Like all the books I’ve read by Katherine Center, The Rom-Commers was lots of fun and had lots of heart. I have a few quibbles, but this was definitely a win and I know many people will love this book.

I love Katherine Center, and will read anything she writes. This was one of her best, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Quick Synopsis
Emma Wheeler is stuck. She has given up on her dreams of screenwriting to become the primary caretaker for her precious father. That all changes when she gets a call from a manager with an offer she can’t refuse.

Charlie Yates, famous screenwriter, is stuck. He has lost his mojo after a traumatic event. He knows that he can get it back if his passion project screenplay is green-lit. That green light comes with strings, though. He has to write a Rom-Com.

Logan Scott, Hollywood screenwriting manager extraordinaire, knows how to get his friends/clients unstuck. He just has to convince them to live and work together. What could go wrong?

Thoughts
This was my first Katherine Center book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I sighed. The banter was perfection! The romance was swoon-worthy. I will be ordering a physical copy of this book for annotation.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this incredible arc!
I really loved this story and devoured it over the span of three (busy) days. I enjoyed Center’s use of the metalepsis (new word I just learned for this, aka breaking the fourth wall) because I felt more connected to the character.
These characters were written very well — they made me absolutely angry, annoyed, entranced, they made me laugh, cry and roll my eyes.
Also, the last part of this book wrecked me, I was absolutely sobbing.
I highly recommend this book!

“I don’t think marriage is hard. I think, in fact, if you do it right, marriage is the thing that makes everything else easier.”

Katherine Center delivers every single time. Just like in all of her books, she makes you feel so many emotions at once. I loved both the main characters and their personalities. I enjoyed the growth and how real everything felt.

This may be my new favorite of her! I cannot wait to see what is next.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

I loved this book! The characters were so well written and I loved the storyline. Books about writers are elite

Katherine Center is easily becoming one of my favorite and must buy romance authors. I have loved all of her recent romances and this one was no exception. While this wasn't my favorite of hers, I enjoyed the banter and can't wait to read her next book.

It's Katherine Center, need I say more? Just read it! She has delivered another knock-out with this one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. Emma is her father's fulltime caregiver after an unfortunate accident. She gave up a promising future as a screenwriter to do so. Now Logan, her ex-boyfriend from high school, also a big time agent in LA, made me her an offer to be a ghostwriter to her personal writing god. Charlie Yates wrote his first rom-com and it is absolutely terrible. When Emma arrives to help re-write it, everyone but Logan is surprised. What happens next is pure magic. Super cute book! #Rom-Commers #KatherineCenter #June2024 #StMartinsPress

i think KC’s books are always so well thought out, the way she writes and develops the plots are so engaging and entertaining
emma was such a delightful character to read and i think her motivations and personality were perfectly done
i do have to point out that charlie was the typical grumpy mc that doesn’t care abt anyone and i was hoping for the moment where he finally let emma in and was fun or romantic, it wasn’t until 90% of the book we learn why he was like that but it didn’t feel satisfying or redeeming for his character bc as a reader we never got to see him be the man emma described as the man she loved and lighted up her world, he was always grumpy so… i wish he would’ve been developed further in a way that the readers understand him and we see what emma sees in him
for being called the rom commers we didn’t really get the swoony romance or the comedy i expected lol

A funny, wise and romantic story for everyone waiting for Katherine Center's next book -- you will not be disappointed. I'd also recommend this to readers who love Emily Henry. Emma loves rom-coms. She's read and seen them all, and she writes them as well. Unfortunately, she's never been successful, because she takes care of her disabled father. When and old friend offers her the opportunity to help a famous screenwriter rewrite his (very bad) rom-com script, she takes him up on it, mainly because the writer is Charlie Yates, who is her absolute favorite writer. The two have a tumultuous relationship from the start, and it continues all through this wonderful book, until of course, the Happily Ever After. I truly look forward to recommending this title.

Katherine Center can do no wrong! I’ve yet to read a book written by her that I don’t love! The raw emotions mixed with the perfect amount of humor is everything we needed and more.

I couldn’t put this book down (even into the late hours of the night). I laughed so hard while reading it that my husband went out and bought earplugs. Reading about writers contains its own kind of charm. If these characters were, I don’t know, doctors or firefighters or professors, I would not have believed the relentless witty banter full of illustrative metaphors and impossibly perfect diction to be possible, but because they were writers actively engaged in the act of writing romance script, Center had so much leeway to let the dialogue take center stage.
Recently, I have taken an interest in this whole idea that good novelists keep secrets from the reader throughout the course of a novel in order to keep intrigue and engagement strong. This novel is a perfect example of that. Even in the moments when Charlie, our male lead, came across as less than charming, I understood that it was for a reason that I was not yet privy to, but would eventually learn. Emma, as a narrator, is wildly likable, breaking the fourth wall (if that is even a term for novels) by switching into the second person to talk directly to the reader at surprising and endearing times. I loved Emma, her dialogue, her wild red curls, and everything else about her. I loved Charlie and his grumpy, accomplished, internally soft being. I can’t remember the last time I read something this utterly delightful.

This is another good book by Katherine Center that even intertwined characters from The Bodyguard. The storyline line had a good pacing that kept me engaged as a reader, but the last chapter and epilogue seemed rushed and forced to conclude everyone’s storyline. I wish the ending was extended a little longer.

3.5 ⭐️

The Rom-Commers is another lovely novel by Katherine Center following Emma. She is a screenwriter who hasn't been able to break into the field due to being the full-time caretaker for her father and his life-long health issues to ensure she is there to support her family. When her agent offers her an opportunity to work with her all-time favorite writer, Charlie Yates, her resolve breaks down (after some coercing from her family). She leaves across the country while her little sister takes on the job of caring for her father. Things didn't go to plan when she gets to LA and realized that Charlie had no clue about this plan to work on fixing the (shitty) rom-com script together.

Let me be honest: Charlie is an ass in the beginning. I kind of hate how much of a pedestal Emma had him on during their first few interactions, however, the two of them grew on me as they started to open up. Emma purposely pushed Charlie's buttons more than once and I love that. His reactions made him more bearable to me, but I never fully connected with them.

If Emma said his whole name 1 more fuckin time I will riot. I cannot.

As much as I grew to like the two main characters, I did not really care about the story. It was fun and interesting in concept, but the side characters were beyond annoying and I didn't care for really any of them. The more I think about this, the more I dislike aspects of the story. (3rd act breakup for literally no reason?????) It was a good ride, but if I wasn't listening to the audiobook I think it would've probably been a very possible DNF. (2.25X audio speed baby!!)

💝 forced proximity
💝 grumpy x sunshine
💝 celebrity x fan
💝 fast-paced, fun audiobook
💝 love and loss

cw: cancer, grief, past death of a parent

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center.

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙢-𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Y’all… Read. This. Book!

I just adore Katherine Center! She could literally write a book on astrophysics and I would drop everything I’m doing to read it.

I loooved her book 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧. It was easily one of my top reads of 2023. Am I still raving about it? Yep! Annnd here Center goes, yet again, making her way to the top of my 2024 favorites.

How do you become a favorite book of mine? Easy. Give me topics and characters that evoke all the emotions. If you can make me shed a tear, or quite literally laugh out loud, well, that’s just an extra star! And 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙢-𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 will give you alllll the feels!

Don’t even bother reading the blurb for this one… just grab a blanket, cup of warm (insert your beverage of choice) and cozy up with this read. You’re gonna love it! (If you enjoy audiobooks, Patti Murin did a fantastic job narrating! I highly recommend.)

One caveat: I’d suggest reading 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙 first. It’ll make the cameo appearance of a character from this novel just a little more fun!

Bravo Mrs. Center on another masterpiece!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center follows the story of Emma and Charlie, two polar opposites whose lives intertwine. It was such a cute read, the romance aspect was there — the comedy aspect not as much. Which is what I think this novel was missing for me, as my expectations were “we’ll get some LOL, funny moments.” Overall I recommend this novel to all romance lovers, the story is unique, is a bit of a book within a book, and I loved the growth for Charlie and even Emma coming out of her shell, 3.5⭐️

Thank you to St. Martins Press for an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an
ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tloved this book. Katherine center is always a must read for me, and this one held up to that standard. I didn't want the story to end!

If you're going for realistic and believable, this novel won't be your cup of tea. If, however, you get off on Katherine Center's quirky humor and unlikely accidents, flavored with Holly wood celebrities, then run right out and get your copy.

Emma Wheeler is a screenwriter who now teaches English at a community college. She is a redhead with wild, wiry curls who cares for a handicapped father. Her best friend from high school is now a successful Hollywood agent and so the tale begins. Before long, we meet some movie and TV greats like Meryl Streep and other disguised names you will recognize. Exactly how The Rom-Commers becomes a Rom-Com begins when Emma meets her idol, an award-winning screenwriter, Charlie. The pace and fun of this book helped to entertain me during a stressful time. That's what made it worth 4 Stars.

Center speeds off on her trademark love stories with missed signals, near-death accidents, close family ties and lots of humor. If you read her acknowledgments, as I did, you may find help for anxiety with a book recommendation. Both I and Emma did.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early copy to review.

Quick synopsis: Emma Wheeler has always dreamed of being a rom-com screenwriter, but her life circumstances have kept her from that dream. Charlie Yates, on the other hand, is one of Hollywood’s most prolific screenwriters - but his rom-com script is the actual worst. Emma gets called in to help him rewrite the script, and the result will make or break both of their careers.

Thoughts: If you want a book that will make you both laugh out loud and reach for a box of tissues, Katherine Center is your girl. I don’t want to go into too much detail about this book because I feel like there is a lot that is best to uncover while you’re reading. The premise is a fantastic rom-com set up, and the follow through honestly went so much deeper than I anticipated. Katherine deals with a lot of difficult and emotional themes, but as always she does so in such an honest and realistic way with glimmers of hope throughout. This book should be on everyone’s summer reading list. A note on the audio: I did a little of both formats for this one, and I definitely loved it either way! If you’re an audiobook person, you’ll love Patti Murin’s narration - highly recommend!

Read this if you like:
🎞️ rom-coms
🎞️ Hollywood
🎞️ family & found family
🎞️ grumpy/sunshine
🎞️ forced proximity