The Rom-Commers is coming from Katherine Center, an author who has captured the hearts of many with her writing style and ability to write romance that leaves you giggling and swooning all in one breath.

While I absolutely love her writing style, I did find this book a little difficult to connect with when it came to Emma and Charlie. The plot itself has all of the makings for a great rom com, and it did indeed achieve its job. However, I think it would have hit home a little more for me if Charlie's character had been more developed. He came off as rude, maybe even standoffish, and it was hard to see where Emma started to fall for him. It didn't seem he developed enough for Emma to see him in the light she did, but also, I can admit maybe that was just my expectation.

Despite this hiccup, it was still a lovely read. The writing is lovely and this author seems to always have a way with words that has you swooning even if you don't want to.

Katherine Center is absolutely an autoread author for me, and I adored her newest book The Rom-Commers. I’m so, so grateful to @stmartinspress for an advanced copy and to @macmillanaudio for an ALC. The Rom-Commers comes out June 11, so there’s time to preorder. I can’t wait to pick up my copy at my first in-person @katherinecenter event (insert many squeals!).

The Rom-Commers stars writer Emma Wheeler who has put her dreams of being a screenwriter on hold to care for her father who needs round-the-clock care in Texas. When her manager calls with an offer she can’t refuse—help screenwriting legend Charlie Yates rewrite his terrible romcom in California—she almost refuses until her younger sister cancels an internship to stay with their dad. But when Emma gets to California, Charlie Yates is not the delight she’d hoped, and he has no interest in writing with a “failed nobody screenwriter.” Can Emma change his mind? I don’t think I’m breaking any of Katherine Center’s rules if I say probably, but you should read to find out.

I loved this book. It was joyful and funny and sad and had me on the edge of my seat with nerves more times than I typically like. But when it’s a Katherine Center book, I trust her not to break my heart in any way she can’t fix. I wish I knew more how to bring this level of positivity in my life despite things not going my way, but I’m not always great at it. Reading her books, however, is one tactic I’ve got.

A couple reviews of this one I’ve seen thought Charlie was too mean. And, okay, I guess he was a little acerbic—maybe even mean—at times, but that made it all the better when we saw his sweetness come out in little ways. If you’re looking for a perfect love interest from the get go, maybe Charlie isn’t your next book boyfriend, but he’s absolutely one of mine.

Katherine Center has a wonderful way of crafting a rom-com that has just enough whimsy to not be plausible but just enough reality that you can think “what if it was”. I found her latest installation to be almost as enjoyable as her previous novels but felt the MMC felt a little flat. He lacked many of the endearing qualities of Center’s other MMCs but by the end I still found myself rooting for him and the couple’s happy ending. I would still recommend this as a lovely, quick summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center.

I’ve read Katherine Center before and enjoyed her writing, but not like this. I really connected with this one. The characters were sweet and funny and relatable. Their motivations made sense. There’s no contrived tension that reads like a Three’s Company plot.

This book is funny and touching and clever. I’m rounding up from 4 1/2 stars.

This was only my second book by Katherine Center, but she is officially an auto-read author for me! This book was wonderful and gave me ALL THE FEELS! It is absolutely adorable and perfect in every way! I like that the characters in her books are not perfect, they have flaws and have been through things. I love the banter and the chemistry! I think of her books as "comfort reads", like comfort food, but in book form!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this fantastic story that comes out on June 11!

I discovered Katherine Center's books a few months ago and I've really enjoyed many of her books since then. This book was no exception.

Charlie is a very successful screenwriter, but he has many quirks. And he's been commissioned to write a rom-com. But he's done a miserable job with it. Maybe because he doesn't believe in love. And he certainly doesn't believe in happy endings. Emma, an aspiring screen writer, has been hired by Charlie's agent to help him re-write the screen play. Even thought she's had a rough 10 years, she still believes in love, in romance, and happily ever after. And she's willing to pull Charlie along to understand what makes a great rom-com.

Anyone who has ever read a rom-com knows how it's going to end. But Katherine Center does such a good job at bringing us there. Chuckles, outright laughter, tears, and a great storyline. There are some very heavy moments in this book, but there is fun and sexual tension. I'd absolutely recommend this book.

This was just ok for me -- It was so heavy handed in the romance cliches that it felt inauthentic to me. It's like one person said what if I do absolutely everything that romance lovers want but in one book and this was the result. It ended up just not giving me the feels that I anted. I will say however, that if you love Emily Henry, this one is for you! Also this cover is a bit of an abomination!

The Rom-Commers comes out next week on June 11, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

But that's not to say I'd never been in love. I was not stingy with my crushes. I had a thing for the guy at the meat counter at the grocery store, and the ER doc who'd stitched my dad up after his last fall, and a cute young maintenance guy who worked at our building.
I fell in love all the time. Just. nobody fell in love with me back.
Fiction really kind of was all I had in the romance department.
But that wasn't a weakness. That was a strength.
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.
Love stories had lifted me up, delighted me, and educated me on the power of human kindness for years.

The Rom-Commers -This was an easy 5 star book and one of my favorites by Katherine Center.

The unique storyline of Emma getting hired to help Charlie write his rom-com screenplay was fun and created a fun and humorous storyline. Add in Charlies medical issues, that showed his sensitive & human side instead
of just being someone famous.
I just loved Emma & Charlie and even their long road to be together and their many tropes through the book. I laughed, cried, and wanted to smack both main characters during their stuborn times.

Highly recommend!
Thanks to the publisher & author for my arc.

This story is about Emma, an aspiring screenwriter, who gets the opportunity to collaborate with one of her favorite screenwriters, Charlie, on his first rom-com script…which is terrible. Charlie is grumpy and immediately refuses Emma’s help when she surprisingly shows up at his doorstep (a surprise to both of them.) eventually Charlie agrees to let Emma help him and the two live together while they work on the script. They both bring their own traumas to this new “relationship” which creates tension throughout the story.

I know I’m going to be in the minority here but I did not love this book. It was quick but tried to cover some deep topics like death of a parent, caregiving, and cancer but didn’t have enough time to actually develop much of them. Emma and Charlie both have their problems and nothing that happened between them seemed even remotely convincing that they actually might like each other are thus will predictably have “a happy ending.” Granted I read this quickly in order to get through this ARC before it comes out but nothing grabbed me or emotionally tied me to the story. It was like enemies to lovers but the enemies never actually connect in a meaningful way to turn into lovers? I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️

Many people disagree with me so read it for yourself and decide!

I am a huge fan of rom-coms. I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers. I’m a fan of books written by Katherine Center. This book was not what I expected. I could not find a reason to love this book. The blurb had me excited to read it, getting an early copy made me so happy. The main character is not likable. She’s supposed to be funny snarky yet she’s kinda mean. The recluse action writer who kinda insta likes her is even harder to believe. She doom scrolls the internet because she takes care of her dad but can’t figure out why her heart is beating so fast and then asks this stranger to put his hand on her heart, day one, to see if her heart is beating normally?!?
She comes across as a predator in some instances. If a man did that to a woman, it’d be considered harassment, that’s exactly what she did to him. And then have the nerve to try to make him feel bad about it?! the absolute nerve.
THEN she says all that nasty stuff to her sister, accuses her of being selfish, without knowing all the facts, then says if she loses her dad because of her negligence, she will never see her sister again. When the sister counters with her own response, she has the audacity to think her sister is being mean? She never did apologize for that. That apology was only one sided. The absolute audacity.
This book made me angry. What the heck. She didn’t deserve a happy ending. She feels like she was owed something because she took care of her dad. Why? I can’t.
That’s just some of the things I felt are me not like her. This was not for me.
Someone please tell me how else to feel about this book. Did I miss something?

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

Really liked this book. Loved the cameos from some characters in her previous stories. Definitely cried while reading this one. I enjoyed the characters.

Just wow. Katherine Center outdid herself with this one!
Emma Wheeler is a writer, who loves rom-coms, that put her life and career on hold after her dad had an accident and needed round the clock care. Ten years in, it's supposed to be her little sister's turn to step up, but until Emma gets the opportunity of a lifetime, re-writing a screenplay with THE Charlie Yates, she doesn't even consider making her sister follow through. After making the decision to go for it and flying to LA, Emma finds out, while standing on Charlie's doorstep, that one, he didn't know she was coming, and two, he has not agreed to hire her.

Charlie Yates is the "it" guy when it comes to screenplays in Hollywood. He's won all of the awards, has had all of the opportunities, and he knows everyone. He is mean, doesn't mince his words, and is unapologetically himself. Emma has read everything he's ever written, and is one of his biggest fans. But after the debacle with him not having actually hired her, and then her overhearing him in the bathroom making fun of everything she's dedicated her life's work to, she sets out to change his mind. She is going to make him believe in love, and teach him the art of writing romance.

Emma and Charlie quickly learn that they both love writing, they work well together, and they actually get along away from the writing table, too. One part of Emma's plan is to make Charlie actually experience the things he writes about in the screenplay. She tries to help him overcome his fear of water and they learn to line dance, but then he draws the line at practicing kissing. It's not until that moment that she realizes how far deep she's gotten herself.

They both have past traumas they need to work through, and they both run before they can get hurt because of them. The question is whether they can actually get over those issues and find the "happily ever after" they both deserve.

This book is funny and heartwrenching at the same time. It gives you the butterflies, and breaks your heart little by little. It's taken over the top spot as my favorite Katherine Center book, and I highly recommend everyone reads it!

Love this book! Emma and Charlie’s story read just like a rom-com which it is! I hope there will be more from this author! Great book to take to the beach!

Katherine Center does the best job of writing a romance novel with deep, realistic themes while making it feel like a sweet, light-hearted experience! She has done it again in “The Rom-Commer’s.” Emma, a ghost screenwriter, is given the job to work with Charlie, a very famous screenwriter, on a Rom-Com script. The only thing is, he doesn’t believe in love. It was so fun getting to see these two write together and fall in love.

For those who love:
🩵 Workplace Romance
🩵 Roommates
🩵 Screenwriter + Screenwriter
🩵 Cinematic
🩵 Anxiety Rep
🩵 Caretaking Rep
🩵 Guinea Pigs

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When I first received this I was SO excited as I love Katherine’s writing style. This book follows Emma a writer as she navigates her life after her mothers death and her fathers tragic accident which left him needing around the clock care. For ten years she has put her life on hold to take care of her father when she gets an opportunity of a lifetime to move to LA for 6 weeks to help famous Hollywood screenwriters Charlie Yates fix his rom com script. Emma arrives with the goal of helping Charlie go from a cynic and pessimist to someone who knows what goes into a rom com and appreciates life a little more. This book sucked me in and was such a roll caster of emotions. Although sometimes i wanted to shake both Charlie AND Emma and knock some sense into them both. This was beautiful, witty, hilarious and I loved every second of it.

You can always rely on Katherine Center to deliver low-angst, high-enjoyment romances. This is another story that balances heart (previous death of a parent, chronic illness) and humor (a screenwriter who writes a terrible screenplay) well.

The banter, cheese, and romance is going to appeal to romance readers, and while there were a few things that didn't sit quite right with me when it came to the conflicts, I still enjoy this author's fierce defense of love stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: some strong language, kisses

I’m dying… this book is just beyond words. Katherine Center could transcribe the dictionary and I’d still gobble up every word she wrote. Thankfully The Rom-Commers makes for infinitely better reading than the dictionary. What do you get when you put two screenwriters - one aspiring with no recognition to her name and the other the most accomplished of his time - together to rewrite his abysmal screenplay for a romantic comedy? Fireworks of multiple types. Emma Wheeler has been caring for her father and sister for the last 10 years since her mother’s death and father’s near-fatal accident, so when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes up to be the ghost(re)writer for Charlie Yates’ truly terrible (must find a better word for terrible) romantic comedy. Charlie is infamous in Hollywood for his blockbuster movies, but his script for the romantic comedy he was forced to write reflects his belief that love isn’t real. There is zero chemistry. No happily ever after. After their explosive first meeting, Charlie reluctantly agrees to let Emma fix this with him. As their truce turns into friendship, the pair can’t deny their chemistry. But there are things about Charlie that Emma doesn’t know and he pushes her away, just when she’s finally brave enough to try reclaiming the life she put on hold for so long. Filled with rich characters, yearning and humor and so much tenderness, The Rom-Commers made me laugh on one page and cry the next but every word of it was worth it.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! I devoured this book in a few hours, I was immediately invested in both the characters and the plot. This is a perfect beach read, with a good mix of lightheartedness and broaching some more difficult topics like divorce, family issues, and trauma. Emma is a main character who you immediately want the best for. Charlie is a bit of a grump who grows on you pretty quickly. Reading a rom-com about writing a rom-com is even more fun as you get to see all of the little aspects that help you fall in love with the story. Highly recommend this book for the summer!!

This is my first read by Katherine Center and I enjoyed my time reading it but I am giving it 3 stars. There were some heavier topics in this book as well as just the romance. I liked that were was some good banter in this book but the main characters were not my favorite. Even though this book wasn’t my favorite read, I am going to try another Center book in the near future!

This book is available to read next week (June 11, 2024)!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

(Copied this review straight from my Goodreads)

Five LOL and feel good stars to Katherine Center’s latest novel. I don’t know how Center does it! Her latest book becomes my newest favorite of hers. I just ordered two older books. Now for her latest: The Rom-Commers. The Rom-Commers positions itself with the full blown definition of a romcom where two characters, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately realize their love for one another and reunite.
Emma’s character is well developed and seasoned. (She gets from her dad who is self motivated in finding the positive each day). I praise Emmas strength, loyalty, and commitment to her father, whom needs full time care, and devotion to her younger sister. Emma puts her needs and wants on the back burner. Until a can’t turn down opportunity is offered. (…because she did turn down the other life time opportunity).
She flies to LA for six weeks to ghost write a rom-com with a man who has won academes for his writing but doesn’t know the first thing about romance or romance and comedy. She’s there to help him rewrite his lover story.
I enjoyed Center narration and telling her reader to brace themselves with what she’s about to say. A perfect beach read as you will find yourself smiling and laughing at the bantering between two mix matched screenwriters trying to fix a “terrible” script. I devoured this book in 2 days. Thank you very much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for ARC read in exchange for my review.