When in Rome

When in Rome was my first book by Sarah Adams, the author of a whole bunch of RomComs including The Cheat Sheet. I picked this book up because of the recent bookish chatter on #bookstagram about Practice Makes Perfect, the follow up book in this new series.

This is a light, small-town RomCom that centres on a famous pop singing sensation who goes to a small Kentucky town to leave the stress and expectations of her professional life behind. Amelia's car breaks down in front of the home of grumpy pie shop owner, Noah who is a guy set in his ways and who wants nothing to do with the starlet and has no plans for romance in the future. Naturally.

This is a fluffy, slow burn romance that features a few RomCom tropes: forced proximity, small-town locale, and grumpy vs sunshine to name a few. There is some good banter (I just wish there was more of it) and a strong cast of secondary characters who, if I'm honest, outshone the main couple. Noah and Amelia are fiiiiine, but there was too much repetition in Noah's internal dialogue as he tries to figure out what the heck he wants. The romantic tension was great if your Great Aunt Muriel is reading over your shoulder, but was a bit too low-key, closed-door for me. 

The strength of this book is in the small-town location and the secondary characters - mainly Noah's sisters and Mabel - who brought humour to the story. There is a subplot about Amelia's estrangement from her mom, but the reason for their issues was glaringly obvious from the beginning.

Overall, I loved the small-town Kentucky setting and the banter of this sweet romance, but wish the main characters were stronger and there was a bit more spice. That said, it's a decent start to a new series and I'm eager to see where the next story - which focuses on Annie and Will (I so called this match up!!) - will take this sweet as cherry pie series.

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Author: Sarah Adams

Genre: RomCom

Series: #1 in the When in Rome series

Publisher: Dell

First Published: Sept 20, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.

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.