Emma put her life on hold when her father had an accident, requiring him to have a full time caregiver. She teaches and writes screenplays, but nothing has ever caught on. When her agent calls her with a ghostwriting offer to write with her favorite screenwriter, she turns him down. She has to care for her dad. Her younger sister cancels her summer internship and their family sends Emma off to LA. When she arrives at Charlie's house, she learns not only didn't he agree to write with her, he had no idea she was coming. He doesn't want to write this screenplay- a romcom- and only agreed to it in order to get another movie made. He is cynical and doesn't believe in love. He reluctantly agrees to Emma's help after spending time with her. Again- only because he really wants his mafia movie made.

I always enjoy [author:Katherine Center|409113]'s books. I don't always *love* them, but I always like them. I was kind of skeptical of this one at first. I just didn't connect with it in the beginning and it made me sad, longing for [book:The Bodyguard|58724801]. (Though luckily we have a couple of cameos from Jack!) But as it went on, I loved it more and more. Somewhere around the 2/3 mark, I was crying for the first time. Towards the end, I was downright sobbing.

The overall plot is kind of predictable. But getting there isn't. It is very human and real. Romance is a tricky genre. Some is pure fluff. Some requires explicit sex scenes to make it interesting. Some is sickeningly sweet and fake. Then you have books like this- where the characters feel real. You can actually connect with them. I will read fluff and steamy books when I am looking for something that is enjoyable with little effort. But I never love those books. It is books like this- the ones that require you to actually feel something- that I end up loving.

Patti Murin narrates the audiobook and does a spectacular job, as always.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

SMP needs to take accountability for their actions in order for me to review this book and it's truly disheartening to realize I read a book under this publisher and this is still going on when it's a very simple ask. I would love to be able to talk about the books I have read under the imprints in this umbrella but I can't and that's very frustrating because the bookish world should be a welcoming place for all people regardless of race, gender, etc, but the lack of action being taken is truly so disappointing. I will rate this book the stars it deserves because the author has done nothing wrong but the publisher's need to realize they are hurting their authors too with this because none of us want to continue reading books attached to a place bent on doubling down on bigotry.

I struggled with rating this book and writing my review because I really like Katherine Center's writing style, but I couldn't connect with the characters in this book. Emma is hired to help Charlie rewrite his rom com movie script. He is known for writing other movies, but he has never written a rom com. Emma and Charlie are opposites, but they have to work together and live together for six weeks.

I didn't like that Emma tried to make Charlie face his fears. It felt like she was forcing him, and I didn't like that. I also struggled with all of the miscommunication between Emma and Charlie. As a character, Charlie's inconsistencies really got in the way of my ability to root for him. If I were Emma, I don't think I could ever trust him.

I also struggled with Emma's relationship with her sister. Emma had to be caregiver for their father, and she also helped to raise her younger sister.

The narrator, Patti Murin, did a great job with the material. I also enjoyed the bonus chapter in the audio book. The author's note was read by the author in the audio book. I really connected to Katherine Center's message and love and appreciation for the rom com genre.

Overall, I have mixed thoughts and feelings about this book, and it makes me sad to feel that way about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read a few books by Katherine Center, but this is definitely my favorite book of hers! It’s so good! I ended up staying up way too late just so that I could finish reading it.

The Rom-Commers is about forgiveness, growing, not giving up on your dreams, and making the most of the life you have. It was such a beautiful story.

I loved the characters in this story. While Charlie Yates started off a bit rude and arrogant, he quickly became such a sweetheart who’s thoughtful and maybe not as confident as you’d expect him to be with the fame and awards he had.

Emma was an absolute delight and so funny and charming without even trying to be. She was constantly putting others first, which was lovely, but I also liked the moments when she did things that she enjoyed. She learned to let others help even when it’s hard to give up that control.

The friendship that formed between Charlie and Emma was so wholesome. They got along so well and really complemented each other. Their conversations were entertaining, and I just loved how quickly they became comfortable with each other.

Emma’s family was really sweet, but I loved that they weren’t perfect. They didn’t always say or do the right things, but it was clear how much they loved each other. Emma’s dad was a total sweetheart, and I loved that he didn’t let grief and his health hold him back from life.

The premise of this book was also so interesting and unique. I haven’t read any other books about screenwriters, and I thought it was fun to learn more about that. It was also adorable to see Emma teach Charlie all about rom coms (especially the kissing!).

Also, I read this book as an audiobook, and it was fantastic! Patti Murin did an amazing job with her character and with her dialogue with Charlie. She fit Emma perfectly, and I definitely need to read more audiobooks that she narrates.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone! It was an easy five star read for me, and I can see myself re-reading this book many times in the future.

4.75 - Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary copy!

This book will be out June 11th.

This is my 3rd summer of reading a Katherine Center and this may be my favorite one of the three.
I just enjoyed the book from start to finish. The way that Katherine writes just always sucks me in. I really need to go back to read her backlist.

"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."

I just loved the dynamic between Emma and Charlie. Emma was a talented writer who just needed the write opportunity to strike to hit. And the opportunity came from her former ex who manages a very famous screenwriter and he needs help reworking a romcom. But the catch, Charlie doesn't believe in love nor has never seen a romcom!

Even though I loved this book, I am so surprised how many reviews are saying how much they love Charlie. I felt like Charlie was unlikeable through majority of the book. We do find out why this was the case but it made it hard to like him. Day by day Emma just chewed away at Charlie's hard exterior. And while doing this he slowly began to warm up and a different side to Charlie began to shone through. He would do small gestures to show he was paying attention.

"I get it now."
"Get what?"
"Why we're rewriting this story."

A major storyline that is woven throughout the book is Emma's role as a caretaker to her dad. We learn what happened that caused his Ménière's disease and what her daily life is like taking care of him. She is entrusting her younger sister Sylvie (and her boyfriend) to take care of her dad while she is away in LA. I did feel bad because Emma had taken on the brunt of his care for the last 10 years and it was just something that she made her full responsibility. I really feel like she was so passionate about his care after feeling responsible for their mother's death. The climax came towards the end when things came to a head.

I paired my reading with the audio which was narrated by Patti Murin who is a top tier audiobook narrator. She truly knocks it out of the part each and every time! Her tone and cadence is always so pleasant to listen to. This one was no exception. I loved how she voiced all the characters!

I really enjoyed this but I know a lot of peers have had mixed reactions to this so please take in consideration my thoughts but also others as well.

I love this author so much and this was another hit! I'm so glad I got this copy! Totally made my weekend as I devoured the book quickly

When Emma Wheeler's dad suffered a life-altering injury that left him in need of around-the-clock care, she put her dreams of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter on hold to take care of him. She's spent her life on the side-lines, idolizing other writers and directors who are making it big in TinselTown. One day, her friend calls her with the offer of a lifetime: to work alongside her biggest idol (and star crush), Charlie Yates, doing a re-write of her all-time favorite film.
Her sister has just graduated from college and agrees to come take her place as dad's caregiver to Emma can spend 6 weeks in LA with Charlie.
Unfortunately, she finds out upon arrival that Charlie doesn't actually want to work with her, and doesn't care at all about the project they're supposed to work together on.
Will she stay or will she go? Can they find a way to work together, and will the man of her dreams turn into a dream or a nightmare?

This was a cute story with beautiful writing and an interesting story. It didn't knock my socks off, but kept me interested and wanting to find out how it played out.
Solid 4 stars. Another good, clean, love story suited for both teens and adults.

Katherine Centers. is an auto-buy author for me- if she writes it, I’m buying it! At I have yet to read a book of hers that I did not enjoy! The rom-commers was so good and may just be my new fave of hers!
This book was hilarious (I found myself giggling as I read it), but it was also emotional and raw at times.
Emma gets the opportunity to write a script with her hero screenwriter, Charlie, but things don’t go quite as expected.
Charlie could care less about the awful romance he’s written and sees it simply as a means to an end, but Emma wants to make it amazing and convince him that love stories matter.
I loved seeing Emma stand up for herself, the romance genre and even love itself! 🥰

I listened to the audiobook and loved it! I totally recommend!

My Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️ No explicit content

Read this book if you love:
💕 Real-life Issues
💕 Grief Journey
💕 Forced Proximity
💕 Humor/ Banter
💕 Grumpy x Sunshine
💕 Disability/ Caregivers
💕 A Come-Back Story

This was good! I wasn’t blown away, I felt like the plot was a little too on the nose. But the characters felt whole and had depth to them.

This book was so cute!! This is about Emma and Charlie. Emma is a screenwriter who has yet to find success and Charlie is a big name in screenwriting. Emma's old friend is Charlie's agent, so he hooks her up with a job of helping Charlie write his new screenplay for his first ever rom com. His attempt was awful, so he needs Emma, a romance junkie, to help. However, when she gets there she realizes Charlie is a major grump who had no idea she was coming and he's not really happy to see her. He reluctantly agrees to 6 weeks of working together to revise the screenplay and the book goes from there. The 2 have such a sweet grumpy/sunshine interaction and I normally don't love that trope. I think the reason it didn't bother me here is because Emma is just so loveable. She has been knocked down many times but just keeps popping back up with her bright red, poofy hair and her optimistic attitude. However, she's also self aware and realistic. I really liked her. I hate when one partner makes a decision for the other to protect them, thinking they know whats best for them, and that definitely happened in this book, but I binged it almost in one sitting so I felt like it concluded quickly enough that it wasn't too drawn out. This book is free of steamy scenes and overall just really sweet. It's a little cheesy, didn't make me cry, and is not going to stay in my head forever, but Katherine Center has a way of writing a book that sucks you in and makes you love love. So cute!

Having read and enjoyed two previous books by Katherine Center (The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger), I requested a review copy of both the ebook and audiobook versions of The Rom-Commers from NetGalley. The story centers around an author/aspiring screenwriter named Emma. Emma has long been a fan of a screenwriter named Charlie Yates. When she gets the chance to help him rewrite a failed script, she jumps at it. However, Emma feels a lot of worry and guilt for leaving her disabled father in the care of her sister while she jets off to LA to work with Charlie.

At first, Charlie is a jerk. He doesn't believe in love, much less rom-coms. Emma is determined to change his mind.

There were a few things that I enjoyed about this book. I have one of the same medical conditions as Emma's father and my husband is a survivor of the same disease that Charlie was recently cured of. I also loved Emma's relationship with her father and sister. The author's audiobook narration was enjoyable as well. The drawbacks for me were that Charlie remained kind of a jerk for most of the book and overall the book was pretty slow-moving for me.

This was a 3.5 star book for me, rounded up to 4. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for review copies of the ebook and audiobook versions of The Rom-Commers.

I chose to listen to this via audiobook and the narrator, Patti Murin, did a phenomenal job. The way she presented each characters’ personalities and voice was amazing and made it easy to follow along. This story had me laughing out loud and had amazing witty banter. The character development was spot on and they each came with in-depth backstories that made me so invested in each of their journey. It was also fun to watch a romance book within a romance book being developed.

I highly recommend this book, as it will be a great summer read.

𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕨
💎 Single POV
💎 Forced Proximity
💎 Grumpy X Sunshine
💎 Witty Banter
💎 Workplace Romance

This is another delightful book from Katherine Center.

Emma is a writer of romances and screenplays, but she is also caring for her Dad who lives with her after suffering an injury many years ago in the accident that killed Emma’s Mom. Being a full time caregiver has left her unable to follow her dreams and take up opportunities many times before. But when her agent gives her the chance to re-write a script with a famous screenwriter, Charlie Yates, Emma decides she has to give it a go. Charlie has been one of her favorite authors for years. She persuades her sister to look after her Dad, while Emma heads of to LA.
Charlie, however, doesn’t want to work with anyone, and is completely unimpressed with Emma. He is not shy about telling her so. Emma is so upset and finds him a rude and disappointing person. He doesn’t believe in love, and has written a truly appalling remake of one of Emma’s favorite romantic comedies. As Emma gets ready to leave and return home, she decided to tell him everything that’s wrong with his screenplay – an honesty that Charlie finds refreshing.

A lovely plot, well written characters, and the usual twists and turns of a romantic comedy where the path to true love never runs straight, this was a quick and enjoyable read.

I was not a fan of Charlie though. He was rude and so badly behaved on so many occasions that I wasn’t sure, no matter how he fell for Emma, that she would have trusted him to be a good guy in the end.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Patti Murin and I enjoyed the way she read it. The pacing was good, and her voice kept me interested.

Audiobook ALC 5 stars!

Katherine Center is the queen of quirky characters and romantic comedy, and this book lived up to those high expectations. This book is about an undiscovered screenwriter Emma, who has put her dreams of writing for the big leagues aside to take care of her chronically ill father. She is set up by her ex-boyfriend/gay best friend/manager to help the famous Charlie Yates fix his terribly written rom-com. Oh, this also happens to be the man she has been obsessed with for over 10 years.

Of course our MMC Charlie does not believe in love and discovers it along the way after forming a bond with Emma. Their relationship was so cute to follow and showed that even the coldest hearts just need the right person to come along to warm them.

The banter and character development was captivating and kept me listening all the way to the end. This book covers issues of grief, chronic illness of a parent, caregiver fatigue, illness recovery and anxiety.

I would definitely recommend this book for those who are looking for a low spice rom com!

This advanced listeners copy was provided by Netgalley.

Such a cute story! I really loved Charlie! He was a grumpy guy, and a little bit clueless, but he was adorable.
I fully expected there to be a big tragedy at the end, because Katherine is know to bring out all the tears.
Color me surprised when everyone got their happy ending, though it was a little touch and go for a minute there.
Really great read, with fun tropes like grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, celebrity crush, mental health rep, disability rep, and all kinds of yumminess in between.
Also, narration was perfection!

Emma dreams of getting her big break as a screenwriter. She gets an opportunity to work with Charlie Yates, one of her favorite screenwriters of all time! Upon meeting him, his sparkle starts to fade for Emma. His writing in this new-to-him genre was lacking, and he was acting like an ass towards her. Despite everything, this was Emma’s dream and she would do what it takes, even if spending time with Charlie was not at the top of her list anymore. After time working together, is it possible their feelings will change?

So I know this one has been getting a lot of praise lately and I was super excited to experience my first Katherine Center book! I did enjoy the premise, because falling in love while writing a rom com together is so cute. There were a few times I chuckled at things Charlie would say as well, and I loved the narrator. Unfortunately the characters in this one really set me back. I have a lot of thoughts about both of them, but especially Emma and her personality. For Charlie, I didn’t find him to be consistent. Happy to share more in depth over DM! Would love to hear from people who really enjoyed this too, as it has a high rating! Just wasn’t for me.

This was such a fun romcom! I love the set-up of acting out romcom tropes in real life to introduce a screenwriter to the wonder of romcoms. - it brought about a lot of adorable situations! The characters were so good - flawed and funny and emotional. There were a couple gut punch moments that really got me before I made it to the happily ever after. I especially loved hearing a character describe what a romcom is and what the purpose of a romcom is, as well as seeing some anxiety representation. I listened on audio, and the narrator did a great job bringing this story to life!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!

A little love, a little sadness, some hard breaks in life, lots of self determination and a family geared love bond that is just wonderful! What’s not to like??

Emma was going to be a phenomenal screenwriter. She moved through school and did so well, and she even earned an internship that was IMPOSSIBLE to get.
And then…
The accident happened. (That’s all you’re getting on that. If you want more, you’ll have to read it!)

So, Emma’s dream was put on hold…and somewhat forgotten. She wasn’t screenwriting, but she was writing rom-coms…and doing pretty well. And doing some teaching on the side…

Then one day she gets a call from her old friend/ex (Logan) …and he offers her the chance of a lifetime. An established screenwriter, (Charlie) one who’s VERY WELL KNOWN, has written something… All of his stuff, everything he touches, is GOLDEN…so why does he need help?

Well, apparently, THIS script is way out of his wheelhouse, but falls directly in hers…

So she does all kinds of maneuvers to make this work and get out to LA to meet with Charlie.

Oh, and did I mention that HE is her IDOL? She knows everything he’s ever written! And LOVES it all!

Can this really be happening? Is she really going to meet and work with Charlie Yates??

Well, all is NOT as it seems…and when Emma goes to meet him, there’s a bit of a snafu…. And, in person, he’s not what she thinks he is. At. All…

Can they work together to fix this? Does she really even want to try?

Maybe, just maybe, they can make it work…

I’ll leave you all here, but this is where the story really picks up and starts to get juicy! And what a ride it is!

If you love romantic stories with quirky characters, this one is definitely for you!

5+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫💫💫 for me!

This one just had a little bit of everything to love!! Oh, and did I mention the Guinea pig??!! ❤️❤️

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
It is due for release in just a few days on 6/11/24!!

#TheRomCommers by #KatherineCenter. Narrated wonderfully by #PattiMurin and #KatherineCenter.

⭐️ Wonderful FMC in Emma. Loves her family. Loves her work…even though it’s not exactly what she wanted to be doing…
⭐️ Wonderful MMC in Charlie. Independent. Quirky. Angers quickly…but is able to be tamed by kind words…and a Guinea pig. Also **he’s a rom-com writer who does NOT believe in love!?!?
⭐️ Logan, the ex. Well, what won’t he do to get what he wants?? 😮
⭐️. ❤️ Emma’s Dad. He should be made a Saint. Beautiful character with all the harshness that life has thrown at him, and yet he’s still smiling, and grateful!
⭐️ Love how Emma is the total optimist in ALL things, even though her life thus far has been so limited…
💫 Love how Emma’s enthusiasm can melt even the coldest of hearts…like Charlie’s!
💫 Loved all the shenanigans…especially in the closet, and line dancing!!

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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.

The audio for this one was amazing. Patti Muran brings so much life and levity to Emma and there’s a bonus chapter and author’s note read by Center that make the audiobook absolutely the way to go. But I still need a physical copy to add to my Katherine Center collection.

Emma has been her father's primary caregiver for 12 years. He is a survivor of a traumatic Brain Injury in an accident that also took Emma's mother's life. A chance of a lifetime, she is able to travel to Los Angeles to ghost write a romantic comedy script with a famous, academy award winning screenwriter. I LOVED this book! I really believed the love story, I loved the narrator (this review is for the audiobook version) and the dialogue is believable, natural and funny. This is one of my favorite romances of 2024.
-PG rated
-working together to lovers trope
-younger sister, Sylvie, steps in to take care of Dad so Emma can travel to LA.
-Wedding at the end (won't say whose wedding, for spoiler reasons)

If I have a criticism, it is that the narrator has more of a east coast accent, while Emma is from Houston.
Great epilogue, walking us through the difference between "happily ever after" and what we think that means versus what it does. That we work on our love, that happiness is only happiness when you also have a little sadness.

If you like contemporary romances, this is a good one.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ARC.