Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

14 reviews

ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The story started slow, to be honest, I almost DNF it. But it picked up and I loved it. Amelia, Noah, and the rest of the people in Rome were so fun and funny. Noah was rough around the edges kind of guy, but the ice wall melted eventually. Amelia was so crazy about Audrey, she lived her life like the movie! 😂 But, I loved her because I felt her genuine vibe and I could relate to her simping towards Noah😂 The sisters were also great in their ways💕 The story was fun overall, and I loved that Amelia was a popstar, but she was down-to-earth✨

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lindsayerin's review

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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teamoxfordcomma's review

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funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

🌶 (closed door)

Gah, this was so freakin' cute.

I love the movie Roman Holiday. It's perhaps my favorite classic film. So when I saw a novel was coming out pitched as taking a new spin on such a beloved classic, you know I had to get my paws on it.

In short: this book tweaked the only thing I disliked about the 50's gem, and I adored it.

This book follows Amelia, otherwise known as international pop star phenom Rae Rose, as she escapes her hectic pre-tour schedule. An Audrey Hepburn lover, she decides to follow in Hepburn's Roman Holiday footsteps and heads to the nearest Rome... which happens to be a small town in the middle of nowhere Kentucky. What ensues is a deliciously sweet romance between her and the surly owner of a pie shop.

We've got it all, folks: forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, small-town, chemistry/tension... I flew through this, and I was certainly thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading. It was sweet, sweet, sweet.

The characters are really what made this stand out to me. First of all, I absolutely loved Amelia. She was so down to earth, funny, and just everything I want in an FMC when I pick up a romcom. Noah was also a total charmer, even though he had a bit of a grumpy/surly attitude. Certainly not your traditional highly-suave charmer, but absolutely adorable nonetheless. Watching him slowly open up to Amelia and learn to trust her was a highlight for sure, not to mention how kindhearted he was, how aware of Amelia's needs and safety he was. Additionally, as with most good small-town romances, the cast of side characters was on point. I'm particularly partial to Mabel… If I'm not like that when I'm a senior citizen, I've done something wrong.

This is an excellent pick for those who don't want to see smut in their romance novels – it was a closed-door romance that at the same time didn't feel prudish. While it's no secret I certainly don't mind spice, it's great to see super solid options available for people who'd prefer not to read about the nitty gritty but still want adult romance vs. YA. I respect it.

Another point in its favor:
no third-act breakup!
Wish this was more common. I'm gonna start tracking when books don't have it so I can lavish fine jewels on them.

Plus, the epilogue in the form of an online blog post made so much sense. It was the perfect little bow to tie on a wholeheartedly sweet story.

Apparently I was in the mood to ramble today. Oh well. TL;DR: this Roman Holiday inspired romcom was a delight from cover to cover and is most certainly worth the read.

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dianaschmidty's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I think this book has changed my mind about small town romances! This book was so adorable! Despite Amelia being a famous singer, she was so relatable and both of their personal issues felt so real and understandable.
Their chemistry was perfect and Noah is just perfect!
I was nervous for the ending, but it felt like a realistic HEA for their characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell, and Sarah Adams for providing me access to this book.

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