Katherine Center is always top of my list for feel good books and this was no different! Loved the unique plot type and how it was still able to keep me guessing!

The rom-commers
By Katherine Center

Emma Wheeler is a failed screenwriter who is asked by her ex to ghostwrite a romcom with her absolute favourite writer ever, Charlie Yates. She reads the manuscript and it is so incredibly horrifying that she agrees even though it will mean leaving her father in the care of her younger sister and flying across the country to L.A., where Charlie lives. Things get even more complicated when Emma arrives at Charlie’s mansion only to find out that he had no idea a ghostwriter had been hired to work with him on this project.

This book was absolutely delightful. I loved the anxiety rep and the chronic health issues faced by the characters. So many of Emma’s thoughts completely echoed what my own would have been. They made her worries feel so real to me. Emma is a sweet sensitive snowflake child and Charlie is the doofus who brings her down all the time but she just can’t seem to let him go or down. Katherine Center always does a magical job of showing you her characters tumbling into love and these two are absolutely no exception.

There are so many fantastic moments in this one too. So many times that I teared up reading. Some absolutely crushing quotes about how tragedy is a guarantee in this life. How what’s important is what we do with the time we are each given. I always find that as I close any book by Katherine Center, I’m forced to look at life just a little bit differently. Appreciate the small moments of joy that surround the tragedies we face together. Her books always seem to change my perspective and open me up to new ways of thinking about life and love and loss.

Pick this one up if you love rom-coms, closed door romances, stories about writing and the human condition.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a cute rom-com. I have to admit I liked Emma defining what makes a rom-com as it’s not something that I’ve been able to articulate. I did have moments with both of our main characters where I was a little disgusted by their choices/responses but overall I did like them both and thought their romance worked. I liked the barrier that almost broke them apart (even if it was pretty predictable). But predictable in a rom-com works for me. I will say I had a hard time with Emma staying despite all of the horrible things said about her and I don’t love that savior/martyr complex she seemed to have going on. I loved her father and sister but didn’t like most of the other side characters much. Emma is a screenwriter but due to circumstances she couldn't control she mostly is a teacher and caretaker for her father. Her ex-boyfriend and agent calls and tells her that her writing hero Charlie Yates needs someone to help him re-write a horrible romantic comedy screenplay and after much hesitation she heads to LA. Of course nothing goes as planned (what kind of rom-com has things going according to plan?) and some sparks and conflict fly between our main characters. I listened to the first quarter of this on audiobook and liked the narrator a lot. She really brought Emma to life. Of course with impatience (and a long flight) I switched to kindle and devoured the rest. Overall I gave it 4.5 stars rounded up because I just enjoyed it.

The Rom-Commers rom-commed in the best rom-commy way.

No notes!

The Rom-Commers
By Katherine Center
5⭐️

Katherine center did it again. I DEVOURED this audiobook. Every time I had a spare second, I turned it on.

I loved the characters, I loved their story. Katherine Center always gives her characters some adversity they are managing through while falling in love. Both of these characters have dealt with some heavy stuff, but are able to work through it.

I could be one of those cool people that times their review with pub day, but I wanted to talk about this one as soon as I finished. It comes out next week, so you don’t have long to wait. The audio narration was well done, and Katherine reads her own authors note to you at the end, which I loved.

They need to make this one into a movie. 🤞🏻 I’m manifesting it. I want to watch these two fall in love.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the ALC and @netgalley . And thank you to @katherinecenter for this delightful journey.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this ARC!


I loved the format, style and tone of The Rom-Commers so much! Lots of banter, laughter and even some tears! This one had me all in the feels! There were a few times when I felt like the two leads ( Emma and Charlie) were a tad immature, but we all have character flaws and it did help develop the characters. The story was really cute and grabbed me from the beginning. I felt all the emotions as reading The Rom- Commers and really enjoyed this read!! 4.5⭐️

I completely fell in love with everyone in this story! Well maybe not everyone. I didn’t really like T.J but apparently I wasn’t the only one.
Emma story was beautiful everything that she went through in her life tugged at my heart. Charlie’s story wasn’t any different. This book was so beautifully written.
Two writers come together to write a rom com. One is very hopeful and believes in all things romance and the other is cynical that doesn’t believe love exists. How will the rom com be written you ask? Well you’re going to have to read the book to find out!

Overall, I found most of this book to be funny. I got a little tired of "Charlie yates" being used over and over again, along with how he treated her. She martyred herself a lot and honestly? I got a little bored with the 4th wall breaks to talk to the reader. I also wasn't a fan of the third act break up. This is actually a 3.5 ☆ read, but rounding to 4.

Overall this was an incredibly sweet story & I related to a lot of different aspects of the characters!! I really wanted to absolutely love this book, 5 stars, no notes but something about the writing confused me?? This is my first Katharine Center book and also an ARC so maybe (hopefully) it is a me issue but for such a great plot/amazing, relatable characters, the writing took away from it overall!!

Still enjoyed and would for sure recommend!!!

This book feels like the warmest, tightest hug. Katherine Center will have you laughing, squealing, and smiling while kicking your feet. Oh, and you may shed a tear or two. 

I want to yell off the rooftops about this book. I love it that much! EVERYONE PLEASE READ IT. Not only is this the perfect summer read, but it’s also one of my favorite books of 2024.

Picture this, the opportunity of a lifetime falls into Emma’s lap. Her scriptwriting hero needs a ghostwriter to help re-write his rom-com script. Not only does she get to work with her hero, BUT she gets to write a rom-com–her favorite movie genre. Her dream is soon shattered when she discovers Charlie doesn’t believe in love. How can they write a rom-com if he doesn’t believe in love? Emma takes it upon herself to change Charlie’s mind. Did I mention they are also living together while working on the script? You can expect many shenanigans and hilarious banter between these two. The chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS. I need this to be made into a movie as soon as possible.

Center knocked it out of the park with this book. This is my favorite of all her books. Emma is a lovable, kind, empathetic main character with a wonderful sense of humor. You will instantly love her. Emma is the romance genre personified. And Charlie, my sweet Charlie. I fell for him along with Emma. It was such a sweet experience watching Emma break through his walls. These two are made for each other. 

If you’re looking for a rom-com that you won’t want to put down, The Rom-Commers is the book for you.

A romcom about writing a romcom?!? I'm obsessed. Katherine Center is 100% an auto buy author for me but I simply couldn't wait for this one so I had to request some kind of advanced copy and I was lucky enough to receive both a digital ARC & ALC so I could listen and highlight a copy at the same time which is fast becoming my favorite way to read! (I of course also bought myself a physical copy for my bookshelves because I loved it, it's gorgeous and like I said she's an auto buy author so I'd already had it in my cart as soon as it was available for preorder😋)

ANYWHOOO, back to reviewing: it's an amazing, funny, heartfelt, touching, beautiful, emotional, perfect book! I laughed and cried, smiled and frowned and was frustrated at certain points: it really made me feel all the feels and I love that. I could vividly imagine each scene and character, the descriptions are topnotch and the characters are fully realized. I would just keep reading and listening to Emma & Charlie's story forever of I could. Patti Murin is a lively and engaging narrator, making the audio so easy to listen to and just a lovely experience. The story really flows so well and there's never an awkward/unintentional pause or break; the pacing is perfect and I definitely recommend this one to any audiobook lovers. Same goes for the physical book -- the writing is phenomenal and you'll feel pulled into the pages right away.

I love how the relationship between Emma and Charlie builds throughout the novel. They start off as a woman who's been taking care of her father for 10 years and put her dreams on hold because of that and her idol who is a famous screenwriter -- basically THE famous screenwriter that everyone would know -- and slowly move from reluctant partners, to friends, to more. Their banter is so fun and the way they complement each other and balance each other gives me butterflies. Everything about Emma is so big -- her personality, her dreams, even her hair and you she really pulls Charlie back into the world of the living and gets under his skin in the best way. She's funny and so real compared to his more subdued, disinterested vibes. And I like that while they're portrayed this way, Emma is really the one who's been living in a smaller world, not daring to leave her father alone even to go after her own dreams/desires, while Charlie is this larger than life, successful, rich, famous screenwriter who acts more like a cynical hermit that doesn't believe in love. This is a love story to moving on after grief and trauma -- for both of them. There's so much more I could say but I don't want to give anything away. I think any romance lover will adore this book and I highly recommend it to every single person who sees this review and is considering it -- you won't be disappointed.

*forced proximity
*screenwriter romance
*idol to enemy to lover
*slow burn
*JACK STAPLETON CAMEOS

CW: death of a parent, divorce, chronic illness.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC which I voluntarily read and reviewed via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Rom-Commers will be available June 11th so keep an eye out at your favorite bookstores or pre-order or request from your library, whatever's your preferred way to get books! You won't want to miss this one. (:

3 Stars I went into The Rom-Commers really excited as it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Sadly, the majority of this book aggravated me, but it was partially saved by a good HEA and a sweet message.

Emma Wheeler has long dreamt of becoming a screenwriter and has spent her life studying and obsessing over romantic comedies. So when a chance to rewrite her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yate's attempt at his first rom-com, she jumps on a plane to LA, leaving her sister to care for their kind-hearted dad. Except when she arrives in LA, Emma's surprised to learn that Charlie had no idea she was coming or that she'd be rewriting his truly horrible screenplay. And Charlie Yates absolutely refuses to work with her. But Emma isn't going down without a fight for this opportunity--to both rewrite the script and to convince bitter Charlie that love stories matter.

I loved the idea of this plot and it should've made for a truly great romantic comedy, but it wasn't very romantic or funny. And that's due to the two MCs, Emma and Charlie. Emma leans too much into being a martyr for being her father's caretaker for the last ten years and blaming herself for her mother's death and her father's accident. Though she passes caretaking duties off to her sister, Emma is pretty mean to her sister at a few points. Charlie, too, is mean and for most of the book is an asshole to Emma. I get why he thought he had to push her away, but even before he "fell" for Emma, he said some truly awful things about her behind her back, which Emma overheard. As I said before, this book is partially saved by the HEA. I almost gave up on this one, but I'm glad I stuck around for the ending, which was really sweet. And finally, I appreciated the message of the story that tragedy happens but your life is the story you tell about it and that happiness is always better with a touch of sadness to make you appreciate it.

Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fluffy and fun beach read. I loved the meta aspect of a romcom about romcom writers. Emma and Charlie were a perfect sunshine/grump combo. I loved the little details, like the guinea pigs. The story was quick, charming, and fun. There was parental death/injury and cancer in this one, all of which tend to be triggering for me, but everything was dealt with in a respectful way and nothing was too traumatic. The book was sunny and positive overall. I loved the inclusion of characters from The Bodyguard, which I read and enjoyed two summers ago.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm definitely in the minority but this story of Emma being obsessed with famous Charlie Yates and getting a job with him on a screenplay just didn't work for me. This didn't feel like an actual romcom, which might be my own faulty assumptions at play, but the title kind of points you in a direction that I don't think it goes. Charlie is honestly awful, and finding out why didn't matter to me, and partly because of that, I wasn't feeling any chemistry between Charlie and Emma. It gave more of a feeling of another thing she can be a martyr about along with taking care of her dad. The premise sounded good, but the execution fell flat for me.

As a big Katherine Center fan, this one did not disappoint. I loved the characters, their banter, their relationship, the tension. I listened and read this and both were amazing and I was always disappointed to have to stop... and even more disappointed when I finished it in 3 days. I was so invested in these characters and their lives. I felt actual emotions as if they were people that I really knew. I love that despite the ups and downs throughout the book, they always feel positive. Center has a way with words that makes you see the good in life and people - even when things don't seem so great. And this book was not exception to that. A must read for anyone who loves rom-coms!
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Katherine Center's books always hit the right spot! Another win for her! I really enjoyed this romance. She writes the best banter and has the best storylines.

This is the story of Emma, a screenwriter hoping to make her big break but has been living the last 10 years choosing herself last. She lives in Texas, taking care of her father, who was injured in a rock climbing accident. She has also been filling in as mom for her younger sister after her mom passed away in the same rock climbing accident. When the offer comes to help her FAVORITE screenwriter ever to fix his rom-com, Emma has to make the hard decision to put herself first for once. However, once she gets there, Charlie Yates, the famous screenwriter, doesn't know she was hired to work on his script.

I thought Emma was so relatable and endearing. Charlie definitely have the grump angle going and they worked so well together. I had one minor issue with how Emma kept overhearing conversations but other than that, I really enjoyed this one. I did predict the third-act breakup reason but that's one perk to romances is that they are usually predictable. I also enjoyed all the fun scenes included, like the line-dancing and this made me miss the high-dive board that was at my pool growing up!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. 4.5 rounded up! THis is a perfect summer read!

Thank you for the opportunity to review - this was really fun and I enjoyed the characters even though I figured I knew where it was going - but the tact with which the ending was handled really won me over!

The Rom-Commers is an ode to love and love stories. Center’s adoration and passion for this genre is abundantly clear. I laughed. I teared up. I fell in love…with romance. 🫶🏻

I felt it all in this emotional, hope-filled story. I binged this in a day and went to sleep with all the warm fuzzy feelings of a great book.

I have been dabbling in the romance genre over the last year. Thanks to The Rom-Commers, I’m now all-in! Give me all the swoony romance recs for this summer. 💞

This was such an adorable book! I loved watching (well reading) Emma & Charlie fall in love. And I couldn’t keep myself from crying when Emma & her sister had their big fight.

This is the perfect book, especially if you’re a fan of her other book The Bodyguard (iykyk).

Emma Wheeler, an aspiring screenwriter, gets a chance to rewrite a script for her idol, Charlie Yates, while her sister takes over caring for their dad. Despite Charlie's disdain for her and romantic comedies, Emma is determined to prove their value, leading to an unexpected romance that changes everything.

Katherine Center is an auto-read author for me! However, I had mixed feelings about *The Rom-Commers*. The plot was sweet and had so much potential, but I wasn’t a big fan of Charlie. I empathized with Emma regarding her past and finally being able to pursue her dreams. It didn’t surprise me that she had more of a doormat personality since she had to start taking care of her dad and raising her younger sister at a young age. I liked seeing Emma’s growth throughout the story. Charlie, on the other hand, has to be one of the worst male main characters. He’s a textbook red flag. I hate that whatever he tells Emma is the opposite of what he means. There’s also a major twist at the end that I thought was incredibly messed up. Charlie continues to treat Emma poorly while secretly having a crush on her, but his words are what hurt the most. I couldn’t imagine them being together long after the epilogue due to the initial relationship they have. One part of the book I did enjoy was the cameo appearances of Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard. Overall, The Rom-Commers had its moments, but it didn’t fully deliver for me.

I am so torn on this one! I'm a big fan of some other works by Center and was looking forward to reading this! I found the overall premise of two writers falling in love amidst their work enticing. But the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. The lack of chemistry between the two main characters, Emma and Charlie, coupled with some cringe-worthy behaviors had me rolling my eyes. HOWEVER. For fellow fans of the 'regular degular girl gets the attention of hot and famous guy' trope then this is for you.