Irresistible, quirky, and unbelievably adorable, just like its heroine, this commentary on happily ever after does so many things well!

Great characters and a thoughtful plot combined with wit and awesome tension, make for a sweet yet poignant take on modern love. I think you’ll love this tale of heart and heartache.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Katherine Center does it again! The character drew you in to their story and you couldn’t help but root for them. Along the way you enjoyed the banter and comedy, while enjoying the love story they didn’t see happening

4.5⭐️
This book was so cute! If I read this as a physical book rather than an audiobook, I would have so many memorable quotes tabbed 😅

I felt like it was such a sweet yet emotional read that had you rooting for the MC’s the whole time. In the book it kinda says something along the lines of how romcoms are supposed to have a happy ending. “We all know where a romcom is headed. The fun is how we get there.” That to me is so true! When I read a romance, I want to be sucked into the characters life. To there emotions and feel like I am living what they are living, or that this could really happen. The Rom-Commers did that for me. It showed you could have a happy ending that looks different from the last person, and it will look different than the person after you.

I would say the only reason for the half star is because I felt like the FMC was a little immature sometimes. If you’ve read it you may know the parts that I am talking about, but overall I absolutely loved this one and cannot wait to read more from this authors books. I am officially a fan of her writing style. Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio in exchange for my honest review 🤍

I enjoyed the narration for this book! If you like a closed-door, grumpy-sunshine, cheesy and predictable romcom, this one is for you. Enjoyable on the whole, but not better than Hello Stranger.

You have to read The Rom-Commers! And the author's note at the end is a must.

Katherine Center has a way of writing that is just magical. She writes such real characters and doesn't skate past the uncomfortable parts of life. This book is full of heartache, hope, and love. But as she points out, every life has tragedy and we can't avoid it. We decide how to go forward after tragedies and that is what defines us. We can choose to look at the good things and be grateful. Being grateful is a choice that everyone has. I love love loved this book so much. I laughed and cried. Please read it. Also, the audiobook is amazing. The narrator did such a good job infusing emotion into the words.

🍐Bite-size Review: There is a lot to love in a Katherine Center book. Center’s characters fall in love while dealing with personal tragedies and traumas, this always endears me to their healing journeys and makes the characters and relationships feel more real. I did struggle with our two MCs in The Rom-Commers. I loved the concept of two screenwriters getting together to write a rom-com while falling in love, it was deliciously meta. I had a hard time liking Charlie. He punched down A LOT and it seemed like Emma ignored it because she was starstruck. Fortunately, Center writes romances that are really hard to put down and I needed to know how Emma and Charlie’s story unfolded. The ending was satisfying and redeemed Charlie a smidge. I really enjoyed The Bodyguard easter eggs!

🎧I thought Patti Murin did an excellent job narrating Emma, she conveyed her quirky personality perfectly. Her tone was fun and a joy to listen to. 5 Star narration!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Emma Wheeler wants to be a screen writer but has trouble breaking into the career because she is a full time caregiver to her father. When Emma’s long time friend Logan calls her for the opportunity of a lifetime it’s hard for Emma to turn it down. Emma has the chance to write a romantic comedy with the legendary Charlie Yates. The job isn’t quite what Emma or Charlie imagines but they both get so much more in the end.

Katherine Center does it again! I can’t remember the last time I read a book in one day. I couldn’t help myself! I was enchanted by the story and characters.

I adored Emma! She’s witty, smart and just plain adorable. I really connected with her character. Charlie is also lovable in his own way. I loved the character development in this book. You get to see Emma blossom into a confident writer and Charlie turn into a man who believes in love and hope.

I think the only reason why this book is 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I hated how Charlie treated Emma sometimes. I’m not sure I could have forgiven or moved past some of the rude comments he made about her (even if they came from a place of fear).

Katherine Center does an amazing job of making you feel true emotions without having you sobbing in the fetal position. Not only is this story a wonderful read but it also has a great message about love and life. I love a good happily ever after!

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. It was a nice surprise to find an extra chapter from Charlie’s perspective on the audio version of the book.

I can’t recommend this book and Katherine Center enough!

This book is about life and loss, love and tragedy, and understanding things happen but those things ultimately can shape you into a better person.

I totally identified with Emma as a caregiver. It’s heartbreaking to see her sacrifice her life for her family unselfishly. However I think she may have been a bit controlling but that comes from her history of loss for sure. The family love in this book was my favorite. The lengths they go through for each other is unmatched (I like to think my family is like this too 🤣)

I was so excited to see Emma step out of the shadows and fall for Charlie but man did he take grumpy to the max. So much so that it felt mean. I had a hard time buying the love later down the road. I get that Charlie had a lot of trauma he needed to work through but man was it believable. Great work Katherine Center! My biggest issue had to do with the ending being a bit of a stretch. IYKYK! As a healthcare provider I couldn’t ignore the inaccuracies.

Is it my favorite? No.
Is it a fun summer romance (with very little steam)? Absolutely!

You can tell Katherine Center loves love by reading any one of her books but with the Rom-Commers... it is EXTRA delightful!

Emma has been the caretaker for her dad for the last several years. She's cool standing on the sidelines and helping out at home...especially if it means she can binge watch romcoms and add to her kiss folder. But when she has the opportunity to work with her FAVORITE screen writer, THE Charlie Yates, how can she say no?! LA bound she is with a suitcase and the idea that love is out there.. cynics be gone.

Yet, Emma is about to find out that Charlie does not want her there. He's just writing this absolutely horrendous romcom screenplay to then move on and screenwrite what he truly wants. He doesn't give an f about love, he's been burned before and it's not in his cards. He definitely doesn't want happy go lucky Emma, with her strawberry hoodie, to be in his house. But accept her he does as he starts to realize she may be just what he needs to come alive. Sometimes, all you need is a little comedy and some "oh snap that's romance" to make your life sparkle...at least, that's what Emma is set out to show.

Patti Murin does a FANTASTIC job narrating and bringing another Katherine Center story to live. I found myself clutching the steering wheel while listening (driving) and holding my breath waiting for "THE" moment during some scenes! Others I wanted to pound the wheel because of Charlie's antics. Whenever I pick up a Center novel, I immediately believe that love exists and is out there for anyone. There were some memorable quotes and one liners that had me checking my emotions. But most of all? I had the biggest grin on my face for how everything went together.... just like love is supposed to.

Emma Wheeler's dream is to become a screenwriter, but because of family issues she has to deal with that's been on her back burner. Finally she gets her chance to co-write with her favorite screenwriter and what a story is becomes!

Emma yearns to be a screenwriter. She has studied and written rom-comm’s her whole career. She has even won awards! But she hasn’t been able to fulfill it due to being the full-time caretaker of her kind-hearted dad. She is his sole caretaker until she gets a chance to help rewrite a screenplay of a famous screenwriter who doesn’t believe in romance. Her sister steps in for 6 weeks as caretaker so Emma can go off to LA. It’s a chance of a lifetime rewriting a screenplay with Charlie Yates the famous screenwriter.

Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone and never has. It’s the worse screenplay he’s ever written but he doesn’t really care about it. It’s his first Rom-Comm. Emma has her work cut out for her. She must make Charlie believe in romance in order to help him write a better screenplay about romantic comedies. Even if, she has to break every rule in the books. She stands up for herself, romantic comedies and love. She may even have to kiss him to make him start believing in love. Was it an amazing kiss or not?

This was my first Katherine Center novel and won’t be my last! Katherine Center makes you chuckle with some of the mishaps with Emma proving to Charlie that there is romance in this world! Katherine writes true Romantic comedies herself! She makes the reader believe in romance through showing Charlie how to become a romantic. There are twist and turns and ups and downs. It makes you laugh and then makes you almost cry. The deep serious side doesn’t take away from the story but really adds to it! She has strong believable characters with a strong family feel. She teaches you more about romance itself! You won’t want to miss this one! I will definitely be listening to more of her books!

The narrator did a fabulous job, has a pleasant voice and is easy to listen to! Her speed is right on and enunciation is very clear! She brings the story to life!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers in letting me read this book and allowing me to leave an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. The narrator was amazing and the ending had me tearing up. And I don’t tear up often over books. Loved it

Emma is a writer with potential who has been living in Texas caring for her invalid father for a decade but is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime - in LA. Charlie is an incredibly successful, and grouchy and arrogant, screenwriter who needs Emma's help and doesn't want it. This book has banter, it has cooking together, it has a despondent guinea pig, it has a high dive rescue. Emma works through grief and family issues. She stands up for herself to Charlie and to her sister.

I first listened to the audiobook, and I have to say the narrator's voice was perfect for the Emma, the heroine. The only part that bugged me was her British accent for Logan, it reminded me of Lindsay Lohan's faux accent in The Parent Trap. Shudder. After I listened to the audiobook I read the actual book and oh, why is reading the words always so much better. It was as lovely as reading it for the first time. And I have to say the piece de resistance was the author's note. In the audiobook, Katherine Center herself reads the note. It apparently didn't get published in the book, but it can be downloaded from her web site. She's the real thing and I'm a fan for life!

This was an immediate 5 star read for me, I loved it so so so much!
Listening to the audiobook for this was such a fantastic experience, Patti Murin (who I did not know was narrating this and I am already a huge fan) did such a good job with both characters and adding her emotion into the story. I felt everything that she did and I was truly immersed in the storytelling.
Emma and Charlie were so well-written and I fell in love with each of the characters for different reasons. Emma has such a real, tragic story and I could not help but empathize with her need to put her family first. And Charlie had secretly gone through such difficult things too and he hid it well, but when I heard about the day his ex-wife left him I was genuinely about to throw hands with her.
Also Cuthbert is the absolute star of the show!!

This book was frustrating. While I enjoyed some of the chemistry between the characters, I found the overuse of the "eavesdropping" trope, cheap use of cancer for unneeded plot tension, and the progression of the relationship to be pretty frustrating. This book has gotten great reviews from others, so perhaps it just is not for me.

Emma was a promising screenwriter who sacrificed probable success and ten years of her life to take care of her younger sister and her father who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was a teen. She’s earned a living writing freelance movie reviews, but her former high school boyfriend-turned-talent manager continues to send her job prospects. When the opportunity to work as a ghostwriter for her favorite screenwriter Charlie Yates is offered, it’s a chance she is loath to pass up. He’s famous for “guy” films but is being forced to write a romantic comedy in order to get the green light for his next gangster film. He, like so many other “serious” writers, disdains the genre and, not surprisingly, is no good at writing them. Lucky for him, Emma’s an expert and she refuses to let him ruin “his career, the romantic comedy genre as a whole, and all our lives with this nuclear-waste-fueled dumpster fire of a screenplay.” If she can just get past his curmudgeonly appearance and grumpy demeanor (that makes him seem 20 years older than he is) and break down the walls he has built after being abandoned by both his mother and ex-wife, then she might be able to teach him a thing or two about what makes for a successful romance, that love is real (and not just in the movies), and that sacrifice and risk are worth it if you find the right person.

There’s so much to love about this story: the witty banter and snark (especially the frozen veggies on the bruised tailbone scene); the way Emma challenges Charlie, first by being brutally honest about how bad his first rom-com screenplay is and then by forcing him into immersion research on romance (something he’s committed to in his previous movies but resists for what he considers not worth the effort); the fact that she has a virtual museum of movies kisses on her laptop for Charlie to view with her, but still thinks real-life experience is better; how Emma and Charlie’s relationship is so obviously classic rom-com material, including everything from line dancing to literally falling into each other (which Emma insisted wasn’t the least bit romantic until it happened to her); and, finally, Emma’s take on happily-ever-after: “We act like ‘and they lived happily ever after’ is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that’s never the way I read those words. I read them as ‘and they built a life together, and looked after each other, and made the absolute best of their lives.’” For fans of Center’s The Bodyguard, there is even a cameo from Jack Stapleton who is slated to star in the film. This is rom-com gold for fans of Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez. Highly recommended!

Overall, I found "The Rom-Commers" to be an enjoyable read. The book intrigued me with its premise and the chemistry between the love interests. However, around the three-quarters mark, I began to disengage as one character seemed to pressure another into physical intimacy, which detracted from my enjoyment. Nevertheless, the ending salvaged the book for me. I appreciated the absence of explicit spice scenes while still addressing adult themes. I also liked the back stories and personal issues of each main character because they added depth to the narrative. I would recommend this book to readers who like a touch of cheesiness in their romances and who appreciate stories centered around screenwriters.

Why do Katherine Center books always make me cry? Because somehow in someway they always hit something I needed. I adored the depth of this read. Emma and her struggles reminded and resonated with me on a whole new level. I also felt for Charlie even though his decisions annoyed me. My only thing I didn’t love was how LONG it took to get to the romance. The reason why I get, but I still wanted some butterflies 🦋. All in all, I adored the topics this one covered and KC will forever be an auto-buy for me.

I tandem read and listened to this one and I adored both formats.

This audiobook lived up to its title. Patti Murin does a wonderful job giving voice to the characters and the story. Two writers are thrown together to write a Rom-Com screenplay. Katherine Center once again does a great job of hooking you in at the very beginning. Giving you likeable, but flawed characters, a great storyline, Definitely one of those books that you don't want to put down from beginning to end.

I don’t think Katherine Center knows how not to write a book that’s beloved. In true fashion, her latest romcom hit, is full of amazing characters & a sweet love story you root for!

Patti Murin is one of my absolute favorite narrators! I always get excited to hear her read an audiobook to me! Love that she read this one so much!

Thank you so much, Katherine Center, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press.& NetGalley, for my audiobook to read & give my honest review!