I absolutely adored this lovely story, it’s a solid 4.75 stars for me. How refreshing is it to simply love and be loved in a completely fantastical and unapologetic manner. I had love Hello Stranger so when I saw this KC title was up for review, I jumped and crossed every finger and toe. I’m so glad that it lived up to the first one and then some for me.

Thank you to @smpromance for my #gifted ALC. This book will be published June 11! Pattti Murrin is a longtime narrator for KC, and she nails this book as well, but I also love that Katherine narrated the epilogue and her author's note!!

Emma is a teacher and aspiring screenwriter, but an accident left her to be her father's caretaker. She is an expert in rom-coms and can quote many line by line. She is called to help ghostwrite for her favorite screenwriter.

I have read all of Katherine's books and she writes just such happy feeling books that put a huge smile on my face! Emma is such an endearing character and I loved seeing her development throughout. I was so excited to see her go after her dreams and be able to lean on others for support. I also loved Charlie's journey to face his fears. Katherine's writing is well paced, witty, full of smile inducing banter, and just so sweet!! This is a heartwarming and delightful story that will put a smile on your face! I also loved the tie-ins to The Bodyguard!

I *wanted* to read this book, but after my Goodreads/Instagram friend Stephanie Howell basically DEMANDED I read this book, I dropped everything and started reading!

And I am so very glad I did!!!

Was this book a romantic comedy? Yes, yes it was.
Was this book a quick read? Yes, yes it was.
Were the main characters likable and fun? Yes, yes they were.
I could go on and on…

This book was SO much fun! Not only did I adore Olive and Charlie, I loved their banter. Katherine Center is not an author I’ve read before but you can bet I’ll be reading whatever she has written and whatever she writes in the future! The book was bright and sunny, family-oriented (what an amazing daughter and sister Olive is!), and it was real. The way the author wrote about feelings - I laughed when they laughed, I cried when they cried, I hurt when they hurt… Get the picture?

I can’t say enough about this book. Read it! #highlyrecommend

Thanks to St. Martins Press for the free galley. All opinions are my own.

As the title suggests, this novel is an outstanding rom-com. If you like improbable scenarios and witty banter, The Rom-Commers is for you. Unexpectedly, what I loved the most is the heroine's relationship with her dad. I found their deep love and the way Emma cared for him incredibly sweet.

Emma is looking for her big break. Charlie is an idolized screenwriter. When Emma and Charlie begin to work together, she realizes this romance writing guru actually doesn’t believe in any of it! Emma sets out to fix the script and also flip the script on Charlie and convince him that true love does exist!

The best grumpy meets sunshine storyline I’ve encountered in a while! 5/5 for Katherine Center’s newest!

Another solid read from Katherine Center! I am on a mission to read every one of her books, so, many thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for a copy of her latest.

The Rom-Commers follows Emma Wheeler as she gets the job opportunity of a lifetime to re-write a screenplay with her favorite screenwriter. Due to a family tragedy, Emma has been at home with her dad for the last decade as his caretaker, and is overjoyed to finally have her chance. But unbeknownst to Emma, the screenwriter she secretly has a crush on, didn’t even know she was on her way to work with him. The story unfolds as Emma and Charlie learn to work together to re-write a rom-com and maybe find their own happy ending.

Katherine Center does an amazing job of balancing the serious and the tragic with lighthearted fun. I think this is why she’s one of my favorite authors. I know I’m going to get a story that will make me think, make me feel, and make me laugh. The Rom-Commers was no exception. It covered family guilt and grief, cancer and divorce, and six foot Italian cowboys giving line dancing instructions. A strange combination that totally works and I can’t wait to read what Katherine Center writes next.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was a wonderful story. It had all the parts needed to live up to its title. I loved the banter between Emma and Charlie, I couldn’t put this book down. It was heartwarming and endearing and I will definitely recommend it to others!

Emma has been working to become a screenwriter for years, all while being the caretaker for her father after his disastrous fall. Emma loves rom coms. Like LOVES them. So when she gets a call to help her favorite screenwriter try his hand at writing a rom com, she immediately jumps at the chance only to be disappointed when it requires her to be in LA. Her sister does not let her say no however, their dad will be just fine in her hands. Only one problem remains. Charlie does not want her help, doesn’t believe in love, and doesn’t want to fix this script.

Can Katherine Center do any wrong? NOPE. Not even close. This book was as fabulous as we have come to expect from Centers books and I loved every second. I did audio for this one while finishing the library and it was the perfect story to work to. I adored Emma, and even Charlie, though he certainly had some curmudgeonly moments. I really enjoyed following along as they wrote the screenplay, almost faced death, and tried to ignore the chemistry that was sparking between them! This book was so fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

This was such a fun book! I really loved Emma our protagonist, she was quirky, interesting, and relatable. Taking care of her ailing father for the last ten years made Emma put her life on hold. Now with the chance to write a movie script with none other than Charlie Yates, Emma’s writing talents can shine. Unfortunately, the mega famous screenwriter doesn’t believe in love, leaving Emma to cover more ground and make him believe in the magic of a romcom.

Emma and Charlie had such cute banter, she was super funny, determined to make her dreams finally come true, with a little turbulence on the way. Adorable shenanigans and situations made this book so enjoyable - line dancing, pool diving and a little guinea pig. I loved the cameos from Katherine’s previous book The Bodyguard and overall this was a fantastic spring/summer read!

I loved Patti Murin’s delivery of this book, it was lively and entertaining. She did a great job showcasing Emma’s upbeat personality and Charlie’s gruff but sweet demeanor. The additional bonus chapter and note narrated by the author added a personal touch that I really appreciated!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the review copies - out on June 11th.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love stories had lifted me up, delighted me, and educated me on the power of human kindness for years. I knew a lot about love. A lot more, I bet, than all the people who took it for granted.

I absolutely loved this book. Katherine Center's books have always been enjoyable and sweet - similar to books from Sophie Kinsella, as they feature quirky heroines, a sweet romance, and ridiculous and humorous shenanigans. The Rom-Commers completely stole my heart as I was reading. I was immersed from the start and couldn't put the book down. I found Emma to be the most enjoyable of Center's protagonists that I've read from. I admired her fierce selflessness and devotion to family, her ability to find humour in almost any situation, her excessive and all-consuming love of all things romantic cinema. I found her at times to be a little juvenile and selfish, but that made her more of a fleshed-out character. Charlie, I loved. He was a true definition of grumpy and stubborn, and I loved seeing him soften with Emma. Their chemistry sizzled; they were simply adorable together, and the banter was top-tier. There were moments of such intense emotion, and then such tender, swoony romance. I just loved every minute. The perfect summer read, and if you love romantic comedies as much as I do, this book was made for you and you'll love every moment.

I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters, Charlie and Emma were endearing. I loved the plot, two writers writing a screenplay with classic witty banter between these two writers. I smiled as I read much of this book., This was my first book by Katherine Center, and I am already looking for more. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s for the opportunity to read this book in advance of it’s publication.

Once again, Katherine Center entrances readers with her light hearted comedic ability to articulate the way two people fall in love. I giggled like a school girl the entire way through this novel. & teared up at the ending. Literally the last chapter had me in all the feels. This would easily make a seriously adorable movie. 🍿

When Emma receives a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with her favorite screenplay writer of all time, she finally feels like her hasn’t-really-gone-anywhere writing career has been worth it. Until she shows up on Charlie Yates’ doorstep & finds out he had no idea she was coming & doesn’t want anything to do with the ‘amateur writer’.

The imperfect parts of these main characters help readers relate in so many ways. Emma creates charts and lists in an attempt to have some control on parts of her life that seem so uncontrollable. Charlie tries to scoot through life sacrificing to get the things he thinks he should want.

This will be the P E R F E C T summer read for readers who love romantic comedies, mysterious MMC’s & banter.

S o loved this book! I rarely read books of this genre but the cover and name appealed to me. This would make a cute movie

Katherine Center does it again! The Rom-Commers has the magic that makes Ms. Centers other books excellent reads, including flawed and relatable characters, laugh out loud moments, delightfully witty banter, furry friends that you’ll fall in love with, and complicated family dynamics that will pull at your heart strings.

Emma Wheeler is a writer, who is mostly writing movie reviews for minimum wage, but has entered (and won) screenwriting competitions. She had big dreams and a promising future when a terrible accident affected her family, leaving her dad in need of around the clock care. Emma, the oldest daughter in a family of 2, is responsible for being the of sole caretaker of her dad in their shared apartment in Texas.

Emma’s high school boyfriend, Logan, happens to be a high profile Hollywood agent, who basically represents her on a charity basis. He calls one day asking her to help infamous, mega hit producing screenwriter, Charlie Yates, rewrite his new romantic comedy. Charlie only agreed to write a rom com in exchange for getting his zombie apocalypse movie made. His rom com is terrible, mostly because Charlie doesn’t believe in love. A series of fateful events occur allowing Emma to travel to LA to meet and write with Charlie.

There are so many nods to romance tropes, both within the storyline and within Emma and Charlie’s screenplay, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, close proximity, opposites attract. I felt the full range of emotions in this novel. I laughed uproariously at all of the research Emma and Charlie were doing from line dancing to kissing FOR RESEARCH. And can falling on top of each other really be sexy? I worried with Emma when it came to her dad, understood the complicated dynamics between sisters, and grieved with Cuthbert, the guinea pig. My one grievance in the whole book is Cuthbert’s character arc (but no spoilers here). I loved the cameos by Jack Stapleton and Hannah. I loved the ending, happy of course, and especially the insight from this, “Poor happy endings. They’re so aggressively misunderstood. We act like “and they lived happily ever after” is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that’s never the way I read those words. I read them as “and they built a life together, and looked after each other, and made the absolute best of their lives.”

I have been a fan of Katherine Center since I read her first book, so I was shocked when I could not get into this one. I felt like I was being told a story, not involved in it. The characters felt stiff , not really relatable.

I thought I was in a workshop on how to write a rom-com, instead of actually being in a
rom-com and falling in love.

I hope to love the next Katherine Center book because she has been one of go-to authors for a great get away.

Thanks so much for this arc!

Katherine Center’s The Rom-Commers truly delivered. I was so wrapped up in this story. I couldn’t wait to figure out the cover & title and watch it all unfold.

Emma hasn’t had the best of luck. She’s always wanted to be a screenwriter but it seems to be the type of thing that’s so challenging to get noticed for. She’s also caring for her ailing father- which is a full time job. This forces her to put herself on the back burner in all aspects of her life.

But when her friend asks her to help ghost write for a very famous author, Charles Yates, she can not refuse. She rearranges her life and gives up some control of her father to make this happen. This is a huge deal for her- not only personally but professionally as well.

Things start of quite rocky but Emma chooses to stay and help Charlie. They both have secrets from each other as they start to build a fun little friendship. I enjoyed the banter between the two. Emma loves love and Charlie isn’t quite sold. She not only needs to teach him for his book but for herself as well.

I will say some bits were predictable but that’s what we love about a romance. This book had all the aspects of an adorable rom-com that rom-com readers love. Well done!

Uhm, hello? I laughed and cried………. a lot.

Katherine Center is becoming an auto-buy, auto-read author for me. Her characters are relatable, silly and the banter is off the charts. Everything about this book feels like a warm hug and I loved everything about Charlie and Emma.

The Rom-Commers features grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance and opposites attract. Not a whole lot of steam but it’s true to its name – it’s a classic contemporary rom-com. It’s just one of those books you have a smile while reading the entire time and that makes it impossible to put down.

Go pick this up this summer because it is the absolute perfect beach read!

First, thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advanced copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I'M NOT OK. Katherine Center almost always hits me with the perfect story at the perfect time to get me out of the slumpiest reading slumps, and this book is no exception. I mainly listened to the audio, and I just need to make a note that the audio was really well done and Patti Murin did a beautiful job of bringing this story to life. She's the perfect Emma.

I'm a huge fan of when the main character of a story has spent their whole life putting the people they love first and their own hopes and dreams on the backburner with the idea that "their time doesn't need to come because their loved ones are where their time belongs," only to be slapped in the face with their moment. Emma is the epitome of this to a T and it was so much fun to watch her and Charlie figure out love together.

A "failed" screenwriter and full-time caretaker matched with a (fairly clueless about real life but) super successful Hollywood screenwriter. What could go wrong? A lot. But the journey in this book to make it to the happily ever after is worth every stumble and bumble along the way.

Katherine Center never fails to make me laugh. I loved this book; I could not put it down. And the extra bonus chapter from Charlie's POV from that night!!! I'm screaming. "The fear was big, but how I felt about Emma was bigger."

All to say, another win in my book and I'm so stupidly, unbelievably excited to be having FUN reading again.

I hope I don’t sound too cliche when I say this is the best romance novel I’ve read in years; and I’ve read what some people might call an unhealthy amount of them.

This is the book for hopeless romantics. The ones who giggle and blush at cheesy k-dramas, who dream of a person who kisses like Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’ Diary. The ones who can quote the entire Pride and Prejudice rain scene (accents included!) and those of us who swoon over Billy Crystal in a chunky knit sweater.

Katherine Center has created the most perfect blend of cliches, misunderstandings, and bickering; of tenderness, heart, and endearment. These characters are messy, wounded, and sometimes maybe just plain annoying. But they’re also sensitive and vulnerable and lovely, actually. There were times while I was reading where I just wanted to shake them and there were times where I really just wanted to comfort them. (Or as Bill Pullman once said, ‘you don't know whether to hug them or, or just really arm wrestle them’).

Reading this book was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. There is banter, tension, swooning. There is heartbreak, anger, and grief. I giggled and blushed. I rolled my eyes. I sighed. I laughed and cried in equal measure, sometimes managing to achieve both on the same page. Like all the best rom coms, the ending supplied me with happiness and a sense of hope.

While a lot of romances for me are one and done, I’m happy to say that this is one I will be rereading for the rest of my life.

If you’re a lover of romance and romance movies and there’s only one book you pick up in 2024, please let it be this one.


Mild spoilers:

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PS. If there is a man out there who sings Queen to a mourning guinea pig on hunger strike, burns 100 biscuits just to make one perfect birthday donut, or studies k-dramas to reenact the perfect kiss, please send him my way.

I have to say I see the hype with Katherine Center’s books. This was my second one by her and it didn’t disappoint. The story was very unique and quite clever. It wasn’t your typical rom com, as it held so much depth and meaning. The book spoke a powerful message about enjoying the journey of your life, rather than obsessing about the destination. I found myself highlighting my kindle with various quotes which I seldom do. I appreciated how she incorporated other characters from her other book “The Bodyguard” which was an unexpected fun twist. There is a lot of angst and waiting that drove me nuts, but I finally understood the reason why after reading the last couple of chapters. Highly recommend this book for something both light and powerful!