After liking The Cheat Sheet (I gave it 3.75 stars), I was intrigued to see what Sarah Adams did next. And I enjoyed this cosy romance.
This is the kind of Hallmark movie-style story that is a quick and easy read. It would certainly be a nice beach read or one to pick up if you're in a bit of a reading slump.
The romance itself was nice and I always appreciate when there isn't an annoying third act breakup, so that was a serious plus.
There was also some nice banter and I liked the small town setting too.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Sarah Adams does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely, slow burn romance read. When popstar Rae Rose feels her world it too controlled and she's unhappy with her life she follows the footsteps of her film idol, Audrey Hepburn and heads to Rome like the film Roman holiday... But this is Rome Kentucky!
When her car breaksdown on her getaway, she ends up in the drive of grumpy Noah Walker who has had his heart broken into a million pieces and has no time for relationships.

I really enjoyed all the characters in the town of Rome, they are a typical small town and immediately the gossip starts flying! Noah's sisters are all so much fun, as well as Mabel! I lived seeing Amelia grow and stand up for herself, whilst rediscovering herself outside of the Rae persona. Plus noah open up to finding love again.

Mixed feelings; it was fun and well paced but there were parts I just felt like I had to skim through as I wasn't entirely invested. It wasn't as good as I hoped sadly.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read other Sarah adams novels and felt they were too much of a slow burn... but this was great.

This was the sweetest small town romance I've read in a while. Sarah captured a perfect unexpected romance and I absolutely adored the storyline, the complexities and the happy ending. I fell in love with the characters in a heartbeat and I couldn't wait to get started on Annie's story.

Stress is relative, and it is an interesting take to show a version of the performer who is tired, both mentally and physically but is not actively doing anything to make it worse.
Amelia has risen to fame thanks to a good voice and a lot of hard work, and maybe a little bit of luck. She is a household name but is feeling terribly rundown, and her manager is not making her feel any better. She misses her mother but feels like that relationship was withered away with no recourse. She finds herself charting a route to the closest Rome she can find, a tenuous connection to her favourite movie.
Once there, she is literally and figuratively stuck. It is a small town where everyone knows the other's business, and it is not a place a famous artist should technically feel safe in. Like in any such book, the town rallies around, and Amelia finds herself thinking of a life outside of the one she has been leading thus far.
Our male protagonist is a baker who has set down roots in his little town for more than a few reasons. He is someone who is happy and content in his skin and the responsibilities on his shoulders, making him a good foil for Amelia to rethink her priorities. It is not a spoiler, but I like the final balance that she finds.
It is a good book and fits right into its slot in the genre. I did not expect an actual twist when the resolution stages came around. I just found out that there is to be another book in the town, and I hope to get a chance to read it.
I would recommend this to fans of this genre. It has interesting characters who I wanted a happily ever after for.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I loved this book so much.

Honestly, Sarah Adams is at the top of the chick lit game. Some parts were predictable but it doesn't take away from the amazing story telling or writing.

I loved all of the characters and I am so looking forward to Annie's story!

Ahh I loved this so much!! It’s only my 2nd Sarah Adams book but I think it’s definitely my favourite so far (even though I loved the cheat sheet too)

This is such a sweet small town setting with the cutest main characters and such a lovely love story! I also thought the nod to the film of the same name throughout was super fun as well!

Let me know what other Sarah Adams books I should do next?

Definitely pick this up if you want a little burst of happiness and sunshine ✨

The blurb -

Amelia Rose is burned-out from years of maintaining her public image as pop princess Rae Rose. Inspired by her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

Running the pie shop his grandmother left him, Noah Walker is busy enough as it is. But after finding Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he decides to let her stay in his guest room - on a very temporary basis, of course.

As the two of them grow closer, Noah starts to see a new side to Amelia - kind-hearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. Amelia may have to go back to her other life someday, but for now she's perfectly happy falling in love with the cozy small town she's found herself in . . . and her grumpy tour guide isn't half-bad either.

ARC from NetGalley

I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

Sarah Adam is quickly becoming an autobuy author for me. I love her writing. When in Rome is full of everything I love in a romcom. You've got Amelia a pop star looking for a place to escape and gather herself. She tired of being a people pleaser and wants to stand on her own for 5 minutes when she drive to a town based on her favourite film and happens to end up outside of Noahs house, our grumpy but secretly sweet hero. I adored the banter between these 2. Noah tries so hard to fight his feelings for Amelia but he eventually let's his guard down and the 2 of them share some very vulnerable moments together. These 2 had chemistry by the bucket and I love that Sarah captures that considering its a closed door romance, Sarah's writing shows that you don't always need to read about the physical side of romance to still get all the feels. I loved the characters loved the story and loved how it ended. Another great read by Sarah Adams.

Amelia Rose is burned-out from years of maintaining her public image as pop princess Rae Rose. Inspired by her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.
Running the pie shop his grandmother left him, Noah Walker is busy enough as it is. But after finding Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he decides to let her stay in his guest room - on a very temporary basis, of course.
As the two of them grow closer, Noah starts to see a new side to Amelia - kind-hearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. Amelia may have to go back to her other life someday, but for now she's perfectly happy falling in love with the cozy small town she's found herself in . . . and her grumpy tour guide isn't half-bad either.
Heartwarming read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I'd read a preview of this book and an "up and coming romance reads" article and new I had to add this one to my wish list. I thoroughly enjoyed reading When In Rome. It was exactly the kind of romantic and fluffy (that's a compliment) book I was hoping it would be.

I've definitely dreamt of doing an Amelia Rose and just picking a not-quite-random place to escape to when things were getting a little too much, although not for quite as glamorous reasons. Amelia and Noah are so likeable and I'm a sucker for a gruff, emotionally unavailable, protective male character.
I defy anyone reading this book not to fall in love with Noah's lovable yet pushy sisters. The only negative I have is that the plot with the agent and Amelia's mother felt very transparent, but perhaps that's just because I'm too familiar with the tropes of a good romance novel.

If you like your romance books to make you feel like you've been wrapped in a lovely warm blanket and without major angst, then you'll love "When in Rome."

Oh my god! This is such a cute book!

This book follows Amelia who is a celebrity singer and decides she needs to break so leaves Nashville, Tennessee and ends up in Rome, Kentucky. However, she breaks down in someone’s driveway (Noah) and the story unfolds from there. There is friends to lovers and forced proximity.

I found this book so cute and entertaining and found myself thinking of this world all the time and wanting to know what was happening in their lives. I also really loved Noah’s sisters and their dynamic in the book and how they all had their own personalities but you could feel it.

I would 100% recommend this book!

This book was full of all of the classic tropes we know and love, and I felt like I'd stepped into a Hallmark movie.
Whilst I enjoyed reading the characters, I wasn't particularly attached to any of them.
I loved the setting off this story and the perfect sunshine/grump combination. Whilst cliché, this was just perfect comfort reading.

This is a really lovely romance book. If you are a fan of this genre then I think you will love it too. I thought that it was really heartwarming fun and at points funny and it really put a great big smile on my face.

Loved this book I love all Sarah Adams book it’s funny and cosy with a hint of romance. Leaving you feeling happy with a smile on when you read Sarah Adams book. Great chemistry between characters. Easy writing skills fast paced. Loved every paged.

Sarah Adams is quickly turning into an auto-read author for me. The woman knows how to write banging romances while keeping it clean, which I appreciate. When in Rome is her latest book. An adorable opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, small town, forced proximity gem!

Amelia needs to escape her life quick. Being a famous singer was terrific at the start, but recently, she’s been losing her love for it, cut off from her family, overworked, tired and lonely; she turns to Audrey Hepburn, her goddess, to tell her what to do, which is how she ends up broken down in the small town of Rome, Kentucky, in a grumpy guy's front garden.

Noah doesn’t need anything in his life to change. He quit love after his ex broke his heart, a socialite who loved the busy, bustling city life. His opposite. Then the one and only Rae Rose breaks down in his front garden, and his life gets a whole lot inconvenient. He might want to ignore her and ship her off to the closest B&B, but that’s not what his grandma would want, as everyone keeps reminding him.

I loved When in Rome. It was adorable. There was no third act break up! Amelia and Noah knew what they wanted, and while they stayed away from each other because of how different their lives were, they didn’t deny how much they wanted each other. The only reason why this book has four stars instead of five is that the timeline is so quick! Where have all my slow burns gone?

Review for NetGalley:
A sugary sweet, Hallmark-esque, romance which is adorable from beginning to end. Which girl wouldn’t fall in love with a gorgeous, Gregory Peck type who bakes?
Noah and Amelia are enjoyable to follow and have a good amount of playful banter. I’m hopeful that some of the other characters will get their own stories (best friend James or body guard Will).
This story would be perfect for someone who enjoys small town romances and light hearted banter.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶

Oh I loved this book! Having read the authors previous book The Cheat Sheet, I thought I'd enjoy this but didn't realise how much.

The story was great, the main characters were believeable and I couldn't wait to see how their story turned out. The supporting characters brought lots of humour, and the setting of Rome was perfect for this love story.

I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine impossible romance so this one hit the mark for me and was exactly what I wanted!

Perfection.

I've rounded up to 3 stars on this, it was ok but didn't blow me away. I remember really enjoying the cheat sheet and expecting this to have a similar vibe (and I know it's a disservice to S.Adams to compare this to every book she's ever written) and it falls flat of that. I did love the world building, she absolutely nailed the 'stars hollow' vibe!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC