I’ve never read a Katherine Center novel I didn’t love, and The Rom-Commers is no exception.

Between the witty banter yet eloquent words and the palpable chemistry, this was one of my favorite KC books to date.

She manages to accurately portray trauma, tragedy, and grief in such a way that you feel hopeful and inspired. Every time. Every story. That is what I love most about her work. I always take away some nugget of wisdom for this beautiful mess we call life.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read several books by Katherine Center, but this one might be my favorite (to date). I had a rollercoaster of emotions as I read through the book. Throughout the book, the little things Charlie did for Emma were so sweet and definitely helped build their relationship. There were so many times throughout the book where I had a love/hate relationship with Charlie but once I got to the end, I knew that all his actions were mean for a good reason. Both Emma and Charlie are battling things from their past (and present) that cause them to feel "damaged" and not worthy of love. They are asked to cowrite a rom-com that allowed them both to be pulled from their insecurities. I love the Emma began to pull Charlie out of his funk after being alone for the last 4 years while Charlie helped Emma learn to relax, especially after spending the last 10 years being the sole caregiver for her dad. One thing that surprised me (and pleased me) was finding out that Emma's dad was falling in love with their neighbor. This was a great way that showed Emma that is truly is possibly to care for someone while being in love (they can go hand and hand). This book was so good that I binged the last 70% in 3 hours because I couldn't put the story down. I cannot wait for this book to be released in June. My birthday is the week after the release, so I know which birthday book I will be choosing first to add to my collection.

Though it's only my third book I've read by Katherine Center, it's my most favorite! A very well deserved 5 stars!

Emma has put her life on hold. She wants her little sister to succeed, so she becomes the sole care-taker of their dad who needs the care 27/7/365. While doing so though, she has written rom-com screen plays getting by along with hoping she can make it big one day.

Logan, her ex-boyfriend and agent, calls her one day with that exciting news that thee Charlie Yates, the greatest screen writer out there, actually wants her help on on a rom-com that he's been asked to write. She gives in, especially after reading what he wrote. It's worthless, useless, and nothing rom-com about it! She flies to L.A. only to discover the Charlie doesn't, nor wants the help of a "failed and worthless screen writer. With that said and having no clue where to go or how to get there, Charlie lets her stay at his place for the night. He noticed that she had marked up his writing with tons of notes of his writing of the rom-com and asked her a questions and she goes off about what he wrote and everything that is wrong with it! Though he disagrees and actually doesn't really seem to care, he agrees to hire her to get a better writing and she wants it to succeed. To be wanted! To be watched! Charlie however just wants it written and doesn't care what becomes of it. Emma sticks to her guns and stands up for herself. And for once, at least for me, the FMC isn't naive. Doesn't let herself seem to be smart, good at writing, but yet naive enough that common sense is out the door. So Bravo, Bravo, Bravo to Emma!!!

This is a definite 5 star must read, so make sure to read it when it comes out!

Thank you NetGelley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read it.

I cried. I laughed. I laughed while crying. I cried while laughing. This is a beautiful love story about more to just a couple but how grief, tragedy and taking chances leads to much joy! This is my second Katherine Center book and she can do no wrong in my eyes. 5/5 ⭐️
Thanks NetGalley for access to this ARC!

“That’s just life.
Tragedy really is a given.
There are endless human stories, but they all end the same way.
So it can’t be where you’re going that matters. It has to be how you get there.
That’s what I’ve decided.
It’s all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And the hope you refuse to give up on.
It’s all about writing the very best story of your life.
Not just how you live it—but how you choose to tell it.“

I picture Emma as this clumsy but lovable person who cares so much about others that she forgets about herself. Then comes along an opportunity she can’t pass up - writing a romcom with her favorite screenwriter.

This is a sweet, fun story about 2 people who need to find something more than what they’ve been doing and dealing with for the past few years. It’s cute, fun, and again, another great read from Katherine Center. She’s become a new “go to” read for me. This will be great for the beach or camping.

4.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC. I devoured this delightful grumpy/sunshine rom-com within one sitting! Emma and Charlie effortlessly melted into a friendship --There was no one event or scene where it appeared and it felt so natural and authentic. Stephanie navigated heavy topics with grace and respect and an appropriate amount of levity to balance them. The only thing that took me out of the story was the break in fourth wall, I felt that it detracted from the story. Overall, I adored this. It's my third book from Stephanie and she just hits it out of the park every time!

Thank you to Katherine Center for breaking my reading slump. I’ve been trying to finish a book for over a week and I just can’t. I gave myself permission to move on and to read The Rom-Commers since I’m always a fan of her books and it was just what I needed!

I just love when you feel connected to a story and it grips you from the beginning. This is exactly what this one did and I finished it in less than 24 hours.

Plus, it’s a romcom about romcoms and it includes all my faves like witty banter, swoon worthy moments, enemies to lovers, grumpy vs sunshine, and of course, all the feels!

This is out in June and will make the perfect beach read!

4.5 stars

The Rom-Commers is going to hit hard for all readers who are full time carers for family members like Emma, the main character. For the last ten years, Emma has sacrificed in order to be there for her dad, who needs 24 hour supervision. Center writes Emma in a way that is warm and loving; we can feel Emma’s genuine desire to be a support for her dad and the panic she she suffers that her absence may cause harm to befall him.

Because for the first time in ten years, Emma is leaving her father’s care in the hands of her newly college-graduated sister, so she can fly to Los Angeles for ghost write … er… ghost FIX a screenplay written by one of her screenplay writing hero’s- Charlie Yates.

Charlie and Emma connect quickly, discovering they just click. Their relationship develops and deepens in a fairly predictable romance novel manner, but is so enjoyable in a typical Katherine Center way.

Center has a knack for writing characters who are life-like and tug at readers’ emotions. Emma’s manager, sister, and dad are fantastic side characters. A surprise appearances from “Jack” from the last book is a cute touch. This book is a winner. Five stars!

Katherine Center’s writing is fabulous. Her narrative, plot, dialogue, banter, I loved it all. I laughed out loud multiple times and teared up more than once as well.

My only qualm: a bit too much language for me. Some parts it seemed to detract from the story line, and then other times had a nice reprieve which made me question why it needed to be there at all.

Giving this one a 4.5 stars, loved and would absolutely recommend.

Katherine Center does it again!
LOVED her latest "The Rom-Commers". As always she combines beautiful writing with real characters and it just feels like a warm hug. I may have shed a tear or two reading this one. Highly recommend her books, and this is a favorite for sure!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 🌟Another fun and lovely rom-com from Katherine Center! I really enjoyed the premise of this one, both Charlie and Emma being partially flawed characters coming together to write the next Oscar-winning screenplay.

The setup was comical, and I enjoyed getting to know Emma's character and the dynamic between her and Charlie. Emma was a fun primary character to follow as both her inner monologues as well as her dialogue made me laugh out loud at times. She also had a lot of history too that made you really want to root for her both in her career and in love. The first half of this went really smooth and seemed very promising for both the characters and the story. But at one point it seemed like the tone abruptly shifted from friendly to romantic rather than a buildup of the relationship. I like to see the characters develop their connections and feel them falling for each other, but that was a bit hard by having the story so predominantly told through Emma's perspective. Charlie is a bit too reserved of a character so their connection felt a little forced as it happened.

I really enjoyed this one overall, but not my favorite of hers. I did appreciate the little reference to The Bodyguard that fans could catch!

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

Emma is a little lost in life but gets an opportunity of a lifetime to write a movie with an all-star, her absolute favorite write, Charlie Yates. Although Charlie is not what she ever expected to meet. Can she write with him or will this opportunity be a bust?

I enjoyed this book so much! I always love when the title comes into play, and this did not disappoint. In true Katherine Center fashion, this book was entertaining, full of emotions, and kept me reading.

✍️ BOOK / REVIEW ✍️

I can always always ALWAYS count on @katherinecenter to bring such happiness and warmth to my heart 😭. What a beautifully sweet and endearing #theromcommers turned out to be. I truly loved reading this book, and I am shocked I was able to snag an early #ARC of this (thank you, @netgalley and @macmillanusa - you made my dreams come true!!). This book is set to publish 6.11.24 - add to your pre-order list ASAP.

Readers will laugh out loud during this book, but it also carries some pretty heavy subject matter, so tread lightly. Center does a terrific job of creating witty characters, who also deal with some pretty horrific personal situations. This makes her characters very relatable and multidimensional. The only thing missing was SPICEEEEE. I hate how much I needed these 2 to get down to business - and read about allll the details. It was a very slow burn with 3% action 🤣.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was by far by my favorite book from Katherine Center! I finished this book in 2 days and I’m a busy mom and teacher! Will recommend this book for summer vacay reads

Emma is a writer who loves rom coms, and she also loves anything written by screenwriter Charlie Yates - until she reads his rom com script. But rather than focus on her writing, Emma has spent the last 10 years of her life taking care of her father after an accident that killed her mother and left her father needing full time care. Then she’s offered the chance of a lifetime - to move out LA for 6 weeks and help Charlie rewrite his rom com. But when Emma gets to LA, she learns that Charlie doesn’t care about the script, and doesn’t even believe in love and Emma has 6 weeks to convince him otherwise!

I thought this was absolutely adorable and fun! I saved it to read on the plane from NYC to LA and kept turning to my daughter and saying “you have to read this!” It had everything I was looking and hoping for. Loved the Bodyguard cameo and enjoyed every moment of reading this one! I think it’s Katherine Center’s best one yet! If you love rom coms then this one has to be on your TBR!!

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC to review

A romantic comedy about two screenwriters who are thrown together to write a romantic comedy. Brilliant! Ingenious! You can see for yourself all the 5-star reviews already posted for this book and I am ecstatic to add mine to the list.

I've been a big fan of Katherine Center's books for quite some time now and this may now be my favorite!
This book checks all the right boxes for a terrific Rom-Com story. It's funny, sad, endearing, and simply an all-around great read.

There are many phenomenal reviews and synopses for this book on Goodreads and I encourage you to read them all. Suffice it to say that I have already been talking my friend's ears off about this book and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Now it's time to sit back and wait for some smart film producer to buy the movie rights. I'll be first in line to buy a ticket to this movie when it's made.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this fantastice book. All opinions expressed are my own. Publication date: June 11, 2024.

Full disclosure: I'm a screenwriter, working primarily in romance. So this was sure to be either a big hit or an even bigger miss for me. Luckily, Katherine Center delivers-- as per usual. The set up is far-fetched (a nobody writer living in TX is paired with one of the greatest current screenwriters, and she's going to live with him in his LA mansion... It tests the boundaries of believability, but if this is a scenario that could feasibly exist in the universe, I volunteer as tribute), but Center manages to navigate it fairly well, mostly by just pushing through and getting on to the good stuff. I really liked the more "meta" moments, with commentary on how a rom com should be structured, what it's meant to deliver, and the function it serves within society. It's not about what's going to happen in the end, it's about how they get there. Although I will say, there's discussion about whether a romance must have a happy ending, with expert Emma insisting that it does have to have a happy ending, but I'd argue that a *rom com* must have a happy ending; a romance can end in tragedy. Anyway, Center's story follows the parameters to a tee, serving up likable, fully-realized characters who have flaws and all, and an enjoyable journey for them as they move from enemies, to coworkers, to-- inevitably-- lovers.

If you have read and loved a Katherine Center book before, you cannot miss this one.

Absolutely LOVED it. Immersive, escapism and honeslty — immaculate vibes. 10/10, no notes. Except to say I loved it. Again. Highly reccomend.

I have a love/really dislike relationship with Katherine Center's books, so I'm always nervous when I start a new one. I absolutely loved The Bodyguard, but all of her other books have been slight misses for me.

But this book? This is her best book yet.

I couldn't stop reading The Rom-Commers. I had a huge to-do list to get done, but instead, I found myself sitting down and reading this entire book in a single day. It was SO GOOD.

Full review to come closer to pub date, but be sure and add this to your summer TBR. You will LOVE.

Katherine Center is a delight! This novel had me swooning and kicking my feet! Emma and Charlie are both so loveable that I didn’t want the book to end! I loved seeing Jack from The Bodyguard pop in for a cameo! And of course, Mother Meryl. It was a perfectly paced rom com that sucked me in from the first page. I absolutely adored it.