Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Publishing – thanks RHP! – and these are my honest thoughts.

Publication Date: September 20, 2022

Blurb

Opposites certainly attract for the stranded pop star and small-town baker in this charming slice of romance from the author of the TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

“This modern take on the Hepburn classic Roman Holiday is a quick, fun, slow-burn rom-com.”—Abby Jimenez, bestselling author of The Friend Zone

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. 

Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.

Review

I have adored Sarah Adams as a contemporary romance author for quite some time. When I need a palette cleanser or something light, sweet, and funny, she’s one of my go-to authors. This book was exactly what I was expecting, yet so much better. Adams continues to get better with each book she releases.

When in Rome is the story of Amelia Rose, the princess of pop, who needs just a minute to take a deep breath and escape her desire to constantly make sure everyone else gets what they need from her. Her manager is pulling her in every direction, trying to make sure she succeeds. She’s always surrounded, but honestly, she’s lonely. This is very reminiscent of being an almost 30-year-old during a worldwide pandemic, where I imagine Adams drew some personal feelings from. Wouldn’t it be great to just, take a break for a moment? Step back and realize that things move on when you aren’t constantly trying not to fail. I felt those feelings right along Amelia. I even related to her hopping into her first car, a Toyota Corolla, to hit the road to the nearest Rome she could find… Rome, Kentucky (shout out to my own first baby, a 1997 green Toyota Corolla named Franklin).

While her trusty old Toyota helped her escape, it also broke down at exactly the right moment, leading to one of the best meet-cutes in romantic comedy. Amelia’s literally broken down on the lawn of our main hero, Noah, and as a woman in 2022, Amelia smartly doesn’t get out on the car when Noah comes a-knockin’ on her window. You can’t trust most strangers these days, but Noah turns out to be one of the good ones… which he proves, using little old ladies and landline telephones that stretch from kitchen to front yard, apparently.

Noah’s got his hands full with his own personal life, putting it back together after a failure of an engagement. This leaves him weary of females around his age as well as outsiders to his small town. He’s adopted a posture of trusting no one new, and that includes Amelia. He let’s her stay the night, but doesn’t let her in beyond the four walls of his house, until he does. Noah’s unable to resist Amelia’s charm and smile, but these two are AWKWARD AND I LOVED IT. Denying their feelings, or, rather, acknowledging them but trying to avoid them at all costs, leads to some truly funny moments in this story.

When Noah finally decides that Amelia could hurt him but he’s willing to try friendship, the tension bleeds from the page straight into your soul. You just want them both to accept that their chemistry isn’t just, convenient. But they hold on strongly to the desire for friendship, getting to know each other through activities and taking care of one another in small ways. Amelia gets to know a side of Noah he doesn’t really show others, because he’s fiercely protective of his family. He shares vulnerably about his parents and the tragic accident that left its scars on Noah as well as his sisters. Equally as vulnerable, Amelia starts to share some of the ways that she feels disappointed, although selfishly, because she thinks she has the world at her feet.

Adams helps each reader feel like their anxieties, wants, fears, and feelings all matter through the characters of this book. It’s not as if the world gives you everything you want, even if you have everything at your fingertips because of money or privilege. It’s hard to admit when things aren’t going well or that something in your life isn’t working, but watching Amelia and Noah both work through their own feelings helped me feel like I’m not alone. And isn’t that what we all want? To feel seen, valued, important, understood? Adam does that and more within these pages.

There’s a lot of cute moments in this book, some moments that will make you angry, a twist at the end, and then there’s Noah’s big gesture. It’s falling in love in 300 beautiful pages, but not just romantically. It’s love with oneself, love with friends, love with family, and even love within a community. It’s the love of finding your own voice, for taking charge in your own life and speaking truths that you need to in order to get where you’re going. And I’m with Noah, it’s a love of cookies over pie and pancakes any time of day.

Rating: 5 Stars

If you love fade-to-black stories, this is a great romance for you. I also highly recommend The Cheat Sheet and Sarah’s other books. I’ve loved them all. Let me know if you check out Sarah! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

When in Rome is now available where books are sold, including TARGET! Best day ever! 🙂 Amazon | Target | Barnes & Noble