Thank you Netgalley for approving my request for the audiobook of The Rom-Commers.

My third audio by this author and I absolutely enjoy every single one of them. First, her covers are always so bright and happy and pretty. Second, the characters are so likable and relatable.

This story was so fun and delightful. Will definitely request this author again.

* Emma is hilarious you feel like your in her head
* I love her love of writing , movies, etc
* I feel like I’m in a rom com seeing two writers slowly fall for each other
* Grumpy x sunshine hits every time
* Charlie is a cinnamon roll im in love
* He searched up how long it should take to fall in love after knowing her for a month 🥹 babe your in love already
* Obesessed with their banter
* His rude moment was not it but forgiven
* Absolutely loved this book wow

Katherine Center strikes again! I just simply adore her books!

Although it took me a while to warm up to the MMC, Charlie, I ended up loving the way his character grew and how the story played out, he really opened up by the end and we got to see his true colours. Charlie and Emma both went through a hefty amount of grief and past struggles. Charlie and Emma having that similarity of past loss and painful experiences, it really made their story shine together.

I loved the witty banter and humour , Katherine Center always knocks it out of the park with the perfect balance between serious/emotional and lighthearded/goofy moments. This book definitely makes the message clear on how we can't just judge someone based off of their cover, we never really know what they've been through or what may lie under that hard exterior shell.

Definitely recommend and can't thank St. Martins Press enough for allowing me to read this in advance.

Out June 11th, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I listened to and read this delightful novel over a couple of days. I enjoyed the banter between Charlie and Emma. It was a perfect rendition of "Rom-Commers"

Was it problematic? Yes.
Was it lighthearted and fun? Yes
Was it over the top? Again, yes.
Is it the perfect beach read? YES!

If you want something fluffy and fun, pick this one up. It was a delight.

When it comes to a Katherine Center book, I’m picking it up without reading the blurb. So, when I saw this ARC of the Rom-Commers was available to request, I hit the button right away, initially not realizing that I had requested the audio version. All in all a great decision, because this was an excellent audiobook and the narrator (Patti Murin) is fantastic! Now, our protagonist Emma seems quirky and has clearly experienced a lot of adversity in her life, so you want to root for her as an underdog, but there are moments when she’s a little less redeeming. Also, I could have done without the extra obstacles in the end, but I guess every love story needs several? Still, another great story by Katherine Center! Bonus, enjoyed the character cameos from The Bodyguard. Many thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity!

Katherine Center does it again with another delightful romantic comedy, aptly titled "The Rom-Commers." Center is a master at crafting sweet, closed-door romances that will give you all the feels. Like with her other books, "The Rom-Commers" will have you laughing out loud and wiping away tears. There are quite a few hard-hitting topics in the book, so be sure to check the trigger warnings. But, as usual, Center is able to skillfully balance grief and trauma with romance and humor. This book was not my favorite of her works, but it was an enjoyable and easy read that will make the perfect beach or poolside companion this summer. Emma and Charlie were relatable characters, each dealing with their own challenges and past traumas. I loved the "opposites attract" trope and thought they both had excellent character development. Overall, a wonderful rom-com that I recommend.

I listened to the audiobook read by Patti Murin. She has narrated Center's books in the past, and I always enjoy her narrations. Murin is a believable narrator who brings the story to life with a fun and lively performance. The audiobook featured a bonus scene from Charlie's perspective and an author's note read by Center, which are both audio-exclusives, as well as acknowledgements read by the author.

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

I knew I wanted to give the Rom-Commers a try right after viewing an Instagram Reel of the premise of the book and reading the descriptor of the book itself. This is my first book by Katherine Center, and I laughed and loved it. I appreciated her "authors note" at the end and her thoughts about "love stories" and "literature". It was a change of pace to my normal dark, tense, emotional rides of books that I read and I'm not sad about it.

Emma and Charlie both have their own quirks and were relatable as adults and people. Trying to navigate adulthood, life in general, the events that unfold within our control and outside of our control. and the concept of what "love is" and "love isn't". I definitely related to Charlie because I have switched from the side of loving love and all things love to swinging the other way and thinking that love and fairytales are a sham... but questioning deeply if they really are?

I valued the opposing viewpoints and the plot as it unfolded. It wasn't as predictable as one would think. The research going into screen writing and blending the balance of work and living was also well done. The Rom-Commers was definitely an "opposite attract" story that you have you laughing and understanding Charlie and his views, while still appreciating Emma and hers. I also valued how family intertwined throughout the book.

Touching, light-hearted, and a bit quirky, I definitely recommend The Rom-Commers and giving this a try for a change of pace, and laughs about swimming, diving boards, guinea pigs, closet moments, making donuts in the kitchen, and random hospital upgrades.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Katherine Center for this ARC. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook and the opportunity to read The Rom-Commers.

First, I'd like to thank Katherine Center, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝓐 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂

Emma Wheeler is a struggling screenwriter who has consistently sacrificed her dreams to care for her sick dad. When the opportunity of her lifetime falls in her lap, her family pushes her to leave and finally take the leap. Emma leaves Texas for LA to ghostwrite for her screenwriting idol, THE Charlie Yates.

𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽

I really can't express enough how much I loved this book. 8% in I already knew this was going to be 5 stars for me unless something horrible went wrong.

I can nearly always find some way to relate or emphasize with characters, but connecting with Emma felt so natural. Charlie on the other hand....water on your cereal, seriously?! Charlie, are you genuinely a sociopath?  All jokes aside, I loved Charlie, and he and Emma had this kind of relationship that just sucked you in. Even the most mundane activities had me absorbed.

Everything felt like the perfect balance of the main story and side character/relationship development. I especially loved Sylvie and Emma's story line. It was beautiful and painful, but really showed the power of familial love and support.

When I tell you I wept at the ending, I mean it. I was sobbing, laughing, and smiling in my bed throughout the last few chapters. I swear it changed my brain chemistry.

The only thing(s) I didn't like about the book (SPOILERS)
........
is the miscommunication and third-act breakup. The two talked so much, but just weren't speaking the truth out loud. Granted it was really just Charlie, but the speech at the end made up for everything.

In regards to the narration itself, I really liked the narrator and thought her male voice was good - at least good enough that I didn’t find it cringy, which it usually what makes or breaks a narration for me for romances.

Thank you for allowing me this early listen of The Rom-Commers. This was a cute read and I enjoyed it for sure. I loved Emma's character and with time I learned why Charlie was the way he was. I laughed and got emotional at some points. I wanted to shake Charlie at some points, but like I said I couldn't blame him for how life had shaped him to be.

Definitely picked this one up!

I gave it a 4.25/5 stars

Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me listen to the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Ahhhh this was so cute! Katherine Center really delivered with this book! The characters, pacing and the romance had me in my feels. It had me laughing, crying and smiling the entire time. I loved it and finished it in one day. I recommend the book and the author for anyone who is looking for a feel good, HEA story.

First-person, single POV, the story of not quite enemies but definitely people who don't like each other to happily ever after. That's what a fiction book about love is supposed to be, right? At least, according to the main character, Emma, it is.

This book is a little meta as the main characters work to rewrite a Rom-Com script. As Emma explains what goes into a good Rom-Com, those same elements are happening for real in the story. Emma's narration is also self-aware and talks to someone/reader.

Overall, the narration (listened to on audiobook) was enjoyable. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center delivered all the elements of a good love story, with unforeseen plot twists and a satisfying ending.

<i><b>PLEASE NOTE:</b> One of the trigger warnings may be a spoiler, but I wish I had known it so I could have avoided reading and preordering this book.</i>

<b>TRIGGER WARNINGS:</b> terminal lung cancer fake-out, past mentions of cancer, maternal death

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Yep, you read that right. <b>Terminal lung cancer fake-out.</b> I usually like to keep my reviews organized, but this one is going straight into the ranting, because this was truly the most egregious, cheap, lazy “twist” I’ve seen in quite a while.

<blockquote>“Turns out, on a screening test, it’s hard to tell the difference between a concerning mass in your lungs and plain old, everyday congestion. That’s the news I just got. Better imaging gives a much clearer picture.”</blockquote>

Here, our MMC Charlie is explaining how he was misdiagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, when all he had was bronchitis. And I have oh so many issues with this.

1. Most doctors would not diagnose a patient with terminal cancer OVER THE PHONE.

2. A doctor would not diagnose a patient over the phone WITHOUT ADDITIONAL IMAGING IF IT WAS TRULY SOMETHING THAT COULD BE THIS MISCONSTRUED.

3. In what motherfucking world would a screening test like this one be used, when it is apparently so poor quality that it makes it easy for a medical professional with 12+ years of schooling and probably decades of experience to confuse METASTATIC LUNG CANCER with BRONCHITIS????? IF there is a concern after a CT scan for lung cancer vs. bronchitis, there is always a biopsy or additional screening required to potentially rule one of those out. In fact, Charlie mentions after he finds out it was just bronchitis that he had one such appointment scheduled to rule out other potential diagnoses. So why did the doctor tell him he had terminal cancer without being sure? Plot convenience and lazy writing. For a doctor to call a patient and deliver news of a terminal cancer diagnosis over the phone without any additional follow up is laughably unrealistic and shows me just how little research Center did in order to incorporate this manipulative plot twist. I can do nothing but condemn her for laziness and callousness in writing about such an emotional thing that affects millions of real people in such a disrespectful way.

I have to say that I truly fucking loved this book for the first 75%. I was having so much fun. But this was such a betrayal for me. You do not get to use cancer as a fake-out plot twist to emotionally manipulate your audience. You do not. When Charlie’s persistent cough kept coming up on the page, I was reminded of the hacking that punctuated my late uncle’s speech. Then, when it was revealed that Charlie was diagnosed with lung cancer (and metastatic lung cancer at that), all of the memories of losing my uncle and watching him waste away were dredged to the surface. I literally broke down into tears.

Let me be clear, this turn of events wasn’t cool with me. I didn’t pick up a romcom to be tricked into a terminal cancer tragedy. I’ve had enough of that in real life. Terminal cancer itself is not a fucking plot device you can use to make a big reveal in the third act to keep your readers guessing. I’m actually so livid that I can’t even properly write a trigger warning for this section without prefacing that some may consider it a spoiler. Terminal cancer should not be a spoiler. Yet Center frames it that way by setting it up as a plot twist. To me, that’s despicable.

But even knowing this, I kept thinking to myself, <i>She has to lean into this. If this is what Center has written, the only thing she can do to hang onto her integrity is to let this character have lung cancer. If she retcons it, that would be the most fucked up path she could take.</i> So despite feeling catfished by a romcom that turned out to be a terminal cancer tragedy, I still didn’t want it to go the way it very obviously did. Because that would have been so much worse. That would mean that Center used cancer to do the work for her of manufacturing tension and emotion into the story because, clearly, she couldn’t come up with either on her own. Then, when it suited her, she took the cancer away so the MCs could have their HEA. Thus, it was all just bronchitis.

And what really pisses me off is that she did this to drum up a third act conflict. That’s all. She had to give Charlie a reason not to jump into a relationship with Emma. This was that reason. Now, terminally ill, he would be all too ready to push her away. But, like Emma had said earlier, every romcom must have a happy ending. So Center threw the terminal lung cancer diagnosis at us for a single scene before immediately reneging on it to explain away Charlie’s atrocious behavior.

This is laziness to the nth degree. Charlie couldn’t have had ANY other reason to push her away? Or hey, maybe we could have had a different conflict altogether? Maybe Charlie and Emma do get together, but Charlie’s rude ass behavior that kept coming up throughout the book starts cropping up again and maybe Emma refuses to put up with it anymore? Or maybe Emma abandons Charlie for a false alarm with her dad, causing him not to trust her while also triggering his abandonment traumas from his mom and ex-wife, and thereby requiring Emma to make amends by learning the lesson that this book had been building toward—that her whole life does not need to be caregiving. She can let other people (like her sister, brother-in-law, and Charlie) help her.

Literally Center could’ve done ANYTHING else and this would’ve been a 4 star review.

<b>Warning: the rest of this review contains spoilers not strictly related to the lung cancer fake-out.</b>

And speaking of the lung cancer diagnosis, Charlie did something I feel can almost qualify as gaslighting when he got the phone call with his terminal diagnosis. Emma asks him if he’s sick, and the following happens:

<blockquote>
Charlie gave me an Olympic-level eye roll that involved not just his face, but his neck and shoulders, too. Then he said, “Not everybody is dying all the time, Emma.” There was a bitterness to his voice I hadn’t heard before.
“I know, I just—“
“Let’s not add your paranoid hypochondria to this situation, okay? It’s bad enough without you backing up a whole dump truck of crazy.”
</blockquote>

So not only does he flat out lie to Emma, but he proceeds to manipulate her by using her self-confessed anxieties about health problems as the reason she’s reading into the situation, and then calls her crazy.

Does he ever apologize about this? Nope. In fact, at the end, he is so unapologetic about all the lying that, when Emma says to him that he would rather “feed [her] heart into a wood chipper” than tell her he was sick again, he says, “Correct. And I would do it again, too, because I was not going to be another person ruining your life…You can’t be trusted to do the right thing for yourself.”

I’m sorry. Lying to her was the “right thing” for her? Gaslighting her? Leading her on and shutting her down? Hurting her again and again? That was all better than the alternative—simply telling her the truth and letting her make her own choices?

Sure, this all ties back to his shard of glass—the lesson he needs to learn. His mom and his ex-wife both abandoned him at different points in his life when he was sick and needed them most. But he never really learns anything from that. Emma just tells him that she was ready to be with him before she knew his terminal diagnosis was made in error and not much in the way of Charlie’s development is explored beyond that.

To add insult to injury, Emma’s character growth was also poor. She is characterized as someone whose anxieties controlled her life so much that she’s taken to making her role as a caregiver for her hemiplegic, medically complex father her whole identity. She doesn’t have a life outside of him.

When she goes on this adventure to LA, she anxiously leaves her father in the hands of her younger sister, Sylvie, who hasn’t lifted a finger to care for him since he was injured ten years ago. Sylvie was also a literal preteen when the accident happened, so I can give her grace for that.

Yet, when Sylvie leaves their father alone for one night and he falls down the stairs and ends up in the ICU, resentment and rage tear through Emma so thoroughly that she tells Sylvie she will never forgive her if her trip to the beach kills their dad. Sylvie shoots back (SPOILERS AHEAD) that they would be even then, because Emma’s trip to the mountains killed their mother. This is a touchy subject for Emma and she instantly vows to never speak to Sylvie again, all the while never recognizing that what she said to Sylvie was equally as fucked up.

I get saying things in anger. In fact, in a moment of high emotion, when your anxieties are eating you alive as your father goes into emergency surgery from which he may never wake up, I can see myself saying the same fucked up things. However, character growth would mean coming out of that emotional stupor, realizing the error of your ways, and fucking apologizing for them.

What happens instead is Emma continues to ignore Sylvie, clinging to the moral high ground of “wow that was so fucked up of her to say, I’m literally never speaking to her again.” As I said before, Sylvie only parroted back the exact thing Emma had said to her. So the fact that she NEVER recognizes how fucked up it was for her to say that, and especially, that she never apologizes to Sylvie for it, while Sylvie herself has to grovel on her wedding day for Emma to forgive her, just made me absolutely despise our FMC. Center bungled her characterization. Just like she bungled everything else at the end.

And for what? This was a fun book up until the 75% mark. I was having a grand old time reading about two flawed screenwriters going on romcom research dates. Patti Murin’s narration was especially quippy and her comedic timing had me literally laughing out loud. But then it all fell apart in the last quarter. The characterization of the two MCs and the terminal cancer fake-out plummeted my rating from a respectable 4 straight down to a 1 star. I am utterly disappointed by the lazy manner in which this was wrapped up and betrayed by the blasé, yet emotionally manipulative way Center trotted out terminal cancer like a show pony just to go, “Sike!”

<b>OVERALL RATING:</b> 1 star.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

The Rom-Commers is my first book by this author and I loved it. The story was a grumpy sunshine/ forced proximity/ romcom and was the perfect blend of humor, emotions, angst, swoon and so much more.

I loved Emma & Charlie. These two were wonderful, relatable characters each with their own flaws. One doesn't believe in love and the other loves love, and I enjoyed going on this journey with them as one teaches the other about love.

Although opposites, they were a great match and I loved their witty banter and the ease with which they navigated their relationship, but even more I enjoyed seeing how they both transformed to become the perfect writing duo. The tension between them was palpable and I was eagerly anticipating every new chapter to see how their romance would blossom.

This story had me fully captivated from start to finish. Apart from the romance and humor, the author covered some serious topics including illness, grief and loss which was well written and dealt with in a sensitive manner.

This was a delightfully sweet and charming tale and I would highly recommend it to romance lovers.

🎧I listened to the audiobook of this novel which was narrated by Patti Murin. It was an absolute pleasure listening to her narration. She gave the characters their own voices and really brought the story to life.
The audiobook also includes two additional treats: a delightful bonus chapter from Charlie's perspective narrated by the author and an insightful discussion by Katherine Center on her affection for love stories.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Right out the gate it started off awesome. I love the banter and their friendship and how it progressed. I cried and I smiled. My only critique was too many situations where she conveniently overheard conversations. Very highly recommend! Loved the epilogue 💗 Katherine Center is so good!!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the audiobook early. This must be the year of screenwriter LA RomCom romances since this is my 5th one this year. I’m not complaining just an observation. This is my 4th Katherine Center book that I’ve read and I can’t say I loved it which makes me so sad because I was really looking forward to this book BUT I didn’t hate it either.

I liked Emma a lot as a FMC, She’s funny and witty and a great screenwriter. She’s the sunshine to Charlie’s grumpy. I really wanted to like Charlie but I couldn’t connect with him. He was just so closed off and well…mean. I didn’t feel the chemistry with our two leads and I didn’t get the butterflies I was hoping for.

I loved the idea of this book and I did laugh out loud at many scenes it just fell short for me sadly. I did very much enjoy the narrator for the audiobook though. She was entertaining and fun.

It’s 3.5 stars for me. I look forward to Katherine’s next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the book.

Not my favorite.

The main character is annoying and immature. There is no chemistry between the characters; it’s actually sad how she throws herself at him and he shows no interest until the very end. Just all over weird vibes for a “rom/com”. No rom, no com.

I received an advanced audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved every minute of The Rom-Commers. Every Katherine Center book I've read is a delight, but this one was - dare I say - delicious. The banter, the pop culture references, the connections to her other works - I loved every bit of it. Being Katherine Center, she also brought in very timely issues that will hit home with many readers. Already planning to attend one of her book tour events and I cannot wait to get a physical copy in my hands!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Publication date: June 10, 2024 🎧

Here’s another contemporary romance book that I absolutely recommend! This audiobook has so many cute contemporary romance tropes. Think enemy to lovers and grumpy meets sunshine tropes. In this story our MC has been her father’s primary caretaker for years. Her manager gets her a writing job with a famous screenwriter that she loves! There are a couple of problems though… 1. He has no idea she’s going to help him and 2. He is horrible at writing rom coms. 3. He doesn’t believe in love! She decides to teach him about love. He has an ulterior motive to why he is writing this horrible screenplay. They come to an agreement where she’s going to help him write a good screenplay under her terms.

The audiobook was easy to follow and kept me engaged the whole time. I loved the chemistry between the two that eventually unfolded and that the narrator was able to portray smoothly. The narrator was able to capture an array of emotions that you can feel the character going through. This author has a unique way of writing love stories out of unfortunate circumstances that a MC has endured. It has you rooting for the MC and wanting them to live the lives they were meant to have.

This book was classics Katherine Center. I loved every second. It was funny and smart and deep and lovely and tender and just everything.
Narration was well done!

I seriously love the way Center tells a story. In every book I’ve read by her she’s done and amazing job of making me feel deeply for the all characters. This one was beautifully done, I even cried at one point which is very rare for me in Rom coms.

I adored her authors note at the end and wholeheartedly agree that the world needs these stories. We need more hope and love and kindness in our lives. This was a fantastic read that I loved and needed in my life!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley!