5 stars | Recommend

I have to start off by saying that I was NOT a fan of Practice Makes Perfect, so I was hesitant going into this book, but I have to say I was so unbelievably happy I gave this series another try! I was smiling, giggling, and kicking my feet throughout the whole book. The banter, the tension, the undeniable attraction. If I didn't have to work, I would have ate this up in hours; I couldn't put it down.

I see so much of myself in Emily and relate to Jack with his family home life. Their dynamic is definitely one for the books, no pun intended. They both read and understand each other so well from bickering for over a decade. They don't sugarcoat things with each other and stay honest. If they have a question about the other, it will be asked and answered. For so-called rivals, their communication is quite admirable. Once they both start thinking about *potentially* being friends, their relationship really develops and they both show their vulnerability. On Jack's end, I think it is really beautiful how soft he can be with Emily and her feelings and gives her a safe space while she doesn't quite know how to explain them to herself. I am so impressed with both of their growth and character development.

Sarah Adams truly wrote them as if it is your own sibling or friend's story. There was something healing for myself in this book; probably things I have felt, and didn't know how to explain, were so perfectly articulated. I can see myself thinking about this book quite often for a long time.

it's absolutely not shocking at all that miss sarah adams has outdone herself once again!!

jack and emily's story is so incredibly special. i loved witnessing their honest banter, their willingness to relearn each other, and how jack shows up for the desires in emily's heart.
the romance itself was special, but sarah's ability to write such powerful family dynamics makes her books so distinct from others in the game. both emily and jack have to navigate some darker themes in their immediate family lives and each subject was handled with perfectly balanced delicacy and punch.

I'm not ready to leave Rome Kentucky... please tell me I don't have to yet.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a series that's been on my TBR (and waiting on Libby hold limbo) for awhile. But I was excited to get an early ARC and couldn't wait to read it. I didn't have to worry at all since it's great as a standalone. Emily and Jackson were written perfectly as a rivals to lovers. The rivals relationship as teachers and neighbors was full of snarky banter, then when he returns they become reluctant allies with a common goal and plenty of sexual tension, and finally when they give in to their explosive chemistry. The writing just flowed and I was flipping pages to see what they would do or say next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review to come! 4.75/5

ETA:

Emily and Jack were more than I'd hoped for. I didn't love Emily in the first two books, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about her, but she was such a dynamic character!

Jack had me laughing and giggling and commiserating with him.

Their banter? 10/10. 🤣❤️

The enemies to lovers? The character growth? The family bonds for both of them? I adored all it.

Sarah Adams is a go to author for me!

This is a classic scrumptious Sarah Adams book. It has the heartwarming and cute details that I loved from When In Rome. I feel like the synopsis may not have done the book justice especially because preventing her boss from reading her novel seemed like a smaller part of the total book even though it was the catalyst for their whole relationship. If I were to critique it though, I would say that I didn't really understand the rivalry? It seemed a little juvenile, but nothing to put me off of the book. Also, I loved that the book felt much deeper than what I was expecting. The situation with Jack's dad was a good touch to add to the story and the third act conflict wasn't an "eye roll." So, overall I enjoyed the read! One more thing. I liked how I could see the couples from the previous two books AND you can totally see who the couple will be in the next book!!

I think it's my time to break up with this author's writing. The story was good, the relationship with the siblings had so much potential, however I just felt like the rise was so boring and it made no sense to the actual story and what it was really about. I almost gave up so many times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review, as always all words are my own.

This small town, rivals to lovers story with fantastic banter/tension will be a top read for 2025. Sarah Adams delivered a fun and engaging story that has left me smiling after finishing the book. This book provided a delightful escape from everyday life. Beg, Borrow, or Steal would be perfect for a romance book club pick!

So thankful I got an arc of this book. This is a great continuation of the lives of the Walker siblings. Emily related to me very deeply & made my love for the siblings grow even more. Jackson was so similar to her but had a different life which I loved. Rome, Kentucky keeps getting bigger and I love it.

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!!