House Publishing-Ballantine for an ARC of one of Adams' best work yet!
Enemies to friends to lovers?? In the perfect small town setting of Rome, Kentucky?? I was hooked before I even started, but Emily and Jackson had THE PERFECT storyline and chemistry. I loved getting to visit Rome again, and yes, I still want to move there and hangout with everyone in town, at all the best shops. This whole story captured the magic of community and how small support can change everything.

Not only were Jackson and Emily perfect for each other, their support for each other's self journeys had you swooning the whole time. I think these characters were also the most relatable because of their familial struggles, i.e. narcissistic parents and eldest daughter mindset, and how they approached both situations.

There was nothing cheesy or faulty with Beg, Borrow, or Steal, only heartwarming laughs and warm hugs from the perfect storyline. Grab some pie and visit Rome, Kentucky!

ARC REVIEW: Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Publisbing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is HANDS DOWN my new favorite Sarah Adams book!

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is the third book in Adams’ When In Rome series, set in the small town of Rome, Kentucky and following the love lives of the Walker siblings. The central characters Emily Walker and Jack Bennett, two feuding 2nd grade teachers who have been at each other’s throats since their first day of college years ago. One summer threatens to change their dynamic as Jack unknowingly becomes Emily’s neighbor, and their proximity ignites a spark between them.

I don’t want to summarize any more because the book is SO GOOD when you pick up all the enthralling tidbits about Emily and Jack as the story continues. Emily and Jack are both individually dynamic characters who suit each other well without being 2 perfectly matched puzzle pieces or needing to change their personalities to fit one another.

Also, this is by far Adams’ steamiest novel! I think it suited Emily’s character to provide a more detailed focus on the sexual side of her attraction to Jack, as she struggles to be vulnerable and intimate. I also think you should be mindful of trigger warnings before diving in. I am a very empathic reader though not typically a crier, but I cried 4 separate times in this book. The way Adam’s conveys Emily’s emotions really hit home in my heart in the best way.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal will be published January 7th 2025!

This was my first book of 2025 and I am so glad it was! Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love this series! I want to spend a long weekend visiting Rome, KY and the town Sarah Adam’s has created there. This book was bingeable, had me giddy smiling at the banter, and the slow burn was perfection. The email/text exchanges every few chapters? LOVE. Dual POV? LOVE. This is the 3rd book in the series and has more spice than the previous two.

Emily is the queen bee of Rome and eldest-daughter, and Jack, Emily’s rival since college, recently returned to town.

Emily and Jack’s story started during an ill-fated meet-cute in college, and they have been leading competing, parallel lives since. When Jack returns to town after his failed engagement, and buys the house next to hers, Emily is determined to not let Jack take her town from her. They both share a similar secret (Emily has a romance writer side gig and Jack writes mystery under a pen name) and are both dealing with grief. Can they work through their personal trauma, form an alliance on the professional side, and turn it into romance?

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams was everything I wanted it to be and more! I love Sarah’s writing and this to date is my favorite, each book just keeps getting better ❤️

I was thrilled to receive the EArc of this book and it didn’t disappoint. I absolutely love the heartwarming, small-town charm of Rome, KY and the Walker siblings.

The banter between Emily and Jack was so fun and watching them go from sparring partners to something more was seamless and genuine. I loved that even with all the ribbing they were really friends at heart.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, funny, romantic story with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Beg, Borrow, or Steal in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley + Dell Romance for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I. Love. Sarah. Adams.

I love her so much. I love her writing, I love the way she crafts characters, and I love the Rome, Kentucky series. In fact, this may be my favorite of the 3 so far (and I've truly loved them all).

I related to Emily so much as I'm also the oldest daughter. I understood the pressure she placed herself under to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, I empathized with feeling like she needed to swallow her feelings so she could be present for everyone else. It broke my heart to watch her struggle to open up because she didn't want to burden anyone, didn't want to look 'weak.' But the right people will never fault you for falling apart, instead providing a safe space for you to unravel — and Jack was absolutely the right person for Emily.

Jack is proof that hurt people don't always turn around and hurt people. He chose to become a better man, a better person than his father, and I loved watching him grow as the story unfolded.

Change is a major theme throughout the book and I think Sarah did such a great job of depicting how we all navigate change differently — and how change isn't always traumatic. The most significant change Emily has ever known is the death of her parents, which was a traumatizing, sudden change that altered the course of her life entirely, so it makes sense that she's resistant to change as a whole. But as her relationship with Jack shifts, as she watches her siblings live out their dreams (even when it's scary), she learns that change can be beautiful, rewarding, and positive. I really loved watching that journey unfold for her.

Reading a book written by Sarah Adams is like drinking the yummiest warm beverage while cuddled up under a blanket. It's comforting, cozy, and an instant mood lifter — even when heavy topics are tackled. When I tell you I never giggle and kick my feet as much as when I'm reading one of her books, I mean it. I devoured this book and I can't wait for the world to experience this kind of joy when it officially releases tomorrow!

4.5 stars! (rounded up)

I had a good feeling I was going to love this one as soon as I read the dedication, and that proved to be true. It was so fun to be back in Rome, Kentucky with the Walker Siblings!

Sarah Adams does an excellent job balancing humor with moments of heartfelt emotion, making the characters feel real and relatable. The chemistry between Emily and Jack jumps off the page, and I was rooting for them from their first interaction, even if they were supposed to "hate" each other. I'm also such a sucker for a romance where the main characters are writers, so that made me adore this story even more.!

This was my first time reading a book where the fmc has the same name as me which was fun LOL. On the surface Emily and I have a lot of differences but I ended up relating to her so much more than I expected. Her struggles with embracing change and her deep desire to be loved and chosen particularly resonated with me.

Jack was so dang charming! & Chapter 16 ... wow.

“Maybe not everything will end in hurt. But we’ll never know if we don’t try.”

Thank you to Netgalley & Dell Romance at Random House Publishing for the ARC!

Hey so this book is incredible.

I won’t lie, the first 25% of this book was a littleee slow for me. It was just the fact that every time our MCs were together they were just at each other’s throats. HOWEVER THIS ACTUALLY TURNED INTO ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THIS BOOK. Having these moments of just pure rivalry allowed for us to root harder for this couple and we got to see how this pair is probably viewed by the small town of Rome, Kentucky.

Emily is easily one of my favorite Sarah Adams characters to date. She is just painfully relatable for all the girlies who have just grown up in the eldest daughter role. She was just so well written so GOOD JOB SARAH because sometimes that eldest daughter fmc just feels cliche but Sarah created the most genuine character.

Then there’s Jack. Holy freaking moly is he just everything. He’s so funny and also sooo caring and aware of Emily’s feeling. I LOVE HIM.

Finally this rivals to lovers is a genuine RIVALS to lovers. Sometimes that trope is displayed but they aren’t real rivals, but, no, Jack and Emily were going at it and I just ate. it. up.

All in all, 5 strong stars. It releases tomorrow (1/7) so clear your schedules please. Thank you Dell and Netgalley!!

Sarah Adams,

You are The Queen of romcoms. Your ability to produce stories with the quickest wit, the swooniest characters, and the funniest scenarios, is just unmatched.

This book is everything, and I'll be pushing it on anyone who will listen, and even some of those who won't.

Here's why I loved this book so much:
- the author's online presence somehow makes everything she writes even that much more wonderful and special
- the cat
- the rivalry and how well enemies to lovers is done here
- the surprisingly wonderful spice
- the dynamics between siblings
- teachers as the main characters
- a little B&E

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

This is such a fun premise for me, because I am also a teacher. I also love the city of Rome and all of its residents, quirky as they are.

I was rooting for these characters to just shut up and kiss already the whole stinkin' time!

The scene in the closet. OMG.

Just absolute perfection, TBH.

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Netgalley, and Dell Publishing for the ebook ARC!

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE SARAH ADAMS BOOK, OMG.

An absolute fuc*ing delight!

It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s got TWO TEACHERS (they’re rivals until they’re not), it’s got close proximity, it’s got a sweet family of side characters, and it’s the best trip back to Rome, Kentucky!

10/10 no notes.