Beg, Borrow, Steal is a sweet and funny romance with Sarah Adams’ signature charm and heartfelt moments. The characters have great chemistry, and the forced proximity trope adds plenty of tension and swoon-worthy scenes. It’s a light, feel-good read that perfectly blends humor and romance!

LOVED this story and the character development. I’m not usually an enemies to lovers trope girly - but this may have changed my mind :)

Emily and Jack are mortal enemies - but they don’t particularly have good reasons to be. When Jack unexpectedly returns to Emily’s safe place, small town, of Rome-she is determined to make all the townsfolk despise him and ultimately get him to turn tail and run away never to return! Until of course she has a slight change of heart.

I read this before any others in the stand alone series, and there are probably spoilers but I’m intrigued enough to go back and read the rest!

Thank you for the ARC - Sarah Adams is a new auto buy author for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams!

This is the third in the series but this made sense without reading the first two books. Each book is about a different sibling. This book focuses on Emily, the second oldest. She lives in her hometown of Rome, Kentucky and is shocked to learn Jack, her nemesis since college, is moving next door to her and returning to the school where she works. They have always been competitive around each other and Emily uses her relationship with the townspeople to make life difficult for Jack. When Emily needs help retracting an email she accidentally sent to her principal, she asks Jack for help. In the process, Jack finds out Emily is an aspiring author and Jack may be the best person to help her. I was drawn to this book since the main characters are second grade teachers. I feel Emily is very immature, she's in her thirties and still isn't over her high school boyfriend and pulls petty stunts to run Jack out of town. I realize she has trauma from the loss of her parents and grandmother but I wanted to tell her to grow up! I like her siblings' side stories and Jack's character though.

This book was so cute! I couldn't put it down. I loved all of the characters and the story line. I even downloaded the other books in the series.

Sarah Adams has become an automatic buy/read for me, and her latest "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" did not disappoint! The latest book in the When in Rome series features Emily Walker. Emily is a small town teacher who moonlights as an author. What she does not expect is her long-time nemisis, Jack Bennett returning to town and purchasing the house next to hers. Their rivalry continues, and of course love blooms in this enemies to lovers fun and addicting book! Highly recommended to all romance lovers, and fans of Sarah Adams!

Best book in this series so far!!
Personally I feel that these days author market a book as the enemies to lovers trope but ...it all just feels forced. I genuinely love it when the enemies to lovers hits just right and this book delivered it all and more!

Jackson and Emily were perfect in every way! We get to see her character in the previous books and I've been eagerly waiting for her turn and it was soooo good! Jackson loved every part of her stubborn self and our girl bloomed. I m so glad they got the story they deserve!

thank you to sarah adams & NetGalley for giving me the arc!!!

I’ll post the full review when the book comes out…but let me just tell you guys…WOAH. This was everything, and more than I would have ever imagined.

For now, I’ll say this: Emily is me, and I am Emily. I saw so much of myself in her- I was SO emotional. I felt SEEN. I’ve never felt as vulnerable and seen with any other book, EVER.

Thank you so much for this opportunity & for touching my soul with this book. ❤️❤️❤️

*update*

I wanted to circle back and just say how I think about this book a lot!!! I think Emily is the most relatable character I have ever read, really. I thought she was mean in the previous books, but in this one, you TRULY see her for what she is, and why she is so misunderstood! She had such character development, both on her own & with Jack. It wasn’t him saving her from herself, or vice-versa. They leaned on one another & picked up the pieces together. I love them ❤️. I will think about them forever. It was such a heartwarming story. Sad at times, happy at times, touching at times, too. I am so happy to see Emily have her happy ending. 🥰

I love a good Sarah Adams romance and this was everything that I hoped it would be. A special thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Adams, and Random House Publishing Group for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams was so much fun! I love the enemies to lovers romance trope, and this was executed so well in this story. The characters were lovable and the tension was chef's kiss!

3.75 stars

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams is the third installment in the When In Rome series, this time focusing on Emily Walker - 2nd grade teacher (and aspiring romance writer) - who is shocked to find that her new neighbor is none other than rival teacher Jack Bennett.

Emily and Jack have notoriously disliked each other. They have always clashed over everything at work, but Emily thought this was all over when Jack moved away with his fiance and was due to be married soon. But suddenly Jack is back in town, at school, and now renovating the house next door to Emily, having broken up with his fiance and moved back to Rome, Kentucky.

Emily has always been the responsible one as the oldest sister. She knows that, ever since their parents passed away, her siblings rely on her for everything. This has caused Emily to feel like she always has to be "perfect" and that no one will be able to love her if she breaks down and they see her as vulnerable. Because of this, Emily has always found it hard to make a romantic connection with anyone.

Jack has been mostly estranged from his narcissistic father and has been hiding his true passion (a successful mystery author, just like his father but more successful!) under a pen name and doesn't want anyone to find out.

As the two rivals clash, everything comes to a head when Emily accidentally sends her (very spicy) romance manuscript to their school principal instead of the publisher. Emily turns to Jack for help, and the two quickly realize they are becoming more than friends.

I thought this book was good. It was fine. It had cute banter, sweet romance, and silly shenanigans. But it was my least favorite in the Rome series so far. Emily was extremely juvenile in her actions regarding Jack at the beginning. But I did appreciate the anxiety she felt as the big sister, and I absolutely LOVED Jack and how supportive/protective he was (even when Emily and Jack were in college together).

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a sweet romance with playful banter, a thoughtful male main character, and the enemies to lovers trope. Can't wait for the fourth book in this series. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As always, Sarah Adam's books put a smile on my face! I loved this enemies to lovers story with a dash of secret identities!!

The best parts for me were the chemistry between Jack and Emily and the small town setting. I swear Rome feels like its own character in the book.

To me, the pacing felt a bit off. The middle was quite slow and the ending felt rushed. Other than that I enjoyed it and can't wait for book 4 in this series!

I wasn’t super excited to read this book but it surprised me. I didn’t going in having high expectations, I knew I’d like it but I was surprised that I really liked it! The characters were cute and fun. The story kept me interested. No third act breakup. Overall a good read

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This is the third book in the 'When In Rome' series. I'd say that I liked this one the best. The series isn't perfect although it makes it leading men out to be. The men are perfect and the women are perfectly flawed. There are still some cringe moments in the small town life but I enjoyed the plot of this one -- Emily is secretly writing a novel while living next door to a secret best-selling author. Of course they have history and fall into the enemies-to-lovers trope.

3.5 rating!
At first this book was a little jarring because I’m not used to reading a POV where it feels like the main character is aware of an audience, or at least that’s what this felt like. The story was super cute and I really enjoyed getting to see the main character individual aspects of their lives get resolved. The dual POV was great as well and felt like I was reading two different POVs with how they spoke/thought. Emily definitely grew on me as the book went by and I loved Jack from the get go.

My biggest feedback would be that the stakes of "hating" each other just felt so forced. Jack seemed to know he loved Emily from the get go and Emily seemed to love him and it took all of 2 seconds to come to terms with it. I really enjoyed the conflict not being a miscommunication trope though, and seeing that the big conflict was just ideals and normal situations getting in the way.

I will 100% be reading the other books in this “series” and see how much I enjoy them!

3.5⭐, 1.75🌶️

Having loved Practice Makes Perfect, I was excited to continue the When in Rome series with Emily's story. The beginning had me really excited because I enjoy a rivals to lovers romance, but this quickly turned into a friendship and from there the story just didnt wow me. Also, I'm aware Sarah usually writes non-spice romance, but to give the reader "warnings" at the start of the book about "spicy scenes" that were still mild and fade to black, I was just a tad frustrated. I had my hopes up for spice

This book was just too sweet for me. I am not a fan of enemy/rival to lover romances where once they are together they are so so sweet together. Like I wish some of the tension stayed (and the author triedddd to make that a thing in this book but Sarah just writes sweet romances so it didnt hit for me).

🩷Rivals to Lovers
❤️Forced Proximity - Neighbors
🩷Slow Burn

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review.

I would recommend this book to any eldest daughter who has felt the weight of their siblings needs on their shoulders so often that they forget to take care of their own needs. The romance was a sweet rivals to lovers, but I enjoyed Emily as a character in general.

I knew what I was getting into with a Sarah Adams book and this one didn’t disappoint! It was sweet and hopeful but also explored what it feels like to be the oldest sister in the family. I love the romance. It had me smiling and kicking my feet. I was a sucker for the banter with the two main characters. I also loved to see the growth that the family went through and how much they all root for each other. There were parts that hurt my heart reading but I loved seeing the family’s healing in this book. Overally, this was a cute and fast read and I definitely recommend!

⭐️ 5/5. As usual, Sarah Adams knows how to write a masterpiece of real human emotion and happily ever after. The story of Emily and Jackson deals with real struggles: loneliness, grief, depression, a narcissistic parent, and loss, and serves up these struggles in a real way. However, Adams doesn’t let her characters fall into the well of these emotions and circumstances. Rather, she helps them lean on others, and learn to love themselves, in order to climb back out into the light. And the light in Adams’ books is filled with laughter, love, witty banter, vivid descriptions, memorable side characters, and so much feel good energy.

This third installment of the When in Rome series was the one with the most character depth and development, and the most meaningful romance. Emily embodies every oldest daughter who’s ever felt like she carries the world on her shoulders, and her and Jack’s romance is profound.

If you are a fan of:

💅🏻 Small town romance
❤️ Enemies to lovers
💅🏻 Deep, meaningful relationships
❤️ Witty banter and great side characters
💅🏻 A book written about writers
❤️ Slow burn

then you definitely need to read this book! See some of my favorite quotes below:

❤️ "It takes so much emotional energy to be a teacher. And an outrageous amount to be a good one."

❤️ "I would walk through my worst memories to get to you every single time"

❤️ "I don't need anything from you other than for you to unlock the door for me so I can come lie with you when the darkness is too heavy to crawl out of. And if you need to fight, you can fight with me. And if you want to make love, make it with me."

This book was everything! I really feel like it wrapped up this trilogy of rom coms within this friend and sister world.