Series: When in Rome #1
Author: Sarah Adams
Published September 20th 2022 by Headline Eternal
Goodreads Synopsis
Rome is where the heart is.
Amelia Rose is burned-out from years of maintaining her public image as pop princess Rae Rose. Inspired by her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.
Running the pie shop his grandmother left him, Noah Walker is busy enough as it is. But after finding Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he decides to let her stay in his guest room - on a very temporary basis, of course.
As the two of them grow closer, Noah starts to see a new side to Amelia - kind-hearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. Amelia may have to go back to her other life someday, but for now she's perfectly happy falling in love with the cozy small town she's found herself in . . . and her grumpy tour guide isn't half-bad either.
Goodreads
Review
Pop sensation Rae Rose is burnt out. About to start her latest tour, Amelia Rose takes off for a break, and inspired by her hero, Audrey Hepburn, she heads for Rome, though the Rome that's in Kentucky, not Italy. Arriving in the dead of night, literally crashing into a garden, she has no choice but to accept the help of handsome bakery owner, Noah Walker. He knows exactly who she is, but is not impressed by the fame, and lets her stay - temporarily - until she fixes her car, and gets to go back to her glittering world. But being in Rome, with the townspeople who accept her as one of their own, and growing closer to Noah, Amelia starts to wonder whether her life is as good as it could be, and whether she wants to continue with her career after all.
Wow, this was fantastic! I'd heard about this book and author for a while, but it was only when I accidentally requested Practice Makes Perfect, and realised it was a sequel, that I got around to reading it. I loved Amelia! She was a phenomenal heroine, who had found fame quite young, and had lost her true self in a way. She was so used to being 'Rae Rose', and going from talk show, to red carpet, to concert, and so much more, than she never really had any time for herself, and she barely had a relationship with her mother anymore. When she snapped, she needed to escape, and Rome was the making of her! Meeting Noah, his sisters, and the rest of the town, helped her to see how she could be both Amelia, and Rae, and that her manager had had too much control over her life, for too long. Being off the grid, with no signal or internet connection, was so cathartic for her. Noah was a grumpy sweetheart, who had been burnt in love before, and had hardened himself too much. His sisters and grandmother were the most important people in his life, and he wasn't ready to let anyone else in, though Amelia quickly broke through his walls. I was so happy with how their romance progressed, as it was completely natural, and never felt forced at all. Sarah is definitely an author I'm adding to my auto-read list, and I'm so happy that Practice Makes Perfect will be Annie's story!
Dates Read:
August 22, 2023
Rating
4 Stars
