arc review ✨🍒📖
beg, borrow, or steal by sarah adams
★★★★★

happy release day!! ❤️❤️❤️

first of all, i was SO happy to receive this arc 🥹 i loved ‘when in rome’ and ‘practice makes perfect’ and this one did not disappoint! it’s definitely taken the spot as my favorite sarah adams book 🫶🏼

it felt so good to be back in rome, kentucky and this story and the characters are adorable, i absolutely LOVE emily and jack so freaking much. 🥹🥰❤️ not to mention how good it felt to read about the other walker siblings/characters from the previous books in the series again.

this book had my giggling from the banter and tearing up from the trauma both characters have from their past. it was real and just so well written. the communication between emily and jack was so good, too!! 🙌🏼 ugh, this book was just perfection you guys.

thank you sarah adams for writing such wonderful stories and characters that i fall in love with every single time.

read this if you love:
🍒 rivals to lovers
🍒 small town
🍒 great banter
🍒 dual pov
🍒 to breathe (because everyone needs to read it 😆)

thank you random house publishing group, netgalley, and sarah adams for this arc. ❤️

4.5⭐
My absolute favorite in the Rome series. Emily, as perfectionist as she is empathetic, is relatable to the core. From college to teaching second grade, her nemesis has always been Jackson, who's harboring his own trauma under his sunshine exterior. Exploring grief and toxic relationships, this books packs an emotional punch as well. As the siblings couple up or move out of town, Emily is adrift and trying grab hold as her role in the family changes without wanting anyone to see or understand what she is feeling. Read it in one-couldn't-put-it-down day.

“And to think you consider yourself hard to love. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Oh how I adored Jack & Emily!! Being back in the small town of Rome, KY with the Walker siblings was just as comforting and sweet as I expected. This relationship felt a little more mature than the others with some character depth and growth while still keeping with that witty banter and swoony moments. I mean, Magic Mike on a bike while listening to Ginuwine had me kicking my feet and dancing along. I absolutely loved it! 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Romance for the opportunity to read and review this ARC! And thank you to Sarah Adams for bringing me back to the world of Rome, Kentucky for a third time!

The third installment of the When in Rome series follows Emily, the caretaker/perfectionist Walker sibling. When Jack Bennet, Emily’s nemesis since college, returns to Rome as both her colleague and neighbor after calling off his wedding, she enlists the help of her loyal townspeople to sabotage his return.

This may be my favorite book in the series so far! I loved the animosity between Emily and Jack and how they bicker back and forth, both in-person and through email/texts. These two have very strong personalities and it was fun to see them compete and butt heads, only to realize their mutual attraction and chemistry. These characters’ childhood traumas also come into play (loss of parents/narcissistic parent), but it’s handled in a very gentle way.

Sarah Adams’ feel/good romances are always a good time, and I can’t wait for book four!

𝘉𝘦𝘨, 𝘉𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 is a frenemies to lovers / adversaries to lovers romance and I ate it up! Emily and Jack meet the first day of college and are constantly being thrown together because they have the same major and end up teaching at the same school as adults. They only know how to bicker and compete with each other thanks to their hysterical meet cute. This book has funny moments and Jack’s personality is the best! I really liked how Sarah addresses Emily’s and Jack’s past traumas and bringing us along showing us how it has shaped the way they behave as adults. Jack comes off as a whimsical and fun guy but what people don’t see it’s a defense mechanism he learned from childhood to escape his dad’s mood swings. Emily is the oldest of 4 siblings who took on the role of caretaker when her parents passed away when they were children. She believes everyone loves her will leave eventually and this has caused her to guard her heart. This book will make you laugh and tear taking you through the journey of Emily and Jack’s relationship morphing from bickering coworkers to sooo much more! The tension that build between them made me want to hammer and crack it myself!

𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 ✏️
•
•
𝐵𝑒𝑔, 𝐵𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤, 𝑜𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑙
𝐵𝑦 𝑆𝑎𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝐴𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑠
𝑃𝑢𝑏 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝐽𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝟽, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 𝟻

And finally, we are back in Rome, KY! I absolutely adore the Walker family, but Emily… I think she may be my favorite. Emily is a type A personality and trying so hard to keep everything and every one together. She has a strong personality, but so does Jackson, which I think gives them a perfect balance. With his Clark Kent vibes, Jackson has an interesting background, but I loved him even more once we really got to know him. His struggles and growth made his character much more special. They both have so much depth and I loved seeing them peel back each other’s layers. Their chemistry is beyond perfection. Along with some serious moments, this book has so much banter and bickering that you will be laughing while swooning over these two characters.

Being back in Rome, KY was everything I imagined it would be and I can’t wait to go back for Maddie’s love story ❤️

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 @authorsarahadams , @netgalley & @dellromance 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #arcreview #authorsarahadams #begborroworsteal #wheninrome #newrelease #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksta #bookish #romancebooks #romancereader #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks #bibliophile #booklover #booksbooksbooks #booksaremagic #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #dellromance

I enjoyed getting to revisit the small town of Rome, Kentucky and this book was just as cute as the first two. I really enjoyed their rivals to lovers romance, and they had the best banter! I also loved reading their email exchanges. This was such an adorable, swoon-worthy romance with great characters and I would recommend it!

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Rivals to lovers
✔️Secret writers
✔️Small town
✔️Teachers
✔️Great banter

Such a charming enemies to lovers romance that hits all the right notes. Can't wait for the next one!

Emily has been perfectly fine living her well-crafted life alone. She hasn't needed anyone in a long time and prides herself on being the needed one. Willing to do anything for her siblings, she has created a life where she doesn't need to rely on anyone else. Until the moment when she accidentally emails her debut romance novel to her boss, the elementary school principal, and then she needs all the help she can get! Her nemesis since college, Jack Bennett, might be the only one who can help her get out of this messy situation and she's not thrilled about it. Jack is back in Rome, Kentucky after calling off his wedding and wanting to return to his teaching job at the same school Emily works at. Can they put aside their differences to ensure Emily has a job to return to after summer ends?

I have loved the Rome, Kentucky series so I was thrilled to be back in Rome for another swoony romance! I found so much to relate to in Emily's character and I really felt for her many times throughout this story. I too find myself stuffing difficult emotions deep down to deal with at another time and wanting to remain strong. It is always so refreshing to read a character that you can relate with on a deep level and also see how they are able to deal with real-life issues. I also loved the banter between Emily and Jack. Their Enemies to Friends to Lovers story was so enjoyable to read and I love how perfect they are for each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Romance for the ARC!

Last month I started the When In Rome series and this month I was blessed to be able to read Beg, Borrow or Steal as one of my first ARC's of 2025.
This has very quickly turned into one of my favorite series!
I loved everything about this book and the characters were perfectly written! This series was the first books l've read by Sarah Adams. This book and the whole series is chef's kiss and will recommend it to everyone especially my small town, found family and he falls first book besties!
Thank you Sarah Adams and NetGalley for the ARC!!

I loved going back to the World of Rom, Kentucky.
The first book in this standalone series was may introduction to Sarah Adams and now I own each one of her books.

This story has so much heart, at a simple glance it is a story of rivals to lovers in a small town. (With a heist) but when you look closely and get into the story, both characters are dealing with pain and the way each believes in the other is was propels their healing. Beautiful.

The book is for you if you like:
⭐️Rivals to lovers
⭐️They are teachers
⭐️Small town vibes
⭐️to continue the series
⭐️Publishing industry
⭐️Healing journeys

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance ecopy.
I’m waiting for it to come out and buy my own paperback.

In this next installment in the Rome, Kentucky series, Emily and Jack have been rival teachers/arch nemeses for years. They spar constantly, and every little thing about each other annoys them. She is secretly writing a romance novel, and he writes bestselling thrillers under a pseudonym. When Emily accidentally sends her manuscript to her boss instead of an agent, she recruits Jack to help her get it back before her boss reads it. I LOVED this book! The banter and tension between Emily and Jack was my absolute favorite, and Jack is such a sweetie 🥹 He fits with her family so well, and I loved the development of the Walker sisters’ relationships (including Amelia) as well! And I loved how Jack realized he only feels alive when he’s with Emily, and she realizes she’s safe with him. I loved Jack and Emily’s story, and I can’t wait to go back to Rome, Kentucky for the next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL is out TODAY!!

Only Sarah Adams will get me to read a closed-door romance. My absolute favorite of the When in Rome series mostly because enemies to lovers is my favorite trope. It gave Emily Henry vibes, but still was from Adams' distinct voice.

Thank you @dellromance for the gifted copy!

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Beg, Borrow, Or Steal (When in Rome, 3)
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Sarah Adams
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Brittany Pressley, Nelson Hobbs
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: January 7, 2025
5⭐️

📕 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 📕
Sarah Adams is an auto-buy author to me for a reason! She knows how to get to the heart of a character and make you fall in love with them. Her characters are heartfelt, endearing, and people you root for.

In the third book in the When in Rome series, we have Type A perfectionist Emily Walker, a teacher who has been working on writing a book on the side. She lives in the cozy Rome, KY town near her siblings that we have already fallen in love with. Also, her nemesis now lives there, Jack Bennett. Emily thought she’d never see Jack after he left with his fiancée but he has returned to town, and Emily is all up in arms!

We get the full force Rome, KY fun with the lovable side characters who love supporting Emily. When Jack and Emily are reunited, Emily is mad that Jack has returned. However, Jack can’t seem to get Emily off his mind and enjoys his ability to get under her skin.

I love how relatable Emily is, the type A personality, trying so hard to keep everything together and not let life get to her when she’s struggling. I enjoy her siblings support and fun interactions.

Jack has an interesting background as well. He seems like he would be an adorable Clark Kent character. I loved seeing his relationship with Emily develop. They seemed to complement each other well, and it was funny to see Jack interact with her family!

This book is so sweet and is an amazing addition to the series. I can’t wait for book 4!!

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
♥️ Jilted Groom
♥️ Enemies/Neighbors to Lovers
♥️ Hidden Identity
♥️ Audrey Hepburn Inspired
♥️ Small Town Romance

I have said it twice already and I will say it again... I love Rome, KY. I love the Walker family so much. It was so fun getting to read about Emily and Jackson! The banter and bickering was incredible. I love that there are so many relatable feelings and struggles with perfectionism and suppressing feelings in the book. I loved to see how Emily learned and grew through out!

I also want to add that I appreciate when there are any warnings at the beginning of books! Thank you Sarah for the thoughtfulness behind that!

Now I just need Madison's story! (but I also don't want the series to ever end haha)


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher—Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for the ARC!

This book was absolute perfection. Emily was every oldest daughter ever, filled with anxiety and a fear of disappointing people. And Jack was witty, obsessed with clothes and tattooed. Sign me up!

Lots of banter and flirty teasing. But it also has a serious side that will give you all the feels. It was done so well!

I’d say this is a 2/5 for spice! There are two open door scenes, but she includes the chapters to skip at the beginning of the book if you would like it to be a closed door book.

🥹

What a cute story! This is my favorite so far in the series. Beg, Borrow, or Steal is the third book in the When in Rome series and follows Emily (Noah’s sister) and Jack, her arch-nemesis from college, who is also a teacher at the same school as her. *insert eyebrow wiggle*. Emily and Jack have been bickering since he spilled a coffee on her in college, but their paths are determined to keep crossing.

I just love the way Sarah Adams writes her characters; you really feel like you are in their head and thinking everything they’re thinking. I actually came into this a little skeptical, because I hadn’t been particularly drawn to Emily while reading the other books, but OMG I love her. As an oldest daughter myself, I found her character so incredibly relatable. I also thought the characters felt more mature in this one and I appreciated that. I loved the quick wit from both Emily and Jack.

The author definitely knows how to write tension and this book was no different. Ahem… the scene-blocking… 🌶️. It’s a little steamier than the other two in the series, but scenes can easily be skipped if you prefer! It still feels a littttttle insta-lovey (if I have to be nit-picky), but I don’t think this will be an issue for most readers.

I love the addition of texts and emails throughout the story. It really helps you see their playful dynamic. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Adams, and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: (moderate) grief, sexual content, narcissism/gaslighting/emotional abuse, depression/anxiety, (mild) alcoholism, infidelity

For the type A, mildly chaotic girlies who bottle up their emotions (aka me). The way this love story unfolded was perfection and by the end I truly believed Emily and Jack were made for each other. Both have strong personality traits that are in complete opposition to one another, but this helps them perfectly balance each other out and they are the exact same in all the ways that matter. I love how the conflict centers around them helping each other overcome their traumas/issues rather than contrived relationship problems. There are some objectively cringe scenes in the first half, but honestly I still had fun reading them. My new favorite Sarah Adams book and I can't wait for the last one!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc.

Happy Pub Day! 🥳 4.5 stars. I absolutely loved this just as much as the other two books in the series. The banter between Emily and Jack is so so good, and they have such great chemistry! I also love that the author is so good about writing flawed yet relatable characters. Hoping there’s another in this series about Madison!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Adams has firmly established herself as an autobuy author for me. Her writing consistently feels like a warm embrace—safe, engaging, and brimming with charm. She masterfully weaves wit, humor, romance, and meaningful depth into every story, creating narratives that linger long after the final page.

This particular story about Emily and Jack made my heart absolutely sing. After over a decade of being at odds, fate—or perhaps something more—places them back in each other’s orbit. One of them clings to their frustration, but how long can anger hold its ground when something softer, something more profound, begins to take its place?

I adored every moment of this book and feel so grateful to have received an advanced copy from Dell. Thank you so much!!!