Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. Emma is a writer who wants to write screenplays, but she has spent years taking care of her disabled father. Then she gets an opportunity to work with a famous writer in California, and she uproots her life to go there. But the writer is very difficult, and she worries about how her sister is going to manage with her father. It’s a fun story with some sad and difficult issues. Of course a happy ending! Good light read, great for the beach. It will be released in June. #therom-commers #katherinecenter #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

There's no one better to emotionally wreck you and then put you back together than Katherine Center. Please be advised that you should read this only somewhere that you can ugly sob in peace. She has such an amazing way with words to just hit you directly in every single feeling, your heart, your soul. Every character made you feel something new. I laughed, I smiled, I sobbed. I loved it.

I will read anything and everything by Katherine Center and recommend it for anyone who needs to be reminded that they're a human being.

I absolutely loved this book! Katherine Center has proved once again why she is an auto-buy author for me.

Emma is such a fun character, and I love how in love with romance she is. The writing is so witty and I just love how well Katherine writes heavy topics without making them feel so heavy. She is truly a master of her craft and knows how to pull at your heartstrings.

The pacing of this book also felt just right, and I'm always a fan of the tropes found in this story. And can I mention Emma's adorable father and their relationship? Because as hard as it must have been to be the sole caretaker for her father for years, she still adores him and loves him, and absolutely has a blast making memories together.

5/5 stars and a perfect addition to any summer tbt list!

I was so excited to read The Rom-Commers because I really like Katherine Center a lot, but this book was not my favorite. I had quite a few issues with it, but at the center is just the fact that I did not like the two main characters. They had absolutely zero chemistry, and I did not buy even a little that these two people somehow fell in love. Nope. That absolutely did not happen.

The main characters were Emma and Charlie, Emma being the struggling screenwriter and Charlie being the renowned, award winning screenwriter. Emma ends up working with Charlie to fix one of his screenplays. At the time she has been taking care of her dad who has multiple medical issues that require constant care, so her sister Sylvie takes over his care while she goes to this job for six weeks. Right off the bat Charlie says the rudest things about Emma, and she overhears him and is offended but says and does absolutely nothing about it. Wash, rinse and repeat. Charlie repeatedly insults her to anyone and everyone who will listen, including to Emma right to her face. And Emma is such a doormat, she never does anything about it. She never stands up for herself, and just let's Charlie crap on her and take out all of his issues on her. She thinks more than once how angry she is and how she will leave, but never does. Like grow a spine! It was so unappealing.

Of course towards the end, there is the separation because of course Emma's dad gets hurt under the care of Sylvie. Emma proceeds to berate her younger sister in the most disgusting way until Sylvie finally has enough and says something hurtful back. To which Emma decides that she is basically going to cut her sister out of her life. Girl. Did you not just hear all of the horrible things you said to your sister not 30 seconds prior? At this point I was just done with Emma.

When we finally got a reason for the separation it was so unbelievable that this issue would ever happen, that it completely took away from the reveal. And at the end I was just so over both Emma and Charlie. Emma needed to stop martyring herself, and Charlie needed to grow up. The only characters I enjoyed were all of the side characters! Emma's family was lovely and they all deserved better than her. They are why I even gave the book 2.5 stars. But I rounded up to 3 because it's Katherine Center. Overall just not my favorite. Thank you to SMP and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this witty enemies to lovers troupe, Emma and Charlie are unwilling brought together to rewrite a screenplay. Emma wants to make it big but her family obligations have held her back. It was so fun to read these two as they learned about each other and tried not to fall in love. This is the perfect escape read! Beach read, here I come!

Not my favorite from KC (I've read almost her entire body of work) but fun, nonetheless. I will still recommend it as a read this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to receive and review this ARC.

Ahhhh! I loved this book so much! Such an uplifting & inspiring story from one of my favorite authors! This story is clever, witty, heartfelt and real. Katherine Center’s stories always do the heart good.

Get ready to bump this book to the top of your summer reading list because Katherine Center knocks it out of the park yet again! With a perfect blend of romance and comedy, she tackles serious topics like cancer, parental loss, and panic attacks without missing a beat. Center fearlessly delves into life's darker moments while keeping the story irresistibly light-hearted. She's undeniably one of the greats in the RomCom genre, and Charlie & Emma will steal your heart forever.

And can we talk about the delightful cameo from our favorite leading man from “The Bodyguard,” Jack Stapleton? His appearance in the story is like confetti raining down on an already fantastic party. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on this literary celebration!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5

katherine center has really mastered the art of getting deep without making it feel heavy, or overly emotional. the setup here was cute, and written well. an effective rom-com, as the title suggests.

i liked how the narrator sounded; she was very easy to listen to! sometimes it takes me a bit to get used to an audiobook, but i was in this one almost right away.

🎧 listened to audiobook
#netgalley

A delightful romance that builds slowly. I loved the writing elements through the novel. I kept wondering if the author was Stephen King or John Green.

💐𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖-𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜🌻
🩷𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚌𝚘𝚖..𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎!
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺(𝚙𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝..Emma is a talented writer & lover of romcoms, but also the sole caretaker for her dad. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to write with her fav Hollywood screen writer and…

🌻🌷🌸🪻🌼🌻🌷🌸🪻🌼🌻🌷🌸🪻💐

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜…THIS BOOK IS PURE JOY! ☀️ this is my fourth Katherine Center book & def my fav! 🥳 I read this as a hybrid(audio some, kindle some) & had to take breaks to rest my jaw. Why, you ask? 🤔Well, because I was smiling so much my jaw would ache & cramp that I had to ice it 🧊🙃…those that really know me know I had a tumor in my jaw..had it removed & stem cells put in its place..yada yada..I am fine(ish) now but have NEVER had a book that caused such elation that I needed to ice my face. Thanks, KC😆

🌈I could rave about it all..her amazing banter, the characters(they are so real!), the relationships(& not just love interests), the quotes that should be its own book in itself, the surprising little plot twists & so.much.more!

📝 Her authors notes are an absolute must read always so never miss those! If you don’t like smiling 😁or want to be a miserable human being then don’t pick it up…otherwise please add this jubilation compilation to your TBR! ☀️🌈🦄

Such a cute lil romance story. I highly recommend this one for a good summer read! I think there's a little something in there for everybody.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this arc. Wow. This one is going to stick with me for a while. What a gorgeously written story about love, loss, grief, and overcoming tragedy by going through it. The Center's storytelling is captivating, witty, and powerful. Emma, an optimistic romance writer who has sacrificed everything for the people she loves, was such a joy of a protagonist. She has a compelling charm that evokes so much thought and emotion that you can't help but root for her happiness. Charlie, the pessimistic fiction writer hardened by the people who have left him behind, served as a perfect 'rom-commer' counterpart. Center is masterful at character development— a truly remarkable story from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

This book was a delight to read. I really enjoyed Hello Stranger and had high expectations for this book. It was not a disappointment.

Emma has been taking care of her father for the last 10 years and doing some writing on the side. Her high school boyfriend and agent calls her out of the blue with an unbelievable opportunity. Charlie Yates is her favorite screen writer and needs some help with his rom-com that he has written.

Emma calls her sister to come care for their father and nervously gets on a plane. She is worried her sister will not be able to handle all the care their father needs on a daily basis and leaves very explicit instructions for her.

Emma finds out when she is at Charlie Yates' house that he isn't privy to the plan that her agent cooked up.

I was very bonded to both Charlie and Emma and their working relationship. There were a lot of sweet scenes with them doing research for the movie and working through some life things together that endeared me to them even more.

Emma gets to meet a lot of Hollywood heavy hitters in her time with Charlie and can actually work to have a career of her own rather than just being her dad's caretaker while life passes her by.

Katherine Center is the queen of romance with substance and she has done it again!! The Rom-Commers is my new favorite book of hers. I was immediately drawn into the story and then couldn't put it down! Charlie and Emma are both so realistic written that you believe everything that happens to them and between them. The ending will have you in tears, from being emotionally wrecked and then put back together again.

5/5

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this Arc, all opinions are my own.

Emma lives with her dad who was injured ten years ago in an accident that killed her mother. She has been his caregiver since then while her younger sister finished college. Her dreams of screenwriting had to be put on hold for her family. One day she gets a call from her old friend/agent that a ghostwriter is needed to completely overhaul a rom com screenplay by her favorite screenwriter. With her sister to care for her dad, she takes off for LA only to find Charlie to not only be difficult, but also to have not been told his rom com script was in need of a rewrite. Will Emma and Charlie be able to write together? Can Emma found herself again and grow? Can Charlie?

Katherine Center is back. I haven't loved her last few books as much as her older ones, but although this premise seems farfetched, the main characters really work and I loved the silliness, grumpiness, and sticky situations they get themselves into. Writing a rom com screenplay together is kind of wishing it would get made into a movie, but I think it would do well as one, and I liked this one a lot. 4.25 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book, but well this was complete garbage. I am a huge Katherine Center fan but this was just not it. She really peaked at The Bodyguard and things have not been great since. There was no one to root for, the twist at the end was completely unbelievable. There was no language for all the sex and profanity at the beginning and it made no sense that she suddenly was a 'i swim every morning' person when she also never took her eyes off her father. The best part was her father's toast at the end of the book. This would have been a much better book if it was written by Courtney Walsh.

The Rom-Commers centers on Emma, an aspiring screenwriter who has spent the last decade of her life as the sole caretaker of her dad who requires full time care. Emma writes romantic comedies, and she’s really good at it but she is also well versed in giving up opportunities for herself to care for her family. The story begins when an opportunity comes calling that’s too good not to answer this time—to ghostwrite a romantic comedy for Charlie, her favorite screenwriter and a big name in Hollywood. But Charlie doesn’t believe in love and is only working on the rom com so that the producer requesting it will make another of Charlie’s screen plays.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved Emma but did not love the emotional whiplash she was put through with Charlie’s mixed signals (and though everything is eventually explained, it was still really hard and the miscommunication/misunderstanding went on too long). At no point did I pick this up thinking that it would have me sobbing but it did. This was a sweet and funny romance that packs several heartfelt and gut wrenching punches. It is beautiful and overall a happy story but like life, it also has several really sad parts. This is a topic that the book touches on at several points - you cannot escape the bad things in life but you do get to choose what you do in the face of them.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

Oh my goodness. This book. Look, if you love 2000s romcoms, then this is the book for you. When I say this book could be a movie, I’m not exaggerating. I could see the scenes unfurling in front of me and imagine the sweetest love story playing out on the big screen. It would obviously have a fantastic soundtrack, like How to lose a guy in ten days good.

If you’ve liked Katherine Center’s previous work, this book will be right up your alley. It’s a bit of women’s fiction with plenty of romantic tension. You will love the quirky, bold Emma. And the sweet, thoughtful Charlie Yates? He’s the romcom lead of your dreams.

Listen. You might be saying, “Hannah. I’ve read plenty of romcoms. Why this one?” And I’ll be telling you that people don’t make these books like this one anymore. This is classic. This is sweet. This is Center witty. This is what every romance movie of the 2010s and 2020s have been missing.

Just do yourself a favor and preorder it. Not just because it has adorable pink sprayed edges, but because it’s a story you need in your heart.

Thank you Netgalley, for a chance to read this book early.

I love this book so much. The storyline and characters were hilarious. Emma is a strong character who stands up for what she wants and who she is. Charlie is so oblivious at times that it is adorable.

Emma had dreams of being screen writer until she had to become the sole caregiver for her father. She selflessly placed her dreams on the shelf and did everything to care for her father. Until she gets the opportunity to cowrite a screen play with her favorite author. Her sister takes over the caregiving for their father and Emma flies to LA to meet her hero.
Hilarious banter ensues. The title definitely lives up. This rom-com is sweet, laugh out loud funny, but sometimes serious and heartwarming. If you liked her other works, you will love this book.