Before starting the review, I want to emphasize that I am not big on romance books, but this series has my heart. The last book of the series, “When in Rome,” was finally published in December of 2025. Sarah Adams, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, created a beautiful fictional world in which she tells the story of four siblings and their journeys of finding love in the process of finding themselves.
After three months of waiting in line, I received a notification that the book was ready for me. Do you know how dogs sometimes have the zoomies when they get excited? Well, let’s just say I now understand. After evaluating why I like this series so much compared to others, it is that Adams does not focus solely on the romance and the drama that comes with it, but rather shows the different struggles in the characters’ lives and how beautiful love can be when it is not codependent or forced.
The fourth book follows the life of Madison, the youngest of the Walker family. The book takes place in Rome, Kentucky, where once again the cozy ambiance and tight community comes to life. This book deals with topics like mental health and overloading. In the third book, Madison had left for New York to study in a culinary institute, and her experience had not gone as expected; she felt insecure about her skills and had constant panic attacks. An unexpected offer took her back to Rome, where her family, community members, and James were waiting for her. James is her love interest and the second main character. He had been in love with her for years, but did not want to stop her from following her dreams and was too insecure to actually confess his feelings to her (basically, they had known each other since they were kids, and he is Madison’s brother’s best friend). James inherited his parents’ farm as health concerns forced his dad to move out of the town. The book explores what it is like to be an older brother and take on the responsibilities of the parents, which can lead to exhaustion and stress.
Both characters find support in each other, which eventually leads to them falling in love. Adams adds moments of simple happiness, confidence-building, family drama, cute romantic gestures, and some steamy moments (which come with an author warning at the beginning of the book, so it is possible to skip).
Overall, I give this book a 9.999/10 (I don’t want to heighten expectations by giving it a 10/10). I will never stop recommending this series to people who are looking for a fun and short read. If you want to read the series and don’t want to spend a cent, it is possible to find it in the Massanutten Library; physical and virtual copies are available to borrow. Just a quick warning, because “In Your Dreams,” the last book, is very hot at the moment, the wait time might be a little longer than normal.
