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Member Reviews

Rome, Kentucky is my happy place. The weather is great, the people are friendly, and love is always in the air. After experiencing the magic between Amelia and Noah and Annie and Will, I couldn’t wait to see what Sarah Adams had in store for Emily and Jack.

Emily is the oldest Walker sister and self-appointed pillar of the family. She’s beloved by all of Rome, even if she can sometimes be hyper-focused and a bit inflexible. When Jack, her arch nemesis and fellow second grade teacher, returns to Rome after a broken engagement, sparks fly between them. And that’s just the beginning.

Sarah Adams displays incredible talent in developing characters who feel real. Both Emily and Jack have been hurt by people closest to them and, as a result, erected walls to isolate themselves as protection against further heartbreak. Emily and Jack have a history going back to their college days. They trade barbs and insults, and are ridiculously competitive with each other. All of which belies their growing attraction. The slow build of their relationship is exquisite. Ms. Adams combines tenderness and vulnerability with strength and character growth and I am here for all of it.

Each trip to Rome finds me falling more in love with the characters in this series. BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL is everything I hoped it would be and more. No notes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review

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4.5 stars.

This was beyond cute! Possibly my favorite in the series so far. Emily and Jack are teachers who have been rivals since college. He moves back to town during summer break after a broken engagement, only to end up buying the dilapidated home next door. He’s charismatic and everyone loves him. She’s more prickly and reserved.

This book was so funny and full of hijinks. When Emily needed to steal the principal’s laptop to delete a mistaken email? Hilarious. Also, she’s got a cat. <3

It’s dual POV and first person.

The author included a trigger warning section, along with what chapters to skip if you prefer closed-door. I think that’s an awesome note for readers.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

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4.5!
I just love this small town of Rome, Kentucky SO much 😭

I have fallen in love with this series & I’m incredibly sad that there’s only one more book left 😢 I loved this one! Sarah Adams’ metaphors are *chef’s kiss* & her writing has evolved so much!

As the older sister of 4 & someone with a history of anxiety & depression, I really related to Emily’s & I loved how beautifully mental health was addressed. The romance was romancing & the banter was so fun! My favorite aspect of the whole series has been the found family & this book definitely delivered on that 🥹

I recommend this book (+all of Sarah Adams novels) a million times over!

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Oh Rome, Kentucky! How I’ve missed you!! This was an absolutely incredible read. I was SO loud reading this, I kept gasping, laughing, and crying along with our characters. There are points in this book that will have you yelling “YES!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU SARAH ADAMS!!” at your ceiling because it is that enjoyable. It’s hard not to when the story is this fun and feels so grounded. Also, as an eldest daughter there’s some parts of this that hit so close to home. I loved, loved, loved every second of it!! Sarah Adams did an incredible job. I went on a huge binge with her books earlier this year, so it’s only right to close it out with a (very special to me!!) ARC provided by NetGalley. Thank you so much!!!

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Oh my Sarah Adams you’ve done it again. This is the third installment in the Rome series, and each visit to this amazing town makes me wish I was there. What’s funny is I wasn’t very excited to visit Emily’s world from the snapshots we got of her in the other books (we’re probably too much alike). But then Sarah comes along and puts you inside her head and wow. Emily made me feel so seen. And she did it in a way that it felt like a comforting hug from your best friend. I don't think I’ve ever highlighted so many passages in a book.

From the dedication, I was honestly hooked. It felt like someone understood me. If you’re an eldest daughter, this books for you. If you’re an hardcore perfectionist, this books for you.

Emily is wonderful and misunderstood throughout the series, but man does she shine here. I also love how deeply her and Jacks rivalry goes. Their pettiness was amazing, but I also loved that despite them being rivals, they had so much respect for one another. Jack has also quickly climbed my ranks of favorite book heroes and has broken my top 10. I know with subsequent reads, he'll probably break top 5.

It’s safe to say, I loved this book. It’s my favorite of the Rome series, honestly I can’t wait until it’s official release to buddy read it with my best friend so she can share in my excitement. I’ll be sad when Rome comes to an end, but this is a book I’ll be revisiting often. In fact, I think I may start now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.



Posted to Storygraph & Goodreads 12/11/2024

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I am so glad I got to go back to Rome, Kentucky! Sarah writes the best characters and I loved Emily and Jack with my whole heart. Their banter was my absolute favorite thing about this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!

A huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

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This book exceeded my expectations! The perfect next installment in the interconnected series. I loved seeing the eldest Walker sister on a more personal level and see her warm up to her rival. The enemies to lovers trope was so spot on, building the anticipation with impeccable banter. Sarah Adam’s never disappoints with the character development in this series! A truly heartwarming trip back to Rome Kentucky!

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Queen Sarah Adams. I LOVE this one. I saw so much of myself in Emily and seeing her slowly fall in love with life (and Jack) was so good and so important. She loves her family so much but when they are all safe and happy she felt lost, but they were always in her corner and supporting her. I absolutely loved seeing the characters from her other books and seeing more of this town. Jack is the calm and sweet to Emily’s feisty attitude and I was loving their dynamic. They relied on each other and Jack knew exactly what she needed. Big fan of this book and big fan of Sarah Adams.

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If you haven’t read this romance series then you should. This is, in my opinion, Sarah Adams’s peak achievements in writing thus far. Everything just clicks. Characters, pacing, plot, settings, banter, emotions… it just fits together so well. And I say all this with this third addition, “Beg, Borrow, or Steal”, being my least favorite in the series (Book 2 is my fave, followed by 1), because book 3 is an incredible story, outpacing many in the genre, and demanding to be read by all…. and that “least favorite” thing? It’s by, like, a smidge. So small.

Emily and Jack are delightful enemies. Their antagonism and playful hostility escalates and then ebbs and flows as they grow closer together. It’s the best romantic/emotional foreplay. They both have the right sense of humor and temperament to make it entertaining but then switch to compassionate understanding as past traumas and dramas emerge. The connection is spectacular.

Adams’s ability to create two halves of a whole cannot be overstated. She always writes these characters that, not just clearly belong together, but feel like soulmates. And I’ve never been big on the “soulmate” thing but this author makes me believe with each of these siblings in the When in Rome series.

My only gripes come with wishing we had more of the townspeople we’ve come to love be more present in the story. And I thought their mental health struggles, while valid and rich to their backstories and character, weren’t fully explored or resolved in an entirely satisfying way.

Overall, though, I obviously love and highly recommend.

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So, Beg, Borrow, or Steal is apparently going to be my gateway into small town romance novels. It was such a lovely balance of rivals/enemies to lovers, finding yourself in your 30's, and the angst of having all of your people start to move away with delightful, charming characters. The two point of view characters (the rivals themselves), Emily Walker and Jackson (Jack) Bennett, are so much fun - I loved seeing the story unfold from each of their sides. I was absolutely addicted from start to finish and heartily recommend.

If you're looking for a book with rivals to lovers, fun banter, and some great side characters to boot I definitely recommend Beg, Borrow, or Steal and look forward to reading Sarah's other books, too! Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Random House Ballatine for the advanced copy.

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Second-grade teacher, Emily, wakes up one day to find out her longtime nemesis, Jack, has come back to town following a breakup with his fiancee. Now Emily has to adjust to the fact that Jack will not only be teaching 2nd grade right next door to her but also moving into the house next door. When Jack's construction goes awry and Emily's secret writing career gets leaked, the two learn to put their differences aside to help each other.

This was an adorable, feel-good rivals-to-lovers romance. I loved that Emily struggles with being the strong, perfect one, always there to support her family but learns, through Jack, to lean on others. I also loved how Jack learns to stand up to his domineering father and step into the limelight of his successful writer.

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I've read almost all of Sarah Adam's books and I have to say, they never disappoint! This story was just so cute - an emenies-to-lovers trope can never go wrong. This was a great addition to the When in Rome series and if there's a fourth book, I'll be first in line to request an ARC!

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Just when you think Sarah Adams can't possibly top her other main couples, she gives us Emily and Jack! These two characters had so much depth and growth. I loved watching them fall in love with each other as they became friends and grew to know each other on a deeper level. I want to move to Rome, Kentucky, and never look back. The author has created a world within this small town that truly feels like home. It was also nice to see things happening with some of the side characters. I can't wait to go back to Rome again and see what happens with our favorite chef!

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I absolutely love Rome, Kentucky and am even more jealous than I was before reading this next installment.

This time around, we get to know the eldest Walker sister Emily and see inside her head a little bit more. We find out more about the wonderful Walker parents, and get to follow along as Emily once again encounters her nemesis, Jack Bennett. As they reunite once again, their sparring turns into something more as they realize they may be more alike than they realize.
We also get life updates on Madison, Anna-banana, and Noah (along with Amelia, Will, James, and Mabel).

This is SUCH a great next book in the series!

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My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Spice Level: The author has set this up as a "choose your own level of spice" by telling readers the chapters that have the spice in them, but I have a caveat on that.
Language: Some swearing

BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL feels like a new branch for Sarah Adams readers. I've also thought of her as a fun, light-hearted, sweet romance writer. This book has spice.

***POTENTIAL SPOILER*** Here's my caveat: the chapters with sex are actually less provocative than the pre-spice chapter with the "play acting." I'm hoping that's not a big spoiler for you. But if you're not interested in spice, that is important information. ***END OF SPOILER***

This book has one of the best scenes I've ever seen with the characters yearning for one another. IF you're a writer, you should definitely read this to see how the characters work together.

I loved the characters in this book and the background of their lives. I would call this a second-chance romance because the couple knew each other in college, at work, and are now back together.

Spicy romance readers are going to eat up this story.

Happy reading!

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It’s been a day since I finished this book and I know that these 2 characters will be with me for a long time. The book sucked me in and these two characters were relatable with their banter and their struggles. I specifically related to Emily’s character of being the older sister who needs to keep it together, being the reliable one, finding comfort and ease of being alone and getting lost in romance books.

I loved Jackson’s character and his strength to be vulnerable with Emily.

Read this book if you like:
- [ ] Dual POV
- [ ] Enemies to lovers
- [ ] Hidden Identity
- [ ] Forced proximity
- [ ] Small town romance
- [ ] Spice level: 🌶️ (skip c 16, 25, 32, 36)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

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A fun addition to the series. I remember liking the first two more.

Academic rivals end up in the same small town teaching second grade at the same school. Classic enemies to lovers. Emily has some major codependency issues with her siblings that she starts to realize throughout the story. Jack is a people-pleaser and has used his charms to stay in his comfort zone, but he's learned these tendencies come down to manipulating others to stay in his comfort zone.

I didn't realize until writing this review that I think the MC's psychological baggage was too close to my own, which made me like the characters less, haha! Overall worth a read.

Tropes:
•Forced Proximity
•Enemies to Lovers
•Sunny vs. Grumpy
•Second Chance

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open Door: At least one intimate scene with the reader present, euphemistic language for act and body parts.

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Sarah knocked it out of the park with this one! This was one of my most anticipated reads and it exceeded everything I was hoping for.

The tension, banter and chemistry between Emily and Jack is evident from the beginning. I love a good rivals to lovers 😈 Every time they were arguing, I wanted to scream at them just to be together already! Their slow burn was top notch 👌🏻

The characters are written with so much depth; I could feel their feelings while reading. Both Jack and Emily are working through some big life changes while navigating their new normal together. I think Sarah executed their journeys flawlessly!

It was so fun to be back in Rome, Kentucky! The whole Walker gang was back together and I definitely teared up a few times with their interactions and emotional breakthroughs 🥹 I’m obsessed with this series but Beg, Borrow and Steal is definitely my favorite so far 🫶🏻

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Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to Ballantine, Dell, Penguin Random House, Netgalley, and Sarah Adams for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“You think you’re unlovable, but I think I’ve never known how to love until knowing you.” 💕

“Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” 💗

This was one of my most anticipated reads and getting this ARC was one of the highlights of my year! Beg, Borrow, or Steal is one of the best romance books that I’ve ever read. Absolutely everything about it was PERFECTION. Coming back to Rome, Kentucky again was so much fun and Sarah has written a wonderful, joyful romance full of heart again!

There are so many things that I loved about this one, but I especially enjoyed how the MCs were written with such depth and how healthy communication is emphasized. Seeing how Emily navigates her role as the big sister, as well as how she slowly discovers who she wants to be throughout the story was so incredible. Also, the way in which Jack navigates family trouble, his feelings, and his own goals was so inspiring.

When it comes to romance, Sarah creates the absolute best chemistry between the MCs. Emily and Jackson are an amazing couple and everyone deserves a love like theirs. The banter, flirting, and slow burn are flawless.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is phenomenal. An entertaining, heartwarming read that remains lighthearted while highlighting important topics, I adore this book with my whole heart. Highly recommend adding this to your TBR!

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Small town romance
- Found family
- MMC in glasses
- Teachers/Authors
- Perfectionist FMC
- Colleagues

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Very enjoyable romance read. Emily is a relatable and likeable main character, and the dynamic with Jack was great. Great use of the enemies to lovers trope and the supporting characters and small-town setting were well done.

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