In this third volume set in Rome, Kentucky, we follow the second-oldest Walker sibling, Emily. Emily is a type-A control freak who is struggling with not being needed any more - her brothers and sisters are all in relationships (Annie and Noah) or off in NYC having adventures (Maddie). So when Emily's nemesis moves back to town, and directly into the house next door, Emily finally has a new project: get rid of Jack at all costs.

Jack is fresh off of a cancelled wedding and feels an inexplicable pulled back to Rome and the woman who drives him absolutely crazy. Everyone always falls for Jack's charm and charisma, but Jack never has to worry about pulling his punches with Emily - they've competed in every arena since college and were always evenly matched. Jack is ready to put down roots and get back to writing and teaching.

When Emily accidentally sends a copy of her raunchy romance novel to her school's conservative principal, she knows that Jack is the only one who can help her delete it from his inbox before he returns from vacation. Jack readily (suspiciously) agrees, and Emily and Jack's truce leads them to discovering that perhaps their rivalry was actually them dancing around their feelings for each other unbeknownst to either of them.

I absolutely adored this book, which was no surprise since I've enjoyed all of the Rome, Kentucky series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I would highly suggest reading the others to learn some of the Walker backstory and about some of the side characters mentioned. Jack's struggle with a narcissistic father was close to home, so I can say with certainty that the experience rings true. Additionally, Emily's struggle with being a fixer and someone whose needs come last was very realistic and added a lot of depth to the plot and Emily's character. Emily and Jack's bickering was A+, and I adored them as a couple. This one will make you feel all the feels!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I loved being back in Rome, KY. This series is so cute, fun and emotional! I’m a KY girl so I always enjoy series based in KY and I love all of our familiar characters in this book and our new MMC. This book may be my favorite of the series which is saying a lot because this series is fantastic. I loved their rivalry, how they fell in love, and their story. Highly recommend!

So I struggled with rating this book. I really enjoyed it and love that Sarah Adams is branching out to more open door romance. It was great to be back in Rome and see another Walker sibling. Emily was very relatable and I felt seen with some of her struggles. As always - I love the updates and peeks of other characters from Rome.

Why I struggled? Sarah starts the book by saying this book can be turned into a closed door for her non- explicit loving fans. I did not feel like that was true. The whole book seemed very sexual and had underlying tones. Also the open door scenes were not at places you could skip without missing parts of the story.

If you are looking for closed door, I would skip this book. If you don't mind open door, I would recommend. I would have rated this 4 stars but took 1 off because of the issues for closed door readers.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

I am so honored I got an ARC of this book. I have been dying to go back to Rome, KY and it did not disappoint. Emily and Jackson may be my favorite couple yet. The enemies to friends to lovers trope was so well done here, I wish there was a tad more enemies because it was soooooo good, I just wanted it to go on forever. I wish we saw them “fight” during the school year 😂

Over all great addition to the series and has me craving the last book even more.

This is by far the best book by this author I’ve read so far. Each character felt nuanced and layered. As a teacher myself I was worried about the main characters being teachers but found myself smiling at the perfect dash of teacher life being included. The tension between our two love interests was absolutely perfect. I thought the grief backstory was incredibly well done without being over the top.

5 stars all around ⭐️Sarah Adams’ best book yet!! I loved this a ridiculous amount and cannot wait for the world to get their hands on this. Beg, Borrow, or Steal is everything that I want in a romance book: sassy banter, palpable tension, dual POV, and a fun, unique plot. Oh, and a perfect, swoony MMC. Jack Bennett the man that you are.

I knew I would relate to Emily on a personal level based on the synopsis alone; like Emily, I am the oldest daughter, an elementary school teacher, and an aspiring romance writer. But I did not anticipate how quickly (literally page #2) and how deeply her words and her experiences would resonate with me. Reading about her struggles hit hard at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her growth throughout this story, and I loved having Jack’s POV along with it.

Both Jack and Emily are interesting, complex characters that made for some messy conversations but there was never any miscommunication (thank you Sarah!!!), because they care about each other enough to take some space when needed, without running away from conflict or tough situations. I love how they support and uplift each other, they push each other to grow in all the right ways. Jack and Emily are made for each other and their story is truly a masterpiece, I cried my eyes out just about every 6 pages and I LOVED IT!

One of my favorite elements of Beg, Borrow, and Steal are the email chains between Emily and Jack over the years that are sprinkled throughout the book. They are such a fun addition to their story, especially since they have years of crossing paths behind them, and are great examples of the witty, flirty banter that you’ll find throughout Jack and Emily’s story.

The When in Rome series is the perfect small-town, interconnected series that gives us a glimpse into the lives of the Walker siblings, and their stories keep getting better! I loved Practice Makes Perfect, but Beg, Borrow, or Steal quickly surpassed it as my favorite Sarah Adams book. And I loved the little crumbs Sarah left hinting towards the final book of the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for the opportunity to read the e-ARC of this perfect book <3

This was definitely one of my top Sarah Adams reads to date. It honestly had so many things I love and appreciate in a romantic read:

Rivals to lovers trope
Small town setting
Dual POV
Strong family / found fam / friends connections
An adorable fur companion 🐾
Banter and tension
An epistolary element (emails / texts)
Compelling, authentic challenges/ representation (grief, trauma from childhood experiences, anxiety, narcissistic parent)
An authors note that gave fair content guidance and also gave readers the option to have a closed door read if they preferred

I adored the story of Emily and Jack - I loved seeing things slowly unfold for them. I found their dynamic as rivals and transition to more to walk the perfect line for me. They had the banter, tension and snark at just the right level. I really appreciated the pacing of how their relationship evolved over time too.

I love a romantic story that manages to be funny and lighthearted while still having some depth and tackling real issues. It gives a story that extra edge that sticks with me and makes the characters and world feel more real.

I also have to complement the author on how including the brief authors note at the beginning of the book. I really appreciate when an author thoughtfully puts that in. I also love that in adding the option regarding spice level as well, it really opens up who I feel I can recommend the story to.

Overall, I just really enjoyed the story, characters and the chance to visit Rome, Kentucky again. I very much hope to return and hopefully see something of the Madison and James situation in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine / Dell for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely shared.

4.5 ⭐️

I have loved and given almost every Adams book a 5 star in the past. Unfortunately, this one just didn't speak to me like all her others. That's not a bad thing, I can see how this will fully capture others, just didn't for me. I did however, love the characters, and the return of others. I did fell that this was just a bit rushed, and a little too cheesy for my taste. I do look forward to more work from Sarah, she will always be an auto read for me.

As I have mentioned multiple times, I am a big sarah adams fan. Her last book was my least favorite, because I felt like the story lacked any real feeling and I was just being talked at, but this book was much more her normal pace. While I wouldn't say it was as amazing as Practice Makes Perfect, the characters and the town and the banter were very cute. There were a couple times I felt some paragraphs at the end were very repetitive and unnecessary, and i would have loved to actually experience jack telling the world the truth about his dad, and was bummed we had the build up and didn't get to experience that moment. Overall though, the characters were very lovable.

You know when you read a book and the meaning and lessons within the book correlate to lessons you’re learning in real life and because this happens it just makes the book that much more special and resonates with you? That happened with this book! I absolutely loved this book and has become one of my favorites from this author!

This book is about learning to accept change and also to accept the messier parts of yourself that are harder to love. Emily and Jack are probably the most relatable characters I have read to date. They both undergo amazing character growth and deal with real life issues that obviously I can relate to.

The plot of this book was so much fun! I absolutely love a good rivals to lovers story and this book definitely hit the mark for me. The banter between Emily and Jack was perfect. I literally laughed out loud several times during this book!

This book does slightly differ than the rest of Sarah’s books by being an open door book and a lot more open intimacy talking but I feel like it fit really well with the book and I didn’t have an issue with it. The author also includes this in a note before the book which I really appreciate.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and definitely would recommend reading it. It is part of the When In Rome series which I would suggest reading in order to get the full effect but this can also be read as a stand alone.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like:
•Dual POV
•Rivals to Lovers
•Tension!! 🔥
•Small Town Setting
•Emails 😍

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5⭐️ 1🌶️

I had such a great time with this book. It had everything I needed, banter, wit, swooning, and crying. I felt all the feelings while reading this story and I haven’t had that in a while!

As the oldest sibling from a messed up home, I related with Emily so much. I have always been the caretaker of my siblings. Letting people in and seeing me weak has always been hard. I took care of them, not the other way around. But seeing her opening up and learning to let them in was inspiring! Especially since I struggled with the same thing until my husband came along.

This is my first Sarah Adams book and it looks like I’m going to need to pick up the rest!

I want to thank NetGalley and Sarah Adams for the ARC of Beg, Borrow, or Steal in exchange for an honest review.

where to begin! i absolutely adore the rome, kentucky book series, they are such a source of comfort as sarah adams is one of the first romance authors i fell in love with! i was very excited to read emily’s story that outlines the enemies to lovers story of her and jackson, a fellow teacher who always seems to be one upping her in every possible way and is always some how there! it’s always nice to return to rome and see all the familiar faces like mabel and i can always picture the books so well. i adored this story and loved the text messages and email component of it as well. i am extremely excited for madison’s story because i know it’s gonna be amazing! this is a must read if you’re looking for a small town, enemies to lovers romance <3

Beg, Borrow, or Steal follows Emily and Jack who are two second grade teachers. They both teach in Rome, Kentucky and they hate each other. Emily is from Rome and gets happy when Jack leaves. But Jack decides to move back to Rome. Not only that but he buys the house right next door to Emily’s. Emily has plans to sabotage his return. But one day Emily accidentally sends an email to their school principal. She needs help to delete the email and enlists Jack to help her. Surprisingly he agrees. This changes everything. They realize they might actually not hate each other. Who knows maybe they might actually have feelings for each other.

If Sarah Adams writes it I am going to read it and love it. I love this series and I think this book might be my favorite. (That does change all the time though lol.). I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope. I thought Emily and Jack were so dang cute. Everything about this book was what I love in a romance book. I loved this so much. Do yourself a favor and read this book ( and all of her books).

Thank you, Sarah Adams, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Emily Walker and her rival Jack Bennett are second-grade teachers. When she heard he moved away in the middle of the school year with his fiancé she was thrilled and secretly upset that he didn’t even attempt to say goodbye to her.

Fast forward a few months and Jack is back in town looking for a house before the school year begins where he will go back to teaching second grade. Jack finds the only house available in town, it needs a lot of work and is also next door to Emily.

I really enjoyed the dual POV’s throughout the entire store. I loved seeing the banter and fighting that they both had with each other in the beginning. There were many laugh-out-loud moments.

Once Emily let her guard down more, you were able to see the way she let Jack in and it made her realize that she had feelings for him. I loved seeing their friendship blossom into something more.

I loved Jack and his honesty, especially with Emily. There were so many great scenes between the two of them, one of my favorites was where they tried to retrieve Emily’s email that she had sent to her principal by accident.

Rome, Kentucky is one of my favorite little fictional towns to read. All of the characters are so great everyone from Madison to Mabel. I can’t wait for the final book in the series so we can get one last trip to Rome, Kentucky.

This is book 3 in the When In Rome series. It can also be read standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beg, Borrow, Steal by. Sarah Adams 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 
“Find somebody who will hug me when I’m sad and then help me look on the bright side of things when all I can see is the dark.”
The Rome Kentucky series has always been one of my favorites, so going into this book I had extremely high hopes and as always Sarah Adams did not disappoint. I think we can all agree that whenever you read a series the second or the third is never as good as the first but that's not that case here. I didn't think it was possible but I think I love Emily and Jack even more!! I’m honestly in awe of how she continues to create these stories that make you fall head over heels for every single character. This book hit really close to home, especially with its focus on sibling and family dynamics. As an older sister myself, I found the representation so heartfelt and raw. Being an older sister is a beautiful thing I'm so grateful for, but it also comes with its share of challenges. Sarah captured all of that so perfectly. As soon as I read the Blurb for "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" I couldn't contain my excitement. A second grade teacher who's writing a romance book in her spare time, It doesn't get better than that! I cannot wait to be a teacher one day and reading about Jack and Emily's ups and downs has seriously made me so much more excited!! I guess you can say this book kinda reassured me that I should go for it and maybe I can do it! Emily is my absolute favorite Walker sister, she's feisty but sweet and always trying to take care of others. My heart hurts for Jack and the family he deserved but didn't get. There's something so admirable about the openness and freedom between the two of them. Although there's time for banter we also get to see it's important to have that person who knows you and listens to your darkest thoughts and feelings. I cannot wait to come back to Rome, Kentucky one last time, until then I will continue obsessing over the beautiful love story that is Emily and Jack. 
Tropes in this book
- Rivals to Lovers
- Secret Writer
- Nosy Small Town
- Teacher Romance 
- WITTY BANTER
Songs that remind me of this book
- Lonely. Justin Beiber & Benny Blanco 
- Dancing In The Dark. Rihanna 
- One of Them Girls. Lee Brice

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is the 3rd book of the series When in Rome. This can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend to read the first 2 books to get the warm welcome of entering Rome, Kentucky with their everloving citizens. Emily and Jack were academic rivals and have become workplace rivals, both teaching at the same school. Summer break is on and Jack returns to Rome after his engagement fell through. Reuniting with Jack has Emily finding ways to continue the rivalry but also realizing there’s deeper meaning of her feelings towards Jack. Emily and Jack have great chemistry and their rivalry screamed enemies to lover! Their bantering and slowly accepting their love for each other was well written. Jack is so swoonworthy and a charmer and Emily is compassionate and protective of her family. Emily embraces the eldest daughter duties and focuses on how everyone is doing + feeling and not taking a second to focus on what she needs herself. Jack comes in and tries to be there for her only if she lets him in. Both Emily and Jack have struggled with their mental health. I appreciated how it was talked about but I wish there was a bit more on how they coped with their struggles and steps to working on themselves. Overall, it was great to be back in this town with returning characters from the first two books and watch their found family grow. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC for an honest review

as a soon to be 2nd grade teacher I was so excited to read this book! I loved the banter and the small town vibes. It was easy to follow and I fell in love with the characters easily!

This book was delicious!! Emily and Jack stole my heart with their witty banter and decade-long grudges. I was rooting for them, and laughing, the entire time. Sarah Adams has done it again and I can’t wait for the next Rome, KY adventure!!

4.5 stars! such a cute grumpy sunshine/ feud book! i adored the characters and how their relationship panned out! very cute and not super predicting storyline.

I had such high expectations for this book because I LOVED the second book in the series. I never truly got invested in this story & the characters. I did find myself relating a lot to Emily. It took a lot for me to actually pick up the book & read it. Idk if it’s because I was feeling slumpy or I genuinely wasn’t enjoying the book? I usually finish a book within 3/4 days but this one took me almost a week 😅 also, I wasn’t a big fan of the third act breakup. I usually LOVE a third act breakup but this one felt like it was just throw in 🙃 There were some cute moments but also a lot of moments that I had read a lot in other books. This was definitely Sarah Adams most spicy book & the tension was tensioning. I do appreciate her including the open door scenes in the beginning of the book 🫶🏼 overall, it was a cute romance but nothing super memorable in my opinion. I will be reading more from Sarah Adams though! I’m super excited for the last book in the series.