Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this free ARC in exchange for a free and fair review. I am a HUGE Katherine Center fan. Her newest book was NO exception. Her writing was light and funny but also simultaneously has depth and heart. “The Rom-Comers” is a breath of fresh air. I would recommend it to anyone who loves rom-coms and a nice light read with heart.

I was so excited to receive the ARC for 'The Rom-Commers'! If Katherine Center writes it, I want to read it! Even though she is a closed door romance writer, I eat her stories up!

I rarely tear up in books but this one had me in tears near the end (in a good way, I promise!).

You will love this books if you like:
. Amazing, witty banter
. Workplace romance
. Grumpy/sunshine
. Each character working through trauma

There are a couple trigger warnings that I will mention:
. Being a caregiver to a sick family member
. Cancer talk
. Loss of a parent

Katherine Center at her best . It was readable and at some points laugh out loud funny . It would make an excellent beach read and as always her books leave you feeling better about humanity.

This was a cute book. I few laugh-out-loud moments, a few second hand embarrassment moments, and great representation of lesser known medical problems (classic Katherine Center). I loved watching Emma and Charlie work together and grow closer. I wish they would have addressed how neither of them would ask the other for help, but then get mad when they weren’t asked for help. Didn’t feel like they learned and grew in that respect. But I did love Charlie’s grand gesture. What I appreciate the most is no explicit sex scenes, but still adult humor. I loved the growth Emma experienced in regards to her family and letting go of her control.

Romance expert Katherine Center does it again! I loved The Rom-Commers. It was readable, cute, and had wonderful characters. The main character, Emma, has spent her adult life taking care of her father who was injured in an accident. Through a stroke of luck (and a bit of persistence) she ends up writing a screenplay with #1 writer (and grumpy heartthrob) Charlie Yates.

It’s easy to guess how things end, but how we get to the happily ever after is full of ups and downs. The novel incorporates a lot of similar characteristics from Center’s other books so if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll love this one.

3.5⭐️ 🫑

Charlie and Emma are two writers who find themselves reluctantly working together on a screenplay that may or may not ever be made. Emma is a rom-com fanatic and a Charlie super fan but Charlie doesn’t believe in love. Will she be able to convince him long enough to get the screenplay written or will it all be for nothing?

First let me start by saying thank you to the author the publishers and NetGalley for this arc. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Since this is an arc, I will be a little more detailed on the things I didn’t love as authors do sometimes make adjustments before print based on feedback. Because of that, know there are spoilers all the way through this review.

The good:
This was a fun read. It made me laugh and smile. Emma’s back story had me rooting for her from the very beginning.

The scene where Charlie saved her from making an idiot of herself in front of Donna was swoony. I liked how once he began to believe in her skill, he found ways to set her up for success in her career.

I loved the description of Charlie being the anti Hollywood icon. I love a character that just does not give a f- about societal or industry expectations.

The less good:

I liked this concept as I do with most of Katherine’s stories. I always enjoy a reluctant pairing. I found it hard at certain times to root for Charlie though. He seemed to continue to lie and misdirect her for his own gain and I just kept thinking if I were her I wouldn’t know how to trust him. I do find that balance is hard to do with single POV’s, so it’s not entirely surprising.

As a medical professional, the health scare/confusion ending was so unbelievable it hurt a little. But the way Charlie found out did kind of make me laugh. I wish it had been made clear that HE was the one who misinterpreted the information or overreacted rather than the doctor’s misdiagnosis. But that could just be due to my background. So take that with a grain of salt.

Some questions I had that felt unanswered by the end. 1. I never understood why Logan sent Charlie the video. What purpose did that serve in his quest to get Emma hired? I didn’t understand how that specific video would’ve sold her to Charlie. I kept waiting for an explanation. 2. While I never felt the urge to blame Sylvie and Salvador for their engagement (because I’m not a monster), I did wonder why they couldn’t have just waiting a few more days since Emma was literally about to come home. But more than that, I really didn’t understand why Sylvie had to beg Emma’s forgiveness for the things she said but Emma never apologized for saying the exact same thing in reverse. This didn’t add up for me. 3. If Charlie was dead set to push her away and make her believe he didn’t have feelings for her once he received his diagnosis, why did he get up on stage and declare his love for her before he heard from the doctor…?

All in all I did enjoy this read and I would recommend it, but I believe it could’ve been better. I will definitely continue to read Katherine’s stories though.

"...happiness is always better with a little bit of sadness."

The Rom-Commers brings happiness with a little bit of sadness. Both Emma and Charlie have a past of sadness theyre holding onto.

I have to be honest, I understand there is a hype around Katherine Center but I haven't read a single one of her other books. The Rom-Commers has convinced me they are must reads!

The book hooks you! It's funny, its got some heavy parts, its got happy parts!

The only reason I didn't give 4 stars was the dislike of the cancer/not cancer twist and thinking of going back to the ex wife. Oh i thought i had cancer but actually it was bronchitis just didnt sit well with me.

Otherwise loved it!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. Katherine Center is my go to for light, fun reads. This one did not disappoint. She always throws some twists and turns in there that you won't be expecting - which makes the books even better! This is one of my favorite Katherine Center books! The perfect summer beach read!

A love story to love stories! Cute and enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. I do wish there had been a bit more character development for Charlie.

It never fails to impress me how Katherine Center manages to package so many life lessons into a novel without ever coming across as preachy—and ties it all up with a happy ever after! Just as she said a good rom com should, The Rom-Commers gave me that perfect simulated feeling of falling in love. I grinned, I hid my face, I texted my friends like, “guess what this (fake) man just said.” It was a delightful trip that I finished in just a couple days. Katherine Center has become and auto-read author for me for sure!

THE ROM-COMMERS was an anticipated read for me and boy did it not disappoint. This book was everything I love about Katherine Center’s writing: wirky, funny, challenging, and heartwarming. To me, this book was on par with her book The Bodyguard.

I have nothing negative to say about this book because it was incredible. Every part of it was fabulous in its own way from the dialogue to the story itself. I really, truly enjoyed this one. I also love how Center has been giving us twists at the end of her most recent novels. This was a slight twist, but a twist that explained a lot. And, in usual Katherine Center fashion, I enjoyed how she took a serious topic and made it something relatable, honest, and vulnerable through the story and characters themselves.

I wouldn’t say our MMC, Charlie, isn’t the most lovable of MMC. I think that some people may have a problem with him since he’s kinda mean at first and on the surface. BUT I think Center does a good job explaining this. However, I will say that I think some will have an issue with this. I didn’t, but to each their own.

Overall, this was a really fun read that I couldn’t put down and loved. If you love this author, this one will not disappoint.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Love Katherine's book and this is another hit. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two MCs, and how Emma had her own journey through this narrative that didn't focus solely on Charlie and his actions.

Katherine Center, you sly dog. I will readily admit that she had me in the first half, and I truly thought I was going to have to settle for another romance that had oh-so-much squandered potential. This may have been because I recently read three YA books back-to-back, where one of the heroines was named Emma and the other two had red hair, which is honestly more my fault than anything.

However, it is a great lead-in for our woman of the hour! Katherine Center crafts a new age Beach Read-esque story about screenwriter Emma Wheeler, who meets her match in grump-turned-screenwriting genius Charlie Yates. Together, they will need to pen a rom-com worth swooning over for the Hollywood execs. And in the process, maybe real feelings will emerge? Who knows, who knows...

ANYWAY....the first half of this book almost made me DNF. If there's one thing I hate, it's sentences that are just so. Freaking. Short. They are the worst. The literal worst.

This book was extremely guilty of force-feeding me bite-sized sentences that basically rehashed the same concepts over and over. In the early days of the story, Emma is busy gushing over Charlie Yates, and proceeds to wax on and on about his virtues. At some point, as a reader in the audience, I just wanted to ask her if she was getting paid for all this promotional material. If we cut out a few pages of exposition and awkward character info dumps, we would have more free time and higher serotonin levels.

Yet I have decided to forgive these sins because the latter half of this book really shined. Emma was a genuinely funny character, despite the odds stacked against her via her name and Y/N quirky red hair. Her comebacks were truly quotable and also I loved how she consistently stood up to Charlie, who really could be a bit of an asshole. Me personally, I wouldn't have tolerated some of the stuff he said to Emma in the name of "enemies-to-lovers," but she's definitely better than me. Charlie did eventually wear on me after he gave up the pretentious auteur act. I like grumpy writer characters, sue me.

Against all odds, their love story was actually sweet to witness over the course of the story, although I do wish we had seen more instances of them connecting emotionally. Also this was something I only noticed afterwards, but we never really get a taste of the actual screenplay Emma and Charlie are writing. It's always just described as "we finished the climax today" or "we included a scene where they fall on each other." That is not specific enough!!

But I will admit, it was really entertaining to se the two writers play out the very tropes they were trying to deconstruct in real life with each other. I like a good meta, fourth-wall-breaking read. And yes, I am a sap, so the ending did draw a few tears from my eyes in total Katherine Center fashion. The woman knows her epilogues!!

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a rom com book about rom coms, and my faith in love has been temporarily restored.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am here to say that Katherine Center can literally do no wrong with her books.

I absolutely loved The Rom-Commers. There were swoony bits, there were laugh-out-loud bits, and I absolutely devoured this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emma and Charlie may be my absolute favorite FMC/MMC in a KC book - I loved their banter, I loved how their friendship and their relationship developed. I didn’t enjoy the jump scare with the medical condition at the end, but I knew that KC would wrap it up nice & lovely.

I really can’t wait to get my physical copy so I can re-read and annotate.

Huge thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. And please send me widgets for future KC books because I will never stop reading her.

My thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Wow. This was my first Katherine Center book and it won’t be the last! This felt like watching a rom-com in book form. I really liked our main character Emma. Charlie, the love interest, took some time for me to warm up to, but once I did it was game over. The premise intrigued me and I loved all the cute little moments together. The end had me crying, but in a heartwarming way. I didn’t love the way Charlie would sometimes talk to Emma, but other than that I was pleasantly surprised by this book and can’t recommend it to romance lovers enough!

A sweet rom-com read with good banter and characters you root for to overcome some heavier situations not unlike her other books. This one isn't my favorite of hers due to the switching between narration styles (breaking the 4th wall for some chapters and talking to the reader kind of broke the flow of the book imo). Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this advanced copy!! I enjoyed it.

“ If you wait for people to light you up, then I guess you’re at the mercy of darkness.”

Sometimes I get overwhelmed when I go to review a book that I loved with all of my heart. It’s like I don’t even know where to begin, like I don’t have the right words and like I can’t do it justice.

I read this book on vacation in Hawaii. I live in Alaska… The moment I stepped off the plane in Oahu, t’s like my heart filled up. Lit up. It felt effervescent. Giddy. My heart needed Hawaii.

And that perfectly describes how I feel about this book.

I read it as I floated in the pool, baked in the sun, and drifted in the ocean. I finished the last page under gently waving palm trees, with tears in my eyes.

My heart needed Hawaii and my heart needed this book. In equal measures.

It’s a beautiful commentary on family, love, and commitment. And the banter? It’s top notch. Legendary. This book made me giggle, swoon, and cheer for the characters- main and supporting .

Katherine Center’s books are joy personified in the form of ink on the page. They are my favorite prescription for friends who are tired, weary, and heartbroken. Because her books give you hope. I don’t buy bouquets of flowers, I buy bouquets of KC books.

Okay. I’ve gone long enough. I think you can surmise that I want you to read this book. Actually, I might be demanding you in a menacing way. You MUST read this book or else. OK? OK

Katherine Centers books just keep getting better and better. By far I think this is my absolute favorite one. I immediately connected with both characters. That feeling of being stuck. I get it. The process of grief spanning years and decades. How you’d rather stay safe in your routine than risk getting hurt again. And how quickly that time passes and then you look around and you’ve done nothing for years. How trauma cripples you in more ways than one. How our homes becomes our only safe place and our invisible friends are all we really have.

Just like Emma, My sisters and I also lost my other at a young age, this wasn’t just a story. I too lived it. And Katherine nailed that experience. Even the guilt that a child feels to take care of the other parent. And how possible it is for siblings to have completely different experiences when dealing with the same outcome.

This book killed me. I cried multiple times. At parts I’m not even sure were cry-able moments.

The whole birthday donut interaction had to be my favorite. I wept. Taking care of people your whole life and then having the one person you want to take care of you actually make the effort to do it and how undeserving you feel of it. Wow. “My dad just loves me and therefore thinks everyone else does too.” Crying.

I don’t even know how she managed to do it but she made Charlie the most redeemable character. The things he said were so hurtful and yet the glimpses she gave into who he really was always had you understanding him, and giving him grace. As if we all have been that scared that we’ve downplayed the importance of things.

I loved the amount of dialogue between Emma and Charlie. It was always witty. And always good. I felt that relationship. Even in the mundane moments at the grocery store. I was in that relationship with them. How Katherine managed to make and show such vulnerability between the character while also cracking you up is a true gift.

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to early read this. I devoured it in 1 day.

**Review will be shared release week on my site and socials!**

THIS FILLED MY SOUL.

I needed an automatic win kind of read and I just knew this would deliver, and it did that and so much more. Gosh I loved this book. It speaks to the soul of every lover of romance everywhere. The themes are woven in with care and love and EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK OKAY?

I adored Emma and Charlie. From the moment they met you could see the connection between them. I looooved the banter and humor. I laughed so many times and could not stop smiling. Even had some teary eyed moments because the story was as deep as it was light. The perfect combination of both was balanced throughout this book.

You know a romance is good when you love BOTH characters. And while there’s a good moment or two where you want to shake some one, it doesn’t matter because every thing felt authentic. The build up of decision making and past issues made the entire book feel real and a true nod to taking the lemons life gives you and squeezing out whatever lemonade you can.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of divorce, mentions of cancer, loss of a parent (recounted)

Hi, bookstagram! Welcome to my first review!! I LOVED the Rom-Commers and was so excited to take an early peak at the newest Katherine Center book.

The Rom-Commers is FUN in a way that I associate only with Katherine Center. Truly, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I was immediately sold: two writers, Hollywood, redemption arc. And no surprise…Katherine Center DELIVERED.

In The Rom-Commers, screenwriter Emma, who lives at home as a full-time caretaker for her father, ends up working (and living!!!) with famous fellow screenwriter Charlie Yates in LA. They can’t stand each other! There is tension! Chaos ensues!

What I liked: Center made me feel so invested in our two main characters. Emma and Charlie are fun, funny, and have enough depth to feel real. I appreciated that even though 80% of the book is scenes with *just these two,* the story still moved, and I didn’t get tired of their budding relationship.

What I’d change: honestly, nothing. This is one of my favorite romance reads in a while.

Highly recommend this one for fans of character-driven romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC!