Sarah Adams returns to Rome, Kentucky with a tender rivals-to-lovers romance that wears its heart on its sleeve. Beg, Borrow or Steal pairs prickly perfectionist Emily Walker with charming word-nerd Jack Bennett, two teachers who have circled each other for years and finally collide in a summer that rewires what they believe about love, family, and themselves.
The setup
Emily is the eldest-daughter archetype in the best and most aching ways. She holds everything together for everyone else, which keeps her safe but lonely. Jack has just come off a broken engagement and a lifetime of people-pleasing learned from a narcissistic father. They are neighbors, colleagues, and long-time antagonists who swear they do not like each other. Then Emily misfires an email that threatens to expose her secret side hustle as a romance author, and the only person who can help her contain the damage is, inconveniently, Jack.
The favor becomes a truce, the truce turns into late-night problem-solving, and the banter starts to sound suspiciously like flirting. With school out for the summer, they are free from faculty-room politics, which lets their real selves take center stage.
What works
Banter with bite and warmth. Emily and Jack volley jokes and jabs that feel effortless rather than performative. The humor is quick, but Adams lets vulnerability slip through the cracks so the chemistry lands.
Character-first romance. Readers who loved Practice Makes Perfect will recognize Adams’s gift for writing emotionally aware men and guarded women learning to risk softness. Jack apologizes when he is wrong, listens without fixing, and shows up. Emily’s arc is about loosening her white-knuckled grip on control and trusting that she is lovable as she is.
Themes beyond the meet-cute. The novel explores eldest-daughter pressure, the courage of asking for help, and how childhood coping skills can harden into adult habits. It is a comfort read that still respects the complexities of healing.
Series flavor without confusion. Cameos from Rome, Kentucky favorites add sparkle for longtime fans while the story still functions as a true standalone. If you have not read the first two books, you will be fine, but returning readers will grin at the updates.
What might not land for everyone
Light touch on the heavy. Some readers may wish the book dug deeper into the harder conversations or stretched the enemies portion longer before the thaw. The final act resolves briskly. If you prefer angst-heavy, slow burn epics, you may find this one sweet more than searing.
Heat level calibration. Adams is known for closed door, and this entry nudges the door open a crack in a few chapters. The intimacy serves character growth, but strict fade-to-black readers may choose to skim those scenes.
Tropes and vibes
- Rivals to lovers
- Neighbors
- Small town setting
- Coworkers in academia
- He falls first energy
- Found family threads
The verdict
Beg, Borrow or Steal is a heartfelt, summer-bright romance that balances laugh-out-loud banter with sincere emotional beats. Emily and Jack feel like real people choosing each other on purpose, not characters pushed together by trope engines. If you are in the mood for something that will make you smile at your screen, highlight soft one-liners, and believe, again, that tenderness is a strength, this one belongs on your nightstand.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 for swoony dialogue, lovable leads, and a healing arc that goes down easy.
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