romcom |

If you’ve seen my Instagram account, you’ll know how much I love a Sarah Adams book. However, this might just be my favourite book she’s ever written. I managed to read this entirely in one day because I could not put it down! It’s totally binge-worthy and I just want to dive right back into it all over again.

When in Rome is such an enchanting story and the whole time I was reading I couldn’t stop thinking about how it reminded me of Gilmore Girls – small town, romance, comedy, drama… this book is everything. Mabel also exudes Miss Patty vibes and I chuckled out loud more than once at her shenanigans! She didn’t miss a thing, but I love the fact that she acted all innocent and pretend not to know what was going on – I could literally envision her and Noah’s conversation in my mind, and I was beaming the whole time.

And, if it hasn’t been put out there yet, then allow me to say that Noah and Amelia are the 2020s version of Luke and Lorelai. Their banter, and Noah’s grumpy ruggedness was absolutely perfect, and I had love hearts in my eyes the whole time while I was reading about them. Of course, there was less will they/won’t they going on because unlike GG, there were only three hundred odd pages rather than a few seasons… but it will still deliciously wonderful!

I think I have said that about every book of Sarah’s, but I will most likely continue to say it for every book she writes: my favourite thing about her writing is how she writes comedy. I have yet to come across a book that does it as well as she does. I have laughed out loud at every single one – sometimes to the point where my stomach hurts – because she has such an immense talent with the most perfect comedic timing. Honestly, if she ever decides to stop writing books (I hope she doesn’t), I really hope she’d venture into the world of Hallmark movies and write sweet and hilarious romcoms, because I think she would be exquisite at it.

Of course, there are so many other things to love about this book tooe, like the homage to Audrey Hepburn, with whom Amelia is obsessed with! I have to admit that I haven’t seen any of her films (bad, I know, but I will rectify soon!), though I am vaguely familiar with Breakfast at Tiffanys (I mean, even if you haven’t seen it, the post is simply so iconic that you just know!). When in Rome particularly draws inspiration from Hepburn’s film Roman Holiday – considered to be one of the most romantic films of all time – with Amelia constantly asking herself ‘What Would Audrey Do’ in the context of the film to negate her decisions. I mean, that’s the main character energy we all need, right?

Ultimately, if you love Gilmore Girls and you love reading romance books that will have you swooning, then buckle up folks and friends, because this is probably the perfect book for you. It’s like the literary version of Stars Hollow, and every page felt like a giant, comforting hug. You want to nestle into the cosy vibes, and simply live there forever – at least, I do, anyway.

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘I think we’ll get hurt a lot in this life, but maybe it’s worth it because sometimes we will experience really amazing things, too. Maybe not everything will end in hurt. But we’ll never know if we don’t try.’

✨ ‘Sometimes a woman is just worn out and needs a break, you know?’ […] ‘That doesn’t prove you’re week or neglectful. It proves to all the women standing by and watching you pave the road to success that it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to shut your door every now and then and put up a sa sign that says ‘busy taking care of me today.’

✨ ‘Care is reckless because it doesn’t come with the seat belt that selfishness offers. Care has so much to lose, and almost always ends in heartbreak.’

✨ ‘Sometimes people decide not to like me for the most arbitrary reasons. SOmetimes it’s just because I’m famous, and successful people make them uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s because I voted differently than them. And sometimes it’s because I frowned outside their favourite yogurt shop and now they want to cancel me forever because they think I’m against yogurt.’

✨ ‘I’ll tell you what makes me madder than a hornet. When people tell other people how they should feel.’

✨ ‘Have you never loved something just for what it means to you?’

✨ ‘If you don’t intend to walk her down the aisle, then don’t go dipping your toes in her pond.’

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

✨ ‘I will memorize him if it’s the last thing I do. I will carry the feel of his smile in my pocket for the rest of my life.’

✨ ‘Unfortunately, I’m also forbidden from cupcakes, any sort of exhilarating activity, or blinking without Susan’s consent.’

This book… this book… I could rave about this book until the cows come home! I absolutely adored it.

I’ll admit that it took me a good few pages to get into, but once I completed the first chapter I was absolutely hooked – so much so that I read it in two days

I think there are some books that are just pure enjoyment, and if I could, I would bottle up the joy this book gave me and I would keep it forever. It had be laughing from start to finish and contains some of the best banter between two people that I have ever read – it was absolutely perfect and hilarious.

Minnie was such a well-rounded character. I definitely saw a lot of myself in her as she was constantly finding herself in awkward and uncomfortable situations, and I know exactly how that feels, as sometimes I am a walking, talking embarrassing moment waiting to happen! But, I thought that this just added to her quirkiness and loveability, and I only with that Minnie was a real person because I think I want to be her best friend.

When it comes to romance books I can be quite picky with the writing, as it’s very easy to over-explain, under-explain or simply make things ridiculously cheesy… but I needn’t have worried with this as the writing was so well done. The small details and breadcrumbs that Sophie Cousens leaves throughout are impeccable and I audibly gasped when the lightbulb moment happened in my brain regarding the brandy creme patisserie scenario! I did not see that coming whatsoever, and it was such an excellent twist! The romance was excellent, well thought out, and not cliche in the slightest.

I also love the fact that this story takes place in 2020, though an entirely different 2020 than the one all of us experienced. Somewhere in a parallel universe, where Covid never existed, Minnie and Quinn’s romance exists.

This was such a feed-good story from start to finish, and if you’re going to read anything over the festive season, then make it this.

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Note: there is also apparently a film adaptation in the works for this book, so I am very excited to see what it’s like! I feel like the problem with adaptations is that what they bring to life on screen rarely looks like what I envisioned in my head, so I often find myself disappointed… but, I’m holding out hope that this film will be a good one – especially if it retains all of the wonderful humour and banter that makes this book so perfect!

Favourite lines:

✨ ‘If you lived in a city for long enough, Minnie thought, the streets and places where life happens fold inwards like paper, making space for new memories. Yet visiting old haunts and a long forgotten road was like stretching the concertina out again – the memories leap out, fresh as the day you folded them away.’

✨ ‘All you can hope for is to do more good than harm in this life.’

✨ Minnie let out an involuntary high-pitched noise. She clutched a hand over her mouth, turning the sound into a strangled sort of sneeze.’

✨ ‘No one’s too small to make a difference; just ask Greta Thunberg.’

✨ ‘Better to be hated for what you are, than loved for what you’re not.’
‘Profound,’ said Minnie. ‘Where did you read that – the back of a cereal packet?’

✨ ‘Life can’t just be about coupling up like yoghurts in a multi-pack.’

✨ ‘Don’t cry about something you wouldn’t cry about in five years time.’

✨ ‘Ah, Coco Nuts, we meet again. I see you have foiled my cunning plan to steal all the fruit in Fruitopolis.’

✨ ‘Be a good companion to yourself and you will never be lonely.’

✨ ‘She picked up a perfect red leaf from the ground, examining the intricate pattern of vessels mapping its thin surface. So beautiful, yet only created to last such a short time before its role on this planet was over, and it would decay into mulch. An unremarkable existence, and yet to look at it – how remarkable.’

✨ ‘Life is change – if nothing’s changing, you aren’t living.’