When in Rome: A Novel

“I step back into my Rae Rose skin. It’s softer, gentler—more regal than mine. Rae Rose is everyone’s best friend. She’s pliable and easy to love.”

Amelia makes a clear distinction between her public persona, Rae Rose, and her true self, highlighting The Inherent Tension Between Celebrity and Authenticity. Amelia views Rae as a constructed image of the person the public wants her to be: “pliable and easy to love.”

“I throw on my sunglasses and baseball hat and hold my coffee like a shield. I’m going to need the added protection for my walk from the communal town parking lot to the shop. It’s only about a five-minute walk down Main Street, but that’s plenty of time to run into every single one of those damn townsfolk. Doesn’t matter that Rae Rose has only been in my house for nine hours. That’s eight more hours than necessary for Mabel to have called every person she knows and started the most incredible game of telephone anyone has ever seen. At least this means business will be booming today. Everyone is going to want a pie with a heavy side of gossip.”

As the novel opens, Noah’s anxiety about Rae Rose’s fame and his mixed feelings about his hometown’s propensity for involving themselves in his private life underscores the emotional baggage he carries from his previous breakup. Adams parallels both Amelia and Noah’s need to slip into a disguise to survive among others, a commonality that eventually helps them understand each other.

“From the outside, people would think I have it all. Rae Rose is strong, talented, poised, and oh-so-successful. She owns any room she walks into and her confidence behind a microphone will make your knees buckle. The problem is, even I am not Rae Rose. I don’t run my social media, I don’t choose my outfits for events or interviews, I want to call my mom more than anything but our relationship is crap so I don’t, and most of the stories I tell on talk shows have been finely tuned and vetted by my PR team first. Rae is nothing but a character I hide behind, because I learned from a young age that faking confidence is the only way to make it through this business.”

Here, Amelia explicitly defines Rae Rose as an entity rather than a person, highlighting each of the various people who have helped to construct it. She positions her public persona as an amalgamation of other people’s desires rather than her own, an issue that sits at the root of her disillusionment with the music business.

“But the more times I have to put on that facade each day, the more I feel myself slipping away. I miss Amelia. I miss the days when playing music and singing was what it was all about. These days, I’m nothing but a maxed-out credit card that everyone keeps swiping.”

In opening the novel with Amelia’s identity crisis, Adams establishes it as the impetus for her trip to Rome, the novel’s inciting incident. Amelia’s decision to defy her manager and team and prioritize herself helps define the trajectory of her arc: to reconnect to her authentic self and her love of music.

“Have you never loved something just for what it means to you?”

Noah’s question to Amelia introduces Loving Things for Sentimental Reasons as a central theme in the narrative. Though Amelia and Noah have many differences, this quote highlights one thing they have in common. Both Amelia and Noah cling to things in their pasts that made them happy, things that connect them to the people they love. Noah’s grandmother’s pies and Amelia's love of Audrey Hepburn movies (inherited from her mother) serve as symbols representing this theme.

“Ugh, I hate the way she makes me sound. Suddenly, I feel like a spoiled brat who needs a time-out to learn her lesson. Like all I ever do is think about myself. I’m starting to think if that were true, though, I wouldn’t feel like the numb pile of garbage that I have lately. And the thing is, I never put up a fight. I never miss interviews, and I try to always be gracious with other people’s time. This is the one instance where I’ve backed out of something. That has to count, right?”

In this passage, Amelia’s self-talk exemplifies the guilt her unhappiness makes her feel and her fear that others view her as ungrateful. Rather than validating her feelings, Susan plays on Amelia’s guilt to manipulate her, foreshadowing her as the novel’s primary antagonist.

“Maybe if I let her see everything now, she’ll get her fill of the ‘normal life’ and hit the road sooner. Because I’m sure that’s all this is for her. The rich and famous star is stooping down from her stage to ooh and ahh over our quaint little lives and then she’ll take some stories of our Mayberry-type town on the road with her to tell her friends. This town is just a layover for her type. Believe me.”

Through Noah’s internal monologue, Adams emphasizes how much his past heartbreak dictates his perspective on himself and others. In this way, the author positions his attempts to distance himself from Amelia as self-protective.

“I love that he doesn’t lay a red carpet down for me to walk over. He hasn’t tried to entertain me once since I’ve been here—in fact, he’s stayed away for the most part. I think it’s because of the accidental kiss (ugh, that incredible kiss!) today, but I don’t mind because he just lets me live like I’m normal. I can’t explain how wonderful that is. Even the way his sisters treated me was different from most of the public. Yeah, they were intense, but the good kind. And I’ll tell you how I could trust them right away. They invited me to go out with them tonight instead of asking a single thing of me. No selfies. No autographs. They just wanted me to come out with them tonight because they thought it would be fun.”

Adams highlights how Amelia’s trip to Rome allows her to reclaim things she thought she’d lost in her career as Rae Rose: her ability to live as a normal person and experience everyday moments vanished. The relief Amelia feels at the normalcy she finds in Rome progresses her arc, pushing her to reclaim her authentic self.

“I can’t let myself be attracted to him, though. I’ll be leaving on Monday and Susan has forbidden me from dating a normal guy when I’ve considered it in the past. She says our worlds are too far apart. Unfortunately, I’m also forbidden from cupcakes, any sort of exhilarating activity, or blinking without Susan’s consent.”

Amelia’s reluctance to get romantically involved with Noah highlights how much control Susan has over her life and emphasizes her need for autonomy. The sarcasm in Amelia’s tone suggests that she’s beginning to recognize Susan’s influence in her life as negative.

“It’s not infatuation. Not even lust. It’s the worst of all the feelings […] care. 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. Unfortunately, I’m powerless against keeping my heart in check around her anymore. There’s a very short list of people in my life that I allow myself to truly care for, and it looks like I just added another name to it.”

Adams employs the grumpy sunshine trope in Noah and Amelia’s relationship. In this scene, the device of Amelia accidentally drugging herself allows both Amelia and Noah to step outside of these defined roles temporarily. Under the influence of the sleeping pills, Amelia’s cheery demeanor fades allowing her to express how tired and lonely she is. Amelia’s drugged state also enables Noah to set aside his prickly, self-protective shell and show genuine care for her.

“And let me ask you something? When the hell did it become such a crime to be selfish now and again? […] Sometimes a woman is just worn out and needs a break, you know? […] That doesn’t prove that you’re weak 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 sign that says Busy taking care of me today. Piss off.”

Adams positions Mabel as a voice of reason throughout the novel, serving as a guide for both Amelia and Noah. Thus when Amelia tells her about needing a break from her celebrity life, Mabel’s words carry weight. Susan’s advice consistently reinforces the novel’s thematic interest in The Importance of Mental and Emotional Health.

 “She laughs lightly—but not with amusement. It’s more like bewilderment. ‘I don’t know what to think about you, Noah.’ 

I pick up my keys. ‘Just don’t think about me at all and you’ll be fine.’ I want to look back at her, which is why I don’t.”

Noah’s repeated attempts to put up a wall between himself and Amelia form the central obstacle in their romantic arc. In this scene, In emphasizing the hurt his words cause Amelia, Adams raises the dramatic tension of the plot.

“‘Well, that’s not necessarily true.’ I’m grasping at straws. What felt liberating about this movie at the beginning of my adventure is now feeling like a death sentence. ‘I think Audrey did get her happily ever after. It just wasn’t with Gregory Peck. She had a happily ever after for herself. And that was enough for her. I think we can all learn a lesson there.’”

The structural parallels between Roman Holiday and When in Rome escalate the dramatic tension of the story around whether or not Amelia will make the same choice as Hepburn’s character in the film. Amelia moves from seeing the movie’s conclusion as romantic to viewing it as tragic, recognizing the similarities between her relationship with Noah and the doomed romance in the movie.

“The three sisters continue to banter back and forth and it’s enough to erase the tension that had filled the room after the movie. At least it is for them. They’re laughing and my heart is sinking. It’s sinking right down to the floor where my feet have been trying to sprout little baby roots. For a moment there, I forgot I’ll be leaving. This town is like an antigravity chamber. I’m light and hopeful inside its city limits. But I know that when it’s time to go, I’ll leave. Just like Audrey.”

Amelia’s night with the Walker Sisters represents all the things she longs for in her life: the ease these sisters have with one another and how they can just be normal people around each other. The way the Walker sisters embrace Amelia for herself rather than her fame provides Amelia with a vision of what her life could be like in Rome.

“Over these last few days, I feel parts of me coming alive again. Like when you’ve been sitting on your foot too long and then finally walk around. It’s tingly and uncomfortable at first, but then you shake it back to life and can move normally again.”

Adams uses Amelia’s inner monologue to define the trajectory of her arc throughout the novel. The metaphor of pins and needles that Amelia uses highlights how uncomfortable yet necessary the change has been. The personal growth Amelia experiences catalyzes her desire to make music again for the first time in months.

“I’m just about to respond with something sassy and delightful, when my own voice stops me in my tracks. It’s my latest chart-topping single. When it plays through the speakers, I freeze. My joy dims, and a boulder settles back over my chest. It’s a reminder of the real world that I don’t want or need.”

The jarring experience of hearing her own voice on the radio in Noah’s car emphasizes how disconnected from her public persona Amelia feels. In contrast, she feels completely comfortable and at peace with Noah in Rome. The fact that Noah immediately notices her discomfort and quickly turns off the radio foreshadows the deeper ways the two romantic leads will come to understand and take care of each other.

“‘I thought having people refer to me as Rae instead of Amelia would help me have some separation between my private and professional life.’

‘Did it?’ he asks, and this is something about Noah that is so different from other people. Most people would hmm, nod, and then move on. But he wants to know the answer. Did it? 

‘No. In fact, Rae Rose just absorbed me. I feel like I haven’t been Amelia in so long. Except for you and your sisters, everyone just calls me Rae now. Even my mom. It’s…’ I falter for polite words to describe what it feels like, so I settle with a basic childish idea instead. ‘I hate it. I feel so jumbled and unsure of who I am.’”

This exchange between Amelia and Noah demonstrates Amelia’s true feelings about her life as a celebrity. As with her love of music, her mother’s nickname for her has been tainted by her success and fame. The fact that even her mother doesn’t call her by her real name anymore shows just how completely fame has consumed her life.

“She couldn’t understand why I needed to move home. She thought I should let my sisters handle her and live my own life. […] I still can’t believe she used that word. So demeaning. Like the woman who sacrificed her life, to raise and love me after my parents died, deserved to be reduced to being handled.”

Noah’s love and devotion to his grandmother highlight the differences between himself and Merritt. Adams contrasts Noah’s description of Merritt with Amelia’s reaction to meeting Silvie and the immediate connection between them, reinforcing the idea of Noah and Amelia as a perfect match.

“I still can’t believe I’m here with these people. These people who like me enough to poke fun at me. To acknowledge when I’m bad at something. To let me fail and enjoy the hell out of it over and over again.”

Throughout the novel, Adams uses the motif of pancakes to represent normalcy and Amelia’s attempt to prioritize her mental and emotional well-being. Her playful interaction with the Walker family emphasizes Amelia’s longing for friendship, love, and the sense of being fully known—all things she’s lacking in her life as Rae Rose.

“Everything about this night is wonderful. It feels too good to play and sing just for the hell of it again. It makes my fingers itch to create something new. To wear my voice out and really push myself with new riffs and runs. I feel that light inside me that had begun to dim burn a little brighter. My mind races to my upcoming tour and butterflies swarm my stomach—feeling an eagerness to get back into music and performing.”

Adams equates Amelia’s loss of her love for music with the loss of her sense of self, highlighting the inherent tension between celebrity and authenticity. Once Amelia frees herself from the control of Susan and the pressures of her career, she reclaims her love for music and reconnects with herself.

“Sadness leaks into my heart because more than anything, I want to explore this relationship with Noah. I want to follow my impulses. My heart says, This could be good. Very good. But my mind replays all the valid reasons we can’t. Why Noah doesn’t want it.”

Over the course of her arc, Amelia’s emotions and intuition battle against the pressures and expectations of her career when it comes to her feelings for Noah. As their relationship progresses, Amelia finds herself able to define her desires more clearly and consider only herself and Noah in the equation of their relationship.

“Truth is, I don’t intend to quit and he knows it. I can’t cancel the tour even if I wanted to. Contracts have me bound at the ankles. But I am feeling. Feeling so much and so strongly about everything that I can’t quite handle it. I love being here with Noah. I love walking through this town and feeling the heartbeat of its personality. I can’t believe I have to leave it. And because I can’t fall into tears right now, and there’s nothing I can do about my quickly approaching real life, I have to fight with Noah. Because I know he’ll let me, and it’ll help.”

Amelia's desire to fight with Noah represents a decision to fully engage with her own life even when it’s difficult rather than disassociating or disappearing. This impulse demonstrates both her personal growth and the strength of their romantic connection, highlighting how well they work as a couple.

“If you had truly cared about me, you would have been looking after my well-being, too. Noticing that you were working me into the ground. That I was so lonely without my mom. But instead, you were so consumed with making more money that you just used me. You used me and you pushed the most important person in the world away from me.”

In the climactic showdown between Amelia and Susan, Adams brings the central conflict of Amelia’s arc—the battle for control of her own life—to its peak. Amelia chooses herself and her well-being over the expectations and pressure of others and, in doing so, frees herself from Susan’s control.