When in Rome
September 4, 2023
I really enjoyed the small-town vibe of this story, where everyone knows everything about everyone else and can be a hard meddler but they will watch each other's back if an outsider comes and tries to disrupt the lives of one of their own. Meeting the side characters of the town, from other shop owners to Noah's sisters felt fun.
I found Noah and Amelia's story to be rather cute - I'm a big fan of grumpy and sunshine, so reading their banter back and forth as their relationship developed was a cozy read for me. I did feel like the pacing of their relationship was a bit odd however - most of the book takes place over the course of a weekend and they went from attempting to hold back and instating rules that they couldn't touch each other for fear of their attraction taking over to admitting that they loved each other.
My main critique of this book is that there are sections where the quality of the descriptions seems variable, to the point where the characters seem much younger than they actually were. Some of the phrases used made me think that they might have been teenagers had it not been already established how old the characters were. I did feel like I had to power through those sections, and had they continued on, I might not have completed the book.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the ARC.
More about When in Rome here:
Title: When in Rome
Author: Sarah Adams
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.