Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge Katherine Center fan. Her books are always so heartwarming and I always come away from my reading experience feeling like I have been wrapped in the warmest of hugs. The Rom-Commers is Center’s latest book and it’s my new favorite from her.

The story follows Emma Wheeler, a talented rom-com screenwriter whose career has been put on hold because she is also her dad’s caretaker. A tragic accident killed Emma’s mom and left her dad in need of round-the-clock care. Not only has Emma cared for her father for years now, but she has practically raised her younger sister. Her friend Logan presents her with the opportunity of a lifetime - to rewrite a script for famous screenwriter, and Emma’s idol, Charlie Yates. At the insistence of her Dad and sister, Emma heads off to L.A. to meet Charlie.

At first, Charlie Yates is the absolute worst. He’s rude and downright insulting both toward romance in general and especially toward Emma, and I honestly wanted Emma to just punch him in the face and go home. Instead of punching him, however, Emma makes it her mission to teach Charlie not only how to write a better rom-com script since what he wrote is pure garbage, but also to convince him that love stories matter.

I adored Emma because of her determination and her big heart, & Charlie started to grow on me once he agreed to be mentored by Emma & started to truly appreciate her advice. Charlie has some things he is dealing with as well. While they don’t excuse his early behavior, they did help me to better understand him. He’s definitely a work-in-progress for much of the story as far as book boyfriends go, but he gets there in the end.

I don’t want to give anything away, but if you’re looking for a story filled with flawed, relatable characters, as well as a beautifully crafted romance that has warmth, humor, and emotional depth, you can’t go wrong with The Rom-Commers.

If you like predictable romantic comedies, then check out Katherine Center’s newest book, The Rom-Commers! Emma’s best friend, Logan, calls her with a too-good-to-be-true dream job opportunity in California and despite her reservations, Emma agrees to come to California to work for a few months. But upon arrival, Emma realizes that the job opportunity….is something Logan is trying to talk one of his clients into without their knowledge, not an actual job. Emma is mortified and just wants to fly home to her dad in Texas. But Emma and famous screenwriter Charlie Yates are forced together for a few days and realize maybe Logan was right, and they make a good team. Will Emma and Charlie help each other to move forward in life or will both of their stubbornness drive them apart?


Cute but predictable story, easy read!

Absolutely loved this one! Katherine Center is an amazing writer. I love how she always touches on tough topics in her writing, though I was a little turned off by the fake cancer scare

The Rom-Commers was a delight to read. I found myself laughing, crying and overcome with joy throughout this book. Katherine Center is such a talented author that makes you care about the characters she writes. Emma was a loyal daughter and talented writer. Charlie was a grumpy yet thoughtful MMC. I loved seeing the relationship between Emma and Charlie go from professional to personal. The family aspect brought great depth to the story. I loved how their story ended. This was my first Katherine Center book but it certainly won't be my last.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

“The Rom-Commers” is a delightful contemporary romance novel that combines humor, hope, and heart. Emma Wheeler, a passionate screenwriter, gets the chance of a lifetime to rewrite a script with her personal writing god, famous screenwriter Charlie Yates. Sparks fly as they navigate their creative differences and discover that love stories matter—even if they have to kiss senseless to prove it. Center’s storytelling effortlessly weaves tragedy, hardship, and perseverance into this enemies-to-lovers tale, making it a must-read for rom-com enthusiasts.

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

The Romcommers - Katherine Center

I stumbled onto Center’s books in 2023 and have gone down the rabbit hole. Romance, outside of romantasy, typically isn’t my go to but she gave me a reason to dive into the genre in a way that makes me smile. I love how her books each have an added layer of depth and discovery to them. It’s not “just” romance. That said, she is unapologetic (read her author’s notes) about embracing tropes and expected endings.

Yes, the couple falls in love. It’s a romance novel.

And she goes for broke in this one. It’s a romance novel. A love story. Its grumpy meets sunshine and opposites attract.

BUT it’s also an ode to the whole romance genre.

To make it quick, our main characters are tasked to write a romance screen play. She is a true fan of the genre and he, well, he is not. She makes it her mission to champion and “teach” him the joy of the love story. And through it, they find their own.

And I loved it. I ate it up. I think this is my favorite of Katherine’s books so far. It might even be one of my favorite books of the year.

So thank you, @katherinecenter, for knocking it out of the park with this one. Thanks for making me laugh out loud and get a little misty too. Happy pub day.

And thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my e copy in exhange for my honest gushing. Now to get my hands on a hard copy.

Can we also acknowledge how pretty this cover is? I’ve seen some of the copies even have pretty hot pink sprayed edges!!

I love how these characters are not typical and their love story is unique with all the different family backgrounds.

Her books are contemporary romance but the stories and characters always have a lot more than that going on. The romance is almost secondary to the emotional growth that the characters have going on. And since I don’t actually read romance very often I LOVE THAT! This one is set in Hollywood about two screenwriters who are sort of forced to write a screenplay together while each of them have a lot of emotional baggage going on in their own lives. This story deals with really heavy topics like grief and illness, and elder care and balancing adult responsibility but she somehow writes it in a lighter way and it doesn’t weigh down the story. I really loved it! I definitely recommend this one and all of her books if you like romance with a good story but without the spice.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for this #free book! #smpinfluencers

One of the best rom-com writers writes a book about writing a rom-com and it's the best rom-com of the summer. If a rom-com movie gets made out of this, it will be the most meta thing ever.

I LOVED this book and, as always, wished I had read it sooner (and wasn't so much of a mood reader)! I was introduced to Katherine Center's work just over two years ago now, and I'm always so impressed with each and every book, regardless of whether or not it's a brand new release or one off her backlist. Katherine writes such wonderful, rich stories with well-developed and endearing characters, and THE ROM-COMMERS is no exception..... she never misses!

Katherine Center does it again!! Honestly, I don't think anyone writes banter better than Katherine and this book was no disappointment. While I haven't read all of her books yet this one so far is my absolute favorite!

Emma's story was so relatable Katherine did a great job of writing the backstory of Emma and Charlie very very well. This book was relatable, funny, and gave me all the good feels! It was an absolute gem to read. If you need a book to pull you out of a reading slump OR you just need a super feel good book to pick you up this book will not disappoint. Go read it now and prepare to fall in love!!

Katherine Center does it again. What a sweet and beautifully written story. I engulfed this book as quickly as possible. Charlie and Emma grow so much throughout this story and it is truly an amazing and emotional ride. I loved the plot in this. Pretty original from the books I have read and that made me love it even more. The characters were well developed and each had their own circumstances to grow through. This feel-good romance is packed with raw emotions and real situations. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, and I was sad. There are some traumatic situations in this book like the death of a parent, serious injury to a parent, serious illness, divorce. There is a lot to unpack throughout this book, but Katherine tackled all of these situations gracefully. I also didn't sleep because this one was just too good. I will read anything Katherine Center writes!!

This was AMAZING! Absolutely adored the story, I love romcoms and this one is a new fave - especially since it's a romcom about a romcom. This is my second Katherine Center book and so far I've loved BOTH. Loved Emma's character and her love for her father and family. Being a caretaker for a family member hits close to home. Loved the witty banter and loved Emma working hard to convert Mr. Grump (aka Charlie). The whole story was overall so sweet, perfect and charming. I definitely recommend this one. 5 star experience. Thank you to NETGALLEY and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.25 stars- such a perfect romance. Not as much “comedy” in this rom-com book, but I still love Katherine Center and her clean, romance books. Good solid, quick read. 🙂

I have yet to read a Katherine Center book I did not like. As usual, her characters are quirky, loveable, and just flawed enough. I enjoyed the attention to detail that is always present in her books. The grumpy/sunshine romance was perfection. Highly recommended!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I loved everything about this book and I'm not sure how I can start another book knowing it might not be as great as The Rom-Commers. I'm already looking forward to rereading this one. This book tugs at your heartstrings and doesn't let go into the very last page. It's totally a one-sitting read.
*I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. My review was not required nor influenced.

4.5 Stars!

Sigh, gawd do I love this author's writing.

"I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could."

Emma is a writer and aspiring screenwriter whose goals were cut short by tragedy. But when her best friend calls her and offers her the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to co-write a screenplay with her literal screenwriting hero, she cannot refuse. Little does she know that Charlie is currently down on his luck and on life in general and hates rom-coms. Oh, and doesn't believe in love.

- Forced proximity
- Grade A banter
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Both MCs are writers
- Past trauma

The book reminded me of Beach Read by Emily Henry and The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. It's fun, hilarious, and endearing. I had so much fun while reading it and laughed out loud several times.

And while I'm okay with this author not writing spice, for the most part. Sometimes you need at least some closed door spice to help illustrate the connection between your hero and heroine. And that small part was missing for me here.

The third act conflict was great and felt totally natural for the story and was where it needed to go.

For the most part, I loved it. A perfect summer read!

A famous screenwriter and an aspiring one team up to write a romantic comedy in Katherine Center’s newest book.

It’s a romantic comedy about writing a romantic comedy, y’all.

There are some heavy moments and emotions in the book, too, but there is so much joy.

It made me grin; it made me giggle; it pulled at my heartstrings.

Every time I pick up a Katherine Center book, I’m reminded to seek out the joy in life. Her books make me want to be a better person.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

5 stars- Katherine Carter continuously delivers heart warming, funny novels. What i loved about this book was that not only are the characters layered, with internal conflict, sacrifices, insecurities, we are taken on a journey of each character's evolution. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is now my favorite of Katherine's novels, it was absolutely perfect! The banter was perfect as always, and I LOVED how well she represented anxiety and grief. She took heavy subjects and transformed them in a way that we can all relate to. I wouldn't say this is an interconnected standalone, but there were cameos from other books, which I loved. I loved being in Emma's head throughout the entire thing, and especially loved the bonus chapter from Charlie's POV - it was such a great surprise!

Posted on storygraph, goodreads, amazon, and instagram 6/13