“To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”

I’m not gonna lie, I went into this blind and I was definitely expecting this to take place in Rome, Italy… but it was cute the way it all occurred! When in Rome follows Rae Rose (aka Amelia). She’s a pop-star about to embark on a huge new tour and feels completely overwhelmed about the direction her life is taking. On a whim, she escapes to a quaint little town (Rome, Kentucky) to try to clear her head. Here she finds peace, some lovely found family, and a super hot, broody baker (who she ends up staying with when her car breaks down and she has nowhere else to go).

This is a super fun and cute, hallmark-y romance novel with all the pieces I usually love, yet they didn’t fully click together into the puzzle I was hoping for. Nothing feels realistic about this romance (which can sometimes still be fun to read!), but in this case it kinda took me out of the storyline. The town is super cute and endearing and the side characters are the true stars of the show in my opinion. Amelia is trying to “escape” her fame, yet I feel like she was constantly bringing it up. Though it is a slow-burn (yay!) it feels really insta-lovey (boo!) and I just couldn’t really understand or feel the love the two main characters supposedly had for one another. They did have decent banter though!

I can see how a lot of people will really like this one! I just wish there had been more oomph to it. That said, I will be continuing the series!

Read if you like: 
☑ Small town romance
☑ Grumpy x sunshine
☑ Found family
☑ Forced proximity