My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Rom-Com
Spice Level: Low (surprisingly—there's more on this in the upcoming comments)
Language: Peppering of swearing
Representation: Gay side character

This is the first book I've read by Katherine Center, which means I didn't know what to expect.

The Rom-Commers is genuinely funny. There were moments when I smiled and laughed. This is so much harder to achieve than to make me cry! So kudos to the author for creating fun and funny scenarios.

I don't think this is really a spoiler—I'm going to mention the content of a couple of jokes. So if you DON'T want a preview, here's your change to skip. ***SLIGHT SPOILER*** Here's my thoughts on the spice level: because of the orgasm jokes, I was expecting sex on the page. There is no spice on the page. Surprise! I actually prefer a sweet read, and this one isn't quite what I'd call sweet because of the swearing, but it's pretty darn close.
*THAT'S THE END OF THE SLIGHT SPOILER.*

What I liked:
- His grumpiness
- Her optimism
- The Bronco
- The winding road
- The writing trope of overcoming writer's block—the yips
- The PET!!! So funny and unexpected
- Overcoming personal obstacles
- The resolution was so satisfying because of the characters' growth

I think most most contemporary romance readers are going to enjoy this one. Give it a try, and tell me what you think!

This is going on my recommended list for romances.

Happy reading!

PS—I'm not a fan of the cover. IF it turns you off too, give the book a chance!!! I think you'll be glad you did.

A struggling screenwriter heads to LA for her one shot of writing a rom-com with her hero.

Emma Wheeler is obsessed with rom-coms. She’s spent a lifetime watching, studying, and writing them. But she’s yet to hit it big. As the sole caretaker for her father, there’s no time to cultivate a life of her own. When her now-successful-agent ex, offers her the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to work with her screenwriting hero, Charlie Yates—it’s too good a break to pass up.

Emma’s sister steps up to care for her dad, while Emma heads to LA for six weeks, to help Charlie re-write a script. Nothing is as it seems, however, when she arrives. Charlie wants nothing to do with her and the opportunity seems to vanish in a blink. Before she leaves, she gives Charlie (who doesn’t believe in love!) a piece of her mind. And that does the trick…

Before too long, Emma is sitting across from Charlie Yates, writing a rom-com! Day after day, as they re-write Charlie’s script and unexpected sparks fly, they seem to be writing a romantic comedy of their own. After all, Emma needs to show Charlie that what love is really about… even as the line between fiction and reality blurs.

I absolutely loved this book! Center brings to life the enemies-to-lovers trope with a charming story of second chances, overcoming trauma, and finding love where/when you least expect. The narrative touts the perfect balance of humor and heart, enlivened by characters of which it’s a joy to root for.

Like always, this latest from Katherine Center is a wonderful, heart-filling delight to read!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is exactly as it sounds…the perfect rom-com!

Katherine Center has become an auto-buy author for me so when St Martin’s Press sent me an ARC, I got excited!

What I love most about Katherine Center’s novels is that they are like a big hug. She writes with witty banter and characters that have depth. The stories are always closed door but she writes with such vivid detail and emotion that you don’t even realize it.

The Rom-Commers is a story about Charlie Yates and Emma Wheeler. Charlie is a famous screenplay writer. Emma has been busy caring for her father but a friend gives her a chance to help Charlie re-write a romantic comedy he has written (that has room for improvement). When Emma gets to Charlie’s house though, she finds out he knows nothing about her coming to help him re-write the script. Now, Emma finds herself away from her sick father to help Charlie when he doesn’t even want her there.

As the novel progresses, the reader learns about Charlie and Emma’s past. Their funny banter and interactions with one another make the story witty but also heartwarming. The last 25% of this book made it a five-star read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Take one struggling romantic comedy screenwriter (Emma Wheeler) and pair her with the screenwriter of her dreams (Charlie Yates) for a once in a lifetime opportunity and you get a quirky set up for a quite the rom-com.

Well this novel was very much an emotional roller coaster for me. Emma at a young age becomes the sole caretaker of her father after a serious accident as well as her younger sister. With her dreams on hold she does everything within her control to give their kind-hearted father the best possible life, even if it meant that she had to say no to opportunities that would have launched her career as a screenwriter.

As the current caretaker for both my parents who recently had back-to-back major surgeries as well as an adult brother who is on the spectrum, there were a lot of moments where I connected with what Emma had gone through. The putting aside of some of your dreams so you could take care of others who need you. And although I have sisters in my life, sadly none of them are like Sylvie.

The best parts of reading are those moments where a story intrinsically imprints itself on you. To be honest, I feel like this novel made me take a hard look at how I as much as I love my family and have become their primary caregiver, I am not a natural caregiver like Sylvie and fall into the camp of more of an Emma. I am glad she was able to in the end get a version of her own hopes and dreams and that Sylvie and her husband as well as their father ended up having an even better quality of life.

Now to the love story between Charlie and Emma. I loved the googling of things within their relationship, from Emma's fainting to her anxiety heart racing to their discussion of Charlie's heart being like a suicidal bird. And I loved that Emma was completely honest about how terrible (we need another word as it was worse than terrible) Charlie's romcom script was and how she had to teach him about all the things that make a romcom just that. Overall, as always Katherine Center has a way of writing the difficult parts of life but mixes in the beauty and joy that can also be found within it. One minute the reader is crying and within the next paragraph we are laughing. It is always such an adventure reading her novels.

I didn't want The Rom-Commers to end! I loved the chemistry between Charlie and Emma. The banter between those two was hilarious. Katherine Center did a wonderful job with Emma and Charlie's relationship arc. The slow burn was done perfectly. I liked that there was a deeper side plot to the story. I wasn't expecting this book to have heavy topics. I was impressed by Center's writing depth. I thought the writing was smooth and the pacing was spot-on. Having not cared for some of Katherine Center's other books, I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I love books that make me laugh and this one did. What a great story about dreams, family and love.

What happens when you fall in love with someone who does not believe in love? What happens when the writer that you think is the best doesn't want to work with you or even meet you? How do you trust anyone to look after a family member that you love?. The only way to find out the answers to these questions is to read this wonderful book.

My favorite way to finish books is to go back and forth between an audiobook and an ebook. So I read this one and listened. The narrators - Katherine Center and Patti Murin did a great job of making the story come to life. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (Romance)
Release Date: June 11, 2024

Synopsis: Emma Wheeler is an excellent screenwriter that no one has ever heard of. When she gets a call from her ex-boyfriend/ agent, telling her that Charlie Yates, the prolific screenwriter needs help, she doesn’t know what to think. She has been at home in Texas for the last 10 years taking care of her sick dad, however, it’s her time to have an adventure and get her life back on track. Charlie needs to write this movie, but knows it’s terrible, but he never works with anyone. As Charlie accepts Emma’s help, they get to know each other and start to see other sides of each other. Will this lead to a rom-com of their own?

My Thoughts: This book was fantastic. I’m not always a huge fan of Katherine Center, but this book was great! I loved the two writers trying to write a rom-com and one of them not believing in it. They both had so much going on outside of their working relationship which I appreciated. I also don’t read a lot of closed door romances, but I really appreciated this one, their relationship really was mostly a working relationship and they accidentally fell in love. I will say there are some trigger warnings for health stuff both on and off the page - cancer and a sick parent.

If you love The Bodyguard by Katherine Center or other closed door romances, you’ll love this.

It makes me so sad that this is the first Katherine Center book that I have picked up. I immediately need to read her back list!! I listened to this book in one sitting, I could not put this down. This truly had everything I love in my books. Fun, Loving, Humor, sassy female main characters, and broody male main characters. It was just such a fun loving book. Even though this seem like it is just a cutesy romance, there is a lot more emotional topics in this book that actually took me by surprise. I found myself laughing, tearing up, and being frustrated with out characters but all in the best way. I was invested in Charlie and Emma story from the get to and was rooting for them the entire time.

I cannot wait to read more of Katherine's book!

“𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.”

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pub Date: 6/11/24

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I fell in love with Katherine Center’s writing with The Bodyguard. I couldn’t wait to dig into this one!

I found the main character likeable and witty. The banter between her and the male MC was realistic and adorable.
The love story was predictable. What I really liked about this story was the dealings with grief and loss. It truly made this rom-com unique.

#theromcommers

5/5 stars

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy!

CW: parental death, illness/injury

SYNOPSIS -- Emma Wheeler's screenwriting plans may have been derailed for the last 10 years, but she still longs to make it big writing romcoms. When she gets the chance to write for her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, she takes a step back from caretaking for her sweet Dad, passing the reigns to her younger sister and moving to LA for six weeks. They say "don't meet your heroes," and maybe that's a good idea. When Emma shows up, Charlie refuses to work with her, refuses to care about the script, and refuses to believe in love. Despite all that, Emma digs in her heals and steels herself to convince Charlie of her worth as a writer and the worth of rom-coms in this world. When their rom-com becomes a little too.... real... Emma has to reconfigure her idea of reality and break some of her own rules to get there.

Ahhhhh she's done it again!!! I LOVED the premise and the story far exceeded my excitement for the synopsis. The characters were so dynamic and complex, and I loved them, despite feeling SO FRUSTRATED with their denial of their feelings for so long. The romance was cute and felt believable, in a way that not all romance authors can nail. Family was a big feature in this book, and I think this was really well done. Forced proximity like this is soooo fun and I loved Emma and Charlie's banter from the beginning. Katherine Center does an amazing job of weaving complicated themes into her work, and this one wound its way through grief and its complexity in a beautiful way.

PLUS there was a fun crossover with THE BODYGUARD, which I LOVED.

This book truly gave me the warm and fuzzies all the way through: from page 1 to Katherine Center's acknowledgements at the end. I love her writing style, her characters and her plots. I will read anything this woman writes!!

I love Katherine Center books. In this one, Emma Wheeler has always wanted to become a screen writer. But life doesn’t always work out the way you think. When her mom passed away, Emma took on the sole caretaking responsibilities for her father, and her younger sister got to go off to college. Her ex boyfriend and friend Logan, calls her about a job helping Charlie Yates re-write an awful romantic comedy screen play – but this will take her away from home for 6 weeks, and live with Charlie in LA. Charlie, however, doesn’t want to write with anyone, let alone a failed screen writer like Emma. He doesn’t like romantic comedies and he doesn’t believe in love. Emma is determined to show him she knows what she is talking about, even if that includes making him kiss her to prove a point.

This one really was so cute. Charlie was the perfect grumpy sunshine character. You could slowly see his walls cracking, and I loved it. The hints of his ability to really care about someone were there the whole time. I really loved Emma. She was like a ray of sunshine, but not to the point where she was annoying. She stood her ground and was very determined, even when Charlie was less than nice to her.

Center writes these characters’ scenes together perfectly. From strangers, to less strangers, to housemates, to friends – each of the scenes were written for a reason, and it was evident to the reader that it was important for their story together. Honestly, I could see this being made into a movie! It’s got all the elements of a perfect rom-com.

Now that Katherine Center is a must read author for me, if you haven’t already read her books, you must try her out!

I was excited to receive an advance copy of this book and could hardly wait to start reading it! Because I have read other books by this author, I knew it would be fun to read with likeable characters.

For the past several years, Emma has been the full-time caregiver for her dad because he was permanently injured in an accident and her mom died. She regularly sacrifices what she wants so her little sister Sylvie can live her dreams, but they switch places when Emma receives an unbelievable job offer. Sylvie cancels her internship to stay with their dad so Emma can go to L.A. for the chance of a lifetime to work with a famous screenwriter she has a crush on and help him rewrite a flawed rom-com screenplay. Her childhood best friend and former boyfriend is his manager and got her the job. The problem is Charlie has writer’s block, doesn’t want her help, and doesn’t believe in romance.

There are some serious issues addressed, but overall the book was very funny, and some parts even made me laugh out loud. The tension leading to the kiss was perfect, but the wet dress scene was way too much. I think the book would have been much better without it. I love the dad’s advice at the end and the bonus chapter in the audiobook. You can’t go wrong with a book by Katherine Center, the writing and characters are excellent. This would be 5 stars if it wasn’t for the language and the dress scene.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC via NetGalley to use for my review.

This was my first Katherine Center book. I own her both The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger, but have yet to get to them, and I’m absolutely kicking myself now for not having read her writing sooner. The Rom-Commers was EXCELLENT.

I was immediately enchanted by Emma, despite her clearly being under a lot of pressure and responsibility. The way she describes her dad and sister is so sweet and charming and I loved the family right away.
Emma is also FUNNY and I love her relationships with everyone in this book, especially Charlie.
Charlie was the perfect grump to Emma’s sunshine. Their banter and growing relationship was so cute.

There are definitely sweet moments in this book, but it’s not your typical romcom with nothing but swoons and giddy feet kicking. Things get hard and heavy with several health diagnoses, accidents, losses, etc., and I really appreciated how realistically these topics were covered. It excellently highlighted the overall theme of this book, which I took to be that life will not always be sunshine and rainbows, but making the most of what you have and the good things in life is still important.
A few times I was frustrated by Emma and Charlie, but the ending was absolutely swoon worthy and I loved the way everything pulled together for not only them, but Emma’s whole family.

I’m definitely running to my shelves to pick up Katherine Center’s other books now, I was so charmed by The Rom-Commers!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 6/11/24

They say never meet your heroes, but Emma is meeting hers, uber-successful screenwriter Charlie, and she’s tasked with helping him rewrite his truly terrible rom-com. Will they end up writing a love story of their own?

Yeah, obviously. And it has all the hallmarks of a great rom-com. The banter is bantering, the hjinks are hijinksing. The only thing keeping it from perfection in my view is that Charlie is just too much of an asshole at the start. Celebrity men behaving atrociously at industry events and getting away with it is a huge pet peeve of mine. I don’t find it charming and deducted a star accordingly.

But I really loved Emma and found her backstory and family subplot incredibly moving.

"The Rom-Commers" by Katherine Center is an enchanting and heartwarming tale that beautifully captures the essence of romantic comedies while delivering a fresh and compelling narrative. The protagonist, Emma Wheeler, is an immensely relatable character whose dreams of becoming a successful screenwriter are both inspiring and poignant. Center masterfully weaves Emma's personal struggles and ambitions with the world of screenwriting, creating a story that is as much about self-discovery and resilience as it is about love. Emma’s journey, from her dedication to her father to the exhilarating opportunity to work with her idol, Charlie Yates, is depicted with such authenticity and charm that it’s impossible not to root for her.

The novel's appeal is further enhanced by Center’s sharp, witty writing and her ability to craft characters that feel genuine and deeply human. The dynamic between Emma and Charlie is electric, filled with clever banter and heartfelt moments that will leave readers smiling long after they turn the last page. "The Rom-Commers" is a delightful read that deftly balances humor and emotion, making it a standout in the romantic comedy genre. Katherine Center has delivered a five-star gem that not only celebrates the magic of rom-coms but also reminds us of the importance of pursuing our dreams and the unexpected paths that lead us to true happiness.

I loved this book! Emma is a struggling screenwriter who put her career aside to take care of her father after he had a life-altering accident ten years ago. She given the job to help the esteemed screenwriter Charlie Yates rewrite his script for a new rom-com. Charlie is known for his prolific skills as a screenwriter, creating scripts for blockbuster after blockbuster…except this script is atrocious. But when she arrives, she soon realizes that Charlie doesn’t want her help. Emma and Charlie’s banter is so enjoyable and witty!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

The Rom-Commers is the newest romance by Katherine Center. In this book, Emma (an aspiring screenwriter) heads to LA to help her screenwriting idol (Charlie Yates) rewrite his latest screenplay which is his first (and a terrible start) in the world of the rom-com. Things start off very rocky as Emma's friend, agent, and former boyfriend set up this job without actual approval from Charlie. Needless to say, there are many ups and downs throughout the story.

This is probably my new favorite Katherine Center book! I love the banter between characters and I feel like I'm getting to know them which I don't always find is the case in some of the other romance books I've read. As is the case in most romances, I guessed the end, but I think that's also part of the appeal of this genre. This will make a perfect summer beach read!

Katherine Center always delivers. The Rom-Commers is no exception. Every new book instantly becomes a favorite. There's just something about the stories that she crafts that are an absolute delight. I always look forward to a Katherine Center release. If you haven't read her books yet, give them a try.

Reading Katherine Center’s newest book has become a favorite summer tradition for me. Her books center on such believably real characters in such lovely, dreamy, and sincerely funny circumstances. The Rom-Commers checked all of those boxes for me.

Emma Wheeler’s life is dominated by two things: (1) caring for her family, particularly her father, after a tragic accident that changed their lives forever, and (2) screenwriting. Well, screenwriting rom-coms.

Emma has made choices that have affected her career and her freedom to make sure that her younger sister has every option she could dream of as she emerges from college and to keep her father safe, which means 24-7 care.

So, when she’s unexpectedly given a chance to ghost write (and overhaul) a rom-com screenplay by her idol, Charlie Yates, she’s both exhilarated and reluctant: her sister has an internship opportunity that Emma doesn’t want her to pass up, and she can’t leave her dad.

This situation, right from the beginning, is communicated with such vividness that I felt every facet of Emma’s agonizing choice: follow the dream that she’s pushed down for so long or keep to the narrow path that she’s carved out for herself.

It takes a push from her family—and her high school ex-boyfriend, Logan, now a successful Hollywood agent—to get Emma on the plane to meet and work with Charlie Yates.

And then she finds out that (despite what Logan told her!) Charlie doesn’t want a ghost writer and doesn’t even know that she’s coming.

This premise spins out in satisfying ways. Of course, Emma ends up co-writing with Charlie, schooling him on the merits of the rom-coms that he so scorns and giving him a very honest take on the problems she sees with his draft. Their working relationship has ups and downs, misunderstandings and miscommunications both deliberate and not, and the ways that their romantic relationships develop in parallel to their screenplay are delightful.

But it’s the characters that are the standout here, the ways that Emma and Charlie (and Emma’s dad and sister) force themselves to work toward happiness again and again, work toward believing in and living with love.

I always appreciate reading Center’s acknowledgments, where she shares the inspirations for each story and the books and research that informed her novels. Her dedication to and advocacy for romance is a beautiful thing, and it’s borne out, again and again, in her books.

The Rom-Commers is a beautiful tribute to rom-coms and to writing and to movies, and it’s a wonderful novel about the ways we have to believe in and put effort into pursuing love. It’s a book that will satisfy Center’s readers, old and new.

(3.5/5 stars) I don't know how Katherine Center managed to write a romance novel about two relatively unlikeable characters that still managed to make me tear up on an airplane but here we are?! This is very much a book where both MCs would deeply benefit from going to therapy, but honestly I still decently enjoyed it as a read. I think it would have been much better if it had been a dual POV, because I feel like if we'd been able to get into Charlie's head instead of Emma therapizing him to rationalize how truly mean he was to her(!!) he might have been a more likeable character. And the way Emma kept staying around despite how mean he was? It's giving I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) by Taylor Swift.

Okay, I've talked myself into rounding down to a 3 because it doesn't feel right to give this one the same number of stars I gave The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger. Will I still pick up Katherine Center every time she puts out a new book? Probably. This one just disappointed me a bit.