When in Rome: A Novel

When in Rome is a 2022 contemporary romance novel by the best-selling author Sarah Adams, about love, passion, and community. The first story in the When in Rome series centers on the internationally renowned pop star Amelia “Rae Rose” and the trip she takes to the small town of Rome, Kentucky. While there, Amelia grapples with whether she’s happy in the career she’s chosen as well as her growing feelings for the local pie shop owner, Noah Walker. By employing many classic tropes of contemporary romance, Adams explores The Inherent Tension Between Celebrity and Authenticity, The Importance of Mental and Emotional Health, and Loving Things for Sentimental Reasons.

This study guide refers to the 2022 Dell Imprint eBook edition of the text.

Content Warning: This text features discussions of abuse and disordered eating.

Plot Summary

Amelia has grown tired of her exhausting life as the famous pop star, Rae Rose. With constant press events, a nine-month tour on the horizon, and her controlling manager Susan trying to dictate every detail of her life, Amelia decides she needs a break. Amelia takes a cue from her favorite movie star, Audrey Hepburn, and decides to have her very own Roman Holiday. However, as Italy is too far away and would involve too much publicity, she decides instead to drive two hours to Rome, Kentucky.

Amelia’s plans take a turn when her car breaks down on the front lawn of the surly yet conscientious pie shop owner, Noah Walker. Noah always tries to keep a low profile in town, so the nosy gossips of Rome leave him be, but having a celebrity crash in his guest room because she has nowhere else to go draws more attention than he hopes. Even worse, Noah can’t help but feel attracted to Amelia, especially as he gets to know the person behind her celebrity image. Since his previous relationship with a woman from out of town ended in heartbreak, Noah feels hesitant to get involved with Amelia.

Amelia has no intention of getting romantically involved with the handsome and kind pie shop owner, yet they’re forced together for longer than they expected when they learn that her car can’t be fixed for two weeks and there are no rooms available at the town’s only bed and breakfast. Though Noah allows Amelia to extend her stay in his guest room, he does his best to avoid her for fear of falling in love. Meanwhile, Amelia finds it refreshing that everyone in town is more interested in her relationship with Noah than they are in her stardom, and she starts to feel at home in the loving community of Rome.

Amelia grows more comfortable with Noah; though she initially finds him unreadable and confusing, the two bond as they tease one another for their opposite personalities. One day while alone in the pie shop, they share a kiss that both immediately regret and agree to never speak about again. As she grapples with her conflicting feelings for Noah, Amelia argues with her controlling manager, Susan, who has been trying to track Amelia down ever since she found out she went on vacation without her knowledge. Though Amelia once cared for Susan and thought Susan cared for her, she begins to recognize all the ways Susan has been putting her career in front of her life and her mental well-being.

As Amelia gets to know the Rome residents, assimilating to the rhythm of their everyday lives, she enjoys the time out of the spotlight more and more. Though she hasn’t enjoyed making music for a long time, she begins to have ideas for song lyrics pop into her head and feels her love for music reinvigorating. Though Amelia and Noah both believe that they can’t have a successful long-term relationship, their feelings for one another lead them to agree to enjoy the time they have together while it lasts. However, shortly after they confess their feelings for one another, paparazzi get wind of Amelia’s stay in Rome and she and Noah are caught in a mob of photographers. Susan suddenly appears and whisks them away to safety. Yet when Amelia looks into Susan’s eyes, she knows that she must have been the one to send the paparazzi in the first place.

Amelia confronts Susan who eventually admits that she did tip off the photographers to prove to Amelia how hard her life would be if she stayed in Rome. Amelia finally stands up for herself and fires Susan shortly before her tour begins. Though her car gets fixed, Amelia decides to stay as long as she can in Rome before the tour and spends the next week with Noah. They agree to attempt a long-distance relationship, knowing that they want to be together regardless of the obstacles. Noah’s past relationship still makes him nervous about moving forward with Amelia, but he agrees to give it a chance.

When Amelia leaves to get ready to tour, Noah begins to ignore her calls and stops putting effort into the relationship. After a pep talk from his sister about his issues with abandonment, he realizes that he needs to make things work with Amelia. On the opening night of her tour, Noah comes to see her and apologizes for how he’s been acting. Noah follows Amelia on parts of the tour and afterward, she takes a long hiatus from performing and returns to Rome, where she and Noah get engaged.