Look, I picked this up because I needed something light after a particularly brutal week of night shifts. The kind of week where you've seen too much and your brain just needs cotton candy, not steak. And honestly? This delivered exactly what I needed.
Sarah Adams does the grumpy-sunshine thing really well. Noah is grumpy in that specific way that doesn't make you want to shake him—he's just tired and protective of his little life in Rome, Kentucky. And Amelia (Rae Rose to her fans, but she's trying to figure out who she actually is) is genuinely sweet without being annoying about it. The Roman Holiday homage is cute. A pop star escaping her life, ending up in a tiny town, falling for the local guy who couldn't care less about her fame. It's not reinventing the wheel, but the wheel works.
The Voices That Kept Me Awake
Karissa Vacker and Andrew Eiden both have AudioFile Earphones Awards, and you can tell. Vacker captures Amelia's exhaustion and her gradual loosening up really naturally—there's this shift in her voice as the character starts to relax that I genuinely appreciated. Eiden does Noah's gruff exterior with enough warmth underneath that you buy the romance.
Now. Here's the thing some listeners have complained about—Eiden doing female character voices. I get it. Some people really hate when male narrators attempt women's voices. Personally? It didn't bother me much. Maybe because I was listening at 5 AM after a twelve-hour shift and my standards for anything were pretty low. But also, the dual narration means you're not getting a ton of it. The chapters alternate perspectives, so Vacker handles most of the female character work anyway.
Small Town Done Right (Mostly)
The town characters are fun. Nosy neighbors, the pie shop regulars, the whole "everyone knows everyone's business" energy. Adams writes it with affection rather than mockery, which I appreciated. My mom grew up in a town like this in the Philippines—different country, same vibes. Everyone in your business, but they'd also feed you and help fix your car.
The pacing is solid. It's a slow burn, which—okay, sometimes I wanted to yell "JUST KISS ALREADY" at my dashboard, but that's the genre. You know what you're signing up for. The 9+ hours flew by on my commutes, which is the real test.
I should mention the content stuff. There's some heavier themes woven in—Alzheimer's, grief, a manipulative manager situation. Nothing graphic, but it's there. The book handles it with a light touch, doesn't dwell, but if you're looking for pure fluff, know that there are some real moments mixed in. The actual romance stuff stays pretty clean—fade to black, some tension, nothing explicit.
Who Should Hit Play (And Who Should Skip)
This is perfect post-shift listening. Or commute listening. Or "I need to fold laundry and not think about anything heavy" listening. It's warm, it's funny, it's predictable in the best way. You know they're going to end up together. That's not the point. The point is enjoying the journey.
Skip it if you really can't handle male narrators doing any female voices at all. Or if slow burn makes you impatient. Or if you need plot twists—there aren't any. This is comfort food, not a five-course meal. If you want something with more literary weight, Jane Eyre (Version 2) scratches that itch—still a love story, just with more Gothic atmosphere and moral complexity.
Clocking Out on This One
Carlos asked why I was smiling at my phone when I finished this one. I told him it was just a book. He gave me that look he gives me when he knows I'm being sappy about something. Fifteen years of marriage, the man knows.
Sarah Adams knows exactly what she's doing with these rom-coms. Equal parts funny, sweet, and swoony—that's the formula, and she nails it. My mom would probably love this, actually. She's always asking me for "happy ending books" recommendations. This one's going on the list.
