REVIEW: Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams: If there ever was a single person that could completely ruin Emily’s mood it would be her nemesis Jackson, so to say that she was happy when he decided to move out of Rome, Kentucky with his fiancee, would be a total understatement. However the last thing she or anyone in town could have predicted was having Jackson come backat the start of the summer, to rebuild his life as a single man. If having Jackson back in town wasn’t bad enough, now Emily has to deal with seeing his annoying face every time she looks out of her window, because of course he would go and buy the house right next to her!

Jackson cant wait to spend the summer renovating his new home between writing up his next mystery novel, and having a cute sassy neighbour who loves to push his buttons is all the more fun, especially when Jackson learns about Emilys little secret of writing romance novels. With their chemistry fuelled banter at an all time high, Emily has no choice but to ask Jack for a bit of help, when she accidentally sends an email to their school principal containing the manuscript of her new book! With two putting aside their differences to work together, could this be the start of one incredible enemies to lovers romance?

“And to think you consider yourself hard to love. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

I loved this series to bits, and the latest addition to the When In Rome collection was an absolute beauty! Beg, Borrow and Steal was hilariously cute and had all the things that I have come to love about reading this incredibly silly cute small town romance series. I am a total sucker for an enemies to lovers romcom and the banter and bickering in this book more than delivers this by the bucket. I loved the way Adams balanced giving us cute, silly, funny and swoony while still delivering on the emotions in this book. There was really nothing not to love about this book, I’m only sad that I finished it so fast!

Jackson was easily one of the sweetest heroes that you will ever find. This guy was witty, sweet, smart and totally in touch with his sensitive side. I loved that he was always ready to listen, he never rushed to judge or push anyone further than they were comfortable. I have to say I loved the fact that he was willing to push through his past pain to try and become the best version of himself even of there were moments that he did not fully understand his own emotions. More than his I loved the fact that he was so comfortable with being his authentic self when he was with Emily. Now for our girl Emily, well she was an interesting one, always wanting to be the strong one and to carry the burdens of her family, until it became to much for her to carry on her own. I really enjoyed getting to see her accepting help from the person that she hated the most, the way Jack helped Em work through her struggles and stood by her without pushing her was just beautiful.

The chemistry between these two characters was just perfection, there was such a great build up in their relationship and the progression just felt natural. I loved the way their bickering slowly turned more and more spicy and they slowly began to lower their guards around each other. While Emily was a bit prickly and needed to be handled with care, it was as if Jack just knew how to handle her without coming across as overbearing or pushy. I loved the way that they both realized that they both need to grow together if they want to truly be the best versions of themselves. There really was a great balance between spicy and sweet in this book and I loved the way Adams balanced this to give us a beautiful story.

I absolutely adored reading Beg, Borrow and Steal, this book is a total must read for all romcom lovers. There was a great combination of enemies to lovers spice, a touch of sassy banter and giggles and a whole lot of heart, to make this book the perfect romcom read!
 

Book Info:

Publication: January 7, 2025 | Dell | When in Rome #3

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He’s the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?