I recently read *Hello Stranger* by Katherine Center and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was delighted to receive an advance copy of her new release in exchange for a review.

The story centers on Emma, who lives at home with her father to support him after a tragic accident that left him with limited mobility and balance issues. With her mother having passed away, it's up to Emma, her father, and her younger sister, Sylvie—who Emma helped raise—to keep their family together. Sylvie has just finished school and is poised to start her career.

Emma's ex-boyfriend, Logan, reappears with an exciting job opportunity for her in LA, working with screenwriter Charlie Yates. However, Emma is torn about leaving her father in Sylvie’s care and potentially hindering Sylvie's career prospects.

Eventually, Emma decides to head to LA to meet Logan and start her new job, only to discover that Charlie hasn't agreed to have her on board or approved her involvement in his script. This adds to the personal challenges Emma faces.

The banter throughout the book was engaging, and the plot kept me interested in how everything would unfold. I found myself rooting for Charlie and Emma to find their happily ever after. Charlie is a deeply complex character, and though Emma seems less affected by past events, they both find healing together.

This is the second book I've read by Center, and I enjoyed this one even more than the previous. I highly recommend it and would give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Gah this book! This was such a fun ride! So, the story follows Emma Wheeler, a talented screenplay writer with a passion for romantic comedies, has faced personal challenges that have hindered her career success. Despite her exceptional skills, she has put her dreams on hold to care for her father, who is unable to live independently. However, when her sister returns home after graduating, Emma seizes a golden opportunity to work on fixing Charlie Yates's latest rom-com script. This chance requires her to leave her family responsibilities behind and travel to LA for six weeks.

Emma's task is not an easy one, as Charlie Yates is resistant to any help with his rom-com. He only wrote the script to secure approval for another project and holds a cynical view towards romantic comedies and love in general. Convincing him otherwise will demand all of Emma's dedication and time.

Emma's character shines through as a down-to-earth, optimistic individual who prioritizes her family. Despite initial reservations, even towards the standoffish Charlie, she remains steadfast in her efforts to make a difference. Emma's unwavering determination and genuine nature make her a lovable protagonist in this story. The romance between them was not only spicy but very sweet as well which is what I really admire about the author's romances!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I love Katherine Center and she doesn't disappoint with this newest book. Her characters make me laugh, and cry, and fully enjoy their stories. I will always be a fan of Katherine Center!

Exceptional. I enjoyed every word of this book. I haven’t read such a sweet love story in so long. I will be recommending this to EVERYONE.

I received both an ebook and audiobook of The Rom-Commers and alternated between the two as it worked best.

Another beautiful, heartwarming story by Katherine center and why she continues to be a favourite author of mine. Great characters. Perfect with all their flaws and challenges. Beautiful reminders that life is not perfect but to focus on what is going well. It was an absolute pleasure to read this one.

I have read 2-3 other books by Katherine Center and loved them. I really like the plot of the story - writing a story about a rom-com while in a rom-com book. I felt like all the things Emma was teaching Charlie about how rom-coms work is exactly what happened. I also really liked Emma's character and how she was initially frustrated by her friend not actually setting up this project. She just didn't go running into Charlie's arms and instead just walked away. Their chemistry/banter was great. It was also nice to have Emma's family embedded into story. I am glad her dad got a happy ending too. The story was wonderful and I will highly recommended it!

This. Was. My. Favorite.
I loved this story from start to finish, which only took less than a day.
Charlie and Emma are writers from very different worlds with opposite views on love. After navigating the inevitable tragedies of life on their own, they spend 6 weeks together trying to simultaneously salvage one career and start another one. The characters are believable, lovable, and relatable. The plot is realistic but entertaining enough to bring you into the situation and make you feel like you are watching them fall in love right before your eyes.

Katherine Center has become one of my auto-buy authors and this book highlights all the reasons why. She creates such lovable and real characters. Like her other books, this novel is full of witty banter, authentic relationships, and a love story that will have you kicking your feet. I cannot recommend it highly enough. There are great tropes here: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, and fake dating (sort of, they go on dates as "research").

I love how Katherine Center represents TBIs, disabilities, and chronic illnesses but she builds out full characters and does not boil them down to just their disability. For anyone who loves a good love story-- this book is for you. It is a love letter to romances. I love how Katherine Center argues for respecting the romance genre (read the authors note!)

Why are Katherine Center's books just that good? I’ve seriously loved every one of them and this one is no exception. This book is filled with an intriguing plot line and it kept me reading. However, it’s not super unique like most of her other books. This one seems more predictable but it’s still a read for me.

The Ron-Commers by must read author Katherine Center, has everything a good story needs: tragedy, self-sacrifice, unrealized dreams, famous people who work in Hollywood, humor and of course romance. Writing instructor Emma goes to LA to help her most favorite screenwriter ever, Charlie Yates, fix his latest manuscript which is supposed to be a romantic comedy but isn’t even close. He doesn’t want her help, but eventually consents under duress. Their relationship is instructive, filled with wit, new experiences, and romantic insights that make this a book one does not want to close unfinished. It’s flat out wonderful as Emma tries to show Charlie what romance is. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Emma Wheeler is the sole caretaker of her dad who was in an accident and has a traumatic brain injury. She has been taking care of him for ten years. Her life has been on hold the whole time. When she gets a huge break in her career, she must trust her younger sister to take care of their dad. She moves out to Hollywood to follow her rom-com writing dream. The rest is a love story with so many delightful twists! I loved this story! Thanks to @NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this ARC. I highly recommend it.

The way I tore through this story. I LOVE the way Katherine Center writes and The Rom-Commers is just continues that trend.

Emma and her family have been living in the shadow of tragedy for 10 years at the expense of Emma’s livelihood, though she’d never admit to that. But things change when Emma gets the opportunity of a lifetime to work with her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates…trying to fix his awful attempt at a Rom-Com. But that won’t work according to plan, right? Of course.

Charlie is grumpy and surly and completely averse to anything Emma has to say about Rom-Coms.

I love that while Emma is vulnerable and honest, she also has a backbone and isn’t afraid to dish it back and take charge.

I also love seeing the relationship between Emma and her sister, Sylie grow and evolve as adults with shifting dynamics.

And their DAD!? 🥹 just stop. He’s the best.

Definitely give this one a read and thank you so much to NetGalley for this advance copy!

Texas writer Emma gets the career break of a lifetime when she's tapped to help award-winning screenwriter Charlie Yates re-write his terrible rom-com. But how can they write a romance when Charlie has lost his belief in love? Emma takes it upon herself to school Charlie in matters of the heart and HEA's abound.

This is the 10th Katherine Center book I've read and I've absolutely loved everything she's written. BUT....I was a little disappointed by this book. While it's not bad at all, I do feel like it's one of her weaker works. Her previous books were real women's fiction, with and serious topics and complex female characters who experienced growth and struggle, This book 100% read like a rom-com. It was cute and funny, but lacked the depth that showed up in her other books. While there was struggle and heartache, Emma was written in such a peppy, cutesy way that I had trouble seeing her as anything but a comedic heroine.

If you go into this with the understanding that it's a cute, fun read, you'll enjoy it. I've just come to expect more from Katherine Center, so it left me a little disappointed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read and review a digital ARC of this book.

the rom-commers by katherine center

“i had theory that we gravitate toward stories we need in life…we look for answers in stories.”

★ ★ ★ ★ .5

everyone has there celebrity heroes. i’m sure i’ve told you before but mine is chris evans. i would simply pass away if i got the chance to meet him. but emma wheeler? she actually gets a once in a life time chance to WORK with her hero, charlie yates. only problem is emma is a romcom writer and charlie? well he can’t write romance to save his life. and he also doesn’t do working with others well. sounds like a recipe for disaster…

man i’m truly convinced i will absolutely love everything katherine center writes. she just does relationships so well. charlie and emma were so fun to read about. i loved seeing their friendship evolve as well as them as individuals. and of course i loved the little cameo from another fav character (i won’t say who for spoilers) but it was just so like them and it was perfect!

huge huge thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my review!!! the rom-commers by katherine center comes out june 11th and is available for preorder now so go add it to your carts 🩷🧡❤️

oh hey! it’s so funny how this just became one of my favorite books i’ve ever read. katherine center you beautiful genius THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING TO ME. i am sitting here absolutely destroyed by this work of art. this is the definition of a 6-star book. what an unbelievably beautiful testament to the power of love and family and tragedy and the authenticity of life! cheers to emma & charlie forever - i love you to infinity and beyond.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to read it early. I loved Emma and Charlie and the ride they took us on. There were moments when I was so frustrated with Charlie (but I think that was the point). All that to say, this book had amazing chemistry, fantastic banter, and a wonderful supporting cast of characters. I felt a wide range of emotions while reading this (a thing Center is so good at doing with her books) -- I laughed, cried, wanted to throw my book across the room, and got all the warm fuzzies. All that to say, definitely pick this one up!

I really liked this book! I do love when a romance is just a romance, but sometimes, it’s so refreshing when that part of the plot is almost secondary to the larger plot of the book. Like, this felt like a romance but it also felt like contemporary fiction/women’s lit, and I really enjoyed that. Emma and Charlie were both such lovable characters with relatable flaws. My heart went out to Emma, and I absolutely loved her family. Her backstory was heart-wrenching, and as it unfolded, you couldn’t help but to root for her and want her to have a successful career while also maintaining a close relationship helping her dad. And then there’s Charlie, who by all accounts is super successful and living the Hollywood life, but as his reasons for writer’s block were uncovered, you couldn’t help but to root for him too! The invisible strings tugging Emma and Charlie together were woven so well. Their differences connected them just as much as their similarities did, and they both had to overcome some personal hurdles in the third act to finally realize what the readers know all along.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher St. Martin's Press: Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.

But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? true?
*********************
My review: I LOVE when I get a book from NetGalley by an author I already have read and enjoyed. The Rom-Commers did not disappoint. Charlie is grumpy and troubled, Emma is optimistic but weighed down by life. I love the stops and starts in this book...things got flirty and fun, then not. A few times. Way to build up the tension!
Charlie and Emma had great banter, which is a rom com necessity. And I laughed that had to keep Googling things. So normal! Charlie can do so much for Emma, professionally and emotionally. But will he? By the time I got to the last 1/4 of the book I was anxious and ready for them to figure it all out as well as finish the script. I cheered for Emma the whole way. And for a little teary because I love it when a grumpy MC finally sees the love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Emma wants to be a screenwriter and she finally got to re-write a rom-com script for famous screenwriter Charlie. except that he doesn't want to work with anyone and his script is horrible. She has to convince him to give love a chance...

Emma is so sweet and likable. Took me a while to like Charlie since he starts off as a grump. The romance itself is so sweet.
A terrific romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Katherine Center continues to amaze me with her writing. The depth of the characters, the romance/chemistry, the humor, the life lessons. She is one of the greatest, and I was so happy to receive an advanced copy of this book. I loved the characters in The Rom-Commers, I loved the overall lessons about mindset and positivity. I loved the little quirky, fun elements like the pet guinea pig & canned biscuits, and oh, the incredible banter. Don’t miss this book!