This series is honestly one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s so wholesome and I just find myself falling in love with every character even more than before (which I didn’t know was possible). I quite literally need to move to Rome ASAP. I absolutely loved that this story was about teachers (being one myself) and I loved that Emily and Jack are rivals to lovers. I absolutely adore this trope! I love that we found when the rival between them started and how it grew over the years! As soon as Jack moved to Rome and bumped into Emily for the first time since coming back you could just feel like chemistry between them and I loved that so much. They are both authors too and I love that Jack is so so supportive of Emily’s dreams and helps her when she sends her book to someone she shouldn’t have and I love that because she did that it made them even closer. I absolutely love their story and when they come together it just makes my heart all mushy. I can’t fault it at all!

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

Get a man who is willing to break into your boss’s house with you, because you accidentally sent your steamy romance book to him when you were drunk!! I loved going back to the little town that is Rome. The rivals to lovers was everything. The way they competed for absolutely everything was SO entertaining. The forced proximity with them being neighbours made it even better.

Older daughters will be able to relate to Emily, she constantly puts others first especially her siblings, she pretends she’s fine even when she isn’t. It broke my heart. But my heart melted when she let Jack in and allowed him to see her true self. He showed up for her every single time.

Hilarious, snarky, heartbreaking, swoon worthy moments, with so much depth and raw emotion. Loved every single second and as always I adored the Walker siblings, Amelia, and James. I love their little family and that they would literally do anything for each other, including eating tobasco pancakes (why was this scene so funny but also heartwarming). I loved everything about this. I am so excited for Maddie and James’s book, it will definitely be bittersweet because it will be our last trip to Rome!

thank you so much netgalley for the oppportunity to read one of my most exciting releases as an arc <3
and sarah adams strikes once again! this was so so cute... it feels like watching a romcom
and i love seeing the characters from the previous books and their happy endings as well!!!
cant wait to continue reading more from this author and cant wait for the next book in this series already

Somehow I missed the first two books but that didn't hamper my enjoyment of this (although it could be why I'm less committed to the characters than those who did.). It's a trope-y enemies to lovers small town romance featuring two second grade teachers-Emily and Jack-who are both writers in secret. He's the son of a uberfamous thriller writer who publishes under pseudonym and she's just finished her first steamy romance. The romance she accidentally sends to the principal of their school-and that's how they build a bridge past the walls they've put up against one another. This has all the feels for those who like the tropes complete with a good cast of supporting characters at the hair salon and elsewhere in town as well as in Emily's family. The third act crisis didn't work for me but I know I'm an outlier. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a zippy read that might be just the thing to relax with.

This rivals-to-lovers romance follows Jack and Emily, who meet at the start of college and find themselves repeatedly drawn together over the years. Both characters carry emotional baggage from their pasts, but their relationship blossoms as they open up and support each other. Their witty banter, email exchanges, and natural chemistry make their connection feel authentic and endearing.

The story avoids miscommunication tropes, with Jack and Emily being refreshingly honest about their feelings. The romance progresses smoothly, and the small-town charm of Rome, Kentucky, and its meddling residents adds warmth and humor. While the book includes open-door romance scenes, the author provides warnings for readers who may wish to skip them.
Overall, it’s a heartfelt and entertaining story filled with laughter, love, and small-town charm.

You know it's a 5-star read when the enemies-to-lovers trope hits this hard! I don’t usually write short reviews, but I just have to say—READ THIS BOOK NOW! P.S I hope we are getting James and Maddie's book next!

Beg, borrow, or steal is the 3rd interconnected series that is set in the town Rome, Kentucky. We follow Emily, a teacher but aspiring romance. Her work nemesis returns back from a broken off engagement and becomes her neighbour.

This was so so cute and angsty. Emily has a lot of grief and the only way for her to cope and feel wanted was to be extra by helping out everyone and feeling wanted.
Jack had a hidden identity and found that Emily can only bring his true side out.
The frienemies to lovers was so sweet. To accepting their differences and becoming friends was everything. I was down bad for Jack and I love seeing the dynamics of Emily family

Sarah truly delivered another romance with minimal spice but a good heat. I highly recommend this! I'm so excited for book 4

Read for
- small town romance
- frenemies to lovers
- plenty of secrets
-found family
- Jack wear glasses

Thank you headlines eternal and netgallry for the arcs!

My thoughts: So grateful to have received this ARC opportunity for this excellent new release by the crazily talented @authorsarahadams 🤩🤩🤩

Emily and Jack are fated nemeses and their long-standing rivalry is nothing short of hilarious right from the very beginning of the novel. Both characters simultaneously being as bad and petty as one another in their feud - so when Jack returns to Rome, Kentucky it is obvious that we were in for more belly-laughs and hilarity.

What I didn’t expect was the other side of the coin, the fragility, rawness and depth these characters revealed both to each other and to us, the reader. I just immediately loved both MCs and this only grew as the novel went on. Their progression and development was incredible and there was equal progression for both characters. Emily being able to open up and share a warmer and more confident approach in her abilities, wishes and dreams and Jack being able to become pragmatic and stopped hiding amongst the shadows which restricted his ability to do and be who he wanted.

I cannot even recommend a way that this book could have been improved, I was immersed from page 1 and continued the whole way through, just enjoying the ride of the storyline.

There were also smaller side characters, whom I believe people may have come across before from the previous instalments in the series - which I still have yet to read - however did not hinder my reading of this at all, who were all also absolutely incredible and added further comedic value, emotional relief and joy to the novel.

We have small town romance, enemies to lovers, golden retriever energy and a good old bit of spice to heat the whole thing up! 😍🌶️

When someone in a small town romance novel has a nemesis, it’s almost always going to end up that it was in fact love and not hate they felt!

Emily was ecstatic when Jack moved away with his fiancé - only now her nemesis is back, having called off the wedding and left his relationship.

She’s clearly upset that he left without saying goodbye - maybe he couldn’t say goodbye to her?

I loved the tension between them - the author got enemies to lovers right, where they bicker all the time and have witty retorts but this only adds to the tension.

I really enjoyed the secondary plot line that they’re authors - he’s rivalling his best selling dad and she’s a secret romance author.

In terms of setting, this has the same small town vibes as the rest in the series. There are heavy themes of community and I loved all the small town tropes (everyone knows everyone and gossip is rife).

Jack was a character I loved - he’s recently split up with his fiancé, having called off their wedding, and moved into a rundown house next door to Emily. The way his family life is described really endeared him to me as a character - he’s turned into a nice guy despite the trauma from his dad. Becoming a writer to rival him, but doing so under a pseudonym. Despite his tumultuous upbringing he’s done well for himself - a best selling author and school teacher.

Emily was an interesting character. She was clearly very lonely - touching on themes of family loss and grief, and feeling left behind when her siblings have moved on with their lives. I loved how we touched on themes of needing help and asking for it through her character, and how she navigated her struggles. Being the oldest daughter and how it makes you feel responsible for everyone and how that plays into adulthood when you feel like you’re no longer ‘needed’ - was done really well here.

Overall I loved the dynamic between the two main characters - true enemies to lovers with great tension and really good character building. I really enjoyed the small town setting and the dynamics with side characters. A good instalment in this series!

ARC copy provided by Headline & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.n

I loved this book, it was a warm cozy can't stop smiling fun escape from real life. This author was new to me but her writing immediately drew me in and her rich and likeable main characters were a delight to read about. While this book is #3 in a series set in Rome, Kentucky it can be read as standalone. I've not read the others in the series and found this easy-to-understand but I could see the benefits in reading from the start as you would know some of the side characters that are in this. I will be going back to read all the books in this series as well as other books by this author.

Review is posted on Goodreads & Amazon Australia. Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for a copy of this book.l

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

When in Rome was my first Sarah Adams book and it didn't disappoint, that book and the whole series have my heart and I find myself giggling and loving the characters.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal wasn't much different, I'd even say it was better than the previous two books! I felt more connected to the main character, Emily, because I'd already read a bit about her, but that wasn't all. I saw myself in some of her thoughts and actions, about caring so much about others and putting herself second, holding back her emotions and always trying to do things perfectly at first.

Jack was a nice surprise, he has a big heart and everyone loves him, but he still manages to keep up a good, fun banter with our main character. I think he brought another meaning to the story with his past and what happens in his family, which also allowed us to better understand the way he thinks and acts towards others.

However, I missed a more in-depth look at these problems, those of the family and those that the main characters were facing in their own lives. But I also realise that this hasn't been talked about as much because this is more of a romantic comedy book and that's understandable!

I'm curious to read the next book because we saw a lot of easter eggs!

Beg, Borrow, or Steal felt like a warm hug, an engrossing enemies to lovers story that felt unique in its execution.

The dual POV for Emily and Jack gave such powerful insights into their emotional experiences. Their initial witty bickering had me chuckling, and I loved watching this dynamic evolve. The exploration of Emily’s sadness, her putting the needs of others ahead of her own, and fear of being left written in such a relatable and nuanced way. Jacks relationship with his parents was fascinating. Watching their chemistry develop as they worked through these challenges was such a delight.

I read this as a standalone after loving other books by Adams, and found there was sufficient backstory to thoroughly enjoy it. However I now can’t wait to pick up Noah and Annie’s stories, and will be looking out for Maddie’s.

Thank you Headline for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was a hilarious, entertaining, sweet and enjoyable book. I loved meeting Emily and Jack, and overall had one amazing time with it.

Emily is very sensitive, a perfectionist and a true family person. Jack is funny, cute, very supportive.
I really enjoyed both these characters, and Emily was fairly relatable in some moments.

The banter between Jack and Emily made me giddy and I caught myself giggling more often than not with their interactions. I really enjoyed seeing them transition from rivals to lovers and all that's involved: them opening up with each other, saying things they'd kept hidden, and just giving into their feelings.

Now, I also feel that this book was a bit repetitive, and I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the slow-burn pacing. Additionally, I would have loved to see the characters' mental health explored more deeply, as it felt like the topic was only touched upon at a surface level.
I wasn’t particularly fond of the third-act conflict either, although it was resolved quickly.

All in all, this was a sweet and funny read, and I loved being back in this small town. ❤️
ALSO! I need Madison's book IMMEDIATELY! Please.

I enjoyed going back to Rome and reading Emily’s story. I did find that it just seemed unfinished in the storyline, it seemed to end very abruptly and I would have liked if we could have seen a bit more about Jackson’s identity being released.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is the third book in the When In Rome series by Sarah Adams and it was so so cute!!
I really liked the book right from the start, however, somewhere in the middle it started to slow down and became repetitive, but it quickly picked up again and it was so so worth it because the end is a beautiful story.
I absolutely love Emily (Emily is for the older siblings, sensitive and perfectionist girlies)!! Emily was so relatable when she dropped her walls. I love how her story played out.
The romance is a bit push and pull, with really great chemistry between the main characters (Emily and Jack).
I just can't wait for everyone to pick this one and be transported to Rome, Kentucky (the most adorable small town!!!)

Thank you Headline Eternal and Sarah Adams for the eARC copy.

It was no surprise to me that I absolutely loved this book! I genuinely have enjoyed every book that I have read of Sarah’s this one is a continuation of the When in Rome series and it follows the oldest sister. It’s an enemies to lovers plot line and the banter was great! I really liked getting to know Emily she was a fairly complex but loveable character. I always love series’ and getting to drop back in on old characters, books like this just feel like a warm hug to me.

4.5⭐️ 🥹❤️‍🩹

Thank you to headline and netgalley for the ARC!! This was my first Sarah Adams book so I was a little nervous going in, I didn’t know what to expect but I was so pleasantly surprised!!

I loved so much about this book! I thought that both Jack and Emily had so much emotional depth and felt so real and relatable - as someone who has lost a parent and deals with that everyday, I felt so seen by Emily’s grief. Her perfectionism and need to do so much for others really resonated with me. I love her! And as for Jackson, the man that he is! I wish we got a bit more backstory on his relationship with his mother and father/ saw a little more of that in real time in the book - the scenes towards the end were great in terms of understanding his struggle and I enjoyed seeing his development on that front, but I sort of wish we got a little more?! But the parts we did see were so emotional and I really felt for him!

The character development for both Emily and Jack was so beautiful to see and I feel like we really went on a journey with them. The plot was so fun, and I loved how they went from rivals-friends-lovers 🥹 the tension and banter between them was palpable, i laughed a lot - was just so good in so many ways!!

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series, especially because of the parts we got to see of the other couples!! Sarah Adams is definitely going to be a fave author of mine and I can’t wait to read all she has written!

3.5*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is the third in the When in Rome series, although they can all be read as standalones. I spent the first few chapters trying to remember what had happened in the previous two books, there was no need! Sarah slips in reminders on what we need to know! So, I'm blaming myself for it taking a bit longer for me to get into the story.

Emily was such sweet character, even with the walls she's built to protect herself and Jack was the perfect match for her even as a nemesis. They really do bring out the best inb each other and it was lovely to watch their relationship change.

Hoping we get more in this series!

"You think you're unlovable, but I think I've never known how to love until knowing you."

This has to be my favourite in the series so far. Emily Walker, I see you and I love you.

Emily Walker and Jackson Bennett didn't start off on the right foot. Freshly out of a breakup, Emily bumps into Jackson on their first day in college. Literally. Coffee spills; Jackson tries to charm her but she basically steps on his foot. Thus began their academic rivalry. A couple of years later, both end up teaching at the same elementary school and constantly fight to be the students' favorites. But, now, Jackson is getting married and has left the state. Without saying goodbye. That bothers Emily for some reason.

Things happen (for the best), and Jackson ends up moving to Rome and being her new next-door neighbour. Emily swears to bring hell on him and send him running. But a situation falls upon her, and she's forced to seek help from her one and only nemesis.

Sarah Adams casually drops one of the best small town romcoms ever, thinking we won’t notice 😤😤😤😤

Emily is the eldest daughter in the Walker family, and she takes her role very seriously. So seriously that sometimes she becomes a victim of her own neglect. Everyone knows how strong she is and they adore her. But no one really SEES her. And that leaves her feeling lonely.

Jackson... this man is everything a girl needs. Aside from being a fashionable secret author with colorful tattoos, he's a GOOD MAN. He's witty, strong but sensitive, smart, and levelheaded.
There’s really no one like him. He’s so devoted, caring, and such a great listener. He just gets people in a way that’s almost unreal. That's what makes the people of Rome fall in love with him instantly. And the best part? He’s not afraid to face his feelings. Oh, and he's got a motorcycle. (he looks absolutely delicious riding it.)

Jack and Emily are absolutely EVERYTHING! Their chemistry is off the charts, and the enemies to lovers trope? Flawlessly done. THE TENSION? OOOFF *fanning myself*. Their banter is pure gold. So sharp and hilarious, I was giggling and laughing out loud the whole time. The way they bicker and tease... omg so cute, and you can just feel their harmless animosity turn into something really deep. It makes the entire story shine with so much warmth and humor. I’m obsessed! It's literally the perfect example of when the fmc believes she's hard to love and the mmc loves her like it's breathing. PLS IM GONNA CRY. I love how Jack helped Emily with her wanting to become an author. I really enjoyed the overall story. All the characters were so loveable.

I'm going to be recommending this book A LOT.

Thank you so much for the ARC @NetGally @HeadlineEternal

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!