This is my first Katherine Center read. I've heard so many good things about her stories and overall this was a fun enjoyable read. At first I was a little hesitant because the first quarter is pretty heavy cheese and general rom com set ups without much personal depth from each character. Imm glad I pushed through though because the story got better as a I got know Emma better. I enjoyed her dynamic with her sister, even when it was a little strained. I was never fully sold on Charlie, he felt like too much like a John Green stand in and he felt very oblivious about his privilege and despite Emma calling him on it at one point, there was no evidence that his character changed at all. The narration was great though and I would read more from this author.

A very cute love story, easy read! Emma has been attempting to be a screenwriter for a long time and gets her lucky break when she gets to help write a script for a famous screenwriter Charlie. She quickly finds that she is falling for him but he doesn't seem to reciprocate in the same way. She attempts to teach him the ways of romantic comedies to his dismay.

This is very cute, lighthearted! I love Katherine Center books and would recommend this highly to anyone looking for a light summer read.

Katherine Center is a must read author for me. Her books always have the right balance of trauma/joy that is needed when dealing with tougher subject matter.

In The Rom-Commers, we have two screen writers pushed together to rewrite a horrible rom com movie. One has put her career on hold to care for her father after a hiking accident and the other is highly successful but freshly divorced and in remission from cancer giving him the yips.

You know they are going to fall for each other because come on, BUT it was fun to see the journey to get there.

Katherine never lets us down! This is a love story for people who love love stories. A hopeful screenwriter (Emma) with some trauma in her past lands a job with her favorite screenwriter (Charlie) who happens to be a total catch… BUT he doesn’t actually want her help. Emma is determined to make it work, and Charlie is determined to not let her in. Did I mention they’re living the same house?

This has some tropes I totally love - grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and he doesn’t believe in love (a micro trope but for sure one I can’t get enough of). The way Charlie and Emma fall for each other, hurt each other, and then fix it later is so precious, and Emma has the BEST family so I enjoyed that so much, too!

All in all, another instant classic by a beloved author. Highly recommend

Thank you SO much to netgalley and Katherine Center for the ARC of this book. Pub date: June 11, 2024. I cannot wait for this romance to fly!
🎧
❄️
This book was quite sweet. I loved the message. It had some top tier jokes.

I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator was very good! If you love audiobooks, you’ll love this. I think I may have liked it better reading it though.

<i>”I don’t have anxiety, I just worry all the time.”</i> Through the FMCs perspective, you can tell Katherine Center in an anxious overthinker herself.


<i>”I don’t think marriage is hard at all, I think when you do it right, it’s what makes everything else easier.”</i> 💕💕


Don’t skip the bonus chapter from Charlie’s perspective!

Also, don’t skip Katherine’s author note at the end of her defense of romance books. So true. You tell them 🥊
<i> Witnessing other people do good makes us want to be better.
If we didn’t insist that romantic love was more ridiculous than zombies, would we be better at it? </i>

Thank you to NetGalley and Mcmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this super cute and charming audio book.

Emma Wheeler hasn't had the easiest life. After losing her mom and becoming the main caregiver for her father, she has had to make many sacrifices. One of her biggest sacrifices being her career. As a screen writer, she has had opportunities, but had to pass them up. Until her agent calls her and gives presents her with a chance to work with her most favorite author.
The book goes on to tell their heartbreaking story of love, or lack there of and laughter.

The characters in this book were so lovable! I am always a fan of the authors in a book trope. It is one of my favorites. I have never read a Kathrine Center book before, but now I am hooked and cannot wait to dig into more from her.


I loved the narrator of this book. She did such a fantastic job of playing the characters. Overall, this was a great story.

The Rom-Commers is the kind of book that I didn’t quite realize I disliked until I was nearly at the end and my frustration had just continued to compound. A romance between screenwriters is at least a more original take than authors, but not by much. The “writers falling in love” trope has been done and dusted for years now - not even Emily Henry was safe from falling into this tired pitfall of the genre. I understand authors want to write what they know but… they all know writing. We don’t need a writer romance from every contemporary author in the genre.

Beyond an unoriginal trope mix, the main couple was just frustrating to watch interact. We are 30% into the book before the MC finally decides to stop flip-flopping back and forth between staying and leaving the ML’s house. Like what a phenomenal waste of page time when the main couple were certainly not having any meaningful character interactions before that. If this wasn’t a romance, it wouldn't be a problem. But it is.

And genuinely, honestly the sheer number of Jack Stapleton name drops in the story with no narrative purpose other than to be a cheeky throwback was actually mind-numbing. And this is coming from someone that genuinely loved the novel where Jack was the ML. You simply cannot pretend like this man is the most famous actor in Hollywood and then sit him next to Meryl Streep in the same book. Either commit to real life celebrities or not - it’s so jarring to try and include both.

I’m all for romance committing to the necessary bit of having a happy ending. But I think I’ll avoid romance books from now on that involve a grand gesture and a lung cancer undiagnosis in the same speech onstage at an award ceremony.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I ADORED this book. It's been a while since a book has brought me to tears but this one did it. It was heartwarming, LOL funny and it hit all my wants for a rom-com. I loved the humor, the characters, the grand gestures (yes, more than one!) and I loved the high dive.
Emma and Charlie were complete opposites but the grumpy/sunshine was so well done, you couldn't help but root for them! Definitely add this one to your summer list!

The Rom-Commers
5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book so much! just Flawless!!!!

Read this book if you like:
-grumpy x sunshine
-one liners
-LOL funny
-pet guinea pig
-forced proximity

I LOVED this one!! Loved the characters and the banter. I both laughed out loud and cried during this book. One of my faves of this author!! 5 stars ⭐️

Emma Wheeler is a bit stuck. A talented budding screenwriter (and a HUGE lover of rom-coms), she has put her career on hold for the past ten years to be the sole caretaker for her gentle, loving father. But when her ex-turned-LA-agent comes to her with the chance of a lifetime--to work with her favorite screenwriter to rewrite his (AWFUL) script for a rom-com, she swallows her anxiety and heads to LA.
The only problem is... the screenwriter doesn't want to work with her. And even when he does give in and let her stay, she faces a bigger problem: he doesn't believe in love. But will the steps she takes to convince him otherwise just end up breaking her heart?

As always, Katherine Center writes a romance novel with more wit, character development, and layers than many I am used to reading. Emma's family relationships are tender, and the reader truly sympathizes with her desire to care for her dad, while also realizing (as Emma slowly does) that maybe she DIDN'T need to sacrifice her entire life to watch him. Because once she opens her life up to help from others, while also making space for herself and her own dreams, she realizes that... everyone is happier. The way that she learns this lesson is a masterful example of "showing, not telling," and it makes it all the more satisfying for the reader when it clicks for Emma at the end.

The romance itself is also a slow burn, although it also created some of the issues I had with the book. Charlie is crotchety, but some of the things he says to Emma are... truly cruel. The reader is supposed to realize that he is trying to push her away on purpose to protect her, but he never truly apologizes for his words, and what's more, she doesn't necessarily act like a self-respecting, normal person in response to what he says. I think most people would not have taken it like she did, without even seeming to acknowledge the meanness more than to think "ouch," which is consistently what she seems to do. I get that it's her dream to write with Charlie Yates, but it felt like more could have been done to redeem his behavior. The trope of "he's just mean because he likes you" isn't great, in my opinion.

Additionally, what felt like naiveté on Emma's part made me cringe during several of her interactions with Charlie. I understand that it was so far out of her realm of possibility to think that Charlie could fall for her, but she seems to almost deliberately not understand his meaning several times when he makes it obvious that he has feelings for her, and that was difficult to read.

Overall, I loved the messages and the themes of this story, and it will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

5 PERFECT STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this. this is my new favorite romance book of all time. and maybe, quite possibly, my favorite book of all time?? and i’m taking it as a sign of fate that it releases on my birthday June 11th so I can reread it again. and again. this is a book i want to inject in my veins, blend in a smoothie and drink for breakfast.

(and there is no spice, just perfect beautiful ROMANCE at its core)
this made me laugh, cry, cry some more, cry some more and then heal my heart in the best way possible.
i will be standing on a mountain top screaming on my birthday for everyone to read this unbelievably perfect blueprint of a romance novel. 💗😭🫶🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook.

I have read all of Katherine Centers books to date and have enjoyed them all. This book was no exception! Her books are fun, funny, and touching at times and over all just really good.


I enjoyed listening to this as a Audiobook. I can't wait until I read her next one!

This offered a pleasant escape into the world of light-hearted romance, a deviation from my normal mystery choice. While enjoyable, it didn’t quite capture my heart like some of Center’s other works. One standout element, however, was the impeccable narration in the audiobook version, Patti Murin is fantastic for this genre.

The plot follows a predictable trajectory common in romantic comedies, you pretty much know where the story’s headed—it’s your typical rom-com ride. However, Center deftly weaves in some heavier themes, adding depth to the narrative. Despite its predictability, the novel still manages to entertain and engage readers looking for a light-hearted escape.

This may not be my favorite from Katherine Center, it’s still a worthwhile read for fans of the genre, especially for those who appreciate some strong family dynamics with a sprinkle of drama and well-executed audiobook experience.

Emma's has been her father's caretaker for many years, completely setting aside her own dreams and aspirations. When the opportunity to work with one of the best screen writers comes about, she is pushed into trying out the job - helping a self proclaimed romance hater write a rom-com script. As they begin to work together disagreeing with everything, they both start to feel their relationship morphing into something different.

This was a cute closed door grumpy sunshine enemies to lovers romance. It's a slow burn and it's fun to watch Emma slowly convince Charlie how to write a romance. I appreciated the challenges that Emma had with her family and it made me want her to grow out of the constraints that she had. I especially loved her dad. I was surprised by Charlie's challenge and I liked the way the story ended. IT was a sweet story of two people overcoming some challenges in their lives and falling in love.

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Fantastic audiobook. I wish Charlie had a make voice, but that didn’t ruin the listening experience for me. Loved the bonus scene and author’s note.
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC audio

"It can't be where you're going that matters, it's how you get there" -

Katherine Center has always been one of those authors, if she releases a book, I have to have it. I was so excited I got to get an ARC of the audiobook version. Patti Murin does a great job on the narration, although the way she voiced Logan was very hard to listen to.

This is my least favorite book by this author. I found the characters very unlikeable. The need for certain characters to have their full name said out loud over and over and over again. Charlie Yates, Jack Stapleton. Although I did like the nod to Jack Stapleton from the Bodyguard, I wish there was a bit of an update on what was going on with him and Hannah, other than having his name repeated multiple times.

The entire time I was listening to this I waited for better character development of Charlie, Charlie Yates. As with every Katherine Center book, there is always an underlying moral to the entire story, that just felt like a big miss in this book. Emma's character acted like she was 16, came across very immature. I can understand this with how she has spent her adult life taking care of her father and watching someone she loved die. I felt like what happened could have been told better earlier in the book so you had a better understanding of why she acted the way she did. The main characters just lacked chemistry and it took until the last 25% of the book for their story to somewhat flesh out, before I felt like I could feel for the characters a little bit more.

The first half of the book just had too many cliche moments that you see in every Rom Com. I am sure it was meant to be that way since the title of this book is The Rom Commers, it was just too forced and didn't feel like something that would ever happen.

But as always, the last line of the book was a good one. Thankfully the book finally got there.

I love Katherine Center, but she has been rather hit or miss for me the last few times. Unfortunately, this was a miss, but I am very much in the minority. There are hundreds of rave reviews. This one just didn't work for me. It was a cute idea and definitely moments that made me laugh, but it didn't seem like there was enough "story." Some of the banter between characters seemed to go on far too long. I did enjoy the narration and, of course, Cuthbert.

🎧The Rom-Commers🎧
By: Katherine Center
Narrated By: Patti Murin
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•I loved watching Emma and Charlie’s relationship evolve.

•There is a lot of heart in this story.

•It was fun to see a romantic comedy script evolve.

•No spoilers, but the last third of the book was so engaging, I could not put it down!

————————————————————————
The Rom-Commers was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and MacMillan Audio. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 6/11/24

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this book (which, truthfully, I tend to have a lot of when I read Center’s books).

I always love her characters and their evolution. That was no exception for Emma and Charlie.

Where I struggled with this book was the “believability” of it all. I am not saying it’s impossible, so no spoilers. But there were parts that just didnt seem like they could happen.

Regardless, I really enjoyed this book, and I know so many other people will love it too! It’s a great book for a beach read.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #fiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #theromcommers #katherinecenter #pattimurin

Another fabulous book from Katherine Center!
I really enjoyed Emma and Charlie, their witty banter, Emma’s family, and how Katherine tugs on your heartstrings while simultaneously making you smile ear to ear.
10/10 Recommend for romance lovers!
Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC. The book hits shelves on 6/11/24.