My heart has melted! I loved these characters so much. Katherine Center’s stories always have so much heart and I think this is her best. I devoured it in one day and know I will reread when it after publication. I have no notes. Five stars.

I have been a long time fan of Katherine Center’s work. This one unfortunately fell flat for me. I did not feel chemistry between the characters, felt like there was a bit too much random information thrown into the story, and found the ending predictable.

Katherine Center has a way of writing stories that will have her characters facing very hard, very real struggles but done in a way that allows the reader to find the beauty in the struggle. There is always hope and the belief that there WILL be a light at the end of the tunnel even in the darkest moments the characters may face. I realize part of that is the promise of the genre (which I know Katherine is steadfastly committed to) but it’s also a very well-honed skill of hers. The heavy things never feel quite as heavy in a Katherine Center book.

Emma is a talented screenwriter who has never been able to seize opportunities that have been presented to her. She has been her father’s primary caretaker for the past decade and has consistently put his needs ahead of her wants. When the chance of a lifetime lands at her feet to rewrite a truly terrible attempt at a romcom written by her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, it’s too good to pass up. Charlie is a divorced cynic who no longer believes in love and simply wants to get his Mafia movie made, which hinges on delivering the romcom script. Emma, wanting to deliver something she is proud of and not just ‘passable’, has to convince Charlie that love is real and romance isn’t dead. They’re both in for some surprises and getting caught up in the line between fiction and reality.

Emma is an incredibly admirable character. She has big dreams, but she has willingly put herself on the back burner for her dad. She doesn’t seem to harbor any resentment over her decisions and it truly feels like if taken back in time she would gladly make the same choice over and over again. Her relationship with her dad is beautiful. That’s not to say it has been easy. His health challenges make life hard for both of them, and she is confined to a very insular life, whether she resents it or not. Seeing her get a shot at her dreams and take that chance by the horns despite all the obstacles she faces throughout is endearing. It was so easy to root for her and want all the best things in life for her. It also made the hurt that much more visceral when it felt like the things she wanted were being stripped away one by one. I felt like I was right beside her on the roller coaster journey she was being taken on.

Charlie is a complicated man. He’s pretty emotionally stunted and, for a screenwriter, really struggles with using his words. There’s something inherently tender in him though that makes you want to protect him even as you want to shake him. His actions regularly contradict his words in thoughtful ways and executed through both covert and overt methods. Both warmed my heart. He’s a tough nut to crack, but what’s inside is a soft and melty center.

Charlie and Emma have both had to face some truly horrific circumstances in their lives and it heavily influences how they handle different situations that arise. The path to their happiness is heart-wrenching and not without fear, but there is beauty in the road they have to take to get there despite everything. The light is there and feels warmer in the end because of the obstacles that had to be overcome along the way.

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

I really love all of Katherine Center's books, they are full of fun ad relatable characters, great writing and just so much fun. I feel like this book for anyone who is a fan of rom-coms, like the ones from the nineties. We follow Emma who once was a promising screen writer but is now a care taker for her ailing dad but when Emma gets the chance to work with a renowned screen writer on his new rom-com she knows she can not pass this opportunity up. What follows is a grump sunshine friendship/romance that I loved from beginning to end. I can not recommend Katherine Center's books enough! This one comes out June 11, 2024. Thank you St.Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review!

I have read all of Katherine Center's books and I was so excited to read The Rom-Commers! This book was everything I expected it to be and more! We are introduced to Emma Wheeler - a writer who wants to write movies. She is given an opportunity to work with her favorite screen writer, the famous Charlie Yates. But the job doesn't go exactly as planned. I was rooting for Emma the whole time during this book. Another great one by Katherine Center!

It's been a long time since I've read a rom-com that actually gave me the warm, tingly, falling-in-love feeling that a great rom com can generate, and I felt it at least a half-dozen times while reading this book. I loved how Center leaned into the meta aspects of this type of book without it feeling too cheesy (OK, it was a little bit, but it almost felt like that was the point, and the reader and the author could laugh about it together). You know exactly what you're going to get when you dive into a book called The Rom-Commers, and Center delivered in every possible way while still keeping me on my toes, so it was an utterly pleasant and satisfying read while still feeling unique and creative.

4.5 stars but rounding up!

Katherine Center does it again. She seriously writes the most bingeable books and I would’ve finished it within a day or two if I hadn’t gotten sick! (👎🏼)

I love her characters and the witty banter is seriously so good! I loved the L.A. setting and the Hollywood lifestyle that we get to experience in this one and Katherine’s writing just makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters.

It had heartbreak and love and amazing lessons along the way. It made me giggle and swoon. So much fun! Definitely add this one to your summer TBR! Release Date: June 25th!!

4.25 stars!!

I mean how can you not love a book where a man googles how long it takes to fall in love, and he couldn't possibly be in love with her because it hasn't been enough days yet?!

This was an absolutely sweet and funny romcom about two screenwriters, Emma who primarily writes romcoms in her free time and dreams of taking it to the screen (but has had no chance for success due to being her father's caregiver) and award-winning Charlie who writes anything but romcoms and supposedly doesn't believe in love (but somehow now has to write one to get his next film greenlit). Of course, Emma has to teach Charlie what love is. Of course, Charlie is able to use his name to help Emma achieve her dreams. OF COURSE I FREAKING LAUGHED AND CRIED AT THIS BOOK!! The banter, top notch. The tension, hand clenching. The guinea pig named Cuthbert, iconic.

This single POV book follows Emma's inner thoughts and really helps us to understand her as a character and see how she's beginning to understand Charlie. My only real complaint here was the collection of narrative bits where it felt like Emma was in retrospect telling us a story and I just don't love that. However, everything else was so lovely I almost forgot about those aspects of the writing! Katherine Center just writes the sweetest lil stories full of heart. What fun!

Thank you so much to Katherine Center and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. The Rom-Commers comes out in July 2024!

I devoured this book! Katherine Center writes the sweetest romances and I eat them up every time ❤️ This was looking like a 5–star read for me, until one component of the conflict towards the end really threw me. No spoilers, but it was impactful enough to knock a star off my rating. Emma and Charlie are a fabulous couple and I loved watching them open up to each other! And I loved the cameos we got (Katherine Center universe and otherwise). Overall, a very fun read and another hit from a true romcom queen!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! The Rom-Commers by Katherine Centre is a light-hearted, predictable rom-com. When Emma gets her first real shot at writing a screenplay with a famous screenwriter she can’t quite believe her luck. That is until she comes to understand the reasoning behind her big break. But, being the girl she is, she just plows in full steam ahead to show them what she’s made of. Her only fault, never fully living in the present and always worrying about the past and the future. Will she be able to put aside her pettiness to be able to work with Charlie? And will Charlie be able to accept that sometimes we all need a little nudge to make us great? I loved the wittiness of the dialogue between the two main characters and, though I was not surprised by the ending, I did love it!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a clean grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy about two writers, one who loves romance and the other who doesn’t believe in it. Emma and Charlie agree to work together to improve his terrible rom-com screenplay. They butt heads due to their differences in opinions about love and Emma makes it her goal to convince Charlie that he’s missing out on the magic of rom-coms.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it did not disappoint. I loved it! I loved all of the characters and the personal growth we saw from them. This story took me through roller coaster of emotions and I cried throughout the last quarter of the book. It’s funny, sweet, heartbreaking, and lighthearted all at the same time. Themes related to loss of a parent, caregiving, identity and self-worth, cancer are explored in a thoughtful way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes rom-coms with a bit of substance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me an eBook ARC in return for my honest review. This book is expected to be published on June 11, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will give my thoughts once SMP addresses their readers with an explanation. Until then, all my reviews will be withheld.

The Rom-Commers, by Katherine Center: Emma wants to be a screenwriter, but instead, she’s stuck in Texas taking care of her dad, who suffered an accident years ago and now needs round-the-clock care. But then an unexpected opportunity arises – to work alongside famous screenwriter Charlie – so she moves to LA for six weeks to work on a new rom com movie with him, while her younger sister cancels her own summer internship to take care of their dad. Unfortunately, Emma arrives to find that Charlie is a jerk who doesn’t even want her there… and he HATES rom coms. This is a sweet grumpy-sunshine romance, and has a fun cameo from Center’s last book. There are a lot of great lines and funny humorous bits, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but this just wasn’t my favorite book by Katherine Center; the burn was a little too slow, and I didn’t really love either character (endearing though they may be). That said, Katherine Center’s books are SO good that I think I may have set my expectations too high! It was still a good, fun read.

I liked that this one showed that not everyone's home life is as it seems on the outside.
It showed real people dealing with real things.
Center knows how to weave a good romance.
A feel good read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This was my first ever Katherine Center book and it did not disappoint! I love that it wasn't your typical romance at all, and Emma had a non-fantasy life as her dad's full time caretaker. It added to the reality of the situation, that not everyone has this shiny, perfect home life. I also loved the chemistry between Charlie and Emma, I think they complemented each other incredibly well. Also, this book had a great balance of fun and heavy, I appreciate a romance that's not all fluff.

I ADORED THIS BOOK SO DANG MUCH!! This is actually my favorite KC book to date and I’ve read almost all of them! And I loved that Jack made his appearances. I just loved the romance, the story, the setting, all of it was GOLDEN!

I was fortunate to receive an early copy of The Rom-Commers thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This is the first novel by Katherine Center that I've read and she has officially turned me into a rom-com convert!

The plot focuses on Emma, a screenwriter whose dream of going to Hollywood was foiled by a tragic family accident, which left her as the caretaker to her disabled father for the past decade. A high school friend turned movie executive offers Emma a once in a lifetime job of rewriting a bad rom-com for a famous, award winning male screenwriter. Charlie, who is divorced and has no interest in romance (in real life or film), has to produce this script in order to get another one his movies made. Some of the usual romance tropes are included in the book, such as forced proximity (Emma stays at Charlie's mansion while in LA) and grumpy x sunshine, but Center's witty banter, physical comedy, and descriptive visuals delivered this story in a totally fresh and quirky manner.

If you're usually skeptical of rom-coms because you find them too cheesy and predictable (especially as their cartoonish covers may suggest), TRUST ME when I say that this one is the exception to the rule. This book was so much more than a cliché romance novel. It was a touching tale of the inner conflict between family loyalty vs. chasing your dreams. Center's poignant writing made me alternate between tears of laughter and genuine empathy and sadness for these fictional characters, who she so aptly brought to life in my mind and heart. I'm sorry that it took me so long to give this author a chance, but I'm glad that I have found her and can't wait to read more of her work!

Ahhh, my first Katherine Center done and dusted and I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long because I loved it! Cute and fun with some deep and moving moments involving family trouble, health scares, and redemption, this had it all. I thought the banter between Charlie and Emma was realistic and not OTT which is something I tend to struggle with when it comes to romcoms so yay for that. This has made Center an auto-read author though and I couldn't be happier.

I laughed so hard I cried. But then I CRIED. For real. Emotional whiplash this whole book. I’ve never gone through such high and low human emotions while reading before. Well, recently anyways. This is her best book so far. I don’t want to spoil anything but truly cannot wait to own this and display it like an emotional warfare trophy in my bookcase.

Katherine Center does it again.

This book was phenomenal and might be my favorite Katherine Center book of all time and my favorite read of 2024. The story is hilarious, relatable, and so emotional. I did not want it to end.

The amount of thought and research Katherine puts into her writing is evident, and this book brought me so much joy. I cannot recommend it enough..