It makes me sad to not rate this book higher since I'm such a big fan of Katherine Center's books, but The Rom-Commers just never truly hooked me. The book was surprisingly quite heavy at times and complicated grief and illness play large roles in the story. Please be sure to check CW's, especially if you're expecting a lighthearted read.

The premise was a fun (if slightly unbelievable) one and Center is a truly talented and gifted writer. Unfortunately, the story didn't 100% deliver the rom (romance) or com (comedy). I found the writing style (the narrator speaks directly to the reader at times) quite distracting and was bothered by the stereotypical descriptions of Los Angeles. I recognize that my viewpoint is likely skewed on this one though, since I have lived in Los Angeles my entire adult life. Neither character was particularly likeable and I didn't feel their supposed romantic chemistry. I also didn't like that so much of the story moved forward because of eavesdropping and/or deceit. The third act conflict may have been rooted in good intentions, but I'm never a fan when this particular method is employed to create drama. So much could have been avoided if these two had a mature and honest conversation. Emma and Charlie were both so emotionally stunted, that I feel that they would have been better off going to therapy versus starting a romantic relationship.

The book had some swoony and sweet moments though (I'm such a sucker for the caretaker trope!) and I loved the secondary characters. The Jack Stapleton cameos were also a fun treat. I appreciated the hopeful and uplifting message of the book, but sadly, The Rom-Commers just didn't fully work for me.

CW: round the clock care of a parent, parent that has suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in hemiplegia and also has Meniere's disease, death of parent (past, rock climbing related), guilt, grief, soft tissue sarcoma, near accidental drowning (past), fear of water, parental abandonment (past), car accident/threats to safety (on page), fall and emergency surgery/threats to life (secondary character)

OW/OM drama: some ex wife drama and some jealousy about an OM

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

As a huge Katherine Center fan I was so excited about this one! While it wasn’t my absolute favorite of hers, I’ve rated all but 1 five stars before this one so the bar is pretty high! Emma and Charlie have a unique working relationship and I really enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. Emma was super relatable and I loved how unapologetically herself she was. The concept of writing a rom com while reading a rom com was unique and I loved that there were serious undertones in the book. I feel like Emma would be such a fun friend to have! There were so many cute swoony moments in this book too!

Katherine Center has done it again with her latest novel, "The Rom-Commers." It's a heartwarming story with a touch of humor that fans will enjoy.

The FMC, Emma Wheeler, is someone many readers can relate to—a person torn between career ambitions and family responsibilities. As the story unfolds, we see her grappling with these challenges and uncovering deeper layers of emotion along the way. You really feel for Emma and the way she views the world through the lens of a writer and a hopeless romantic, even if she doesn't have first-hand experience in the romance department.

Spoiler: she gets first-hand experience really quick! The chemistry between the FMC, Emma, and MMC, Charlie Yates. is a highlight, bringing plenty of laughs and entertainment. Center handles their evolving relationship with skill, adding warmth and charm to the narrative.

Another strength of the book is its unexpected plot twists, keeping readers engaged until the end. The book was good at 50%, but it was about that mark that it spilled over from good and hooked me in to where I HAD to finish the book to see how it was going to end. The ending did not disappoint!

Overall, "The Rom-Commers" is a feel-good read that's sure to leave a smile on your face, despite navigating through some harder topics.

One standout feature is the surprise appearance of characters from Center's previous book, Jack Stapleton and Hannah from "The Bodyguard". It was a nice treat to see these familiar faces pop up in the story. Ahhh, swoon!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this eARC for free in exchange for an honest review. I will be adding this one to my bookshelf when it published this summer.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors but this one just didn't hit the same way for me. It leaned more towards women's fiction than Romance, which I was not expecting based on the title. I really wish there had been more focus on the relationship.

The Rom-Commers is what I would classify as a 'second chance at life' story. The two main characters are tossed together by a mutual friend under the guise of a professional opportunity. They are both in a crossroads in their lives - one is a writer/professor who has made her life very small due to her family responsibilities. The other, a famous, well-known screenwriter whose life has taken a nosedive the last few years. As a loyal, faithful Katherine Center reader, I'd rate this in the middle of her collection of works. It's a very fast read (there is a lot of dialogue) and there are some ups and downs emotionally. I didn't want to put it down but I also wasn't really invested in their chemistry and their impending HEA.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

I so badly wanted to love this one, but it missed the mark a bit for me. My biggest issue was that I felt like it was emotionally manipulative and that very much took me out of the story. I loved the concept of writers coming together for this script and the fun Hollywood tidbits but it didn't fix the issues I had with the book.

This is my first Katherine Center and you’ll have to excuse me while I pause to go add the rest to my TBR pile.

It was SO GOOD. I was invested in both the leads from the get go, and rooting from them from their first, flawed meeting. The perfect chemistry of a rom-com love-hating boy and a rom-com loving girl that kept me turning pages into the early hours of the morning.

I can’t wait for this to come out so everyone can experience the pure JOY I felt reading about these two and their gang.

⭐️4.5⭐️
WOW this might be my new favorite Katherine center book!!! 🩷🎬👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 this story flawlessly combined themes of love, family, friendship, heartache, growth, change, grief, and SO much more. it also totally redefined ‘happily ever after’ for me. you can really tell that katherine put her heart and soul into this one!

not only did i love the entire story itself, but o m g these characters! our main character emma was literally the cutest, sweetest, most caring young woman, and i could deeply relate to her in many ways, including her struggle with anxiety. honestly, she reminded me of myself verrry much in that way! i loved emma’s family and friends just as much as i adored her. and our dear main character charlie, who was slightly mysterious, but clearly has a heart of gold. i rooted for all of the characters throughout the entire story. and i loved the way this book played out like a true rom-com movie, as opposed to your typical literary rom-com. if you’re a fan of katherine’s work, or a first timer wanting to check her books out- definitely add this to your tbr!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s for this early review ARC of the Rom-Commers! This was my favorite Katherine Center yet. It was funny, swoony, and was so adorable. While this title has some heavy topics such as anxiety, and loss of parent, they made the story more complex and didn’t feel too heavy for the overall story. This is the perfect beach read for the summer!

Wow! Another amazing book from Katherine Center. I read this one in 2 sittings and just couldn’t put it down. The characters were entertaining and witty and I loved the easy flow of the novel. This is an easy five star read for me and I can’t wait to shout about it from the rooftops.

It was good, but I did not love it. KC is a great writer, and I was engaged in the story, and the characters felt real.
The romance between Charlie (MMC) and Emma (FMC) did not do it for me. However, there were moments of fun banter that made me chuckle. I enjoyed how the author highlighted serious themes while maintaining humor and fun in the story.

This is a good summer read for the beach!
Though this was not my fav by KC, she is an author I will continuously read.

Content Warning: Multiple instances of curse words and crass humor.
Sexual Content: Kissing
Trigger warning: Grief

Thank you to Netgalley and Stmartinspress for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy Katherine Center’s writing. Her banter is spot on and the characters are very believable. This story was very PG but I recommend to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies.

This might be my favorite Katherine Center book so far! One I’d definitely like see made into a movie. I love the grumpy/sunshine romance so if you also love that, this is a must read.

Emma Wheeler is a writer and also a full time care taker for her dad. Then she’s offered the chance of a lifetime - help her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates, write a romcom!

The only problem is that this means leaving her caretaker abilities, which she’s been doing for a decade, to her younger sister, so she can fly to LA to work on the screenplay.

Oh, and the fact that Charlie Yates wants nothing to do with working on this project with her. But that won’t stop Emma from making the most of this opportunity or seizing the chance to live her life outside the confines she’s lived her life within for the past decade.

I delighted in the relationship between Charlie and Emma. They’re a partnership that’s fun to root for. Warning note: there is mention of the death of a parent and part of the storyline involves caring for a high needs parent. These parts can be tough to read if it’s something you’ve experienced.

This book has it all: quirkiness, miscommunication, moments of joy, love and celebration, and - a staple of a Katherine Center book - grief.

Thanks for NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have come to love anything Katherine Center writes and her books are now an autobuy.

The Rom-Commers - 4.5 Stars

Emma is a screenwriter who is somewhat stuck in her life and career as she has become the full-time caretaker for her dad. When the opportunity of a lifetime is presented, Emma rearranges her lift to take a chance at co-writing with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates. However, Charlie doesn't want to write this screenplay with anyone, let alone unproven Emma. As they continue to work together, Emma is determined to show Charlie the importance of love and the happily ever after.

At times I wished this was dual POV as the miscommunication between Emma and Charlie was frustrating. Had Charlie's POV been represented, he may have been more likeable as a character.

Center has the ability to create wonderfully complex characters and story lines and this novel is no exception. The ability to add in heavier themes in the middle of a romance keeps me coming back.

I LOVE anything that Katherine Center writes and this was no exception! I discovered Katherine's books in 2019 when she was a Book of the Month Club pick and I have been hooked ever since.

I enjoyed this sweet book as my virtual book club's romance pick for February. Emma and Charlie are both screen writers, one much more successful than the other, and they are forced together to work on Charlie's first rom-com screenplay. Charlie is anti-romance, anti-love, and Emma is the opposite. The banter between the two is wonderful, they gave me the warm-fuzzies from the beginning. Despite some great challenges in their own pasts/lives, this book was still a happy and feel good read. This was one of my favorites by Katherine yet.

As always Ms. Center gets it right! I loved this story so much. However, Emma and Charlie lacked chemistry in the first 70% of the book. Then BAM! The last 30% felt perfect.

I'm sooo giddy for this one!!

oh my gosh, Katherine you've done it again!! This romance novel made me feel all sorts of emotions; happiness, giddy, joyful, laugher, irritation, and love. What an incredible rom-com story, and you'd think it's predictable like *most* romance but this one was different. You'll fall in love with the characters maybe even more than the story itself. If you're not a romance type of person, this would be perfect even for you. I HIGHLY recommend it. One of my top reads this year so far...

My heart is swooning! 5 gazillion stars! Katherine Centers newest work has just become my newest favorite—yes, I declared that last time, but trust me, she keeps surpassing herself. Emma Wheeler, a skilled writer of romantic comedies, has put her dreams on hold to care for her father full-time. However, an opportunity arises to rewrite a script for her longtime obsession, famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, who's been coerced into a terrible ROM-COM. Emma, determined to prove the importance of love in Rom-Coms, faces the challenge head-on. Center is the most gifted romance writer. I’m always lost in the way she weaves a story together, effortless and unique and filled with heart. I absolutely loved it! This is destined for the big screen; mark my words. I can already see it, and Bradley Cooper would be perfect for the lead.

4,5 stars.
Katherine Center is on a mission to get romantic fiction out of the shadow and into the mainstream. All her heroines are smart, funny, independent and feisty women. but in this book she has taken it one step further, romance is not just what happens to the main characters - it is their job. Emily is a struggling screenwriter, who is called upon to help very established screenwriter Charlie writing a rom-com. Charlie is representing all the cynics in the world who is quick to write any romantic stories of as predictable, trashy and for girls (!). Of course Emily proves him wrong and they fall madly in love.
A thoroughly enjoyable read - thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

This is the first book I've read by Katherine Center and it didn't disappoint.

This book had me on a roller coaster of many different emotions. When I first met Charlie I wanted to punch him, but then I loved him when he did such sweet things for Emma. One being buying her favorite flowers and making her doughnuts for her birthday. I definitely related with Emma leaving her dad after caring for him for 10 years. I took care of my dad when he was alive and felt guilty like she did doing something amazing and fun, but I know that my dad would've wanted me to live my life and be happy, just as her father wanted her to go to LA and write with Charlie. Sylvie pushing Emma to go to LA to write with Charlie was what she needed. It was also what Charlie needed as well to bring him out of his funk. The things that held them back made love worth fighting for in the end. This book was so good I read half of it instead of sleeping and when I woke up binged the rest of it because I needed to know if Charlie truly loved Emma. I will most definitely be getting this book to add to my collection and recommending it to everyone.