The narrator is obnoxious unfortunately and her voices for the different characters are just not good. I feel like I'm listening to a child reading this book to me, it's very whiny sounding and theatrical but not in a good way. I guess some people might enjoy her performance but not me. To be honest, I cannot even focus on the book much because the narration is so bad in my opinion. I got about 25% into this book before I had to give up ultimately. The writing was worse than I was expecting from such an author who is hyped up. She literally says the main guy's name repeatedly more than 5x (I lost track) in one paragraph and it made it so awkward that even my boyfriend who was in the room while I listened commented "how cringey and poor that sounded". The main character is not my favorite and I couldn't connect or relate to her which made it difficult to enjoy this book. But I just couldn't get past the writing and how it felt like a child had pulled this from their 13yr old diary entry. Maybe romcoms just aren't for me.

I got this as an ARC from Net Galley and this is my first book by this author. I wanted to love it but it just kinda fell flat for me. At times it was interesting but for the majority it was boring. There were some sweet moments but overall the “love story” was pretty much nonexistent.

I enjoyed this audiobook enough to finish it, but I could take it or leave it. The narration was fantastic though!

I really liked the premise of this story: screenwriters working together on a rom-com. My biggest gripe about this story was my dislike of the two main characters in it.

With Charlie, I couldn’t really find anything to like about him. He often insulted Emma, and we only got superficial details about how he might be feeling towards her (I know that was part of his thing- not having feelings, but still…). Sure he did some chivalrous things for Emma as well, but for some reason those got overshadowed for me.

I thought Emma was a bit easier to like: she is compassionate and deeply cares about her family; she is uninhibited when disclosing her feelings; and knowledgeable about writing romance scripts. But I also found her a bit annoying. She’d harp on stuff, saying things like— omg Charlie Yates… THE Charlie Yates! Yes that one!… and she’d also talk about how she’s the best or only one who knows how to adequately take care of her dad.

I definitely didn’t enjoy this book the way most people did, but I could see why many people gave it 5 stars. If you aren’t bothered by the things I listed above, then I could see someone rating it 5 stars. It had some cute romantic elements and kept me interested enough to want to finish.

**Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

The audiobook of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was amazing! The narration was done so well.

The story is told through Emma’s pov. Emma is her dad’s caretaker who requires full time care. She dreams of being a screenwriter, she’s always been very passionate about it. When her friend informs her of a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-write a script for Charlie she knows she has to take this opportunity.

The story was funny, sweet, and also had important topics such as grief. There was depth to both Charlie and Emma. I liked that there was background on Emma’s past to fully understand her character and how important this opportunity was for her.

As for the romance, I thought it was so so cute. I found myself smiling throughout the book. Charlie and Emma’s dynamic and connection felt real. You could tell how much they cared and meant to one another. This was my first Katherine Center book and I cannot wait to read her other books!

This was such a feel good romantic comedy. as always with Katherine Center books I was drawn in to story and gobbled it right up. You know because it’s a romcom what is going to happen yet you’re still on the edge of your seat ready to throw chocolate at the screen when Charlie acts aloof like a good friend would do for Emma right alongside her. So good.

The Rom-Commers is the perfect book for those who love rom coms. Two writers team up to write a screenplay and well you know what is going to happen. The execution of this story is perfect, you fall in love with the characters, their background and characteristics. I liked how Charlie is all “whatever” about anything that’s important to him. That was different from the normal guys I read in rom-coms. I do feel like this book is more serious than funny but that worked for the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC audiobook. The narrator did a great job and I enjoyed hearing from the author as well.

I received an ALC from Netgalley and MacMillian audio. This was such a fun romance to listen to and it was difficult to turn it off sometimes. I absolutely adored the grumpy/sunshine MMC feel that eventually turned into more of a golden retriever feel. I felt that Charlie was very relatable to a lot of people, and I felt as if his character’s development was done wonderfully by Katherine.

Emma’s character was interesting as she is struggling to make her love for writing a successful career. She is determined and driven and ultimately has to assume the role of caretaker to her father whom is injured in an accident. She then gets offered a position assisting a writer in altering their script. The course of the six weeks she spends working on the script and writing changes her life. I really did feel that Emma was also a character that was very well written and will be relatable to a lot of women, however she was a bit pushy with Charlie.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves more of a clean romance story and also other works by Katherine!

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is pure addiction! The MINUTE this book comes out I have to RUN to the bookstore and buy it so I can hold it in my hands and squeal over my favorite parts 😁

How to review this book? What to say? This book is phenomenal in every way. I don’t think I have a single bad thing to say about it honestly. I think I knew from the first chapter I was going to love it and boy was I right 💕

Emma is such a badass main character, I fell in love with her immediately. She is fierce and loyal and so head strong it’s a marvel. She looked her idol in the eye and said his novel was trash and I LIVED for it!! And Charlie?! This book brings Grumpy X Sunshine to a WHOLE new level! At first you kind of hate Charlie because he really is a jackass. But he quickly charms you when you realize he knows he’s an ass but he still cares deep down. This man is so incredibly caring and loving and selfless in so many ways. Watching these two move towards each other while trying to pretend they weren’t was both frustrating and amazing. I wanted to scream at them to just fucking KISS ALREADY!! I honestly cannot gush about these two enough!

Seriously I don’t know what drugs Center pumped into this book but it transcended my wildest expectations! 🤩

Just the whole plot of the book of her trying to teach him about love and rom-coms and how they are misunderstood was sooo good!

I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book that included a major plot point where the main character is a caretaker for her disabled father. This just made me so glad to see! Disability is not widely portrayed in novels, I rarely see it in books I read let alone as a major plot line. Center did a stunning job of incorporating it into the story while bringing amazing representation to the topic. Caretaking can be such an unrewarding undertaking and Center did a beautiful job talking about the struggles.

I’ve read a lot of books in my lifetime but this might be too ten. It’s seriously THAT good. It’s funny, it’s sarcastic, it’s breathtaking, it makes my heart ache a bit and it didn’t take the easy route at any point. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Okay oops I forgot to touch on the narration in showing my adoration for this book. The narrator made this audio all the better! Her inflection was on point, her portrayal of the characters as individual voices was excellent and it was very easy to tell who was talking and when they were talking vs thinking. Outstanding!

If you read this review and though I was giving it anything less than Five Stars you might want to go reread it 😂

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 For the past 10 years, Emma Wheeler has pressed pause on her life to become full-time caregiver for her father after a tragic family accident. To fulfill her life, she's become obsessed with every romance film known to man AND the incredible screenwriter Charlie Yates. She's studied all his work, and idolizes him. But when her friend/ex-boyfriend propositions her to help his client rewrite a script, it's almost too good to be true. Especially when the screenplay is written than none other than Charlie Yates himself. The only problem....this romance is absolutely terrible.

What I 🤍:
🎭 Hollywood Scene
🎥 Screenwriter X Wanna Be Screenwriter
🥊 Forced Proximity~Roommates
😢 All the Feels
💕Grumpy X Sunshine
🥊 Emotional Punch
🎀 PERFECT Ending

Katherine Center has done it AGAIN! Another masterpiece in the books! I appreciate how all her books have such depth in her characters combined with hints of comedy and an emotional punch. I was rooting HARD for Emma. I loved how she was such a hardworking, yet also broken character. Put her with Charlie who is cocky while also going through some of his own messiness.....absolute perfection. 🧑‍🍳😘 My favorite moments were watching these two go head-to head! You could feel the chemistry off-page. Even though Charlie was her idol, she wasn't afraid to stand up to him and his grumpiness. 👏 I just love a woman who puts a man in his place! 👏

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ +
Passion: 🔥🔥🔥
Read if ➡️: You love Katherine's funny, yet emotional romances
📍 Los Angeles, Hollywood Scene
Read 📅: Anytime
CW ⚠️: Death (off-page), Cancer, Caregiving, Divorce, Work Burnout

Overall, this book will be THE IT BOOK to add to your summer TBR. If you loved Katherine's The Bodyguard, be sure to pick this one up. You'll be glad you did! 😉 (There may be a few easter eggs from that book.) 🤫 Also, this book has one of the best endings/epilogues I've ever read. The speech her dad makes will go down as one of my favorite book quotes of all time.

"'Because love is something you can learn. Love is something you can practice. It's something you can choose to get good at. And her's how you do that....appreciate your person."

Thank you to St. Martins for sending me an ARC of this book! The Rom-Commers is out on June 11th.

Emma Wheeler is always wanted to be a screenwriter, but she has put her dream on hold to take care of her dad. When an opportunity comes up that she can’t pass up, her younger sister takes over caring for their dad and Emma takes off for six weeks in LA to work with her favorite scriptwriter, Charlie Yates. The only problem is, Charlie doesn’t want her help or think he needs it. This romcom script is his ticket to getting the movie he really cares about produced, but for Emma it’s everything. Working closely with Charlie, Emma gets to see what her writing idol is truly like. He doesn’t believe in love which makes writing a romcom a little difficult. Emma is determined to make him change his mind and write this screenplay the way it was meant to be written.

I have loved everything I’ve read by Katherine Center and this book was no different. This story has a combination of sweet romance, pain and funny moments. I was hooked from the very beginning and found it hard to put this book down. I loved the characters and thought that Emma and Charlie were the perfect enemies turned friends, and maybe more. There are a fair amount of sad moments in this book, but the comedy in between makes this book a fun read and not too heavy. The romance in this book is a slow burn and not at all spicy, but it is the perfect romance that is sweet and real. The Rom-Commers is a great romantic comedy read and I would definitely recommend it this summer! I can’t wait to see what comes next from Katherine Center, her books are always a good read.

Can I just say that Emma and Charlie may end up being my favorite duo of the summer? This book was everything and more. Exactly what you would want out of a sweet summer romance read.

Emma is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime - to go work with Charlie Yates, her hero, the famous Hollywood screenwriter. The catch though - Logan, her friend who set the gig up, didn't tell Charlie that Emma was coming to save his awful rom-com. Six weeks, can two people fall so deeply into the unknown of emotions in six short weeks?

I know that when I pick up a Katherine Center book I will laugh, I will cry, and most importantly, I will swoon. This one made me do all of those things. My heart felt all the emotions.

Patti Murin did an amazing job of bringing this incredibly heartfelt story to life.


Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very cute book. Emma and Charlie are great characters and I enjoyed their banter and their working relationship. The writing process for a successful rom-com added a level of depth to the storyline and was interesting. The story arch, typical of most rom-coms, felt fresh and not over done. I appreciated the harder subjects woven into this story such as: loss, illness, responsibility, sacrifice, and guilt.

Patti Murin (with the author) does an excellent job of reading this story. Keeping good character distinctions and emotional energy.

The bonus chapters at the end that were edited from the original book were a nice touch and gave us a bit more of these wonderful characters.

'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.'

'....He shines light on her shadows...'

'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.'

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a free early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Wheeler is a screen-writer who is tasked with re-writing a horrible screen play, but her favorite writer Charlie Yates. This book follows them and their subsequent love story.
I loved this one and I REALLY loved the author’s note at the end. Romance has always been viewed as a “woman’s genre” and not “real literature.” But really this book, and so many others in the genre, prove that wrong.
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 Enemies to Lovers
🏝️Perfect Beach Read!
💖Heart-warming characters.
The first 10-15% may seem kind of slow but give it time, this book is amazing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for sending this to me!
This one is out June 11th, run and pre-order this!

What can I say about this book? I enjoyed it. I really liked the characters. I connected with Emma so much. I used to be a caregiver to my mom until she passed away a few months ago. Some of this book ripped my heart into pieces. I have had so many of the same feelings Emma had. I cried with her multiple times. By the end of the book I was sobbing. It was a bit of a rough read for me....but I feel like I needed it. Even though Emma is a character in a book, I needed to "met" her. I could go on and on but I think people just need to experience this for themselves! I don't want to give too much away.

I really liked Emma and Charlie. I laughed at their banter. I listened as I read, and I thought the narrator did a fantastic job! If you are a Katherine Center fan I suggest reading this book, just be prepared to have your heart strings tugged. I can't wait for what Katerine comes up with next!


Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, St, Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the copies in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the e-book of The Rom-Commers so much I requested the audiobook, and it did not disappoint! This was the first novel by Katherine Center that I've read and she has officially turned me into a rom-com convert!

The plot focuses on Emma, a screenwriter whose dream of going to Hollywood was foiled by a tragic family accident, which left her as the caretaker to her disabled father for the past decade. A high school friend turned movie executive offers Emma a once in a lifetime job of rewriting a bad rom-com for a famous, award winning male screenwriter. Charlie, who is divorced and has no interest in romance (in real life or film), has to produce this script in order to get another one his movies made. Some of the usual romance tropes are included in the book, such as forced proximity (Emma stays at Charlie's mansion while in LA) and grumpy x sunshine, but Center's witty banter, physical comedy, and descriptive visuals delivered this story in a totally fresh and quirky manner.

If you're usually skeptical of rom-coms because you find them too cheesy and predictable (especially as their cartoonish covers may suggest), TRUST ME when I say that this one is the exception to the rule. This book was so much more than a cliché romance novel. It was a touching tale of the inner conflict between family loyalty vs. chasing your dreams. Center's poignant writing made me alternate between tears of laughter and genuine empathy and sadness for these fictional characters, who she so aptly brought to life in my mind and heart. I'm sorry that it took me so long to give this author a chance, but I'm glad that I have found her and can't wait to read more of her work!

3.5 stars (rounded up in this case). This book is a slow burn, enemies to lovers story with some more serious topics in the book than expected. It was an enjoyable read, but I felt like I never really connected to Charlie’s character.

The narrator did a great job at narrating the book and distinguishing voices. The one person with the British accent was unexpected, but it was cool.

Also, what’s Charlie’s last name again? Just kidding—I don’t know if listening to the audiobook made me overly attentive to how many times it’s said, but I feel like I’ll never forget the name Charlie Yates.

I absolutely loved this book. This gave me the feels of those early 2000s rom-coms I’m dying to come back! The enemies to lovers, the banter the build-up just all, chefs kiss.👌🏻

The audio narrator did a great job and have no issues with their performance.

Five stars

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and contemporary romance is not my typical go-to genre so I didn’t know what to expect. I think the highest compliment I can give is to say that Katherine Center has made me a believer!

Emma is an aspiring rom-com screenwriter whose been taking care of her dad since he was badly injured ten years ago, putting her life on hold. When she’s offered the chance of a lifetime working with her hero, Charlie Yates, she’s beyond excited but hesitant to leave the care of her father to her younger sister who has recently graduated from college. Of course, she does leave and what transpires was a pure joy to read.

What I liked:

The writing style. The book is told from Emma’s perspective and is directed at the reader as though she’s talking to you. The wording is very visual. I could see this story play out as though I was watching a movie.

The characters. All of them. Emma is witty, clever and intuitive and Charlie is yes, a bit of a butt-head but he is open to listen to reason and able to acknowledge and communicate his feelings as his character develops. And, while there is one very unlikeable dude, he’s done is such a way that is still amusing.

The banter. The interaction between Emma and Charlie had me giggling throughout the book.

The highs and lows. I had goosebumps reading the kissing scene and was near to tears reading the scene where her dad was injured. This book made me feel the emotions the author wanted the reader to feel. And, I rooted for the couple the whole time.

No gratuitous sex scenes.

What I didn’t like:

There is one part, and you’ll know when you get to it, that just didn’t ring true for me. The prolonged obstinate reaction from a diabolically emotional and believable fight is completely opposite of how this character has been portrayed throughout the whole book.

Conclusion: I love this book! So much so, that I practically read it in one sitting. Like, I was mad to have to set it down to go to dinner and wait to finish the last 10%. It’s a fun and easy read that will leave you smiling. And, again, the writing is SUPERB!

Tha narrator did a great job. Her pacing and intonation was perfect.

I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

My full review is available on my site: https://karamaek.com/2024/06/01/charming-and-heartwarming-romantic-comedy-the-rom-commers-book-review/

Emma Wheeler’s dream is to have her Rom-Com, The Accidental Mermaid, made into a movie. But her full-time job as caretaker for her father has put that dream on hold.
Charlie Yates is a screen writer with a long catalogue of blockbuster movies filling his IMDB page and a drawer full of awards. But after a battle with cancer, he has the yips. He also happens to be Emma’s writing idol.
Logan is the best friend to Emma and agent to Charlie, who feels it is time to meddle and bring the two people he truly cares about most together to help them both find their voices again.

I found The Rom-Commers to be charming, funny, heartwarming, and an all around good time. I liked Emma, I loved that her family pushed her out of the nest to take on this adventure. I liked Charlie and found him to be someone looking to grow. In true Rom-Com fashion, there were places where I wanted to scream “Did you not hear what he just said to you?!” and “Oh, come on! Don’t be a dolt!” But there were also many, many times when I laughed out loud and found I was having a good time listening to this story.

The narrator had a voice that was easy to follow and her character differentiation was solid. The pacing was perfect, I was able to speed up to 1.25x without impacting the clarity of the words, this allows the listener to have options in pacing. At times the deep intake of breath was distracting, which I know does bother many people, but I was able to move passed this. I do recommend the audio version!

Okay, the book was as good (banter, slow-burn, enemies to lovers, oh, my!) as I’ve come to expect from this author, but can we also talk about Center’s Romance Isn’t Ridiculous Manifesto?

Gah! She might have opened my brain box and scooped out my own thoughts.

You, over there, reading Self-Help, or Literary Fiction.

Romance novels aren’t the less-worth genre.

Romance novels are not derisory.

Romance novels show growth and hope and redemption.

Romance novels for president.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this comedically romantic ARC.