I have given exactly one book five stars in the past two years. ONE. Welp, here's number two.

In a time when it seems that every day is a new drama in the romance community, when clicks, likes, and virality are a more valuable currency than the words in the book one is trying to promote, a story that brings back the pure, effervescent joy of reading, of writing, of falling in love, feels like a rare gem.

The Rom-Commers does just that while paying homage to (and taking inspiration from) beloved rom-com classics. And while I think there is a certain amount of cliche in the genre, it's beloved for a reason, and cliches don't become cliches without being immensely popular.

With smart, witty dialogue that kept me grinning (and often giggling!) throughout and some of the most endearing characters (not you, Teej!) I've read in a long time, this book has won a place in my heart.

But Center writes more than just a romantic love story. She tells a story of tragedy and triumph, of overcoming some of the lowest moments one can experience, shining light on the sacrifices we make for the ones we love the most.

I found myself sneaking away far too often for just a few paragraphs, a few chapters, just a little more time in this world (I'll make time to feel guilty about that later), falling asleep with my Kindle and digging it out from under the covers as soon as I woke up. And once I finished the book, I wanted nothing more but to go back to the beginning and start all over again.

I'm not sure Charlie and Emma could have penned a better rom-com themselves, and their story needs to be at the top of your summer reading list when it releases in June.

Thank you Netgalley for the early review copy! Katherine Center has done it again. I absolutely love the overall message of this story and appreciate the way heavy topics were woven into the book while still stressing the importance of finding and appreciating the joys in life.

First thought: Loved it! I always have high expectations for her books and this did not disappoint: Its a sweet, clean, witty, swoon worthy romance with a positive message. A must read!

Emma spent the last 10yrs as the sole caregiver of her father after a camping accident and putting her dreams on hold. Now she has her once in a lifetime chance to go to LA and ghost write a romantic comedy with her favorite screen writer of all time!

Charlie was an instant success in college and his writing has won him all kinds of awards and skyrocketed him to LAs hotlist. He hasn’t written any new material in a few years and is in a writing blip. Charlie just wrote a romantic comedy but it’s lacking basically every quality a romcom should have.

Here’s the thing Emma shows up in LA leaving her dad in the hands of her sister for the first time ever. Her friend aka agent takes her to meet Charlie and she find out he doesn’t know she’s there to help him. In fact he doesn’t know his romantic comedy is truly horrible. But Charlie is proud and does not cowrite with anyone so he doesn’t want her help.

That’s fine! She’s more than happy to go home but Emma first has to tell him just how badly he killed this romcom and how much that’s a disappointment as he was her idol. After receiving all of her feedback Charlie realizes she kind of knows her stuff and agrees working with her will make this script good enough so he can trade it in and get his mob movie made.

So Emma and Charlie will go on a six week journey learning how to write a rom-com together and you won’t want to miss it!

Literally Themes you’ll find:

🩷 Opposites Attract
🩷 Grumpy vs Sunshine
🩷 Forced Proximity
🩷 Once in a Life Opportunity
🩷 Caregiver of a Parent
🩷 Grand Gesture
🩷 Swoon Worthy
🩷 Clean Romance

5 stars and a some swoon worthy kisses. Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books just fill your soul with laughter and joy. I seem to feel happier when I finish her books. More positive.

The Rom-Commers did not disappoint. I can’t wait to read it again and start taking quotes from it. I got this as an advanced copy from NetGalley and I am so grateful to them, Katherine Center and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this.

As I always try to do: No 🌶️ but about 9 f’ words.

I don’t know if I’ve just gone soft, or I’ve just read a lot of good books lately. If everything else in life has gone wrong, so my book selection is the only thing right? But this book is good. Bawl your eyes out in the bathtub good. Hesitate to write a review because you just schooled in the art of writing good. Remind you of every single individual type of love that exists in the universe good.

I got approved for this ARC at 10:57 PM. I finished it at 2:00 AM. Emma is so quick, cute, and relatable. She’s an FMC we love to love. I couldn’t stop laughing out loud, I had highlights on almost every page. And this book gets so good so fast.

That is, it’s never not good, but it’s immediately heartwarming and that’s such a win. All of the characters are so well-rounded and present in every scene and the insight into our FMC’s inner monologue is so smart. She’s equal parts chic and charming, even though she tries to convince the reader (and everyone else) that she’s not.

This book did absolutely everything right for me. I looked at my husband, tears streaming down my face, and asked, “how do you write in a review that this is the best book you’ve ever read and have other people believe you? How do you tell them?”

This book is that good.

I became a Katherine Center fan after reading "The Body Guard". It was such a refreshing, original contemporary romance book that came at a time I needed a light hearted read. It quickly became a favorite book of mine, yet "The Rom-Commers" has managed to eclipse it.

"The Rom-Commers" made me laugh, cry, laugh some more, and when I finished it, left a big grin on my face. It's one of those novels that once a person starts reading it, is hard to put down.

Katherine Center provides a master class in not only the art of story telling, but also in crafting memorable characters that are relatable and brimming with chemistry.

Emma and Charlie are going to be living in my head rent free for a while. Their story is so incredibly special and I can't thank St. Martin's Press and Net Gallery for letting me enjoy this novel ahead of its release.

10/10 stars. I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you enjoy the glitz and glam of Hollywood and a brilliant romantic comedy love story, this book is for you.

All opinions are my own.

Everyone was flipping out over The Bodyguard so I read it as one of my Book of the Month choices. I found the romance and the overall chemistry between the two very non-existent. So I didn't rate it too highly.

Then I saw the plot for this. I knew I had to have it. Writers > enemies? at odds? > friends > romance was calling my name. So when it became free I jumped into it.

... Eh.

I like to think this one had a better set up of point A to point B in terms of the path they must take to get to romantic feelings. But really? This? This is romance? I mean, I love clean romance, I do. But this just did not scream romance. If anything it screamed work friends and girl being weird / harassing (which is the author's attempt as undiscovered romantic feelings). But seriously, I have read more romantic meets cynic nay-sayer chemistry by other authors than I read here.

The book is page after page of witty dialogue. It's like watching two friends who just won't shut the hell up try to one up one another with witticisms. It's watching a girl who has no romantic feelings or notions get jealous at seeing his ex-wife show up at the two week mark of hanging around him. It's when finding he has no idea how to write kisses feel he needs to experience a kiss to write a kiss (?). She then tries to force him to kiss her to get him to understand. He tells her no several times, then indicates to her that he didn't want to kiss her like this and kisses her.

But wait, there is more!

When he dismisses her (after the kiss), she then tells her sister who priority ships a package of a slinky dress and heels, to woo him, only to have him no quite realize what she was intending to do nor did she really follow up with him to find out if plans changed for their dinner (and I get he should have told her, but he was going through something at the time which he didn't want to tell her about).. She then gets drunk, climbs his high dive, to which she falls off and he has to overcome his fear of water to save her (because how dare she die in his pool?) and then she is too cold to change out of her dress (this is LA mind you!) so he has to do it for her. ...

Then, watching her try to get him to fuck her while drunk and him tell her no, and her getting super pissy that he turned her away when they haven't really solidified their relationship besides a kiss at a time when she was forcing herself on him / trying to force him to kiss her.

Like I can go on, but it was the weirdest set up for a romance and it had me walking away finding her absolutely abhorrent. If we switched the places of these two people it would almost be sexual harassment. (You then find out he had a lot of reasons to keep here at a distance, which ends up being the big ~ misunderstandng ~.)

No. Absolutely no. I think I am done with this author and her attempts at romance. The only bits I like was writing / developing their screenplay, which wasn't much but it was not focused on romance.

I continue to be proven right - Katherine Center is the best romcom writer of this decade. I feel the tension, sadness, and joy of every character she writes and each book somehow tops the last.

I did a happy dance when I got the email inviting me to read Katherine Center's latest novel, "The Rom-Commers." I suspect that each reader has a trusty list of authors that they can rely on for a story they will love. Katherine Center is certainly one of those for me. This one did not disappoint. I loved it. I laughed, I cried, I remembered the magic of writing. A couple years ago, Emily Henry immortalized the love of readers for reading in "Book Lovers," Center immortalizes the passion and craft of writing for writers in this one. 
When Emma is young her dad is hurt and she is left to care for him and her younger sister after her mother passes away. Emma takes her role seriously and gives her all to make sure they both have everything they need and are well cared for. She can't leave him alone, therefore leaving her dreams of being a screenwriter to the wayside. A high school friend who is now a big time Hollywood agent reaches out with a once in a lifetime opportunity to co-write a movie with tinsel town's top screenwriter, THE Charlie Yates. The only catch? She needs to leave her dad at home and move to California for six weeks. Oh yeah, and Charlie wants nothing to do with her- he doesn't think he needs help. But if he wants to get his mafia movie of his dreams greenlighted he needs to make a romantic comedy happen first and he doesn't believe in love. Do you see the problem? When Emma and Charlie are in a room together their chemistry and banter is amazing. Just remember, he "doesn't need" her help, and she doesn't want to waste her time.... but she does want to improve this script and maybe even make Charlie believe in the possibility of love. 
This book was everything I needed, and I can not wait for it to be released for you to read it too. Katherine Center did it again, and for that, I say thank you. 
Thanks to Katherine, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy, it's an honor, as always.

I needed a book to give me some sunshine in these dreary winter days and this absolutely delivered! There were moments in this book where I laughed, cried, and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Katherine Center certainly has a way with words and developing such lovable and relatable characters. This book did not disappoint! I loved Emma and Charlie and as I was reading felt like I was watching an actual rom-com. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book and the opportunity to share my honest review!

Katherine Center knocked this book out of the park. The characters were relatable, charming, and lovable. The Rom-Commers will make you feel a range of emotions (maybe even shed a few tears). I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a rom-com.

4.5/⭐️
Another must-read from author Katherine Center. This literal rom-com about the making of a Hollywood rom-com is
charming, funny, and will satisfy your itch for a sweet love story.
Jack Stapleton’s cameo from The Bodyguard made me giddy. The banter between Charlie and Emma made me laugh and gave me butterflies. What a beautiful story.

How does Katherine Center manage to write books where I can’t get enough of her characters and storyline every single time? Like all of Center’s works, The Rom-Commers is smart, and the characters are relatable and real.

Emma Wheeler, Center’s latest spunky, strong heroine, is a screenwriter who has put her father and sister before herself for 10 years. Her long-time friend and agent, Logan, offers her a dream opportunity: ghostwriting for her favorite award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, Charlie Yates. Charlie has attempted writing his first rom-com, and there is only one word for it: terrible. Emma knows that with her help Charlie Yates can add rom-com to the list of great screenplays he’s famous for writing. So she takes the plunge, says yes to Logan’s job offer, and chooses herself for the first time in a long time.

What follows is all the best that rom-coms have to offer. The Rom-Commers is joyful and hopeful and heartbreaking and thoughtful. I cried and laughed and swooned. I may have even come away with some new life mantras. Just perfection. It’s this summer’s must-read.

When one publishers a book under this title with this premise, it needs to be a home run. At the very least, full bases. This was maybe 2 bases tops.

I know! I know! Katherine Center is a g-d for many and she's written some really good stories that resonate with me so hard, I highlighted passages and can't wait for the day I can launch an Earth Day speech that mirrors that small entry in Happiness for Beginners (both book and the Netfilx film that kept it) or something at a family wedding that mirrors The Bodyguard's Thanksgiving blessing.

We all knew where The Rom-Commers was going but there wasn't much joy in getting there. Certainly, there were some funny moments, but the overall story lacked the depth of some of her previous great hits and it lacked chemistry. Our main love interests spent so much time not giving off sparks that there wasn't enough zing when realizations/declarations of love happened.

Usually, I like Center's chummy gal storytelling tone. In this case, though, it didn't bring in enough dreamy romance to carry me away. Because of her past genius, it hurts to give this 1.5 stars, so I've rounded up to 2.

YES! i have been excited to read this once since i realized it existed (because i’ve really, really enjoyed the last two books.) this might take the cake for being my favorite one. i love, love the romcomness of it all (ESPECIALLY with the epilogue i could see it so vividly in my head.) charlie and emma were adorable, and sometimes frustrating (charlie.) i was deeply scared for my life for a moment towards the end, thanks. overall, such a good romcom love story. i have to add i love the brightness of the cover too. excited to have a physical copy and reread this one day.

The Rom-Commers is now my favorite Katherine Center novel. I laughed at times and teared up at times and I stayed up way too late trying to finish this story,

I loved the humor and especially the witty banter between the characters of Emma and Charlie. Speaking of Emma and Charlie, Center created great likable characters with such detailed back stories. You were rooting for this couple throughout the story.

I have a love hate relationship with rom-com stories. I love to read them but dislike the cheesiness at times. Thank you to Katherine Center for writing a rom-com that is a full meal with very little cheese!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this great book!!

This book took me through a series of emotions, and I'm so glad that I read it. The Rom-Commers helps remind the reader of all the emotions associated with love, both good and bad. I'm not much of a crier while reading books, but I was tearing up in some scenes. This book has both gut-wrenching and heartwarming moments. This book was truly fantastic and it represent everything that a rom-com should be. I definitionally recommend this book, and I had an amazing time reading it. I was seriously addicted to this book and I can't wait to read more romance books by Katherine Center!

Finally, the book to get me out of my romance reading slump! I adored this book. It had me smiling and sobbing (in a good way). I’m normally so-so on Katherine Center’s books because I prefer romances with a bit of steam and more of an “edge”, but this was an easy 5 star rating for me. The dialogue was so funny and witty, and I loved the combo of romance writer / writer who doesn’t believe in love. This was such a fun and heartfelt read!

I've read 5 other Katherine Center books and I do enjoy her writing. They are usually quick reads. This was much of the same. Girl writer helps boy writer write a Rom-Com...and they fall in love.Shocker. But that’s exactly the point! It is a cute story.. The only part I didn't love was the random parts where the author was talking directly to the reader. I felt like I was watching a movie with the main character breaking in occasionally to narrate.

One big 300+ page swoon for me! Katherine Center always shoots to the top of my TBR pile. I think I've read most, if not all, of her books and this one might be my favorite yet. I laughed out loud, found myself smiling through most of it and I cried actual tears (which is quite unusual for me). I really adored this story, the characters were fantastic, they had depth, some heartbreak and a whole lot of love! Also, the banter was perfect and Emma's wit was top notch! As an added bonus, tt was also fun to get a little bit of a follow-up with Jack and Hannah from The Bodyguard.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.