✨ Review ✨ The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center; Narrated by Katherine Center; Patti Murin

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, SMP, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

So I typically prefer my romances to be a little less G-rated, but this one was an exception. The book made me laugh and root for the characters and really just get sucked up into the story.

I loved the fun elements of the story - the high dive, TJ's nickname lol, Emma's awkwardness, the line dancing and other research they did, the love of Emma's family, and on and on.

The first 1/3 of the book was near perfection -- I loved how it set the story up, I loved how it paired comedy with the characters' grief, and so many things just made me laugh. The tension was A++

The second 2/3 of the book slowed down just a bit because I felt a little frustrated with the characters. I know people don't change over night but sometimes Charlie was really mean to Emma and Emma too unsure and forgiving. I appreciated the messiness but also wanted something a little more from it. I think also hearing Charlie's POV alongside Emma's might have shifted this a bit for me?

Average these together of 5 star x 1/3 + 4 stars x 2/3 gets my rating lol (too much math sorry)

🎧 I listened to most of this on audio BUT I think the jokes landed more via ebook for me, which might be why the first 1/3 ranked so much higher for me. Definitely a fun and quick summer listen!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.33)
Genre: f/m contemporary romance (closed door)
Setting: Los Angeles
Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
Pub Date: Jun 11 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ squeaky clean romances
⭕️ forced proximity with lots of banter
⭕️ guinea pigs
⭕️ tensions on the high dive
⭕️ instruments you can play with one hand

10 years ago there was an awful accident causing the Wheeler family life to change quickly. Emma Wheeler took control and made the best out of a crazy directional change in her life. Now her best friends calls her to partner up with her screenwriter idol and help him fix his awful screenplay. They have 6 weeks to fix the screenplay and maybe even have some time to fall in love.

I loved every single thing until the 3rd act break up and then Emma dealing with the other stuff near the end.

But prior to that I was eating this story up! I was laughing and smiling while walking around my job. Even talked to my coworkers about this book. Soo all in all, I would recommend this book but I can’t lie and say I didn’t want to throw this book around the 80% mark to the 95%.

Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Center and Macmillan.Audio for the ARC of this book

I love Katherine Center but this is her worst book. Wow. Emma and Charlie were both awful! There were multiple things that happened in the book that made me pause, open my chat with someone else who already read this to rant about it, and then go back to finish it. I’ll definitely keep reading her books but this was a huge flop for me.

The audiobook was good, the narrator did a great job. It was just the book that sucked.

The Rom-Commers was very enjoyable! I Love the characters and the family conflict. Charlie was to try something new...completely out of his comfort zone, but he needs Emma to inspire his new challenge! Such a sweet story.

Emma Wheeler is an aspiring screenwriter who spends most of her time taking care of her dad who's still recovering from an accident. Her life's on hold until her agent calls her with what could be a life-changing project. At first, she declines, but then she finds out it's a rewrite with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates. This one is drastically different from his other work as it's a romance and it's a complete mess. She decides to take the chance and goes to Los Angeles to work with him.

This was my first Katherine Center book and I think that may have actually worked against me as I came in with high expectations from all the hype. I just never felt the spark with Emma and Charlie's chemistry. In fact, Charlie treats her terribly for a significant portion of the book. His "conflict" just gave me whiplash — I will leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

Also, I have decided clean romances are lame.

The audiobook element worked for me here. The narrator had a pretty solid voice for Emma and Charlie's was at least distinct. However, I cannot figure out why Logan has a British accent in the audiobook? This man went to high school in Texas.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Emma is a struggling writer and full time caregiver to her dad who gets a once in a lifetime chance to work with her favorite writer on a rom-com. It seems like a dream come true until she realizes he doesn't want to work with her and doesn't believe in love, but she's willing to put in the work to change his mind and maybe fall in love on the way. This a cute grumpy sunshine, Forced Proximity, workplace romance, with an obscure illness thrown in, Center's MO, that tackled the subjects of grief, loneliness, abandonment with tenderness and big dose of humor. There were some corny bits, but it made me smile. If you're looking for an emotional and heartwarming romance with no on page intimacy, this is a great option.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

Things I liked: Katherine Center & Patti Murin’s narration.

Things I loved:: this story. Charlie.

Thing I did not like: the high dive.

Katherine Center continues to be one of the great Rom-Commers. Her characters are adorable and awkward and real. The plots are cheesy perfection (I mean, it was a romcom about a romcom that they named romcom). And the happy ever afters are feet kicking in the air inducing. I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook arc of this new release, and I thought Patti Murin did such a great job of immersing me into the story. She truly captured the sheer awkwardness of both Emma and Charlie, and I loved how her inflection enhanced the dialogue between our two characters. The wit and banter had me laughing out loud so many times, and I loved getting Emma's inner monologues.

I highly recommend anything written by Katherine Center, audiobooks by Patti Murin, and The Rom-Commers.

Katherine Center is a hit or miss author for me. Sometimes her romances can come off a little too cheesy for my taste. However, I loved The Rom-Commers. I appreciated the authentic main characters and the level of depth that was achieved in the storytelling. I also love that the author used this story as a love letter to the romance genre - and all the things that make it complex and equally worthy of respect as other genres. The audio and narrator was fantastic as well.

I might be bias in this, but I have always loved anything Katherine Center puts out so this is a no brainer for me. I loved being in the head of our main character and I never wanted this book to finish! I'm definitely purchasing this physically as well, but the narrator did a fantastic job here!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Katherine Center continues to deliver heartwarming and humorous HEA endings in her latest title.
Here are five things I loved about this one:
🍓Emma Wheeler is such an endearing character. Loved her asides to the reader, her relationship with her dad, and her obsession with romcoms.
🍓Charlie Yates is a lovable Hollywood writer who has become so cynical that he thinks only movies with zombies, Mafia dons, and/or aliens are worth watching. He also has a refrigerator filled with pastrami (you will see why this is important below) and has half-time responsibility for a guinea pig named Cuthbert.🐹
🍓The dialogue was so entertaining. Here is a sample from Emma and Charlie's line dancing from a sexy Italian cowboy:
But this was really bothering Charlie. "This guy," he said, "is not sexy. He drove to LA on a riding lawnmower eating fried butter and squirrel nuggets."
"I don't think you can knock his food choices, pastrami man."
"Have some respect for yourself," Charlie said. 😹
BTW, I learned about a new line dance called 'The Canadian Stomp' from that. You can Google it. Looks like so much fun! 🤠
🍓Jack Stapleton! The Bodyguard has been my favorite Katherine Center title so far. Having the leading man from that book appear in this one (and the lovely Hannah) made my day. 😎
🍓At the end of the audio ARC (thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley), there was a bonus scene from Charlie's perspective and an Author's Note continuing her defense of this type of book. A continuation of the conversation begun at the end of her previous book Hello Stranger. Well said, Katherine!

You may be thinking -- what is with the strawberry? Well, Emma's lucky sweatshirt is a hoodie that looks like a strawberry cap. It is her favorite and a reminder of her late mother. 🥰

This is a book that will warm your heart long after your turn that last page. Don't forget to try the audio if it is available. Patti Murin does a fantastic job! 🎧

Besides the digital ARC from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, I also had a digital ARC from St. Martins Press and Edelweiss+. Many thanks to all!

This is the most Katherine Center book I've ever read and that is an emphatically good thing. The Rom-Commers is joyful, engaging, funny, and utterly lovely. I was able to read it in a day and it was an absolute mood booster. Can't wait to recommend this to my readers!

The Rom-Commers narrator, Patti Murin, is pitch perfect. The character's voices are clear and distinct and it takes an already wonderful story to the next level.

Narrator Patti Murin brings the whole cast of The Rom-Commers to life in this audiobook version of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. I really enjoyed the narration of this story because Murin hit the right emotions at the right time. It's not all fun and laughs in The Rom-Commers and Murin hit the depth needed for the serious while provided the light and airy mood during the comedy parts. This is my first book narrated by Murin and I'll definitely look for her in the future!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

Katherine Center has easily become one of my favorite authors and anything new will easily be a must-read for me.

The Rom-Commers did not disappoint.

Emma is witty, charming, and has sassy quips that had me laughing out loud more than once. Sure she has some eye-rolling moments, but who doesn’t?

Charlie is sort of what you’d expect from a famous screenwriter in a book about writing a rom-com.

The cast of supporting characters were pretty lovable.

Not sad. Didn’t cry. Not scary. #NetGalley

The Rom-Commers is a romantic comedy about…a romantic comedy!

Emma has been caring for her father for a decade but it’s time for a break when her sister takes over. She gets an amazing opportunity to write a screen play with famous Charlie Yates. Charlie is a grown man who doesn’t believe in love so he’s doing a terrible job of writing about it. I say grown man to remind myself that this was not a preteen boy who won’t admit that he has crushes yet. At 75% in I thought I had lost it seeing the 4.4 rating. I’m in the minority but I mean it when I say I did not like this book at all. The main characters are insufferable. As women, do we not struggle enough with getting the people in our lives to treat us well already?? Why on earth would I want to read about some miserable prick with zero redeemable qualities who is supposed to be in a romance?! I never once felt a connection between these two, just a ton of cringing and wtf moments. This did not feel like two mature adults interacting, it felt like people who had never interacted with others before and were way young for their ages.

“I don’t *like* like you” 😩
The kiss scene?! 😳

To sum this book up in one word: uncomfortable

This audiobook was narrated by Patti Muran. She did a good job at conveying characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Katherine Center, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This publishes on June 11th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.

As I started listening to this audio, I thought oh here is another romcom with a couple that falls in love with a little bit of denial here and there but eventually they will have their HEA. Oh, but was I wrong. This is THE romcom. Did you hear me? THE ROMCOM, I mean THE ROMCOM of romcoms. Of course, the first couple of chapters were standard with the introductions and set up to how the couple was going to meet but be fair warned that when they meet that is when the magic happens. Katherine has a way of words when she explains how Emma feels that makes you feel the same feelings. They were moments of happiness, sadness, excitement, torment, conflicts, distress, disappointments and of course love. Definitely an emotional overload in a very good way. You will be staying up late, forgetting to make dinner, you will be putting your life on hold to find out what happens next. You must go on this journey with Emma and Charlie to see how they get their HEA. The voice was a perfect fit for Emma. The best romcom I have heard in a while and am so glad that NetGalley allowed me to listen to the audio for my honest opinion.

I thought it was cute.

Katherine Center's books never fail to give me all of the warm fuzzy feelings I want from a romance novel. This one is definitely a rom-com, I really loved Emma's sarcastic snarky humor. I loved that she stood up to Charlie and challenged him, she never let him wallow, she told it like it was.

Emma has long held a dream to become a screenwriter, but she has sidelined that part of her life in order to take care of her father who was severely injured many years before. But when she is offered the opportunity of a lifetime--to help rewrite a terribly written romantic comedy penned by her favorite award winning screenwriter Charlie Yates--Emma cannot say no. She enlists her sister to take over dad duties and she heads to LA to help. But Charlie isn't as on board with Emma as she was led to believe...

There were a few things about this book that kept me from giving it the full five stars. One, was that Emma was WAY too much of a martyr and a control freak when it came to her dad. At first, I thought he was a bedridden vegetable the way he was described, but it turns out that other than his health issues, he was mentally very with it. So why did it take him so long to push Emma out to have her own life? I could never do that to my adult child, have them give up their entire life to help me. It eventually works itself out, but that part was a bit puzzling. Also, I never quite got the chemistry between Emma and Charlie. It was missing some of the spark that the characters in her other books have.

That said, this is still a fantastic book and I just loved the interplay between the characters. As with Center's other books, Patti Murin is the narrator of the audiobook and her narration is stellar and on point. I try to make a point to listen to books that Murin narrates because her delivery is fabulous.

Readers of The Bodyguard will appreciate the inclusion of Jack Stapleton into the story, I love that she combined the worlds of the books together.

I ended with a big smile on my face, because let's face it, there's far too much strife and drama in the world and sometimes you just need to feel happy when you're reading.

Reading challenge category – 2024 Flourish and Blotts N.E.W.T.s Reading Challenge: “Defense Against the Dark Arts – Dementors: Includes a kiss”

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook.

Katherine Center's "Rom-Commers" follows Emma, a caring, quirky, aspiring screenwriter. Her dream comes true when she gets the chance to work with her favorite screenwriter, Hollywood's world famous Charlie Yates. Charlie wrote a terrible version of a remake of a rom-com and Emma is brought in to help him spruce it up. Little did she know that her life would become a rom-com in itself.

I have loved many of Katherine Center's books. This one was very predictable and just fell a bit flat for me. There were definitely some funny moments throughout the novel. I would definitely classify this as a 'beach read.' I think Center's readers will still enjoy it, but it wasn't my favorite of hers.

I'm the minority but this wasn't doing it for me .I usually love Center's books but couldn't get into this & wasn't invested in the characters at all.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press
& MacMillan Audio for an advance copy

This was such a fun listen! I flew through this one in a little more than a day. The narration was great. The story was great. Katherine Center has had some great releases, but this one might be my favorite to date! I also loved seeing some old characters from some of her previous books in this book. This one is a great read or listen for the summer, as well as for anyone who loves rom-coms.