I ADORE Katherine Center, and I was absolutely ecstatic to receive an advanced copy of her latest novel, The Rom-Commers. I happened to receive it as an audiobook, which I personally believe made it more endearing being able to hear the British accent throughout. I did have an intrusive thought within the first few chapters that if we all took a shot every time she said the name “Charlie Yates,” we would literally die, but other than that, another Katherine win for me!! (Also Meryl Streep is such a IYKYK, and I loved that so much.) Massive thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Publication date June 11, 2024.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This slow-burn rom-com made me laugh and cry; the banter was amazing.

Charlie has written award-winning movies. Emma has a chance at an internship and helping her favourite writer.

Charlie and Emma, I love with all my heart 🫶🏻.
The romance and the emotional depth are incredible!

If you’re looking for a book full of romance, joy, and heartwarming moments, this one is for you!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for sending me the audiobook of the Rom-Commers

I was so grateful I was approved for this eARC from the publisher and was half way in the book when I got the audiobook! I loved both! The narrator was Patti Murin and she was great. And Katherine Center also made a guest appearance on the audiobook if you’re wondering and you definitely want to hear it. She shares her thoughts about the romance genre and I was with her on every single point! I love what she said.
Now about the book. This novel was a fun and frustrating romance. It ended up capturing me body and soul and pulled me, giving me that warm, happy satisfying feeling I love when reading a well written romance novel. It was a clean romance and I highly recommend it.

Things I loved:
• Man’s hands in his pockets kisses.
• The [“YouTube “best kisses ever” ] part.
• The HEA
Thanks St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

I enjoyed The Bodyguard, so was excited about this one because rom-coms are my thing and the galley was appealing to me. Sadly, the Rom-Commers just didn’t come together for me. It felt like a Tessa Bailey book minus the sex: The characters were fairly unlikable, they didn’t grow to become likable, and the nitty gritty of the story just didn’t add up (a woman who spent the previous chapter relating the crushing loss of her mother in a tragic distance fall finds it funny when she is told that diving from a similar height might crush her own innards? Yuck. It creeped me out and shut me down from the character and the story.)
All that being said, a rom-com’s plot doesn’t have to be plausible to work. The true beauty of a romcom is falling in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other. That just didn’t happen here. I was disappointed, but based on her prior writings I will definitely try a future book by the author.
Narrator did a nice job!
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing access to an advanced copy.

This was my first time reading a Katherine Center book, but it certainly won't be my last. I usually get recommendations from booktok and this was no different. Usually those recommendations come with lots of spicy scenes...and that is nowhere to be found here, but I didn't miss it. Enjoying a slow burn romance with smart characters kept me reading nonstop over two days. I enjoyed the audiobook and the plucky narrator. I also really loved how well the characters were rounded. They were so different from other romcom people. Several times during the book I hated Charlie or Emma for doing something crappy. I like seeing that variety and realism. This is a light read with nothing terribly heavy to sort out, but it still has heart.

I completely adored this, it’s such a love letter to the genre. I found both of the leads so endearing in their own right, and their romance developed very naturally. The third act conflict was a bit of a stretch for me, but I was willing to buy in for the tension it caused and the eventual satisfaction of the happy ending. Good banter, swoon-worthy moments, strong side characters, and thoughtful explorations of difficult topics. This was my first Katherine Center and I can’t wait to read more! I’m also becoming a huge fan of Patti Murin as a narrator — I could really picture her as Emma.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are my own. This was a much more emotional book then I thought it would be I assumed from the title it would be cute and lo Ely and Katherine swit he'd it up and we got a tiny bit gritty. The miscommunication/ choosing for someone else is my least favorite but this was done so well. I loved the narrator and the author tag teaming on this one and loved the bonus epilog.

4.5/5

I got the pleasure of getting this as an e-arc and also as an audiobook arc. Must say I loved the narration of this book so highly recommend people go the audiobook route. Dare I say, I even enjoyed it slightly more as an audiobook?

I love Katherine Center’s work- The Body Guard and Hello Stranger were such sweet reads and this one is no exception. Bonus, her covers are always stunning and I love the way they look on my bookcase. BOLD COLORS

Emma and Charlie come together to write a romcom screenplay. Charlie doesn’t believe in love. Both of these characters were well developed and also relatable/ flawed in a way that is realistic. This is grumpy meets sunshine and is equal parts funny, sweet and has some killer one liners.

My asbolute favorite scene is the high-dive scene. Ahh that had me chuckling and I really love how up front Emma was with her feelings for Charlie.

It will be the perfect summer release and I loved the bonus chapter + author's note.


Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ahhh The Rom-Commers was so cute!! I liked it SO much more than Hello Stranger. It was so funny, flowed so easily, and was soooo addicting!! I finished in less than 24 hours (stopping to teach America’s future) and enjoyed every bit of it. While it was funny, it also had more serious elements that reminded me of older Katherine Center books that I loved so much. This wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center but it was a great Rom-Com that every romance reader should read ❤️

I've heard great things about Katherine Center books but hadn't read any. Maybe I shouldn't have started with this one. It just didn't grab me, so I didn't finish. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Katherine Center always hooks me and reels me in with her fun romances! This time her story is about two writers thrown together to write a rom-com screenplay. The Rom-Commers is a great escape from reality and I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review an advance copy of this delightful audiobook!

Katherine Center does it again! A beautiful story with a badass female main character with emotional depth, flaws and humor!
Read this if you love force proximity and writers working together.

I received an Arc audiobook of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. This was a cute and fun romance. If you are looking for a romance book without the spice this is a perfect choice.

Emma is an inspiring screenwriter who has put her dreams on hold to take care of her father who needs a full-time caretaker. She spends her free time studying and writing romantic comedies. Then, she is asked to re-write a script for Charlie Yates, the writer she is in love with! But how can she chase her lifelong dream, and leave her dad?

Her younger sister steps up and offers to stay with their dad so Emma can go to LA and live out her dream. Once she lands in LA she finds out Charlie isn’t interested in re-writing the script, especially with a “nobody screenwriter”. Emma decides she won’t waste this opportunity, and she will convince him that love stories do exist.

I enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator helped the emotions Emma felt come to life. The MMC Charlie at times was frustrating, but as the story progressed I could understand why. I feel like both characters grew throughout the story. I felt a desire to connect to both, and couldn’t put the book down. There were many funny and cute moments. I appreciated that this book was what the title said, a Rom-Com book. This reminded me of a lifetime/hallmark movie. 4.25 ⭐️ for me!

I really enjoyed The Bodyguard so I was really looking forward to this one by Katherine Center. Parts of it I really enjoyed - the research of what would work for the screenplay, and small of the small moments where we really saw Emma and Charlie become vulnerable with each other. But this one just wasn’t for me. I felt like the characters needed more growth. Charlie and Emma both equally.

This one feels like it borders between a romance and the women’s fiction category.

Additionally, I feel there was a real missed opportunity to address caregiver stress and burnout, and lack of resources, even more so since it was such a central theme to this story. Some of the language around this was a bit disheartening as well.

Thanks to the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ • ʀ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ᴇ ᴡ

📖 The Rom-Commers
✍🏻 @katherinecenter
⭐️ 4
🫶🏻 ARC #28 of 2024
📚 73/100

I loved this book!

🫠 he doesn’t believe in love/romance
📌 “coworkers”
👊🏻 kinda enemies to lovers
💔 loss / hurt
🥹 HEA

I adored these characters. I found them both to have their own specific problems, traumas, and dilemmas. Wow, the miscommunication/emotional outburst wasn’t my favorite. I absolutely understand it, and overall think it fit into the book. I’m so grateful fun to have gotten an ARC from @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @katherinecenter ♥️

This audio was fantastic!!! Truly one of my favs and thought it was done well. So thankful to have gotten the ebook and audio!!

On recommendation I read Hello Stranger and was hooked. I’ve read everything written by Katherine Center since. Her balance of romance and the realities of the imperfections of everyday life in her books is refreshing. Patti Murin did an excellent job with her narration of this book. This book had me laughing, crying and heaving big sighs. Emma and Charlie were so good for each other. To quote Ms. Center, they chose to be the best versions of themselves in the face of it all. I couldn’t wait for this book to come out . I’m so grateful I received this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic - wonderful characters, an interesting situation, sizzling chemistry, and a ton of angst in their personal lives – this story had everything that I wanted and more! Katherine Center has a way of creating characters that you want to spend time with and you feel like you are right there, experiencing all their highs and lows along with them. And it’s not just Emma and Charlie, who are both perfectly flawed and loveable, but their families, too – even the sister who comes off as selfish but wins you over in the end. I loved everything about this and can’t wait to read the rest of her books.

PURE KATHERINE CENTER MAGIC!!!!! I absolutely loved The Romcommers!! This beautiful story had everything I love about Katherine Center novels and more: swoony moments, hilarious banter, and beautiful truths that make you want to frame every page on your wall. Katherine has such a gift for not only proving the necessity of the romance genre with her wonderful stories, but also teaching us all to hope in the middle of a dark and stormy world. I will always be so grateful for her and her stories. And this audiobook is incredible!! (Plus there’s a bonus scene narrated by Katherine at the end which I LOVED!)

Patti Murin could read the phone book and I’d happily listen to her. I love that she is a frequent collaborator with Katherine Center. Patti brings all the best parts of Katherine’s books to life. It’s so easy to feel absorbed into the story and feel all of the emotions that were written into the pages. Patti is back in her finest form with this one and it is a joy to listen to.

Katherine Center has a way of writing stories that will have her characters facing very hard, very real struggles but done in a way that allows the reader to find the beauty in the struggle. There is always hope and the belief that there WILL be a light at the end of the tunnel even in the darkest moments the characters may face. I realize part of that is the promise of the genre (which I know Katherine is steadfastly committed to) but it’s also a very well-honed skill of hers. The heavy things never feel quite as heavy in a Katherine Center book.

Emma is a talented screenwriter who has never been able to seize opportunities that have been presented to her. She has been her father’s primary caretaker for the past decade and has consistently put his needs ahead of her wants. When the chance of a lifetime lands at her feet to rewrite a truly terrible attempt at a romcom written by her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, it’s too good to pass up. Charlie is a divorced cynic who no longer believes in love and simply wants to get his Mafia movie made, which hinges on delivering the romcom script. Emma, wanting to deliver something she is proud of and not just ‘passable’, has to convince Charlie that love is real and romance isn’t dead. They’re both in for some surprises and getting caught up in the line between fiction and reality.

Emma is an incredibly admirable character. She has big dreams, but she has willingly put herself on the back burner for her dad. She doesn’t seem to harbor any resentment over her decisions and it truly feels like if taken back in time she would gladly make the same choice over and over again. Her relationship with her dad is beautiful. That’s not to say it has been easy. His health challenges make life hard for both of them, and she is confined to a very insular life, whether she resents it or not. Seeing her get a shot at her dreams and take that chance by the horns despite all the obstacles she faces throughout is endearing. It was so easy to root for her and want all the best things in life for her. It also made the hurt that much more visceral when it felt like the things she wanted were being stripped away one by one. I felt like I was right beside her on the roller coaster journey she was being taken on.

Charlie is a complicated man. He’s pretty emotionally stunted and, for a screenwriter, really struggles with using his words. There’s something inherently tender in him though that makes you want to protect him even as you want to shake him. His actions regularly contradict his words in thoughtful ways and executed through both covert and overt methods. Both warmed my heart. He’s a tough nut to crack, but what’s inside is a soft and melty center.

Charlie and Emma have both had to face some truly horrific circumstances in their lives and it heavily influences how they handle different situations that arise. The path to their happiness is heart-wrenching and not without fear, but there is beauty in the road they have to take to get there despite everything. The light is there and feels warmer in the end because of the obstacles that had to be overcome along the way.

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

The Rom-Commers is such a delight!! I loved every second of it, especially the bits with Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard;)

I was weary at first because I’m not crazy about the grumpy x sunshine trope, but after the first day Charlie turned into such a sweet lovable dork. Emma and I both fell for him so quickly haha!

I loved how KC handled grief and moving on. She really is a masterful writer.

The Rom-Commers is a love letter to rom coms, found family, new adventures, and the magic that happens when you find the perfect team.

I devoured this book in a day, switching between the audio and the ebook. Everyone was just so lovable and I was so rooting for everyone’s success!!


Note to the publishers: I’ll post this review to Goodreads today and to all the sites listed in my bio the week leading up to publication day. I’ll likely add more to this review as well!