Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me. And this might have been my favorite of her books yet. It was adorable and the perfect book to read by the pool or at the beach. It gets all the hearts and stars.

“Stories exist for the emotions they create—and you can’t write them if you can’t feel them.”

Katherine Center’s ability to evoke real emotions for her seemingly real, flawed, and personable characters is unmatched. Every time I pick up one of her books, I want to live inside it for as long as it’ll keep me. And The Rom-Commers was no exception.

“A great rom-com…is just like sex. If you’re surprised by the ending, somebody wasn’t doing their job.”

The idea that you should never meet your idols because you’ll be let down is at the forefront of this story as Emma is tricked into working with her personal writing god, Charlie Yates. Only, Charlie never agreed to accept help from a no-name screenwriter with zero credits. Both of them reeling from their pasts and everything going on in their personal lives, the last thing they expect is to get along, let alone find a way to write together when they’d only ever written alone.

“The most vital thing you can learn to do is tell your own story.”

I honestly love how raw this story is and I’m trying SO hard not to spoil anything in this review. Every piece of it felt like a gift and I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself ASAP. You don’t want to miss this one.

“It can’t be where you’re going that matters. It has to be how you get there.”

Katherine manages to tell the journey in each of her stories. The romcom and the romance are the parts that bring a smile to our faces, but the journey is what sucks us in and holds us hostage. The history and each characters’ individual stories are what make it impossible to let go even after finishing reading. Talk about a massive book hangover… I read this book a couple weeks ago and I am STILL thinking about it now.

I absolutely love Katherine Center. This story did not disappoint.

I love her voice and I felt it as strongly in this one as her others. Her theme of hope is woven throughout this story and I love how it’s in every one of her stories but so unique each time.

There were some relationship things with a few different characters that felt unresolved but they all had growth and I love how the story played out.

This is a happy ending rom-com with a few unrealistic things and THAT’S OKAY. I don’t read for reality but I know some people struggle with that so I thought I’d include it.

The Rom-Commer’s is a great summer read and I’m so happy it’s out in the world.

Content: explicit language

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’ll be the first to say that most people will give this 4 or 5 stars if it is their genre. This is also my genre but unfairly I could not shake an image of the main MC from the beginning. A screenwriter forced to lose opportunities for her big break because she is caring for her father who was injured in an accident that also killed her mom, Emma is granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to rewrite or ghost write her favorite movie directors lame attempt at a rom com— which happens to be her specialty. She ends up showing movie director and love curmudgeon, Charlie Yates, what love is really about and of course, they fall for each other. Seriously this is cute, it is a great rom com. Charlie Yates was somehow engrained in my mind as ‘Charlie Sheen’ which made me scrunch up my nose up at the romance. While I shouldn’t fault the author for my view of Charlie as Charlie Sheen, I do think it highlights that perhaps his character was more underdeveloped than it could have been. He also wore big corduroys which I didn’t get and it didn’t help the image…. Anyhow, rom com lovers should read this and NOT consider Charlie Sheen like I did.

Mode: 📱thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for allowing me to review and advanced copy e book in exchange for this review.

Katherine Center books always have a special place in my heart! Things you save in a fire was the first book that really introduced me to the genre, and this led me to find so many of my favorite authors. I love that like the Bodyguard, the trope of famous person and normal person, is tied into this- but done so uniquely. Also LOVE the cover art!!

Emma was such a wonderful character. Having given up her dreams in order to give her father a great life, the reader is set up to root for her story, wherever it may lead. The fact that it leads to Hollywood and working with her screenwriter hero, Charlie Yates is icing on the cake. The fact he turns out to be difficult and surly is par for the course, but this girl loves a good enemies to lovers trope and I’m eagerly along for the ride. Charlie, of course, ends up to be a good guy with reasons for acting the way he’s acting and pretty quickly warms up to Emma. I love their journey, as well as the conflict and resolution in the latter third of the book. The whole story just had a roundness that made the reader feel great about how the conclusion was reached.

I’ve been waiting for another Katherine Center novel that has that magic formula of romance, comedy, and tragedy similar to her 2022 novel, The Bodyguard, and The Rom-Commers gets it just right. A fabulous enemies to lovers story that made me laugh, tear-up, and anticipate the fabulous happily ever after that I know is waiting at the end of the book. If you’re looking for that book to put in your beach bag, don’t leave this one behind!

I was instantly hooked on Katherine Center's writing after reading "The Bodyguard," which piqued my interest in her book "Rom-Commers." I'm thrilled that I picked up "Rom-Commers." Intriguingly, the book is titled "Rom-Commers," as romantic comedies are my favorite. I found myself laughing throughout the book. The main character, Emma, was incredibly amusing, and I admired her quirky, resilient, enthusiastic, and nurturing nature. The male lead was equally charming and quirky. Both characters had their struggles and inner battles to conquer. I loved that they were both screenwriters. Katherine did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and depicting the life of a screenwriter. This book is perfect for anyone seeking laughter and a feel-good story.

Love Always Catherine

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Katherine Center, for gifting me this book.

Omg another hit by Katherine Center!!! Who’s surprised? No one here 😂 I freaking loved the angst and the lead up, and the ending had me in tears!!! I loved the epilogue too and there’s so many lines I highlighted. It even opened up conversations with my husband. I love the wisdom at the end- I truly agree wholeheartedly!! Now to wait for the next KC book to obsess over 🤓

Ok. So, I rate books based on how much I enjoyed them. So, even though there are a lot of things that I did really like about it, I have a huge issue with this book that simply didn't let me enjoy it at all.

I really liked Emma. I liked how she talked and her wit. I liked her relationship with her family and her unabashed love for romcoms. And how in a lot of aspects of her life she wasn't cowed by other people or other opinions (except with Charlie but I'll come back to it). I liked her development throughout the story specially her relationship with her sister. She needed to learn somethings and she did. I loved her dad. And I got a little emotional about ther family's story. I liked the writing as I always like with Katherine Center's books. I liked the message that happiness needs a little sadness (it reminded me of the movie Inside Out to be honest). If this were a woman's fiction about Emma and her family and her going through her journey, I would've enjoyed a lot more.

But alas, it is not. It is a romance. And I really like romance (specially romcoms). So, what was the problem? Charlie. I HATED him from beginning to end. He constantly talks badly about her and belittles her to other people (she hears him every time) through a lot of the book (eventually he stops doing it but it was never talked about). But when he is with her, he's all complimentary and adoring. It gave that feeling "I'm embarassed by you on public but I can like you in private" in the beginning. She keeps doing mental gymnastics to justify that he actually cares about her and he is only pretending that he doesn't. She keeps trying to "fix" a grown man. He keeps her at arms length and being hot and cold. And then does big gestures as if that would erase everything. Am I supposed to root for them to be together? Am I supposed to like him? Yeah, no. Sorry, but no. He is one of the worst love interests that I've ever read.

And I have to rant a little bit about something. So, SPOILERS for the rest of this paragraph. I knew that he would have a scare about having cancer again but it wouldn't be cancer. Just to what? To make me feel sorry for him and want them to be together because he did that love declaration? No. It felt like emotional manipulation to try and make me forget how awful he was. END OF SPOILERS

I'm sad because I could really see a book that I could like a lot. But Charlie ruined it for me.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Review: I really wanted to love this more than I did. It felt a little young, and a little cringe worthy at times. Although I do have to say, this is a fun, quick summer read. It reminded me a bit of Emily Henry books, but the writing didn’t do the characters justice in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, but I wasn’t itching to pick it up and listen to the banter between Charlie and Emma.

Katherine Center can do no wrong. This book was amazing. One of my newest favorites of hers! She had a way with words. If you need a good, feel good story.. this is the book for you! Thank you netgalley and Katherine Center!

Truly, 100% one of Katherine Center’s bests (and that’s saying something!!). It’s a beautiful story that I needed more than I knew.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Thoughts
I think you will enjoy this book it’s just a sweet clean romance and a great summer read and it’s a feel good story.
It’s will have you laughing out loud and crying. I usually don’t cry too much while reading but this one will pull at your heartstrings. I recommend reading this I stay up to finish it, it was so good.
It has
Opposites attracts
Forced proximity
Workplace
Banter
Laughing out loud
Grumpy/sunshine

Helllo to another sweet and fluffy romance by Katherine Center. I really love reading her books during the summertime. They’re the perfect amount of happiness, romance and also have some depth to them to keep me entertained. Don’t miss this one and it’s beautiful cover!

Oh my goodness this is so good. I received an ARC from NetGalley and tried to read for release day. This is my third Katherine Center book and my favorite. I think I love every single character in this book. I love Emma’s relationship with her dad but so badly wanted her to make her own way and figure out what makes her happy and go for it. I knew Charlie was so sweet deep down and loved watching him figure out how to fall in love. Such a feel good, happy ending, the good people win story. I highlighted a ton of quotes at the end but I think this is my favorite “If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you’re at the mercy of darkness.”

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was phenomenal. Katherine Center has this incredible way of creating stories that entrap you into a magical world.
This book was full of funny, heartwarming, and sweet moments.
This book has all the feels and will keep you turning the pages faster and faster to see how it ends. Once you are done, you will have a book hangover and wishing you hadn't read so fast!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

she’s rewriting his love story but can she rewrite her own? 🌼 the rom-commers by katherine center 🎧

I really felt for emma and charlie’s situations, they were both well developed characters making their imperfections feel so real. I would've loved chapters from charlie yates’ pov! it had sweet moments, funny scenes, and was just an all around feel good book that had my eyes tearing up at the end.

there were a few things that kept me from loving this though. I thought this book was wordy and could’ve gotten through situations faster. I wasn't the biggest fan of the heated moments, forceful kiss/ attempted sexy scene and constant mixed signals. I’ve never felt that spark, or a deep connection to a katherine center book but I still enjoy my time with her stories.

towards the end, there are multiple conversations about death which were very tough to get through. all in all, this was a romance dedicated to love, lovers & love stories 💕 4 stars!

“so my dad was right in the end, we all really did manage to be okay.”

Emma has dreamed of being a screenwriter, but has spent her last decade taking care of her father, who is in ill health. But when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime, to rework a screenplay for a rom-com with the famous Charlie Yates, her sister insists she take the chance and leave her dad with her. But after flying halfway across the country, Emma realizes that Charlie hadn't asked for her at all, and it was her meddling friend trying to give her a shot and Charlie and chance to get over his writer's block. But the two reluctantly work out a truce and she tries to get him to rediscover what it means to love--all in the pursuit of writing the best romantic comedy, of course.

Gosh, Katherine Center has done it again. I'm not going to lie, I teared up at more than one place in this book, and I never cry. But she is just a master of emotions, and I love the romantic comedy direction she's taken her novels in as of late, compared to her--equally beautiful, but painfully tragic--romances of several years ago. This one is fabulous, shrouded in celebrity glamor but writerly passion. At times, Charlie's words were perhaps overly harsh, and I'm not sure I could have forgiven him if I were Emma, even if I knew he was lying. But these are dramatic, passionate, writers who are dealing with grief, so I guess I'll give them a pass. Loved this book and can't recommend more.

Thanks to St. Martin's for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

Beware, The Rom-Commers caused quite a problem for me! I brought it along on vacation thinking I would read it throughout the whole week - WRONG! This became my first 24-hour-read-book of 2024, yes I could not put it down and read most of it on the plane, wrapping it up the next morning! This book is a gift; funny, heartfelt, tender, and romantic, filled with characters I really identified with and rooted for. I also found myself highlighting numerous quotes, Katherine Center’s beautiful language had me stopping to reread and reflect throughout. This is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year, and will undoubtedly be one I reread!

💖Closed Door Romance

💖Forced Proximity

💖Grumpy vs Sunshine

💖Strangers to Lovers

💖 Workplace Romance

🏠 Hollywood Setting

🚫No spice (hence the bell pepper 😂)

Just finished The Rom-Commers and wow, what a ride. Seriously, the ups and down in this book. I can’t even. Even though I usually read romance books with a lot of spice, I adore Katherine Center’s books. The characters she creates jump off the page and come to life. This was no exception.

Emma is so strong and selfless. I instantly wanted to give her a hug. And I also kind of want to shake her. The poor girl has put her whole life on hold to take care of her dad, blaming herself for his accident and the loss of her mom. I really hate that she was manipulated into working with Charlie. Logan sucks. He’s sneaky and tells half-truths and keeps secrets. Thank goodness he somewhat redeemed himself. But he was a pretty awful friend for a while.

It took me a little bit longer to warm up to Charlie. He’s kind of a jerk for the first half of the book. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about his cough, though. As someone who is familiar with sarcoma and its recurrence, as soon as he started coughing I had to stop myself from skipping ahead to make sure he was okay. It’s sweet how he takes care of his guinea pig. By the end of the book, I had heart eyes for him. 😍

I love this ode to romance and rom-coms and the joy they bring. Hands down one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I would have liked it to be dual POV, but if you check out the audio, you get a little sneak peek into Charlie in one of my favorite scenes (the diving board!!!).

As always, I encourage you to read for yourself and see how you like it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A huge thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for sending me this amazing book for my review.