Thank you St. Martin's Press for my free ARC of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center — available Jun 11!

Read this if you:
🩷 need a laugh — it's a solid romcom about romcoms
🔆 ever made sacrifices for your loved ones
🤠 have gone line dancing and been terrible at it (meee)

Emma is obsessive about her dream to become a screenwriter, but she's always worked from home, as she's the caretaker for her father. When the chance comes up to rewrite a romcom script with her idol, Charlie Yates, she heads to LA for six weeks to get it done. Only two giant problems — the script is abysmal and Charlie doesn't want her help. Can Emma change his mind, not only about her helping, but also about whether or not love is even real?

Katherine Center has thus far been hit (The Bodyguard) or miss (Hello Stranger) for me, and fortunately this one was a hit! I found the back-and-forth between Emma and Charlie pretty hilarious, and enjoyed watching them fall for each other over the course of the story. I do find that Katherine Center leans so heavily on illness, injury, and tragedy in her books, so that can be sort of off-putting in a romance, but I think those elements come together decently well in this particular case. I'd watch the screenplay these two wrote, for sure!

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Wow ! I really liked this book ! This was my first read from this author and I enjoyed it. The side characters were definitely one of my favorites.

I wish Emma hadn’t taken so much crap from Charlie tho. He insulted her a lot and Emma just stayed and didn’t call him out. I also wanted Emma to apologize to her sister for snapping at her ! She went crazy on her and then played the victim when she said something just as hurtful back.

I really liked the ending eulogy! Their were a lot of neat little quotes and inspirational moments

a love letter to romance! It was great and I thought it was better than her last book! Definitely a win for me!

Emma Wheeler is a modern day Meg Ryan. Her narrative voice is so genuine and distinctive. You’ll immediately fall in love with her like she’s your new best friend.
The Rom-Commers delivers on everything we love about the genre. It’s a cute, funny and sweet romantic comedy. No spice needed with this book which I really enjoyed.
Center finds the right balance of realism and fantasy, transporting the reader into Emma’s love story but in this messy world where we all have to deal with happy and sad at the same time. You’ll feel the love. Don’t miss this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader. This was by far one of my favorite if not the favorite Katherine Center book. I love me a good romcom and the banter and movie fun in this one is fantastic! The visit with a character from a past book was super fun, and just the whole ride made me smile and laugh out loud!!

You know a book has won your heart when as soon as you finish, you turn around and start reading it all over again. I liked the Rom-Commers that much.

While the story is predictable, it is the journey that is the point. Emma and Charlie’s story is filled with tension, family drama, poignant moments, and humor. I laughed like a loon in parts. While I did find Emma overly anxious at times – with reason – and Charlie a bit insensitive, what I like about Center’s books is that she tries to show normal people living through life’s challenges. Bad things do happen, and they aren’t all fixable, but the message of hope and love make for a feel-good reading experience.

This is a great choice for readers of contemporary romantic comedies and as well as for sensitive readers as there is little swearing and no bedroom scenes on page.

Highly recommend. 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel.

I’m having mixed feelings.

There is a lot I loved about this book. I loved the style it was written in, like Emma was telling me the story. I love the realistic use of google, the relatability of Emma and how bold she is with Charlie. I also loved getting some insight as to what makes a rom-com a rom-com and why people (me) love them so much.

But there is something about a character taking to power of choice away from another that really never sits well with me. And Charlie did that, and he did it hard.

I’m still saying this is a 4 star read. I just wish Charlie had been upfront and let Emma choose.

Katherine Center is such a gift to the romance world. Her books are romantic, sweet, emotional, and so hope filled. Her latest is a true love letter to the romcom genre and it was so special. I laughed, I cried, I swooned and I loved every single second. 🩷

What to expect::
•Forced proximity
•Opposites attract
•Grumpy x Sunshine
•BTS romcom writing
•Heavy illness and grief themes
🔥Kissing only

🤩This one definitely has a spot in my 2024 favorites!

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I was SO excited when I saw I had been approved for an advanced copy of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center! Just this year, she has become one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint! Katherine does such a great job of writing fun, quirky characters who also have depth to them. This was a cozy book that had me smiling while I was reading it, and I would definitely recommend! AND I can’t wait to get my physical copy at her book signing in June 🤩

Read if you like:
•Witty banter
•Closed door romance
•Tight-knit families

And a huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC and opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! This book officially comes out June 11th 🗓️

Anything Katherine Center writes, I will read. I think this might be my seventh book of hers I’ve read and it didn’t disappoint.

Emma’s whole life was put on hold 10 years ago after an accident left her father severely injured and her mother dead. Charlie was left by his ex-wife on the same day he learned he had cancer and has kept his diagnosis private since then but is struggling to write his next hit screenplay. Enter Logan, Emma’s ex boyfriend and Charlie’s agent who coxes Emma into spending 6 weeks living in LA to help Charlie rewrite the worst romcom screenplay anyone has ever seen. Over the events of those 6 weeks, Emma and Charlie learn what love is like in real life and not just how it is depicted on the big screen. It’s a sweet, funny, and at times, gut wrenching story that is everything you’d expect from a Katherine Center book.

Thank you to Katherine Center, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for free access to The Rom-Commers in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect title for a perfect rom- com! I loved the characters, storyline, and resolution. It had just the right balance of rom and com. A great summer beach read!

Bee: I don’t know if it’s because it was late when I read this, but holy moly. The tears just flowed from my eyes by the end of this. This is rawest and most emotional book I’ve read from Katherine and it’s easily my favorite. Her ability to make you laugh and cry in a book is honestly magic. This doesn’t have dual POV but I swear you can still feel exactly what Charlie may be feeling or thinking in the moment. I love how blunt Emma is with Charlie too. She is exactly what he needed.

Nik: This book was everything. I felt all the feels, happy, sad, anger and so so much love. It’s so evident that Katherine poured her heart out into this one, it’s my favorite of hers yet. Charlie was so broody and grumpy. He was such a treat when he was coming back to life and realizing that Emma was so good for him. Emma’s growth was huge and I loved watching her realize how important she is to herself and everyone else. Everything about this book was top tier.

After devouring The Rom-Commers by the talented Katherine Center, I can confidently say that any book with her name on it will automatically find its way into my bookshelf.
I think I love her books so much because of the way she carefully handles the deep topics she introduces, and the balance between the difficulty and the joy that her characters also feel. I get lost in her writing - I laughed, I cried, I didn't want it to end! Emma Wheeler is a fantastic heroine - she had enough sunshine left even after being her dad's caretaker for ten years to melt the stubborn Charlie Yates down. Their partnership and Charlie's interactions with Emma definitely warmed me up to him as the slow burn was burning. I felt like some of the pacing was off in the middle third of the book, but the last third was such heartbreaking perfection that it made up for everything. I immediately read this one a second time through after I finished it because I didn't want it to be over!  So, a big thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

So I am going back and forth on this one. I devoured this book in two days since I loved the main character so much however Charlie I just thought was kinda mean at some point and never really owned it and apologized. I loved the simpler venerable moments that they shared. I can understand the language choices around those moments being simpler to highlight the way that it is hard to articulate feelings sometimes. over all I also just wish there was more sweetness through out the story.

Thank you, Katherine Center, for writing the most perfect rom-com for rom-com lovers. I loved it so very much!

Very reliably Katherine Center, which basically equates to clean, closed-door romance with Hallmark Channel vibes. This one gets points for delving into the writing process and what "stories" mean in and for our lives. But otherwise, it's a predictable structure of rom-com conflict, banter, butterflies, misunderstandings, revelations, swooning, and a 3rd act brush with tragedy, followed by holding on to the person you love and getting your happily ever after. The formula can be very satisfying, and it works here. I genuinely enjoyed several scenes and - as with most Katherine Center books - could easily see this made into a movie.

I was a big fan of The Bodyguard and absolutely did not enjoy the miscommunication trope of Hello Stranger. This book lands somewhere between those two. I know that a lot of people think that 3 stars means that a book is bad, but that's true. This book is good, just not great.

The Rom-Commers follows two screenwriters--Emma and Charlie--who have had wildly divergent experiences. Charlie was a wunderkind whose first screenplay was picked up while he was in college, catapulting him into a stratosphere of fame that most could only dream of. Emma, on the other hand, had her entire life upended when her mother died, and her father was seriously injured, in a rock climbing accident. That accident left Emma at home, carrying for her father and piecing together writing gigs.

When Emma is given the opportunity to help re-write a truly atrocious rom-com written by her writing hero, Charlie, she jumps at the chance, only to learn that Charlie doesn't believe in romance or love, and he certainly isn't interested in polishing the script. Yet, as the two begin working together, Charlie's stance on love starts to falter, and Emma realizes that she might love Charlie for more than just his writing skills.

I should have loved this book, I love seeing a curmudgeonly writer change his whole tune on love (after all, Gus Everett is, and always will be, my favor MMC). Unfortunately, there's not enough growth, nor groveling, to save Charlie from the first impression that he gives (he is terrible to Emma at the start). The book is written in a single POV, which requires a real deft hand at making the reader catch the changes of the other character, and I suspect that dual POV would have made the growth in Charlie's character more obvious.

This likely will still be a popular summer read. It is a well-written, well-paced, quick read, with a meta perspective on love and romance (as an art form) built in.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

I'm always thrilled to see a new Katherine Center book coming out and The Rom-Commers did not disappoint. Even though I know I will be crying at some point while reading the book - it is worth it every time. And a book about two screenwriters trying to rewrite a romantic comedy script together when they both clearly have two different views on love and rom-coms in general - made for a very entertaining book that I couldn't put down! Emma was an adorable ray of sunshine and it was so fun to see her push Charlie out of his comfort zone and even out of her own comfort zone after being a caretaker for her father for the previous ten years. Despite experiencing a lot of pain and loss - she is still incredibly optimistic and hopeful about love. Charlie definitely wasn't my favorite MMC right away - in trying to protect himself (and in his own view protecting Emma from getting hurt) his words were sometimes too hurtful. He was too often caught by Emma saying rude things about her to other people or belittling their relationship and connection. Katherine Center's novels always delve into heavy topics with grace and the right amount of humor. Her books have quickly become must-reads for me and The Rom-Commers was definitely one of my favorites so far (and I loved seeing Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard in this book too!). Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in advance.

The Rom Commers was a absolutely delightful read! Filled with witty banter that had me laughing out loud, real life hardships that I couldn’t help but appreciate and lots of good, old fashioned fun.

The story is about Emma Wheeler who is asked to help world famous screen writer Charlie Yates rewrite his truly terrible rom com script. Emma quickly realizes Charlie doesn’t believe in love and sets out to show him how wrong he is. This story is an ode to the romance genre as well as a beautiful reminder of the very real tensions of the good in life amidst the painful times we all face.

So witty, so funny, so full of love while staying firmly anchored in the real world where everything isn’t always sunshine and roses. I cannot recommend this enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins press for giving me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing! I haven’t read a great romance in a while as all of the ones I read lately were just kinda ok but this one is a highlight. The grumpy x sunshine vibes were awesome, the setting in LA with Charlie and Emma being screenplay writers was something new for me and I just flew through this book. Unputdownable is the right word for this one.

For the characters, first Charlie is so nice and grouchy but so likeable at the same time. He is like a kid who starts to rediscover that the world can be a fun place. A great character and fun to read about. At times he can be annoying, but his counterpart Emma is a nice counterbalance to his grouchiness. She is stubborn and fun and likeable as well! I enjoyed how she just ‘puts on her teacher voice’ and changes peoples’ perceptions and lives a little at a time. She deeply cares for her dad and worries about everything and everyone she loves.

All in all I loved the dynamics between Charlie and Emma and have nothing to criticise about this book. As Katherine is a new to me author I cannot say how this one compares to her other books, but I would say if you like books by for example Emily Henry I could imagine this one would be perfect for you! 100% recommendation.