When in Rome Review

Hello, all!

You know those books that make you smile from the first page? For me, that was When in Rome by Sarah Adams.

Pub Date: 9-20-22
Adult - Contemporary

Amelia Rose, or Rae Rose as she's known to millions all over the world, is burnt out from years of maintaining her perfect "princess of pop" persona. She should be gearing up to head out on a nine-month tour, but instead, she's stranded on a dark, secluded road in the middle of nowhere. Amelia has always taken comfort and sought advice from Audrey Hepburn movies, so when feeling overwhelmed, she decides to make like Audrey and run away to Rome. Except, Italy is too far away, so she settles for Rome, Kentucky instead. She just wanted a break from her grueling schedule, not to end up the latest case on Dateline, but then Noah Walker comes to her rescue.

When Noah Walker finds Rae Rose on his front lawn, he makes it very clear that he has no time for celebrities or the hassle that comes with them. All he wants to do is live a quiet life running the small pie shop he inherited from his grandma. Despite his better judgment and the busybodies around town, Noah agrees to let Amelia stay in his guest room while her car gets fixed. He knows they are from two completely different worlds, which didn't work out so well for him in the past, so he's determined to steer clear for as long as she's in town. But then Noah starts to see a different side to Amelia, the goofy, kind, sad side the world never gets to see, and he can't help but draw her near. Amelia knows she'll have to face the music and get back to her glamorous life eventually, but will she be able to leave Noah and the town she fell in love with behind when the time comes?

By the end of the first chapter, I knew I had to apologize to The Cheat Sheet because this was coming to take the trophy for being my favorite Sarah Adams book. I loved everything about this. Everything from the characters to the setting had me charmed. Adams has this way of making her main characters relatable and quirky, but not in an insufferable way. More like a "Yep, I would get embarrassed and ramble too much in an awkward situation as well" way. Admittedly, most of her heroines feel similar, but I love them too much to care, and Amelia was no exception. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and this constant need to put up this polite facade, but all that fades away, and she can just be herself with Noah. And Noah! What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man. Grumpy on the outside, yet soft on the inside are my favorite kinds of love interests, and, good grief, did he have me swooning. They had such fun banter together, and I was smiling the entire time. I also couldn't get enough of all the secondary characters who all added another level of humor to this. I can always count on Adams's romances to be light, sweet, and as refreshing as a cool breeze on a warm day, and I'm excited to pick up whatever she comes out with next.

Rating: 5/5