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When in Rome #1
כל הדרכים מובילות לרומא
הפכים נמשכים? בהחלט!
אמיליה רוז – הידועה יותר בשם ריי רוז, "נסיכת הפופ" של אמריקה - שחוקה ופגועה לאחר שנים ארוכות באור הזרקורים. ברגע של משבר – ובהשראת הסרט האהוב עליה בכל הזמנים, "חופשה ברומא" עם אודרי הפבורן – היא מחליטה לצאת לחופשה משלה ברומא. כלומר: רומא, קנטקי...
כשנואה ווקר מוצא את אמיליה יושבת באמצע החצר הקדמית שלו במכונית מעלת עשן באמצע הלילה, הוא מבהיר לה שאין לו לא זמן ולא סבלנות לבעיות של סלבריטאים. אבל בקנטקי מסבירים פנים לזרים, כך שבניגוד לדחף הטבעי שלו, הוא מציע לה ללון אצלו בחדר האורחים – אבל רק עד שהמכונית שלה תתוקן כמובן.
אלא שבהדרגה נחשפים בפני נואה צדדים מעניינים באופייה של ריי רוז, כלומר באמיליה. מדובר בבחורה מצחיקה וטובת לב, כך מתברר, ובעיקר בודדה מאוד, אחרי שנים של חשיפה בלתי פוסקת לעין הציבור ולחצי הביקורת.
אמיליה מצדה לא יכולה שלא להתאהב בעיירה המנומנמת, ומתברר שלמארח הזעוף שלה יש ככל הנראה גם צדדים נעימים, ואפילו די מושכים.
אבל אפילו אודרי נאלצה בסופו של דבר לעזוב את רומא...
"רומן מענג, מתקתק ומשביע כמו פרוסת פאי תפוחים חמימה... אפשר תמיד לסמוך על רום-קום של שרה אדמס שיהיה גם מצחיק, גם מתוק וגם מעלף." – BooksPaperScissors
"אחד הספרים הטובים של השנה!" – NPR
אמיליה רוז – הידועה יותר בשם ריי רוז, "נסיכת הפופ" של אמריקה - שחוקה ופגועה לאחר שנים ארוכות באור הזרקורים. ברגע של משבר – ובהשראת הסרט האהוב עליה בכל הזמנים, "חופשה ברומא" עם אודרי הפבורן – היא מחליטה לצאת לחופשה משלה ברומא. כלומר: רומא, קנטקי...
כשנואה ווקר מוצא את אמיליה יושבת באמצע החצר הקדמית שלו במכונית מעלת עשן באמצע הלילה, הוא מבהיר לה שאין לו לא זמן ולא סבלנות לבעיות של סלבריטאים. אבל בקנטקי מסבירים פנים לזרים, כך שבניגוד לדחף הטבעי שלו, הוא מציע לה ללון אצלו בחדר האורחים – אבל רק עד שהמכונית שלה תתוקן כמובן.
אלא שבהדרגה נחשפים בפני נואה צדדים מעניינים באופייה של ריי רוז, כלומר באמיליה. מדובר בבחורה מצחיקה וטובת לב, כך מתברר, ובעיקר בודדה מאוד, אחרי שנים של חשיפה בלתי פוסקת לעין הציבור ולחצי הביקורת.
אמיליה מצדה לא יכולה שלא להתאהב בעיירה המנומנמת, ומתברר שלמארח הזעוף שלה יש ככל הנראה גם צדדים נעימים, ואפילו די מושכים.
אבל אפילו אודרי נאלצה בסופו של דבר לעזוב את רומא...
"רומן מענג, מתקתק ומשביע כמו פרוסת פאי תפוחים חמימה... אפשר תמיד לסמוך על רום-קום של שרה אדמס שיהיה גם מצחיק, גם מתוק וגם מעלף." – BooksPaperScissors
"אחד הספרים הטובים של השנה!" – NPR
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2022
5766 people are currently reading
279980 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,222 reviews
May 2, 2022
I would read Sarah Adams’ version of a grocery list.
October 28, 2024
3.25 stars! I think I might be in the minority with my opinion on this one😅. I thought this book was really cute but that's all I felt toward it. I loved the small town and the set up of a romance between a pop star and a small-town baker. I also enjoyed the conflict at the beginning of how these two very different characters could merge their lives, but after a while the conflict got pretty repetitive for me. This book felt like reading a classic rom-com but there was really nothing new about it imo.
Overall I think this book was a like not a love for me! Now I'm debating if I should read her other books Practice Makes Perfect & The Cheat Sheet or if I'll end up feeling similarly about those books as well😭
Overall I think this book was a like not a love for me! Now I'm debating if I should read her other books Practice Makes Perfect & The Cheat Sheet or if I'll end up feeling similarly about those books as well😭
April 19, 2023
Cute, fluffy and nothing special.
Look, it was decent enough but not something that I would go back to. It's the sort of book I'll read today and forget the next day.
I liked the first half more cause it wasn't dragging at all, the second half- I just wanted it to end. The banter was fun tho.
✔️ Small town romance
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Insta love 😭
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Celebrity romance
I did not mind the writing at all, so I'll look forward to reading more of Sarah Adams' works.
Look, it was decent enough but not something that I would go back to. It's the sort of book I'll read today and forget the next day.
I liked the first half more cause it wasn't dragging at all, the second half- I just wanted it to end. The banter was fun tho.
✔️ Small town romance
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Insta love 😭
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Celebrity romance
I did not mind the writing at all, so I'll look forward to reading more of Sarah Adams' works.
September 28, 2024
A lovely, entertaining romance that combines the “stuck with you” and “sunshine meets grump” tropes, along with the “famous girl meets ordinary boy” dynamic, sprinkled with plenty of Roman Holiday and Audrey Hepburn references!
Amelie, a.k.a. Rae Rose, the Princess of Soulful Pop, is in her mid-twenties and in desperate need of a break before her upcoming concert tour, after endless rehearsals, costume fittings, and public appearances.
She misses her estranged mother, who tried to take advantage of her stardom. Her demanding agent controls every aspect of her life, turning her into someone who’s always polite and always smiling—a fake version of herself.
One night, inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she realizes she feels just like the movie’s princess: in desperate need of a break from her stressful life. Though she can’t escape to Rome, she decides to head to Rome, Kentucky, staying in a B&B to lie low and reflect on her life.
However, her plan is quickly derailed when her car breaks down on the front lawn of Noah Walker—a grumpy, brooding, yet charming pie-maker. Enter our hero, a kind-hearted man who’s been keeping to himself since his heart was broken by another city girl years ago. Noah reluctantly allows her to stay in his guest room, but he knows he’s in trouble the moment she walks through his door. She’s famous, beautiful, and has a heart of gold. He can’t let himself fall for her, not again.
But her car repairs will take at least two weeks, and Mabel, the town’s B&B owner, insists there’s no vacancy. So, they’re stuck together.
Noah, who doesn’t use a cellphone or have Wi-Fi in his house, values his privacy. But soon, the entire town is buzzing about his love life, excited to have a pop star in their midst. How long can he resist the charm of the adorable woman in his home?
Meanwhile, Amelia quickly becomes friends with Noah’s sisters and starts settling into life in Rome. How can she return to her old life when everything has changed? And how can she resist the charm of the brooding pie-maker?
Overall, this is a sweet, heartwarming, and thoroughly entertaining romcom that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing this amazing digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Amelie, a.k.a. Rae Rose, the Princess of Soulful Pop, is in her mid-twenties and in desperate need of a break before her upcoming concert tour, after endless rehearsals, costume fittings, and public appearances.
She misses her estranged mother, who tried to take advantage of her stardom. Her demanding agent controls every aspect of her life, turning her into someone who’s always polite and always smiling—a fake version of herself.
One night, inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she realizes she feels just like the movie’s princess: in desperate need of a break from her stressful life. Though she can’t escape to Rome, she decides to head to Rome, Kentucky, staying in a B&B to lie low and reflect on her life.
However, her plan is quickly derailed when her car breaks down on the front lawn of Noah Walker—a grumpy, brooding, yet charming pie-maker. Enter our hero, a kind-hearted man who’s been keeping to himself since his heart was broken by another city girl years ago. Noah reluctantly allows her to stay in his guest room, but he knows he’s in trouble the moment she walks through his door. She’s famous, beautiful, and has a heart of gold. He can’t let himself fall for her, not again.
But her car repairs will take at least two weeks, and Mabel, the town’s B&B owner, insists there’s no vacancy. So, they’re stuck together.
Noah, who doesn’t use a cellphone or have Wi-Fi in his house, values his privacy. But soon, the entire town is buzzing about his love life, excited to have a pop star in their midst. How long can he resist the charm of the adorable woman in his home?
Meanwhile, Amelia quickly becomes friends with Noah’s sisters and starts settling into life in Rome. How can she return to her old life when everything has changed? And how can she resist the charm of the brooding pie-maker?
Overall, this is a sweet, heartwarming, and thoroughly entertaining romcom that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing this amazing digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
July 12, 2023
2.5 Stars.
This felt like is was written by the Hallmark channel. It was like they picked the tropes first and then just painted by numbers. There was zero substance to this book, it was just way too juvenile for me. It honestly felt like a YA contemporary.
They have a swear jar for grown adults with no children around and the mmc at one point says
"We took a shower together, nudge, nudge, wink, wink."-NON-IRONICALLY! I could not have cringed harder!
That and add that they laid on the cliches so thick I was rolling my eyes almost every page. This wasn't it.
This felt like is was written by the Hallmark channel. It was like they picked the tropes first and then just painted by numbers. There was zero substance to this book, it was just way too juvenile for me. It honestly felt like a YA contemporary.
They have a swear jar for grown adults with no children around and the mmc at one point says
"We took a shower together, nudge, nudge, wink, wink."-NON-IRONICALLY! I could not have cringed harder!
That and add that they laid on the cliches so thick I was rolling my eyes almost every page. This wasn't it.
October 17, 2025
4.25*! The perfect honeymoon read
November 3, 2024
5 stars ⭐️
⤷ minor spoilers ahead!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
I LOVE ME A GOOD ’GRUMPY X SUNSHINE’ BOOK!!! this was such a fun and cute read 🥧
i decided to read this since i loved amelia and noah in practice makes perfect (don’t ask me why i read that book first. idk either…)
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ amelia
i mean, who wouldn’t love amelia?! she’s so adorable, sweet, wholesome, kind, understanding, lovely AND EVERY OTHER POSITIVE THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY SAY ABOUT SOMEONE. i adore her so so much!!! 🥹💘
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ noah
noah’s so grumpy yet loving, caring, tender and soft-hearted UGH!!! HE’S SO SWEET 🥲
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ amelia and noah
the way noah slowly opened up his heart to amelia and THE WAY THEY COULDN’T SEEM TO STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY TRIED AAAAHHH. THE ATTRACTION BETWEEN THEM WAS SOOO STRONG LIKE COME ON!!! THEY ARE ACTUALLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER 😭😭😭
“I’m drowning and no one sees me.”
“I see you.”
“Last night, I held you in my arms and realised I’d be an idiot to ever let you go. Not only an idiot, but I’d be miserable. I could never forgive myself for letting you get away.”
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ susan
susan was so toxic though. she deserves a punch in the face for what she did 🥊
anyway, i can’t wait for beg, borrow, or steal!!
⤷ minor spoilers ahead!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
I LOVE ME A GOOD ’GRUMPY X SUNSHINE’ BOOK!!! this was such a fun and cute read 🥧
i decided to read this since i loved amelia and noah in practice makes perfect (don’t ask me why i read that book first. idk either…)
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ amelia
i mean, who wouldn’t love amelia?! she’s so adorable, sweet, wholesome, kind, understanding, lovely AND EVERY OTHER POSITIVE THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY SAY ABOUT SOMEONE. i adore her so so much!!! 🥹💘
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ noah
noah’s so grumpy yet loving, caring, tender and soft-hearted UGH!!! HE’S SO SWEET 🥲
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ amelia and noah
the way noah slowly opened up his heart to amelia and THE WAY THEY COULDN’T SEEM TO STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY TRIED AAAAHHH. THE ATTRACTION BETWEEN THEM WAS SOOO STRONG LIKE COME ON!!! THEY ARE ACTUALLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER 😭😭😭
“I’m drowning and no one sees me.”
“I see you.”
“Last night, I held you in my arms and realised I’d be an idiot to ever let you go. Not only an idiot, but I’d be miserable. I could never forgive myself for letting you get away.”
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ susan
susan was so toxic though. she deserves a punch in the face for what she did 🥊
anyway, i can’t wait for beg, borrow, or steal!!
May 21, 2024
Hands down the best slow burn I’ve ever read. So so beautiful
May 15, 2024
I picked up this book because I needed something fluffy and comforting after a slew of heavier, denser, depressing reads — and this one somehow ended up being the most depressing of all.
Everything was overwritten to the point of exhausting me. There are seven sentences about Amelia’s, the main female character, history of migraines. Six sentences about why someone would let someone else borrow their truck. If you have to use “anyway” to get yourself back on track and “again” keeps coming up as you note you’ve already mentioned that, your writing needs some serious slashing. Sentences are allowed to stand on their own — they don’t need four or five sentences immediately following to explain what you meant. There are paragraphs and paragraphs dedicated every chapter to a character’s appearance — and it makes everything come across super unnaturally.
Note that these quotes are taken from an ARC, but:
Our main male character (Noah) has green eyes, but they’re also: “startling, sharp, and almost unnatural in their intensity. They’re nearly the exact color as the stripes on a wintergreen peppermint candy”; and “woodsy eyes”; and he has “green mouthwash the same color as his eyes”; and “startling green eyes”; and “woodsy eyes” again; and “startling green eyes” again; and “evergreen eyes”; and “emerald eyes”; and “startling woodsy eyes. I’m drowning in a lush evergreen forest”; and he has “long thick eyelashes framing bright green eyes — it should be illegal. Right up there with crystal meth”; and “those eyes, the same bright green as the trees lining the lake”; and we’re back to “evergreen eyes”; and “greenest green as intense as an avalanche.”
Quick: What color are his eyes?
This felt like an 11-year-old writing a fan fiction about their favorite pop star. (Actually, that might be unfair to an 11-year-old.) And that means Noah isn’t a man written by a woman — he’s a man written by a girl. Because only a girl would find these playground antics (he’s mean to you because he likes you!!) appealing. And only a child would think this is what attraction is like. Sarah Adams tried to lay it on thick that they’re attracted to each other because if she didn’t say that their attraction is intense, the reader would never be able to figure it out on their own.
Maybe that connection is missing because this book is almost aggressively wholesome. She’s in the shower — and he’s thinking about how nice her singing is. She’s in PJ bottoms and a camisole, and he yells at her to ask where her PJ top is (and then he wraps her up in a blanket to cover her up). One of the older women in town says it’s not right for him to be sharing his house with a woman who is tempting him. I think the characters said the sexiest thing to ever happen to them was a hug they shared. A hug. And guys, it’s important to note that she’s super inexperienced in bed. One of the characters even has a swear jar — where the money gets donated to charity, because of course it does.
The characters themselves are never able to make up for the unnatural writing and the missing chemistry. He’s supposedly a grump but comes off more as an asshole, and she’s a naive pop princess who melts at the smallest sign of kindness and is desperate for crumbs of affection. Adams writes both characters almost identically in their POV chapters. They’ve got good bones, and their romance has potential, but they’re overloaded with descriptions. Noah and Amelia never got to breathe on their own, and their relationship felt manufactured. Oh, and a super rushed ending doesn’t help.
This is supposedly based on the (wonderful) Audrey Hepburn movie “Roman Holiday,” and as someone who has watched that movie approximately 802 times, I’m confident in saying that’s an affront.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine, and Sarah Adams for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Everything was overwritten to the point of exhausting me. There are seven sentences about Amelia’s, the main female character, history of migraines. Six sentences about why someone would let someone else borrow their truck. If you have to use “anyway” to get yourself back on track and “again” keeps coming up as you note you’ve already mentioned that, your writing needs some serious slashing. Sentences are allowed to stand on their own — they don’t need four or five sentences immediately following to explain what you meant. There are paragraphs and paragraphs dedicated every chapter to a character’s appearance — and it makes everything come across super unnaturally.
Note that these quotes are taken from an ARC, but:
Our main male character (Noah) has green eyes, but they’re also: “startling, sharp, and almost unnatural in their intensity. They’re nearly the exact color as the stripes on a wintergreen peppermint candy”; and “woodsy eyes”; and he has “green mouthwash the same color as his eyes”; and “startling green eyes”; and “woodsy eyes” again; and “startling green eyes” again; and “evergreen eyes”; and “emerald eyes”; and “startling woodsy eyes. I’m drowning in a lush evergreen forest”; and he has “long thick eyelashes framing bright green eyes — it should be illegal. Right up there with crystal meth”; and “those eyes, the same bright green as the trees lining the lake”; and we’re back to “evergreen eyes”; and “greenest green as intense as an avalanche.”
Quick: What color are his eyes?
This felt like an 11-year-old writing a fan fiction about their favorite pop star. (Actually, that might be unfair to an 11-year-old.) And that means Noah isn’t a man written by a woman — he’s a man written by a girl. Because only a girl would find these playground antics (he’s mean to you because he likes you!!) appealing. And only a child would think this is what attraction is like. Sarah Adams tried to lay it on thick that they’re attracted to each other because if she didn’t say that their attraction is intense, the reader would never be able to figure it out on their own.
Maybe that connection is missing because this book is almost aggressively wholesome. She’s in the shower — and he’s thinking about how nice her singing is. She’s in PJ bottoms and a camisole, and he yells at her to ask where her PJ top is (and then he wraps her up in a blanket to cover her up). One of the older women in town says it’s not right for him to be sharing his house with a woman who is tempting him. I think the characters said the sexiest thing to ever happen to them was a hug they shared. A hug. And guys, it’s important to note that she’s super inexperienced in bed. One of the characters even has a swear jar — where the money gets donated to charity, because of course it does.
The characters themselves are never able to make up for the unnatural writing and the missing chemistry. He’s supposedly a grump but comes off more as an asshole, and she’s a naive pop princess who melts at the smallest sign of kindness and is desperate for crumbs of affection. Adams writes both characters almost identically in their POV chapters. They’ve got good bones, and their romance has potential, but they’re overloaded with descriptions. Noah and Amelia never got to breathe on their own, and their relationship felt manufactured. Oh, and a super rushed ending doesn’t help.
This is supposedly based on the (wonderful) Audrey Hepburn movie “Roman Holiday,” and as someone who has watched that movie approximately 802 times, I’m confident in saying that’s an affront.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine, and Sarah Adams for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 10, 2023
I love small town
February 12, 2024
Welp, it didn't knock my block off, get my rocks off or blow my socks off... but it was kinda cute.
Too tired to review ... might post one later. 😉
My quest for a cute romance has lead me here... please tell me this isn't garbagio?? 😩🙏🏻
Too tired to review ... might post one later. 😉
November 20, 2025
⤿ rating: 2-2.5 stars
⤿ age: 12+
⤿ spice: none
₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Review contains quotes
══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══╡ Overview: ╞══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══
What I loved:
↬ Noah. This book would have been a one-star had it not been for him.
What I hated:
↬ All of the other characters.
The plot is actually not bad; it’s just executed badly, due to very cringy writing and childish characters. I read The Cheat Sheet a few years ago, and I remember loving it. It even got me out of a slump at the time. I don’t remember if I had a similar experience with the characters, though. I don't read YA romance, but I make an exception for Sarah Adams. I was very excited to read this book, since it has been on my TBR for a long time. I was just met with disappointment. The characters were the definition of annoying, insufferable, and childish. A bunch of people in their twenties acting like six-year-olds is no fun.
There was a lot of back and forth going on. One minute, it seemed like they wanted to be together, and the next, they were making rules saying they can’t be together. Huh?
I absolutely hate pop-culture references in books, and this had way too many for my liking.
There were also a few very repetitive phrases. I wanted to throw the book across the room, and I wasn’t even reading a physical copy. Noah’s grumpy nature, his eye colour, HIS SURLY POSE, etc. If I see those words one more time, I may jump out the window.
However, I loved their relationship. There were some cute moments between the main characters, but the characters really ruined the book for me. I put it at two stars for now because I'm not sure what rating to give it. I feel like 3 stars is a bit of a stretch; maybe 2.5 stars at best for me.
══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══╡ Characters: ╞══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══
જ⁀➴ Noah: The only redeeming quality about this book. I am a sucker for the grumpy x sunshine trope, and I loved him in this book.
જ⁀➴ Amelia: She was very, very, very immature. My God, she was annoying. I think the author had the intention of writing her as quirky, but she came off as silly and dumb to me.
“Come out of there, my little biscuit-angel-babies. You’re too wholesome to burn like your evil pancake cousins over there”
Like, excuse me, are you 6? That line really took me out. It was, in fact, one of many.
જ⁀➴ Emily: The eldest daughter. Guess what? I hated her. She was selfish. All of her siblings’ decisions were based on her, and I HATED that. I don't know if her book will change my opinion of her, but I have heard that her book is everyone's favourite.
“I’ve realized recently that I accepted my trauma and decided to live within its bounds so I didn’t get hurt more. It was easiest to know that I’m afraid of losing anyone and to not let them out of my sight because of it. But now I’m seeing that I’ve been more comfortable with the cost to everyone around me. Madison wanted so badly to go away to culinary school and I talked her out of it. She’s in a teaching job she hates because of me and my fears. Annie is so devoted to me that she hasn’t even considered the possibility of ever leaving this town, and I’m afraid never dream big.”
“But instead, I used your hurt to my advantage to keep you close to us so that I could feel safer”
જ⁀➴ Madison: The middle daughter. She was immature, too. She walked in on Noah and Amelia hugging and kept saying it was “erotic” and “seductive”. What the heck? IT’S A HUG!
“I think I interrupted a little sensual rendezvous”
“Yeah, right, that was so sexy. I know because I was grossed out seeing my brother in a sexy situation.”
“Mind your own biscuits, Em!”
જ⁀➴ Annie: The youngest daughter. She is 26 years old and writes a tally for swear jars. Are. You. Kidding. Me?
જ⁀➴ Mabel: I loved her caring nature, but she was INSANELY nosy. Would it kill you to stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong? But again, why am I even surprised? It’s a small town romance, and the entire town poked their nose into Noah’s business. Some of the characters liked to use Noah’s grandmother as bait to get him to stop being an asshole, and that was a low blow.
જ⁀➴ Jeanine: If I remember correctly, she’s a waitress. You might be thinking, “Why is her name included? What the hell, Salma? She’s not even one of the main characters.” I’ll gladly tell you why. Noah and Amelia were eating, and Jeanine SPILLED all of Noah’s past to Amelia—a woman he barely even knew at the time. Even if he did, it’s none of your business to keep telling people about his life. Do these people not understand the meaning of privacy? 💀😭
── .✦ 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: The characters did not act like their age AT ALL, and it pissed me off way too much. That ruined the book for me. I will be continuing the series, because I have the second book as a physical copy, SADLY.
୨୧ ──────── ୨୧ ──────── ୨୧
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺ Pre-read: ༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Buddy read with the amazing and beautiful Jen. 🫶🏻💕 I really hope this one lives up to the hype. I'm desperate for a good romance book. 😭
⤿ age: 12+
⤿ spice: none
₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Review contains quotes
══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══╡ Overview: ╞══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══
What I loved:
↬ Noah. This book would have been a one-star had it not been for him.
What I hated:
↬ All of the other characters.
The plot is actually not bad; it’s just executed badly, due to very cringy writing and childish characters. I read The Cheat Sheet a few years ago, and I remember loving it. It even got me out of a slump at the time. I don’t remember if I had a similar experience with the characters, though. I don't read YA romance, but I make an exception for Sarah Adams. I was very excited to read this book, since it has been on my TBR for a long time. I was just met with disappointment. The characters were the definition of annoying, insufferable, and childish. A bunch of people in their twenties acting like six-year-olds is no fun.
There was a lot of back and forth going on. One minute, it seemed like they wanted to be together, and the next, they were making rules saying they can’t be together. Huh?
I absolutely hate pop-culture references in books, and this had way too many for my liking.
There were also a few very repetitive phrases. I wanted to throw the book across the room, and I wasn’t even reading a physical copy. Noah’s grumpy nature, his eye colour, HIS SURLY POSE, etc. If I see those words one more time, I may jump out the window.
However, I loved their relationship. There were some cute moments between the main characters, but the characters really ruined the book for me. I put it at two stars for now because I'm not sure what rating to give it. I feel like 3 stars is a bit of a stretch; maybe 2.5 stars at best for me.
══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══╡ Characters: ╞══⋆⋅☆⋅⋆══
જ⁀➴ Noah: The only redeeming quality about this book. I am a sucker for the grumpy x sunshine trope, and I loved him in this book.
જ⁀➴ Amelia: She was very, very, very immature. My God, she was annoying. I think the author had the intention of writing her as quirky, but she came off as silly and dumb to me.
“Come out of there, my little biscuit-angel-babies. You’re too wholesome to burn like your evil pancake cousins over there”
Like, excuse me, are you 6? That line really took me out. It was, in fact, one of many.
જ⁀➴ Emily: The eldest daughter. Guess what? I hated her. She was selfish. All of her siblings’ decisions were based on her, and I HATED that. I don't know if her book will change my opinion of her, but I have heard that her book is everyone's favourite.
“I’ve realized recently that I accepted my trauma and decided to live within its bounds so I didn’t get hurt more. It was easiest to know that I’m afraid of losing anyone and to not let them out of my sight because of it. But now I’m seeing that I’ve been more comfortable with the cost to everyone around me. Madison wanted so badly to go away to culinary school and I talked her out of it. She’s in a teaching job she hates because of me and my fears. Annie is so devoted to me that she hasn’t even considered the possibility of ever leaving this town, and I’m afraid never dream big.”
“But instead, I used your hurt to my advantage to keep you close to us so that I could feel safer”
જ⁀➴ Madison: The middle daughter. She was immature, too. She walked in on Noah and Amelia hugging and kept saying it was “erotic” and “seductive”. What the heck? IT’S A HUG!
“I think I interrupted a little sensual rendezvous”
“Yeah, right, that was so sexy. I know because I was grossed out seeing my brother in a sexy situation.”
“Mind your own biscuits, Em!”
જ⁀➴ Annie: The youngest daughter. She is 26 years old and writes a tally for swear jars. Are. You. Kidding. Me?
જ⁀➴ Mabel: I loved her caring nature, but she was INSANELY nosy. Would it kill you to stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong? But again, why am I even surprised? It’s a small town romance, and the entire town poked their nose into Noah’s business. Some of the characters liked to use Noah’s grandmother as bait to get him to stop being an asshole, and that was a low blow.
જ⁀➴ Jeanine: If I remember correctly, she’s a waitress. You might be thinking, “Why is her name included? What the hell, Salma? She’s not even one of the main characters.” I’ll gladly tell you why. Noah and Amelia were eating, and Jeanine SPILLED all of Noah’s past to Amelia—a woman he barely even knew at the time. Even if he did, it’s none of your business to keep telling people about his life. Do these people not understand the meaning of privacy? 💀😭
── .✦ 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: The characters did not act like their age AT ALL, and it pissed me off way too much. That ruined the book for me. I will be continuing the series, because I have the second book as a physical copy, SADLY.
୨୧ ──────── ୨୧ ──────── ୨୧
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺ Pre-read: ༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Buddy read with the amazing and beautiful Jen. 🫶🏻💕 I really hope this one lives up to the hype. I'm desperate for a good romance book. 😭
May 16, 2022
Sarah Adams creates a modern take on the Audrey Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday.
Rae Rose, Grammy award winning soulful pop artist, is cracking under the stress of her career and upcoming tour. She takes inspiration from her idol, Audrey Hepburn and escapes to Rome. But with no time to go to Italy, she finds the closest Rome to Nashville, Tennessee—Rome, Kentucky. Her escape isn't well planned and her car breaks down in the middle of the night on Noah Walker's front yard. But when Noah tries to help her, she's not about to open her window or get out of her car and risk being murdered by a stranger. There's no wifi or Internet signal in this town, so she's stuck. With a little help from Noah's grandma's best friend, Mabel (over a landline phone with at least a 50ft cord,) Rae, aka Amelia, feels safe enough to come inside and stay in the guest room until she can take her car to a repair shop in the morning. Noah, recognizing the famous popstar, is not at all thrilled with this turn of events. The last thing he needs is another city girl coming into his life and breaking his heart. He plans to keep his distance and get her out of his house and town as soon as possible. But when Mabel reminds him to mind his manners, he knows he has to help Amelia navigate his gossipy little town.
This modern take on the Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday, is a quick, fun, slow burn, rom-com. Noah is as classic and tender as apple pie. But the real MVPs are the townsfolk of Rome, Kentucky.
Rae Rose, Grammy award winning soulful pop artist, is cracking under the stress of her career and upcoming tour. She takes inspiration from her idol, Audrey Hepburn and escapes to Rome. But with no time to go to Italy, she finds the closest Rome to Nashville, Tennessee—Rome, Kentucky. Her escape isn't well planned and her car breaks down in the middle of the night on Noah Walker's front yard. But when Noah tries to help her, she's not about to open her window or get out of her car and risk being murdered by a stranger. There's no wifi or Internet signal in this town, so she's stuck. With a little help from Noah's grandma's best friend, Mabel (over a landline phone with at least a 50ft cord,) Rae, aka Amelia, feels safe enough to come inside and stay in the guest room until she can take her car to a repair shop in the morning. Noah, recognizing the famous popstar, is not at all thrilled with this turn of events. The last thing he needs is another city girl coming into his life and breaking his heart. He plans to keep his distance and get her out of his house and town as soon as possible. But when Mabel reminds him to mind his manners, he knows he has to help Amelia navigate his gossipy little town.
This modern take on the Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday, is a quick, fun, slow burn, rom-com. Noah is as classic and tender as apple pie. But the real MVPs are the townsfolk of Rome, Kentucky.
November 1, 2025
・:〃➜ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 🍊༉‧₊˚.
╰ 🤍 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦!🥧 ⁺ׅ⊹
‧₊˚ ⋅ 🌊┆Her Review - 🥯₊˚
‧₊˚ 🥐. ݁◟𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞 ˚. 🩵ⵢ₊˚.
🦊₊˚ෆ 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤, 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙨*𝙭), 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 14+ (𝙨𝙝*𝙩, 𝙙*𝙢𝙣, 𝙝*𝙡𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛*𝙘𝙠), 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩: 13+ (𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙧/𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠) °｡⸜☁️
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
⸝⸝ now playing: 𝘾𝙖𝙧'𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 ݁₊🚿⊹.
🎧 . ๑・° ⊹ 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧
◟2:45 ——◦———— 4:09◞
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ ๋ ࣭ ⭑〢˖ . ݁݁🥮
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙊𝙝, 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ ݁LET US ALL IGNORE THE FACT IT TOOK ME SUCH A HOT MINUTE TO WRITE THIS REVIEWWW 🤫 But finally, FINALLY, it's time to review this cutie of a book! I will admit when everyone was hyping this book up I was SO excited. I literally screamed when I finally had this in my hands ready to read. AND AFTER FINISHING IT, I DO HAVE ALOT TO SAY! While this was such an ADORABLE book, I do thing there is some issues that need to be discussed therefore the rating is 3 stars 🙂↕️ SO LET US GET INTO IT!
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ Starting off pretty strong I do have to say this book was in fact VERY CUTE! The small town setting, the side characters, the vibes, THEY ALL FELT SO WARM, AND COZY! I found that even though this is an adult book the vibes it gave were pretty YA/ New adult so it could be perfect for that audience to read as well! AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY?! I loved seeing the romantic chemistry our main characters had and the cute moments we got to see. AND NOT ONLY THAT THERE WAS ACTUALLY SO MANY FUNNY MOMENTS TOO! The entire plot of the book felt like a warm cozy hug in a way and I loved that! I also think that this book would be a fun one to bring on a airplane, road trip, or even on a picnic because it just has a pretty simple plot that still has enough drama and tension to draw you in. (Also if you do decide to read this you must get some pie, because trust me the entire time i was reading this book...I WAS CRAVING IT. 😭)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ HOWEVER, I HAVE MY COMPLAINTS LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. Because while this book had a lot of good things in it, there was ALOT of things that bothered me as well. ONE OF THEM BEING THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A VERY BAD PLAY ON INSTA-LOVE. Listen, I am not a full on hater of insta-love if it is done correctly. BUT THIS WAS NOT DONE CORRECTLY. Because when I say it was so hard to focus on the chemistry of our two main characters when we constantly had the excuse of "We can't be together" THEN "Let's kiss and make out by the lake" AND BACK TO "We can't be together" OVER AND OVER FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE PLOT. That is where I draw a line. I WAS JUST SO ANNOYED BY THE FACT WE HAD THIS INSTEAD OF SLOW BURNING CHEMISTRY. Don't get me wrong, there was AMAZING slow burn moments. THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH OF IT AND IT MADE ME SO ANNOYED! Like PLEASEEEE, I do not want the plot to be you and your indecisiveness I just want giggly moments ok 😭😭 On top of that I found that for also majority of the book the characters acted like CHILDREN. LITERAL. CHILDREN. It just cringed me out so bad how young they acted even though the guy was legit 30 and the girl almost the same age as him 😭 For a moment it made me forget that I wasn't reading a book that was YA. (I guess some adults never grow up 💀)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧'𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ And those unfortunately aren't the ONLY problems I have. Because I really hated the fact that various dialogue felt almost reused. LIKE THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF THAT WAS REPEATEDLY SAID THAT FELT SOOOO UNNEEDED! I feel we could have just reduced some of it juuuuuust a bit so it doesn't feel extremely annoying and repetitive. (But hey that is just me being petty. 😭😭)
๋ ࣭ ⭑ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 🩵 Ꮚ˚₊
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚: Her character wasn't all that bad. She personally wouldn't be my favorite character EVER or in the book but she was alright. She had her moments where I was questioning her IQ but HEY at the end of the day we all have those. She was really real at times too though so I do have to give her that.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐍𝐨𝐚𝐡: OMG THE WAY I LOVE HIM CANNOT BE FORMED INTO WORDS. I swear he was legit the best and it felt like I was watching a old school rom-com with the amount YEARNING this man had. I loved that he did so many things such as baking, liking flowers, etc AND HE DIDN'T SHY AWAY FROM HIS MASCULINITY. I just found his character so refreshing and honesty entertaining and I NEED a man like him in my life.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐌𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥: LMFAOOOO THE ICON THIS WOMAN WAS IS BEYOND. She was absolutely so funny and I loved the little bit of dialogue we got from her. She def is the type of woman to make a mac and cheese that probably tastes INCREDIBLE.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞: AWWW I LOVED HER SO SO MUCH TOO!!! I feel like out of all the characters I relate to her ALOT in a way and I truly do love her personality. HER AND NOAH'S RELATIONSHIP WAS SO CUTE TO WITNESS AND I LOVE A BROTHER AND SISTER BOND!!
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲: She was such an amazing character too even though we didn't see much of her! The things she felt as the book went on and the protectiveness she had for her little brother was so cuteee 🥺
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧: WHAT A DIVA TOOO!! I loved her dynamic with her sister's sm and I was just living for the sibling bond between all of them. I can't wait to see her personality more in the other books as the series goes on.
୧ ‧₊˚ 🥛 ⋅ There is plenty of other characters that play a big role into the book but that is for you to find out and discover if you decide to read it since this is a spoiler free review :)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍:
Although I had very mixed feelings reading this book, I did find that I somewhat did enjoy it and would probably read again if I was going on a trip! I DID HEAR HOWEVER, THAT THE SERIES GETS BETTER WITH THE NEXT BOOKS SO I WILL DEF BE READING THOSE! But overall I would recommend this if the issues above don't bother you and you want a quick and cute read!!
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿
🍊🩵 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: MY FOMO FINALLY GOT TO ME AFTER SEEING ALL THE HYPE REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK. I cannot wait to start this because it looks so adorable so far. LETS HOPE THE STORY IS AS CUTE AS THE COVER 😫🤞🏻 Buddy-reading this with my amazing girl SALMAA because I need an amazing girl for this amazing looking book 🙂↕️🤫
╰ 🤍 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦!🥧 ⁺ׅ⊹
‧₊˚ ⋅ 🌊┆Her Review - 🥯₊˚
‧₊˚ 🥐. ݁◟𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞 ˚. 🩵ⵢ₊˚.
🦊₊˚ෆ 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤, 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙨*𝙭), 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 14+ (𝙨𝙝*𝙩, 𝙙*𝙢𝙣, 𝙝*𝙡𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛*𝙘𝙠), 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩: 13+ (𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙧/𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠) °｡⸜☁️
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
⸝⸝ now playing: 𝘾𝙖𝙧'𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 ݁₊🚿⊹.
🎧 . ๑・° ⊹ 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧
◟2:45 ——◦———— 4:09◞
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ ๋ ࣭ ⭑〢˖ . ݁݁🥮
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙊𝙝, 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ ݁LET US ALL IGNORE THE FACT IT TOOK ME SUCH A HOT MINUTE TO WRITE THIS REVIEWWW 🤫 But finally, FINALLY, it's time to review this cutie of a book! I will admit when everyone was hyping this book up I was SO excited. I literally screamed when I finally had this in my hands ready to read. AND AFTER FINISHING IT, I DO HAVE ALOT TO SAY! While this was such an ADORABLE book, I do thing there is some issues that need to be discussed therefore the rating is 3 stars 🙂↕️ SO LET US GET INTO IT!
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ Starting off pretty strong I do have to say this book was in fact VERY CUTE! The small town setting, the side characters, the vibes, THEY ALL FELT SO WARM, AND COZY! I found that even though this is an adult book the vibes it gave were pretty YA/ New adult so it could be perfect for that audience to read as well! AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY?! I loved seeing the romantic chemistry our main characters had and the cute moments we got to see. AND NOT ONLY THAT THERE WAS ACTUALLY SO MANY FUNNY MOMENTS TOO! The entire plot of the book felt like a warm cozy hug in a way and I loved that! I also think that this book would be a fun one to bring on a airplane, road trip, or even on a picnic because it just has a pretty simple plot that still has enough drama and tension to draw you in. (Also if you do decide to read this you must get some pie, because trust me the entire time i was reading this book...I WAS CRAVING IT. 😭)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ HOWEVER, I HAVE MY COMPLAINTS LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. Because while this book had a lot of good things in it, there was ALOT of things that bothered me as well. ONE OF THEM BEING THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A VERY BAD PLAY ON INSTA-LOVE. Listen, I am not a full on hater of insta-love if it is done correctly. BUT THIS WAS NOT DONE CORRECTLY. Because when I say it was so hard to focus on the chemistry of our two main characters when we constantly had the excuse of "We can't be together" THEN "Let's kiss and make out by the lake" AND BACK TO "We can't be together" OVER AND OVER FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE PLOT. That is where I draw a line. I WAS JUST SO ANNOYED BY THE FACT WE HAD THIS INSTEAD OF SLOW BURNING CHEMISTRY. Don't get me wrong, there was AMAZING slow burn moments. THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH OF IT AND IT MADE ME SO ANNOYED! Like PLEASEEEE, I do not want the plot to be you and your indecisiveness I just want giggly moments ok 😭😭 On top of that I found that for also majority of the book the characters acted like CHILDREN. LITERAL. CHILDREN. It just cringed me out so bad how young they acted even though the guy was legit 30 and the girl almost the same age as him 😭 For a moment it made me forget that I wasn't reading a book that was YA. (I guess some adults never grow up 💀)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧'𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ And those unfortunately aren't the ONLY problems I have. Because I really hated the fact that various dialogue felt almost reused. LIKE THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF THAT WAS REPEATEDLY SAID THAT FELT SOOOO UNNEEDED! I feel we could have just reduced some of it juuuuuust a bit so it doesn't feel extremely annoying and repetitive. (But hey that is just me being petty. 😭😭)
๋ ࣭ ⭑ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 🩵 Ꮚ˚₊
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚: Her character wasn't all that bad. She personally wouldn't be my favorite character EVER or in the book but she was alright. She had her moments where I was questioning her IQ but HEY at the end of the day we all have those. She was really real at times too though so I do have to give her that.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐍𝐨𝐚𝐡: OMG THE WAY I LOVE HIM CANNOT BE FORMED INTO WORDS. I swear he was legit the best and it felt like I was watching a old school rom-com with the amount YEARNING this man had. I loved that he did so many things such as baking, liking flowers, etc AND HE DIDN'T SHY AWAY FROM HIS MASCULINITY. I just found his character so refreshing and honesty entertaining and I NEED a man like him in my life.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐌𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥: LMFAOOOO THE ICON THIS WOMAN WAS IS BEYOND. She was absolutely so funny and I loved the little bit of dialogue we got from her. She def is the type of woman to make a mac and cheese that probably tastes INCREDIBLE.
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞: AWWW I LOVED HER SO SO MUCH TOO!!! I feel like out of all the characters I relate to her ALOT in a way and I truly do love her personality. HER AND NOAH'S RELATIONSHIP WAS SO CUTE TO WITNESS AND I LOVE A BROTHER AND SISTER BOND!!
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲: She was such an amazing character too even though we didn't see much of her! The things she felt as the book went on and the protectiveness she had for her little brother was so cuteee 🥺
🥨୧ ⁺ׅ 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧: WHAT A DIVA TOOO!! I loved her dynamic with her sister's sm and I was just living for the sibling bond between all of them. I can't wait to see her personality more in the other books as the series goes on.
୧ ‧₊˚ 🥛 ⋅ There is plenty of other characters that play a big role into the book but that is for you to find out and discover if you decide to read it since this is a spoiler free review :)
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙚" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
🥞 ࣪‧₊꒷ 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍:
Although I had very mixed feelings reading this book, I did find that I somewhat did enjoy it and would probably read again if I was going on a trip! I DID HEAR HOWEVER, THAT THE SERIES GETS BETTER WITH THE NEXT BOOKS SO I WILL DEF BE READING THOSE! But overall I would recommend this if the issues above don't bother you and you want a quick and cute read!!
₊˚꒰🚙‧ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩" ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🧡 ꒱
‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿
🍊🩵 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: MY FOMO FINALLY GOT TO ME AFTER SEEING ALL THE HYPE REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK. I cannot wait to start this because it looks so adorable so far. LETS HOPE THE STORY IS AS CUTE AS THE COVER 😫🤞🏻 Buddy-reading this with my amazing girl SALMAA because I need an amazing girl for this amazing looking book 🙂↕️🤫
November 19, 2024
3.75 ★'s
this was a good book! i'm in a romance slump, and sarah adams knows how to fix that 🤭
the only reason i didn't rate this book more stars is because it is advertised as a slow burn when they fall in love with each other in 2 weeks, but won't date.
noah walker, damnnn. teach me your pancake recipe 😉
i actually liked Amelia! she wasn't annoying and i didn't think she was spoiled. i love how she rekindled her relationship with her mother.
can't wait for annie's book next!!
this was a good book! i'm in a romance slump, and sarah adams knows how to fix that 🤭
the only reason i didn't rate this book more stars is because it is advertised as a slow burn when they fall in love with each other in 2 weeks, but won't date.
noah walker, damnnn. teach me your pancake recipe 😉
i actually liked Amelia! she wasn't annoying and i didn't think she was spoiled. i love how she rekindled her relationship with her mother.
can't wait for annie's book next!!
September 16, 2023
“to me, you’re amelia. maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. all i want is you.”
okay, listen. no one is more surprised than i am that i’m giving this four stars. i’m not a contemporary romance girly, but this one did it for me. is it perfect? not even close. but it is one of the sweetest rom coms i’ve ever read.
when in rome follows popstar amelia “rae” rose as she takes a spontaneous trip to rome, kentucky, where she seeks to escape her hectic, demanding life just weeks before her international tour. there, she meets surly pie shop owner noah walker, who makes it exceptionally clear he doesn’t want anything to do with her but lets her stay at his place and makes pancakes for her in the morning. it’s a refreshing romance that focuses on healing and growing and doesn’t demand unnecessary sacrifices from the characters.
some things i loved:
- they communicate like mature adults
- they respect each other’s boundaries
- there’s no third act breakup
- small town romance, everyone is in everyone else’s business (but in an affectionate sort of way)
- grumpy x sunshine !!!
- he owns a pie shop and is obsessed with flowers and the whole town adores him??? that’s MY man now.
okay, listen. no one is more surprised than i am that i’m giving this four stars. i’m not a contemporary romance girly, but this one did it for me. is it perfect? not even close. but it is one of the sweetest rom coms i’ve ever read.
when in rome follows popstar amelia “rae” rose as she takes a spontaneous trip to rome, kentucky, where she seeks to escape her hectic, demanding life just weeks before her international tour. there, she meets surly pie shop owner noah walker, who makes it exceptionally clear he doesn’t want anything to do with her but lets her stay at his place and makes pancakes for her in the morning. it’s a refreshing romance that focuses on healing and growing and doesn’t demand unnecessary sacrifices from the characters.
some things i loved:
- they communicate like mature adults
- they respect each other’s boundaries
- there’s no third act breakup
- small town romance, everyone is in everyone else’s business (but in an affectionate sort of way)
- grumpy x sunshine !!!
- he owns a pie shop and is obsessed with flowers and the whole town adores him??? that’s MY man now.
August 16, 2025
2.25 stars
this book was super easy to read, but unfortunately it fell short in many ways. the main thing that i didn't enjoy was the insta lust/love. from chapter 5 (which is one night in) they were already getting flustered by each other and amelia even said she "knew" him and knew how "genuine" he was after one night 💀
after one night?? five chapters?? hello??😭
even amelia (or noah) said "how I am supposed to be in love with someone after one week?" that's right. they said "i love you" after one week. and apparently, noah and amelia were ready to give up their whole lives for each other.
the plot was also sooo unnecessary. i would've loved it so much more if we just focused on the romance - i feel like it could've been way more developed than it was, because of the plot blocking it. the way the plot ended was soo rushed and just emphasized how unnecessary the plot really was.
this book is the definition of a palette cleanser after you've read a 6 book fantasy series - 'when in rome' doesn't need brainpower or any investment of your energy. their relationship moves extremely fast - by chapter 10 they're already in love with each other.
although i didn't love their relationship, i could definitely appreciate the small town vibes. there were many scenes throughout the book where i wish i could've been because of how cute and quaint the author described Rome as.
this book was super easy to read, but unfortunately it fell short in many ways. the main thing that i didn't enjoy was the insta lust/love. from chapter 5 (which is one night in) they were already getting flustered by each other and amelia even said she "knew" him and knew how "genuine" he was after one night 💀
noah is the blanket fort you used to make and hide in as a kid. so warm and reassuring.
after one night?? five chapters?? hello??😭
even amelia (or noah) said "how I am supposed to be in love with someone after one week?" that's right. they said "i love you" after one week. and apparently, noah and amelia were ready to give up their whole lives for each other.
the plot was also sooo unnecessary. i would've loved it so much more if we just focused on the romance - i feel like it could've been way more developed than it was, because of the plot blocking it. the way the plot ended was soo rushed and just emphasized how unnecessary the plot really was.
this book is the definition of a palette cleanser after you've read a 6 book fantasy series - 'when in rome' doesn't need brainpower or any investment of your energy. their relationship moves extremely fast - by chapter 10 they're already in love with each other.
although i didn't love their relationship, i could definitely appreciate the small town vibes. there were many scenes throughout the book where i wish i could've been because of how cute and quaint the author described Rome as.
April 24, 2025
જ⁀➴ 𝟒.𝟎𝟎₊˚⊹🥞𝟘𝟜/𝟙𝟜/𝟚𝟝—𝟘𝟜/𝟙𝟞/𝟚𝟝
i’m not sure how she does it but she made people who knew each other for a singular week fall in love and it not seem too quick?
the premise is so fun—amelia (a famous singer) needs a break from the idol life and decides to go to recreate ‘roman holiday’ but instead of running of to rome, italy, she goes to rome, kentucky. but there her car breaks down infront of noah’s house and she has to stay in his house for a while.
this book is definitely for gilmore girls fans because amelia and noah are literally lorelai and luke in another universe and you can’t convince me they’re not!! the teasing about how amelia can’t cook, noah owning a bakery, amelia’s funny wit, etc!! everything is so luke and lorelai coded.
i loved the found family aspect in this book—amelia’s relationship with noah’s sisters was so cute!! i also loved mabel and her relationship with noah, i just love when books have actually interesting, non-one dimensional side characters and sarah adams always delivers in that aspect!
sarah adams has writing that is so cheesy but somehow so addictive and cute to read! i know her writing is definitely not for everyone because of the hallmark(?) vibes but if you love the corny romcoms this is for you!
despite me thinking that this book is really cute i didn’t LOVE it? i think it might have something to do with sarah adam’s writing? no offense to her but her stories sometimes feel a little one-dimensional just because they are so cute and cheesy. which is alright because it makes it the perfect pallet cleanser, just not a 5 star read for me! still though, i will be reading the next book in the series soon because i did have a fun time with this!!
╰┈➤ tropes to expect!
✎ grumpy x sunshine
✎ celebrity romance
✎ forced proximity
✎ opposites attract
✎ closed door romance
𐙚🧸ྀི || 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
continuing this series!! (yes i read the #2 book before the first one, i know!) this doesn’t have the best rating on goodreads but i’m willing to look past that since i enjoyed the last two sarah adams i read!!
i’m not sure how she does it but she made people who knew each other for a singular week fall in love and it not seem too quick?
the premise is so fun—amelia (a famous singer) needs a break from the idol life and decides to go to recreate ‘roman holiday’ but instead of running of to rome, italy, she goes to rome, kentucky. but there her car breaks down infront of noah’s house and she has to stay in his house for a while.
this book is definitely for gilmore girls fans because amelia and noah are literally lorelai and luke in another universe and you can’t convince me they’re not!! the teasing about how amelia can’t cook, noah owning a bakery, amelia’s funny wit, etc!! everything is so luke and lorelai coded.
i loved the found family aspect in this book—amelia’s relationship with noah’s sisters was so cute!! i also loved mabel and her relationship with noah, i just love when books have actually interesting, non-one dimensional side characters and sarah adams always delivers in that aspect!
sarah adams has writing that is so cheesy but somehow so addictive and cute to read! i know her writing is definitely not for everyone because of the hallmark(?) vibes but if you love the corny romcoms this is for you!
despite me thinking that this book is really cute i didn’t LOVE it? i think it might have something to do with sarah adam’s writing? no offense to her but her stories sometimes feel a little one-dimensional just because they are so cute and cheesy. which is alright because it makes it the perfect pallet cleanser, just not a 5 star read for me! still though, i will be reading the next book in the series soon because i did have a fun time with this!!
╰┈➤ tropes to expect!
✎ grumpy x sunshine
✎ celebrity romance
✎ forced proximity
✎ opposites attract
✎ closed door romance
𐙚🧸ྀི || 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
continuing this series!! (yes i read the #2 book before the first one, i know!) this doesn’t have the best rating on goodreads but i’m willing to look past that since i enjoyed the last two sarah adams i read!!
September 13, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
This is my first book by Sarah Adams, but going in I had very high expectations given the hype surrounding “The Cheat Sheet.” Ultimately, I feel like that did this book a bit of a disservice, especially since this book is a bit different than her previous ones. Overall I liked it, and will read other books by her, namely the aforementioned Cheat Sheet, however, it didn’t blow me away like I was so hoping it would.
As a lover of classic movies, I have seen Roman Holiday, the movie this book is a loose retelling of, multiple times and am also a huge Audrey Hepburn fan like Amelia. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and it kept me hanging in even when I struggled to connect to either of the main characters.
I also really loved the small town vibe Adams creates. Rome, Kentucky is the closest I’ve seen to the beloved Stars Hollow in book format (the Gilmore Girls setting for the 3 people who won’t get that reference) and I give Adams a lot of credit for recreating that special vibe. I found myself chuckling at Mabel, Harriet and the other busy body townspeople as they snooped, gossiped, and did everything else I imagine is a crucial part of small town living.
What I struggled with was the inability to connect to the story in any meaningful way, nor the MC. This confused me a lot because it has all of the ingredients I love. Why would I not love this book then?
In part, the MCs dialogue got to me. In general, I’m not a fan of internal dialogue that’s repetitive throughout the book. I mean, I get it, you can’t want her. It wouldn’t work. Okay! I think this was what kept me at a distance throughout the book never fully connecting with either Noah or Amelia. I must have felt something for them at the end, however, because I did shed a tear during the epilogue so there’s that.
Adams is a huge BookTok sensation and I have read many rave reviews on this one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt and check it out for yourself if you are on the fence.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is my first book by Sarah Adams, but going in I had very high expectations given the hype surrounding “The Cheat Sheet.” Ultimately, I feel like that did this book a bit of a disservice, especially since this book is a bit different than her previous ones. Overall I liked it, and will read other books by her, namely the aforementioned Cheat Sheet, however, it didn’t blow me away like I was so hoping it would.
As a lover of classic movies, I have seen Roman Holiday, the movie this book is a loose retelling of, multiple times and am also a huge Audrey Hepburn fan like Amelia. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and it kept me hanging in even when I struggled to connect to either of the main characters.
I also really loved the small town vibe Adams creates. Rome, Kentucky is the closest I’ve seen to the beloved Stars Hollow in book format (the Gilmore Girls setting for the 3 people who won’t get that reference) and I give Adams a lot of credit for recreating that special vibe. I found myself chuckling at Mabel, Harriet and the other busy body townspeople as they snooped, gossiped, and did everything else I imagine is a crucial part of small town living.
What I struggled with was the inability to connect to the story in any meaningful way, nor the MC. This confused me a lot because it has all of the ingredients I love. Why would I not love this book then?
In part, the MCs dialogue got to me. In general, I’m not a fan of internal dialogue that’s repetitive throughout the book. I mean, I get it, you can’t want her. It wouldn’t work. Okay! I think this was what kept me at a distance throughout the book never fully connecting with either Noah or Amelia. I must have felt something for them at the end, however, because I did shed a tear during the epilogue so there’s that.
Adams is a huge BookTok sensation and I have read many rave reviews on this one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt and check it out for yourself if you are on the fence.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 2, 2024
3.5⭐
➳ “I will memorize him if it’s the last thing I do. I will carry the feel of his smile in my pocket for the rest of my life.”
this story follows amelia rose, the princess of pop, who meets pie shop owner and mr lover boy noah walker when her car breaks down by his front lawn. he lets her stay at his place, although he plans to maintain his distance. this was the cutest modern remake of roman holiday with grumpy x sunshine, small town, and celebrity romance 💐💐
➳ “You’re so pretty,” he says. “And you sing like an angel, too.”
this was honestly such an adorable fluffy romcom and it definitely felt like watching a hallmark movie. i did feel like the writing was a bit cringy at times but it is meant to be very light-hearted. however, with that being the case, i didn't feel much connection to either of the characters. i did love amelia's character development throughout the book as well as noah beginning to stop being so grumpy all the time and open up to amelia (my favorite part about grumpy x sunshine aw!!). also i adore that noah owns a pie shop, idk why but when guys own shops or bakeries it's so cute 🤭
was this the greatest love story i've ever read? not really! but was it still a very cute and fun read? yes!!! in my opinion, this is meant to be a quick and fun little read when you need a bright and happy story and a reminder that love exists! 💗
thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with this arc!
➳ “I will memorize him if it’s the last thing I do. I will carry the feel of his smile in my pocket for the rest of my life.”
this story follows amelia rose, the princess of pop, who meets pie shop owner and mr lover boy noah walker when her car breaks down by his front lawn. he lets her stay at his place, although he plans to maintain his distance. this was the cutest modern remake of roman holiday with grumpy x sunshine, small town, and celebrity romance 💐💐
➳ “You’re so pretty,” he says. “And you sing like an angel, too.”
this was honestly such an adorable fluffy romcom and it definitely felt like watching a hallmark movie. i did feel like the writing was a bit cringy at times but it is meant to be very light-hearted. however, with that being the case, i didn't feel much connection to either of the characters. i did love amelia's character development throughout the book as well as noah beginning to stop being so grumpy all the time and open up to amelia (my favorite part about grumpy x sunshine aw!!). also i adore that noah owns a pie shop, idk why but when guys own shops or bakeries it's so cute 🤭
was this the greatest love story i've ever read? not really! but was it still a very cute and fun read? yes!!! in my opinion, this is meant to be a quick and fun little read when you need a bright and happy story and a reminder that love exists! 💗
thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with this arc!
October 9, 2024
╰┈➤ 4.75 stars!
reading this book made me love the grumpy x sunshine trope even more + small town romance? JUST TAKE MY MONEY!!
౨ৎ amelia was such a sweetheart, and i was really glad that she decided to take care of herself, and ౨ৎ noah oh my gosh i wish he'd cook me pancakes because i'm a huge brekkie food!! the two of them complemented each other and they were so so so cute, i was pretty much squealing whenever they had their cutesy moments!!
overall, this book is a good read, especially if you're trying to get out of a slump because it's like a breath of fresh air <33
reading this book made me love the grumpy x sunshine trope even more + small town romance? JUST TAKE MY MONEY!!
౨ৎ amelia was such a sweetheart, and i was really glad that she decided to take care of herself, and ౨ৎ noah oh my gosh i wish he'd cook me pancakes because i'm a huge brekkie food!! the two of them complemented each other and they were so so so cute, i was pretty much squealing whenever they had their cutesy moments!!
overall, this book is a good read, especially if you're trying to get out of a slump because it's like a breath of fresh air <33
December 24, 2024
4.5 Stars! ✨ Okay, STOP EVERYTHING. When in Rome is my first book by Sarah Adams, and OMG, I’m OBSESSED. It was like a warm hug in book form—so cozy, fuzzy, and ridiculously Hallmarky in the BEST way! Seriously, this is one of the best clean romances I’ve read—it’s like a cinnamon roll wrapped in pages! 🥰 Sarah Adams, you’re officially one of my faves, and I’ll be devouring EVERYTHING you’ve written!
✨ Tropes ✨
✧ Grumpy x Sunshine 💖
✧ Small-town romance 💗
✧ Forced proximity 💓
✧ Famous girl x Ordinary boy 🎤
✧ Found family 🫂
✧ Slow burn 💘
✧ He’s secretly soft inside 💐
✧ Nosy but lovable townspeople 🐦
✧ Everyone ships them 💌
✧ "She's just Amelia to me" 🥹
The Story:
Amelia (aka Rae Rose, pop princess extraordinaire) is burnt out and desperate for an escape. So where does she land? Rome... Kentucky. 😂 Her car breaks down, and BAM, she meets Noah Walker, the grumpy pie shop owner who’s giving off ALL the "don’t talk to me" vibes. Cue forced proximity, small-town gossip, and some seriously swoony moments. And when Noah calls her "Amelia" instead of Rae Rose? My heart 💔. They both start seeing past their facades, and the chemistry? IMMACULATE.
Why I loved it:
✧ The town of Rome? Literal perfection. It’s giving cozy Gilmore Girls vibes—everyone knows everyone, and the drama is SO cute.
✧ Noah! A grumpy baker who loves flowers and has the whole town wrapped around his finger? YES, PLEASE. Find me one of those!
✧ Amelia’s journey of finding herself was SO relatable. Her struggles with fame, burnout, and wanting to be seen for who she truly is hit me right in the feels.
✧ The banter and the slow burn were EVERYTHING. My heart was melting with every page.
Minor gripes (because, hey, nothing’s perfect):
✧ Noah’s internal monologue was a bit repetitive. Bro, we get it, you’re scared to fall in love.
✧ I would’ve loved just a tiny bit more depth in their emotional connection. But honestly, this is nitpicking. 😅
Final thoughts:
This book is pure comfort—like fresh cookies straight out of the oven. If you love cozy romances, small towns, pies, and flowers, you NEED to read this. Also, someone get me directions to Rome, Kentucky because I’m ready to move there! 🏡
CW: Burnout, family estrangement, toxic work environment.
Image credits: Pinterest.
✨ Tropes ✨
✧ Grumpy x Sunshine 💖
✧ Small-town romance 💗
✧ Forced proximity 💓
✧ Famous girl x Ordinary boy 🎤
✧ Found family 🫂
✧ Slow burn 💘
✧ He’s secretly soft inside 💐
✧ Nosy but lovable townspeople 🐦
✧ Everyone ships them 💌
✧ "She's just Amelia to me" 🥹
The Story:
Amelia (aka Rae Rose, pop princess extraordinaire) is burnt out and desperate for an escape. So where does she land? Rome... Kentucky. 😂 Her car breaks down, and BAM, she meets Noah Walker, the grumpy pie shop owner who’s giving off ALL the "don’t talk to me" vibes. Cue forced proximity, small-town gossip, and some seriously swoony moments. And when Noah calls her "Amelia" instead of Rae Rose? My heart 💔. They both start seeing past their facades, and the chemistry? IMMACULATE.
Why I loved it:
✧ The town of Rome? Literal perfection. It’s giving cozy Gilmore Girls vibes—everyone knows everyone, and the drama is SO cute.
✧ Noah! A grumpy baker who loves flowers and has the whole town wrapped around his finger? YES, PLEASE. Find me one of those!
✧ Amelia’s journey of finding herself was SO relatable. Her struggles with fame, burnout, and wanting to be seen for who she truly is hit me right in the feels.
✧ The banter and the slow burn were EVERYTHING. My heart was melting with every page.
Minor gripes (because, hey, nothing’s perfect):
✧ Noah’s internal monologue was a bit repetitive. Bro, we get it, you’re scared to fall in love.
✧ I would’ve loved just a tiny bit more depth in their emotional connection. But honestly, this is nitpicking. 😅
Final thoughts:
This book is pure comfort—like fresh cookies straight out of the oven. If you love cozy romances, small towns, pies, and flowers, you NEED to read this. Also, someone get me directions to Rome, Kentucky because I’m ready to move there! 🏡
CW: Burnout, family estrangement, toxic work environment.
Image credits: Pinterest.
November 21, 2024
This story was very cute. A grumpy/sunshine celebrity romance set in a small town.
3.5 Stars
Amelia is the exact celebrity type that I adore in books. She isn’t stuck up or pretentious, but is very conscientious of other people (almost detrimentally so) and I thought she was pretty likable. I could relate to her struggles and insecurities - haven’t we all, at one time or another, felt lonely or wished we could find a place where we belonged?
I liked Noah too - he was a good, grumpy pie maker and I loved how family oriented and immersed in the quirky small town he was, but otherwise I think he’s kind of forgettable?
My favorite part of the book was the small town vibes - I loved all of the wacky residents and friends. The fact that they would all support Amelia no matter what was really endearing and made me wish I lived in a close knit community like that. I also adored Noah’s sisters. They had such a wholesome and fun dynamic and were each pretty unique. I’m really looking forward to continuing the series for their stories.
For the most part I liked Sarah’s writing, but I did find a few things kinda cringy. For starters, I’m not a huge fan of super heavily masculine/feminine coded books. Like she’s small and feminine so he likes her and she notices just how masculine he is over and over and that’s such a plus for her? Idk, it kinda gives me the ick.
Then, can I just mention all of the sniffing that takes place here? Like Amelia wants to sniff his deodorant until she passes out? Excuse me, whatttt? Girl. Noah finds her lotion in the bathroom and sniffs that too? You just met each other and it seems a *bit* obsessive, but okay. I just thought all the smelling/sniffing going on throughout was pretty cringe.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was exactly the easy peasy, light read I wanted. I am gonna say though, finishing up this review a few days after reading, it’s not that memorable. So, if you’re just looking for something quick and light, I’d say give this a go.
Side note, I feel like I’m missing out since I’ve never seen Roman Holiday or any Audrey Hepburn movies. Guess I should work on remedying that?
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
Pre-read.
I just spent 2 hours trying to find something light/cute lol and since I wanna read Practice Makes Perfect at some point I’ve settled on this one. Here for all the grumpy/sunshine vibes ☀️
3.5 Stars
Amelia is the exact celebrity type that I adore in books. She isn’t stuck up or pretentious, but is very conscientious of other people (almost detrimentally so) and I thought she was pretty likable. I could relate to her struggles and insecurities - haven’t we all, at one time or another, felt lonely or wished we could find a place where we belonged?
I liked Noah too - he was a good, grumpy pie maker and I loved how family oriented and immersed in the quirky small town he was, but otherwise I think he’s kind of forgettable?
My favorite part of the book was the small town vibes - I loved all of the wacky residents and friends. The fact that they would all support Amelia no matter what was really endearing and made me wish I lived in a close knit community like that. I also adored Noah’s sisters. They had such a wholesome and fun dynamic and were each pretty unique. I’m really looking forward to continuing the series for their stories.
For the most part I liked Sarah’s writing, but I did find a few things kinda cringy. For starters, I’m not a huge fan of super heavily masculine/feminine coded books. Like she’s small and feminine so he likes her and she notices just how masculine he is over and over and that’s such a plus for her? Idk, it kinda gives me the ick.
Then, can I just mention all of the sniffing that takes place here? Like Amelia wants to sniff his deodorant until she passes out? Excuse me, whatttt? Girl. Noah finds her lotion in the bathroom and sniffs that too? You just met each other and it seems a *bit* obsessive, but okay. I just thought all the smelling/sniffing going on throughout was pretty cringe.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was exactly the easy peasy, light read I wanted. I am gonna say though, finishing up this review a few days after reading, it’s not that memorable. So, if you’re just looking for something quick and light, I’d say give this a go.
Side note, I feel like I’m missing out since I’ve never seen Roman Holiday or any Audrey Hepburn movies. Guess I should work on remedying that?
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
Pre-read.
I just spent 2 hours trying to find something light/cute lol and since I wanna read Practice Makes Perfect at some point I’ve settled on this one. Here for all the grumpy/sunshine vibes ☀️
February 25, 2024
★★★★,75
₊˚⊹ ᰔ “There’s a very short list of people in my life that I allow myself to truly care for, and it looks like I just added another name to it.”
this may have spoilers ! 💌
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩｡ alexa, play labyrinth by taylor swift
⁀➴plot found family x grumpy & sunshine x forced proximity
this book tells us the story of a pop star who in a crisis, decides to leave to Rome just like her favorite person, Audrey Hepburn, but in her case Rome was actually very far away, so she had her old car and a city in Kentucky, Rome. here it is where she meets noah after her car broke in his yard, the grumpy but gentleman who invites her over to stay the night till her car gets fixed up.
this may be one of the BEST romance books i’ve ever read. this is addictive and the slow burn between amelia & noah >>> living for it
characters
꒰🌷꒱ؘ amelia thinking of her immediately takes me to imagine mirrorball playing back. how the author makes us to see what a real (fictional) famous person feels everyday of their life gives me chills. for an instant i thought of going into safari and searching rae rose because of how well written this was.
love how she is, love how she treats everyone, love how kind she is. felt pretty pity for her when she realized that her life wasn´t hers anymore. that music wasn´t what she loved anymore. how suddenly all hers was a product and not a person, with feelings.
however, i love how she turned out. how she found herself again.
— “Her bright smile stretches across her mouth, and honestly, I’ve never seen someone look happier. Or prettier”, noah about amelia >3
꒰💐꒱ؘ noahomg this man makes me feels nnvjhu. please i beg to find him. i need him to live stop it martina this has to be serious.
first of all, have to say that he´s probably the only person who would let a stranger to stay at his house. second of all, noah? do you think it´s funny to go around making girls like me to fall in love with you? huh?
continuing... this man IS the description of the man created on “how to build a better boy”. handsome, smart, likes to cook, LOVES flowers, devoted for the ones he loves... just... him.
poor noah, i feel like before amelia, nothing good happened to him. his parents, her sisters, his grandma, his ex...
— “Because I found a home and a family with this town and I love them.” I drag in a breath and cup his jaw, angling his face up toward me. “And I love you.”, amelia to noah <3
⁀➴ extra thoughts
if there was one thing that i absolutely adored about this book, was the whole town. this is exactly the kind of town one parent wants to raise their kid on. everyone cared so much for each other and were there when things where wrong for them.
also noah´s sisters and james, definitely characters that won my heart. being for amelia even though they didn´t know her besides knowing she was famous >>> and now im def reading annie´s book
₊˚⊹ ᰔ “There’s a very short list of people in my life that I allow myself to truly care for, and it looks like I just added another name to it.”
this may have spoilers ! 💌
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩｡ alexa, play labyrinth by taylor swift
⁀➴plot found family x grumpy & sunshine x forced proximity
this book tells us the story of a pop star who in a crisis, decides to leave to Rome just like her favorite person, Audrey Hepburn, but in her case Rome was actually very far away, so she had her old car and a city in Kentucky, Rome. here it is where she meets noah after her car broke in his yard, the grumpy but gentleman who invites her over to stay the night till her car gets fixed up.
this may be one of the BEST romance books i’ve ever read. this is addictive and the slow burn between amelia & noah >>> living for it
characters
꒰🌷꒱ؘ amelia thinking of her immediately takes me to imagine mirrorball playing back. how the author makes us to see what a real (fictional) famous person feels everyday of their life gives me chills. for an instant i thought of going into safari and searching rae rose because of how well written this was.
love how she is, love how she treats everyone, love how kind she is. felt pretty pity for her when she realized that her life wasn´t hers anymore. that music wasn´t what she loved anymore. how suddenly all hers was a product and not a person, with feelings.
however, i love how she turned out. how she found herself again.
— “Her bright smile stretches across her mouth, and honestly, I’ve never seen someone look happier. Or prettier”, noah about amelia >3
꒰💐꒱ؘ noah
first of all, have to say that he´s probably the only person who would let a stranger to stay at his house. second of all, noah? do you think it´s funny to go around making girls like me to fall in love with you? huh?
continuing... this man IS the description of the man created on “how to build a better boy”. handsome, smart, likes to cook, LOVES flowers, devoted for the ones he loves... just... him.
poor noah, i feel like before amelia, nothing good happened to him. his parents, her sisters, his grandma, his ex...
— “Because I found a home and a family with this town and I love them.” I drag in a breath and cup his jaw, angling his face up toward me. “And I love you.”, amelia to noah <3
⁀➴ extra thoughts
if there was one thing that i absolutely adored about this book, was the whole town. this is exactly the kind of town one parent wants to raise their kid on. everyone cared so much for each other and were there when things where wrong for them.
also noah´s sisters and james, definitely characters that won my heart. being for amelia even though they didn´t know her besides knowing she was famous >>> and now im def reading annie´s book
July 26, 2024
★★★★☆ - 4.5 stars
sarah adams knows exactly how to write a swoony romance. i was blushing the entire time. this was perfectly cheesy, emotional, and heartwarming. i am begging for her to write more books!
i finally understand why people love romance books so much. they are addictive and the feeling i get while reading them is indescribable. reading romance books like these is honestly the best part of being a teen. i am so so happy with how many amazing reads i’ve had this month.
one of the reasons i love sarah adams’ books so much is because of how lighthearted and comedic they are, while still adding in emotional depth. i laughed out loud, i cried, i gasped, i swooned. and the fact that she’s able to master this in only 300 pages? incredible. i am such a fan of short books, but i’ve always noticed they’re not as memorable. this one, however, will be sticking with me for a few days. it was lovely.
also moving on from that, the way she writes men is absolute perfection. my standards are through the roof. it’s going to be so tough to find a partner later in life with all these books i’m reading lol.
anyway, i don’t think anyone is surprised i enjoyed this. i am loving this summer romance phase tons!
quotes
What kind of asshole wouldn’t want to be friends with her? She’s sweet. Funny. Easygoing. Gorgeous. It’s unfathomable that she’s single.
She looks so pretty it hurts.
Determination looks so damn sexy on her.
“Dammit,” he whispers and looks at me one more time. “You look very pretty.”
I feel a smile in my soul before it reaches my lips. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is for me.”
I want to kiss her all day every day until I eventually die from lack of oxygen.
“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”
“I promise I’ll be back, Noah. And you know how you can believe me?”
“How?” he asks, with his eyes still closed.
I take this moment to study him. To memorize every centimeter of his face. Every wrinkle, eyelash, and curve of his mouth. “Because I found a home and a family with this town and I love them.” I drag in a breath and cup his jaw, angling his face up toward me. “And I love you.”
And then Noah smiles. Full. Wide. Glorious smile. “I love you, too, Amelia.”
i will be reading another sarah adams book….right now, just a fair warning.
sarah adams knows exactly how to write a swoony romance. i was blushing the entire time. this was perfectly cheesy, emotional, and heartwarming. i am begging for her to write more books!
i finally understand why people love romance books so much. they are addictive and the feeling i get while reading them is indescribable. reading romance books like these is honestly the best part of being a teen. i am so so happy with how many amazing reads i’ve had this month.
one of the reasons i love sarah adams’ books so much is because of how lighthearted and comedic they are, while still adding in emotional depth. i laughed out loud, i cried, i gasped, i swooned. and the fact that she’s able to master this in only 300 pages? incredible. i am such a fan of short books, but i’ve always noticed they’re not as memorable. this one, however, will be sticking with me for a few days. it was lovely.
also moving on from that, the way she writes men is absolute perfection. my standards are through the roof. it’s going to be so tough to find a partner later in life with all these books i’m reading lol.
anyway, i don’t think anyone is surprised i enjoyed this. i am loving this summer romance phase tons!
quotes
What kind of asshole wouldn’t want to be friends with her? She’s sweet. Funny. Easygoing. Gorgeous. It’s unfathomable that she’s single.
She looks so pretty it hurts.
Determination looks so damn sexy on her.
“Dammit,” he whispers and looks at me one more time. “You look very pretty.”
I feel a smile in my soul before it reaches my lips. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is for me.”
I want to kiss her all day every day until I eventually die from lack of oxygen.
“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”
“I promise I’ll be back, Noah. And you know how you can believe me?”
“How?” he asks, with his eyes still closed.
I take this moment to study him. To memorize every centimeter of his face. Every wrinkle, eyelash, and curve of his mouth. “Because I found a home and a family with this town and I love them.” I drag in a breath and cup his jaw, angling his face up toward me. “And I love you.”
And then Noah smiles. Full. Wide. Glorious smile. “I love you, too, Amelia.”
i will be reading another sarah adams book….right now, just a fair warning.
April 3, 2025
➴ 3.5 stars ✰
it started out slow but in the end it was sooo good!! rtc <3
pre-read 🥧
thank you to everyone who voted on my poll, i've been looking for a sweet romance and hopefully this'll do the trick! 🥹💞 can't wait to delve into my first sarah adams book 💖
"And I realise in this moment, I’d do just about anything to make her laugh."
it started out slow but in the end it was sooo good!! rtc <3
pre-read 🥧
thank you to everyone who voted on my poll, i've been looking for a sweet romance and hopefully this'll do the trick! 🥹💞 can't wait to delve into my first sarah adams book 💖
April 26, 2024
Yeah, I'm sorry but I'm just glad this book is over 😭😭
I am so disappointed, I've read The Cheat Sheet by this author before and I really loved it especially the humor in that book...but this one just fell flat :(
Half of the time I was busy rolling my eyes because everything was so cringe.
Amelia I've never read a character more annoying than hers, I get she is the sunshine and supposed to be all happy and floppy but girl, seriously?
Come out of there, my little biscuit-angel-babies. You're too wholesome to burn like your evil pancake cousins over there."
What are you? ten?
The amount of second hand embarrassments I've received from her, I've forgotten to count.
Noah He was the only reason why I still finished the book. Atleast he was bearable. And cute and so gentleman-y sometimes 🤭🤭 I think the author definitely took inspiration from Luke (Gilmore girls) i mean - a grumpy? A baker? Who wears basketball cap? Hi Luke!
Chemistry between the character *scoffs* right, might as well be non existent. They kissed at 20% and the man still grumps around her till the last 70%
They just didn't do it for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at all. There was no spark between them, none. I just had to force myself through this and I'll admit I even skimmed the last 50 pages 🫣
Pop Culture References This was the thing that totally ruined it for me :)
I didn't wanna know what Sequin dress you wore to Harry Styles party and that he complimented you or the game you learned at the Jimmy Fallon Show
A humble request, books are my source of escapism and it would be awesome if you kept reality far far away. Thank you 😊
I've heard such great things about Practice makes Perfect (the second book) so I'm still gonna give that a try but please please be better.
Thank you so much Eveonne for buddy reading with me 🩷🩷
***
A moment of silence for me who thought this was set in actual Rome~~
But atleast the cover is pretty 🥺
I am so disappointed, I've read The Cheat Sheet by this author before and I really loved it especially the humor in that book...but this one just fell flat :(
Half of the time I was busy rolling my eyes because everything was so cringe.
Amelia I've never read a character more annoying than hers, I get she is the sunshine and supposed to be all happy and floppy but girl, seriously?
Come out of there, my little biscuit-angel-babies. You're too wholesome to burn like your evil pancake cousins over there."
What are you? ten?
The amount of second hand embarrassments I've received from her, I've forgotten to count.
Noah He was the only reason why I still finished the book. Atleast he was bearable. And cute and so gentleman-y sometimes 🤭🤭 I think the author definitely took inspiration from Luke (Gilmore girls) i mean - a grumpy? A baker? Who wears basketball cap? Hi Luke!
Chemistry between the character *scoffs* right, might as well be non existent. They kissed at 20% and the man still grumps around her till the last 70%
They just didn't do it for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at all. There was no spark between them, none. I just had to force myself through this and I'll admit I even skimmed the last 50 pages 🫣
Pop Culture References This was the thing that totally ruined it for me :)
I didn't wanna know what Sequin dress you wore to Harry Styles party and that he complimented you or the game you learned at the Jimmy Fallon Show
A humble request, books are my source of escapism and it would be awesome if you kept reality far far away. Thank you 😊
I've heard such great things about Practice makes Perfect (the second book) so I'm still gonna give that a try but please please be better.
Thank you so much Eveonne for buddy reading with me 🩷🩷
***
A moment of silence for me who thought this was set in actual Rome~~
But atleast the cover is pretty 🥺
August 11, 2024
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 3.5 ✰
this story follows Amelia, a pop star, she’s feeling overwhelmed by her fame and everything going around her at the moment so she decides to go to a small town called Rome in Kentucky. On her way to the town her car breaks apart in front of the house of Noah, a grumpy pie store owner, Noah lets her use his guest room and while they spend more time together they start to fall for each other.
my thoughts:
this was a very fluffy and cute romcom, I enjoyed the characters and how close the town was with each other but there’s nothing memorable about this book, the writing was a little cringe at some points, I didn’t felt the chemistry between Noah and Amelia that much, it was too insta-love for my preference, they spend a week together and they are already in love…. however, I did felt a little bit emotional for Amelia at the begging because of how lonely she was and it made me think that maybe some of my favorite artists feel that way :(
one of my fav character was Annie so I’m really excited for her book with Will!!!
💌tropes:
ꨄ︎ small town
ꨄ︎ celebrity romance
ꨄ︎ grumpy / sunshine
ꨄ︎ forced proximity
ꨄ︎ opposite attracts
_____________________________________________
*ೃ༄ pre-read: *ೃ༄
It’s been more than a year since I read a book by Sarah and this one looks so cute 🤞🏻<3
⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ -”i’m drowning and no one sees me”
-“I see you” ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹
this story follows Amelia, a pop star, she’s feeling overwhelmed by her fame and everything going around her at the moment so she decides to go to a small town called Rome in Kentucky. On her way to the town her car breaks apart in front of the house of Noah, a grumpy pie store owner, Noah lets her use his guest room and while they spend more time together they start to fall for each other.
my thoughts:
this was a very fluffy and cute romcom, I enjoyed the characters and how close the town was with each other but there’s nothing memorable about this book, the writing was a little cringe at some points, I didn’t felt the chemistry between Noah and Amelia that much, it was too insta-love for my preference, they spend a week together and they are already in love…. however, I did felt a little bit emotional for Amelia at the begging because of how lonely she was and it made me think that maybe some of my favorite artists feel that way :(
one of my fav character was Annie so I’m really excited for her book with Will!!!
💌tropes:
ꨄ︎ small town
ꨄ︎ celebrity romance
ꨄ︎ grumpy / sunshine
ꨄ︎ forced proximity
ꨄ︎ opposite attracts
_____________________________________________
*ೃ༄ pre-read: *ೃ༄
It’s been more than a year since I read a book by Sarah and this one looks so cute 🤞🏻<3
December 12, 2024
୧ ‧₊˚ 🥞 2,5 stars ˖ ݁ !
"Care is reckless because it doesn’t come with the seat belt that selfishness offers. Care has so much to lose, and almost always ends in heartbreak."✧₊⁺this was cute, fluffy and infuriatingly insta-lovey. no way that the author wanted to make me believe their feelings were true, when they literally fell in love with each other in a week. IN A WEEK. they took insta love to another level. i found this a pretty entertaining read at the beginning, but with time i just got bored and ngl i skimmed through the end. 😭 overall, it wasn't a bad read, but the story itself and characters are quite forgettable. like you know, it's adorable but there's nothing special about it. the only thing i remember about them is that they were obsessed with pancakes.
July 7, 2023
"Sometimes a woman is just worn out and needs a break, you know?” The lines on her forehead deepen. “That doesn’t prove that you’re weak or neglectful, it proves to all the women standing by and watching you pave the road to success that it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to shut your door every now and then and put up a sign that says Busy taking care of me today. Piss off.”
I honestly picked this up because I've seen great things about the second book and don't like not reading the full series (even if it is just interconnected). I was a little disappointed that's it's not actually in Rome, Italy, but I found myself enjoying it.
When in Rome is a small town, grumpy/sunshine, insta-love romance that is a cute, fun, sweet rom-com that had me smiling to myself and laughing a bit.
Amelia "Rae" Rose is a Grammy winning pop artist who needs a break from the stressors of her career and upcoming tour. She turns to Aubrey Hepburn, her idol, and watches Roman Holiday. She decides to head to Rome, except she doesn't have time to go to Italy and sets out in her old car from Nashville, Tennessee, to Rome, Kentucky. Only her car breaks down in the towns pie shop owners yard Noah Walker. He offers her his guest bedroom for the night until she can get her car towed to the local auto shop to be fixed the next morning. The problem is that it will take at least two weeks for her car to be fixed. He is now stuck with her staying with him until it's fixed since the towns bed and breakfast owner Mabel insists that she has no rooms available. His plan is to keep his distance as the last time he let a woman from out of town get close to him, she broke his heart. Though Noah tries to stay away from Amelia, everyone and everything pushes them together, including his sisters.
“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”
This was my first Sarah Adam's book and won't be my last. I adored Noah and his grumpyness, and Amelia did annoy me at times, but I did enjoy this. Next in the series is Practice Makes Perfect, and I'm looking forward to reading that next.
I honestly picked this up because I've seen great things about the second book and don't like not reading the full series (even if it is just interconnected). I was a little disappointed that's it's not actually in Rome, Italy, but I found myself enjoying it.
When in Rome is a small town, grumpy/sunshine, insta-love romance that is a cute, fun, sweet rom-com that had me smiling to myself and laughing a bit.
Amelia "Rae" Rose is a Grammy winning pop artist who needs a break from the stressors of her career and upcoming tour. She turns to Aubrey Hepburn, her idol, and watches Roman Holiday. She decides to head to Rome, except she doesn't have time to go to Italy and sets out in her old car from Nashville, Tennessee, to Rome, Kentucky. Only her car breaks down in the towns pie shop owners yard Noah Walker. He offers her his guest bedroom for the night until she can get her car towed to the local auto shop to be fixed the next morning. The problem is that it will take at least two weeks for her car to be fixed. He is now stuck with her staying with him until it's fixed since the towns bed and breakfast owner Mabel insists that she has no rooms available. His plan is to keep his distance as the last time he let a woman from out of town get close to him, she broke his heart. Though Noah tries to stay away from Amelia, everyone and everything pushes them together, including his sisters.
“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”
This was my first Sarah Adam's book and won't be my last. I adored Noah and his grumpyness, and Amelia did annoy me at times, but I did enjoy this. Next in the series is Practice Makes Perfect, and I'm looking forward to reading that next.
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