Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I wasn't able to connect with the characters or the story at this time. I found the two main characters hard to cheer for and their dynamic to be frustrating. I found it difficult that Emma kept being perusing Charlie when his was unkind and rude to her. Also, consent in books is really important to me so when Emma wouldn't take no for an answer and kept pushing Charlie, it really bothered me. Overall, I just didn't mesh with the story or the characters. Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for an ARC.

Happy release day to The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, the QUEEN of the rom com!! She is forever a champion of love stories.
I’ve always admired how passionately she defends the merits of reading romance novels, as I have personally answered the question about what genre I like best with, “oh just romance.” But as Katherine says, they are no more ridiculous or unbelievable than any other type of fiction novel. Why is it more accepted to read about a zombie apocalypse or fairies and dragons than it is to read about an “unrealistic” happily ever after? It’s not. Katherine says that reading about people learning to be their best selves and finding love is exactly what this world needs, and I agree.
This book is the perfect representation of all of this. It is truly a love letter to love stories.
I was so excited and honored to receive an advanced readers copy of this book! I truly loved every minute of it. I loved the characters, their growth, their banter, and their love.
If you can’t tell, I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It has been a long time since I've read a book in one day, but I did exactly that with this one! Emma has obsessed over screenwriter Charlie Yates for years, and finally gets a chance to work with him. Charlie is the opposite of Emma in every way -- he doesn't believe in love, he hates romcoms -- but the way they worked together was done so well. I loved their banter, their working relationship, and the overall story arc in this one. I will say there were times Emma was exasperating, but that was also part of her charm. The secondary characters added a lot to this story, especially Emma's family (I loved them all!). This is a sweet, not at all spicy, romance. I switched between the audio and kindle version and I loved the audio version as well! Katherine Center remains one of my favorite romance authors and this one is definitely one of my favorites from her!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to review!

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

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on topics like divorce, parental death, disabilities, and cancer. Describes being a full-time caregiver for a family member.

“The Rom-Commers” follows Emma Wheeler, an aspiring screenwriter that had to put her dream on hold to take care of her father full-time, as she gets the opportunity to work with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates, as they rewrite a rom-com (something Emma’s an expert on and Charlie has no idea how to execute).

And so this book literally brought me back to life. After a rough patch at the beginning of the year, I hadn’t been able to finish one (1) single book in its entirety—until Katherine Center came around. “The Rom-Commers” made me feel warm inside, with all the giggly feelings rom-coms are known for, but it also made me cry and feel for these characters deeply.

If you like rom-com movies and you like your romances closed door but with a ton of sexual tension, then this book is for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 11, 2024

I truly believe with my whole heart that if Katherine Center writes it, I’m going to love it.

I’m struggling to express with words how much I loved this book. I laughed out loud, smiled so much, wanted to smack Charlie up the side of the head, and also bawled like a little baby. The full range of emotions were felt and I loved every minute.

This one had so many of my fave tropes including:

Forced Proximity
Grumpy x Sunshine
Opposites Attract
Workplace Romance
Slow Burn

… and the wittiest of banter - because they’re screenwriters duhhh of course they will have the best quips.

Charlie and Emma were so quirky and loveable and watching her teach him what love and rom coms were all about warmed my heart.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for the amazing opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review!

If Katherine Center writes a book, I am reading it. She honestly is probably the number one author who is a must read for me. Her books radiate kindness, and happiness, and everything she publishes feels like a gift. She is also the sweetest person who makes it known she appreciates her fans - I can’t say enough nice things about her.

The Rom-Commers is the romance book of the year, it’s adorable.

Emma Wheeler has spent years focusing on caring for her disabled father but when a once in a lifetime opportunity arises, to work with a hero of hers, Charlie Yates, she jumps at the opportunity after a little push from her family.

What follows is a wonderful will they/ won’t they story, that is so pure and fun and often laugh out loud funny.

I love how Katherine Center creates characters that are flawed yet relatable, and how she allows them to grow and learn throughout her books. Emma & Charlie are not to be missed!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this one, and there were some parts that I did! But overall it just didn’t do it for me.

I loved Emma’s character, but it took me soooo long to like Charlie and feel like I could be interested in anything he was saying/doing.

There were some swoon worthy parts- but the constant pushing away of each other was just too much and made me not be able to connect enough with their love story.

A lot of great parts, and I still think it’s worth checking out! But just not a favorite for me.

4.5/5 stars

This is a slow burn romantic comedy

The Rom-Commers is an emotional read. The narrator is Emma (1st person POV). She is a rom-com screenwriter who has spent the past 10 years taking care of her dad.

There are a lot of things that I liked about this book. I loved that Emma is a screenwriter. And I really thought that the premise was so fun. I really liked Emma's family and especially how she took care of her father. I thought that everything to do with her parents was so moving and I found myself teary-eyed a lot.

I did really like the character of Charlie. It was fun to have Emma interact with such a famous screenwriter. And I loved the whole Hollywood aspect. However I really needed more romance in this book.

The last 5-6 chapters truly made this book for me. I was so involved with everything that happened to Emma. I thought that this was definitely the strongest part of the book. The end is everything to me so ultimately I did have very positive feelings with what I read. But I do wish that I had felt more connected to Charlie and Emma throughout the entire book, not just in the final chapters.

Highly problematic. This kind of ableist plot device and twist should not be published anymore in 2024. This book needs to have a major trigger warning and spoiler alert at the beginning of the novel so disabled people can decide if they want to put themselves through more ableism. Please hire disabled writers writing from their own experience! Hire sensitivity readers! Do ANYTHING except continue to publish these kinds of “twists,” I am begging you. They are SO harmful.

I don't know why I was scared to read this. I've enjoyed every Katherine Center book and I was somewhat afraid I wasn't gonna like it. Boy was I wrong. This had everything I loved about KC's book and I'm sad it took my forever to start it.

emma had me dying of second hand embarrassment bc why was she so desperate. she’s also a hypocrite and charlie is an asshole

"The Rom-Commers" was an amazing read! Emma is a screenwriter who has put aside most of her life to care for her father and younger sister. When she gets the chance to work on a story with the screenwriter she admires the most, she decides to take it. But things might not go as planned.
I loved Emma; she was so funny and complex (in a good way), and I loved her chemistry with Charlie. He could be a bit too much at times, but I liked him too. I really enjoyed the banter between them. I loved the way it is told as if you were a part of the story; you almost feel like you are there with them in the room.
It had me laughing out loud many times and also gave me teary eyes. It is a rom-com, for sure, but it is also a story about family, about grief, and about joy. It was a perfect combination of ingredients, and that made it one of my favorite reads of the last weeks and probably will be on my top 10 this year.
I deeply enjoyed it and I loved seeing Jack Stapleton again!

I LOVE KATHERINE CENTER and everything she writes!!

Emma Wheeler dreams of becoming a writer (specifically, a romance writer), but her dreams take a backseat when life throws her a curve ball. 10 years later, she is contacted by an ex-boyfriend with an offer that is too good to be true. And it turns out to be just that - too good to be true - because the legendary Charlie Yates didn't know anything about this offer (to help re-write a HORRIBLE effort at a romance screenplay). There are arguments and then truces followed by more arguments and agreements before the project eventually moves forward. Is it possible that love will happen both on and off the screen?

Highly recommend!

The Rom-Commers: the second book I've read by Katherine Center.

Okay, so... this book just didn't work for me.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Things that didn't work:
-the cover
-not finding myself invested in the story, even after reading 73%
-somehow, I didn't even know for certain what Emma's name was and needed to look it up
-many toxic male characters; I'll start with Logan, and end with Jablowmie
-readers are expected to A) trust Emma's judgement on Charlie and B) rationalize that Charlie is a good guy based on his less than stellar friendships!?
-I found the lack of Emma’s internal dialog concerning her dad alarming once she (quickly) settled in at Charlie’s. Being away from her dad didn't seem to bother Emma like it should have; I expected a moral struggle
-Emma, the queen of playing it safe, had a major and dangerous drunk escapade. WTF!? I have ISSUES with this scene
-playing house does not a romance/relationship make
-the phrase "soft pooch"
-timeline issues with Emma's dad's ICU stay
-overall, the relationship between Emma and Charlie seemed toxic, although I can't pinpoint why
-nothing was remotely funny

Things that did work:
-the dedication
-Emma's dad was a good guy
-the Author's Note and the love that Center feels for romance as a genre
-the Author's Note and Acknowledgements being narrated by Center

The audiobook narration was alright, although at times I noticed similar voices used for some characters.

In summery, I just wished I liked my second book from Center more!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

I enjoyed reading The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Every single one of Katherine Center’s books is a joy to read. The narrator of the audiobook makes it that much better. I loved reading about Emma and her struggles of becoming a screenwriter and taking care of her family. She has had so much heartbreak in her life that she doesn’t know how to move forward without the past trailing alongside her. When Emma gets the opportunity to work on an awful screenplay written by famous writer Charlie Yates, she jumps at the chance. The character development is outstanding as they both grew and changed together. The banter between Emma and Charlie was top notch. Charlie doesn’t believe in love and Emma is determined to show him what love is so they can effectively write the romcom together. I had a smile on my face and could not put this one down. I cannot wait for the next Katherine Center book!

Katherine Center does it again!

Meet Emma Wheeler. She is a 28 year old want to be writer trying to manage working, writing, and taking care of her dad full time. This has been her life the last 10 years. She has dreams of more, but she loves her family more than those dreams. When her sister moves back home after graduating college, Emma thinks she might have a little room to breathe with extra help in the house. Right as her sister is settling back in, Emma gets a call from her childhood best friend for a writing opportunity to redo a terrible, terrible script. There are a couple of catches. One it is in Los Angeles, so she will have to leave her dad. Second, the writing will be happening with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates.

Charles Yates is a Hollywood darling. Everything he writes becomes a hit. He even has enough awards to fill multiple drawers. But, Charlie has met his match in attempting to write a romantic comedy. To put it nicely, he sucks at it. The scene are cringy. The dialogue is all wrong. It needs to be burned and redone. Why is it so bad? Well, Charlie doesn't believe in love.

What happens next is 6 weeks of Emma teaching Charlie how to write things he doesn't know anything about. In typical Katherine Center fashion the characters are quirky and endearing. The backdrops in all of the scenes are perfect. Picture some near death experiences mixed with some line dancing a la an Italian hottie. Most of all, the dialogue, which I prefer to call banter is EPIC as usual. The sassiness of the main female characters is what has hooked me to Katherine's style of writing. They are witty, smart, funny, independent, fierce, and ultimately lovable. The male main characters, especially Charlie, are a wonderful mixture of grumpy mixed with Golden Retriever. I absolutely adored this book and devoured it so quickly. Highly, highly recommend!

I adored this book! It made me laugh (out loud), cry, get all warm and fuzzy, and ultimately was a satisfying romance with heft. The banter was fun and felt real, and the supporting characters were interesting additions. It falls squarely at the top of my Katherine Center hierarchy, and will take another strong contender to push it out. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

I'll start with saying I have absolutely LOVED some of Katherine Center's book in the past. This one did not reach any similar level of enjoyment for me in the same way. I think Center's style makes for a very easy, effervescent type of read. It has a fun edge and lightness to it. But this storyline was a struggle for me. Charlie doesn't show nearly enough angst or feelings towards Emma. There just felt something off about the whole plot and how things came together, that were a bit eye roll worthy. I wish there had been more, as the plot really doesn't have much going on at all. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Contemporary romance.
Emma Wheeler writes romance. She’s good at it. But her dreams, and financial needs have her longing to transition to script writing. Her agent pairs Emma up with Charlie Yates, who has written a truly awful romance. It’s up Emma to teach Charlie what makes a romance come alive for the audience. Charlie doesn’t care enough to fix his script but there’s something about the effervescent woman that captures his attention.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook version of this book. The narration is done by Katherine Center and Patti Murin. The performance is engaging, with emotions clearly heard and felt. There are distinct voices for Emma and Charlie that made their arguments come alive. I listened to this at my usual 1.5.
The audiobook was immersive and made visualizing the scenes easy. Pick your preferred format as this would be a toss up for me.
The audiobook includes a bonus scene from Charlie’s POV that my ecopy did not have.

There are some very harsh arguments between Emma and Charlie, and then Emma and her sister. Unforgivable comments. Yes, in hurt and from a frightened frame of mind, but really harsh and shocking that the words would be said out loud by Emma.
I don’t know that I would ever be able to forgive or forget.

The romance is bumpy and amusing at times and ultimately satisfying. The arguments shocked me out of reading at the time which is impressive writing. Too much so IMO for a romantic comedy. But I know I won’t forget this story because of the “too far” words. Does that make the rating go up or down?

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher.