I’ve said it before, & I’ll say it again:
Sarah Adams books are pure sunshine☀️

Beg, Borrow or Steal is the softest & kindest rivals to lovers relationship that you’ll ever read. I found myself wanting to devour this book while simultaneously needing to savor every moment between Jack & Emily.

A very easy 5⭐️ for me.
Rivals to lovers • small town • teachers • neighbors

I loveddddd Jack and Emily together. Writers on writing is one of my absolute favorite microtropes! Reading another book set in Rome Kentucky is just what the doctor ordered. I will say the first twenty percent or so I was worried that Sarah Adams is too nice to write enemies well, but Jack and Emily’s story worked out beautifully after that point. There’s a good bit of family trauma, which who can’t relate to these days? I do really enjoy that Sarah Adams has added spice to her more recent books, though I can always appreciate more heat more often!

Super cute story and love this adorable little Town and all the characters from it! Highly enjoyed the banter and history between the two main characters, and how their story and connection evolved. Highly recommend- I smile while I read and flew through it!

This is the third installment of the "when in rome" series which is my favorite series by Sarah Adams.

Let me just say that this book surpass my expectation. The pacing was great, no dull moments (which is I was surprised.). I love how every words connects and easy to read that it is so hard to stop and take a break for a bit. There are also sensitive issues here and I think that they are written with utmost care and with consideration that some readers might get triggered by those scenes.


This is no shape or form a perfect book (not everyone has the same cup of tea) but so far this is one of those books that I am looking forward to own it's physical form and reread this again.

Oh my lord. I love Sarah Adams. I love Rome, Kentucky. Jack Bennett is my MAN. A capable, competent man, obviously is gonna be a little frustrating because he’s just THAT good. Emily is such a relatable character and as she struggles and is finding her new path you feel like you’re living it. Sarah Adams does an excellent job setting the scene so much so that you can smell and taste what’s happening (don’t even get me started on chapter 16).

I wish there were a few more hi-jinx with trying to get the book back since that feels like a primary plot point. But there were enough other activities to be had to keep the story moving.

Overall absolutely love!

I loved being back in Rome, KY with the siblings. I went into this one with a bit of hesitancy because I LOVED Annie and Wills story so much - I wasn’t sure how this would add up.

Ultimately - I felt a huge pull towards Emily as a character. Some lines felt like they were ripped straight from my head. I also loved the rivalry dynamic between her and Jack.

This wasn’t a five star read simply because I felt like the switch from ‘I hate you’ to ‘I love you’ went almost too quick? There was somehow lots of build up but it still felt slightly off.

However - this was still a very enjoyable read - it made me laugh and tear up a little.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the platform to allow for me to acquire the ARC.

Emily and Jack have been rivals for years, always going for the same things both academically and out in the real world unintentionally. Once Jack moves back to Rome after breaking up with a long term girlfriend, he ends up moving in next door to Emily. Where shenanigans ensue and the two enemies learn that they were all too similar this whole time.
I love all the Rome books, and honestly I thought Practice Makes Perfect would be my favorite one. This one might be taking the cake. I love the story, the characters (new and returning), the found family, the family shenanigans, the small town vibes, the pranks, so much.
I am beyond grateful to have received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and Dell.

"Beg, Borrow, or Steal" was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and let me say it did not disappoint. Emily and Jack had the best chemistry and banter; the tension was THERE! I have read all of Sarah Adams books and love seeing the way she has grown as a writer and the way she depicts real life situations in her books. It is amazing that the main characters learned the importance of communication and leaning on others. The Rome, Kentucky series is one of my all time favorites, and I cannot wait to read Madison's book!

Thank you to Dell Romance & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is Sarah Adams best work yet!!! Being back in the fictional town Rome, Kentucky is one of my happy places! This story felt real and raw, emotional, deeply entertaining and full of so many LOL moments.

It was so refreshing to read a story with Main Characters who were dealing with and facing so many real life situations/feelings. I really appreciated seeing how they worked through these things on their own, and also together. The banter between Jackson and Emily could set a Forrest fire!! How these two ever thought they hated each other is beyond me, because they were sooo clearly made for each other! I loved watching them go from Rivals to building up a friendship, and eventually fall into a relationship.

I also cannot complete my review without mentioning the GENUWINE PONY MOTORCYCLE scene!!!!! It was everything! I literally reread it 3 times and was cackling!! Also, their entire heist also had me LOLing the entire time.

I’m so excited for everyone to read this in January 2025!

Tropes
❤️Small town Romance
❤️Rivals to friends to Lovers
❤️Feuding Teachers, & secret writers
❤️Neighbors
❤️So much banter

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

“I don’t need anything from you other than for you to unlock the door for me so I can come lie with you when the darkness is too heavy to crawl out of. And if you need to fight, you can fight with me.

“You are not alone, Emily. I would walk through my worst memories to get to you every single time.”

Such a cute book, filled with cute chemistry banter and fun. Highly recommend. I found the book to be delightful and i was speeding through it. I love how Sarah brought characters in from the previous 2 books tieing i together and furthering their journey. Steamy and fun filled.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
This book felt like I hug I didn’t know I needed. As an oldest daughter afraid of change, I felt very seen and heard by the FMC. I could not get enough of watching her and the MMC banter while their relationship grew from rivals into to something more and them slowly realizing what they meant to each other. I always love coming back to Rome.

This is the third book in the When in Rome series. They are interconnected small town romances centered around a group of siblings. This installment follows oldest sister Emily and her work rival Jackson. I don't know how Sarah Adams did it but this somehow manages to be even cuter than the last two books. It is also super sexy! Emily and Jackson have been rivals for years yet they're drawn to each other in other ways too so naturally when Emily has a top secret emergency Jackson is the only person she can turn to. There's a lot of hijinks! This was such a fun and happy read! These two are the cutest! They also manage to deal with some big emotional issues in their individual lives that help them to grow together.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC.

This was SO freaking fun and cute and sassy. I loved our two MCs and the enemies to lovers vibes. I also love this series overall and it was good to be back in Rome. A great rom com!

I really enjoyed this third installment of this series! I loved the plot, I loved the bickering. I LOVED THE FAMILY. It just really rounded out the first 2 books for me.

Plus Jack? HELLO. He was irritating but in that enemies to lovers way. Plus I loved seeing him grow and stand up to his father. Like BRAVO!

I really liked Emily and her growth throughout the book. It was great to see her finally know when to step back and take care of herself first.

My one complaint is it felt too long. It felt like the plot could have been resolved earlier.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

OMG THIS BOOK. I think this quickly became one of my favorites from Sarah Adams. I laughed out loud more times than I could count.

I loved this book and while I hadn't read the first 2 books in the series I will be reading the next one because if its Maddie and James's I WILL 100% READ THAT cause James is hot. So is Jake in this and my book loving heart melted at this story.

THIS WAS SO GOOD! Emily and Jack are the perfect mix of cynical and playful, emotional and lighthearted, enemies and lovers. This is absolutely the best book yet in the series, and gave us plenty of the past couples too. I loved the sibling storylines, and seeing Emily and Jack both confront their emotional baggage. It had snarky emails and texts (obsessed), and the small town dynamics really shine in this one. Chapter 16…. Are you kidding me?!?

Also, honorable mention for *that* closet scene. So ridiculous in a fun way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

If you like the rest of Sarah Adams’ Rome series, you’ll love this. The chemistry had me kicking my feet from the start and had so much depth to it. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and Adams teaches a masterclass in it with BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL!

Okay this was so cute. A little YA but the characters are older which is a nice touch. It was a bit of a slow burn which kills me but it was all worth it. It had a great storyline with a few subplots thrown in to make it even more relatable. But I truly really liked it. It was the perfect book that wasn’t too series which made it easy to read. I didn’t realize it’s sorta part of a series so I gotta go back and read the others!!

This book was soooo cute!! I don’t always love the enemies to lovers stuff, but this one was so well done. Their growth as individuals, their banter, and how they found each other was so cute. While book 2 was my favorite of the series so far, this one was a close runner up. I loved seeing the siblings in this book and the small town of Rome. I loved that the two main characters were teachers and book lovers/writers. Overall, such a cute read! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. RUN do not walk to grab your copy on January 7th!