Starting off the cover is bright and catchy to the eye. My first ever Katherine book but it won’t be my last, though it might be hard to top this one because I loved it! A clean romcom with banter and all the filling needed to make the reader fall in love and shed some tears along the way. Perfectly written and highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e-arc of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center.

This is a rom-com novel. 4+*; one unique aspect of being a care-giver for those we love (family).

Synopsis:
Emma Wheeler, aspiring screenwriter and devoted caregiver to her father, seizes the opportunity to rewrite a script for her idol, renowned screenwriter Charlie Yates. Moving to L.A. for six weeks, she faces Charlie's skepticism and disdain for rom-coms, determined to prove him wrong. As Emma navigates the challenges of rewriting Charlie's disastrous script and confronting his cynical views on love, she discovers unexpected sparks flying between them. Will Emma rewrite not only Charlie's story but also her own...

Things I liked:
• The Rom-Com Guru vs. the Cynical Screenwriter: Emma Wheeler, with her unwavering passion for romantic comedies, finds herself in a clash of ideologies with Charlie Yates, a jaded and cynical writer who sees love stories as nothing but emotional manipulation. Their differing perspectives on love and storytelling form a central conflict in the novel.
• The Power of Love in Unexpected Places: As Emma works alongside Charlie to rewrite his script, she begins to challenge his beliefs and opens his eyes to the possibility of love's transformative power. Their collaboration not only leads to the creation of a compelling screenplay but also sparks a romance neither of them saw coming.
• Balancing Dreams and Responsibilities: Emma's journey isn't just about pursuing her dreams of becoming a successful screenwriter; it's also about navigating her responsibilities as a caregiver to her father. Throughout the novel, she grapples with the guilt of leaving her father behind while seizing the opportunity of a lifetime in L.A., highlighting the delicate balance between personal ambition and familial obligations.

Things a reader might dislike (if you can call it that):
• Unconventional MCs: While some readers may initially struggle to connect with Emma's idealism and Charlie's cynicism, their unconventional personalities ultimately add depth to the story. Emma's relentless optimism and Charlie's guarded demeanor create a dynamic tension that keeps readers engaged and rooting for their unlikely romance.
• Emotional Rollercoaster: Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions. While some readers may find themselves laughing out loud at the witty banter and charming moments between Emma and Charlie, others may feel the tug of heartstrings as they delve into the complexities of love, family, and following one's dreams. It's a journey that's sure to leave readers feeling both exhilarated and emotionally fulfilled by the end.
• Slow Start, Satisfying Finish: Some readers may find the initial chapters of the novel to be slow-paced, struggling to fully engage with the story as it sets the stage for Emma and Charlie's journey. However, those who persevere will be rewarded with a riveting second half filled with unexpected twists, heartfelt moments, and a climax that delivers on all fronts. As the narrative picks up steam, readers will find themselves unable to put the book down, making up for any earlier pacing issues with an unforgettable and satisfying conclusion.

Katherine Center does it again. I have been a huge fan of this author since the first book I read of hers. Her effortless writing style that does such a beautiful job of making you instantly fall in love with her characters is brilliant. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. I highly recommend this book!

Having read Katherine Center's "The Bodyguard" prior, I can say that this new novel fits right in with her signature style, sweet tropes, relative closed-door romance and storytelling. Center's language is witty from the get-go, which made it so easy to keep reading and discovering what would happen next. It was a slow burn, and I could feel that early one, which is why this was a tad slow for me to get into. For me, personally. It's cute and fun, plus innocent. Yeah, it's sweet.

CW: Death of a parent

Big Katherine Center Fan. More serious than expected but I loved the characters. Some parts were a little cheesy but I still loved the characters and the family story.

What a fun story. It has so much to enjoy. A great love story, a family story and a story about hope! Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin's Press and the author for the arc.

The Rom-Commers
By: Katherine Center
5🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Emma wants to be screenwriter. She has been taking care of her father since her mother died in a tragic accident. Her father needs 24/7 care.
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She gets a call from her best friend about an amazing job working with one of Hollywoods screenwriters. Emma’s sister watches her dad so she can have an opportunity to work with Charlie Yates for 6 weeks.
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When they meet sparks fly, but not the good kind. Can Emma and Charlie work together to create a rom-com?
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I love everything Center writes! She always brings joy to my heart.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of Katherine Center’s latest novel, The Rom-Commers. All opinions are my own!

I loved so many things about this. The banter, the tension, oil and water personalities creating a lovely grumpy sunshine romance. It had me laughing out loud in so many places. The frozen vegetable scene—if you know, you know! I cackled! At first I thought the story was going too fast, but then I realized it was just me being utterly absorbed in the story. I ate it up! I especially love how Katherine Center doesn’t shy away from the tough things that happen in life. Is this a happy story? Absolutely. Does it ignore every day realities? Not at all. Katherine does an amazing job of weaving the good and the bad together into a wonderful story.
So, a rom-com about a rom-com? Yeah, it’s good!

This book was so deeply beautiful and vibrant. The prose is sharp and witty and just so utterly perfect. This is what rom-com should look like.

Center’s writing comes alive on the page as she tells Emma and Charlie’s story. Both characters are so lovable and so human that I fell hard and fast for both of them.

In all honesty I became a little obsessed with this book, I physically could not put it down until I was done. And I think that’s in part to how relatable Emma felt. She and I share so many dreams and insecurities and I know almost exactly how she feels as a caretaker. My family takes turns caring for my great aunt and while it’s an honor to serve her, it is still a sacrifice of sorts.

I really feel like Katherine Center wrote this for me and I hope you give this a chance because it’s just so, so good. Really one of her best.

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

The Rom-Commers is my favorite of the Katherine Center books I’ve read. It has all of the hallmarks you’ve come to expect in her books - lovable characters, overcoming a past trauma, great dialogue and character growth. I always learn something from her books as well. This time around it was about Ménière’s disease.

I especially liked Emma Wheeler’s voice as the story is told from her first-person pov. She even occasionally breaks the wall and talks directly to the reader, which I enjoyed as it’s not the norm. Emma, a writing teacher, knows everything there is to know about her writing hero, Charlie Yates, and romcoms. So to say she’s excited when she gets a chance to rewrite his truly terrible romcom screenplay with him is an understatement.

Charlie has won every writing award, but he knows nothing about love and his romcom screenplay is proof of that. He doesn’t have writer’s block either, he’s just not writing. At the moment. For four years. It’s through Emma’s tutelage that a reluctant Charlie just might get his mojo back and find love in the process.

The Rom-Commers is a perfect blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking. You’ll laugh, shed a tear or two too, and be reminded to not judge people. You don’t know their whole story ... until the end. It’s a nice amalgamation of romance and women’s fiction; a little soft, a little real and all heart.

I highly recommend you pick up The Rom-Commers this summer, June 11th. It’s the perfect book to immerse yourself in as you’re winging to your vacation destination; as you lounge by a body of water; or as you just sit on your sofa pretending you’re in L.A. with Emma and Charlie.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted digital ARC provided through NetGalley.

I'll say it. Katherine Center books make me feel alive! They give me all the feels, cries, laughs, yearnings, longings and wonders of being alive and in love, or not in love. The Rom-Commers is no exception and is maybe even extra in all these categories. It really was a joy to read.

I think Katherine Center is on a mission to validate romantic fiction and as a predominantly romance-reader, I am here for it. I love her books because while they always have that romance that I want, they also have depth and hurt but in the best way. Katherine’s writing style just works for me and I can’t put her books down once I get started.

This book particularly celebrates the romcoms that we all hold dear. I fell in love with Charlie and Emma. His quirks and her spunk made for a very enjoyable story. There were moments that just hurt but then there would be comedic relief and I would giggle to myself over the banter between these two. The ending was just perfect and my cheeks hurt from the smile it put on my face.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

Katherine Pannill Center you did it again! The Rom-Commers is the perfect girl meets boy while co-writing a rom-com novel. They don’t like each other; both have family issues and pretty much disagree on everything. That’s just the bare bones of the story because there’s so much more goodness in between the pages. The only downfall of this story is that it doesn’t publish until June 11th so add it to your TBR! I love reading stories before they publish but when it’s such an incredible story like this one, I’m sad that I miss out on reading it on pub day! Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

Charlie Yates is a world-famous, award-winning screenwriter with epic after epic to his name. Emma Wheeler's screenwriting career has taken a decade long detour. Until now.

Charlie has written a dumpster fire of a Rom-Com script. Its success is tied to whether or not his next big epic will see the light of day. Emma is hired to work on the rewrite of Charlie's epically awful script. Can she get him to believe that romance actually exists?

In "The Rom-Commers", Katherine Center does what she does best. She tells a story that is both vibrant and hilarious as well as deeply emotional and thought-provoking. With every new novel, I think that it is Center's "best yet", and this one definitely takes that title. It's a beautiful read with the sense of humor that only Katherine Center can deliver. This 5 Star read sucked me in from page 1, and I absolutely could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for allowing me to be an early reader!

I have received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Rom-Commers was, by definition, a great rom-com. In it, you will meet Emma Wheeler and Charley Yates. Yes, Charlie Yates. He's a pretty famous screenplay writer, and Emma is currently obsessed with him. Maybe obsessed isn't a great word because there's definitely a few more that will better describe her epic love for his work. Well, that was before she read the worst screenplay to have ever existed.

It's fair to say that Charley should probably never write a rom-com. Until Emma showed up. Together, they opened each other's eyes to other possibilities. He finally learned what true love was like, and she finally learned to live hers. It was nice to see Emma break out of her ten-year itch of always looking after her dad. I could do without all the white lies and pushing each other out of their lives just to make things easier.

In the end, I really liked these two and how they came to be together. The ending was super cute, and I'm hoping they make more movies together.

Another wonderful Katherine Center book! I really enjoyed how the characters’ relationship developed as well as their personal journeys of growth!

I LOVE KATHERINE CENTER SO MUCH. The Bodyguard is one of my favorite romance books of all time but The Rom-Commers might have stolen that top spot. Everything she writes, including the book, has the most perfect combination of humor and heart.

Will be recommending this to everyone.

Sigh.... I must stop requesting books from Katherine Center. She had such promise for me after I read Things You Save in a Fire - I loved everything about that book. But every book I've read since then has felt like a bit of a let down.

Don't get me wrong - The Rom-Commers is a perfectly fine romcom. Emma, a screenwriting hopeful and full-time caretaker for her ailing father, has a once in-a-lifetime opportunity to rewrite a romcom script with one of the best screenwriters in the industry for 6 weeks. She agrees to leave her caretaking duties behind and fly across country to team up with Charlie. Only when she gets there, she learns that it was all a setup. Charlie doesn't want to write a romcom, he doesn't want to work with Emma – he doesn't want to work with ANYONE. After the initial drama, Emma is determined to make it work by staying in LA to write with Charlie and convince him that love stories matter.

Like I said, it was fine. It wasn't a standout for me. There's lots of cute banter between Charlie and Emma, some cute clothing references, cooking scenes, dancing, etc. I felt a little let down in the character development department. A lot of the bonding between Charlie and Emma was just skimmed over by the author. I never felt a real connection between the two of them. The high drama of the last third of the book felt like a bit much.

For fans of "Beach Read" and "The Roughest Draft"
Thank you St. Martin's Publishing for sending me an e-arc of this novel through the influencer outreach program.
I loved this book! I completely binged it in one day, and honestly I have been sad since it has been over. My brain just keeps going back to Emma and Charlie's world with strawberry hoodies and diving boards. It is the perfect read for spring/summer when you want a light read that still has MEANING. There is so much impact in this one book, proving the significance of all romcoms.

Katherine Center did an amazing job with this work of art. I loved The Bodyguard (Katherine I see what you did here) and this one held the same love in my heart, The ending had me in a slight back and forth. This made me feel in my heart of hearts that my overall rating of this book (even though reading is subjective and this book is living rent free in my head) is 4.25 stars out of 5!

Entertaining, as usual, for Katherine Center! I've loved all of her books and this one is no different. It is a easy and entertaining read that one could stay up late trying to finish!