I love the when in Rome series and was so excited to read the story of Jack and Emily. Everything about the story just felt mature and honest, and Jack may be my new book crush. I am crossing my fingers we get. Madison story next!

Friends, if you are not reading Sarah Adams and love a heartfelt romcom then you are really missing out. Having been reading her work since her self-publishing days, I can say that she has honed her craft and continues to blow me away with her characters and storytelling ability. This was an easy 5 star listen for me.

Fair warning though, if you are an eldest daughter like I am, then this one may hit a little too close to home. Emily’s eldest daughter vibes were spot on, and I may or may not have been in my feels about it.

I want to live in Rome, KY. I love the Walker’s. I never want this series to end. All of our favorite loveable characters are here, and I LOVED getting some more insight into what is going on in the lives of my favorite group of grown siblings.

You still have time to pre-order this delicious book that is filled to the brim with deep emotions, characters you can’t help but love, and maybe a hidden identity sprinkled in here and there. I will forever and always be a Sarah Adams fan.

Side note, this is an EXCELLENT listen. Highly, highly recommend the audiobook version if that is your jam. I devoured it!

Pick this one up if you like:

-Small Town Romances
-Long Time Enemies to Lovers
-Rival Second Grade Teachers
-Secret Identities.
-Oldest Daughter Vibes
-The Perfect Banter
-Next Door Neighbors

2.5 ⭐️ When I had received an arc for Sarah Adams’ new book in her When In Rome series, I was beyond excited!! I really enjoyed When In Rome and liked Practice Makes Perfect! This book had a lot of inappropriate humor. The relationship between Emily and Jack was alright. Jack always had a sweet spot for Emily tho which I really liked. I did like that he would do anything for her. But, I did not enjoy the banter. There’s nothing really else I have to say except that I really just did not enjoy this book as much as the other books in the series. I believe others will enjoy this book but this was just not for me.

Here are the chapters I skipped to keep the book closed door: 16, 25, 32.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!! Beg, Borrow, or Steal comes out January 7, 2025. #BegBorroworSteal #NetGalley

If you are an eldest sister, you will enjoy. If not, you may still enjoy it but it was definitely written for the eldest sisters of the world

Ahh! This was amazing. I will forever say that Rome feels like being in Stars Hollow. The small town feel, everyone knows each other and are there for each other. Sarah Adams’ books are a comfort read. Each time I’m in Rome, KY, it feels like a warm hug from all the characters I know and love. Her books keep getting better and better.

Emily and Jack’s story felt so real, vulnerable and emotional, but at the same time it was funny and heartfelt. They’re 2 beautiful souls that have always been used of taking care of everyone else, and for no one to take care of them. They spent so many years on this feud, that when they’re real with each other hits soooo good.

💕 Small town
💕 Enemies to friends to lovers
💕 Teachers / secret writers
💕 He calls her Goldie
💕 He rides a motorcycle (sometimes)
💕 There’s a cat named Ducky

TW: loss of parents, alcoholic parent

I can’t wait for Maddie’s story!

Thank you Random House - Ballantine, & NetGalley for the arc!

Permanently, forever heart eyes over the Walker Siblings. Truly, I could not love them more and Emily was no exception!! (I hesitate to rank them, but I fear Emily and Jack miiiiight have taken the lead). This book was the perfect balance of soft and funny, as is the Sarah Adams specialty, and I absolutely could not put it down. The characters in this town are so dear to me and I love getting to visit them all in every new book. I could not recommend it more!!

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is a cutie, perfect romcom that follows two second grade teachers, Emily Walker and Jackson Bennett who are long time *nemesis* (who are very attracted to each other and constantly orbit around each other!!). Emily is fiercely loyal and Jack is very charming - to everyone but each other. They are competitors in every arena, but over the course of their summer break, they just might find that they’re even better together fighting on the same team!!

Emily + Jack forever, okay?? I love them and I loved watching them fall in love. Beg, Borrow, or Steal hits shelves 1-7-25!! Add it to your tbr immediately!!

Thanks so much to Dell and NetGalley for my early copy!!

Ok I must admit, I’ve been in a slump with romance books lately and really need to get some other genres on board BUT this one was so cute, fun and wonderful 😭✨ Sarah is the queen of writing and just has a way with words. No one writes chemistry between two characters the way she does!

Emily was such a joy and her character was much deeper than I anticipated! Jack feels built for her and I loved every minute of it. This is one of those romances that makes you laugh and then cry a few pages later - perfection. I wasn’t sure on the teacher rivals to lovers plot but I shouldn’t doubt SA and her abilities. This was done beautifully. I loved Emily and Jack individually which made this story addicting. Also can we just acknowledge Jack is so sweet, gentle and an intentional man??? We love him. Rome, Kentucky never disappoints and I wanna be there - like YESTERDAY

Do yourself a favor and read if you like:
-enemies to lovers
-small towns
-unhealed wounds
-close proximity
-sunshine v sunshine

I really enjoyed this! Some of the shenanigans shenaniganed a little too hard for my taste - I mean, come on, you're going to break into your boss's house and then have a full blown intense makeout session in his closet while hiding from him? My suspension of disbelief in romcoms goes pretty far but not that far. Other than that though I had a great time! I thought Emily and Jack had solid individual arcs and good chemistry together and even though I haven't read the other series entries I was able to enjoy the side characters who had clearly come from the other books.

I was so excited to head back to Rome Kentucky and this book did not disappoint!! This is one of my favorite series by Sarah Adams. This was the perfect enemies to lovers with the right amount of spice. Their banter and emails were such a fun touch! I loved every minute of this story 💕

Thank you to Sarah Adams, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the e-ARC!

loved seeing the walker siblings and this time Emily. loved seeing this town of Rome Kentucky . Loved the sparring between jack and Emily and that they were honest with each other and that they both asked for help. Loved the siblings and can't wait to read madison's . Loved that they missed each other before they ended up falling in love.

I loved being able to revisit these characters. Funny, heartwarming, and smart relationships. Great banter. Adorable characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Adams books truly never disappoint. Every book of hers I read gets better and better. Emily and Jackson were both flawed characters but were perfect together. If you enjoy a slow burn, you're definitely going to enjoy this. That first hint of a spicy scene??? THE TENSION. *chef's kiss*. Sarah has a way of making you invested in her characters and I absolutely could not put this book down.

I was so honored to not only receive this arc but have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook thanks to Penguin Random House Audio!

SHE NEVER MISSES!!!!
this was seriously on par with my love for Practice Makes Perfect and you all know how I feel about Will Griffin! But JACK BENNET?!! The man that you are 😭😭😭😭😭

Obsessed. I am Emily. Emily is me. I felt so connected to her overprotective big sister vibes and perfectionism personality. I literally don’t know what to do with myself? I am going to reread this with my eyeballs later on but my god, the audio?!!? IMPECCABLE!

Chapter 16?! Holy hell🥵😮‍💨🫠 I’ve never been edged so hard in my life! Go Sarahhhh! GET IT GIRL👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Super cute and fun read! I love a good rivals to lovers and this delivered on that perfectly! T was easy to read and the characters were charming had great chemistry and were likeable! Would for sure recommend this for a fun easy romance read and can’t wait to add to our library!

I loved heading back to Rome, Kentucky in Sarah Adams' Beg, Borrow, or Steal.
The rivalry between Emily and Jack was so fun to read and the perfect banter that Sarah writes made this such a fun read. I laughed out loud multiple times with this and couldn't put it down.
If you love rivalry to lovers and small-town romance, then you are going to thoroughly enjoy this one.

thank you for the ARC!!
loved the book & the banter between the characters, this book is an enemies to lovers trope with dual pov! sarah writes about grief in this novel and does it pretty authentically more than others i have read and i genuinely enjoyed this read. Emily being the middle child made me feel seen in a way because i resonated with the way sarah decided to portray emily. the banter made this book pretty enjoyable due to the fact that it was more witty however i do think the banter was prolonged. genuinely enojoyed the read and i would re-read if i wanted a quick romance read ! 3.5 for me

Oh my goodness this was such a super cute, fun, and funny romance story! I absolutely LOVED their banter, oh my gosh. Perfect! And their chemistry was insane! I loved this one from the very beginning.

✨Book Review✨

Beg, Borrow, or Steal - Sarah Adams

📖 We’re back in Rome, Kentucky with Emily Walker, oldest sister, 2nd grade teacher, and secret romance writer. When her arch-nemesis, Jack Bennett moves back to town after a cancelled wedding he starts to disrupt her carefully crafted world. He’s here to stay, as her colleague again and also as her new neighbor.

📚 Okkkaaaay Sarah Adams is just too good at romance. These characters are fun and relatable and swoony, but also awkward and cringy in the best ways possible. She has added some smut into her story, but you can easily skip those chapters if you’re not interested in spicy reading. Emily has internal dialogue that felt close to home and I absolutely loved her as a character. I appreciate that Sarah Adams makes character with depth and baggage without also making them red flags. The way she allows characters to develop and grow over the course of a novel is pure sunshine.

🌟 If you’ve read When In Rome and Practice Makes Perfect then you’ll want to preorder Beg, Borrow, or Steal from your local library immediately!

Special shoutout to @NetGalley and @authorSarahAdams for the advanced copy of this book! I loved being able to read it ahead of the publishing date of January 7th. Thank you!

#BookReview #BookRecommendation #RomeKentucky #BegBorrowOrSteal #EmilyAndJack #Bookish #BookLover

I love them!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧡 Enemies to lovers
🧡 They’re both teachers
~ + secret identities
🧡 Looved the banter between them!! It made me lol so many times
• Chapter 16 🔥 (enough said!)
“I love a woman who’s selfish” deceased!!
🧡 Neighbors ~ forced proximity
🧡 Small town

“Just how often do you picture me, Jackson?”
“More than either of us is comfortable

While being heartwarming and swoon worthy there is still so much depth to Jackson and Emily.
I relate to Emily in some ways feeling like you have to hold in your emotions, because it’s hard to show them to those closest around you.

Small side note too: I love how Sarah wrote the spice, even though it was very minimal. It wasn’t too much even though it was still open door in one chapter.

When in Rome: TBR
Practice Makes Perfect: 4 ⭐️
Beg, Borrow and Steal: (my fav, so far) 5 ⭐️

Thank you Dell for an arc in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏽

5⭐️ Sarah Adams is my ultimate comfort-read author and this book delivered! It was everything I wanted in a cozy romance, and it was so wonderful to be back in Rome, KY with all the characters I’ve grown to love. I loved the depth of Emily and Jackson, and thought their personal development was phenomenal. I also appreciated that there wasn’t any miscommunication plot lines and that they both spoke honestly.

Love love loved. Laughed out loud so many times. A lil’ spicy in the best way!!