Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I loved this book! It was fun and funny and sweet. As a big fan of RomComs, I appreciate the main character calling out what makes these movies so lovely- you're supposed to want a happy ending to come from the love match. As with all of Katherine Center's books, she always does a great job of working something serious into a story so that it doesn't feel super trivial and silly. Makes it feel almost realistic (except I love the escape of her stories). This was another win!

This book was a little too predictable, even for a rom-com. Emma meets Charlie, he is standoffish, will they or won't they, insert sad backstories and big misunderstanding, and end with love. The problem for me was that I did not connect with Emma at all. I would literally forget her name and then be like, Emma? Who is Emma? However, I loved Charlie and Emma's friends and family and was able to fly through the pages pretty quickly so landed on three stars.

This will come as a surprise to no one but I completely ADORED The Rom-Commers by @katherinecenter . I love all of her books. They’re so well written, funny, charming, and heartwarming. I fall in love with the characters every single time but Charlie and Emma now have a special place in my heart.

I loved everything about this book. The story was so interesting from the main plot to the characters’ personal lives and histories. (I always love books about authors and writing anyway.)

And there’s no higher praise than the fact that I gave the book to my 20-year-old daughter yesterday and she just texted me to say how much she’s loving it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I have been a big Katherine Center fan since reading Things You Save in a Fire, but her last book really let me down. The Rom-Commers resparked my love for Center's work and her ability to write love stories that are bingeable and enjoyable.

If you're looking for a heartwarming rom-com with witty characters and surprising depth, you will enjoy this novel. Emma and Charlie are both lovely and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Sweet and entertaining!

There is no world in which I will not read a Katherine Center new release.

This one focuses on Emma. She stays home to give her dad round the clock care after a tragic accident rendered him unable to stay home alone. She always dreamed of being a screenwriter and even had the opportunity for an internship, but the accident changed her life as much as her father’s. When she gets a call from old friend and agent Logan, Emma asks her sister to step in to care for their dad while she goes to LA to write a screenplay for a romcom with her hero Charlie Yates. Shenanigans and misunderstandings ensue, and the book follows their experiences together as they write the screenplay and deal with the other factors in their lives.

This book was fun but also made me want to cry. While the center of the story is a romance, there is a lot of heart that goes into. Emma’s father and her struggle to let someone else take care of him is a huge factor for her day-to-day. We find out through the book that Charlie has had some pretty tragic experiences that he too needs to deal with. So even though the book is lighthearted, it also has a balance of serious themes. This, to me, is what makes Center’s books so good.

She’s also a closed-door romance writer, which I love too. I really feel the development of the relationship between the characters without getting bogged down in the physicality.

This one has her trademark snappy dialogue that makes me laugh, and I can’t stop picturing Charlie’s sticky-up hair and Emma’s pompom.

Yes, read this one. Fans of Center will feel right at home, and if you like romcoms, this one is beautifully done.

“It’s all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And I hope you refuse to give up on. It’s all about writing the very best story of your life. Not how you live it – but how you choose to tell it.”

I always love Katherine Center’s books and The Rom-commers was no exception. What I appreciated about this book was that it was as much a love story between the FMC and herself as it was a rom-com. I found myself resonating with the many life lessons she learned and embraced throughout the book, and it brought a depth to the book that I enjoyed. I loved Emma and Charlie’s banter, the fun they had together, and the shenanigans that ensued.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC of this sweet book!

“I had a theory that we gravitate towards the stories we need in life. Whatever we are longing for - adventure, excitement, emotion, connection - we turn to stories to help us find it.”

Omg the way that I adored this 🥰 KC books hold a special place in my heart. I love how all of her books have much deeper things going on other than the romance. And this one was no different. Also we love a grumpy book boyfriend. That’s all.

THE ROMCOMMERS delivers:
🥹emo romance
⛅️grumpy sunshine
✍️rom com writers
🥊enemies to lovers
❤️swoon worthy romance
🎧amazing on audio

4 stars!

I’ve become a big fan of Katherine Center the last few years and The Rom-Commers was one of my most anticipated books for 2024! I was so grateful to receive this ARC from the publishers and even picked it up as my June BOTM!

This book is another stellar read to add to her ever growing “must read” collection for me. I was completely immersed in the story of Emma and Charlie from the start. Emma is this unwavering pillar of support for her disabled father, taking care of every single thing he needs while her younger sister finishes up school and she teaches at a local college. She has a side gig of helping her ex-boyfriend turned manager with writing projects and is offered the best job on the planet- writing a script with her idol, Charlie Yates! Emma knows everything about Charlies movies, projects, and him as a person. Not as as super fan, but as someone who just loves his art of the craft.

While Emma is this unknown writer, Charlie is THE It guy in Hollywood who has an abundance of fame, awards, and money. These two could not be more different. While Emma loves love and can back it up with hours of bookmarked declaration of love scenes, endless kiss scenes, and countless references to popular love stories, Charlie has no interest and focuses on the macho-man, mafia, alien genre that leaves no room for romance. His latest movie is s remake of a romantic classic and it’s a complete flop. He needs Emma to help him make it passable for good so that the producer funding it will support his next dream project. While Emma is hoping this will be the step in her career that will finally get her seen as a serious writer she also wants to make Charlie believe in love. The two clashing personalities set up for an incredible workplace comedy.

In the beginning, I despised Charlie. He was rude and dismissive of Emma before learning her story. I loved watching their relationship grow from an adoring fan and artist, to tolerable coworkers, to comfortable friends and eventually lovers. While it wasn’t a huge grand gesture of love, their spark was subtle and founded on a bed of mutual admiration for their passion of writing movies. The forced proximity aspect was definitely the powder keg of their relationship even with the looming deadline of only 6 weeks to write the script. I also found the power-imbalance a bit off for this to be a believable romance as Charlie is older, more well-known, extremely more wealthy than her and Emma’s literal idol. She is very vocal about her adoration of him several times that didn’t come off as sweet, but more of super-fan-esque.

Katherine Center does it again with The Rom-Commers. Fun with lots of heart, you’ll want to read this one!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE ROM-COMMERS - Katherine Center

Great characters! - 4.5 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Emma Wheeler longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies. Now she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, her personal writing god. But Charlie doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is extremely terrible. Actually, he doesn’t really care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one produced. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme. But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction?

Writing - 4.5 stars - Center usually writes with ease and humor, and this book was no exception. I was grabbed by the characters right from the beginning, and it was fun to watch them interact with each other and work together, despite all the odds against them. I loved seeing Emma develop her writing skills by working with Charlie and actually teaching him about rom-coms. She's the tutor here, and it was great that he actually listened to her comments and accepted her greater knowledge about the genre.

Characters - 5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Charlie is a great character. He's brilliant at what he does, and he doesn't want to work with anyone, especially on a job that doesn't interest him. But when he meets Emma, he realizes that she's someone special, even if he doesn't want her to know how he feels. I love that he's cynical, rumpled, and opinionated, but he's also loved by the industry as well as by his fans. His comment is apt: "You can get away with anything if everybody has already decided to like you." And he's a very likeable guy. Emma, on the other hand, is intense, because she believes so much in her cause--convincing Charlie about the existence of love. She has been the sole caretaker of her disabled father, so she's lived a quiet and unadventurous life. Now she has a wonderful opportunity to work with her idol, but she's not quite sure how to handle it or if it's even in her best interest. To add more substance to the story, I enjoyed Sylvie (Emma's sister) and Salvador (Sylvie's boyfriend) as they took over the care of their father. It struck me that it's hard to give up your own method of doing things, thinking that your process is the only one, and Emma had a hard time with this. But Sylvie did a great job with caretaking, and it was healthy for everyone to make the change, even if temporarily.

Title - 4 stars - When we learn that Charlie and Emma are writers who are collaborating on a rom-com screenplay, then the title makes perfect sense.

Cover - 4 stars - I'm not a huge fan of the current trend of cartoon-y covers, but the bright colors are a definite plus and draw the eye.

Overall - 4.5 stars - This is another winner from Center. It is a warm and funny romantic comedy with excellent characters and light humor. I'll admit that it didn't quite draw me in as most of her other books do, but I enjoyed the read and found the story to be light and pleasant and very enjoyable. I felt that it lacked the intensity and strong story line that a Center book usually features, with Charlie's cancer history as kind of a back story rather than a focused part of the book. I still found the book to be fun and entertaining, and I did make note of several quotes that I found to be meaningful.

Katherine Center is a remarkable romance writer and The Rom-Commers does not disappoint. Emma Wheeler has put her screen writing dreams on hold to take care of her father. When she gets the chance of a lifetime to work with Charlie Yates, the writer of her dreams, she takes it. Her sister is left in charge of their dad and Emma heads to LA to rewrite the script of a rom-com with Charlie.
Katheirne Center fans know that a romance will blossom between Emma and Charlie. The fun in reading Center's work is how the romance grows and this novel flowers beautifully. Center's fans also love her life lessons. The Rom-Commers is full of romance, but also the plot leads the reader on a path of self-help. Romance is great, but caring for your self and others is just as important. This combination of romantic and self-love is what makes Center stand apart from other authors. The Rom-Commers is a gift to Katherine Center fans and the perfect introduction to her work for new readers.

Every character in this book needs therapy. The main character Emma drove me bonkers with all her anxiety and her controlling and toxic relationship with her family, and the love interest Charlie wasn't much better. The two of them were incredibly awkward and they were almost too quirky that I was cringing while reading. The whole story was chaotic at times, and I was incredibly disappointed with the ending "twist". I adore of all of Katherine Center's other books, but this one just missed the mark for me. It was pure chaos and not in a good way.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As expected from Katherine Center, this title is full of humor and a bit of silliness but is grounded in reality. Center always makes me laugh, but she also always makes me think and even cry a little bit. The Rom-Commers is no different when family obligations mean sacrifice but also letting go.

I am a BIG fan of Katherine Center, but I have to admit, I didn't love the first two-thirds of this one.

But I loved the ending, it had so many great messages. I was also so glad Katherine Center really wrapped up the whole story. There was no leaving you hanging on for what happened to the characters.

✨ Publication date: June 11, 2024✨

The Rom-Commers is the latest book from one of my favourite authors Katherine Center. I’ve read most of her books and I can honestly say this may be one of my favourites!

Emma Wheeler has put her life and career on hold for the last 10 years. After a family camping trip ends in tragedy and leaves Emma and her sister with one parent who needs constant supervision, she steps in as full time caregiver to allow her sister to go to school and chase her dreams.

Emma longs to be a screenwriter so when her high school friend turned agent reaches out for an opportunity of a life time ghost writing with her favourite screen writer Charlie Yates, Emma takes it and leaves her sister to takeover caring for their dad.

When Emma gets to LA though, she discovers that Charlie never agreed to write with her and overhears him share his less than awesome thoughts on her as a person and writer. Emma wants to leave but after signing a contract knows she needs to stick it out.

Emma has to convince Charlie she knows how to write but he doesn’t believe in love or Romantic Comedy movies which is exactly what they are contracted to write together.

Emma vows to show Charlie that you can’t write about something you don’t feel. So they set out to experience the events written in the script for research purposes and discover maybe, just maybe there is truth to romance movies and sometimes love hits you when you least expect it.

Emma and Charlie’s relationship and banter were fantastic. Such easy characters to get to know and love throughout the story. Emma’s sunshine to Charlie’s grumpy is exactly what you want out of this trope! This is a 4.5 star for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #katherinecenter #theromcommers

A rom-com within a rom-com? Yes, please! The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a must read for contemporary romance lovers. I laughed, I cried, I swooned.

The story follows aspiring screenwriter Emma Wheeler as she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to collaborate with her idol, Charlie Yates. Despite their rocky start, Emma's belief in love and rom-coms eventually manages to break through Charlie's cynicism. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments. The secondary characters were also great. The chemistry and banter between Emma and Charlie is top notch.

Also, special appearances from Jack Stapleton and Hannah from “The Bodyguard”! This is my second book written by Katherine Center and am looking forward to reading the rest of her collection.

This book included some of my favorite tropes:
Forced Proximity
Grumpy Sunshine
Friends-to-Lovers

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down one of my favorite books this year! I flew through this book in less than a day and did not want it to end! I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the comedy, and the romance! There were times I wanted to jump in and tell off the male main character myself, but the female lead was such a lovable and well developed character! Definitely another win for Katherine Center! Thank you for the chance to read and review this book!

THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center introduces us to two endearing characters.

Emma Wheeler sacrificed opportunities to nurse her father after an accident that led to the death of her mother. Emma freelanced on writing projects until she is given an opportunity to salvage a screenplay for her writing hero. Charlie Yates is only writing a rom-com screenplay to secure funding for the project he actually wants to do. He doesn't believe in love and goes into this editing process halfheartedly, just attempting to buy time for his pet project to be greenlit.

Emma and Charlie must learn to respect each other's skills and be willing to admit they have flaws. They have their respective griefs to process and find themselves depending on the other as a friend and considering whether it's worth sacrificing that stability for the possibility of something more. What is a familiar storyline achieves new life under Katherine Center's capable execution.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was not up to the author’s normal par so I could not finish it.