This was a fun read!  It’s funny, witty, and cozy.  The deeper emotional story underneath all the lighthearted wit is captivating.  I love the way Katherine Center has a way of writing emotional stories with the perfect balance of humor and quirkiness.  There was so much to enjoy, but the pacing was a bit slow for me at times.  This is against the plot, story, or writing. I just prefer a faster-paced book that keeps my attention.  There were times when things felt a bit sluggish.

The plot was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the banter between the two characters. I can’t resist a broody character and Charlie was a perfectly GRUMPY closed-off character but he knows how to bring the swoon when needed. There were so numerous subtle romantic moments that captured my heart.  I found myself rooting for these two, and on the edge of my seat waiting for Emma to realize Charlie’s true feelings…despite his denial.

This is a standalone but if you are a fan of The Bodyguard you’ll join me in my giddiness from some surprise cameos. .

”Don’t meet your heroes. Isn’t that what they say? Oh, god. They’re so right.”

Emma Wheeler has put her life and screenwriting career dreams on hold for the last 10 years. After a tragic camping accident the year she graduated she became the sole caregiver of her dad and younger sister, Sylvie. Sylvie’s just graduated and a once in a lifetime opportunity for her to write alongside her favorite screenwriter and crush, Charlie Yates, has been dropped in her lap. And, now she’s on a flight to LA to fix the terribly terrible romance screenplay that Charlie has written in hopes to get his Mafia film produced. Only, something’s been left out. Charlie has no clue that Emma is coming. She’s now the unexpected guest who’s standing on his doorstep with her friend and his manager, Logan. Logan’s bright idea was to make it so he couldn’t refuse. A lot of writing, romance 101 and comedy follows. Both have pasts and feelings that they are having to come to terms with.

“Why are you doing this, Charlie?” Charlie squared his shoulders like he was steeling himself to say something true. “Because last night, when I was reading your stuff, I wanted to work with you. And I haven’t wanted anything—anything at all—in a very, very long time.”

I laughed out loud (literally), got mad about the miscommunication, I cried and swooned. This is my first book I’ve read from Katherine Center. Needless to say, her books are now on my TBR. She writes characters with depth, mental hurdles and human flaws. I couldn’t have loved getting to experience Charlie and Emma wade through their messy lives to each other more.

“Maybe I’d fallen madly in love with his writing for a reason. Maybe we shared some kind of essential linguistic rhythm, or some comic outlook, or some moral framework that made it easier to be friends than enemies. Or maybe we both just really loved writing—in the exact same way. Maybe writing was our love language.”

A special thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for a review.

Book Review - The ROM-Commers

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me so I was super excited to get The Rom-Commers from NetGalley.

Emma aspires to be a screenwriter but after her mother’s death and father’s injury she sets her dreams aside to manage her dad’s health and help raise her younger sister. When her agent lands her a deal rewriting her favorite screenwriter’s rom-com script, it’s an offer she can’t refuse.

There’s always so much I adorable about Katherine Center’s books. I loved the humor woven throughout the book, the connections to her previous book The Bodyguard and the polar opposite main characters.

Emma is sweet, thoughtful and puts the people she loves before herself in every situation. Charlie is stubborn, eclectic and initially self-absorbed. I love the grumpy sunshine trope and Katherine Center does it so well! I appreciate that her characters grow and change throughout the book from the lessons they learn and the relationships they form.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

#bookstagram

I am SO fucking over Katherine Center books being trash. Do not waste your time with this one. 1 whole star because at least I finished the book.

Emma Wheeler spent the last 10 years of her life caring for others and putting her dreams of being a screenwriter on the back burner. When it’s finally her turn to shine, her role model turns out to be wildly different than she anticipated. Enemies to lovers and miscommunication tropes are included - it’s fun and full of banter and kept my attention, but I hated the ending.

The book in general was 4 stars for me but the ending made me livid. It brought into play a very serious topic that was then covered over in a “oops, just kidding” type of way.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an amazing read. I absolutely love Charlie and Emma from their first appearance on page until their very last. Their romance is full of twists and turns that is enjoyable to read. Their quirkiness adds to the enjoyment of the story and characters. These two were so much fun to spend time with. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I love the family and friend aspects of this story.

Katherine Center has this amazing way of expressing human experiences and emotions through her characters and what they go through during her stories. This book is no different. I cried, laughed and swooned. This book touched my heart and soul and left me wanting to read it all over again. This book packs a punch in the best possible way.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am so heartbroken. This was a most anticipated book for me. I was thrilled with a young woman whose dreams were put on hold being thrown together with the screenwriter she most admired. I pictured the banter and the sizzle and the slowish burn. Wheat a got was a woman whose life had taken a different path who is determined to just accept whatever some asshole wants today to her. She’s a martyr, ready to run home because this asshole is sad. She also likes to play amateur therapist and try to fix people. The screenwriter is a complete douche nozzle who thinks because he’s had success he can speak to everyone however he’d like. The only thing he cares about is the pet he shares with his wife, I mean ex wife.
And the former boyfriend/ best friend is a self absorbed narcissistic moving people around like chess pieces to suit him.
But there was some good banter.

Emma is an aspiring screen writer who has put her ambitions aside for 10 yrs to take care of her beloved father. Until her friend (and ex boyfriend) calls her and gives her a chance to work with THE Charlie Yates. Only problem is, she needs to move to LA and actually… live with him while she helps him rewrite the worst rom-com screenplay she’s ever read.

To say he’s against it, is to remember he’s got the arrogance of success. And to say she’s nervous is to remember that she’s been living in the shadows of a caregiver for years.

What unfolds in the story is utterly predictable, wholly loveable and completely grabbed my heart. This is the first 5 stars I’ve given to the author’s books and it was worth it for me.

It will not surprise me if this is up on the big screen in the next couple years

You just gotta “appreciate your person”

"If those are the only stories we tell about ourselves, then those are the only stories we have."

Emma Wheelers life has been turned upside down by a tragic accident. She has to put her dreams aside to care for her father.
When the opportunity comes along for her to rewrite a script with her idol, Charlie Yates she jumps at the chance and heads to L.A.
Emma has her work cut out as Charlie doesn't believe in rom-coms or love.
I was so pulled into the story as I was rooting for Charlie and Emma as I watched this story unfold.
A rollercoaster ride of emotions as these two flawed, lovable, relatable characters find their own story. I laughed and had tears.
A Katherine Center book is an automatic must read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed the book, but I kind of wish I had gotten Charlie’s perspective for some of it. The one sided narrative felt really, really one sided. There were a couple of odd scenes that felt jumbled, like the one with TSA. Emma talks about the ID then the scanner and then the ID again. I was surprised by how short the book was, but I don’t know that it needed to be longer. I like Center’s writing style, the dialogue flowed and the character driven narrative was good.

This is one of those Katherine Center's that very feely, made me cry, and had a good romance. On the Rom-com spectrum, it's much closer to a drama than a comedy. It was heart wrenching, but never made me laugh.

This book is so bingeable! I read this so fast in a day. I was so invested in how everything would turn out (mostly the movie script that they were writing, and the character of of Charlie). It's primarily about the joy of writing, caretaking of your family, and letting people in despite past relationship trauma.

A video review including this book will be on my YouTube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Halfway through reading this book, I bought another Katherine Center novel, and this was my first of hers. That’s how mesmerizing her writing is. It is so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. She breaks the fourth wall, but in such a charming and engaging way that you don’t even feel it happening because it feels so natural. Her main character Emma is so bubbly and full of joy that you feel yourself start to embody her. Her dialogue is delicious, and this story was one of the most fun reads I’ve had the pleasure of reading! This plot was adorable, and executed perfectly. I gave this four stars because I didn't feel like I could connect to the male main character as much as the female main character, but that didn't take me out of the story or change how much fun this story was! I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her genius.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I found the characters to be a bit immature and not easy to relate to. I enjoyed the concept of the book and the witty dialogue, but I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters. I've appreciated the author's previous works in creating complex characters and writing uncomfortable scenes, but in this book, the characters' storylines didn't resonate with me. I acknowledge that many people will enjoy this book, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

Katherine Center does it again!! This is an auto buy author for us @those.book.besties.

Somehow, Katherine gives her readers a therapy session- reminding us to focus on being grateful, and that ‘sometimes things get better’ and it’s HOW you get to your destination that matters, not the destination itself.

In reminding us of these beautiful things, we are also introduced to Emma and Charlie- screenwriters with opposing interests who come together to write a rom-com. Their grumpy/sunshine dynamic, forced proximity and adorable banter had my attention from the first page.

Highly recommend this to anyone who wants a feel-good-page-turner; this is an excellent choice for a summer read!!

All the stars for this !

This book is beautifully written , I love the story line won’t lie when I did think Emma was going to come off like stalkerish to Charlie but she didn’t ! Their banter was amazing and watching them fall was beautiful!

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a quick and enjoyable read. The story has a great build-up that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. With the will they/won’t they love connection it’s easy to inhale this story.

Enemies to lovers and workplace romance are mastered in this story. I really enjoyed Emma as a female main character breaking down the elements of a good romcom. The irony of seeing the described elements play out for our characters.

The only drawback to this story is that there wasn’t any smut. The tension between them is amazing, and you know it’s going to be amazing when they finally follow through. But only kissing in this story, and it was kind of a letdown.

Oh boy, I feel like a buzz kill! There are a lot of positive reviews about this book and most people appear to be loving it, so I am an outlier here. I really wanted to love this book; the premise was very intriguing to me, the plot line was solid, and Katherine Center’s writing is always highly prolific. But I absolutely need to love the main characters in a romance and, unfortunately, never connected with these two. I had high hopes for a funny and heartwarming romcom but the relationship between the main characters felt really off and there was little to no chemistry and, therefore, no one for me to root for. I hope people continue to enjoy this story but it just wasn’t for me this time around. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 11, 2024

The premise of THE ROM-COMMERS felt perfect for a rom-com novel. Emma Wheeler has put her screenwriting goals on pause to be her dad’s caretaker for the last 10 years, when she gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with Hollywood renowned screenwriter, Charlie Yates, on a rom-com. Emma’s job? Help a romantic pessimist write a great romantic comedy.

Katherine Center excels at writing heartwarming, romantic comedies that go deeper than surface level. Her banter is always fantastic and a major reason I love her books.

What I think is a defining feature of Center’s books is that her characters are often grappling with challenging life scenarios. We often go deep into a characters situations, and even when they may not be specifically relatable, Center writes in such a way that you can easily emphasize with them.

The Rom-Commers was no different and it was paced in such a way that I couldn’t help but fly through it. I enjoyed the parallels between the rom-com screenplay and events that unfolded with Emma and Charlie’s real lives. Charlie and Emma are both complex characters, with their own baggage being brought to the situation and it was interesting to see it all come together.

I did struggle with Charlie’s continuous rude comments towards Emma. As well, the argument between Emma and her sister at the end. In both situations, I was hoping for a deeper apology or resolution.

Overall, I enjoyed this and Katherine Center continues to be an auto read author for me. I can’t wait to read what’s next!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Writer Emma has had to put her dreams on hold to take care of her father while her younger sister went to college. When Emma gets offered the chance to work with Oscar winning screen writer Charlie Yates she decides to put herself first and seize the opportunity. Emma then finds out Charlie only needs help with his horrible romantic comedy script in order to get the movie he’s really passionate about made. Emma is appalled not only at the situation but at Charlie, who doesn’t believe in love and thinks it’s a sham. She is determined to show Charlie true love exists and that it can make a good story.

With her signature Katherine Center heart and charm, this romance is highly entertaining and will leave you laughing out loud and also crying but in the best way!

Katherine Center, my absolute go to author when I want to read a great rom-com, has written the book that tells us why she is such a good writer. She really understands what her readers want from her books and delivers it time after time. Characters we care about, the importance of family, facing the obstacles that we all face and ultimately finding joy in the life we have. Her books are so uplifting. The Rom-Commers is a not to be missed book.