It doesn’t get more perfect than this one! The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a romantic comedy about two writers writing a rom-com together where one doesn’t believe in love and the other is obsessed with all the nuances involved in making a good rom-com. Emma Wheeler is offered the chance of a lifetime to come to L.A. and work with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates. With her family’s help, she sets off on what she thinks will be a dream for the next six weeks. What she finds is a surly, blocked writer who wrote the worst rom-com screenplay she’s ever read. To top it all off, Charlie doesn’t know she’s coming, doesn’t want her help, and believes that all rom-coms are a cheap copout. So why is he writing one?

Emma is a great character to follow. She’s spent the last ten years as her father’s sole caretaker after a hiking accident left him a hemiplegic and with Meniere’s disease (an inner ear issue that affects balance and can cause sudden episodes of falling). Emma’s life didn’t pan out the way she thought it would and has since spent it in fear and with a lot of anxiety. Writing is her outlet, her dream, and she has dozens of original scripts to prove it. Her high school boyfriend and now friend is her agent, sending her random jobs she can do from the comforts of home, but this job, working with her favorite screenwriter is a pipe dream until her younger sister comes home and takes over caretaking duties sending Emma on her own adventure.

As the narrator of our story, Emma’s thoughts on what is happening and how she lays out her own life story in the midst of it all is hilarious. She even breaks the fourth wall talking directly to the reader at the serious moments or not-so-serious with inside information to make this rom-com follow the “rules of rom-coms” as she calls them. Charlie Yates is an enigma to her. He has everything she wanted. His screenplays have all become big blockbuster movies with the awards to prove it, and yet the screenplay she read and has been hired to fix is not the Yates she knows. He can do better and she is determined to make him do better.

The romance here sneaks up on you. For Emma, this is a job, even if it is with the cute screenwriter of her dreams, it is a job, one she plans to take very seriously. Charlie doesn’t even want her there, but after hearing what she has to say about his rom-com script and reading one of her scripts, he reluctantly agrees to hire her. After a few rocky sessions, their writing takes off. The banter between them and the sweet friendship that develops is like reading one of my favorite Nora Ephron movies.

Overall, I loved The Rom-Commers. Emma and Charlie’s banter, the meet-cute which I didn’t talk about above because it must be read and enjoyed not spoiled, and all their subsequent encounters will make you laugh, cry, and swoon. I loved that they are writers themselves and talking about romantic comedies. It’s an interesting insight into how they think and what we are reading. While this is my first Katherine Center book, it will definitely not be my last. If you are looking for your next summer read, look no further than The Rom-Commers.

I have never met a Katherine Center book that I didn't like. The Rom-Commers is no exception.

Emma and Charlie are opposites, yet they go so well together. The banter back and forth is great. I absolutely love when I am able to laugh out loud while reading.

This rom-com is heartwarming and a must-read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Screenwriter Emma is tasked with a dream job of helping to rewrite a rom-com with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates. But this proves difficult when it’s made clear Charlie doesn’t believe in love…yet.

The Rom-Commers is a romance that really lives up to the title. There’s comedy, there’s romance…some themes and scenes may seem over the top but I know they would fit the genre perfectly if you saw them on screen.

Emma is a very organized, enthusiastic fan of rom-coms and movies in general. She’s caring and very invested in what she’s doing in the story - not just writing the screenplay but helping out Charlie along the way.

Charlie is awkward but lovable! Though at times he can seem bitter and/or mean, I think it’s obvious where his heart is and you just need to find out the reason behind his words.

It’s an easy love story that draws you in. Definitely one of my favorites this year and one I would recommend!

I liked this more than I expected to! Even though Charlie stars as a grade-A asshole, but the end I really ended up loving him. Both Charlie and Emma have some real trauma they are working through, and they both definitely need therapy, but they have great chemistry and I enjoyed watching their grumpy sunshine dynamic grow. Through their time writing together and exploring the scenes their characters are put in, you can really see a friendship grow between them, but I wish we got to see their romance grow more. There was a lot of her putting herself out romantically/ physically and him turning her down. It is explained nicely in the end, but his rock solid will power left me wanting more. I wish we would have had his POV to see him struggling with those choices.

This book explores a lot of deep topics (loss of a parent, cancer, divorce, being a parent's caregiver, guilt, drowning, childhood trauma), but I promise it is well balanced with lightness. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

This author did it again!!!! This book was funny, with the banter between Emma and Charlie, it was actually never ending because these two are so funny, it gave Grumpy/Sunshine vibes. There was an unexpected pet that Charlie introduces her to, and some work drama that had nothing to do with Emma but is the reason why he needed her to help, it sounds like a lot right??? Lol, you gotta read it.

Charlie is known to be the king of rom-coms, he has created amazing work that has inspired Emma is so many ways and being the fan that she is she gave in to helping Charlie even though their first time meeting was horrible. She’s there to help “save” his career, but little did she know it would be the other way around for her and even for him.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center does it again. She creates a story of two imperfect people finding their ways through life and to one another.

What I loved about the book was the story within the story. You have two writers writing their way through their own story. I laughed at the scenarios she made him question - such as can falling on someone be romantic…can line dancing?. I enjoyed the addition of Cuthbert and seeing Charlie’s softer side. I also really felt Emma’s struggle to leave a sick parent and trying to navigate guilt.

What I didn’t like…Charlie does throw Emma under the bus quite a few times, and says some pretty harsh stuff…not only to their manager but to his ex. I understand he’s trying to push her away and keep himself distance, but it felt like a bit much, especially as she continues to overhear all of it. There isn’t a real apology to me.

Otherwise, I found myself sucked into Emma and Charlie’s story, hoping for the best, especially as they both had hurdles to overcome.

The Rom-Commers is a delightful and engaging read that stays true to the author's signature writing style. The book showcases the attention to detail and research that goes into crafting a romantic comedy, something I surprisingly wasn't aware of. It offers readers a genuine and heartwarming experience. This book delivers on its promise of romance focusing on the anticipation and build-up of love💘. The positive and uplifting storyline, coupled with the lead-up to the much-anticipated big kiss, showcases Katherine Center's talent for capturing the essence of romance. Yes, you know how it will end, but who cares, it's a feel good story.

Would I recommend this book? Yes! If you are looking for a nice feel good book, this is the one this summer.💞 Plus, it's not necessary but characters from The Bodyguard show up in this novel and it is so much more fun when you've read about them before they show up (see my review from February 8th).

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of Katherine Center's book.

This one was so cuuuute! This is probably my favorite Katherine Center book read. It has her signature ridiculousness (that always somehow works) with deep emotion, grief, and humor.

Emma Wheeler is a failed screenwriter who has devoted herself to being her dad’s caretaker. That all changes when her friend and talent manager hooks her up with the job of a lifetime. She is going to work with THE Charlie Yates and help him rewrite his worse-than-terrible rom com script.

That will require her to show him that love does actually exist. She also has to move from Texas to LA, leaving her father behind. The whole situation is not as easy as it may first seem.

✅ forced proximity
✅ instalove
✅ line dancing
✅ ridiculous plot twists (it’s Katherine Center… iykyk)
✅ low spice levels make this PERFECT for all readers

Emma desperately longs to be a screenwriter. But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―Her personal writing god! But what is it, they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.”

Emma & Charlie are the most goofiest characters I've ever come across! They were silly, comic, and entertaining as individuals & as a whole. I'm generally not a fan of Hollywood romances, but damn this was special.

This story had so much depth to it. It was entertaining as hell on the outside, but the emotions ran so much deeper on the inside. Both Emma & Charlie's past stories were heartbreaking, which had an impact on them. The romance was so so good. There were a lot of push-n-pull situations, but hang in there cause even if one character was pushing the other away, you as a reader could tell that it was complete BS.

The end chapters broke my heart so much; it was a rollercoaster of a ride. Like any other Katherine Center novel, I loved every aspect of this book, too.

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

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
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Review: this was my first Katherine Center book and I will definitely be adding her other books to my list.

I absolutely loved the story from the beginning. The book begins with Emma, who has been at home taking care of her dad for ten years, receives a chance to write with legendary screenwriter Charlie. Except she’s tricked into it by her best friend and Charlie’s manager and after some miscommunication and fighting words- the two begin to work together.

I loved their chemistry. The banter was excellent. I loved their scenes together not just writing but living everyday life. And as I usually say, I need my rom coms to have some real life elements and we get that here. Good character development, real life problems, quirky characters and complicated feelings. I like how the authors explored complicated feelings between family members, and really helped the readers understand Emma. I did think Charlie was a tad too mean at times, but I understood why that was written in.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s funny, charming, and the perfect summer read. It comes out tomorrow! Be sure to get a copy!

Thanks to Netgalley and st martins for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! This book is another book who features Hollywood screenwriters for both leads. Emma is a struggling screenwriter who is forced to give up her dreams because of a family tragedy, and one day she got a chance to work with her ultimate screenwriting idol Charlie, who is not as friendly.
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I REALLY adore Emma. I am 100% convinced that Katherine writes this with Emma Stone in mind -- her deadpan and self deprecating humor just reminds me so much of her! She truly has a big heart and you can't help but to root for her. Charlie is also very surprising to me. I thought he will be an asshole for the majority of the book, but turns out no! He redeemed himself pretty quickly.
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The chemistry between Emma and Charlie is amazing. Looking at their domestic, slice of life is really cozy. The drama in this book comes mostly in the form of Emma's own sacrifices she gives to her family and how she deals with it as she find her own happiness in life. I would have loved to see more struggles on the screenwriting side as it's pictured to be all rosy and dandy for Emma.
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Charlie! If you like swoony MMC and lots of grand gestures, I think this book is for you. Charlie is truly very sweet and caring to Emma, with some of his actions bordering too saccharine to me. Unfortunately, I'm not really into this type of character/scenes, but I can still see how Charlie will steal a lot of reader's heart.
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My criticism of this book lies in how there's not much struggle for Emma (she's a screenwriter genius from the start through the end) and her character unfortunately evolved briefly (only briefly!) to a direction that I don't quite like in the 3rd act, Additionally, I can't help but to notice that certain plot devices, like eavesdropping. is repeated multiple times.
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Overall, this book is a very uplifting romance story with strong emphasis on hope and getting over grief. The yearning and pining between both leads are SO WELL DONE, I actually cried quite a bit (maybe 4-5x?). The ending is very neatly tied up and will leave you smiling widely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an early review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a hard one to rate, mostly because I’m still not 100% sure on how I feel about it. I have loved Katherine Center since I first discovered her on Book of the Month in 2018, with ‘How to Walk Away.’ Since then, I’ve been hooked and haven’t missed any of her new releases since then. I’m also probably in the minority with this opinion.

“It’s all about writing the very best story of your life. Not just how you live it - but how you choose to tell it.”

I was so excited to get this arc. I had received The Bodyguard in 2022 and Hello Stranger last year. I didn’t really like The Bodyguard, and I loved Hello Stranger. I was instantly drawn in by this cover (hello fellow redhead) and the title (who doesn’t love a good rom-com?) however, I was definitely disappointed with this one.

First off, these two main characters are AWFUL. I can’t think of a single redeeming quality for them. Yeah, they have SOME growth but not enough for me. Charlie is a grade A a-hole. I couldn’t stand him, even when he had his “nicer” moments. I can’t understand why Emma kept going back to him. Like girl, he treats you like trash 🗑️ all the time. Literally All. The. Time. And Emma was whiny to me. I loved how she sacrificed so much to be her dad’s caretaker, but she was just obnoxious. And the number of times she called her hair “the poof” had me wanting to bash my head against the wall.

“There it is. The whole trick to life. Be aggressively, loudly, unapologetically grateful.”

The reason I give this 3 stars is because I truly enjoyed the last 30% of the book. It got better, and the plot picked up and Emma finally stood up for herself. I was engrossed at that point and finished it, thinking it wasn’t as bad as it had been when it started. Also, nothing happens for a big part of the first half of the book besides Charlie being a jerk.

Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan. It was just okay to me; which is why the rating isn’t lower. It did have a lot of good quotes, which Katherine Center is a queen at, that I highlighted in my kindle!

I really enjoyed Emma and Charlie’s story! Emma is an aspiring romance screenwriter and Charlie is a well established screenwriter who had a failed attempt at writing a rom-com which is out of his wheelhouse. When Emma is given the opportunity to work with her idol Charlie Yates, she’s excited. Upon meeting Charlie, he’s not what she expected as he’s somewhat of a grump. Well, Emma and Charlie both have internal issues going on that neither know about one another. As they work together on the rom-com, it also helps them to work on themselves. While this one is a romantic comedy, it is also mixed with tragedy, loses, grief, and internal struggles. With Emma and Charlie working closely together, they are able to help one another with other things aside from screenwriting!

I found myself laughing out loud so many times with the interactions between Emma and Charlie. Just like the bright colorful cover of this one, the content is just as bright and is sure to leave a smile on your face. I do remember towards the end I had goosebumps listening to the HEA!

Charlie Yates is a famous and award winning screenwriter but he's finally met his match with his first romcom. His producer insists on a screenplay remake of a classic romantic film before he'll consider the movie Charlie really wants. Charlie's never written romance before and it's an emotion he doesn't believe in. Enter Emma, who gave up her writing career to care for her sick father, and is now being given her big chance to help rewrite Charlie's epically bad screenplay. Only Charlie doesn't want her help and isn't afraid to share his opinions on love, the romance genre, and Emma herself. Can she show him that love is real without falling herself?
This story had me on a roller coaster of emotions from laughter, happiness, frustration, heartbreak, and lots of romance. It's a slow burn clean romance with lots of fun flirty banter and the characters seem so realistic. This author has definitely become a must read for me!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first romance by Katherine Center and it was so good! The angst and tension was great in this book. I can’t wait to read more books by this author! 🫶

What I've always enjoyed about Katherine Center as an author is that she writes lovely, low-angst, Happily Ever After stories that leave me with a smile on my face. The premise of this is fun: a peek behind the curtains of writing a screenplay for a rom-com. Emma (a floundering screenwriter) is a major fangirl of successful screenwriters Charlie Yates. So when she gets the opportunity to work on a project with him, she overcomes multiple obstacles to make it happen. After a rocky start, the two begin working together and... attempt to maintain a strictly professional relationship.

In these pages you'll find banter, self-discovery, and crazy situations perfect for a budding romance. But you'll also find severe miscommunication (or lack of communication) between Emma and Charlie and between Emma and her family. I unfortunately also found the ending to be completely overly dramatic and frustrating. I still am a huge Katherine Center fan and love the heart behind her stories, but this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center kept me intrigued from start to finish. I was fully invested in the story of Emma, an inexperienced screenwriter that is offered an amazing opportunity to go to Los Angeles for six weeks to re-write a script for another screenwriter who is pretty much her idol. Emma is also the caregiver for her disabled father, but is able to work it out with her younger sister to take over, which is a major deal in itself. Once in Los Angeles, things start off about as bad as can be when she finds out that the screenwriter, Charlie, had no idea she was coming and it was expected that she would be staying at his mansion. The other kicker is that he hates rom-coms, her specialty and the genre of the screenplay they are to work on together. Emma has some major spunk and decides to stick with the situation and make the best of it. This book has a lot of feels to it, mostly the cute rom-com sort, but there are also some touching moments, as well as a lot of funny banter between the two of them.

The Rom-Commers is a well-done, and interesting genre bender. You have a complicated family backstory, a medical disease or ailment you might not have previously known about, and a woman who is learning to overcome those obstacles despite her hardships. You also have wonderful banter, funny side characters, and an excellent slow burn romance. The key to this book is Emma and Charlie's relationship, and how it shifts from a writing partnership, to friends, and the romantic build. I also very much enjoyed how parent/child, and sibling relationships are explored. There is a lot of hurt in both the main characters backstory, and author Katherine Center does a wonderful job of showing how they together and apart heal those wounds.

“Whatever story you tell yourself about your life, that’s the one that’ll be true.”

The Rom-Commers is the latest Katherine Center romance novel. There are some familiar themes and plot points, including a chronic injury impacting mobility, Texas, and a female MC who has put her own dreams on hold, possibly permanently. Oh, and a move halfway across the country. We have the old standbys but the thing about Center is she does create characters with wildly different professions. Some of my favorite of her novels featured a firefighter and a teacher. In this book, we’ve got a screenwriter specializing in rom-coms. This is one of the random niche tropes I adore—rom com writers writing together. Katherine Center does not disappoint.

“I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we’re longing for—adventure, excitement, emotion, connection—we turn to stories that help us find it. Whatever questions we’re struggling with—sometimes ones so deep, we don’t even really know we’re asking them—we look for answers in stories.”

Emma Wheeler experienced deep, deep trauma as a teenager, losing a parent and becoming a caregiver for a badly injured other parent. Plus surrogate mom to her younger sister. She’s spent ten years in a standstill, putting her father’s care over a once-promising future as a screenwriter. Then her ex boyfriend, now a Hollywood agent, gets her a gig ghost rewriting her fave screenwriter’s disaster of a rom-com script. Turns out Charlie Yates has the yips and zero intention of this script ever seeing daylight. But Emma has left home for the first time for her own self, and she will not be doing anything to the standard of just good enough.

“Had I decided in some place deep below my consciousness that the best way to avoid disaster was to just never do anything?”

It wouldn’t be a rom-com if Emma and Charlie didn’t hit it off. It wouldn’t be a romance novel if both characters didn’t contrive reasons they couldn’t be together, though the reasons in this book are fairly decent compared to some books I’ve read. We all know what to expect by the end, but these characters earn it.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Katherine Center has become one of my top 5 favorite Rom Com authors. This book checked off all my requirements for a great romantic comedy.

I will admit there were a few things that did annoy me but not enough to knock off any stars. To start, the repetition of last names got on my nerves (Charlie Yates, Charlie Yates, Charlie Yates….Jack Stapleton, Jack Stapleton. Jack Stapleton)….we could pick up on Emma’s infatuation within the first few chapters, the last names did NOT need to be stressed throughout the whole entire book. Another thing that I didn’t love was Emma’s character. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate her. She was just okay. She had some good qualities and I did love the idea of her and Charlie together, but I didn’t like her attitude at times…especially towards her sister at the end. In my opinion, the way she treated her sister after something awful that happened, could have been left out. It just made Emma’s character seem worse to me.

To wrap it up, even though this isn’t my favorite 5 star Katherine Center book, I still definitely recommend picking up a copy with the pub date right around the corner. (6/11/24)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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