Emily and Jack are rivals who both teach at the same school now that Jack has moved back to town after calling off his engagement. Not only is he her irritating co worker, but he’s also now her neighbor. Emily is secretly a successful writer. But she uses a pen name so that she can remain anonymous and keep teaching. Unfortunately she accidentally sends an email that will reveal her secret to the school principal and it’s likely to end her teaching career and out her as an author all in one swoop. She’s desperate to keep him from seeing it, and Jack agrees to help her fix the mess she’s in. Even though they don’t get along, they work together and their rivalry heats up but so does their feelings for each other which lead to romance.
Gosh I loved going back to Rome, Kentucky. Sarah has such a gift for taking you in to her settings hook line and sinker. The story is more than just their romance, as there’s also characters from the previous books that tie it all together. The story shows that it’s ok to need help from others and shows so much growth of our FMC and accepting that help doesn’t mean you’re weak, it’s actually a sign of strength.
And of course I have to mention Jack, our MMC. Umm he is delicious! He’s a cutie who wears glasses but also rides a motorcycle and is doing everything he can to not be like his narcissistic father. Yet another lesson in the book-we are more than our upbringing-but it doesn’t hit you over the head with it.
I can’t say enough good things abiut this story and the series. I can’t wait for the next book!
Thanks to Dell Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Absolutely loved this newest book from Sarah Adams set in Rome, Kentucky! This book follows the eldest sister, Emily, who is also the most responsible despite being the second born. Emily, a teacher at the local elementary school, is loved by everyone in Rome except for her rival, Jack Bennett. Also a teacher, Emily and Jack have a years long rivalry that Emily believes has come to an end when Jack moves about to get married. The only problem is that just a few months later Jack is back in town. And he isn’t married. AND he just bought the house across the street.

Omg i looove this series so much and i absolutely loved the first two books! They were so fun and light easy reads. This one might just be my favorite in the series though.because i LOVE rivals to lovers and forced proximity. This really was like a rom com and the perfect mixture of funny/emotional.

Sarah Adams is one of my auto buy authors, and I love this series. Rome, Kentucky, the found family, and the side characters make this series so special, and I look forward to visiting with every book in this series. I was really excited for this enemies to lovers romance with the oldest Walker sister, Emily. Rivals in every way, Jack and Emily clash in college and then again when they work at the same elementary school. Then he moves, and even though she should be happy about it, she isn't. She's really not sure how to feel when she finds out Jack is coming back to town. Not only that, but he is moving next door. Emily's first plan is to sabotage his return, but when she accidentally sends an email to her principal that wasn't meant for him, she asks Jack for help retrieving it. Feelings start to change and friendship starts to develop.

Enemies to lovers and small town romance are two of my favorite tropes, so I loved that aspect of this book. Emily isn't my favorite Walker sister, but I like seeing her growing and trying to get her happily ever after. There's also a little secret identity in this one that adds to the fun. I will continue to recommend this series, and I think they get better with each one!

Writing was incredible. The detail and character development left you wanting more. You felt like you were part of the story and wanted to find a love like theirs.

Sarah Adams can do no wrong when it comes to writing. This may be my least favorite of the series, and the one I was most excited for. As soon as I knew it would be a rivals-to-lovers situation. What I think makes it even better is the fact that these are two second grade teachers. Rome is such a quaint place and it was so fun to see how the entire town went to bat for Emily, and then immediately were like Uno reverse, we like Jack. The tension between these two was *chefs kiss* and the pay off was well worth it.

Emily is such a great and relatable character. She hates change, but at the same time has this secret dream of being a romance writer. I love how she went for her goal, and she would've with or without the help of Jack. Jack supporting her dream while also being secretly an author was a great plot line though. He did not want to come across as a know-it-all and I really appreciated that he did not want her to know about his secret identity since she was also trying for that career. I love that Emily was unapologetically herself throughout the books. She went through real emotions that everyone goes through which I really appreciated was depicted on page.

Jack is such a great and supportive guy. Not only is he a writer (Swoon), but also drives a motorcycle. We love a nerdy bad boy. He is so sweet with his bead necklaces that his students give him which then is given the back drop of tattoos. I kind love how he has both sides. He is some who has gone through tough times with his narcistic father and because of that has his this whole other side of him. I truly hated his dad who was just jealous of Jack's success. Jack is the definition though of past and upbringing do not define a person.

The banter between these two is top tier. It was funny, sweet, sharp, and not annoying. This book was a great combo of sweet, funny, spicy and emotional. The character growth between these two was so great, and I loved how they grew both as a couple and individuals with the help of one another.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars! This was so great! This book had a great slow burn to it that made me feel thankful to be back in this setting with these characters. There is so much to be hopeful about in this story, and I enjoyed the lessons learned by our two main characters and how they grew to accept themselves. Emily and Jack as characters are the definition of people who don't realize they're in love with each other. Jack is so giving and considerate of Emily and he does such a great job of alleviating her burdens. Emily is a character that any eldest sibling can resonate with somewhat. The motorcycle scenes had me laughing and I loved the flirtatious bickering between these two. The tension was the most palpable I think within the scene blocking moment, but I could sense it underlying throughout. This is probably the most open door spice I have come across in Sarah's books, but I think that it felt true to the characters, and especially Emily's previous experiences with intimacy. The last thing I'll say is that I felt a kinship to Jack with his dynamic with his parents. His characterization was so well done and felt true to reality. I was invested in his choices from the start. I don't think there was anything wrong with this novel, I just didn't feel the "5 star feeling".
While I don't think this surpassed my love for Practice Makes Perfect, I did find this to be a welcome addition to this series and one of my favorites by Adams.
Thank you to Random House for the ARC of this one!

Beg, Borrow, Steal is a sweet and funny romance with Sarah Adams’ signature charm and heartfelt moments. The characters have great chemistry, and the forced proximity trope adds plenty of tension and swoon-worthy scenes. It’s a light, feel-good read that perfectly blends humor and romance!

LOVED this story and the character development. I’m not usually an enemies to lovers trope girly - but this may have changed my mind :)

Emily and Jack are mortal enemies - but they don’t particularly have good reasons to be. When Jack unexpectedly returns to Emily’s safe place, small town, of Rome-she is determined to make all the townsfolk despise him and ultimately get him to turn tail and run away never to return! Until of course she has a slight change of heart.

I read this before any others in the stand alone series, and there are probably spoilers but I’m intrigued enough to go back and read the rest!

Thank you for the ARC - Sarah Adams is a new auto buy author for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams!

This is the third in the series but this made sense without reading the first two books. Each book is about a different sibling. This book focuses on Emily, the second oldest. She lives in her hometown of Rome, Kentucky and is shocked to learn Jack, her nemesis since college, is moving next door to her and returning to the school where she works. They have always been competitive around each other and Emily uses her relationship with the townspeople to make life difficult for Jack. When Emily needs help retracting an email she accidentally sent to her principal, she asks Jack for help. In the process, Jack finds out Emily is an aspiring author and Jack may be the best person to help her. I was drawn to this book since the main characters are second grade teachers. I feel Emily is very immature, she's in her thirties and still isn't over her high school boyfriend and pulls petty stunts to run Jack out of town. I realize she has trauma from the loss of her parents and grandmother but I wanted to tell her to grow up! I like her siblings' side stories and Jack's character though.

This book was so cute! I couldn't put it down. I loved all of the characters and the story line. I even downloaded the other books in the series.

Sarah Adams has become an automatic buy/read for me, and her latest "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" did not disappoint! The latest book in the When in Rome series features Emily Walker. Emily is a small town teacher who moonlights as an author. What she does not expect is her long-time nemisis, Jack Bennett returning to town and purchasing the house next to hers. Their rivalry continues, and of course love blooms in this enemies to lovers fun and addicting book! Highly recommended to all romance lovers, and fans of Sarah Adams!

Best book in this series so far!!
Personally I feel that these days author market a book as the enemies to lovers trope but ...it all just feels forced. I genuinely love it when the enemies to lovers hits just right and this book delivered it all and more!

Jackson and Emily were perfect in every way! We get to see her character in the previous books and I've been eagerly waiting for her turn and it was soooo good! Jackson loved every part of her stubborn self and our girl bloomed. I m so glad they got the story they deserve!

thank you to sarah adams & NetGalley for giving me the arc!!!

I’ll post the full review when the book comes out…but let me just tell you guys…WOAH. This was everything, and more than I would have ever imagined.

For now, I’ll say this: Emily is me, and I am Emily. I saw so much of myself in her- I was SO emotional. I felt SEEN. I’ve never felt as vulnerable and seen with any other book, EVER.

Thank you so much for this opportunity & for touching my soul with this book. ❤️❤️❤️

*update*

I wanted to circle back and just say how I think about this book a lot!!! I think Emily is the most relatable character I have ever read, really. I thought she was mean in the previous books, but in this one, you TRULY see her for what she is, and why she is so misunderstood! She had such character development, both on her own & with Jack. It wasn’t him saving her from herself, or vice-versa. They leaned on one another & picked up the pieces together. I love them ❤️. I will think about them forever. It was such a heartwarming story. Sad at times, happy at times, touching at times, too. I am so happy to see Emily have her happy ending. 🥰

I love a good Sarah Adams romance and this was everything that I hoped it would be. A special thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Adams, and Random House Publishing Group for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams was so much fun! I love the enemies to lovers romance trope, and this was executed so well in this story. The characters were lovable and the tension was chef's kiss!

3.75 stars

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams is the third installment in the When In Rome series, this time focusing on Emily Walker - 2nd grade teacher (and aspiring romance writer) - who is shocked to find that her new neighbor is none other than rival teacher Jack Bennett.

Emily and Jack have notoriously disliked each other. They have always clashed over everything at work, but Emily thought this was all over when Jack moved away with his fiance and was due to be married soon. But suddenly Jack is back in town, at school, and now renovating the house next door to Emily, having broken up with his fiance and moved back to Rome, Kentucky.

Emily has always been the responsible one as the oldest sister. She knows that, ever since their parents passed away, her siblings rely on her for everything. This has caused Emily to feel like she always has to be "perfect" and that no one will be able to love her if she breaks down and they see her as vulnerable. Because of this, Emily has always found it hard to make a romantic connection with anyone.

Jack has been mostly estranged from his narcissistic father and has been hiding his true passion (a successful mystery author, just like his father but more successful!) under a pen name and doesn't want anyone to find out.

As the two rivals clash, everything comes to a head when Emily accidentally sends her (very spicy) romance manuscript to their school principal instead of the publisher. Emily turns to Jack for help, and the two quickly realize they are becoming more than friends.

I thought this book was good. It was fine. It had cute banter, sweet romance, and silly shenanigans. But it was my least favorite in the Rome series so far. Emily was extremely juvenile in her actions regarding Jack at the beginning. But I did appreciate the anxiety she felt as the big sister, and I absolutely LOVED Jack and how supportive/protective he was (even when Emily and Jack were in college together).

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a sweet romance with playful banter, a thoughtful male main character, and the enemies to lovers trope. Can't wait for the fourth book in this series. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As always, Sarah Adam's books put a smile on my face! I loved this enemies to lovers story with a dash of secret identities!!

The best parts for me were the chemistry between Jack and Emily and the small town setting. I swear Rome feels like its own character in the book.

To me, the pacing felt a bit off. The middle was quite slow and the ending felt rushed. Other than that I enjoyed it and can't wait for book 4 in this series!

I wasn’t super excited to read this book but it surprised me. I didn’t going in having high expectations, I knew I’d like it but I was surprised that I really liked it! The characters were cute and fun. The story kept me interested. No third act breakup. Overall a good read