THE ROM-COMMERS is a sweet story that follows Emma Wheeler, an aspiring screenwriter who is hoping to write rom coms as she lands her dream job with Charlie Yates, a famous (and handsome) writer. The duo must learn to work together despite growing tensions and the small fact that Charlie does not believe in love. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look into the world of screenwriting.

Katherine Center has such a talent for writing flawed but endearing characters. I appreciated the development each of the characters experienced individually as well as together. She explored the tension of familial obligations and chasing your dreams so well.

Clean romance readers will appreciate the absence of open-door intimate scenes. I can confidently recommend this chaste story to my sweet grandmother and mother-in-law.

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: June 11, 2024

READ THIS IF YOU:
-Have ever taken an unintentional swan dive into the pool
-Enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope
-Love a fantastic epilogue

This book was a delight. It was funny and sweet; I laughed and I cried. Katherine Center writes with such care about mental health topics, giving both humanity and humor to situations so complex. I adore her books and this one was no different!

WHAT A BOOK! This was amazing. I could NOT put it down. I was in love with both of these characters and thought the story was so well told. This is a MUST READ for any lovers of romance.

If you like her other books, this will be a win for you too. The likability of the characters started off shaky for me but about 1/2 way through I became involved. Solid fun rom-com.

I received a complimentary THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley.

THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center follows Emma Wheeler, a young woman who wants to be a screenwriter. Life hasn't exactly gone her way and she's had to sacrifice opportunities to care for her disabled father. When she gets the offer to help famous screenwriter Charlie Yates on a rewrite of his new rom-com script, she can't believe her luck. Until she shows up for the job and realizes that Charlie isn't great and his script is worse.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books and this one was no exception. Fun fact, she was the first author that someone recommended to me personally after I joined Bookstagram!

I enjoy the fact that her stories are traditional romances with a fairly expected story arc, but they also touch on some very hard hitting topics. Emma's life has had a lot of hardship with her acting as her father's caregiver while also helping to raise her younger sister. Still, she has great ambitions and she definitely can push for her way when needed.

I struggled to warm up to Charlie initially and it took me a while to get there. He could be very abrasive and his lack of knowledge about how love and relationships work makes sense for the script rewrite purposes, but did make it a bit of a challenge for me to love him. He did win me over by the end, though.

I had a good time with this one and have no doubt I'll be reading more from Katherine Center in the future!

I was lucky enough to be approved for an ARC of this book by @katherinecenter. I do have to start this by saying I was a little concerned because so far I’ve only listened to her books and was worried that by using my eyes I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much. What a needless worry! Emma has sacrificed her dreams of being a famous writer to take care of her father and sister since her mother died in a camping accident 10 years ago. When Logan her high school boyfriend turned agent tells her she has the opportunity of a lifetime to help revise a screen player written by her idol Charlie Yates Emma can’t believe it but can she leave the care of her father to her sister? Can she ask her sister to sacrifice her internship for this one opportunity? What will happen if she’s not taking charge. For his part Charlie is also being by manipulated by Logan and isn’t happy about it. Wait…if Charlie happy about anything? How will this partnership work? Once again @katherinecenter writes characters facing real life struggles and makes them totally relatable while not allowing readers to feel pity or that the characters are too self absorbed in themselves as to be relatable to those reading. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it…don’t be me who has had @katherinecenter sitting in her tbr pile@for years before finally hitting play on an audio and finding a new must read everything author. Put this book to the very top of your TBR when it releases.

Katherine Center strikes again! I just simply adore her books!

Although it took me a while to warm up to the MMC, Charlie, I ended up loving the way his character grew and how the story played out, he really opened up by the end and we got to see his true colours. Charlie and Emma both went through a hefty amount of grief and past struggles. Charlie and Emma having that similarity of past loss and painful experiences, it really made their story shine together.

I loved the witty banter and humour , Katherine Center always knocks it out of the park with the perfect balance between serious/emotional and lighthearded/goofy moments. This book definitely makes the message clear on how we can't just someone based off of their cover, we never really know what they've been through or what may lie under that hard exterior shell.

Definitely recommend and can't thank St. Martins Press enough for allowing me to read this in advance.

Out June 11th, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I listened to and read this delightful novel over a couple of days. I enjoyed the banter between Charlie and Emma. It was a perfect rendition of "Rom-Commers"

Was it problematic? Yes.
Was it lighthearted and fun? Yes
Was it over the top? Again, yes.
Is it the perfect beach read? YES!

If you want something fluffy and fun, pick this one up. It was a delight.

Katherine Center does it again with another delightful romantic comedy, aptly titled "The Rom-Commers." Center is a master at crafting sweet, closed-door romances that will give you all the feels. Like with her other books, "The Rom-Commers" will have you laughing out loud and wiping away tears. There are quite a few hard-hitting topics in the book, so be sure to check the trigger warnings. But, as usual, Center is able to skillfully balance grief and trauma with romance and humor. This book was not my favorite of her works, but it was an enjoyable and easy read that will make the perfect beach or poolside companion this summer. Emma and Charlie were relatable characters, each dealing with their own challenges and past traumas. I loved the "opposites attract" trope and thought they both had excellent character development. Overall, a wonderful rom-com that I recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read a book by Katherine Center but I will be hunting down more now! I loved this book. It was funny and sweet with great banter (one of my favorite things in a book. It has a bit of everything you could ever want.

OH MY GOODNESS THIS BOOK. I LOVED IT. I literally started it before bed just to read to fall asleep and I ending up staying up till I finished it. I'm obsessed. Emma dreams of being a writer but she's stuck in Texas taking care of her dad after an accident. When her ex-boyfriend gives her the chance to work with her favorite screenwriter Charlie Yates she decides to take it. The only problem is Charlie did not agree to have someone help him fix his rom com screen play. He doesn't even care if it ever gets made. It's a vanity project for someone's wife. They but heads but soon realize they work together better than ever could have imagined. This book was so good! I loved it!

Emma is a character I related to very much, always the care taker, blames herself for things she has no control over, panic attacks, never knew how to live for herself. Charlie in the beginning is a successful writer who has his fair share of PTSD if I may say so, however the banter between these two and Emma’s ability to both make Charlie uncomfortable but also to help him grow was incredibly written. Towards the end there was a certain point I got teary, but I loved this story. I loved the unfolding of traumas, the effect of personal traumas, the exploration of how events affect people differently was beautifully written. This is my third book by this author and will definitely not be my last. (Will be making another post on instagram tomorrow)

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a delight. Emma would love to be a screenwriter but even though she has the talent, she knows she must stay home to take care of her father. That is, until Charlie Yates, who just so happens to be her idol, needs help re-writing a script that is a rom-com. Rom-Coms are Emma’s specialty after years of researching them and this is an opportunity she can’t pass up. After moving to LA for six weeks, Emma finds out that Charlie is none to happy to be working with a rookie. They say you should never meet your idols and Emma is experiencing that first hand. She is determined to show her worth and create the perfect movie, no matter how hard Charlie fights it and the idea of love. Emma is willing to risk it all, including her heart.
An aspect of this book that really stood out is the way Center completely breaks the fourth wall. Many times throughout, Emma directly addresses the reader, which creates a feeling of safety and familiarity. Emma’s explanation of the genre and all its rules also lends to that feeling. You know what to expect because this is the recipe. What makes The Rom-Commers so special is that even though, you know where it’s going to end up, Center makes this story fresh and bingeable. The banter and the dialogue is whip smart and is laugh out loud funny. While I wish Charlie had been kinder much quicker than he was, watching his personal development was very interesting and I was rooting for his change. You can see his healing happening on the page.
As you are reading, you can feel the moods of Charlie and how they affect Emma.
Emma, herself as a character showed incredible strength and resilience. The situation with how her mother died added an emotional depth that some rom-coms could lack. Throughout you can see how Emma was affected and how her coping skills were formed. Center really dug to get to the bottom of how Emma would react in each situation.
There are two tropes at play here which include forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine. If you love these tropes, this is definitely worth a read. Also, if you are a long time reader of Center, you will get to see a cameo by Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard. It is very easy to get lost in a Center book and feel like you are involved in these characters lives.
All in all, The Rom-Commers is a book that will ultimately leave you feeling complete and better for having read it. Charlie and Emma will feel like family and I can see this becoming a book that I re-read often.

It’s rare that I finish a book and instantly want to read it again, but that’s what happened here. This book was a love letter to love, life, and healing. It was funny and emotional.

I don’t think there’s anything better than a Katherine Center novel. In fact, I think the Rom-Commers is going to end up being one of my top reads of 2024 (and deservedly so)!

Emma Wheeler has had a long ten years as sole caregiver for her father, putting her screenwriting career on the back burner. When a high school friend offers her the opportunity of a lifetime, to help the legendary Charlie Yates rewrite his rom-com screenplay, she reluctantly decides to take the leap. The two quickly butt heads (after some well intentioned misunderstandings) and agree to forge ahead to make the screen play a romantic comedy masterpiece with Emma at the helm teaching Charlie everything she knows. With the two jumping head first into lessons on love, “research” demonstrations, and line dancing (if you know, you know), what could possibly go wrong?

This book is the most beautiful love letter to romance readers and writers alike. Katherine Center always does such a wonderful job crafting a unique story that’s part romance, part woman’s fiction, and all heart. With every book of hers I read, I fall more in love with her writing, the worlds she creates, and the contemporary romance genre as a whole.

I think the best part of her books are the profound lessons she leaves us with in her epilogues. It’s the perfect bow on the present that is her book.

I highly recommend preordering or requesting from your library! This is one summer read you don’t want to miss.

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC!

Emma Wheeler is the queen of writing romantic comedy. She's made an art of its study, but between the loss of her mother, caring for her father, and supporting her little sister, she has pushed her own dreams to the back burner. When her agent poses her with an opportunity to work with famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, one of her all time favorites, Emma finally decides to chase her dreams. Except Charlie doesn't want to work with her.

Charlie is an unlikely, and at times unwilling RomCom hero, but Emma is heroine enough to rise to the challenge of carrying the book. Katherine Center does an amazing job of writing a romcom that is real and raw at times, but ultimately hopeful.

The Rom-Commers is a single-POV opposites attract romantic comedy. Emma, a writer who has had to put her dreams on hold to care for her father, is presented with an opportunity to work with her idol. Charlie, a well-respected screenwriter has written a truly terrible RomCom and reluctantly accepts Emma’s help to fix it. Despite clashing in the beginning, the two actually work really well together, surprising them both!

Katherine Center has very quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Emma and Charlie were both alternatingly frustrating and likeable, so all around just very real! I loved this book, the banter between Emma and Charlie, the drama and angst, and of course the required HEA!


Read dates: 04/30/2024-05/01/2024
Goodreads review: 05/01/2024
Instagram review: 05/02/2024
Blog review: 06/11/2024

Not my favorite.

The main character is annoying and immature. There is no chemistry between the characters; it’s actually sad how she throws herself at him and he shows no interest until the very end. Just all over weird vibes for a “rom/com”. No rom, no com.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I did not even know that corduroy was around anymore: I haven't seen corduroy pants in decades.

THE ROM-COMMERS is a sweet, sappy [clean] love story. But it's not just boy-meets-girl. Emma's family and her friend Logan play a big part in the story, too. How much do you give up for someone you love? How do you forgive and move on?

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.

This is my third Katherine center novel and I can't decide if she's an author for. The first I read Things You save in a Fire I did not like. Like at all. However Hello Stranger was enjoyable if not a bit ridiculous and unrealistic. This was somewhere in between.

Things I liked: the beginning. Everything about the beginning - the banter, the emotions, the characters as they try to work out this weird arrangement of screenwriting.

Then the book took a turn. The screenwriting while a plot point wasn't that important to the story. They have some fun moments in the lessons but I felt like it was taking a backseat. Except I'm not sure what it was a backseat to? Not the romance that's for sure. I didn't care that much for the romance. It was almost an afterthought in the story.

Things that didn't work: the fourth wall breaking narrative. And why does the guy always not believe in love? Are there that many people out there that don't believe in this? Or are all of them just in romance novels?

Anyways - there were some lovely lessons in here, good writing and a decent amount of humor. This is for the lighthearted romance lovers, the movie making obsessed and fans of this author.

3 3/4 stars