Katherine Center has knocked it out of the park once again with the delightful book The Rom-Commers! I am a long time fan of the author and always hope that her next book will be another must read and she has never disappointed!
The Rom-Commers is centered on Emma who is a talented, award winning screen writer who has put her own professional goals and ambitions on hold to care for her disabled father after a terrible accident happens when she is younger. Out of the blue, an old high school boyfriend who works in the star studded world in Hollywood calls her up and says he has her a new job... one she can't possibly pass up! He wants her to come to LA and work with her screenwriting hero, Charlie, to fix a script. Emma ends up going to LA only to find out that Charlie doesn't even know she is coming! Thus their story begins and after some ups, downs, slips and falls, they start to really weave not only a great script together but also a new friendship that feels like it could be more. I loved all of the characters in this book and just wish I had made myself read it slower to make the magic of The Rom-Commers last longer!

Another fun read by Katherine Center - love the focus on romantic comedy and the behind-the-scenes Hollywood setting. Great characters, really enjoyed this one!

This was definitely my least favorite book from this author.
The book was cute and had its funny moments, and was definitely a quick read. I did really like the characters backgrounds stories with Emma and taking care of her family, and Charlie’s battle with cancer and his divorce.
However overall the more I thought about it the more I started to not like it as much.
I know that for a lot of romances you have to suspend your disbelief a bit but this was a little too much. A lot of things that happened I felt like were more for convenience sake. For example in order to create a forced proximity situation with the MMC, Emma books a flight to a brand new city for a work event but doesn’t even learn where shes going to stay before she gets there. Things like this kept happening in the book, and the more I noticed it the more I couldn’t stop noticing it.
I also am not a fan of the grumpy x sunshine trope. Charlie didn’t even seem grumpy. He seemed mean and unwilling to learn. I just never felt their connection. I felt her obsession and infatuation (which is not the same as love) with him but it never really felt reciprocated. And I know he was supposed to be learning how to love but I just never felt their chemistry.

I have loved the Katherine Center books I've read in recent past (The Bodyguard? So good! Hello Stranger? Also good!) so of course I was ALL in for this one.

Now, don't get me wrong, I did like it...but I didn't love it like I did the last two. Lets hit some highlights and some lowlights:

Highlights:
-I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine trope and an enemies-to-lovers trope. An ABSOLUTE sucker, so I was here for that.
-Emma's dad. What a delightful PEACH of a man.
-Emma's light (and sometimes less than light) fangirling over Hollywood types. It felt natural given how sheltered she's forced herself to be over the years.
-The forced proximity
-The strawberry sweatshirt (though, I do question how it would still fit all these years later if her mom gave it to her)

What I struggled with:
-Charlie freakin' Yates. What a freaking grump of a grump on a grump. Emma is supposed to be entirely captivated by this guy but he spends 90% of the book negging her. What?! Until maybe the last 75 or so pages, and the occasional (and I do mean very occasional) glimpse of his humanity we got in their small moments...I just didn't see what she could possibly see in him. Sure, he's a brilliant screenwriter, but her infatuation seemed to be more than just a talent crush. If I wanted to be constantly harped on and negged, I'd spend time with my grandmother.
-How many times Charlie's full, government name was used. We get it. His name is Charlie Yates.
-Emma's martyr complex. I get she felt like, as the eldest child, had to give up her life to take care of her family after her mother died. I also understand that she feels an almost insane amount of guilt over her mother's death (but she was young and we take things very personally at that age and shoulder a lot of the burden/guilt when it really wasn't our fault). But the way she talked to her sister? Holy shit, if I was Sylvie I would have gone scorched earth. I'm glad she snapped back at her. What she said was harsh, but Emma needed to hear it.
-She's got floofy, curly red hair...and that makes her not-like-other-girls...I guess?

ALL THAT BEING SAID. This is still a solid, really solid book. Had I not read The Bodyguard first (and then followed it with Hello Stranger), my rating might be higher. But I had very high expectations going into this and it just didn't hit the mark for me, unfortunately. So, solid 3.

Emma and Charlie were such a fun duo to see develop throughout the story! I really couldn’t tell which way their relationship would turn, and the back and forth struggle leading up to the end of the story was really heart wrenching. I also really liked how their pasts were so deeply interwoven into the present time, and the author gave us all the information needed to truly understand each of their personalities as a whole. It was a really satisfying description of Emma especially, which I appreciated. I loved this book!

It has been quite a while since I gave a book five stars, but I am happy to say they are well-deserved for The Rom-Commers. Katherine Center never misses a beat. She has a way of creating likable, believable, flawed characters that pull at my heartstrings. Emma has been through a lot, yet she insists on seeing the best in people. I loved the curmudgeon writer Charlie for his gruffness, and Emma is persistent in finding love in his heart. Emma's Dad and Sister step up to the plate with love, and Logan believes in Emma and Charlie. And the ending... don't get me going. I loved every word of the broken pieces coming together. I loved this book so much; it has been my go-to hostess/birthday gift.

This was my first katherine center book and wow how i loved it so much! What a great story i enjoyed the ride so much so thankful for an early copy of this!

In my humble opinion, Katherine Center can do no wrong. The Rom-Commers was funny, sweet, heartbreaking, and also somehow relatable at times. Emma Wheeler, who has spent her entire adult life caring for her dad, finally gets the career opportunity of a lifetime. The catch? She needs to move to LA and write (and ultimately live!) with Charlie Yates, a grumpy famous screenwriter who definitely doesn't want her help. The Rom-Commers was a fresh take on the "sunshine/grumpy" trope and I enjoyed Emma's perseverance and unwillingness to let Charlie bring her mood down. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

Most people who follow my reading life know my love for this author which has burned strong since I first read Happiness for Beginners in 2016 - she just hasn't ever let me down as a reader and to watch so many other people fall in love with her lovely characters and beautiful writing makes me so happy!
I read The Rom-Commers on my kindle in January thanks to @netgalley and then I was craving a reread so I listened to it on audio this week narrated by the wonderful @pattimurin and I loved it just as much, if not more! There are so many great things about this book and I think it just works so well for us romance readers. It's immensely funny, so swoony and sweet, but it's also so sad at certain moments (I cried), unpredictable even though there is the expected Happily Ever After, and it just feels like a warm hug I could always seek out on a cold day. 
Emma and Charlie experience a unique forced proximity situation (Katherine Center excels at this) and the entire plot centers around rewriting a rom-com movie. There's lots of discussion about what makes a romantic comedy what it is. There are other moments where the meaning of love is discussed. There are famous people and awards and aspirations and fearful moments. The pace of the plot is perfect and the supporting cast of characters are essential and enchanting.
I cannot wait to own this one in print with its gorgeous pink sprayed edges in a month! I highly recommend checking out that hardcover to buy
Also - don't skip the author's note on this one - I didn't get it the first time in the early copy of the advanced read but it's in the audiobook and it is UTTER PERFECTION and may or may not have triggered a Katherine Center personal re-readathon
Here's just one breathtaking quote as a teaser:
“You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it. And savor it. And not stomp it to death by reminding everyone of everything you'd lost."

My favorite of hers by far, I loved this story and everyone in it from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

2.5 stars

i want to start off by saying that the premise of this book is so incredibly me. like two screenwriters writing a romcom together? i’m sold. i wish i could have loved every second of it but charlie’s character really fell flat for me

charlie is a successful young man in the film industry with tons and tons of awards -including his many oscars that are mentioned one too many times. he is exceptionally talented in writing fictional scripts but struggles in the romcom department. in walks emma, who helps him out by ghostwriting with him. although he had his moments in this book, overall it just seemed like he didn’t even really like emma that much. he was an asshole for about 80 percent of this book and frankly, that was too much for me to handle. also throughout the entire book he cannot stop mentioning his ex-wife??? weird.

emma is a sweetheart but i feel like she was so ignorantly blind to charlie’s feelings that it got annoying at one point. like she was spelling it out for herself and yet still believed the things he was saying to her at the end??? please open your eyes.

overall though there were some sweet moments and katherine center’s writing has definitely improved since her debut. i’m excited to read more of her work!!

thank you to netgalley and st. martin’s press for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Gosh I love Center!!! Another hit. Anything she writes, I will read. Forever and always. Charlie + Emma—ugh I adored them. Their enemies to lovers story sparked with banter, wit and the best romance. As always, Center is able to write a beautiful romance that deals with real-life, non-fluff issues all while crafting an amazing romance. She is truly a favorite…quite possibly becoming THE favorite.

This was a closed door romance without losing any spark whatsoever, which Center always does brilliantly. I wish everyone could write just like Center.

In solidarity with the SMP Boycott I will be withholding my review for this title until SMP acts on the following:

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian influencers, authors and readers, in addition to supporting their BIPOC influencers, authors, and readers.

This is not a reflection of the author personally, nor is it a call to boycott buying this particular book. The star rating is an accurate assessment of my thoughts on the book.

I love Katherine Center's books, and this one just solidified that fact. Predictable? Maybe, but I was rooting for all of it the whole time. I love Emma. I love Charlie Yates. I love their stories. I love their interactions and the dialogue. It's genuine and I really feel like the characters are people I want to know (and root for!). I laughed, I cried,... Do not pass this one up!

Thank you, thank you to St. Martins Press and to Netgalley for the opportunity to smile my way through this fun read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the e-arc!

I'm sorry but I feel like I've been on a downward trend with Center (which makes me very upset). I loved Part of Your World, I liked Yours Truly, and this one was just eh. I just didn't care for Charlie. I feel like if we had dual POV this would be fixed but because Emma was absolutely obsessed with him, it created a sort of one sided romance. And then when she dives in the pool when she was drunk waiting for him (ugh cringe). Hoping the next Center book I read is better.

Every time I read a Katherine Center book I think THIS is my favorite. Then she writes a new one and I think THIS one is definitely my favorite. I am in love with The Rom-Commers. 
Emma gets a job helping Charlie rewrite his Rom-com screenplay, except he has no desire or hope for a rom-com. He thinks happy endings aren’t important and that the whole idea of romantic comedies isn't realistic. Emma loves rom-coms and is determined to prove him wrong. Emma is bold, determined, and her growth throughout the story was fun to read.
Charlie is kinda broody, successful, but stubborn...yet also a totally swoon-worthy love interest. The banter was by far my favorite part. They just go back and forth so well. The arguments are so wonderfully written, the witty quips are hilarious, and the tension is remarkable. 
I was giddy reading this one. I laughed, I cried, I took Emma’s side 99% of the time. There was so much development and a wonderful cast of side characters, each adding something new to the story and they were wonderful additions. This was my favorite book of 2024 and I've recommended it to many people.

I have loved every Katherine Center book I've read, I still have a few to catch up on, but I know I'll love them too. I loved almost every single character in this book. Emma is a selfless daughter who passed on her dream to care for her father, which I can totally relate to. Luckily, Emma has a sister who is as wonderful as she is. I could not get enough of this story and I honestly wished it could go on forever!

Kathrine Center does no wrong! Always knows how to make me smile and give me such a good feel good book!

Katherine Center, known for her heartfelt and uplifting novels, delivers another gem with "The Rom-Commers". In this delightful story, Center explores the world of romantic comedy screenwriting with humor, warmth, and a refreshing dose of self-discovery.

At the center of the novel is Libby, a talented but struggling screenwriter who dreams of breaking into the competitive world of Hollywood rom-coms. When her latest project falls flat, she finds herself at a crossroads in both her career and personal life. Determined to regain her creative spark, Libby embarks on a journey that leads her to unexpected friendships, romantic entanglements, and the realization that sometimes, the best stories are the ones we live ourselves.

Center's characters are vividly drawn, each with their own quirks and aspirations that resonate with authenticity. Libby is a relatable protagonist, navigating the pressures of creative ambition while grappling with insecurities and setbacks. The supporting cast, from Libby's eclectic group of friends to the charming love interest who challenges her assumptions about romance, adds depth and charm to the narrative.

The novel unfolds with a blend of wit and heartfelt emotion, capturing the highs and lows of Libby's journey with sincerity and insight. Center's writing is engaging and filled with clever observations about love, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of life in the entertainment industry. As Libby navigates through the twists and turns of her professional and personal life, readers are treated to a story that celebrates the power of resilience and the importance of following one's passions.

"The Rom-Commers" is not just a love letter to romantic comedies; it's a celebration of storytelling in all its forms. Center seamlessly weaves together themes of creativity, ambition, and the courage to pursue happiness, making for a compelling and uplifting read. The novel's pacing is well-paced, ensuring that readers remain invested in Libby's journey from start to finish.

In conclusion, "The Rom-Commers" is a charming and insightful novel that showcases Katherine Center's talent for crafting stories that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. With its engaging characters, witty dialogue, and heartfelt moments, this book is a delightful choice for fans of romantic comedy and contemporary fiction alike

The Rom-Commers strikes the perfect blend of humour and romance. With its charming but complicated characters, in true Katherine Center fashion, there was depth and lightheartedness that made this story so memorable.

I adored the female main character, Emma, with her emanating light and seeing the world through a positive lens even though she was placed with many difficult obligations. Charlie was almost as equally lovable but in his own unique way. The back and forth dialogue between the two was so good and I loved both of their character arcs.