Katherine Center is one of those authors that attracted my attention with one book (Hello Stranger), and made it to where I don’t want to miss anymore of her books.
I tore through this book in a day. I was home sick today, so perfect opportunity. I love the characters. I feel like I’m getting to know them as they go along. Emma honestly frustrated me sometimes, but I think it’s because I could see some of myself in her and I’d behave the same way, most likely, in some of these situations. This is one of those books I can see myself reading again because I want to see if I missed anything during my first read. Which is inevitable.
There’s just something about the grumpy/sunshine thing that gets me. It’s great seeing sunshine getting through to grumpy and grumpy opening up.

Emma Wheeler lives in Texas with her dad and takes care of him full time. He had a major accident when they were hiking during her high school graduation requires major help. She works at a local community college where she teaches writing. An old high school boyfriend gets her occasional work from Hollywood as he's made it big time. Then, he calls asking her to work with her favorite writer to help him rewrite the first rom-com he's ever written as it's worse then terrible. She agrees and temporarily moves into the writer's house. The is another great story by Katherine Center!!!

To start with I need to mention that I am somebody who is arguably not super into romance books… (fantasy romance sure, dark romance ..interesting), so when I say that I REALLY enjoyed this book, that is very much high praise indeed!

I opted to read this book because I’ve seen the book community gush over how excellent Katherine center books are and decided it was worth an honest shot, and I am very happy to say I had a blast and it was absolutely worth my time. I will definitely choose to read more of her work in the future.

The rom-commers follows two screen writers. Our MMC is a highly successful screen writer with many movies and awards under his belt, living up the high life in LA. Our FMC is a “failed” screenwriter (I feel it’s unfair to say failed as her dreams where halted due to being the sole caretaker of her father after a tragic incident), but as it stands her career just never took off.

Lucky for her, her ex beau is her manager and he sets her up with the task of helping our MMC resurrect his abominable attempt at his first ever rom-com write.

There is angst, banter, sexual tension, laughs, cries, everything your heart could desire. We have enemies to lovers, grumpy vs sunshine and an extraordinary loving and supportive family to the point they just make me want to cry happy tears.

At some points did I think wow this guy is an asshole? Yes, did sometimes I think wow that was so harsh I don’t know how I can emotionally recover? Also yes, but I loved every second and fully recommend. This may actually be my favourite romance book of all time, no cap.

Thank YOU Katherine center for this joyful work of art, thank you St martins press and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

Katherine Center once again brings us a remarkable duo of lovers you just have to root for! I loved every little aspect of this story and would absolutely recommend it to all romance lovers out there!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
Amazing! I was smiling while giggling and kicking my feet for most of this read! It’s the perfect mix of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and opposites attract. I adored all the characters, loved the banter, and enjoyed the story. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick happy romcom read.

When I read a book and I want to highlight almost every single sentence! Yep, that is how I feel about this wonderful story!

I want to say this book is about a “normal person”, not a celebrity, rich person or someone that did an amazing thing that was recognized by many people in the world. That is what I was first thinking about I finished this book, but I would be so wrong to call Emma Wheeler a normal person. She is an amazingly, extraordinary person! Her dad and sister are also. This is what I really enjoyed about this novel so much. It was a joy to read about heroes that do not think they are. People that glow with happiness while living a less than perfect life.

I definitely have to mention the male lead also, Charlie Yates. It was great to get to know him slowly and see that what he presents to the world is not the real “him”.

I loved this story so much! Which each new book I read by Katherine Center, I think she will not be able to top her previous release, and I am proven wrong every time! This is why she is one of my favorite authors.

I will be recommending this book to everyone I know. Congratulations to Ms. Center for writing another brilliant novel!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press and also Katherine Center for the wonderful opportunity to read the ARC of this amazing book!

Honestly, this book could have been so bad, but it wasn’t. It was lovely - a little slice of romantic comedy heaven in every sense of the word. Charlie Yates is a blockbuster screenwriter who can do no wrong, critics and the public alike adore him. Emma Wheeler is a fledgling screenwriter who specliazes on romantic comedies, but really, she is a caregiver to her dad, a man who once had a tragic accident and now needs full-time supervision. Emma lucks out and gets a chance to pursue her dreams and visit L.A. for six weeks to rework a script with Charlie, and the two get thrown together to revise a romantic comedy screenplay that needs a lot of help. He’s a bit grumpy, and of course doesn’t want help from her, a nobody who doesn’t work in the industry, but the two of them hit it off and begin to make magic. Center writes relatable characters with white-hot dialogue. Their quick retorts and self-effacing asides make you love both characters equally. As you might expect, since the pair of characters are writing a rom-com, the book itself is a rom-com, and it uses all the tropes one might see in a book or movie, but she uses them artfully. The plot is engaging, and the characters are funny, clumsy, and true. I wish this was a movie I could watch over and over.

This delightful rom-com, featuring the classic grumpy sunshine trope, is an absolute gem. Emma, our fantastic female protagonist, embodies relatability with her unwavering commitment to family, sharp wit, and charismatic charm. What sets this story apart is Emma's steadfast belief in true love.

The narrative unfolds as Emma, a talented writer, seizes the opportunity to collaborate with the renowned celebrity screenwriter, Charles Yates. Despite being a devoted fan of Charlie, Emma faces the formidable challenge of assisting him in rewriting his rom-com—a genre he seemingly struggles with. Charlie, grumpy and resistant, initially rejects Emma's help, setting the stage for an engaging tale of banter and personal transformation.

What distinguishes this rom-com is the rich exploration of the main characters' personalities. In a genre often characterized by formulaic plots, this story stands out, providing readers with a deeper understanding of Emma and Charlie's quirks and complexities.

Among the myriad of delightful scenes, some of my personal favorites include Charlie's heartfelt cooking for Emma's birthday, the 'research purposes' kiss between Charlie and Emma, Charlie's comical fear of water contrasted with Emma teasing him on the high dive, and the captivating entirety of the epilogue. This book is a testament to the author's skill in crafting a uniquely engaging and memorable romantic comedy.

Katherine Center has done it again. She’s got me kicking my feet one minute and reading through my tears the next. I think Emma is my favorite fmc by Katherine thus far.

Thank you net galley for the arc

I really adored this book and the characters so much. I loved the ending and was hooked from the start. I love Katherine’s books and this one might be my favorite.

That said, the cover does not align with the book and what I was imagining the main characters to look like. Major disconnect.

“Whatever story you tell yourself about your life, that’s the one that’ll be true.”

I loved Emma and Charlie - they are real characters that have flaws and whose lives are not “perfect”. This book was like a warm hug, even though there were definitely a few tears along the way. I love the characteristically happy-ever-after endings of romance novels because, as Emma told Charlie, we are drawn towards the stories we need at that point in our lives. This book reminded me that a life with a “happy ending” does not come without loss, or sadness, or loneliness from time to time, but you get to choose how to tell your story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Katherine Center has always been an auto-read author for me, but y’all she has outdone it with this one!

I almost never highlight my books, but there’s so many great paragraphs (some hilarious, but mostly sweet🥹) that I’m so glad I read on kindle so I could mark these (no I still will not mark on my physical books)

The characters - I die. I LOVED them, every single one, even the “minor” characters, like the guinea pig hahaha

The grand gestures, the epilogue, I could go on just do yourself a favor and preorder it

Perfect, absolutely perfect. 5 billion stars🫶🏼

I LOVED this book! I read it in less than a day and immediately wanted to start reading it again. It's kind of an enemies-to-lovers story even though they met for the first time early in the story. The banter is quippy, and Emma was very relatable for me. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this one, thank goodness I was by myself or my husband would have thought I lost it. Her father has health issues and there is a health scare in the book if that is a concern for you.

I haven't read any other Katherine Center books, but I will absolutely be reading them now!

This is so fun! Katherine is one of my favorite authors. Her books are like a warm hug, comforting but enjoyable. Highly recommend!

I have mostly really enjoyed Center's works, particularly "The Bodyguard" which was set in the same universe as this book. I really wanted to like this one more than I did, and I still can't really put my finger on why it didn't hit. I think the plot was a bit convoluted with too many moving pieces to connect with the characters or the love story. Still a diverting read, but a bit of a letdown.

This book made me feel so joyful. It's hits a perfectly written note, where people are flawed and confusing but have incredible banter and just fill you up with warmth because you love love. I know it's only January, but I could easily see this being one of the best romance books I read this year. I'm so thankful to NetGalley for the ARC, because I am easily starting off with a high bar when it comes to best of 2024.

I will gladly read Katherine Center's grocery lists! I loved the premise of this one and I'm so happy I preordered my copy!

The book was absolute perfection.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, that just never disappoints. I go into her books wondering how it's possible I could love her new characters as much as the last book, but somehow she does it every time. They are always relatable in some way, even if I don't identify with their doing in their lives, which makes it so much fun.

Our main girl this book is Emma - she has spent her life obsessing over, watching, and writing romantic comedies. She LOVES love, and life, and is the type of girl that always sees the glass half full - despite living her adult life being a full time caretaker of her adorable dad. Our main guy, Charlie is a very famous screenwriter, who has lost the lust of life after a tough couple of years and can't currently write anything. When Emma is convinced to leave the life she's been living for years for her big break, helping Charlie re-write his rom com, they both get a lot more than they bargained.

An added bonus in this book if you're a fan of other books of Center's - Jack Stapleton and Hannah make an appearance, and it's just so awesome to see them again!

Reading this was like talking to a good friend. It was funny, it was sad, it was so freaking heartfelt and I absolutely LOVED Emma. She was just sunshine and rainbows, and breathed serious light into the book. Charlie was also easy to love, despite clearly having some issues to work out. This was a fantastic read, and I would recommend it to anyone! Thank you Netgally, the publisher, and author for this ARC! It helped bring some sunshine in a dreary January month!

This is a heartfelt ode to the rom-com, but much more. This is for lovers of the writing process, kdrama kisses, Jack Stapleton, family, banter, brave love, and yes, rom-coms… I laughed, cried and lost sleep because the anticipation for Emma & Charlie was over the top. Katherine Center is an auto-buy for me & The Rom-Commers will happily be a part of my library.
Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the arc e-book.

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

Legit finished it in one sitting! Made me feel so happy and excited and it just made sense. Like it didn't feel dragged out or over the top. It was all so perfect in the way it was written. The banter between the sister and Charlie got me laughing, the heartfelt moments got me in my feels, and that stupid guinea pig had me feeling so sad lol

All to say I 1000% love and recommend this book! It will make you feel all the feels but in the best light hearted way possible