4.5

This book was such a blast to read. I loved the banter, it had me quite literally snorting out loud, and the tension between Emily and Jack was palpable. The blocking scene was *muah* chef's kiss!

They defintely go out of their way to annoy each other, but I love that the book starts with Jack already coming to terms that he's head over heels for her, and we get to watch as Emily works through her own issues and slowly realises the same. They were so damn cute together! But there was still enough underlying tension to keep me on my toes. I felt terrible for what they have both gone through, but related too. Especially picking a career to be the person they wished they had when they were younger. And the eldest sister responsibilities and needing to feel needed was so real.

It had Sarah Adams' wonderful easy-to-read writing and I'm so happy to have found her again. I can't wait to (hopefully) read James and Maddie's story.

All I can say is that I LOVE THIS STORY!!! 💖 I am so grateful to @netgalley for approving my request for this e-ARC.

Emily and Jackson are definitely made for each other.
I thought Annie and Will were going to be my favourite couple in the series, but I think Emily and Jackson are now my favourite. 💖

There were so many relatable parts in this story (shame I couldn’t put the copy in my Kindle so no highlighting on this one, will have to wait til I get my physical copy next year) 😊 Edit: It was my own ignorance that I wasn't able to read this copy on my Kindle, I now have sent it to my Kindle. Definitely will go back to the parts that I really enjoyed.

I am not adding any spoilers in this review because I want everyone else to fall in love with this book as much as I did. 💖 I love how the characters were developed in the story! 💕
The story is very well written. Not a dull moment in the story.

Thank you, Sarah Adams for creating the Rome series. I am looking forward to Book 4! 💗

★★★★★

𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧…
💓 rivals to lovers
💌 forced proximity (neighbours)
💓 soulmates
💌 secret writers
💓 small town romance

𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨…
I was so so happy to be back in Rome! I absolutely LOVE the Walker family - When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect are wonderful, and this is definitely up there with them! The found (/real) family & small town vibes just get better with every book 🙌🏼

Emily & Jackson are honestly perfect for each other 🫶🏼 Emily is a type A perfectionist (me 🙃) who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, and Jack just wants to lift a little bit of it for her 🥹

They are so well matched, that they have been nemeses / perfect rivals for over a decade - and their quips and banter are 💯 Through everything, life always seems to throw them together… until they finally realise that everything they were looking for was right in front of them 🥹 (I’ve slapped a soulmates label on these two x)

Jack is truly perfect, don’t even get me started on his glasses & retro outfits & his fun tattoos 👀🔥 Also a man who is so competent that even I-do-everything-myself Emily feels like she can turn to him in a crisis? Sign 👏🏼 me 👏🏼 up 👏🏼

All of Sarah’s books feel like the biggest hug and this is no exception 🥹 I can’t wait to head back for the 4th & final book for Maddie & James’s story 🫶🏼

“you’re not alone emily i would walk through my worst memories to get to u every single time.”

we are soooo back .and when i tell you this’s because we are back in rome,kentucky and yes while i’m writing this review i’m already nostalgic because this book… oh sarah adams you absolutely ate and left no crumbs and am i surprised? no because this series the more it continues the more’s good and this book ate and left no crumbs!! sarah adams’s one of my favorites because her books are literally the definition of a warm blanket that envelops u and captures u with the best feelings!!

i honestly don’t know who i related to more both emily and jack were written for me and i truly needed to read about them to reflect better and understand certain things better because the power of sarah’s that she can write very lighthearted,lovely,emotional and funny romcoms while at the same time let u know that u’re not alone in what are u currently dealing with and well this book’s the perfect example.

emily oh emily i am like her but only child version ☺️ she’s the sister that’s always present for her family and not only she thinks about anyone before herself,she can be a bit of everything: charming,funny,bossy and i honestly admire her because she’s such an amazing woman.

jack well firstly he’s my type.i mean glasses ? nerdy ? teacher and also a very surprising one i would say!!
he’s the definition of sunshine character that becomes less sunshine with emily but that’s just because with emily he can be simply jack with no expectations and fears and honestly he deserves the world … like can we talk about he’s so supportive and caring at the same time? can we talk about the pancake scene with amelia? bc yes.

jack and emily rivals to lovers? idiots to lovers? friends to lovers? well i think we should ask about this to mabel the queen of this town and one of my favorites ever the way she talked about emily with jack stop 🤏🏻

least but not last the family found crumbs seeing all the couples together made me feel there with them smiling so badly because i couldn’t think of anything else better for each couple and least not last can we talk about the madison and james crumbs?? no because i absolutely need their book sooo badly u have no idea!!

and remember like mabel said : “life can be a little shit sometimes.but shit also makes great fertilizer."

a big thank you to netgalley, headline and sarah adams for sending me the e-arc of this book in exchange to my honest opinion

Sarah Adams has delivered yet another hit! Beg, Borrow, or Steal might just be my new favorite of all her works, which is saying something because I’m a huge fan of the Rome series, and I was completely hooked on Annie’s journey in Practice Makes Perfect. But this one? I’m officially obsessed!

I had sky-high expectations for this book, and the moment I got my hands on it, I think I downloaded it faster than anything before. And wow, did it deliver! I tried to savor every page since I didn’t want the experience to end, but even taking my time couldn’t make it last long enough. My only gripe? I can't believe it’s over—I need more of Jack and Emily's story, especially after that big reveal!

Speaking of Jack and Emily—these two are everything. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the enemies-to-lovers storyline is absolute perfection. The witty banter had me smiling and laughing out loud throughout. Their teasing and playful arguments gradually reveal an underlying connection, which adds a whole new layer of charm and warmth to the story.

And oh, Chapters 19 and 23? I’ll be thinking about those forever. This book is rom-com magic from start to finish. Do yourself a favor and read it ASAP—you’ll be missing out otherwise! I’m already counting down the days until I can hold the physical copy in my hands and add it to my bookshelf. I’m also getting that itch to reread it already!

Big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Sarah Adams for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Sarah Adams never fails tbh and this is another example of why she’s one of my auto-buy authors. Her books are always fleshed out that I’m never left wanting more as I’ve got the perfect story in my hands!! I love Emily and Jack, I love Rome, I love the glimpses into the family and friends in the town, I love everything about this. Enemies or rivals to lovers is one of the best tropes imo as the build up and the yearning is everything I need in a book. Jack and Emily perfectly encapsulated this!! I love both of them!! There’s a few heavier topics but Sarah makes it light and I felt all the feels (aka me crying throughout). I think Emily is a character that will really resonate with a lot of people, I know she did for me. I cannot wait for this to be released to the world as I have already been raving about it. One of my fave scenes was the manuscript scene, I think I probs squealed 😭

This was so cute and I loved every second of it

I love these characters, I love this series, I love Sarah's writing - this is truly a comfort series to me, every book feels like a warm hug

I loved going back to Rome and experiencing it with some new friends, and seeing all the regulars from the previous books too

I love that the main characters already knew eachother prior to the start of the book, it made the banter, arguing and chemistry between them so so good

I really enjoyed the mini snippets of flashbacks we got with emails between each other over the years, it was such a fun way to see how their friendship developed over the years

I love how supportive they were of each other and learned how to open up to each other despite their fears

There were so many scenes in this that had me screaming: the motorbike scenes, the 'let me help you block out this scene in your book' scene, the closet(!!!), all so good

- rivals to lovers
- small town
- neighbours
- both are secretly writers

Thank you to Headline Eternal for the eARC - all opinions are my own

Beg, Borrow or Steal is the third installment in When in Rome series. It was fun and quick to read, but somehow something was off. I don't know if it was me, but this time I couldn't connect with the characters. While I adored Amelia and Annie in the previous books, here I found Emily hard to connect with. Consequently, I couldn't feel the spark and the romance with Jackson. Plus, her decade-grudge with him was a little bit childish in my opinion.

All in all, it was an okay story but didn't blow me away like the other books.

Honestly Sarah Adams has done it again, I've really enjoyed being back in the small town of Rome, Kentucky.

Anything Sarah writes I will devour, this I read within 24hrs, I just couldn't put it down. This is rom com perfection.

What to expect:
Small town vibes
Childhood trauma
Strong sibling bonds
Authors
Rivals to lovers

I'm never not laughing at a Sarah Adams book but I'm also always nearly tearing up and crying at just how deeply you feel for the characters she writes. The rivals to lovers was perfection. The slow burn of their frenemy relationship, becoming something more to the both of them and having a connection like no other. The way they can be unapologetically themselves with each other, even the scary, not so good parts made my heart whole.

The banter as always was top tier reading and I was cackling away endlessly. This is an amazing book, and I'm so grateful I get to read it ahead of its release. You bet I'll be getting my hands on a physical copy as soon as it's out in the world.
I thought Will and Annie's story was my favourite but I think this one just tops it!

Get this in your tbr lists!

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you netgalley for granting my wish for this ARC
I loved this so much and it’s definitely my favourite of this series so far. Jack is an absolute doll and Emily is 100% me. There was a lot that I resonated with and I think this really lends into the eldest daughter life. I was honestly cracking up at Maddison’s “I just search the word…” in the document because same! Now hit me with Maddie and James’ story!

20% in and I’m already in love with Emily and Jack. After finishing the novel, I felt they were both part of me. They are both so relatable as well as likeable.

This is the first book I’ve read from the “When in Rome”- series and I am obsessed! It won’t be the last one from Sarah Adams. Have to buy the rest of the series asap plus the physical copy of this one. The book is so charming and sweet, I eat it up.
The way they acting out the sexy scene of her book!!! Best thing I’ve ever read. The way they bicker makes me giggling and kicking my feet.
I love the dual pov and the nemesis to lovers trope. You can absolutely read this one without knowing the first two books of the series.

Sarah Adams does it again! Beg, Borrow, or Steal is possibly my favorite book from her so far, and that’s saying a lot because I absolutely adore the Rome series and was obsessed with Annie’s story in Practice Makes Perfect (which was my top favorite before this one came along). But THIS ONE? I am OBSESSED.

I had such high hopes for this book, and the second I saw my wish being granted, I don’t think I’ve ever downloaded something so fast in my life. And let me tell you—it did NOT disappoint! I tried to pace myself while reading because I didn’t want it to end, but even slowing down my reading didn’t make it last long enough. The only complaint I have is that I can’t believe this book ends, and I NEED MORE OF THEM!! (More on their story and what happened after a certain reveal…)

Let me start by saying Jack and Emily are EVERYTHING. The chemistry between them is so on point, the enemies-to-lovers trope here is done to perfection, and the banter? Ugh, so good. I found myself giggling and laughing out loud constantly. They bicker, they tease, but you can totally feel the underlying friendship growing—and it just makes the whole story sparkle with warmth and humor.

And can we talk about Chapters 19 and 23? My heart will forever be stuck there. This book is pure rom-com gold, and please do yourself a favor and read it as soon as you can, otherwise you’re seriously missing out! I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can properly hold it in my hands and add to my collection and I already feel like rereading it 😭.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Sarah Adams for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was just totally perfect. One of my favourite romance reads so far this year! I loved being back in Rome, Kentucky, and as always with Sarah Adams, I ended up laughing, crying, and kicking my legs in excitement. No notes whatsoever; I will continue to force this series on EVERYONE!

Sarah Adams writes soft like no one else. Every chapter is like a war, hug, and I would return with her to Rome as long as she'll let us. The banter Beg, Borrow, or Steal was out of this world, every line cutting and sharp. I laughed, I cried, and I finished by hugging the book to my chest. If there was a sixth star, she'd have it, along with my heart.

My favourite enemies to lovers romcom I have read in a long time! Emily and Jackson’s banter and chemistry is unmatched and their will-they-won’t-they relationship is layered with a secret sweetness, unwavering support and the perfect amount of spice!