The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5)

Emma Wheeler gave up her dream of being a screenwriter for being a full time caregiver to her father, who is physically challenged after an accident. But, she gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only meet her writing idol, Charlie Yates, but also help rewrite his romantic comedy script. She takes up the offer deciding to spend few weeks working with Charlie. What follows is the classic rom-com plot - a die hard romantic vs a romance cynic. Emma decides to win over the cynic and also undo his grumpiness.

To be honest, I was attracted by not only the plot but also the vibrant cover! Also, this review would be an unpopular opinion, because I see lot of high rated reviews all around. But, here’s my take!

It started out well, I liked the premise of the ‘meet-cute’ but I went in with a lot of expectations probably. Personally, I wasn’t blown away by Charlie Yates - yes he is grumpy, non-believer of romance, but I didn’t like how he was described as a middle aged man with lousy dressing sense, I did not see the appeal in his stained crumpled shirts or his corduroy pants. Also, inspite of his difficult health issues, I did not appreciate his rudeness. Emma’s character was set out well, her back story of how she came to be her father’s caretaker was so very emotional, I loved her sister, her father, but I wasn’t ‘in love’ with Emma as a FMC for some reason.

Something about the writing or exchange between these two felt weird to me. Yes, there were some great moments where I had a smile and they were cute, but on some occasions they went from a high to low. I couldn’t get over that feeling of expecting something will happen now, but then it mellowed down. Also, this was a slow burn closed door romance.

In the third act, other than Charlie’s monologue, most of things were predictable like a rom-com. It did pick up pace towards the end, thankfully. Overall, it is a good book and there were quirky or sweet moments too. Emma’s point of view on why she loves romance stories is something that will surely resonate with us.

What a cute Rom-Com! There are many things I enjoyed about this book. For one, I loved the characterization of Emma. Many times, books like this have shallow characters, but not with Katherine Center! I really liked Emma's backstory, and I felt like she was a believable and likeable character overall. I also really liked the inclusion of her father and the storyline there. I am removing two stars because I didn't really like Charlie... at all. I didn't think it was easy to identify with him, and I found him somewhat annoying overall. I also thought it was cheap for him to have the health scare for all of two pages towards the end of the book. Other than him, I would totally recommend this story over and over.

Sadly, this was a miss for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I just don't agree with all the many 5-star reviews this book got. I say it probably wasn't for me as I LOVE all of Katherine Center's books. I look forward to her next big read.

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
⭐️⭐️

Obviously, I don’t enjoy posting negative reviews, but I’m all about honesty. I know this is two not so fabulous reviews in a row, but this also doesn’t happen very often.
I’ve read The Bodyguard (I LOVED) and I’ve read Hello Stranger (I enjoyed this too) so I was looking forward to this new book. Especially since I’ve seen many positive reviews about it and it has a high Goodreads rating. I wish I could say that I loved it, but there are a few things that didn’t work for me.
First, I thought the MMC was kind of rude. He was arrogant and he said some things about the FMCs work ethic that I would not have forgiven.
I also wasn’t obsessed with some of the writing, because portions were written like the FMC was talking directly to me.
However, my biggest issue came towards the end of the book. Unfortunately, I can’t say what it was because it’s a huge spoiler. The last view chapters really irritated me. It felt very unrealistic and ridiculous.
With that being said, I couldn’t stop reading because I was entertained. I respect the attempt and I still adore her other books. I also think this book is gorgeous. However, I just didn’t love it.

Read If You Like:
🎬screenwriters
🎬grumpy/sunshine
🎬forced proximity
🎬opposites attract
🎬they work together

I will start by saying that I am a huge Katherine Center fan so being approved for this ARC was completely amazing!! I have been hyped for this book since hearing of its release and it did not disappoint!! My favorite Center book yet!! This wasn’t a slow build - it got you right away when the FMC, Emma, gets a call from her ex and also manager, Logan, about an opportunity of a lifetime! Emma, the sole caretaker of her father with a TBI, flies to LA only to find out that the job wasn’t vetted. The banter in this book was TOP NOTCH! Charlie, the MMC, was quirky and grumpy. Of course he couldn’t resist Emma’s personality and slowly they grew to tolerate each other to rewrite an awful screenplay and transform it into the perfect Rom-Com! This book truly had it all, and the banter between the two characters was on point throughout the story. The secondary characters were also well written and the book kept my interest from beginning to end! 4.5 star rounded up to 5 because it held my interest for so long (which is difficult to do)!

Thank you @Netgalley, Katherine Center and St. Martin’s press for an ARC of The Rom-Commers in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in less than a day. I was absolutely hooked by Charlie and Emma the moment Logan hatched his plan to bring those two together.

Within the first few chapters I was already crying and laughing and decided I was in love with them and they just needed to figure their stuff out. Please jump at the chance to grab this from the shelf and read it. I loved every minute I got to spend with these beautiful characters and now I wanna go get a guinea pig or jump off the high dive because who doesn’t love the iconic Esther Williams?!

Well done Katherine — you nailed it with this one. 😍😍😍

Emma is an aspiring screenwriter who has been taking care of her dad for the past ten years. When her friend offers her a job opportunity to rewrite her favorite writer's movie script she takes the chance. When she arrives in LA to work with Charlie, she finds out that he knew nothing about this. Eventually, Charlie agrees to work with Emma and two find that they work really well together. While I enjoyed the story, there were parts that made the characters not as likeable. Charlie could be mean and Emma came across as immature and whiny. Despite not enjoying the characters, this book was still okay.

I genuinely love Katherine Center’s writing so when I saw this one about two screenplay writers who (eventually) fall in love. I was sold from the start.

The pacing was perfect for me and I loved the banter between the mmc and fmc. Sometimes I got annoyed with how they were acting but overall I really enjoyed the book and the way it all wrapped up.

Emma is a screenwriter who has put her life on hold to care for family. Charlie is a successful screenwriter that Emma looks up to. Logan is their common manager. Tropes galore ensue in this rom com about life, family, love, and finding your way. This is a cute story by Katherine Center that I could not put down. Her writing style is propulsive even when you think you know what is coming.

This is now one of (if not my absolute) favorite romance books. The wit, the banter, the laugh out loud moments, but also the tender profound moments displayed throughout the book is what will have me coming back for a re-read over and over again.

I've always liked books about books, but now I've found that I like books about the process of writing too. Katherine Center knocks it out of the park with The Rom-Commers, a grumpy sunshine meets miscommunication romantic comedy that has enough seriousness written into it that there is depth while there is enough humor to keep it entertaining. I enjoyed both the FMC and MMC even though their assumptions and miscommunications often frustrated me, but the weaves and twists are what I've come to love about Center's writing. Perfect summer read!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted ARC.

This was a fun read that kept drawing me in, just as I was getting a little bored. I wasn't enchanted by the characters, but you could tell that Katherine Center didn't want us to be. The one thing I didn't like was the FMC breaking the fourth wall. That annoyed me.

This book had it all. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, humor, banter, mess, tension, the list goes on. The story was light and fun, but also touched on difficult topics in a sensitive and relatable way. I loved Emma’s dedication to being her father’s caregiver and was rooting for her the whole way, not just to find love but to finally follow her dreams she had denied herself for so long. I appreciated how Emma and Charlie’s story was not perfect, because what in life ever is. I laughed and smiled throughout, but also cried at times too. I cannot recommend this book enough, it would be the perfect summer read!

This. This right here. This is why Katherine Center is my absolute favorite. This whole book was perfection.

Emma Wheeler is an aspiring writer who’s spent the last 10 years caring for her father, who was injured in an accident. She gets the opportunity to help her favorite screenwriter rewrite his attempt at a rom-com, and she just can’t say no. Charlie Yates is surly, jaded, and has no business writing a rom-com. Will Emma, who unabashedly loves love, be able to help him fix it?

Katherine Center is simply the queen of the rom-com. I adore her writing style and storytelling. I can’t get over the little details you can find on almost every page that bring the story and characters to life. Emma and Charlie’s banter was everything; they had chemistry like I haven’t seen on the page in awhile. I will be a KC fan for life and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emma has career plans to become a screenwriter, but since her father’s injury she’s been a full time care taker. When she gets the opportunity to write with famous Charlie Yates, she jumps on it but quickly finds out that he is not the one to write a rom com with. He doesn’t even believe in love.

Katherine Center never disappoints me. She is one of the only romance authors I read and always warms my heart. The characters are quirky and unique as usual and the build up is perfectly done. The ending not only has tear jerking resolution and big scene, but there’s also some really emotional monologuing and development at the end. I also loved the Jack Stapleton cameos!

“I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could.”

The Rom Commers comes out 6/11.

I am a big fan of Katherine Center's novels. I refer to them as "feel good" books! The Rom-Commers does not disappoint. While I was reading this delightful, insightful book about two flawed people, Emma and Charlie, I found myself wanting to highlight almost every sentence!

"You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it."

"Would you rather cancel hope altogether than risk the possibility of being disappointed?"

"Poor happy endings. They are so aggressively misunderstood. We act like "and they lived happily ever after' is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that's never the way I read those words. I read them as "and they built a life together, and looked after each other, made the absolute best of their lives."

This last quote sums up the "feel goodness" of The Rom-Commers! I absolutely adored this book and hope that it becomes a movie one day!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this delightful, enlightening and insightful rom-com! I highly recommend it!

I loved this so much. This book had me laughing out loud and kicking my feet like a little kid. I loved Charlie. I related to Emma. I enjoyed learning about the screen writing process. This was just so sweet and fun and lovely and I can't wait to read more from Katherine Center.

4.5 stars-

I was lucky enough to score an arc of gem of a book! It was a classic Katherine Center delight! The banter was on point, the romance was adorable, the plot was so fun! I LOVE Emma's character...she was so fun and brave!

My only real critique was it took me a while to warm up to Charlie. He frustrated me at the beginning of the novel. He did redeem himself in the end, but overall he wasn't a favorite MMC 🤷‍♀️

If you love Katherine Center then I think you will love her newest novel, especially since it is basically a love letter to rom-coms! 🥰❤️

A book about rom com movies. Yes please. I love Katherine Center sweet romances with funny, flawed and brilliant characters They are always amazing, lovely reads and this one was no exception. I love that Emma and I love Charlie.
Neither of them has had a great life, Emma with the loss of her mother and her father's medical needs and Charlie with his battles with cancer and divorce yet they fit so perfectly together.
I am a sucker for forced proximity and Emma's agent setting her up to work with Charlie and live in his mansion was so perfect. I love how they came up with a routine and learned and grew together while writing their movie. I LOVE the gerbil. I mean I am a sucker for a cat or dog side kick but a gerbil. Hysterical.
I kinda of loved Charlies ex-wife. I think I would have loved more of her. The whole scene where they were hiding from her in the pantry. Laugh out Loud.
Charlie is book boyfriend goals. He is charming, humble and sweet. I love their banter and their chemistry. Through out the book he just became more and more wonderful. I see these two become an amazing writing team and being Hollywood it couples. They are so cute together.

Highly recommend to anyone that wants a cute sweet rom com. Total beach read vibes.