Katherine Center, please take a bow! You truly outdid yourself with this gem!

I've read most everything by this author and I have many favorite books. That said, this one is definitely at the top of my list now. It was just such a complete romance in every meaning of the word. It was a beautiful story with scarred characters who needed to find someone who could help heal their wounds. At the same time, even though there was complete heartbreak, there was also incredible hope.

I also loved the plot of a complete rom-com queen helping a re-knowned screenwriter to "fix" a script. Their slowly evolving relationship was quite simply the thing of stories....no pun intended.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration for this audio was wonderful. I toggled back and forth between the audiobook and the ebook and it was wonderful. I was completely engrossed in this story from start to finish and couldn't wait to see how these two worked "things" out. 5 stars

A huge thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read and/or listen to them both and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you to both St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for early review copies via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I mostly listened to the audio because I really enjoy the narration of Patti Murin 😍
Emma, a romcom screenwriter, has been working as her father’s caretaker and putting her own life on hold. When a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity comes up, Emma is able to take advantage of it as her recently graduated sister takes over in caring for their father. Along the way, Emma grows both professionally and personally. Working with a famous screenwriter, Emma helps him break out of his writer's block and teaches him a few things. Emma learns to forgive herself and is able to finally break out of the shell of herself within which she's been existing. I enjoyed witnessing her growth. And I laughed aloud at the cameo made by a previous Katherine Center main character 🤣
This one is now available for everyone to experience, and I highly recommend it! I got teary while listening to the end of this one, so perhaps prepare yourself with some tissues.

This was my first Katherine Center book but it will not be my last. I loved the romance and disability rep in this book. THe characters were believable and their feelings felt appropriate to the situation. A lot of times in romance books, the characters feelings seem blown out of proportion and unbelievable. I really enjoyed this.

This was my first Katherine Center book and I understand why people love her writing. This was a fun read overall. I felt for the FMC so much. While some of the storyline and actions were questionable, it was a good. I think the ending was perfect. Overall 3.75 stars rounded to 4.

4.5 Stars
I always have a good time with Katherine Center’s novels and The Rom-Commers was no exception.

There was so much I loved about this book. Emma was a great FMC, and she was an easy character to root for. Despite all the difficulties she has faced in her life, she still manages to be a complete ray of sunshine. Charlie is the complete opposite and SUCH a jaded grump. I thought the premise was fun and while I’ve read a bunch of Hollywood romances at this point, I don’t think I’ve ever come across one involving two screenwriters. I loved the banter between the pair - so many funny one liners! And the totally unromantic “research” moments? Swoon!

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star was that Charlie was just so mean at times and even though we learn why that is, I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like how he talked down to her (and about her), and how Emma just took it and didn’t expect an apology. Everything just happened so quickly at the end it was hard for me to reconcile his actions.

I read this via audiobook and it was a great experience. The narrator did a wonderful job, especially with capturing the snarky banter between Emma and Charlie. I would highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the review copy.

I devoured this book! It made me feel all of the emotions and my husband even caught me crying a couple of times. I loved the banter and the chemistry and everything about Emma and Charlie. They had my smiling like crazy one second and then tearing up the next.

I love a good grumpy sunshine pairing and this one was PERFECT! All I really have to say is GO READ THIS BOOK! It is my new favorite Katherine Center read and if you like rom coms with depth then I think you’ll love it too!

The audiobook was done so well! I loved the narration by Patti Murin and definitely recommend listening if you like to read books that way!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"All genres have a promise...the same is true for a romantic comedy. The two leads will wind up together. That's what the audience shows up for; the joy of it all...The fun is how we get there..."

...and WOW do we get there in the laugh out loud yet tender comfort read/listen of The Rom-Commers by the always sentimentally funny author Katherine Center.

Emma loves to write romcoms. She's even won writing contests but as the caregiver for her sweet Dad who needs constant care from an accident for which Emma feels guilty, she has no time to pursue her writing career. Then a chance to help an award winning screenwriter salvage his awfully bad RomCom script comes her way and her Dad and sister force her to take the opportunity.

Charlie is a cranky grump. He doesn't believe in love and can't remember the last time he laughed, so of course his try at romantic comedy is a dud. He can write violence and action but in order to get approval for his next movie the studio wants this script.

He doesn't want Emma's help but soon she's living in his mansion, writing with him everyday, and helping him hide from his ex-wife. Their hilarious mishaps, ridiculous arguments and obvious chemistry makes its way into their RomCom story but then Charlie gets a phone call and it changes everything.

When I found out that voice actress Patti Murin was performing the words of Katherine Center this easily became my most anticipated summer book and neither let me down. As always the funny capers were awesome but it was those tender heartfelt moments that made the tears fall.

Hey Prime Video and Netflix you have a ready made RomCom hit with The Rom-Commers! It fulfills all the promises of the genre for us fans.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to @katherinecenter @netgalley @macmillanaudio @stmartinspress and @pattimurin for my audio copy of The Rom-Commers!


"A great rom-com is just like sex. If you're suprised by the ending, somebody wasn't doing their job. We all know where it's headed. The fun is how we get there."

"I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we are looking for ... we turn to stories to help us find it."

“That's just life.
Tragedy really is a given.
There are endless human stories, but they all end the same way.
So it can't be where you're going that matters. It has to be how you get there.
That's what I've decided.
It's all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And the hope you refuse to give up on.
It's all about writing the very best story of your life.
Not just about how you live it—but how you choose to tell it.”
- Katherine Center, The Rom-Commers

Happy pub day to @katherinecenter and her newest rom-com, so aptly named The Rom-Commers!

This story focuses on Emma Wheeler, a talented writer who has put many of her own dreams on hold to care for her father, who suffered a TBI while rock climbing ten years earlier and has since been diagnosed with hemiplegia and Meniere's disease, in addition to helping raise her younger sister.

Our MMC is Charlie Yates, an award-winning screenwriter who has also been through some trauma and has lost his writing mojo.

The two are brought together by a mutual friend in hopes they can re-write Charlie's dumpster fire of a rom-com screenplay. This grumpy/sunshine duo made me laugh, cry, and occasionally say, "Oh come on!" as they stumbled through the ups and downs of writing, life, and love. They both brought out good things in each other, even though the way they went about it weren't always the best.

While the main focus was Emma and Charlie's relationship, I honestly think I was more in love with Emma's relationship with her dad and younger sister, Sylvie. Her dad truly was the best example of gratitude and making the most of your life, and as someone with a younger sister, I also loved how Sylvie was not only Emma's little sister, but also one of her best friends who grew up a lot while Emma was in Los Angeles.

As always, Center's writing in The Rom-Commers is full of heart and beautiful, but there were a few instances that rubbed me the wrong way that I wish had been handled a little differently. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that, but feel free to message me if you want specifics. This book wasn't my very favorite of hers, but I would still recommend it to rom-com fans and fans of her writing, even though it was a heavier read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and its overarching theme about treasuring every moment, holding those you love close, and not letting fear dictate how you live life.

I can't wait to read more from Katherine in the future!

I really loved The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger so I was really excited to receive this ARC! Katherine Center is always a beautiful writer and I love how she talks about the value of romance and reading about love. That being said, I didn't love the characters or story in this book.

Emma and Charlie had both been through a lot. I do think they both ended up in a better place as a result of meeting each other but throughout the story I really just wanted everyone to get therapy. Charlie was often not very nice to Emma. He often had good reasons for this but I still felt like the ratio of him being sweet to rude wasn't great.

Emma was pushy, dramatic and in a lot of ways never got to grow up as more than a caregiver. I thought her behavior was realistic given her history but at times I found her behavior manipulative and self-destructive and would have liked that addressed more.

I think if you like a book that is a bit of an emotional roller coaster you might enjoy this one. I tend to prefer lower angst. It is also important to me that the relationships I read about are healthy in contemporary romance (throw in werewolves and I'm much more flexible). If you like writing and story more than the likeability of the characters you may love this one. Lots of people seem to but it wasn't for me.

I listened to the audio and thought Patti Murin was a great narrator! Romance readers may recognize her from The Paradise Problem or other Christina Lauren titles as well as earlier Kathrine Center titles.

It has been a long time since I've read a book in one day, but I did exactly that with this one! Emma has obsessed over screenwriter Charlie Yates for years, and finally gets a chance to work with him. Charlie is the opposite of Emma in every way -- he doesn't believe in love, he hates romcoms -- but the way they worked together was done so well. I loved their banter, their working relationship, and the overall story arc in this one. I will say there were times Emma was exasperating, but that was also part of her charm. The secondary characters added a lot to this story, especially Emma's family (I loved them all!). This is a sweet, not at all spicy, romance. I switched between the audio and kindle version and I loved the audio version as well! Katherine Center remains one of my favorite romance authors and this one is definitely one of my favorites from her!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to review!

Happy release day to one of the best authors out there!

I was very nervous going into this book, I have to admit. This is only because Katherine Center’s last book “Hello Stranger” to this day is still my favorite book of all time. So how are you supposed to follow that up? With this kick ass love story, that’s what!

This book is absolutely adorable and I love it so so much! I will still admit that writing reviews for books I love is still incredibly hard. I can pick things apart all day long, but wax poetic? Why can’t you just trust me and go get it already?

I think I can safely say for most of my fellow book nerds that one of our favorite plots of all time is anything centered around a male lead that is an author. Famous or not. However, I know a lot of people have a kink for famous male leads. Not particularly my thing, but brooding and writerly……Check check check check check.

Anyways, our male lead, Charlie Needs help writing. Cue our adorably quirky and awesome female lead, Emma. She is tasked to help him and shenanigans ensue.

My only complaint is that I still think the epilogues are too long and preachy. I think that they would have a higher impact if they were more punchy. This is the one area where kill your darlings really needs to be taken to heart. However, I still think she is the queen and I stand behind her mission and will read every book she ever publishes.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

The QUEEN of RomCom does it again! I fell in love with Katherine Center with The Bodyguard, and then again with Hello Stranger, and now I’m at the point of obsession with The Rom-Commers! I’m slowly making my way to reading her older works, but it’s apparent that she loves love — I’m here for it and this particular book is PERFECTION 🤌🏽

It’s a romcom about writing a romcom! Emma gets the opportunity of a lifetime to re-write a screenplay with her favorite writer Charlie Yates. He’s uber famous for writing all sorts of screenplays and decides to write a romcom, but it’s terrible. In comes Emma to save the day, but not without some hiccups.

I listened to this on audio and @pattimurin has a voice that makes you fall in love with Emma immediately. She brought so much life to this character and I found myself constantly listening. I think this one set a record for the fastest book I’ve read! I will listen to anything Patti Murin puts a voice to. She’s a magical unicorn in the audiobook world!!!

This book has all the things I adore about romcoms — a feel good story with no spicy scenes, adorable characters with hilarious banter, family and lots of love. I LOVED everything about it! I never really do star ratings, but I’d definitely give it 100 stars ⭐️

It’s out 6/11 so make sure to pick it up or listen to it on audio. You can’t go wrong either way!

Thanks so much to @macmillan.audio for the ALC. Such a phenomenal audiobook 👏🏽

happy release day to the rom-commers by katherine center!!⁣
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this book has so much humor and heart, and it was a delight to read from beginning to end.⁣
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emma wheeler’s screenwriting dreams have been on hold for years, but when an old friend calls her up with an unbelievable opportunity, it seems like the perfect time to make a change. of course, change never comes easily…⁣
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emma not only has to convince charlie yates (an inspiration and hero of hers) that she is good enough to help him, but also that rom-coms are a worthwhile genre.⁣
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this is exactly the kind of story i hope to find when i read a katherine center book. it has plenty of light-hearted and fun moments, but doesn’t shy away from tougher moments, too, to give the characters some well-rounded personal growth. it all blends together so well in this romance.⁣
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i also loved getting a bit of a defense for romance and rom-coms, as emma teaches charlie. these stories aren’t usually accepted as highbrow and noteworthy, but that doesn’t mean the stories are any less important to tell.⁣
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i loved it and definitely think you can’t go wrong picking the rom-commers for a summer read.

The Rom-Commers: the second book I've read by Katherine Center.

Okay, so... this book just didn't work for me.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Things that didn't work:
-the cover
-not finding myself invested in the story, even after reading 73%
-somehow, I didn't even know for certain what Emma's name was and needed to look it up
-many toxic male characters; I'll start with Logan, and end with Jablowmie
-readers are expected to A) trust Emma's judgement on Charlie and B) rationalize that Charlie is a good guy based on his less than stellar friendships!?
-I found the lack of Emma’s internal dialog concerning her dad alarming once she (quickly) settled in at Charlie’s. Being away from her dad didn't seem to bother Emma like it should have; I expected a moral struggle
-Emma, the queen of playing it safe, had a major and dangerous drunk escapade. WTF!? I have ISSUES with this scene
-playing house does not a romance/relationship make
-the phrase "soft pooch"
-timeline issues with Emma's dad's ICU stay
-overall, the relationship between Emma and Charlie seemed toxic, although I can't pinpoint why
-nothing was remotely funny

Things that did work:
-the dedication
-Emma's dad was a good guy
-the Author's Note and the love that Center feels for romance as a genre
-the Author's Note and Acknowledgements being narrated by Center

The audiobook narration was alright, although at times I noticed similar voices used for some characters.

In summery, I just wished I liked my second book from Center more!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Every single one of Katherine Center’s books is a joy to read. The narrator of the audiobook makes it that much better. I loved reading about Emma and her struggles of becoming a screenwriter and taking care of her family. She has had so much heartbreak in her life that she doesn’t know how to move forward without the past trailing alongside her. When Emma gets the opportunity to work on an awful screenplay written by famous writer Charlie Yates, she jumps at the chance. The character development is outstanding as they both grew and changed together. The banter between Emma and Charlie was top notch. Charlie doesn’t believe in love and Emma is determined to show him what love is so they can effectively write the romcom together. I had a smile on my face and could not put this one down. I cannot wait for the next Katherine Center book!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Contemporary romance.
Emma Wheeler writes romance. She’s good at it. But her dreams, and financial needs have her longing to transition to script writing. Her agent pairs Emma up with Charlie Yates, who has written a truly awful romance. It’s up Emma to teach Charlie what makes a romance come alive for the audience. Charlie doesn’t care enough to fix his script but there’s something about the effervescent woman that captures his attention.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook version of this book. The narration is done by Katherine Center and Patti Murin. The performance is engaging, with emotions clearly heard and felt. There are distinct voices for Emma and Charlie that made their arguments come alive. I listened to this at my usual 1.5.
The audiobook was immersive and made visualizing the scenes easy. Pick your preferred format as this would be a toss up for me.
The audiobook includes a bonus scene from Charlie’s POV that my ecopy did not have.

There are some very harsh arguments between Emma and Charlie, and then Emma and her sister. Unforgivable comments. Yes, in hurt and from a frightened frame of mind, but really harsh and shocking that the words would be said out loud by Emma.
I don’t know that I would ever be able to forgive or forget.

The romance is bumpy and amusing at times and ultimately satisfying. The arguments shocked me out of reading at the time which is impressive writing. Too much so IMO for a romantic comedy. But I know I won’t forget this story because of the “too far” words. Does that make the rating go up or down?

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher.

I enjoyed listening to this book. Patti Murin did a nice job narrating the entire story and portraying the character of Emma Wheeler.
Listeners Note: Playback listening speed 1.5X
There are parts of this story that I found humorous but overall I think it is a heartfelt romance that has a lot of aspects about it that make it feel a little less rom-com fiction and a bit more true to life contemporary romance. This story tugs at all the heartstrings while delivering the HEA romance readers crave. It is a journey to the very end and Katherine Center delivers an emotional read with a lot of care and consideration that help the reader through the more difficult parts.
Worth it all for the HEA or more the ending that is also just a beginning as some of the best endings are.

Wow, I loved The Rom-Commers!

The Rom-Commers is classic Katherine Center. Our heroine, Emma, has been through the mud, but she’s ready to blossom. She’s a writer, caretaker, believer in rom-coms and she’s going to change that award-winning, grumpy screenwriter, Charlie’s, mind about rom-coms one way or another.

It’s beautifully written, sweetly romantic, achingly sad, endearingly funny - it’s a love letter to rom-coms. The narration by Patti Murrin is impeccable. I highlighted so many phrases in defense of love, love stories and optimism to develop my mantra. There’s also line dancing. I’m only disappointed that it ended and that I have no more Katherine Center books to read for the first time. I can’t wait to re-read this and annotate the heck out of my book.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced e-copy. All opinions are my own.

(I got this as an ALC through NetGalley – it will be available on June 11, 2024.) You won’t be shocked based on the title to learn that this is a romcom, and I really loved it. Emma dreams of making it in screenwriting, but has been making a living by writing while also teaching at the local college, and being the primary caregiver for her dad after he was injured years earlier. But her agent calls her one day, offering her the opportunity to re-write a script for a rom com (her favorite!) with legendary screenwriter Charlie Yates… but she has to go to LA for six weeks for the job. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up, so she pushes down her guilt and her anxiety as her sister agrees to move in to care for their dad, and off Emma goes. Except, when she arrives, she learns that Charlie has no idea she was coming and doesn’t really care about making the script, either – he just want to make it ok enough to move on. Eventually, he agrees to let Emma stay and work on the script, and Emma is determined to spend the next six weeks changing his mind about romcoms, and about love. I will admit that I was a little worried that this book was going to be all about how much of a burden caregiving is, and, in turn, make me feel like a burden as someone who needs care. But it actually also showed the joy and the love that can come from caregiving, and I thought that was really special.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Rom-commers has a premise which is Hollywood and over the top in aspects, but it was a lot of fun. Emma is such a pure, passionate character. She is stellar at everything from her writing, to her teaching, to her care for her father and sister. Emma has also been excellent at protecting herself from bad relationships by not having any.

Her whole life is upended by the opportunity to write a screenplay with her personal favorite Charlie Yates. Emma is surprisingly blunt about things, well it is a business relationship. Charlie is more closed off, actual a bit of a gaslighter. He's not talented at rom-coms either.

Their routine of writing and trying out different aspects of his screenplay over six weeks are hilarious and heart-breaking as they get to know each other. It's hard for each of them, but they grow to be more supportive and protective of each other.

Emma misses her dad and worries that her sister will properly take care of him. Charlie is worried about his guinea pig and his five year cancer remission. It feels light and funny but there are serious issues and feelings supporting their connection in the background.

I enjoyed this and had some real feelings. I cared about the characters and worried for them and laughed at their antics and cheered for their triumphs.

Narration:
Patti Murin is a familiar narrator to me. I appreciated her emotional performance for the characters. None of the voices pulled me out of the story, but they were distinct and felt comfortable. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.