I love a Katherine Center novel. Her books are well written. They make you laugh, cry and fall in love with the characters. The Rom-Commers gives you all the feels. Loved the story and the characters. A fantastic read.

Emma is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to work with her screenwriter idol on workshopping his attempt at a romcom.. The Rom-commers is so meta but in an unpretentious way. Charlie is determined to keep his mindset that love doesn’t really exist, but working with Emma has him trying all these romantic situations to write with true emotion. The Happily Ever After in their screenplay needs a lot of work… how will this writing project bring Emma and Charlie together?

I was so pleased to read this advance copy of The Rom-Commers after being such a fan of Katherine Center over the years. As a big rom-com fan to start, I knew before I read the premise that I would enjoy this book.

It follows the formula, which is delightful and often necessary as a reader. I want to say it’s predictable but that sounds like it comes with a negative connotation—it doesn’t! Although the story itself is pretty clearly laid out, the character development and descriptive language is top notch. I was rooting for these characters immediately. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars

I'm conflicted about this rating, because on one hand, I loved parts of this book. The plot/hook was great and I liked the dynamic between the main characters.

What I didn't love was some choppiness in the writing (where it felt like first draft dialogue/exposition that needed some work) and the fact there were some major assholes in this story (including the main characters at times) and it all got forgiven for sake of the rom-com vibes. Also, the fact cancer was used more as a plot device than dealt with with care/compassion did not sit well with me.

Thank you NetGalley and St Marten’s press for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I will preface this by saying I’m a reluctant romance reader. I say this because I keep gravitating toward this genre recently even though these books almost always drive me crazy. They are so absurdly impossible and yet that’s what makes them appealing. Maybe I’m becoming a convert after all.

This book has a similar trajectory. Emma is an unknown screenwriter who lives for a Romantic Comedy. She knows them inside and out but her life has been anything but comedic. She has spent the past 10 years caring for her father after a tragic accident left him incapable of living on his own. When the opportunity arises to help her favorite screenwriter of all time salvage his disaster of a rom-com her life becomes one of the stories she loves so much. Is the story predictable, yes. Is it a fun read, also yes. If you like a good rom-com then this is one you should definitely pick up.

I love a good Katherine Center book and honestly I think I’ve just read my new favorite book of hers. She’s done it again and this is a MUST READ!

Emma is consumed with Love, at least in her writing, maybe not in her actual life. Charlie Yates is the biggest screen writer name in Hollywood and Emma’s all time favorite writer. However, when she reads his latest work, his first rom-com, she is horrified by how terrible it is. Charlie Yates can do no wrong, so how is this possible. Emma is determined to enlighten Charlie on all the key elements needed to write a perfect Rom-Com, which proves to be challenging since Charlie doesn’t believe in love

One of the things I love about Katherine Center’s books are the real life moments she builds into her stories. Sometimes when authors write these difficult moments into books, it can really weigh the story down but her stories always leave me uplifted and inspired. It adds real depth to her love stories.

You will laugh. You will cry. You will want to highlight/tab excerpts from this book because Center imparts some real life wisdom on these pages.

Special Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced reader copy of this book and the opportunity to share my true thoughts/feelings about this book.

“It's all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And the hope you refuse to give up on.
It's all about writing the very best story of your life.
Not just how you live it-but how you choose to tell it.”

“We don't get to know the whole story all at once. And where we're headed matters so much less than how we get there.”

“But it was one thing to live your dreams in theory—and it was absolutely another thing to clumsily, awkwardly, terrifiedly do it for real.”

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a rom-com being written inside of a rom-com. When Charlie, an award winning writer known for his zombie and action screenplays, fails at his attempt to write a rom-com, Emma, an unknown rom-com writer, is called upon to save the day. After caring for her dad for 10 years, Emma leaves him in the care of her sister so she can fulfill her writing dreams. While you can’t have a rom-com without miscommunication, literally falling into each other’s arms, and life getting in the way, the writing and story is so heartfelt and intelligently aware of being a rom-com, that it’s perfect! I have really enjoyed Katherine Center’s novels and this one was no exception. The Rom-Commers would be a fantastic beach read which coincides nicely with it’s June release date. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

{3.5 stars}

Emma and Charlie are screenwriters collaborating on a romcom screenplay. Charlie is an acclaimed writer who is being pushed into the genre and Emma is a great romcom writer who just hasn't gotten her big break. They have a tight timeline and choose to live together to accomplish their goals. As time progresses their emotional baggage is unpacked and they realize that both have feelings for one another but that their connection is ultimately doomed.

This one reminds me a lot of The Happy Place, I believe if you liked that, you will like this. There were parts of it I really enjoyed but overall, these were adults with completely stunted emotional intelligence. Had they just communicated rather than shutting down all the time, they would have had a smoother road. I get that there are lots of people like that in the world, but I guess I don't enjoy reading it especially when they are supposed to be these amazing screenwriters who communicate emotion effectively. The pace was also quite slow to start off, I spent the first half waiting for something to happen. When it got to the meat of what we all picked the book up for, it felt too late and went too quickly. Don't get me wrong, their banter was so entertaining. But I did not understand why we needed all the setup to get where we got and why it was over so quickly.

Katherine Center is definitely hit or miss for me, but I'm still always willing to pick her books up.
Read this one if you liked Romantic Comedy.

Thanks to St Martin's Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Wow! Once in a while, I read an ARC and after, I feel so lucky to have gotten to experience the story before the masses... This is one of those stories. This book was so absolutely beautiful, and full of characters that were given depth, but none of it felt overdone or overwhelming. I never got bored, or tired of reading... I cried, I laughed... I LOVED. I felt so much from the main characters, but also all of the other characters that brought so much to the story - they all belonged, which IMO is hard for an author to do. I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen!
THE ONLY thing I could say negatively is that there was NO SPICE in this book... like, not even a little dash of pepper... Which, as much as I love a spicy romance, still did not change how much I loved this book... so, I guess not really a negative thing to say.

Please, do yourself a favor and pre-order this book... Add it to your TBR... Put it on your request for the library... This is a book any rom-com reader will want to read in June 2024!! 5 stars - hands down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A rom com about two writers who fall in love while writing a rom com screenplay!?!? I loved this book. Every amazingly wonderful rom com cliché comes alive in this book as you watch Charlie and Emma rewrite Charlie's rom com attempt. I laughed, and I cried. The writing and the relationships are so beautiful. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not sure there is any author who has a style that is so uniquely definite to herself more so than Katherine Center. You can read any line from any page of any of her books and know exactly who wrote it. I love that about her! And even though every one of her books is written in this very specific style, they all stand on their own two feet as just super good books.

The Rom-Commers has all the laugh-out-loud but also cry-out-loud moments that make Center’s books so special, and I think this line sums it all up beautifully:

“Happiness is always better with a little bit of sadness.”

I was so happy to be able to read this early copy from NetGalley! Thank you!

Once again, Katherine Center delivers a delightful story full of heart. In this story, an aspiring writer who is her father’s caretaker, Emma, is offered an opportunity to rewrite a romantic comedy screenplay with a famous writer, Charlie. Emma is an expert on romantic comedies and Charlie is one of her writing heroes. However, Charlie is not interested in co-writing, romantic comedies, or love. Will hopeful Emma change grumpy Charlie’s mind about the value of love stories?

The dialogue was cute and I found myself smiling - and giggling - throughout the book. I appreciated the character development, the cameos, and the obstacles to overcome. I also liked how the book seemed to be written to the reader by the protagonist making this feel more intimate between friends. And finally, I loved the quotable statements sprinkled throughout the book about storytelling, grief and loss, and love. This book is just full of joy.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Unofficial Synopsis:

Emma desperately wants to be a screenwriter but being a caretaker to her dad has held her back. She’s spent lots of time studying romantic comedies in the meantime. When Emma gets the chance of a lifetime to work with her idol, she calls her sister to step in as caretaker so she can go.

Charlie doesn’t exactly want Emma’s help, much less a “nobody”. But Emma is determined and knows what she’s talking about. She won’t go down without a fight, even if it means kissing Charlie senseless to prove her point.

Review:

I’ve read every one of Katherine Centers books and they are all so good, however, this is probably my new favorite! It was just so good, and I loved every minute of it.

I really enjoyed both the main characters and their personalities. Emma was sunshine enough to not be annoying and Charlie was grumpy enough to be likeable. I also enjoyed that this was a clean romance, because it was a good reminder that angst can go a long way. I loved the ending of this one, because it felt all too real. I could totally see something like this playing out in real life, and it was easy to picture it happening. One of the things that I love about Katherine Center’s writing is that it is easy to get lost in the writing and feel transported to their world. Since I devoured this book, I’d normally have time to read more during the day, but this book ruined that for me, but in the best way possible and I don’t regret it at all.

I am on board with the way Katherine Center is going with her books, and I cannot wait for the next one. While they’ve always been amazing, now they’re spectacular.

You need to add this to your list, it’s a must read.

Another wonderful book by the amazing Katherine Center! I love everything she writes, and this one was no exception. This book tells the story of Emma, the aspiring writer who has been a full-time caretaker for her father, and Charlie, the grouchy, famous screenwriter, who are thrown together against their wills when Charlie writes a truly atrocious screenplay in an attempt to get a pet project produced.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book – as always, it was very well written and I had a hard time putting it down. I always appreciate how well Katherine Center manages to balance heavy subject matter with zingy one-liners and romantic scenes. I found nothing to complain about – I was hooked from the first page all the way to the last.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advance copy! 5 stars, highly recommend.

The Rom-Commers is the latest by romance fan favorite, Katherine Center. This story follows Emma as she takes on a ghost writing gig alongside a grumpy yet famous screenwriter. Charlie is one of Emma’s idols but is not at all interested in her help, or even the project itself. As they spend time working together and getting to know each other, they develop an adorable relationship. Emma and Charlie’s complex lives bring their challenges but their banter and adventures are so freaking cute. The ending had one component that required complete suspension of disbelief that totally rubbed me the wrong way. Other than that component, it would have been a close to perfect romance. (I love a celeb/normal person romance!)

Do you ever feel like a book has wrapped you up in the coziest of blankets? Because that’s what this book did for me. I was curled up on the couch, deeply invested in this story line, and found myself crying for these characters. I didn’t even realize how much I’d sunk into this story line until the tears started to fall.

These characters have struggles and flaws, yet it’s those same things that made them feel so real. My heart broke for Emma and Charlie for so many different reasons throughout the book. You couldn’t help but want love and happiness for them with each other. This book was rooted so deeply in human emotions, which makes it so easy to connect with as a reader. Regardless of where our emotions come from, they drive so much of what we do. Charlie and Emma were wholly relatable because of this.

Katherine Center does a beautiful job of writing this book for readers. She shows us through her story-telling how love stories exist to “give you a simulated feeling of falling in love.” And who doesn’t love that euphoric feeling of newfound love? As readers, we get to experience that time and again through stories like Center’s.

This was an absolute home run for me. My only disappointment is that it’s over. I will absolutely be reading this one again.

This is my second Katherine Center book and she’s now a go-to author for me. I will say that this book should have at least four trigger warnings, and maybe Center needs a sensitivity reader. But there’s a LOT of trauma in a very short book, and a rom com at that.

Now, that being said, the characters are great. Emma did kind of bother at the start because I hate a FMC who is constantly self-sacrificing. But she ended up being a very likable and humanized type of flawed.

Charlie. Where do we start? He’s a MESS, but he’s the kind of mess you want to win over and make like you. And you feel that on the page from the tension and chemistry they have.

There were a few scenes that made me scratch my head and go “really?”, but on the whole, this story was charming, well executed, AND had cameos from The Bodyguard, which I always love to see a callback to an authors body of work.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for this review!

Every Katherine Center book I read becomes my new favorite - The Rom-Commers is no exception. Center delivers stellar writing, an interesting storyline, and captivating characters. Who better to to write about romantic comedy writing than a romantic comedy writer. I loved the plot line of the student becoming the teacher. The characters were well drawn and very relatable. Their dialogue and interactions were spot on. I loved The Rom-Commers and give it 5 stars.

The Rom-Commers is my new favorite Katherine Center book! I laughed and cried which is always a marker for me of a great book! I cannot recommend this book enough. I loved the way the main character interacted with each other. I also enjoyed the aspect of guilt felt when being the caretaker to a parent but then doing something for yourself.

The Rom-Commers was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, so I went into this romance novel with high expectations. Having read and loved The Bodyguard by Katherine Center and Hello Stranger, I did venture into this book with such an appreciation for Katherine Center’s writing. All of my expectations and hopes for this book were surpassed. I truly adored this story and everything about it.

The setup of The Rom-Commers was so unlike anything I was expecting. The screenwriting storyline was so enthralling and interesting to me that it sucked me in immediately.

The setting gave me MAJOR The Holiday vibes. I think that the setting being in Los Angeles concerning staying at a screenwriter’s home had my brain relating it to the Hollywood career types that were in this movie. Just picture it: a super young and handsome screenwriter in Cameron Diaz’s house from the movie, littered with prestigious awards just like the old lovable screenwriter from the film. I love that film immensely and I know how beloved it is to so many. This was a great connection to make.

On that note: please dear God, someone make this into a movie STAT. I absolutely need to see this play out on the big screen or on a streaming platform. If I could snag an invite to the premiere too, that would be great.

Since this was the second Katherine Center book I’ve read, it cemented my plan of fully reading her backlist books. In fact, I immediately started Happiness for Beginners after finishing this since I was craving more of her writing.

Her writing is wonderful. It’s realistic, sweet, and moving simultaneously. She’s got some of the most profound and touching lines in her books and I always audibly emit an “Awww” while reading. There are so many times I’ve highlighted quotes that I’ve loved in her books and her quotes are some of my all time favorites.

I closed this book and immediately declared my love for it. I know it’s early in the year, but it’s currently in my top favorites of 2024 and I am certain it’s going to remain there. When I think back on a book and have warm and fuzzy feelings for it, it’s such a great feeling. I loved this and strongly urge you to read it as soon as it comes out on June 11, 2024!

Read this if you love…
Grumpy/sunshine ☀️
Roommates 🏠
Hollywood setting 🎬
Coworker romance 💻

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press for reaching out to me directly about reading this book. I am so happy and grateful to be invited to read an early copy of this! Thank you to Katherine Center for writing this gem and to NetGalley for being the platform on which I read this as well.