4.5 stars rounded up. I can’t get enough of Katherine Center’s writing! Her books are always so delightful, and this one is no exception. This is Katherine Center at her best. She mixes laugh-out-loud moments with tender real-life situations, and I’m all in for all of it. I loved the LA setting, the adorably flawed characters, and even the lovable side characters. (How delightfully wonderful is Emma’s dad?!) This book is a good time and fans of KC should pick it up ASAP. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I have a full backlist of ARCs but when I got this one it jumped to the top of my list!

Everything she writes I just love and this book was no exception. I great feel good story with angst and longing to keep the pace of the book engaging!

The Rom-Commers is my top 2024 read, and I don't know if anything can replace it!
I loved every chapter and every page of this book. I rarely cry or burst out laughing when I read books. However, while reading this novel, I cried twice and laughed numerous times.

Katherine Center is my favorite author, and I can't wait to buy this book when it comes out!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press eARC!

Two opposite forces come together in this story which could be called, In Defense of Romance. Emma Wheeler has put all dreams aside of writing romantic screenplays after her family was devastated by a tragic accident. For the last ten years, Emma has been the sole full-time caregiver for her father who has several health issues because of his catastrophic injuries. When the chance of a lifetime comes along for fan girl Emma to write with her hero, Charlies Yates, she cannot pass up the chance though it means relying on someone else to care for her father.

Charlie Yates has written an awful rom-com in order to get one of his other scripts made into a movie. Not only does he not care about the script, but Charlie disdains any sort of romance in movies or real life. For the next six-weeks living in Charlie’s LA mansion, Emma intends to not only show Charlie the value of love and happily ever after, but to dismantle his travesty of a script one painful page at a time.

Charlie’s cynical attitudes comes from his own life experiences as well devoting all his energies to writing to the exclusion of all else. He has little time for a “nobody screenwriter” who happens to be an ex-girlfriend of his agent with clearly not much experience, but as they live and work together, there are some attitude adjustments happening.

Emma is determined not to blow this big chance despite the odds even with the contrary opinions and irascible attitude of the man whom she had previously greatly admired as the best screenwriter in Hollywood. Charlie cares nothing about making this project a success; however, Emma skills and determination to make him understand why people need fictional love stories slowly wins over his grumpy heart. Ms. Center’s stories always draw me in; she writes convincingly about the love of family, friends, and that one special person people seem to be looking for as a life companion.

Emma has been the care taker for her father for many years but when offered the chance of a lifetime to work with her screenwriting idol Charlie Yates she heads to LA for six weeks. What follows is a wonderful story of standing up for yourself and following your dreams no matter how hard that is sometimes. I really loved all the characters in this book and although Emma and Charlie were the main two, I found myself invested in all the other smaller stories. Another wonderful read by Katherine Center!

Loved this book. This author is an automatic buy for me. Here are the things that I loved about it:

The main character, Emma, was so likeable to me. I loved that she was honest and not timid and stood up for herself without being obnoxious or offensive. Her voice and vocabulary were great. She was a smart character. I wanted to be her friend. Even when she was being put down, she didn't stand down unless it was her own choice as a strategic move.

I personally related to the caretaking of her father. My own father was in a very serious accident that changed the course of our family's life. I understood the anxiety and worry associated with that situation. The author articulated that well.

I love a grumpy MMC with a heart of gold. The banter between Emma and Charlie was top notch. The longing was there. I had butterflies.

This is a five star read for me. Will recommend.

I laughed a lot out loud while reading this one. Katherine Center really nailed it with this book. I will always put her books on my TBR list. I love the way she writes!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc of this book.

I mean…you might as well just make me president of the Katherine Center fan club. I was .0001% into this book when I thought "oh man, I'm going to love this so much." I was right! I stayed up until 2am two nights in a row because I couldn’t stop reading. I have babies and work full time, people. That is very irresponsible of me. It was worth it!

Emma and Charlie are my new favorite couple. Their banter is top notch, the best of the best. The way Emma takes care of her father and wants only the best for the people in her life made me love her right from the get-go. Her passion about the rom com genre is so relatable.

And Charlie? At first I was like whoa, who does this guy think he is? Then he just worked his way into my heart and I couldn’t get enough. The little things he does for Emma made me all gooey!

You know what I love about the way Katherine Center tells a story? The way she perfectly balances the heavy issues and emotional moments with the funny, lighthearted moments. I laughed out loud so many times throughout this story, and literally had tears rolling down my cheeks at other parts.

Am I overselling it? I don’t think so. This book was exactly what I wanted and needed right now. It checked all the boxes. One thousand stars.

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. I preordered my hardcover so fast after finishing, and will reread it for years to come!

Katherine Center does it again!

I loved this book so much. The banter between the main characters was everything. It had me laughing out loud and kicking my feet up in the hair with glee. This was just such a fun, quick read and was everything I hoped for.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I don't even have words for how much I love and adore The Rom-Commers, Katherine Center's latest novel! The Rom-Commers' has Center's typical joy and sorrow. There were times I laughed out loud, and times I couldn't stop crying. It's a truly beautiful novel about what it means to love another, and not just romantically. Katherine Center doesn't shy away from difficult topics, and The Rom-Commers' continues along this line. Emma, our heroine, is her father's main caregiver and has given up her dreams to care for him. Charlie, our hero, has his own struggles and things to deal with. But they work together on a screenplay, and everything goes from there.
If I could rate this book over five stars, I would. Katherine Center definitely knows how to write a book so good I can't read another book for days!

This was my first ever arc and what a good one to start with! Katherine Center is always an author I will read when she releases a book and I was so excited about this one.

I love the main characters and found the fmc witty and entertaining to read. I also loved the return of characters from The Bodyguard, my favorite Katherine Center book.

More things I loved about this book:
-How Charlie and Emma were opposites
- The short, to the point dialogue between the two
- The dad! Oof, he was such a gem!

Highly recommend to any fellow rom com lovers!

Katherine Center has done it again! <i>The Rom-Commers</i> is such a fun page-turner (which can be said about all of her work, tbh). But there is something special about this one. I think she made some stylistically brilliant choices here that set it apart from her other books. For instance, because her two love interests were screenwriters, their dialogue was never short on wordplay and often laugh-out-loud-funny retorts. They were in a situation where they had to work together to write a rom-com while living out a real-life rom-com themselves. Brilliant. Was it predictable? Absolutely. But that's the point of a rom-com. We want the two people to end up together. The interesting part is <i>how</i> the two people get there. Katherine Center made "the getting there" so much fun.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I really enjoyed this one. Set to release on June 11, 2024.

After tragedy struck her family, Emma put her life on hold to care for her little sister, but more importantly, her dad. Even as the sole caretaker, she never stopped dreaming of becoming a screenwriter and has spent many years researching love. The opportunity of a lifetime comes along and she reluctantly turns the care-taking over to her younger sister.

Charlie is a famous screenwriter who has written the most worst rom-com. Well. He doesn’t believe in love so how is he supposed to write a love story? Enter Emma. She’s determined to change his mind about love and turn the rom-com he has no desire to perfect into something great.

I loved the pacing of the book and watching the relationship between Charlie and Emma develop. They both challenged each other in different ways yet, knew to give the other space when needed. I’m a huge banter fan and this one had me giggling out loud. And the end? *chef’s kiss* It was perfection - easily my favorite book ending ever!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Genre: Romcom
Release Date: June 11, 2024

Summary: Emma has wanted to have one of her manuscripts picked up for the big screen since she can remember. It’s all she’s ever worked towards until her father’s accident, leaving her his sole caretaker and forcing her dreams to the back burner. But when a writing gig of a lifetime presents itself, Emma can’t pass the opportunity up so she moves to LA for 6 weeks to co-write with her BIG writing hero, Charlie Yates! But, the super famous screenwriter doesn’t want a writing partner, doesn’t believe in love, and his manuscript is horrible. Ha! Imagine that! Can Emma change Charlie’s opinion about love and rewrite the story he doesn’t even care for when he’s dead set against her doing it?

My Thoughts: I really liked this one. I’ve enjoyed all of Center’s books so far. This is a typical fan girl falls trope coupled with enemies to lovers trope. I quite liked the humour in Emma’s inner monologue; it added an element of flair. While I didn’t always agree with her decisions, I respected and understood her for the most part. My only beef was that the chemistry between the two was slightly lacking. I wanted fireworks and explosions and I got mediocre tension vibes instead. I also didn’t like when she blamed her sister for their father’s fall and held her sister’s words against her even though she, more or less, said the same mean thing! While this bugged me, it also offered realism; nobody is perfect, not even our favourite characters. So even with her being a bit of a hypocrite, I liked Emma and rooted for her and Charlie to finally overcome all their obstacles and be together.

This is a quick read that will leave you satisfied by the end.

Four stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My favorite Katherine Center book yet & that's truly saying something because I love all of her books!! Charlie is grumpy but quirky Emma brings out his best + sweet side. I loved their connection & undeniable chemistry--SWOON! So many beautiful parts to this book. As someone who experiences lots of anxiety about the hard parts of life, Emma's dad & his outlook on life was a breath of fresh air. I will be buying this book for my favorites shelf as soon as it releases on June 11th! Thank you for this gem of a book, Katherine Center!!

The Rom-Commers is a delightful slow burn with tons of witty dialogue. I imagine it was intended to feel a lot like some of the rom com movies it references, and for me it didn’t disappoint. The banter and pacing were engaging and immersive, and I had no problem envisioning the (light) physical comedy as it unfolded. I was tempted to give it a five because of the dialogue alone, but the ending was a bit too neat for me. Plus, I’m not sure my sister and I could come back from that kind of fight- not going to lie. Some savage things were said. Regardless, I really liked this book, and the main characters left me wanting more. Read it! Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the e-arc.

Emma Wheeler has put her life and dreams on hold to care for her father. But when a dream come true opportunity comes available the want to be screenwriter knows she needs to take this chance. She takes a six week assignment to re-write a script for her all time life long idol, the famously successful Charlie Yates. And there’s only a couple of problems. The brilliant action movie screenwriter has written probably the worst rom-com Emma has ever read. And he doesn’t seem to care. And he doesn’t even believe in love. Emma has her work cut out for her, and her future depends on it!
As these two totally opposite characters try to work together to write a romantic comedy, they are a trope themselves. And as grumpy and rude as Charlie can be, I couldn’t help loving him. You can just feel the vulnerability and hurt bubbling underneath. Katherine Center once again gives you tenderness, heartache, loving gestures wrapped in a humorous bow!

This book is a journey. It's full of witty banter throughout with literary puns thrown in that will make any book nerd smile!

I found this book to be very endearing. I won't lie, there are some heavier parts in this book that left me confused with how I felt about the book. In the end I decided I really did enjoy it, and the Rom-com aspect of it was great!

This book does deal with some heavy topics: death, accidents, injuries, cancer. So keep that in mind if you have those are your trigger warnings.

I received a courtesy ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center. All thoughts and ratings of this book are my own, and without expectation.

Katherine Center won my book loving heart with How To Walk Away and I've been reading everything she's ever written ever since. I went to her older works and dived in and then she's always been a preorder author for me automatically. Until I read The Bodyguard. Now.... I will say I enjoyed that book but it felt like we started to hear a different voice. Less woman's fiction and more "campy" rom-com'ish writing. Again... I'm so in love with almost everything she's ever written that I just chalked it up to not for me but perfectly fine. Then Hello Stranger came along and it was as if the KC I've come to know and adore was trying WAY TOO HARD... was a total miss. I won't go on any further. When I was granted an advanced copy of Rom-Commers I was hopeful but a little afraid. See the aforementioned "rom-com" comment. She writes brilliant woman's fiction! Superb! As a matter of fact, if you have not read Everyone is Beautiful or Get Lucky.... run out fast and scoop them up. They are funny, poignant and full of strong females that learn to overcome.
So let's discuss the latest novel by Katherine Center. Emma is the FMC that I didn't know I needed. She's full of heart, she's smart and oh so incredibly sarcastic that it makes me want to take lessons. She's a writer that has had to put her career on hold to take care of her father. This entire story about her family has so many layers of grief, heartache but gifts to glean that you just feel even more proud of what she's been through. Then there is Charlie the famous screenwriter who Emma has idolized her whole adult life. The synopsis of the book gives you some good plot points to get you started on where this book is headed but the part that I feel is most important to note is SHE"S BACK!!! at least in my heart! She wrote a story full of laughter, tears, heart and angst. THIS is the type of story I want to read over again and again! I can't wait for the release date to grab the audio version and I hope that you will consider picking up this book for yourself! I believe you will thrilled!

Utterly delightful! I flew through this story, and when in any given moment I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be. The Rom-Commers is peak Katherine Center, with complex characters with complicated backstories, chemistry that jumps off the page, meta-commentary, and Easter eggs from her other stories. I loved every minute of it, so much so that when I finished reading my advance copy, I immediately jumped online to preorder a finished edition. Whether you’re a fan of rom-coms like Emma, or you’re struggling to believe in love, like Charlie, there’s good stuff for you here.

Thank you Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.