"A great rom-com is just like sex, if you're surprised by the ending, someone wasn't doing their job. We all know where this is heading, the fun is how we get there."

"If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you are at the mercy of darkness."

This whole book felt like a genuine love letter to rom-com's as a whole. Emma Wheeler has spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies, but as the sole caretaker for her dad, her dreams to become a screenwriter have been on hold. That is until she gets an opportunity to re-write a script for Charlie Yates, the uber famous screenwriter, who she happens to be obsessed with.

This gave me all the feelings & had so much of what I love in a romance- forced proximity, slow-burn, character growth, banter, longing, tension you could eat with a spoon, SHIMMER. & a beautiful message on how precious life can be & the importance of the story we tell ourselves. I was a puddle of tears at times & kicking my feet giddy at others.

Definitely my favorite Katherine Center book so far!!! I can't wait to see what she does next.

4.5⭐️ I enjoyed this SO much!! I really loved the storyline it had me invested from the first chapter. Emma is a writer and gets the opportunity to help Charlie, a famous screenwriter, re-write his script for a rom-com because he knows nothing about rom-coms. She goes out to LA to work with him and stay at his house for 6 weeks. There’s a ton of drama and angst as they don’t get along at first and some other heavy topics are discussed along the way.

As someone who loves romance & rom-coms this was just so much fun! This one is definitely for the romance genre lovers❤️ It was very fast paced and easy to binge!

The only reason I didn’t get that 5 star feeling is bc I found Charlie to be rude and sometimes just mean at first which hindered my reading experience a little in the beginning, but by the end he grew on me and a lot of things were explained too! His acts of service were so 🥹🥹

-forced proximity
-slow burn
-grumpy sunshine
-workplace romance

4.5 Stars

Katherine Center has done it again! I thought that this story was so much fun and that the concept of two screenplay writers rewriting a romance script was so much fun. I thought that everything was so well done and it gave off perfect summer book reading vibes!

Let me preface this review by emphatically stating that I do NOT read romance novels...with the exception of Katherine Center. Sometimes I just need a light hearted story with lovely characters, an easy to follow plot, and, of course, a guaranteed happy ending. Like all of Ms. Center's books, "The Rom-Commers" was a delight to read. The plot, albeit a little predictable (but that is one of the joys of a romance novel-you know the main characters will find true love and happiness after almost losing each other), but creative and the writing is exceptional, especially for this genre. Ms. Center does not include graphic sexual descriptions in her books and she doesn't need to do so, not with such well developed characters. Ms. Center doesn't need to include "spice" to shock and grab a reader-her story crafting does that on its own. This book is the perfect summer read or for anytime when you need a little positivity and a happy ending in your life.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

*sigh*

I am not sure I read the same book that others are, because I see lots of really positive reviews and I just did not like this book at all. Emma drove me nuts and I'm not sure she had any character growth throughout the book. Charlie was a little better, but not by much. And I really did not buy into their relationship. I'm not a huge fan of breaking the fourth wall either, so all around, this one was a miss for me.

I'm a little disappointed as this is my first Katherine Center, so I'm hoping the next on my list will be better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Katherine Center has done it again! I wish I could bottle the absolute joy in her books and carry it around with me in my pocket. Alas, bottling book joy has not been invented yet but at least I have a delightful romcom from her to look forward to every year. Charie has joined all of the other love interests in my little book of swoony book boyfriends. What an absolute sweetheart!! And, of course, I love books about writing. There was some sadness in this book, including tragic loss of parents and chronic illness, but Center knows how to weave that in without losing any of the lightness that makes her books so wonderful. Coincientally, I actually have Meniere's Disease, though a much more manageable case than the character in this book, thankfully. I already can't wait for the next book!

I LOVED this book so so much. The characters were amazing and just such a joy to follow along with. This book is proof that I can still love a romance and it doesn't have to be super steamy lmao. I felt all the emotions reading this one! Laughed so much, cried a little, it really is just such a wonderful, well-rounded story. Loved the humor, loved the characters, I just loved everything about it! The audiobook was fantastic too; narration was perfect.

Emma wanted to be a screenwriter, but life got in the way. Instead she's still living in Texas, caring for her father. But when her agent offers her the opportunity to work with her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, she knows she has to take it. Charlie has written a rom-com, except he really hasn't. He's known for writing different movies and this "rom-com" is a disaster. It's almost like he's never been in love. Emma is determined to help him fix this, but it's proving to be more difficult than expected.

Oh I could not put this down. Two of the most unlikely people teaming up to write a rom-com. It was so fun and easy to read and I couldn't wait to keep reading. I've read several of Katherine Center's books and they do not disappoint. Fun, funny, romantic without being too sappy. Emma and Charlie feel like real people with real people feelings and issues. The story was good and kept me involved all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available June 11, 2024.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors. I have read every book she has published in the last four or five years and enjoyed each. As soon as I see that she has a book coming out, I stalk it and pray that I get to read the ARC. When the publisher decides to send me the widget, I get super excited, and I can’t download the book fast enough. That is how it played out with The Rom-Commers. I did get a little worried, though. Books I have built up in my mind have a habit of not living up to the hype. That wasn’t the case with The Rom-Commers, thankfully.

The Rom-Commer’s main storyline is centered around Emma. Emma is a socially awkward, slightly obnoxious, but sweet wanna-be screenwriter. When her father was seriously hurt and her mother was killed in a freak rock-climbing accident, Emma had to put her dreams on hold to take care of her father and sister. When her best friend offers her a job to rewrite a script for a famous screenwriter, she accepts. With her sister and father urging her, Emma sets out to LA. Once there, she is surprised that her best friend has forced her onto Charlie without warning. But when Charlie reads her revisions, he reluctantly agrees to the rewrite. The longer Emma stays with Charlie, the more she falls for him. But Charlie is a cynic. He does not believe in love. It isn’t until Emma leaves that he is forced to face his feelings.

I enjoyed The Rom-Commers. I don’t know anything about what goes into being a screenwriter, but the author did a great job of explaining it. She only went into great depth with some things, but she explained enough so I understood the basics.

I liked Emma. As I said above, she was a socially awkward, slightly obnoxious, but sweet girl. She had a whole lot of stuff dumped on her at an early age (she was in her mid-to-late teens when the accident happened). Plus, she had to almost single-handedly raise her younger sister while her father relearned to live with his disabilities. I liked that she was good at what she did and knew it.

I wasn’t a massive fan of Charlie for most of the book. He was surprised when Emma showed up with his manager out of the blue. I also get that he suffered from writer’s block, which contributed to his writing such a bad rom-com. But, everything after that, Charlie was being a jerk. The things he said about Emma were horrible (he didn’t know she overheard), and how he treated her was awful. But Charlie did redeem himself in my eyes. I’m not going into what he did, but let’s say that I was bawling my eyes out when Emma confronted him about everything.

The romance angle was slow. I felt that it was a one-step-forward/three-step-back progression. It didn’t help that Charlie didn’t believe in love and thought Emma (a rom-com addict) was ridiculous in her beliefs. There was a point in the book where I wanted to slap Charlie upside the head and shake some sense into him. But once Charlie’s Grinch heart grew three sizes too big, he realized what he had given up.

The end of The Rom-Commers felt rushed. It wasn’t my favorite ending, but it worked. I wish more attention had been paid to Charlie and Emma’s HEA. While I liked reading about everyone else, I didn’t think it was needed. It was that extra that made the ending rushed.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Katherine Center for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Rom-Commers. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Another wonderful Katherine Center book--she never disappoints! Emma Wheeler is a frustrated screenwriter who has had to miss out on lots of potential opportunities to care for her disabled father. But the stars align when she's asked to rewrite a rom-com script with her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates. At first, it's a case of "never meet your heroes" because Charlie is a complete jerk. But in true rom-com fashion, sparks eventually fly between the two.

There are so many things I loved about this book--Emma's relationship with her family, the sparkling banter, the slow reveal of the backstories of both Emma and Charlie. And the fact that this is a rom-com about rom-coms is very meta and fun. Katherine Center nails both the "rom" and the "com" of the genre--a fabulous read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC copy.

Never meet your idol; Emma doesn't know how true this statement is until she's in the presence of award winning writer Charlie Yates. An unbelievable opportunity to work with him has Emma rearranging her life,and that of her disabled father (for whom she is the caretaker), and her younger (recently graduated) sister's and moving to LA for 6 weeks to help Charlie work through his writer's block.

What she finds when she gets there is that Charlie neither wants her help, nor even knew she was contracted to help him. As one can imagine, he isn't too eager to work with an unknown…but if he wants to get his next mafia film green lit, he needs to produce a workable rom-com; that's where Emma, and her love of a HEA comes in.

Emma has put her writing career on hold to take care of her father, and a grumpy, jaded Hollywood writer (who apparently doesn't believe in happy endings) isn't going to stop her from taking her shot.

This was a thoroughly delightful read. The banter is top notch, and the twists have you guessing until the end. And yes, Emma and Charlie do get the happy ending they so deserve.

I put off reading this as long as I could. But with all the ugliness in the world, I needed a dose of fun and love, with a little turmoil thrown in, that only Katherine Center can deliver. This was a perfect read to start the summer off right.

Emma is a caretaker and big sister, screenwriter waiting for her big break. She knows and loves about Charlie, THE go to screenwriter in Hollywood. When the chance of a lifetime falls in her lap to work with Charlie on a rewrite, she is all in. Center’s characters are relatable to all, descriptive. Emma is outspoken, struggling with putting herself first. Charlie is a curmudgeon in training, hurt by others, lost his mojo and locked himself away. These two are fun to watch slowly come together and open up. They bring out the best in each other. The supporting cast is equally lovable showing the importance of family and friends.

This was a feel good story that I was totally immersed in, reading the majority of it on a road trip. I laughed, teared up and cheered thru the book. I’ve enjoyed all the KC books I’ve read, but this one has been added to my favorites. It was the perfect book for me at the perfect time.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to netgalley and to St. Martins Press for allowing me to read Katherine Centers newest book The Rom-Commers. Katherine Center book was the author that I go to In order to enjoy a light whimsical book. This book was a light hearted book where Emma was the lead female who had dreams but has to put family first. Charlie is a screenwriter who needs help in writing and Emma comes to the rescue.

They say to never meet your idols.  Emma wants to be a screenwriter but has been a caretaker for her father for the last ten years.  But, an opportunity arises for her to work with her favorite screen writer, Charlie Yates, and she jumps at the chance.  When she shows up at his doorstep, though, he's less than thrilled to have a writing partner and requires some convincing.

Thoughts 💭
Emma and Charlie are adorable together!  Their chemistry lept off the page, and their dialogue was top tier.  I enjoyed their personalities and quirks separately and together.  I think they really brought out the best on each other, and that includes their writing.  There isn't a ton of spice, and it was a bit of a slow burn, but it was a really sweet and enjoyable story.  To balance out the sweetness, there are some tough topics, including death and illness.  If you're a fan of this author, you won't be disappointed.  I know I'll be going and checking out some of her other books after this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Rom-com movies and romance novels….seems popular to frown upon them these days or make fun of those that enjoy them. Admittedly, I stayed away from them for quite some time. But my favorite part of this book was the argument of why it’s still a respectable genre and hope is a good thing.

Imperfect characters, but a fast plot with a mix of darling, tender and frustrating moments made this another entertaining read from the author.

Main Characters:
-- Emma Wheeler – 28 years old, teaches English at a community college, amateur screenwriter, considered by Logan Scott to be an expert in the execution of rom-coms, caretaker for her 55-year-old father for the last 10 years after he was injured in a climbing accident, her mother died in the same accident
-- Logan Scott – Hollywood manager for screenwriters, Emma’s former high school boyfriend who offers her work on and off
== Charlie Yates – award-winning screenwriter, lives in Los Angeles, represented by Logan, Emma’s absolute favorite screenwriter

I have enjoyed and recommended all three of the previous Katherine Center novels I have read, and you should absolutely read those (Things You Save in a Fire reviewed in Women Can Be Whatever They Want to Be, The Bodyguard reviewed in The Fine Art of the Rom-Com, Hello Stranger reviewed in When Life Gives You Lemons….). This one…this one I just loved from start to finish, so you should order it now and await its June release with bated breath. Center is one of my must-read authors, and this is just another example of why.

The Rom-Commers is a screenplay within a book, a little different from your typical book within a book, movie within a movie. Logan Scott hires Emma Wheeler to help improve the rom-com that Charlie Yates has written because it is clear that Charlie’s expertise is not romance.

Logan outlines two conditions: Emma will be a ghost writer on the project and will not receive any writing credit, and she has to work with Charlie in L.A. The second one is a much tougher sell because Emma has been the her father’s caretaker since the accident that killed her mother. However, with the help of her younger sister and a push from her dad, she takes the job and heads to L.A.

That’s the summary you get. The story is a romance, so you know there will be a happily ever after, but there are surprises in this story that I did not expect and don’t normally get from a romance novel. I really don’t want to give those away. Some of them touch on my heartstrings because of my personal experience, but I have never had a romance novel make me cry, and I legit shed a few tears for this one.

Center writes her characters so well. Emma’s expertise in the art of the rom-com shines through, and Charlie gives the vibe of a talented, successful recluse who wants to shut out the world. Clearly, they will work seamlessly together (insert sarcastic eyeroll here). Logan is a classic case of the end justifying the means. He means well…he really does. He just makes some questionable decisions along the way.

This one will make you smile (and maybe shed a tear or two). I’ve said this in the past about Center’s books, I can see this on the big screen. When I read The Bodyguard, I envisioned Chris Hemsworth as a good Jack Stapleton with Emma Watson as Hannah Brooks, the two main characters. Those characters make appearances in The Rom-Commers, so for this one, Tom Hiddleston would be an excellent Charlie Yates with Emma Stone as Emma Wheeler. Someone in Hollywood make this happen.

Pretty please?

Loved The Rom-Commers. Katherine Center does not disappoint. If you enjoyed The Bodyguard by Center than you will definitely enjoy The Rom-Commers. This was a quick read because I wanted to know how the story was going to end. I can't wait to read more books by Katherine Center. Highly recommend this title.

I LOVE Katherine Center and can confidently say this is my new favourite of hers! The characters, their development, the storyline… all perfect. Center writes character development like no other (aside from my queen Abby Jimenez). I fell into what was going to happen next and was rooting for the characters hard. A++ all around!

Thank you so much Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to get my hands on this ARC. I am so thankful!

4.5 stars

Katherine Center books are always a settle in and get ready to feel good kind of vibe. You can always expect a little bit of the ridiculous and far fetched...but I do think that she balances out those tones with really raw realities and trials that her characters have to go through to get to the other side.

The Rom-Commers is no different. This is a book about two screen writers who get hoodwinked to re write a screen play together into something worth producing. I loved the slow build up of misconceptions and the peeling back of layers as we get to the heart of what each character is concealing.

There are themes of self deprivation, and isolation but also the willingness to put yourself out there and be brave just for the heck of it. It is a book about loving and learning that love is messy and it IS the mess that matters. I really enjoyed the cute chemistry between these two and thought while the road was a little bumpy the journey was well worth it.

What impressed me most about this book and had me a little misty eyed was the emphasis on loving people despite their imperfections..that love was a choice and the more we choose to love this way, the happier we will be. Love doesn't have to be perfect to be incredibly beautiful.

Just a really lovely, bingeable read with all the Katherine Center charm.

5 out of 5 stars!

Emma Wheeler has always wanted to be a screenwriter, especially for romantic comedies, which are her favorite. But, when her dad is involved in an accident that requires full-time care, Emma puts her dreams aside to take care of him. When she gets the chance to help her idol, the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, rewrite a romantic comedy, she is over the moon. He is her idol! Her younger sister steps into take over caretaking duties, and she heads to LA for 6 weeks! But she is surprised when she gets there, and Charlie doesn’t want to work with her. Specifically, “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Even though Charlie may not want to work with her, his romantic comedy is terrible. He needs the help more than he thinks, and he does actually want to get it done so another project of his will get produced. Charlie doesn’t even believe in love, which makes Emma’s job harder. She needs to convince him that love stories do matter and teach him that sometimes they do come true.

A romantic comedy is a combination of romance and comedy fiction that is humorous but shows how true love always wins. “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center is a perfect example of a romantic comedy. It is laugh out loud funny yet has a romance that blooms throughout the book. This book made me feel all types of emotions while telling a story that caught my attention. Romance books are normally not my first pick, but this book might have convinced me that I need to read more! Especially by Katherine Center.

I loved the main characters, Emma and Charlie. They were so different but worked so well together. They both had incredible stories on their own, but together it was magical. I almost cried at the very ending; it was that good. I also loved the plot. It felt like nothing I had read before and also gave me a feeling of comfort. This book is the definition of a romantic comedy and made me believe that love does exist.

Pick up “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center on June 11th, 2024!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.