Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for this ARC. I absolutely adored this book and was swooning for the last half. This book also brought out a lot of different emotions and essentially consumed my life. A must read!

This one just wasn’t it for me. It started out pretty good, honestly. I wasn’t a big fan of the writing but I was pretty invested in the characters and how their story would play out. However, around 70%, it just sank. The MCs turned super immature and I could not handle how they were communicating.

Emma was incredibly gullible and naive. Which I kind of understood since she constantly put everything for herself on the back burner so she could take care of her family. Charlie was described as a slob and I just couldn’t get myself to like him. Especially when he started being negative and woah-is-me.

This would’ve been a solid 3 stars for me until how that “third act” played out.

I will start off by saying that typically, this is not my favourite genre of book because sometimes I find them so cheesy that my eyes cannot roll back any further. BUT this was a quick/easy read and I felt connected to all the characters. Were some parts cheesy? Yes. But it wasn’t giving me the annoying hallmark vibes. I did find Emma to be a bit much and pushy at times but then remembered her backstory.
Overall it was cute and my favourite character was actually her dad:
“Choose a good, imperfect person who leaves the cap off the toothpaste, and puts the toilet paper roll on upside down, and loads the dishwasher like a ferret on steroids—and then appreciate the hell out of that person”

This book delivered on everything I hoped for and then some! If you’re looking for a read that fits the grumpy/sunshine energy of a classic romcom this is such a fun read. Emma is an incredibly likable, yet humanly flawed, lead. Charlie is the classic cynic who is actually a cinnamon roll. Together this duo had excellent banter, swoon worthy moments, and excellent declarations of love. I laughed, I cried, and I absolutely loved ever second of it.

First, huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book as an ARC! Any new Katherine Center book is a book I will always beg to read early.

The plot - meet Emma, the “sunshine” of our Grumpy/Sunshine duo who is an aspiring screenwriter stuck in Texas as a caretaker for her chronically ill father. Emma’s pal Logan is an agent for some Hollywood stars, including (unbeknownst to Emma), Emma’s favorite super famous screen writer, Charlie. Charlie is, of course, the grump of this duo who has written a truly abysmal romcom to curry favor from a network exec. Logan brings Emma into the picture to get Charlie’s writing on track, moving her across the country for a six week stint at Charlie’s mansion. Write a beautiful rom com, cash that mega check, and then Emma will be on her way back to her home town. Or will she?

My thoughts - this book was delightfully cliche, and I say that in the nicest way possible. Sometimes it’s okay that something is a cliche - it works for a reason. Grumpy/sunshine is not my favorite romcom trope, and variations on this plot have been done before (Jasmine Guillory’s “By the Book” comes to mind), but this one worked for me, because of course it did. Because no matter how suspicious I am of the plot or the tropes, Katherine Center makes you FEEL things about her characters in a unique way that I think is really difficult to find with modern romance writers. The plot is sickeningly sweet, but I will sign up for the cavities because I love her characters so much.

The one major downside for me was the absolute onslaught of traumatic medical content (more on that below in the content warnings section). It was inescapable and truly there at every turn throughout the book. One of the medical plot lines would have been enough to further the storyline, but the three major accident/trauma plot points was rough. It felt like we were being cracked over the head with a baseball bat to remind us that bad things happen to good people.

Other than that, I feel like there were moments that felt a bit obvious to me and I would have loved a bit more insight into Charlie and what made him tick, but I can’t wait for all of you to read this one. You’ll laugh, you’ll shed some tears, and you’ll walk away feeling just a bit lighter than you’d felt before you read it.

Important content warnings: there is a LOT of medical content in this book, and that’s something you should be conscious of if you’re sensitive to that. There are discussions of traumatic accidents/death, near death experiences, loss of a parent, cancer, and a lot of talk of caretaking for a loved one with a disability/chronic health condition. If any of these issues are weighing on you, I’d encourage you to take a take a beat on reading this right away.

Plane reads are sacred. I pick out a book that I want to give my full and undivided attention to. And this time I specially saved this upcoming release! I literally flew 😉 through it and read 95% in 5 hours and stayed up until I finished ! This is the second KC book I’ve read in (almost) one sitting and love how easy reads her stories are 🫶🏼

What I loved about this one:
🧡 The fun and colorful cover!! Also helped me to visualize Emma and Charlie
💙 Two screenwriters makes for The PERFECT banter and dialogue!
💛 The meta conversations around rom-coms were so good!! I loved their research of rom-com ingredients 🥰
🧡 Learning how to forgive oneself and that guilt and fear shouldn’t keep us from chasing our dreams !!
💙 Just randomly bumping into celebrities at restaurants and coffee shops because it’s Los Angeles 🙌🏼
💛 There will be always be tragedy in life. Our goal is to LIVE in perspective from it.
🧡 Remembering the time I went line-dancing with friends in college, learned I was terrible at it but had so much fun anyway!!
💙 Emma’s saved collection of the best kisses of cinematic history
💛 Katherine Center is the CHAMPION for joy and fiction and romance.
🧡 A guinea pig named Cuthbert 🥹

And now I want to watch “It Happened One Night” !

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advanced readers' copy. All opinions are my own.

Emma Wheeler is a rom-com screenwriter, though she has not had much success, perhaps because she is also the full-time caregiver for her father, and has been for the last 10 years. When she is given the opportunity to help her all-time favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates, rewrite his truly terrible first attempt at a rom-com, what else can she do but say yes? Emma turns over care of her dad to her younger sister and flies to LA. But things in LA are not exactly as advertised by her agent, and Charlie Yates is not the most cooperative writing partner…

I thought it was fun that other characters from Center’s previous books are mentioned/appear in The Rom-Commers, though it would make it a little confusing if you haven’t read the book they appear in. Overall, this was a fun read that was mostly lighthearted, but with plenty of backstory, emotion, and character development, as I have come to expect from Center’s books.

Such a beautiful story about love and loss and sacrifices. I was so excited about getting the opportunity to lay my eyes on this ARC through NetGalley and I was not disappointed!

I dove into this book head first right away!

I loved each and every character. They all had so much depth to them and I felt like they were all real people and I was a magical side character experiencing all of the emotions right along side them.

Emma and Charlie have become my fave duo and I don’t know if anyone else will be able to take their place!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review

The ROM-Commers by Katherine Center was a very cute novel. I read this book in less than two days.

Emma travels to Los Angeles to help a famous screen writer. Charlie, famous for his mafia movies, is trying his hand at romcoms. His current rough draft is abysmal. His only chance for redemption is Emma. However, Charlie is not looking forward to this romcom adventure, and he plans to exert minimal effort on the rewrite.

I enjoyed reading about their relationship as it unfolded. Both characters have complex issues from their past.

I really enjoyed when the characters cooked together and sat at the large writing table collaborating together. I found some of the dialog frustrating (Charlie acting like he’s not in love with Emma when clearly he is), albeit predictable.

this was a fun, quick read. I look forward to listening to the narrated version when it becomes available. The narrated version includes one of my favorite narrators, Therese Plummer.

3.75 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and ST. Martin’s Press for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love rom-coms, movie or book so I was very excited for this one. Katherine Center also writes in such a way that you get lost the story, rooting for the characters. The Rom-Commers was no different. Emma and Charlie were perfect, their banter was everything! I often will recommend a book solely on the good banter so happy to have another to add to my list. This book was funny but I also cried. Emma’s relationship with her dad was so sweet. I was so happy to see Jack Stapleton back!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review The Rom-Commers. I can’t wait for everyone to read this one when it releases on 4/12.

This was the first book by Katherine Center I have read and it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed the banter between Emma and Charlie and seeing the development of their relationship as the book went along. I was feeling so much for Emma as she was trying to navigate her own life with supporting her dad and sister. I wish there were a couple chapters at the end after Emma and Charlie finally got together before the epilogue to see more of their life as a couple.

Loved this rom com! Perfect slow burn. The romance was predictable in a good, comforting way & the story had the perfect amount of depth. Katherine Center never disappoints!

I absolutely adore Katherine Center’s books! I could wear t-shirts imprinted with my favorite quotes from her books, organize fangirl clubs, and reread passages with other devoted fans while we slurp our Chardonnays and weep like babies at the sentimental parts. She's a talented heartstrings player who knows how to make you smile deeply while also drying your happy tears from your face.

Did I enjoy "Rom-Comers"? I didn’t just enjoy it—I fell in love with Emma & Charlie. Their enemies-to-lovers beginning that turns into friends-to-lovers at forced proximity, with sunshine-meets-grump tropes, captivated me. The deep message of the book realistically approaches life itself with its tragedies, losses, and messiness. But through those dark moments, there is always sunshine from the cracks to help you find your way, and eventually, you’re fine with your own path.

This is not a swoon-smile-repeat kind of book, even though there are moments like a grumpy guy turning romantic by tying your shoes, sharpening line dancing skills, or cooking donuts in a mess, ruining his kitchen with chocolate stains and confetti. There are also many heavy themes in this story that make you feel like glass pieces are stabbing into your heart at each turn: death of a parent, guilt, paralysis, Meniere’s disease, cancer, hypochondria, panic attacks, and more.

Center’s way of not sugarcoating but also not harshly handling these subjects, her objective approach, and her ability to show the bright side of things even when they're wrapped in dark corners resonates perfectly with readers who have experienced similar tragedies.

Honestly, even though reading some parts of the book ripped my heart away and the last twist stirred me with frustration, I still loved everything about Emma and Charlie’s not-so-perfect, flawed, complicated, but poignant, honest love story. Nothing can be perfect in real life without a little sadness and heartbreak. But eventually, happiness finds its way through the barriers we build and the emotional baggage we carry for years, allowing us to live fulfilled lives.

Let’s recap the synopsis: Enter- Emma Wheeler: English teacher, 24/7 caregiver of her father for 10 years, delaying her plans to become a full-time screenwriter even though she created a few notable romance screenplays and passed her opportunity in a WB internship to take care of her family, still dealing with the guilt of her mother’s death in a climbing accident and her father’s paralysis. She became the caregiver of her father, guardian-mother-big sister of her 23-year-old little sister, who is about to graduate to chase her dreams in medical expertise as she keeps procrastinating her own life, trapped in a place with guilt, sadness, and longing.

When her ex-boyfriend, who is also her agent, offers her the opportunity of her life to work on a romcom with Charlie Yates: the screenwriter she’s been fangirling over and harboring a longtime platonic crush on, she barely says no, especially since her sister promises to take care of her father and even her father pushes her to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And let’s not forget, Charlie can create masterpieces in science fiction or crime thrillers, but the romcom he wrote is a disaster, and she may help him save the script.

She has to be in LA for six weeks to live with Charlie, finishing the script in the best condition to return to her old life. It seems easier said than done because when she arrives at Charlie’s Los Angeles mansion, she realizes he has no idea she’s hired to work with him and has no intention to work with an amateur writer whose none of the projects have been produced. He even tells her incompetencies to her face. And guess what, this man doesn’t believe in love and is still bitter after his last divorce. How can she work with a man like that to create something hopeful, engaging, and sunshiny to connect with the viewers?

But Emma has no intention of going back to her life without saying her piece: she tells him what’s going wrong with his script, and Charlie listens, reconsiders, and surprisingly decides to hire her. What can go wrong if she says yes to work with him? What if the risk is not only creating an engaging love story, which is doomed to go to garbage without seeing a chance to greenlight for production? What if she may also lose her heart to a man who is grumpy enough to reject real love and the possibilities of life?

Overall, this is absolutely one of my favorite romances of the year, and I highly recommend it! It’s freaking amazing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital review copy of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Plot: Emma Wheeler longs to be a screenwriter. She's also the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. When she gets the change to re-write a script for a famous screenwriter, it's a break too big too pass.

Katherine Center does is again! The romance, the depth of characters, all the things. I loved the dynamics between Emma and Charles. Emma's life was really hard and she put everyone first. Now, after meeting her screenwriter idol, she's able to put herself first and chase after her dreams.

The one frustrating part was Charles lack of communication with Emma in a really big moment of his life. It wasn't helpful and only hurt both of them! I loved how the story ended and through the loss and pain that both main characters experienced, they were able to find each other and had their "happy ever after".

I highly recommend this book - it's fun, cute, deep, and addicting! Thank you Katherine Center for creating this story.

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warnings: Language

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy!

The humor, the banter, the swoon-worthy moments... This book managed to wade through hard topic like loss and illness while never losing its cheerful spirit.

From page one, I was hooked. The situations Emma puts herself in are just hilarious, but she's such a strong leading lady.

The breakfast scene was probably my favorite one... I wanted a Charlie to make *me* doughnuts...

Impossible to put down, a real delight!

I love everything Katherine Center writes and this book was another winner! I was hooked from the start and I finished in 2 days. Couldnt put this down!!! LOVED it.

I have read all of Katherine’s books now and she is without a doubt my go-to for feel good books with happy endings. But this book might be my all time favorite of hers! Emma and Charlie are fantastic characters. I want to be friends with Emma and I want to hang out with her dad because I love his perspective on life (he is just the best side character).

There are so many beautiful lines in this book that I found myself pausing and reading sections over and over. The idea of finding the good in life even when it would seem like there is no good left, of shifting your perspective, and believing that life can be good again. It’s an absolutely beautiful story.

This book comes out in June and I have a feeling I will be rereading it on the beach this summer. An absolute must read, reread worthy, soak it in and feel the warmth kind of book.

the rom-commers | katherine center

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Spice: 🔥/4
📚: contemporary romance


When aspiring romantic comedy writer Emma gets the chance to work with her favorite writer of all time, she can't believe her luck... until she finds out Charlie is writing a rom-com, but doesn't believe in love at all. Can she convince him he's wrong for the sake of the screenplay?

In Katherine we trust.

This book is hilarious and quirky and sweet and thoughtful. It's the kind of book that has you grinning like a fool but also touches on things like loss, grief, illness and anxiety. It'll give you warm butterflies and tugs on your heartstrings. I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on a physical copy.


Some things to love:
+ celebrity crush romance
+ forced proximity
+ grumpy/sunshine
+ snarky banter
+ lucky sweatshirts
+ lonely guinea pigs
+ grocery shopping dates
+ "I'll make you believe in love"
+ line dancing
+ nods to The Bodyguard
+ secret grand gestures
+ famous people run-ins

“(love) feels warm,” I said, eyes closed. “It feels hopeful and kind. Sunshiny. And soothing.... It feels like your heart is glowing.”

"Tragedy is a given. There is no version of human life that doesn’t involve reams of it. The question is what we do in the face of it all."

ps: Do you ever finish a book and wonder if the author's real inner dialogue is anything like her character's? I have a feeling Katherine and I could be real friends. Just sayin.

{Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced readers copy}
🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

In a few words: The Rom-Commers ✨ SHIMMERS! ✨

Katherine Center first stole my heart & became one of my auto-buy authors after I read her second romantic comedy, Hello Stranger.

Then, she became cemented as one of my favorite romance writers EVER when I read The Bodyguard.

Now, I don’t know how else to say that I will read anything she writes — because I absolutely will — and I am so beyond grateful to have received an ARC of The Rom-Commers, a story that isn’t only an ode to the rom-com genre, but an ode to HOPE and the belief that everything will work out in the end, two themes that make a Katherine Center book, well, a KATHERINE CENTER BOOK!

The Rom-Commers made me laugh, it made me cry, and it had me highlighting every sweet, funny, and heartwrenching moment. Emma and Charlie are everything— their dialogue is unmatched (the banter in this book? TOP TIER.), and I can’t wait to reread their story and spend more time in their world.

Just a few things I loved about The Rom-Commers:

✨ “Chase your dreams!” Theme
✨ Hollywood setting
✨ BANTER!
✨ Working through trauma
✨ Will-they-or-won’t-they tension
✨ Grumpy/sunshine
✨ Romantic comedies! (and analyzing romantic comedies!)
✨ SHIMMER!

Please do yourself a favor and add The Rom-Commers to your TBR, pre-order it, and tell your friends… You’re in for a treat!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Katherine Center is a must read romance author for me and The Rom-Commers was such a fun read! The main character Emma was hysterical. I found myself constantly smiling and a few times, actually chuckling out loud and definitely getting some funny looks from my seatmates on the plane, but it was worth it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review