This is the third book in the When in Rome series. Emily and Jack's story of enemies to lovers is endearing. I love this troupe and also this series. Sarah Adams' books never disappoint me and are a joy to read. I highly recommend this series and this book.

I squealed with glee when Beg, Borrow or Steal hit my inbox. The third book in the When In Rome series takes readers back to small-town Rome, Kentucky, to hang with Emily Walker.

Everything in Emily’s life is carefully crafted. She’s the one her siblings turn to for safety and support, and her meticulousness makes her one of the best elementary school teachers. But when her nemesis and former colleague, Jack Bennett returns to town – and right next door to be exact – Emily’s life is upended.

Jack is eager to be back in Rome. He left mid-school year for Nebraska with his fiancée, but things didn’t work out, so he’s back and ready to pick up where his life left off. And that, surprisingly, involves developing an unlikely alliance with Emily. Could their rivalry end? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?

I really enjoyed seeing Emily’s vulnerability throughout the book. The gentleness that Jack offered to her was so swoony, and I loved that Emily was able to be her own person, even when it felt like she was too much for everyone. Not Jack. He embraced every inch of who she is, and I was here for all of it. Sarah is a master at her craft, with top notch banter, laugh-out-loud situations and sincere honesty. I think we could all use a little more men like Jack in our lives.

Sarah is definitely setting us up for a fourth installment of the series and I cannot wait! I’m hoping for a long-lost Walker child to be discovered in the next book so that we can have more fun in Rome. A girl can dream, right?!

Thank you to Sarah Adams, Ballantine (Random House), and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of the book for an honest review.

I love reading Sarah Adam's When In Rome series when I'm in Kentucky, so I read a highly anticipated 2025 book a few weeks ago on a trip to Kentucky (unfortunately nowhere near Rome). These books are just such a delight to read and Beg, Borrow, or Steal was such a fun enemies to lovers in a town I just adore. 

Emily and Jack were such a fun couple to root for - I loved the banter and how they both kept their writing secret for different reasons. I love seeing what all of the siblings are up to and of course Mabel. Plus the oldest sister energy. 

If you haven't read the first two books, you need to before January 7th so you can fall in love with Rome, Kentucky and these amazing books!

Beg Borrow or Steal tackles the question a lot of women ask themselves--am I too much to be loved?

Back in Rome, Kentucky for book 3, we pivot our attention to Emily, the eldest sister of the family. After her parents died at a young age, she has taken on the role of "fixer" and pseudo-parent. Now that their grandmother has passed away, amidst her grief she tackles the question, would anyone love her if they didn't need her? Now that her siblings don't seem to need her, she's flailing.

Jack Bennett has been her rival since college, and they've been circling each other ever since, eventually ending up teaching at the same elementary school. Jack recently moved back to Rome after calling off his engagement and unwittingly buys the house next door to Emily. Strangely, the two both really missed their verbal sparring matches and over time come to realize they may have just missed each other in general.

I love MMCs that make the FMC with it all together feel safe enough to fall apart. I really loved this one, and it might be my favorite of the When in Rome series. It also set up for a probably book 4 following Maddie and James and I can't wait for that!

4.5 rounded up to 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell Romance for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beg, Borrow or Steal by Sarah Adams was an excellent addition to the “When in Rome” series. Very thankful for Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book, set in a fictional small town I’ve come to adore.

As always - the witty, sarcastic, playful banter in Sarah’s writing makes me giggle every single time. I love this capability of hers to make readers laugh.

I loved the themes of overcoming childhood trauma, narcissism, and substance abuse. In a world where it’s becoming increasingly popular to receive therapy and counseling for generational issues, the inclusion of these elements in books is appreciated and goes a long way toward supporting that positive culture shift! The difficult topics were touched on gracefully, and didn’t overrun the plot.

In every well constructed love story, there has to be a fight, or moments of tension. While I’m not one for a long, slow burn during the struggle, I actually felt as though the fight/uncertainty portion of this book was a bit too short! Some more anticipation could’ve gone a long way to making the rejoining of them even sweeter.

Originally I had started reading Sarah Adams because of her closed-door writing. It’s a bit saddening to see her drift off from that. However, she did list at the beginning which chapters to skip if you’re looking to keep things closed-door and I appreciated that! Along the same lines, there were a couple of parts I felt were unnecessary to include such as the fact that none of our main characters go to church, etc.

Also, I needed more Mabel in my life in this one. I love her. This overall was a great, cutesy, fun book and I feel honored to have gotten to read it this early!

I honestly feel so lucky that I got an ARC of this book mostly because I’m sure it’s a high demand and I don’t think I have the best review history on NetGalley. I also think part of it is that I believe her last release was met with poor reviews, but I think that’s because it was an indie release and didn’t get much editing in my personal opinion.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book. I think I would give it 3 1/2 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. There are parts of it that just felt to cringe to me, but I think that is kind of what this author is known for just too cutesy and a little vomit inducing, but I think there’s definitely an audience for that type of writing and those type of plot points.

I always have a good time with an enemies to lovers storyline even though it the premise doesn’t really make sense here, but I really enjoy this family and I’m really looking forward to the last book in the series but I’m sure it’ll be a long time before it comes out and I will have forgotten everything that’s relevant to the story by the time that final book is released and I get my hands on it.

So this book is about Jack and Emily and they are two teachers at the same school and have not gotten along since college. Jack is a closeted best-selling author and Emily is trying to wrap up and publish her first romance novel that she’s written. The book begins with Jack having left because him and his fiancée are moving to Nebraska, but then eventually he comes back And ends up being neighbors with Emily and shenanigans unfold from there.

This is obviously an author who is accustomed to publishing more PG books and I see her slowly dipping her toes into a PG-13 space.

This is adorable. I've been reading Sarah Adams since her self-pub days and this reminds me of the enemies to lovers she wrote years ago that has continued to be my favorite of hers since. Enemies to lovers is where Sarah Adams shines. It's also the best in the Rome, Kentucky, books, in my opinion. The characters are more nuanced, they have more edge, their dynamic is complicated and interesting, and there's a lot of layers to their stories. I really enjoyed this one. And I'm so glad she's not using swear words substitutes like "fiddlesticks" anymore. Honestly, this book was exactly what I needed to read amidst the haze and stress of the Halloween season. Can't wait for the next one.

I am convinced Sarah Adams can do no wrong. I have read all of her books (except her regency ones) and have yet to NOT like one. They are all 4-5 stars, EASILY. And this was no different.

I finished this in one day, and I want to go back to the beginning and read it all over again. There was something so nostalgic about coming back to Rome, Kentucky. I got happy feels seeing Amelia & Noah, and Will & Annie again. The family dynamic in this one may have been my favorite of the three books. Maybe it's because we really know them now after two books, but something about this one felt really authentic and made me fall in love with the family even more.

After seeing the perfectionist side of Emily in the last two books, I really enjoyed seeing a vulnerable side to her in this. The way this was written was beautiful, and I could really feel for Emily and the role she felt she needed to take on after her parents passed away. Watching her come to terms with the hardships this has brought on gave me all the feels.

Jack was exactly what Emily needed. Their banter was top notch, and I laughed the most I ever had I think in this book. Their digs to each other over emails and texts....😂 I loved that they were 100% honest with each other, no matter what. The space that Jack held for Emily was tender and beautiful. He knew what she needed without her even saying it. He understood her better than anyone!

Let's talk chemistry - WOW. They had serious chemistry and tension, and let's just say their first kiss was.... fire. 🔥 Sarah really knows how to write amazing chemistry with her characters!

Some of my favorite moments -
-Jack barging into Emilys house without knocking. 😆
-Amelia's pancakes.
-The found family vibes.
-The emails back and forth
-The kitten! 😍

.
.
.
.
.
Content warnings:
-This book has 2 open door scenes - Sarah mentions them in the beginning of the book so they are easily skipped if you prefer closed door.
-Topics of grief, depression and a narcissistic parent.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC copy. 🫶

I’ve read every single Sarah Adams book and this was hands down my favorite. The banter.. the quips.. it had me laughing out loud. I just adored the enemies to lovers trope; it was done so well. Will be buying a paperback once it comes out!

Sarah Adams has done it again!

Our location can hardly keep this author on the shelves, despite having many copies. I have a feeling this will be no exception.

Full review to be posted shortly.

4⭐️!

I always love to go back to the town of Rome, KY for a little bit! Was honestly in a reading slump before this & it dragged me out because I couldn’t put this book down!

There were a couple “open door” scenes in this one, but she gives a warning at the beginning and tells you which chapters to skip which I greatly appreciated. I did find myself having to skim through a couple of the other chapters too, so just a heads up there.

I don’t think anything will beat Practice Makes Perfect for me! Howeverrr, Emily & Jack had a funny & sweet story that I enjoyed throughout the entire book :) their banter was top tier and I loved every second of it.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this & I just love basically anything Sarah Adams writes🫶🏼

Thank you NetGalley for my first ever arc!!!!!

5 GLOWING STARS!! Sarah Adams has always been a comfort author for me and BBS is a new fav from her. Emily and Jack (and pretty much everyone in Rome, Kentucky) felt so real and fleshed out. Like they exist in real life and I want to be friends with them. I can’t pick a favorite part because I love all of it. Jack and Emily’s dynamic, the close knit family, the close knit community, the humor, the emotion. This feels like Sarah’s most emotional book to me but maybe that’s because it is so fresh in my mind. 35% into the book I was already in tears. I cannot wait for more from these characters!

In the third book of the When in Rome series, two rival second grade teachers are forced to become neighbors. Emily Walker is a bit prickly and likes to be in control, and can’t stand her coworker Jack. The problem is, everyone else loves him and it’s easy to see why when he’s pleasant as can be (to everyone except her). They’ve been in competition their entire adult lives. Can they let competition go when they start to put their rivalry aside?

It must be said that I’ve been a big fan of Sarah Adams for a long time. She has really grown as a writer and I truly think this is her best book yet! Give me an enemies to lovers book and great banter, and I am one happy reader. As a teacher myself, I loved how the author captured the realities of teaching in a positive way. Also, Emily is a very relatable character because she is flawed but still likable. The addition of Ducky, the cuddly kitten, was so sweet and just made me adore Jack that much more. This entire series is really just a cozy, inviting hug that will make you feel like you’re home. I was smiling throughout the whole thing, and it was the perfect happy escape that I needed.

Thank you so much to Sarah Adams and Dell for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

This book had my heart at Jack's first POV. Light and fun rom-com that kept my attention. Would recommend.

Thank you to Dell for the ARC of this one! I absolutely love Sarah Adams and I was thrilled to visit Rome, Kentucky a little early to read about Emily and Jack! If you've loved Sarah Adams' books in the past, or even if you have never read her books but love rom coms, I really think you will really enjoy this one! The book follows Emily, the oldest sister in the family who has had to take on a parental role to her you get siblings. This has caused her to always want to be in control of things, including her love life. Vulnerability scares her so she has a very routine life. She teaches second grade and is a loving but very particular teacher. She is definitely a perfectionist (this spoke to me as a fellow perfectionist!) and the unknown makes her nervous. Despite nerves, she has been secretly writing a spicy romance novel in her spare time. That being said, something is clearly missing from her life. Jack is her college nemesis, turned work colleague who she thought has moved out of town to get married. In the middle of the summer he shows back up, isn't married after all, and living right next door. She wants to make his life a nightmare so he will leave but they fall into a tense friendship that could turn into more. Both characters have someajpe character development together and apart that is well done and I was rooting for them on all counts. This one has Sarah Adams witty and fun writing with some great depth and meaning as well. Five stars all around! I loved it to much!

I was beyond ready to take another trip to Rome, Kentucky and visit with this lovely family and their town. Emily, the oldest daughter of the Walker family is a second grade teacher looking forward to finishing up her new secret project over the summer: writing her own romance novel. As if that wasn’t great enough, her nemesis moved away to get married. Imagine Emily’s surprise when Jack Bennet, fellow second grade teacher and the annoyingly lovable favorite teacher, moves back from Nebraska straight to Rome, Kentucky. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, now he’s her next-door neighbor. When life gets in the way for both of them, and situation after situation keeps throwing them together, how can they fight their undeniable chemistry? I absolutely loved this book. It featured all of my favorites. Enemies to lovers, loving and painful family dynamics, and the best part of it all…someone who sees you for who you are and loves you for it.

Thank you so much to Dell Romance and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

SARAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That’s basically it. That’s the review. My whole heart is in Rome with Emily and Jack. I’m in love with them, this book, Rome and Sarah’s writing. I’ve never wanted to hop in a book quicker than I did with this one. Sarah has outdone herself.

Full of heart, love, growth, and characters you can’t help but love, Beg, Borrow, or Steal is a book that will steal your heart and not give it back. There was so much depth in these characters and you couldn’t help but root for them. I loved watching them fall in love. I loved watching them understand each other on a deeper level. I loved them becoming friends first. I think so much growth happened in this book, not just with Emily and Jack, but previous characters too.

As much as I love Emily and Jack, and saw myself
In both of them, I can not wait to visit Rome one last time to see what happens with Maddie.

Sarah, you outdid yourself. This is perfection.

Talk about a slow burn! I loved it! Sometimes when I'm reading a slow burn it feels like nothing is building, but this wasn't one of them. Such beautiful and vulnerable characters, both of them! I was left wanting more!! I wouldn't complain if there were ever a sequel *wink*

❤️Beg, Borrow, or Steal by @authorsarahadams

Well… here I am, with happy tears streaming down my face over the lives of fictional characters that feel so real.

This book is my favorite Sarah Adams book yet, and that’s saying a lot. It’s soft but also SO SEXY. The sexy writing lesson? The sexy motorcycle time?! I was BLUSHING.

Emily and Jack were EVERYTHING. Their banter, competition, and tension were top notch. And then they turned into this lovely, soft, sweet love that they both so desperately wanted and needed. I love how grown up and adult all their communication was. I love that Jack was so DOWN BAD for Emily. This man literally had weak knees over her NAIL POLISH. He was worshipping the ground she walked on. We love to see it. My favorite Sarah couple yet. My favorite Sarah gal yet. My favorite Sarah guy yet. It was perfection. And I know it’s too soon to say this but… I cannot WAIT for Madison’s book! She is my personality twin and I am ready for her story! 👀

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse @dellromance for the arc! ❤️
Pub date: 1/7/2025

I went into Beg, Borrow, Or Steal expecting a light, funny, relaxing read along the lines of When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect and while this was certainly that, I am also incredibly surprised (and delighted!) by the emotional depth of this book. The eldest daughter narratives that we are getting in this genre lately have been tearing my own eldest daughter heart to shreds and I'm loving every second.

In the previous books, Emily has been off on the side as the more blunt, advice-giving, eldest sister role, always there to fix what needs fixing or push people to do what scares them. This book gave her so much depth, so much fear and anxiety and self awareness, that my heart ached for her. The way Sarah Adams captures the complex emotional state that Emily lives in left me in awe - to only feel loved when you are needed, yet to feel like you're pouring from an empty cup at all times, but then to feel nothing but panic when you've helped people so well that they are now able to help themselves (and they no longer need you). This journey Emily goes on felt so realistic - and the fact that she KNOWS as she's on this journey that the way she really feels is not in her loved ones best interest so she intellectualizes it away, gets a cat, gives people the space that she's afraid to give, and keeps a smile on her face. I was SO Team Emily from the start, that if this had just been a book about her figuring out her dream and building a life that centered herself rather than others, I still would have read the whole thing - who needs romance?

That said, I loved Jack. LOVED him. I'm so pleased that he had his own well-crafted baggage and backstory, and the way it was different from hers but still led them to being so similar as people. And I loved Emily and Jack together. Generally I am not a fan of contemporary enemies (in this case, rivals) to lovers - often the grudge or pain point between the main characters is not enough or is irredeemable, the fights feel cyclical or vague or too hurtful. But these two? Best I've ever read. Hands down. The fact that they both know that their fights are petty and nonsensical, that they're truly equals and that's why they're rivals, that they (and I quote!!!) "are two sides of the same coin". I'm obsessed.

Sarah Adams managed to capture the intimacy of having an enemy, and how that translates to knowing one another better than anyone else possibly could, and how seeing the worst in each other constantly can actually lead to a strong foundation of respect, all in a small town contemporary romance about elementary school teachers. I'm genuinely astounded, and so so so happy.

The only thing holding me back from a 5 Star rating for this book was honestly the loose ends didn't feel quite as tied up as I would have liked. I would have loved to see the actual fallout from Jack's announcement and the way that could impact his father's well-crafted public persona. I would have loved to have gotten a scene further down the line than the book deal announcement, like Emily on a book tour or at her first author event. The last few scenes we were given felt a bit rushed and surface level after everything we went through with them - but its just a small disappointment in an otherwise amazing experience.

I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars elsewhere, rounded down to 4 stars for NetGalley's rating system. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!