5⭐️ 1🌶️

I had such a great time with this book. It had everything I needed, banter, wit, swooning, and crying. I felt all the feelings while reading this story and I haven’t had that in a while!

As the oldest sibling from a messed up home, I related with Emily so much. I have always been the caretaker of my siblings. Letting people in and seeing me weak has always been hard. I took care of them, not the other way around. But seeing her opening up and learning to let them in was inspiring! Especially since I struggled with the same thing until my husband came along.

This is my first Sarah Adams book and it looks like I’m going to need to pick up the rest!

I want to thank NetGalley and Sarah Adams for the ARC of Beg, Borrow, or Steal in exchange for an honest review.

where to begin! i absolutely adore the rome, kentucky book series, they are such a source of comfort as sarah adams is one of the first romance authors i fell in love with! i was very excited to read emily’s story that outlines the enemies to lovers story of her and jackson, a fellow teacher who always seems to be one upping her in every possible way and is always some how there! it’s always nice to return to rome and see all the familiar faces like mabel and i can always picture the books so well. i adored this story and loved the text messages and email component of it as well. i am extremely excited for madison’s story because i know it’s gonna be amazing! this is a must read if you’re looking for a small town, enemies to lovers romance <3

Beg, Borrow, or Steal follows Emily and Jack who are two second grade teachers. They both teach in Rome, Kentucky and they hate each other. Emily is from Rome and gets happy when Jack leaves. But Jack decides to move back to Rome. Not only that but he buys the house right next door to Emily’s. Emily has plans to sabotage his return. But one day Emily accidentally sends an email to their school principal. She needs help to delete the email and enlists Jack to help her. Surprisingly he agrees. This changes everything. They realize they might actually not hate each other. Who knows maybe they might actually have feelings for each other.

If Sarah Adams writes it I am going to read it and love it. I love this series and I think this book might be my favorite. (That does change all the time though lol.). I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope. I thought Emily and Jack were so dang cute. Everything about this book was what I love in a romance book. I loved this so much. Do yourself a favor and read this book ( and all of her books).

Thank you, Sarah Adams, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Emily Walker and her rival Jack Bennett are second-grade teachers. When she heard he moved away in the middle of the school year with his fiancé she was thrilled and secretly upset that he didn’t even attempt to say goodbye to her.

Fast forward a few months and Jack is back in town looking for a house before the school year begins where he will go back to teaching second grade. Jack finds the only house available in town, it needs a lot of work and is also next door to Emily.

I really enjoyed the dual POV’s throughout the entire store. I loved seeing the banter and fighting that they both had with each other in the beginning. There were many laugh-out-loud moments.

Once Emily let her guard down more, you were able to see the way she let Jack in and it made her realize that she had feelings for him. I loved seeing their friendship blossom into something more.

I loved Jack and his honesty, especially with Emily. There were so many great scenes between the two of them, one of my favorites was where they tried to retrieve Emily’s email that she had sent to her principal by accident.

Rome, Kentucky is one of my favorite little fictional towns to read. All of the characters are so great everyone from Madison to Mabel. I can’t wait for the final book in the series so we can get one last trip to Rome, Kentucky.

This is book 3 in the When In Rome series. It can also be read standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beg, Borrow, Steal by. Sarah Adams 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 
“Find somebody who will hug me when I’m sad and then help me look on the bright side of things when all I can see is the dark.”
The Rome Kentucky series has always been one of my favorites, so going into this book I had extremely high hopes and as always Sarah Adams did not disappoint. I think we can all agree that whenever you read a series the second or the third is never as good as the first but that's not that case here. I didn't think it was possible but I think I love Emily and Jack even more!! I’m honestly in awe of how she continues to create these stories that make you fall head over heels for every single character. This book hit really close to home, especially with its focus on sibling and family dynamics. As an older sister myself, I found the representation so heartfelt and raw. Being an older sister is a beautiful thing I'm so grateful for, but it also comes with its share of challenges. Sarah captured all of that so perfectly. As soon as I read the Blurb for "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" I couldn't contain my excitement. A second grade teacher who's writing a romance book in her spare time, It doesn't get better than that! I cannot wait to be a teacher one day and reading about Jack and Emily's ups and downs has seriously made me so much more excited!! I guess you can say this book kinda reassured me that I should go for it and maybe I can do it! Emily is my absolute favorite Walker sister, she's feisty but sweet and always trying to take care of others. My heart hurts for Jack and the family he deserved but didn't get. There's something so admirable about the openness and freedom between the two of them. Although there's time for banter we also get to see it's important to have that person who knows you and listens to your darkest thoughts and feelings. I cannot wait to come back to Rome, Kentucky one last time, until then I will continue obsessing over the beautiful love story that is Emily and Jack. 
Tropes in this book
- Rivals to Lovers
- Secret Writer
- Nosy Small Town
- Teacher Romance 
- WITTY BANTER
Songs that remind me of this book
- Lonely. Justin Beiber & Benny Blanco 
- Dancing In The Dark. Rihanna 
- One of Them Girls. Lee Brice

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is the 3rd book of the series When in Rome. This can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend to read the first 2 books to get the warm welcome of entering Rome, Kentucky with their everloving citizens. Emily and Jack were academic rivals and have become workplace rivals, both teaching at the same school. Summer break is on and Jack returns to Rome after his engagement fell through. Reuniting with Jack has Emily finding ways to continue the rivalry but also realizing there’s deeper meaning of her feelings towards Jack. Emily and Jack have great chemistry and their rivalry screamed enemies to lover! Their bantering and slowly accepting their love for each other was well written. Jack is so swoonworthy and a charmer and Emily is compassionate and protective of her family. Emily embraces the eldest daughter duties and focuses on how everyone is doing + feeling and not taking a second to focus on what she needs herself. Jack comes in and tries to be there for her only if she lets him in. Both Emily and Jack have struggled with their mental health. I appreciated how it was talked about but I wish there was a bit more on how they coped with their struggles and steps to working on themselves. Overall, it was great to be back in this town with returning characters from the first two books and watch their found family grow. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC for an honest review

as a soon to be 2nd grade teacher I was so excited to read this book! I loved the banter and the small town vibes. It was easy to follow and I fell in love with the characters easily!

This book was delicious!! Emily and Jack stole my heart with their witty banter and decade-long grudges. I was rooting for them, and laughing, the entire time. Sarah Adams has done it again and I can’t wait for the next Rome, KY adventure!!

4.5 stars! such a cute grumpy sunshine/ feud book! i adored the characters and how their relationship panned out! very cute and not super predicting storyline.

I had such high expectations for this book because I LOVED the second book in the series. I never truly got invested in this story & the characters. I did find myself relating a lot to Emily. It took a lot for me to actually pick up the book & read it. Idk if it’s because I was feeling slumpy or I genuinely wasn’t enjoying the book? I usually finish a book within 3/4 days but this one took me almost a week 😅 also, I wasn’t a big fan of the third act breakup. I usually LOVE a third act breakup but this one felt like it was just throw in 🙃 There were some cute moments but also a lot of moments that I had read a lot in other books. This was definitely Sarah Adams most spicy book & the tension was tensioning. I do appreciate her including the open door scenes in the beginning of the book 🫶🏼 overall, it was a cute romance but nothing super memorable in my opinion. I will be reading more from Sarah Adams though! I’m super excited for the last book in the series.

I love the when in Rome series and was so excited to read the story of Jack and Emily. Everything about the story just felt mature and honest, and Jack may be my new book crush. I am crossing my fingers we get. Madison story next!

Friends, if you are not reading Sarah Adams and love a heartfelt romcom then you are really missing out. Having been reading her work since her self-publishing days, I can say that she has honed her craft and continues to blow me away with her characters and storytelling ability. This was an easy 5 star listen for me.

Fair warning though, if you are an eldest daughter like I am, then this one may hit a little too close to home. Emily’s eldest daughter vibes were spot on, and I may or may not have been in my feels about it.

I want to live in Rome, KY. I love the Walker’s. I never want this series to end. All of our favorite loveable characters are here, and I LOVED getting some more insight into what is going on in the lives of my favorite group of grown siblings.

You still have time to pre-order this delicious book that is filled to the brim with deep emotions, characters you can’t help but love, and maybe a hidden identity sprinkled in here and there. I will forever and always be a Sarah Adams fan.

Side note, this is an EXCELLENT listen. Highly, highly recommend the audiobook version if that is your jam. I devoured it!

Pick this one up if you like:

-Small Town Romances
-Long Time Enemies to Lovers
-Rival Second Grade Teachers
-Secret Identities.
-Oldest Daughter Vibes
-The Perfect Banter
-Next Door Neighbors

2.5 ⭐️ When I had received an arc for Sarah Adams’ new book in her When In Rome series, I was beyond excited!! I really enjoyed When In Rome and liked Practice Makes Perfect! This book had a lot of inappropriate humor. The relationship between Emily and Jack was alright. Jack always had a sweet spot for Emily tho which I really liked. I did like that he would do anything for her. But, I did not enjoy the banter. There’s nothing really else I have to say except that I really just did not enjoy this book as much as the other books in the series. I believe others will enjoy this book but this was just not for me.

Here are the chapters I skipped to keep the book closed door: 16, 25, 32.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!! Beg, Borrow, or Steal comes out January 7, 2025. #BegBorroworSteal #NetGalley

If you are an eldest sister, you will enjoy. If not, you may still enjoy it but it was definitely written for the eldest sisters of the world

Ahh! This was amazing. I will forever say that Rome feels like being in Stars Hollow. The small town feel, everyone knows each other and are there for each other. Sarah Adams’ books are a comfort read. Each time I’m in Rome, KY, it feels like a warm hug from all the characters I know and love. Her books keep getting better and better.

Emily and Jack’s story felt so real, vulnerable and emotional, but at the same time it was funny and heartfelt. They’re 2 beautiful souls that have always been used of taking care of everyone else, and for no one to take care of them. They spent so many years on this feud, that when they’re real with each other hits soooo good.

💕 Small town
💕 Enemies to friends to lovers
💕 Teachers / secret writers
💕 He calls her Goldie
💕 He rides a motorcycle (sometimes)
💕 There’s a cat named Ducky

TW: loss of parents, alcoholic parent

I can’t wait for Maddie’s story!

Thank you Random House - Ballantine, & NetGalley for the arc!

Permanently, forever heart eyes over the Walker Siblings. Truly, I could not love them more and Emily was no exception!! (I hesitate to rank them, but I fear Emily and Jack miiiiight have taken the lead). This book was the perfect balance of soft and funny, as is the Sarah Adams specialty, and I absolutely could not put it down. The characters in this town are so dear to me and I love getting to visit them all in every new book. I could not recommend it more!!

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is a cutie, perfect romcom that follows two second grade teachers, Emily Walker and Jackson Bennett who are long time *nemesis* (who are very attracted to each other and constantly orbit around each other!!). Emily is fiercely loyal and Jack is very charming - to everyone but each other. They are competitors in every arena, but over the course of their summer break, they just might find that they’re even better together fighting on the same team!!

Emily + Jack forever, okay?? I love them and I loved watching them fall in love. Beg, Borrow, or Steal hits shelves 1-7-25!! Add it to your tbr immediately!!

Thanks so much to Dell and NetGalley for my early copy!!

Ok I must admit, I’ve been in a slump with romance books lately and really need to get some other genres on board BUT this one was so cute, fun and wonderful 😭✨ Sarah is the queen of writing and just has a way with words. No one writes chemistry between two characters the way she does!

Emily was such a joy and her character was much deeper than I anticipated! Jack feels built for her and I loved every minute of it. This is one of those romances that makes you laugh and then cry a few pages later - perfection. I wasn’t sure on the teacher rivals to lovers plot but I shouldn’t doubt SA and her abilities. This was done beautifully. I loved Emily and Jack individually which made this story addicting. Also can we just acknowledge Jack is so sweet, gentle and an intentional man??? We love him. Rome, Kentucky never disappoints and I wanna be there - like YESTERDAY

Do yourself a favor and read if you like:
-enemies to lovers
-small towns
-unhealed wounds
-close proximity
-sunshine v sunshine

I really enjoyed this! Some of the shenanigans shenaniganed a little too hard for my taste - I mean, come on, you're going to break into your boss's house and then have a full blown intense makeout session in his closet while hiding from him? My suspension of disbelief in romcoms goes pretty far but not that far. Other than that though I had a great time! I thought Emily and Jack had solid individual arcs and good chemistry together and even though I haven't read the other series entries I was able to enjoy the side characters who had clearly come from the other books.

I was so excited to head back to Rome Kentucky and this book did not disappoint!! This is one of my favorite series by Sarah Adams. This was the perfect enemies to lovers with the right amount of spice. Their banter and emails were such a fun touch! I loved every minute of this story 💕

Thank you to Sarah Adams, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the e-ARC!

loved seeing the walker siblings and this time Emily. loved seeing this town of Rome Kentucky . Loved the sparring between jack and Emily and that they were honest with each other and that they both asked for help. Loved the siblings and can't wait to read madison's . Loved that they missed each other before they ended up falling in love.