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kelly_e's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Title: When in Rome
Author: Sarah Adams
Series: When in Rome #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: September 20, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Wholesome • Fuzzy • Pleasant
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.
When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own.
Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I have definitely seen all of the love for Sarah Adams on Bookstagram over the past couple of years, so when I was choosing 12 authors for my 2024 'Author Taste Test' project, she was an easy choice. I decided to start with When in Rome simply because of the cover and the small town vibes, and went in without knowing much more beyond that.
Take me to the pie shop! The small town setting of Rome, Kentucky was everything I needed and wanted it to be in this opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance. The dialogue is filled with quick witted banter that had me chuckling. The developing romance between Amelia and Noah felt wholly organic and I appreciated how their chemistry leapt off the page without it being overly steamy.
I absolutely adored Noah - he is the ideal MMC.
When in Rome definitely has those Hallmark movie vibes, yet without all of the cliché eye-rolling. It was a simple and joyful read with strong character development and just what I was looking for to kickstart summer reading season. Sarah Adams is definitely an author I look forward to reading more from, as I imagine I'll continue with Practice Makes Perfect next because if memory serves me correctly it involves a floral shop!
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• small town romance
• male bakers
• Audrey Hepburn
⚠️ CW: toxic friendship, toxic relationship, gaslighting, emotional abuse, abandonment, alcohol, death, death of parent, grief, dementia, sexual content, cursing, infidelity, stalking, body shaming, car accident
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"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."
Author: Sarah Adams
Series: When in Rome #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: September 20, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Wholesome • Fuzzy • Pleasant
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.
When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own.
Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I have definitely seen all of the love for Sarah Adams on Bookstagram over the past couple of years, so when I was choosing 12 authors for my 2024 'Author Taste Test' project, she was an easy choice. I decided to start with When in Rome simply because of the cover and the small town vibes, and went in without knowing much more beyond that.
Take me to the pie shop! The small town setting of Rome, Kentucky was everything I needed and wanted it to be in this opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance. The dialogue is filled with quick witted banter that had me chuckling. The developing romance between Amelia and Noah felt wholly organic and I appreciated how their chemistry leapt off the page without it being overly steamy.
I absolutely adored Noah - he is the ideal MMC.
When in Rome definitely has those Hallmark movie vibes, yet without all of the cliché eye-rolling. It was a simple and joyful read with strong character development and just what I was looking for to kickstart summer reading season. Sarah Adams is definitely an author I look forward to reading more from, as I imagine I'll continue with Practice Makes Perfect next because if memory serves me correctly it involves a floral shop!
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• small town romance
• male bakers
• Audrey Hepburn
⚠️ CW: toxic friendship, toxic relationship, gaslighting, emotional abuse, abandonment, alcohol, death, death of parent, grief, dementia, sexual content, cursing, infidelity, stalking, body shaming, car accident
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"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."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Infidelity, and Sexual content
whateves99's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Loved this book I wish I didn’t accidentally read the sequel first but never the less it was such a good romance and it was SO funny. Although some of the narration in the book was a bit confusing because it was like past and present tense to the same time.
My fave quote Where’s my metal trashcan? I’ll happily climb inside and pull down the lid right now, because I like being Oscar the grouch. That trashcan is comfy, and I really made it home in there
My fave quote
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident
crieraylas's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Car accident, and Abandonment
delaneylacerte4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really liked the characters. I feel like it is important to note how they felt about their past relationships, which made it hard for Amelia and Noah to jump into something. Noah is kind and doesn’t force Amelia (Rae) to express her feelings if she doesn’t want to. I love when they go to the lake and when they Amelia bandages Noah up after he comes home after drinking and knocking over a lamp. Amelia has to deal with the struggles of being a famous pop star who is constantly bombarded by paparazzi and fans. Rome, Kentucky is the perfect break for her. She also sucks at making pancakes and loves to play Scrabble. Noah is also a reader and has a room full of books. His parents died during a thunderstorm while on the top of a mountain, so he is afraid of storms. I think it was so cute when he got scared and asked Amelia if he could sleep with her because he couldn’t sleep.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Mental illness, Stalking, and Death of parent
jessicastewart's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book, it was so so good. Noah is the sweetest guy and Amelia is the coolest girl, they are amazing! Such a good, lighthearted read :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Stalking
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved this! Adams has such a nice and easy writing style while still managing to bring across deep and real relationships. There's a great setting and I loved the small-town-vibes. At some points, I couldn't really believe that Amelia was actually this mega-star, she just seemed too normal, if that makes sense? But her and Noah's relationship was still absolutely adorable and I love how they still managed to make it work in the end <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Dementia, and Death of parent
kfmcf's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really liked the premise of this book but wish it had had a bit more substance to it. There was a lot of focus given to the sisters (most likely because they're being set up for the sequels) and I think that distracted from Noah's time on the page. He felt very flat. Amelia was fine, she had a bit more to her, but I was still left wanting a bit more.
My main wish with this book is that we were able to get to know the town itself as a character. This series is about finding romance there and I didn't feel like it really mattered? I'm hoping the sequel will expand on that (though tbh I'm not excited for it to be Annie because she was annoying in this book. The swearing thing? Why.)
All in all this book was fine. There was some nice moments but it was a bit repetitive and felt predictable beyond the comfort of contemporary predictability
My main wish with this book is that we were able to get to know the town itself as a character. This series is about finding romance there and I didn't feel like it really mattered? I'm hoping the sequel will expand on that (though tbh I'm not excited for it to be Annie because she was annoying in this book. The swearing thing? Why.)
All in all this book was fine. There was some nice moments but it was a bit repetitive and felt predictable beyond the comfort of contemporary predictability
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Stalking, Abandonment, and Alcohol
annahamburger's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
vj_thompson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Funny banter. Forced proximity romance. Insta-love-connection. Grumpy meets sunshine. I thought the topic discussed in the book were done very well. I hope the other Walker sisters get their own love story (cough, cough, hint, hint, Sarah Adams).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Stalking
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyable and charming in a Hallmark movie kind of way. A Taylor Swift-ish pop star who loves Audrey Hepburn movies does a runner from her pre-tour life and hides in Rome, Kentucky, where she falls in love with a hunky and surly but kind pie shop owner. Definitely will read more from this author.
CW: death of parents (in past), dementia, stalking (paparazzi), mild sexual content (closed door)
CW: death of parents (in past), dementia, stalking (paparazzi), mild sexual content (closed door)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Sexual content, Dementia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting