I loved this book so so so much!!!! Sarah Adams just always makes my little feet kick. (My feet aren’t actually little but they do kick!!!!) The tension and the pining and also just the big huge feelings.

The oldest daughter breakdowns in this book were…felt. I loved this book and I loved them and I love that I ~believe~ them. Idk no further thoughts rn but truly these sweetie angel babies whose bark is so so so much worse than their bite deserve the world. I love them!!!!!!!

If u maybe have oldest daughter style breakdowns sometimes I think you will adore this book. But like you also have to enjoy spicy romances which I ofc do:)

E-book provided by publisher for review :):):)

I absolutely adore this series by Sarah Adams! This is the third book in "When in Rome" series and Adams continues to blow my mind with her storytelling! In this third book you are following second born Walker sibling Emily as she is grappling with the changes happening in her life. Since her parents died she has been the one to support her siblings and be the backbone of the family. With the rest of her family supposedly moving forward in life Emily feels stuck and the only way to not feel stuck is through her writing. Enter Jack, nemesis colleague, former classmate, who everyone that meets him loves. But Jack has his own secret, he has his own family traumas and his own secret career outside of the teaching job he and Emily share. Emily thought that she was through with Jack when he moved away to be with his fiance but his return to Rome, KY has thrown her off her kilter and Jack likes the fact that he can throw Emily off her kilter. Throughout this book hilarity ensues as both Emily and Jack try to one-up each other in life (getting the best parking spot, getting the best booth in the coffee shop etc.) in a hilarious enemies to lovers rom com! I appreciated how Adams in the beginning of the book gave a spice warning and gave specific chapters to skip over if one is bothered by it!
Thanks to Adams and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book early!

Emily and Jackson's banter had me laughing throughout this entire book! Emily is a Type A through-and-through and has zero qualms saying exactly what's on her mind. Add that to some severe hatred for her fellow second grade teacher, Jackson, and you have a strong independent FMC on your hands! Well, that is until you get to know her. Internally, she has some things she needs to work through and I adore how the author addressed them and provided a way for Emily to begin working through them. Instead of sticking to the strict rules of certain tropes that we see in romance novels time and time again, Sarah breaks the mold and writes a story that feels more natural to the course of her main characters. Jackson has his own internal demons and underneath the hilarious enemies to lovers relationship, he and Emily begin to discover that they may benefit from letting their relationship mold into something completely different. Especially now that they not only have classrooms next to each other but Jackson has unknowingly purchased the home right next door to his long-time nemesis.

Definitely add this one to your list if you're a fan of enemies to lovers, he falls first, cracked door spice, reverse grumpy/sunshine, and banter that will make you laugh out loud!

Another book that hits from Sarah Adams - she just doesn’t disappoint. This one had a noticeable shift in tone + increase in spice compared to previous books, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Emily and Jack were so REAL. Their struggles, responses, and interactions felt very realistic and relatable. I loved the oldest sister + perfectionist representation.

The small town gave me serious Lovelight Farms vibes and I loved seeing some of our favorite characters from earlier books.

Perfect for you if you like:
Dual POV
Enemies/nemesis to lovers
Forced proximity + neighbors
Oldest sister + perfectionist
Coworkers
Hidden identity
Small town

This was everything! Sarah Adams is forever one of my favorite authors. I never want to stop reading about Rome, Kentucky. Emily and Jack had the best rivals to lovers story. I loved the complex characters and the personal growth that happened. Definitely recommend this book!


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

If I could give this book all of the stars I would! I am so emotionally invested in Emily and Jack’s story. This is the third book in the series and I really liked Practice Makes Perfect but I think I like this one even better. Sarah really knows how to pull you in with intriguing characters and interesting plots!

I really related with Emily. She is the oldest daughter and I feel like the way she thought about and reacted to things was exactly the way I do. I love when I can relate to the main character because it makes a book more impactful.

Now to the relationships. The tension and the banter between Emily and Jack was insane. I absolutely loved their chemistry. And the blocking scene…I have never felt that way reading a book before! We all need a Jackson Bennet is our life!

The relationship that Emily has with her siblings is very heartwarming. The found family aspect was one of my favorite parts of the book. They all come together when they need each other even if it’s not easy. It’s also really nice to see them grow throughout the books!

This was honestly the best book to end the year with! Thank you so much NetGalley, DellRomance, and Sarah for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

"You are not alone, Emily. I would walk through my worst memories to get to you every single time."
.
When this hit my kindle, I screamed! This was one of my most anticipated books for 2025 as the last book, Practice Makes Perfect, is one my favorites and I couldn’t wait to get back in Rome! This installment of the series follows sister Emily Walker and her nemesis teacher/secret write Jack Bennett. Their banter and flirty fighting was incredible. And I was so happy when they finally get together. While I love reading about the main couple, this series has the best side characters and I loved revisiting everyone! This book definitely didn’t disappoint and I cannot wait for Maddie’s book.

Thank you Sarah Adams ( @authorsarahadams ), Random House ( @randomhouse ), and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read Beg, Borrow, or Steal early (out January 7, 2025).

I am new to Sarah Adams, and can I tell you how I’m going out and getting all of her books RIGHT NOW!

This was the sweetest romance-enemies to lovers in small town Rome, Kentucky. Emily and her fellow teacher (and nemesis since college) Jackson (aka Jack) are finally free of each other when he moves away to get married—but they both find that distance makes the hearts grow fonder…for each other. When the wedding is called off, Jack returns to Rome, and well, they decide being friends (and more) isn’t too bad.

I loved the banter between Emily and Jack. They were both their truest selves with each other and watching them realize they were in love was delightful.

#BegBorroworSteal #NetGalley #SarahAdams #RandomHouse

Sarah just keeps getting better and better. I love Emily and related to her so much. An older sister who shoulders the weight of the world for her family. I’m so glad she wrote Jack for Emily. They are the perfect duo. I loved their story so much!

Once again, Sarah Adams hits it out of the park. Her books never steer me wrong. They are the perfect combination of sweet and funny and as always, the banter is fantastic. I love reading about the members of Rome, KY and the Walker family, and this book is no different!
This book is about the oldest Walker sister who is a second grade teacher and moonlights as a romance author. She butts heads with an old rival recently returned to town named Jackson Bennett. Their chemistry and rivalry only grows after they become neighbors. I love that Sarah Adams gives both of their first person perspectives throughout the novel. It was a delight to get to know more about Emily. As always with Sarah Adams, she weaves in a deeper emotional depth to both characters.
Another thing I love about this series is the female friendships. They are loving and supportive with zero level of competition or pettiness. It makes these books a delight to read. It just adds to the amazing layers that make Sarah Adam's books sparkle.
This book is a great read just before Valentines Day (even though the novel is set in the summer). I cannot get over how cute the cover is!
You can absolutely read and enjoy this book as a standalone. But if you have read When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect, you will love the little cameos of characters from those novels. And I loved getting the tiny bits of foreshadowing for the next and last Rome novel! I love that we get to still see glimpses of characters that I love from the previous books and small updates on their lives.

To me Emily Walker is the most relatable main character from When in Rome #1-3. I devoured this series and can't wait for future Sarah Adams books. If I had a criticism here it would be that some aspects were just a little coincidental and others were under explored.

Full of the fun, witty banter balanced with heart that Sarah Adams is known for! Loved being back in Rome. This one focused significantly more on our main characters than the town (which can be a character itself) and was a little long in the middle, but overall, loved it!

The latest title from the When In Rome Series by Sarah Adams met and exceeded my expectations. This story centers around Emily and Jack, who have been rivals since college and constantly bicker and push each others buttons. When Jack moves back to Rome after a failed engagement he picks up with Emily exchanging insults and barbs every chance he gets. The problem is Emily and Jack are most honest with each other since they never worry about hurt feelings, this becomes a problem when they discover that their relationship is one of the most genuine that they have. To make matters worse they discover that there is an undeniable attraction between them that both are trying to deny.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to like this one. Emily always seemed a little cold in the other books and my least favorite character so I wasn’t sure this would work.I was wrong, so wrong. This book had more heart and feels than the other two and left me swooning. Their relationship was so good and the support from family and friends was another positive. These just keep getting better and better!!!

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this! The banter and chemistry leaves you smiling and wanting to kick your feet. J also enjoyed the little tidbits of their connection in college and past emails back and forth. I can't wait to read the next in the series! Brb going to read all of Sarah's backlist now!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
Release Date 01/07/2025
SARAHHHHHHHHH!!! I loved every word of this book! We are back in Rome, Kentucky and I truly missed this quirky small town 🥰 Emily and Jack are magical! I feel like I’ve read a lot of broody, grumpy MMCs recently and it was a breath of fresh air that Jack wasn’t like that at all!! And Emily’s journey through her grief was real and needed for me as I deal with some of my own grief this holiday season. I found that I identified with both Jack and Emily in very different ways which was really fun to reflect on while reading. The shenanigans were hilarious, the TENSIONNNNN ( 🥵🥵🥵) was built perfectly, and the characters were grounded and real!
Now, seriously, go preorder this book! If you like nemesis to lovers, quirky small town romcoms, then this is the PERFECT book for you!
Thank you @netgalley and @dellromance for the ARC 😍

This has been my favorite story out of Rome, Kentucky yet. The bickering and bantering between Jack and Emily was hilarious and they made such a great pair. The deeper stories with each of their characters made them very relatable. And the biting at another story for Maddie has be so excited!

Cannot recommend this book or this whole series enough!

Review: Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
Book 3 in the When in Rome series

I’ve really enjoyed the When in Rome series, even though there were elements in the first two books that didn’t completely align with my preferences. That’s a testament to Sarah Adams’s writing—it kept me invested regardless! Beg, Borrow, or Steal, however, was very much my kind of book, and it was such a delight to have all the pieces come together.

I absolutely love rivals-to-lovers, and Emily and Jack delivered in every way. Their dynamic was believable, entertaining, and filled with the perfect "will they, won’t they" tension that so many books lack these days. The slow burn was beautifully done—every moment felt earned and kept me hooked.

My only critique is the ending, which softened a bit too much for my taste. It's a bit ironic because Emily even mentions not wanting to lose the banter with Jack, but I felt the writing lost some of its spark as the tone shifted to sweet and basic. It just felt less exciting compared to the earlier tension and banter. As for the epilogue, it was definitely fun and sweet.... but I would have preferred the main book to end with that part, then use the epilogue to focus on just Emily and Jack... That would have been more satisfying for me anyway.

That said, there’s nothing I’m upset about. Beg, Borrow, or Steal was a lovely read and an easy one to recommend to others. If you love rivals-to-lovers, slow burns, and well-developed characters, pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book

I am so glad to have discovered Sarah Adams this year and so grateful that I was able to read an eARC of Beg, Borrow, or Steal after loving the previous books in this series 🥹

There was something special about Jack and Emily’s relationship and how they went from rivals/enemies to friends to lovers. I love how Sarah Adams incorporates healthy communication in her couples — this one was no different. They both supported one another and became each other’s biggest cheerleader.

The balance between the tension, pining, and tender moments was UNMATCHED. All of it delivered and the execution was nothing short of perfect.

5 stars!!

I am such a huge fan of Sarah Adams and she just keeps getting better. Practice Makes Perfect is one of my all-time favorites so I love getting to stay in Rome and see a little more of the previous couples. When it comes to a Sarah Adams book, I know I'm going to swoon and I am GOING to laugh. I'm going to feel and I might even cry. IMO, absolute QUEEN of the romcom novel.

The banter: sometimes mean but in a very funny way. The communication during the relationship: peak (thank goodness, I hate a miscommunication trope). These two are just perfectly matched in my eyes. So glad I got to end out 2024 with this amazing and highly anticipated novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Title: Beg, Borrow, or Steal
Author: Sarah Adams
Series: When in Rome #3
Rating: 4.5 stars

I didn't think this series could get any better, but boy was I wrong! BBoS was one of my most anticipated reads for Jan 2025, and I am so so happy I had the opportunity to read this one early.

Emily and Jack, our classic frenemies to lovers. Gosh, how I loved everything about them, especially all of their banter and heists! If you have read Sarah's other books, you will know that they don't contain much spice, but even without it, this book was *chefs kiss*

I hope we will return to Rome, KY soon to hear more about our favorite chef and farmer.....

Read this book if you enjoy:
- Rivals to lovers
- Small town
- Forced proximity
- Second chance
- Slow burn
- Closets
- Tobasco sauce

Make sure to check this one out when it is released on January 7, 2025!

A HUGE thank you to Dell Romance, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, NetGalley, and Sarah Adams for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.