The Rom-Commers is legit a rom-com within a rom-com and I was here for it.

This book is about two screenwriters who are paired up to write a, you guessed it, rom-com script. One is OBSESSED with the concept of love, while the other one is INDIFFERENT about it. Emma Wheeler loves romantic comedy as much as breathing and cannot believe her favorite writer, Charlie Yates, doesn't know how to write it. Throughout the book, you literally notice how opposite these two people are, not only in their personality but also in the dialogue, which makes the author's storytelling a genius. 🎬❤️

Even though we didn't get as much banter between them when it comes to disagreeing about what to put in the play, you get the behind-the-scenes of what happens when two people live together for six weeks while writing a rom-com that ends up literally becoming one.

IT WAS SO CUTE! 🥰 Seriously, seeing both personalities smash together and eventually having Charlie Yates' hateful journey about love turn into a joyful one, aghhhhh my heart just fluttered thinking about it. 💖

I recommend this book to anyone who is a big fan of a laughing, lovely romantic comedy that we all know ends in a HEA, plus with a "YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN LOVE, IT'S LOVE" vibe. 💕

Favorite Quote:
“Is that you or me?” I asked. “What?” Charlie asked. “The thumping.” “I’m not thumping,” Charlie said. I put my hand on his chest. “Yes, you are.” Then, out of fairness, I shifted to my own. “But I’m thumping worse.”

Tropes:
🎥Opposites Attract
🎥Forced Proximity
🎥Grumpy x Sunshine
🎥Work Romance
🎥First POV

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press & Katherine Center for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Katherine Center outdoes herself with each new book. This story is a triumph.. It is a delightful and heartwarming novel that effortlessly captures the magic of romance and comedy.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

🥰 TOO CUTE THURSDAY 🥰 featuring “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Emma Wheeler is obsessed with rom coms and desperately longs to be a screenwriter for one! But family comes first, and as her father’s primary caregiver, Emma has had to put her dreams on the back burner …

UNTIL she gets the biggest phone call of her life and a job offer like no other: a chance to re-write a romantic comedy for the ultra famous screenwriter Charlie Yates! Charlie has always been an inspiration for Emma and the chance to write with him would change her career forever!

Emma jumps on a plane to LA, moves into Charlie’s mansion and together they get right to work. Charlie’s script is rushed and BRUTAL and goes against all of the “rules” of what a romantic comedy is all about! Emma makes it her duty to rewrite his love story, while unintentionally rewriting hers!

OMG!! This book gave me ALL OF THE FEELS! The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is perfect and I got such a kick out of the banter between the two MCs! I loved the concept of a rom-com about writing a rom-com and had so much fun reading it! If you enjoy sunshine/grumpy, forced proximity and workplace romance tropes, then you NEED to read this!

Thank you kindly to @katherinecenter @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on June 11, 2024!

Wow I LOVED THIS BOOK. My lil heart could not handle this! I loved how the romcom was interwoven with complex tragedies and trauma. The author did an amazing job making authentic characters who I could not stop rooting for.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is the best rom com that I have read this year. Is it perfect? No. The characters could possibly be a bit more likable, but this did not bother me at all. This book was honestly so fun, from start to finish. I read it as both an ebook and as an audiobook. The audiobook had some of the best narration I have heard. It was so fun to listen to but just as fun to read in print. The characters worked so well together. I think the falling in love with a famous person trope worked so well in this novel. It felt realistic and vulnerable and just right somehow. Parts of this book really touched me deeply. I have always enjoyed this author’s books, but this is now my new favorite. I cannot recommend it enough. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This book was actually perfect. I laughed, I cried, I read it in 2 1/2 hours. this is the perfect rom-com book. Spoilers, but I had a feeling towards the end that the twist of charlie writing the book for Emma was going to happen but I didn’t care, it was beautiful and I loved it. So excited for this to be released so I can talk about it forever.

I absolutely loved this book, as I have every book by Katherine Center. Despite their flaws, the characters are very likable and I enjoyed seeing their budding romance throughout the story. This book kept me interested, and had happy notes throughout. I couldn’t put it down, and finished it in a day.

i devoured this book. i loved it so so much. i read hello stranger and really liked it but this one takes the cake. it will easily be in my top 10 of the year. I thought Emma and Charlie were absolutely hilarious. their dynamic was the cutest and i loved their banter, especially when they were line dancing. i found myself cracking up constantly and i love when a book does that to me. i'm a huge fan of rom coms so i was really rooting for Emma to woo charlie over to the rom com side and away from everything else. and it worked!!!! the ending made me extremely happy. i just knew Charlie was in love with her, and i knew he was pushing her away because he found he was sick (the coughing gave it away) but turns out he wasnt actually sick, which made it even better. i was like they cant give us this happy ending and then insinuate he's going to die??? that's the opposite of a rom come. which is ironic lol. the speech at the end made me swoon and i just loved that he admitted he was finally in love with her. Also, Jablowmie can jablowme lol, he's literally so dum. ANYWAY, absolute 5/5
thaqnk you st martins press and netgalley for this e arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved everything about this book. I loved the two main characters so much. I felt the banter was perfect and the chemistry happened naturally. I always look forward to a new book by this author, and this did not disappoint.

My favourite Katherine Center book to date (I think - the Bodyguard was also so good!)! I laughed, I cried, and I highlighted so many good quotes and passages and disappointed my arc copy won’t send my highlighted quotes immediately to Goodreads!

The premise of the book was so good and the story was really well put together. Emma and Charlie were both such likeable and relatable characters and it really was so hard to put the book down to work today when I just wanted to know what would happen next!!

The writing was flawless and effortless to read. I’m a sucker for a roommates, forced proximity situation and there were so many good scenes here. Also loved how thoughtful and deep the story and characters were. They felt real and had real arcs, even the side characters. I felt the twists were a bit of a misunderstanding trope, which I don’t really love in books, but honestly loved the rest so much I didn’t even care.

Thanks so much to SMP romance and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and not impacted by receiving a review!

This might be the best banter I have ever read. Literally chef's kiss. So well done. This was light hearted, yet talked about deep heart wrenching topics. I could not put it down. I want to read everything Katherine Center writes. I liked this better than the Bodyguard. The female main character was so witty and oddly charming. I loved everything about her. Definitely read this book if you want a warm fuzzy feeling and to feel good.

3.5 stars

I started The Rom-Commers eagerly excited to dive into a new Katherine Center book… but quickly found myself not connecting with the characters, which started to give me an existential crisis. Center is one of my favorite romance authors and I was in desperate need of her optimism. While I did struggle through most of this one, I’m happy to report it did somewhat redeem itself in the end!

I have read and loved six of Center’s books, starting with How to Walk Away, the first book I picked up by her, reading every new release she’s had since, and picking up some of her backlist books in between, as well. The Bodyguard was my favorite book of the year the year I read it. Then last year I picked up Hello Stranger, fully expecting to love it, as well. I did still enjoy it, but it wasn’t up to the gushing standards Center’s books typically receive from me. I’d hoped it was just an anomaly, so I picked up The Rom-Commers with all the hope in my heart. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with this one, too.

The Rom-Commers is full of Center’s signature witty banter, great lines I found myself highlighting, but it lacks the polish of her previous backlist books: the great character arcs, the backstories that make me connect with the characters, a believable connection between our couple. The romance felt forced and overly cheesy at times, and I didn’t like the characters much; sometimes their personalities came across as inconsistent. Charlie, our male lead, was not very nice, and not in a cute grumpy way. Emma came across as immature sometimes. I found myself not caring at all. But then I jumped on Goodreads to check out my blogging friends’ reviews to discover they ARE gushing about this one, giving it five stars. So is it me?? Have I become so jaded that I can’t read romance any more?? I’ll save that worry for another day.

I found so much of the plot unrealistic. I’m okay with suspending disbelief a bit in my romances, but this one was one unbelievable thing after another; it was too much for me.

One of my issues was Emma’s adoration for Charlie from afar. Granted, I’m not generally a big fan of the celebrity trope, but I did adore The Bodyguard, so I thought I’d be okay with this one, as well. But Emma was such a fangirl for Charlie that it came across as immature and annoying instead of endearing.

This romance also had more miscommunication or lack of communication, and I’m over that trope. I’d be okay if I didn’t read another book with it for the rest of the year.

It wasn’t all bad! There were things I did like. I mentioned the witty banter before, and Center excels at dialogue. There were some romantic scenes I enjoyed, as long as I pretended that I liked the characters.

I did enjoy Emma’s father and sister. And the family’s backstory was heartbreaking, but I didn’t feel as empathetic toward Emma as I should. For me, she has been the main hindrance to her happiness, and at one point I thought she was overly cruel to her sister.

I struggled to rate this one because I’ve never given Center’s books less than four stars, but this one wasn’t for me. If you prefer your romances on the lighter side and enjoy the celebrity trope, The Rom-Commers might be a romance you’ll enjoy.

half of this was good and the other half was, well, not it.
see:
- the description of the outfit emma wears getting off the plane
- the description of charlie's entire look (OMG IT NEEDED TO BURN WHY DOES HE WEAR SHORTS AND FLIPFLOPS ALL THE TIME HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE HOT WHEN HE LOOKS LIKE A MIDDLE AGED DAD)
- charlie is rude, aloof, and absolutely did not learn how to be emotionally intelligent even after it was the downfall of his last relationship
- why is he always referred to as charlie yates. stop.
- her ~frizzy red hair pom pom~ we get it. you have curly hair. it's not a personality trait.
- STOP going back to this man omg how many times did this need to happen, this book had at least 3 "breakups"
so, after all that, what makes this worth reading?
- jack stapleton
- emma's dad is such a cutie
- SALVADOR
talk about a man!! this whole book should have been about him and emma's sister. if someone riffs this into a novel pls credit me.
thank you to net galley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Katherine Center remains one of my favorite authors because of the work she delivers in this book. The characters are likable, they draw you in, and they leave you feeling good! What a wonderful summer read.

This is a romance book that gives you a little more than the typical genre. Of course it’s a love story but there’s some other relationships and feelings mixed in for you to ponder. Are we able to move on from blaming ourselves for an incident in the past.? Forgiving ourselves and others is a necessary part of the story in order for the characters to grow and move on with their lives. Katherine Center does this through easy breezy dialog and individuals that we can’t help rooting for. Another great summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced eGalley of the book.
#TheRom-Commers #KatherineCenter #NetGalley

This is my second book from Katherine Center. She really knows how to write characters you care for and just want the best for them. This was a story I just wanted to keep reading. I had to know how these character's lives turned out.

The Rom-Commers is about Emma, who is an aspiring screenwriter that is taking care of her father who has disabilities and can't be left alone. She is very focused on taking care of her father she misses so many things in her life. She lets opportunities pass her by. She suddenly gets and the chance to help famous screenwriter Charlie Yates rewrite his horrible rom com. Of course Charlie Yates isn't everything he portrays on the screen and rewriting the script will be a lot harder than Emma expects.

Overall this was a sweet romance. It came at the right time where I needed something that didn't require high stakes. I will most definitely be reading more of Katherine Center's work.

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced reader copy of the book.

I loved this story! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. The character development was great, the banter was top notch, and you really just couldn't help but love them. This was such a feel good story from start to finish. It touched on some deeper issues and some darker things in a way that was really well done; it enhanced the story without bringing a negative vibe.

First off thanks to netgalley for providing me an ARC!
Katherine Center does it again!
Emma is a full time caregiver of her father but she gets the opportunity to help her favorite screenwriter rewrite a rom-com. She leaves her sister to care for her father and moves to LA for 6 weeks.
Charlie, the super famous award winner writer, is a complicated and grumpy man with split custody of a guinea pig.
Somehow they manage to fall into a groove and write well together. Emma with her outgoing and goofy personality breaks Charlie out of his shell.
Things do get complicated a couple days before the contract is up....
I do recommend this book, it's a super easy and adorable romance book.

With each Katherine Center novel, I come in with very high expectations and with each new novel I am never disappointed. Seriously Katherine Center writes pure magic! Her stories have a great mix of a romantic plots, empathetic characters, and satisfactory endings. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to read this novel.

I have loved all of Katherine Center's books since I picked up How to Walk Away, so I was beyond excited when I found out I had received an advanced copy of Center’s upcoming book, The Rom-Commers.

The Rom-Commers tells the story of Emma Wheeler, a talented romantic comedy writer who has been sidelined by her father's caregiving needs. When Emma gets a shot at her dream job – rewriting a script for her idol, Charlie Yates – she reluctantly leaves her caretaking duties behind to move to L.A. for six weeks. But Charlie, a renowned screenwriter who despises love, has produced a rom-com so atrocious it defies description. Emma, undeterred by his cynicism, resolves to prove to him that romantic comedies DO matter.

Like a lot of Center’s previous works, The Rom-Commers is a love letter to rom-coms. Love stories can get a bad rap and sometimes it feels embarrassing to admit that as an educated woman, I like to escape into the world of romance every now and then. But The Rom-Commers makes a case for why romantic comedies are so important – we can all use a little hope every now and again, and what I love about Center’s novels is they are about more than just love. The Rom-Commers is about one woman’s quest to find herself outside of her role as a caretaker. Emma learns to take chances and find something just for her. Who among us can’t related to at least some of that?

In typical Center fashion, this was a well-written, fast-paced, and heartfelt rom-com with extremely loveable characters. While Charlie might come across as a little gruff when you meet him, he’s a good guy at heart, and Emma is a delight. I loved watching their relationship grow as Emma brought Charlie more and more out of his shell. Center’s stories are always very tame (no spice) but they make you feel all the feels; I was definitely bawling by the end, but in a good way! Emma’s dad is such a wise character, and I loved the message to always appreciate your person (if you pick a good one!). I think we can all use a reminder that while it's easy to focus on what others are doing wrong, you can just as easily focus on what they are doing right - and that makes life so much better!

4.5 stars – highly recommend for fans of Annabel Monaghan or anyone looking for a cute summer romance with an uplifting story. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.