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!

Katherine Center has written yet another heartwarming, but not sickeningly sweet, page-turner! I enjoyed almost everything about this book and I had a hard time putting it down every evening. Witty dialogue, believable and identifiable geographic settings, the right amount of backstory and conflict-- I cared about the characters more than I usually do.

Here's the thing, though: right from the start, I felt like I had read this plot before. Writer goes to LA, lives in a house with a cranky antisocial LA bigwig, and against the odds, they end up falling for each other. It didn't make me stop reading because I was so caught up in the author's sparkling dialogue and engaging writing. I did figure out which book's plot begins similarly, but Center takes it in an entirely different direction.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Rom-Commers and cannot wait for whatever she writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-copy for review.

This is my new favorite Katherine Center book and my new favorite rom-com book ever. I LOVED IT! Emma and Charlie are the best characters and the premise of the two of them writing a rom com screenplay was so creative. This book was funny, heartwarming, and will stay with me for a long time. It had one of the best epilogues I’ve ever read. So encouraging and entertaining. I could go on and on about how much I loved this book!!!
I received an ARC of this book but I’m going to preorder this book so I can have a copy on my shelf. That’s how good it is!!!!! READ IT! You won’t be disappointed!!!!

I have heard really great things about Katherine Center and was excited that my request was accepted to read this as an ARC! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!
This was my first Katherine Center book and to me, it was good not great. I think that other people will really enjoy the story, especially if they are fans of Katherine Center, but it just wasn’t for me and that’s okay! I couldn’t connect to the characters and there were other parts that I didn’t really like. For example, the relationship between Emma and Charlie was frustrating. I didn’t love how Emma was consistently pursuing/throwing herself at Charlie, and kept getting shut down… like girl, when are you just gonna give up lol.

Anyways, not really for me, but again I think Katherine Center fans will enjoy!

They say to never meet your hero but I would love more than anything to meet Katherine Freaking Center to shake her hand and thank her for all the amazing books that live rent free in my mind.

I adore this author so much and enjoy the complexities in her stories. With that being said, this one was a bit of a letdown for me. I went on an emotional rollercoaster with this book. There were parts I absolutely loved and brought so much laughter and tears to me while I read it, but at the same time it felt like this book had way too much going on. I wish she would have cut ¼ of the drama out or focused on two topics.

Though this was not one of my favorite books by this author, it still is a solid book. It’s jam packed with emotions, the story was well written and well throughout, I just wish the romance wasn’t outdone by the journey of each character's growth.

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

10 stars!

I was so ecstatic when I saw the email from NG saying I was approved to read it! I love Katherine Center's books, she's an amazing writer!

Emma and Charlie, what can I say? They didn't start out in the best way: she thinking the job was a done deal (that Logan!) and him not knowing at all that she was coming. Not a good start.

But Charlie is curious about Emma's opinions on his script and soon realizes she is indeed an expert and she ends up staying with a contract for six weeks.

So many tropes in this story and so well done! I loved the forced proximity and the way they worked and lived so well together, and how their friendship blooms so well after their rocky beginning.

The ending was just amazing! Loved it so much! Loved the whole thing so, so much!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I literally jumped for joy when I learned I was approved to read Katherine Center’s The Rom-Commers. Her books always go to the top of my TBR list.

For good reason. She puts out heartwarming stories that make me smile and dance while simultaneously weaving in heavy themes that serve to deepen the emotionality of her characters.

This book was no exception. Our protagonist, Emma, is a die-hard romantic and a skilled romantic comedy writer who hasn’t been able to break out because of life circumstances.

But she finally gets her chance. The famous Charlie Yates has to put out a rom-com and he direly needs help from a ghost-writer. Her little crush on him non-withstanding, Emma is the perfect woman for the job.

Except, when she gets to LA she finds out that Charlie doesn’t believe in love. And nor does he actually want his romantic comedy to make it to the big screen.

The only way for Emma to achieve her dreams is convince a jaded Charlie that love is real. And maybe, just maybe, the two will find their own HEA on the way.

I adored both Emma and Charlie. Emma is a glass half-full kind of girl who has been through the wringer but comes out with a smile. Charlie, though he initially seems like a jerk, proves to be layered and kind. You can’t help but root for the two of them.

A five star sweet rom-com.

There is nothing I love more than a book about two writers falling in love over writing a project together.

Emma was a great protagonist. As the oldest of two sisters myself, I could empathize with the pressure she felt to shoulder everything and make things okay for her little sister in the aftermath of trauma. I loved following her journey with accepting to let things go and allow herself to be happy.

I also enjoyed the banter and sparks between Charlie and Emma from the get-go. I loved that you can feel Charlie fall for Emma first, and hard. I was practically giggling and kicking my feet reading their scenes together.

The only thing that kind of put me off about this story was Emma’s tendency to break the fourth wall and address us readers directly like she was telling her and Charlie’s story to us around a couple drinks. I’m not a big fan of this narration style in general because I find that it leads to a lot of info-dumping and telling instead of showing, which unfortunately happened here. I don’t need the long chapters of backstory. Let the information unfold to us naturally as the story goes. This is the only reason I’m not rating this book a 5 stars because, otherwise, I really loved it.

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦-𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫

"𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘮-𝘤𝘰𝘮," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘹. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦."

I loved this book! This story managed to have me cackling in tears and then had my heart in a chokehold at the loss and very real tragic events that took place.

At the heart of this story it’s about Emma trying to help Charlie believe in love again while also healing her heart so that she can finally begin to live her life. Emma had spent 10 years just surviving after a tragic accident changed her future and family, forever. Emma was a gem. Everything about her character was relatable, especially her fan-girling hard over Meryl Streep. I mean, it’s Meryl Streep, she’s ICONIC!

I didn’t know what to make of Charlie at first. I couldn’t decide if I liked him or not, but people are complex and that’s definitely true for him. Everyone has things they are trying to overcome. He managed to be unbelievably sweet while also standoffish.

Emma and Charlie are so perfectly opposite in nearly everything that I loved their moments together. In true Katherine Center style, this is a clean romance with only the absolute most cinematic kisses on page!

I recommend this story to everyone that grew up loving classic rom-coms with just a dash of heartache. Things aren’t perfect for Charlie and Emma and I think that’s perfect for them.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦-𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 releases on June 11! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my eARC so that I could share this honest review!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🫶🏼 𝘙𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘮 (𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺)
💋 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
☀️ 𝘎𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘹 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦
✨ 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵
💖 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.“

So happy I got the TBR from Katherine Center. I have always loved her novels and this one was no exception. Great witty characters, a fast paced plot and all set in beautiful LA what more could you want.

Can I give this book 6 stars? I thought this was so funny and the writing was so good. This was one of those books where I forced myself to read slowly so I could make it last longer. I loved both the main characters so much. It was kind of grumpy sunshine but not really. Sometimes sunshine can be too ‘shiny’ if you know what I mean but this was just the right amount of optimistic and realistic. I’ll def be buying this book when it’s out.

Thanks to NetGally and St Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

How does Katherine Center always write such a great story?! One moment, The Rom-Commers had me smiling at the banter between Emma Wheeler, aspiring screenwriter and Charlie Yates, successful screenwriter and then tearing up with emotions in the next moment.

I absolutely loved this story. Emma and Charlie’s relationship progression was sweet and just so real. Emma’s character was so well-developed and likable, I just kept rooting for her!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. 5 stars!

Katherine Center is one of my fave romance authors, and I was so excited for The Rom-Commers. And overall, it was good.

I liked the premise a lot. But I honestly couldn’t get connected with either Emma or Charlie. And I really didn’t like Charlie until like 60-70% into the book.

The ending was really great, though. I loved the emotion and how things wrapped up for all the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the gifted audiobook and e-book!

My very first Katherine Center book and yessss. I just loved it. It felt like such a great comfort read. Talking about what we all love about rom-coms?! Grumpy sunshine trope?? Say no more!

All I can truly say is Wow! I have read a lot of novels similar to this one genre-wise, but very few have made me want to, as Emma Wheeler would put it, ‘swan dive’ into the characters’ world and just live there indefinitely. I had never read anything by Katherine Center prior to reading The Rom-Commers, but now I feel compelled to consume every single piece of writing she’s ever written.

I figured the trope of coworkers to lovers would produce a sweet and charming story. What I didn’t anticipate was the gravity of the emotions, the humanity that shone through every word, the late/near end plot twist (times two), and the genuine excellence in prose and 1st-person narration.

I will not elaborate on the plot, nor the characters, as I feel every reader of this novel should have the opportunity to experience it with just the information that the blurb provides. However, I sincerely hope everyone falls just as much in love with The Rom-Commers as I did (the fact that I had dreams of being a screenwriter and went to school for it notwithstanding).

First of all, I will read and listen to anything by Katherine Center. Her books always have engaging characters and the perfect blend of wit and pathos. The Rom-Commers is no different, and I swept right through it in less than a day, sometimes reading and sometimes listening, depending on my availability. I love the way Katherine Center brings together two broken people who fill the gaps in each other's lives. And this time, it was done with two screenwriters--one famous and one unknown--navigating the structure of a rom com while they collaborate on a project. There is a lot of fun banter, wise philosophy, and the reminder that we write our own stories based on our personal outlook. Another winner by one of my favorite authors and a fun audiobook that I plan to listen to again with my husband on our next road trip.

Thank, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ebook and the audiobook arcs! I enjoyed both immensely.

I thought this book was fine. There were some really amazing nuggets of wisdom in here, so I loved that part. The main theme was to not let life bring you down. Have hope. Stay optimistic. Take chances.

Love that.

I know it’s such a minor thing, but I loved that Emma had wild, curly hair. From one curly girl to another, I see you. 🤝🏼

I also thought Emma’s dad was priceless and must be protected.

What I primarily didn’t like was the romance.

Neither Charlie nor Emma was overly likable to me.
The core story was driven by miscommunication (at best), and I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry with the two leads. Friends maybe. But romantic partners? Not sure.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I found a couple plot points fairly problematic. I would say that if you are looking for a general fiction book and don’t mind miscommunication in romance, you may be okay with this book.

I know I’m in the minority in my thoughts about the book, so keep that in mind here. I didn’t dislike the book, but I was a little disappointed.

Thank you netgalley for a free copy!