This was such a cute, enemies-to-lovers book! The idea of her as a writer and teacher was fun, but she kept it down to earth. The trope of "I need your help, therefore we fall in love" is a little overdone, and I would have liked a different angle, but overall, I enjoyed this book.

Okay, I could've written this review in January when I read it but I didn't. Here's why:
With this book I really needed time on how I was going to rate it. 4.5? 5? I didn't know. I finally came to the conclusion of 4.75 stars. You're probably asking why not just give it a 5? It's right there. Because this book was literally PERFECTION until I got to the epilogue that gave me NOTHING so out of pure pettiness I took .25 off the rating. SUE ME.

Tropes:
- Small-town romance
- Rivals to lovers
- Neighbors
- 2 Teachers

Anyway, Emily and Jack are so amazing together. I could relate to both characters throughout the story. I, like Emily, am the oldest daughter and like Jack, I have an narcissistic parent (which I feel can be SEVERLY underrepresented in the genre). I loved the banter. I loved the emotions. Truly a masterpiece.

Thank you Random House Publishing for the e-arc!

Sarah Adams has done it again. I really enjoyed this rivals to lovers romance in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. Jack and Emily were adorable. There was heart and humor and it was such a sweet romance. I enjoyed that the characters from the previous books in the series made appearances and that this book dealt with topics of grief and narcissistic parents in a respectful and meaningful way. I hope we get some more books in this series because I have really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

YES YES YES, a hundred times YES!

I don't know what kind of magic was cooked into this book, but Sarah Adams has me eating out of the palm of her hand.

<i>Beg, Borrow, or Steal</i> is the perfect romantic love story of two enemies to lovers that literally belong together on such a deep level you can't help but be instantly drawn in and surprisingly jealous.

Jack is by far in my top 10 fictional men's list, and one of the few men on that list who is blond, witty, sarcastic, playful, and...perfect? Like, he's just SO GOOD!

Emily I think hits a little too close to home with a lot of her narrative, fears, and personality, which may be why I love this book so much, but she's spunky, witty, and sarcastic...wait I'm just naming off the same things for Jack. SEE? Don't they go perfectly together?

The banter was fantastic, the humor top-notch, the attraction bone-deep, and the very real emotions pulled at the heartstrings.

Not to mention Duckie - do I need a cat?

I think another part of why I love it is that it's a good pace (never felt boring) and that problems get solved and communicated through quickly, which was so nice! And it didn't feel like the story stopped going when it was fixed, it was just another pothole in the road found and filled.

Will I be dreaming of this relationship for the rest of my days? Quite possibly.

*Sigh* I need a Jack. Really, everyone needs a Jack.

Content guide
Contains brief themes of a narcissistic parent, fade-to-black intimate scenes between a couple, and deep healing emotions (like depression and grief).
Spicy: 🌶️ 🌶️ (mentions and conversation, but mostly fade to black)
Language: 🤬 (not much)
Cute Cats: 🐱

This was unexpectedly one of my favorite books in a long time. I have gushed to everyone in my life about how good it is. I want to pack a bag and move to the fictional Rome Kentucky immediately!

I truly felt so seen by this book and I think other oldest daughter, take charge, perfectionist types will be able to relate. I loved how perfectly Emily and Jackson complicated each other. Every emotion and reaction felt so realistic.

The enemies/rivals to friends to lovers trope made everything all the more fun to read. I also lived for the other unexpected tropes thrown in! I don't want to spoil anything, but I felt like I was reading the best of AO3 fan-fiction at times. There were times when I laughed aloud for uncountable minutes, many I spent holding my breath, and a few where I was sobbing along with the characters.

Though this book is a charming and cozy as the rest of the Rome Kentucky series, it felt more grounded and emotional. I loved the quiet introspective moments between Emily and Jackson, as much as the heist scene advertised in the blurb.

I can not wait to read the final book in the series, but I will be sad to close the door on this town and these people.

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy.
Like every book Sarah Adams writes, this one slaps. I thoroughly enjoyed this as much as the rest in this series.

I love all of Sarah Adams’ books but this one I especially loved being back with this family! Feels like a second home and it was so well written! Loved learning more about the characters and such a feel good story!

This book was so cute! I didn't read the series on order but that's okay, I still liked it! I liked getting to know the town and all the characters. I laughed out loud more than once. I would definitely recommend this!

This was a great rom com and probably my favorite from the series! The banter between the characters was great and such a nice slow burn! Jacks character became more lovable as the story progressed!

Such a great funny yet heartwarming read! I would absolutely recommend to my friends!

I really enjoyed seeing the characters progress in this story. The story was well paced and well written. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in just a few sittings.

This book was so cute! Definitely one of my favorites from this author! It was just the right amount of spice and swoon! I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

Adams does it again! She creates quirky characters and and plausible situations that fill this book with laughs and smiles. .

I absolutely loved this one. This made my soul happy. The relationship between these two, had you rooting for them. You just wanted them to work out, everything about this story made me happy. I will read anything She writes.

3.5 ⭐️

Bickering as flirting is the BEST! Enjoyed that part of their romance, enjoyed their story but sometimes it was a little too much. Maybe gave off an overplayed feel to emotions from the FMC.

Still a very enjoyable read!

This book was phenomenal. I loved both characters completely. They were so well written they felt real.

As I will forever say - we need more teacher representation in romance!!! And I loved that about this one! While these two started out as rival teachers they quickly found themselves drawn together again and again. And gotta love that motorcycle scene that changed everything !!!

I’d give this book 4 stars, and I really appreciated that it worked as a standalone. Emily, the FMC, felt so relatable to me. I’ve always loved the charm of small-town settings where everyone knows everyone’s business—it actually gave me Gilmore Girls vibes as I thought back on it.

One thing that really stood out was a character mentioning how they love romance books for the strong friendships and relationships, and I couldn’t agree more. I especially enjoy when a story balances real-life struggles, challenges, and drama alongside the romance. It makes everything feel more authentic and (my favorite word today) relatable.

Love this. So cute. Characters are great. Didn’t put it down until it was over. I’ve loved all of Sarah Adams books but this was top tier.

This series has gripped me from the beginning. I picked up When In Rome a couple of years ago going in blind and absolutely fell in love with the town of Rome, Kentucky. Beg, Borrow, or Steal follows Emily Walker, big sister who feels the weight of everyone’s problems and doesn’t feel like she can have her own emotions and Jack Bennett, her rival since college who grew up in his Dad’s shadow. The banter in this book was top tier. Emily and Jack are a match, it just took them awhile to figure it out. I am so glad I found this series! I am just in love with all of the Rome people!

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Adams, Dell Romance, and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of this!

Sarah Adams is truly excellent at her craft. This book is funny, sweet, and everything I want in a RomCom. I literally could not put it down, I was up until 1 lam reading it. Sarah brings so much emotion, comedy, and sensuality to her stories. They feel real. I find myself connecting with every one of her MCs every time I read her books. The ' When In Rome' series is one of my absolute favorites, and this might be might be favorite in the series. I love the back and forth bickering and the enemies to lovers trope. It's done in such a captivating way here. And my god, the spice was delicious. Not too much for the story and SUCH I slow burn it was almost unbearable, in a really good way. Emily is a very relatable FMC with depth and complexity. And Jack is more that just eye candy, he bring so much to the story.