I almost gave up on this book because I disliked the main character - she was way too fan-girly for me. I have never gotten the appeal of seeing 'celebrities' in real life and being starstruck. However, as the book went on (and I kept reading) I grew to like Emma. I also liked Charlie - he was a character that was dumped by his ex-wife while at the same time dealing with a cancer diagnosis, so he is a bit traumatized. He finds solace in his shared-custody guinea pig. (An odd pet choice, but ok.)

The premise of the story is that Charlie wrote his first rom-com and it is terrible. So, his manager, Logan, brings in his best friend from childhood, Emma. Emma is the ultimate romantic. However, she is also traumatized, but for her it was the sudden death of her mother and her father's need for life-long care. For the last 10 years, Emma built a life around caring for her father; basically, never leaving his side. She developed a routine for the 2 of them, never wavering for a day. When Logan presents her with a dream opportunity to write with her favorite screenplay writer, Charlie Yates, she heads to LA while her younger sister cares for their father. Unfortunately, Charlie doesn't want her there. Emma is devastated. But they come to an agreement to re-write Charlie's screenplay in 6 weeks... the chemistry works, although it is slow at building as the 2 become friends.

The story is told in a different way, so it took a little getting used to. It's like someone telling you what is happening, and what will soon happen. Overall, it's a really cute romance with some sad, sentimental moments.

“If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you’re at the mercy of darkness.”

What a fun read! Katherine Center can do no wrong and in her stance to make romance novels as important as any other novel, she churns out a masterpiece. Her author's note at the end really got me. As an avid romance reader, she goes on to talk about how important these stories are in making people happy- and isn't that the whole point of life, to me happy?! Well you did it, I smiled through almost the entirety of this book.

Charlie and Emma are the quintessential grumpy x sunshine coupling and damn if i don't eat that shit up. They each come with their own baggage, which makes them so relatable. The way these two come together and build a life without initially meaning to is so charming and enchanting.

Katherine Center can do no wrong and this one is proof of that. The Rom-Commers hits shelves June 11th so mark your calendars to grab this one!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Official rating: 3 stars
Page turner rating: 3 stars

I love a good rom com as much as the next person (or more!) but this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and its hard to pinpoint why! I absolutely loved last year’s Hello Stranger and fell into that story, but I was not as attached to these characters. Pick it up for yourself if you love Katherine Center because this one just might be for you! I did appreciate the ode to the genre that I read so much of!

The Rom-Commers is adorable! Both characters are easy to like and have just enough flaws to make them not seem too perfect.

Katherine Center balances both of their tragic backstories with perspectives on how they've used them to be reasonably successful and not complete cynics. They manage to overcome parallel fears and support each other's quirks along the way.

Charlie's relationships with Emma's family an friends are pure and realistic and a perfect way to add subplots to the overall story.

As always, Katherine center managed to melt my cold dead heart and I can't wait to see her next move.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this audiobook! The story was so well written and the characters relatable. There were real-world problems happening within a relationship dynamic that really tore at your heartstrings. Truly just a fun, witty rom-com that I would read over again in a heartbeat. The narrator of the audiobook was skilled and I enjoyed it, when normally it is tough for me to enjoy a female producing a male voice.

3 Stars

SUMMARY

Emma has spent the past 10 years of her life being the primary care-taker of her father after a rock climbing accident left him disabled and took her mother’s life. She also does some writing gigs here and there to pay the bills, but her dream is to see one of her scripts come to life. When an opportunity to co-write with one of the biggest names in screenwriting, Charlie Yates, for a rom-com script arises, her family pushes her to seize it. With Emma’s younger sister stepping in for the care-taking responsibilities, Emma heads to LA to live her dream. The problem is, Charlie couldn't care less about the rom-com script he’s been commissioned to write. He just wants to deliver a script he knows will never make it to the big screen and move on. But Emma didn’t leave her dad behind for nothing. She is determined to make this script a success.

ROMANCE

For a book all about rom-coms, there was a surprising lack of rom. The blurb on the back of the book mentions how a kiss between them changes everything. Well, that kiss doesn’t happen until over 60% into the story. There was some flirting and tension happening beforehand, but the romance doesn’t really begin until way into the novel, and even then it doesn’t last very long. Katherine Center writes romance so well, though. I absolutely cherished these sweet moments between Emma and Charlie, I just wish there was more.

CHARACTERS

Honestly I lowkey hate Emma and Charlie. Let’s start with Emma. Her whole crutch in life is being her father’s care-taker, and she seems to have a lot of resentment towards her sister for it whether she’ll admit to it or not. When the sister finally does step up, Emma is such a micro-manager about the whole thing. Like, her sister and the sister’s boyfriend are both studying medicine… I think they got this covered. At one point, Emma starts to almost get jealous about how well things are going at home, and then when something does go wrong she takes it as proof that only she can care for her dad. She blames her sister, even though her sister did nothing wrong in the situation, and then the sister does say some awful things back. Afterwards, the sister is begging for forgiveness and Emma begrudgingly gives it??? And then never apologizes in return?!?!?! I guess Emma can never do anything wrong 🙄

Okay, now Charlie’s turn on the chopping block. It might just be a me thing, but I absolutely hate it when a MMC decides what’s in the FMC’s best interest when it comes to their relationship. Instead of, I don’t know, communicating your fears and concerns and coming to a decision as a couple? But I get it, sometimes the male species get their feathers all fluffed and strut around like only their opinion matters. I at least need the FMC to give him shit for it! Make him grovel a little before taking him back! Nah, Emma doesn’t have a fricken backbone. The shit Charlie says to her is so mean, and when Emma is like “That was super rude of you” instead of Charlie apologizing he’s like “I had to do it.” Get out. Also… apparently he eats cereal with WATER 🤢?!!

THE WRITING

The way this book is written is as if Emma is telling us a story. There’s a constant breaking of the fourth wall, things like “By the end of this day I would be so heartbroken” or “Before we move on, I need to tell you about my family” or “Here’s a little good news, since I’ve only been sharing bad news with you. I figured you’d need a reprieve.” Some people might like this writing style, but I do not. It takes me out of the book, prevents me from self-inserting myself into the FMC, and honestly comes across a little cheesy.

There was also an odd amount of times that Emma eavesdropped. It was making me anxious, like damn girl let people have their private conversations! I think it was a way for the reader to learn information since Emma was our sole narrator, but it was an odd choice and set me up to distrust her. There were also moments Emma had when her heart was racing so bad she said her shirt was literally vibrating. Like… no it wasn’t. And she had a moment where she thought there was an earthquake but it was just her heart beating so fast. These two instances were explained as anxiety, but then afterwards it was literally never brought up again. I don’t know, I didn’t like these descriptions and then just the sudden dropping of the topic.

CONCLUSION

It’s easy to point out all the stuff you don’t like in a book, but hard to say what you did like. I hope I’m not coming across too negatively. It’s not like I hated this book. The comedy in this was really great, the dad character was fantastic, and this book was not afraid to have deep emotional moments. I enjoyed the family dynamic and the side characters a lot. It just wasn’t perfect for me, so it lands in the middle of my rating scale.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

"I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we're longing for-adventure, excitement, emotion, connection-we turn to stories that help us find it." Katherine Center is always an instant read for me. I love it when a book makes me laugh out loud, and the Rom-Commers checked that box several times. There were times when the banter between characters was so good that it made me smile until my cheeks hurt.

It's always interesting to me when an author includes mental health issues in their books with such clarity that I instantly connect with the feeling a character is describing. As a mother, I found myself connecting with Emma's role as a caregiver. The worry she feels and communicates is a common feeling among those who experience anxiety. I thought this was portrayed in a way that readers will be able to connect with.

I found myself feeling conflicted about Charlie. At times, I adored him. At other times, I wanted to slap the sh*t out of him. He's thoughtful one minute and then cutting and mean the next. Every time he was careless with Emma's feelings, I could feel it in my chest. While Charlie does redeem himself in the end, there were a couple of times where I was thinking, "Wait, how is he going to come back from that?" But he did!

I was satisfied with this Happy Ever After and will recommend this book to others.

Katherine Center is incredible writer in that she has a talent of making her stories so relatable, so endearing, and provide such great philosophical life advices. Like a warm hug and a gentle guidance, the Rom-Commer makes me optimistic about life.

I inhaled this ARC in mere hours. I related a lot to Emma as a caretaker. Emma has put her life on hold to take care of her dad, who is disable. When an opportunity to work with her idol Charlie Yates, everyone pushes her to live her dream. Turns out her friend Logan might have fib. A rough start turns into slow burn romance. Emma pushes Charlie to face his fears, to change his outlook on love, and slowly she also starts falling in love.

I love that this story is not about finding the perfect person but the good imperfect person that is right for you. I love that Love is imperfect that Katherine shines light on not just the rose-color aspects of love but all the arguments, hard times, and changes. The groveling was chefs kiss and the grand gesture made me have an “Aw” moment.
I highlighted so many amazing quotes in this ARC that I hope to internalize to live life better.

Like I said, an incredible rom-com that not makes you smile and fall in love but lends a beautiful concept of living life to the fullest through all the ups and downs.

Thank you @netgalley for this amazing arc!

Katherine Center can always break my heart and make me sob, The Rom-Commers included. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma and Charlie's story. He's so rough and grumpy, he has his reasons, and she's doing her best to be sunshine and get through life. I adored the slow build of their relationship, the squabbles, Charlie's stubbornness. It took me a while to come around to Charlie, I was sure I wouldn't ever like him. Of course I was rooting for Emma the whole time, she deserves the best things. It's sweet and charming, and deals with some grief, but in the end it's hopeful and full of love.

This was my first Katherine Center book and it will not be my last! I've heard good things about her writing, so when I received this book as an ARC on NetGalley, I was super excited to dive in. The premise is cute. A less-successful screenwriter, Emma, is connected with an incredibly successful screenwriter, Charlie, to re-write Charlie's terribly written Rom-Com. He doesn't really want her help, but in the end, he relents, and she moves to LA temporarily to help him re-write.

I actually really loved Emma's character. I thought she was cute and funny and goofy. She had a lot of really charming qualities and I wanted to read more about her. Charlie, on the other hand, had potential but fell sort of short. I felt like he was underdeveloped as a character, and there was a lot of room to tell readers more about who he is as a person. Either way, I was rooting for them, and I was rooting for the health and safety of Emma's family.

Katherine Center has several other books, and this book made me super excited to dive into her backlist!

**I actually received an early copy of the audio - this was my review....

I love Katherine Center, but she has been rather hit or miss for me the last few times. Unfortunately, this was a miss, but I am very much in the minority. There are hundreds of rave reviews. This one just didn't work for me. It was a cute idea and definitely moments that made me laugh, but it didn't seem like there was enough "story." Some of the banter between characters seemed to go on far too long. I did enjoy the narration and, of course, Cuthbert.

I’ve been a fan of Katherine Center since I read my first book by her. The Rom-Commers did not disappoint! I loved the banter and how the relationship grew!! I wanted to be there in the action with these two!

This book was kind of interesting for me. I’ve liked almost everything that Katherine Center has written, but this had a real different tone for me. I had a hard time figuring Emma out as a character. She was presented as simultaneously really competent and incompetent and I had a hard time with that. I also was not totally sold on the relationship between Emma and Charlie. I didn’t feel like we saw things build up enough on his side.

I really liked the relationships Emma had with her dad and sister and wish we saw more of that. I also wish there was more to Charlie’s secondary relationships.

Overall, there were parts of this book that I really liked and parts that were clear misses. I didn’t feel convinced at the end that this is really what it’s like to be a screenwriter or how Hollywood works. I did like, however, some of the Easter eggs she included for past books.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh. My. This is and will be my favorite book this year. It was phenomenal. I love this author and was so excited to read this book. It did not disappoint. Stop whatever you’re doing and read this book!!

The Rom-Commers is my new favorite Katherine Center book! Emma and Charlie’s journey from enemies to friends to “lovers” was so well done, with some of my favorite tropes (like forced proximity and grumpy/ sunshine) in between.

Charlie had me on such a rollercoaster of emotions- I hated him, I loved him, he made me mad, he made me cry- happy tears and sad tears- and he made me swoon (BIG time.) But his gestures- both big and small- had me completely besotted the entire time. I kept highlighting his gestures and making notes IN ALL CAPS because I loved them so much.

Emma was such a gem- her dialogue and thoughts were so fun to read. She broke the fourth wall, but it worked. She was effortlessly funny. I loved the way she handled Charlie’s grumpiness and stubbornness.

I LOVE Katherine Center’s dialogue- in all of her books, but especially in this one. I highlighted so many quotes! She struck the perfect balance between emotional/ deep and light-hearted moments.

The grand gesture at the end was an “all-caps note” moment. It was SO perfect, I LOVED it!

5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for letting me read an early copy! All opinions are my own.

This book, omg. And CHARLIE YATES?! New favorite book boyfriend. Easily my new favorite book by Katherine Center, and out of the 40+ books I’ve read so far this year, this has been my favorite. A rom com about rom coms, I absolutely flew through this grumpy/sunshine, forced-proximity absolute DELIGHT of a novel, and all I want to do is go back and start it again. There are so many great quotes in here about love and happily ever afters and I will come back here and add them after this one is published. If you like romance (heck, even if you don’t), add this to your TBR immediately.

Pub Date: 6/11/24
Review Published: 5/14/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Loved loved loved this book!
Such a ride as a famous action movie screenwriter hired an unknown to help him write a rom-com.
Well, you can figure out what is going to happen but Katherine Center has included ALL the feels!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I always love Katherine Center’s books. Her romances are just a big ray of sunshine that I know will be sure to leave me smiling. The Rom Commers was no different.

The premise was really fun and kept me completely immersed in the storyline. I appreciated Emma and Charlie as individual characters given their insecurities, flaws, and background stories. I especially loved each of their character growth and development. I found Charlie to be quite dismissive at the beginning especially when he would talk about Emma behind her back. I wish she wouldn’t have been so quick to move on and would have called him out when she’d hear him talking so negatively about her. However, by the end, I found Charlie to be proper leading man material!

Overall, I found this book to have the emotional depth that Center excels out, while still giving us a beautiful story with a happily ever after! Don’t forget to read her author’s note as well, which added another sweet layer to this story!
Center will continue to be a must read author for me!

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my #gifted ARC!

So cute! Need to read more books by Katherine Center! Thank you so much NetGalley! Giving this 4 stars

You can never go wrong with a Katherine center book. I always 1) laugh out loud 2) fall in love with the characters 3) ugly cry 4) get that satisfied ending!
The reason I didn’t give it 5⭐️ was the middle was pretty slow and I felt like Charlie was just so damn mean over and over. I wouldn’t have been able to keep putting up with that without eventually snapping. And I thought the way the main character talked to the reader was a little odd. But that ending! Yes!!👏🏼👏🏼