When in Rome
Reviews
Such a sweet small-town romance! I loved the family dynamics and the dialogue was super witty.
౨ৎ | if james wanted to go for amelia, that would be completely... unacceptable. who am i kidding? i’d kill him. limb by limb, i’d make it as painful as possible.
— ★ 5/5
i was skeptical walking into this as i didn’t like the cheat sheet by this author but let me tell you i ate this up. from start to finish i was hooked. finished this in one sitting and in three and a half hours.
amelia was in a way very relatable and i found myself wanting to cry sometimes when she opened up. it was nice watching her grow and becoming a combination of rae and also amelia.
noah my sweet baby AHH. he had me giggling and swooning. that man deserves nothing but the damn world. his protectiveness and the way he always thought of amelia. (the toast like HELLO???) oh how i loved him.
their banter was everything and i loved how it wasn’t like sexual/romantic all the time it was just them navigating their relationship.
also the side characters?! mabel and annie oh how i adore you. i can’t wait to read annie’s book (i ordered it when i hit the 50% mark and i knew i needed more).
anyway thank you lynnie for making me want to read this. 10/10. A+. good job bestie!
so read this thanks!!
see, i’ve read so many heavy reads lately so i decided to read a quick, cheesy, booktok romance to lighten stuff up.
firstly, the writing is genuinely terrible 😭 this reads like a poorly written fanfiction, in fact i’m 100% sure i’ve read ao3 porn written better than this.
also the book is way too long, the second half was unbearable and i just wanted the book to end.
the characters were horribly shallow and one dimensional which made it impossible for me to feel connected to anyone.
the whole book felt like it was ticking off booktok tropes. but it has made me get excited to pick up a classic again so ig it did the job 😭
Very cute and wholesome.
i’m not an insta-love girl.. where the relationship goes from 0 to 100 real quick. which is def what this was. but it was still a cute and quick fluffy little love story.
Excellent on audio with dual her & him narrators.
hey guys she only mentioned every other paragraph but she IS a celebrity if you didn’t know she’s famous
2.50
Well… this was a little disappointing. The plot had potential and the story was cute (tho celebrity romances are not my cup of tea). I liked both main characters just fine. But this book was missing so much, and the writing was very cringy (and I’m not one to say this often). I needed a fluffy read to get me out of a slump and it did the job, but it was absolutely nothing more. Now into the story… First of all, why did no one tell me this wasn’t a book set in Rome during a warm and sunny Italian summer? I was so excited for her to just go to Rome, Kentucky😭 It basically happens in ONE week. One. I do not believe for a second someone can get to know and fall in love with anyone in one single week. I liked them as a couple but I couldn’t believe the romance. It could so easily have been an entire summer and it would have felt much more credible. Also *minor spoiler ahead* what kind of person just accepts a falling out with their mother and doesn’t even try to talk it out? Crazy, if you ask me. And the guy was so traumatized just for it to go away in ten minutes, no internal work whatsoever. Oh, and tell me why he used to work in a bank in literal NYC but doesn’t know what the app icons are on an iPhone? Please, be so for real, he would’ve needed one. P.S., Don’t get me wrong, it was a cute simple read, but it could have been so much more.
I actually really enjoyed the book! It was so sweet. I don’t think I have read a small town romance before, but it was so much fun. I was a little nervous since I have read from the author before and it wasn't my favorite. But I am so glad I gave this book a chance!
I also loved the setting and the characters! It was duel POV so it was even better to see both of the main characters perspectives! I also loved seeing all of the characters personalities. They are in a small town but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters!
Such a quick, fluffy read!
— 3.75★ sarah adams has really stepped up her game since this book is so so so much better than the cheat sheet. the characters were actually better and the chemistry was believable. noah walker was so so so my type, it hurts. and amelia was a sweetheart, definitely way better than how annoying bree from the cheat sheet was. will definitely read her next books from now on!
meh
as annoying as i found it at first i ate the last part UP!!!!!
3,5 of 5 stars. this book is sufficient to fill me up with something cute of two persons engaging in sweet actions and conversation. it subtly delivered the pleasure and delight. not to forget as well with small town setting as well a (handsome) grumpy man of the town. not the kind of book that makes me kicking my feet or be blushing of a certain scene, but absolutely it was lovely and I enjoyed it!
cute little read, last 50 pages were a bit boring
the bar was way up for this book and i’m so happy that i’m not left disappointed.
honestly, it’s been great and i enjoyed everything in it. first and foremost the writing, then all the lovely characters and the world building. i was all in even from the first chapter, and this is something i usually struggle a lot, as it takes 2-3 chapters for me to actually get in the book i’m reading.
it’s a slow burn, but maybe i’d like it to be a little less slower so i could feel more satisfied with Amelia and Noah’s time together.
other than that, it’s a lovely read. funny, sweet, wholesome and safe to read with all the possible meanings in this word.
it was a cute grumpy x sunshine story but it kept dragging on way too much that i almost dnf-ed it.
it was very slow but i loved some parts. It just made me smile, not flustered enough that i will bang my hand on my pillow kind of way
I wanna climb inside this book 📖 says every reader at least once 😉 If I could live in my own little version of When in Rome- these would be my essentials at the perfect cozy romcom. Lots of pancakes, scrabble 😅 every night and every matching set of classic Pajamas possible! Book Blurb: Amelia is a pop super star, and after realizing she feels the loneliness and weight of her career is too much before her tour to take off, just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Her car brakes down just outside Rome, Kentucky in the front yard of Rome’s resident “grumpy” Pie Shop owner. Noah is the epitome of small town grump. No wi-fi or cell phone- he couldn’t be less interested in this super star who’s “blowing through town”. It’s giving cozy baked goods, hilarious banter and “Outdoor Ken” meets “Popstar Brunette Barbie” 🩷 I absolutely LOVED this sweet as pie romcom and the grumpy Noah and silly Amelia are so freaking adorable 🥹 Closed Door Romance and so easy to read. 4/5⭐️
i loved this! this was my first sarah adams book and i’m impressed. i loved the slow burn of amelia and noah and am so happy with the ending. i also loved that you got both noah and amelia’s perspectives (i LOVE getting the male perspective on a woman). the characters were all so great.
Way better than expected, loved the chemistry between the characters.
This was a great book! This was my first grumpy sunshine, slow burn and this book has definitely made it one of my favorite tropes! I loved that you got both Amelia’s and Noah’s perspective. I loved how they both kinda switched roles near the middle and end when sharing their feelings and overall this was a great book! Easy read, super light and great for the beach and even for getting out of a reading slump! Definitely recommend!
BOOK REVIEW
When in Rome / Sarah Adams
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🥧 small town romance
🥧 grumpy x sunshine
🥧 forced proximity
the easiest 5 stars I have ever given to any book, it was a consistent 5 stars since I started and was just the most wholesome, cosy read that felt like a hug when you most need one ✨
Noah, aka Mr. Surly Pose, ugh what a grumpy man!! I’ve never wanted a book boyfriend to be more real 😮💨 he was a squishy marshmallow with the biggest heart and the soft tenderness was so endearing! GAH I JUST LOVE HIM 🩵
the way Amelia and Noah bounced off each other; the tension, the flirting; the banter, you could not find two characters who fit together better than these two.
I genuinely cried when I finished this book because it just slapped so hard, it had the most perfect found family trope and the side characters were chefs kiss as well! it checked all the boxes and it was a perfectly written closed door romance (Sarah would honestly slay so hard if her books included smut) 🫶🏼🫶🏼
thank you Hachette for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!! this is defs a new fave of mine
Loved Amelia/ Rae and the whole crew
Highlights
“[…] I think we’ll get hurt a lot in this life, but maybe it’s worth it because sometimes we will experience really amazing things, too. Maybe not everything will end in hurt. But we’ll never know if we don’t try.”
He cups my jaw and I can feel the intensity of his eyes. I think Noah can see right through to my bones. “To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.” And just like that, I feel safe.
“Dammit,” he whispers and then 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.”
And that’s all he says before backing up and driving us both home in stunned silence.
Amelia watches me closely as I raise the bite to my mouth. The second it hits my tongue, my body revolts and begs me to spit it out. But her eyes are lighting up and an excited smile is tugging her raspberry lips, so I keep chewing slowly and trying to think of anything nice I can say about her nasty creation.
“No one loves anything they’re miserably chained to.”
“Noah didn’t kick you out,” Annie says in a soothing tone. “He wanted you to stay here last night because he was afraid you wouldn’t feel safe knowing you’d slept all night in his house when you were pretty much unconscious.”
“I’m drowning and no one sees me.”
I push Amelia’s hair back from her ear so I know she can hear me. “I see you.”
This woman looks like a fantasy come to life. Plucked straight out of my best dreams and placed right in my living room. The audacity of her.
This woman has only been in my life for a few days and she’s going to be the end of me.
James steps aside and gestures for Amelia to come in. She does and that’s when I notice she’s still wearing shorts. Tiny ones . They just peek out from under the sweatshirt, and James notices as she walks by him. Because he’s a good friend, though, he looks away quickly. Straight into my glaring eyes in fact.
haha love a little jealousy
"I already told her I’m not interested."
"You didn’t," Madison says. She’s never been more disappointed in me.
same
I smile and turn to look at the room. And that's when I see the shelves and shelves of books. This man does not just read... he's a book nerd.
he’s… perfect.
He rolls his eyes, snapping shut the book he was reading - oh my gosh Noah is a reader - and sets it aside.
I don't know how to keep things casual. I hate casual. It’s pointless to me. Like city girls wearing Carhartt beanies.
“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." And that's all he says before backing up and driving us both home in stunned silence.
And I realize in this moment, I'd do just about anything to make her laugh. What’s happening to me?
we love sappy noah 🫶🏻🫶🏻
She looks so pretty it hurts.
crying 🥹
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. Unfortunately, I'm powerless against keeping my heart in check around her anymore. 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. I push Amelia's hair back from her ear so I know she can hear me. “I see you."
“And the world only wants me for Rae Rose." There's a long pause as she sighs deeply."I'm drowning and no one sees me.”
"But not with you." She nuzzles her cheek against the back of my hand. "I don't have to be polite with you because you don't like me anyways."
"That's not true," I say, more to myself than her.