Skip to main content

Member Reviews

Her best yet!! Katherine Center fans, this is perfection!! A “take an intentional reading break so it doesn’t end yet”type of book. I fell in love with Emma’s pom pom hair, devotion to family, fear of giving up control, and defiant spirit. I teetered on that diving board in heels with her. Then there’s Charlie, so guarded and frustrating. We know it always works out, but this was a great ride. Loved every page!!

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center has done it again with her latest offering, proving why she's a consistent favorite of mine. Her latest novel might have its moments where the main character's fan-girling over her love interest makes me cringe a bit, but Center's engaging writing style never fails to keep me hooked.

Center's storytelling continues to be refreshing and charming. This book is a testament to her skill, balancing humor, wit, and engaging banter effortlessly. I found myself breezing through the pages over a single weekend.

The romance between Emma and Charlie is as captivating as it is frustrating at times. Emma's tendency to throw herself at Charlie, coupled with her avid following of his career, gave me moments of 'ick.' Yet, despite these moments I found myself irresistibly drawn to their story, unable to put the book down.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center writes terrific books. I am always happy when there is a new book. Emma is a writer who put her writing on hold when her father was injured and needed full time care. Her high school boyfriend tries to send her work when he can. She has the opportunity to go to L.A. and help revive a screenplay by her favorite screenplay writer. Could she leave her sister who just finished college in charge of her father. Is any of this possible?

The reader will go on a emotional ride with Emma. You will laugh, cry and hope for a great outcome. What a wonderful story. The book is everything a good rom-com should be. In fact it would make a terrific movie. I highly recommend reading this delightful book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KatherineCenter, and #StMartinsPress for a copy of this book.
#TheRomCommers

Was this review helpful?

Oh my god where do I even start? I loved it so so so much. I have absolutely no complaints about this book. It was so perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

It is easily one of the best rom-coms I have ever read. I laughed out loud many times, and I cried multiple times. It was just so beautiful and so heartwarming and I felt the love between the characters while reading it.

I fell in love with this book from the very first chapter and I knew it would become one of my favourite reads of the year. This is the second book I’ve read by Katherine Center and it was also a very easy five star rating.

I would highly recommend reading it if you want to read a spice-free rom-com. It is genuinely so good.

ps: it doesn’t have babies or pregnancies in the epilogue 🫶🏼

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

First of all, thank you to @netgalley and ….. for letting me have an early peek at this gem of a book. Oh my gosh guys I truly loved it from start to finish. How do I describe the wonderful, quirky, romantic, clean (closed door!), hilarious, tension-filled book I just read? Let’s start with characters: Emma is gold. She’s caring and self-assertive and has the biggest heart. She knows her worth and she’s a little out there in the best ways. I was rooting for her the whole time. Reading from her POV was a genius choice. Charlie is brooding and quiet but oh-so-genuine in who he is. The way he subtly took care of, supported, and encouraged Emma was was just 🧑🏽‍🍳💋 I also truly loved Emma’s dad and feel like I got some wise life advice from him. I now want a spin off book about Sylvie, because her romance needs to be told. What’s ironic is I desperately want this book to be made into a movie now 🤣 In conclusion, read this book. It’s 5/5 and such a delight!!

Was this review helpful?

I'm an unapologetic Katherine Center fan. I regularly recommend her books and always look forward to whatever she publishes next. And this one was no different. Center writes with such joy and creates characters I always feel like I've known before: they're funny and familiar as my own friends. The Rom-Commers was another fantastic book by Center, and I'm so grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Emma has wanted to be a screenwriter since she can remember, and loves nothing more than a good rom-com. She hasn't been able to dedicate herself to writing because she's the only person who can take care of her father, who requires round-the-clock care. Her ex reaches out with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rewrite a terrible screenplay by Emma's screenwriter god, Charlie Yates, who is none too pleased to have an unproven amateur working with him.

Charlie and Emma have forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine and it's glorious. The book reads as an ode to romantic comedies, showcasing them as the joyful and hopeful journeys they really are rather than the trite flick reputation they have. Center does an exceptional job of writing what romance needs to feel like and how to get there, and she also is able to bring those feelings to the reader as she watches Charlie and Emma fall for each other. The callbacks from past scenes are adorable, and we even see a character from a past book.

I loved this book. It made my heart glow.

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center writes romantic comedies unlike any other author. The Rom-Commers is filled to the brim with heart, joy, and sadness, and you can't help but to fall in love with every single character.

Charlie is not the typical gruff male with a gooey center; he is complicated, but kind, and everyone who knows him is already aware of this. Emma is unapologetically strong, intelligent, and has a valid reason for her stalled writing career. She has never given up on writing; she just pivoted when she was unable to leave her family. This is an important distinction, as I cannot stand the "helpless female who is saved by the strong male" trope.

The rich back stories of Emma and Charlie add so much to the plot of this book. I have felt that Katherine Center's last few books lack some of the heart that her earlier works were known for, but The Rom-Commers absolutely returns to this. My only complaint is that we didn't get enough of happy Emma and Charlie. This book was excellent, though.

Was this review helpful?

Emma is a writer who is given her dream job to ghostwrite (or re-write) the screenplay for her favorite - Charlie Yates. Charlie does not write romcoms and doesn't actually want to write this one. He made a stink of it! But he needs to get this movie made in order to have his next mafia movie approved to make. Emma has to live with him in LA to re-write the romcom together. Issue - Charlie has no idea she's coming and isn't happy about it.

I thought it was okay. I got frustrated that they literally couldn't communicate at all and had the same discussion over and over. There were some other things regarding medical issues that I felt were thrown in at the last minute and didn't really flow well with the story.

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me so getting another ARC is an absolute privilege. This was definitely different than a usual "warm and fluffy" rom com book. The first 50% of the book I was not sure how i felt about the characters. Even as I am done it, they are not my favorite MCs but the character development written was so phenomenal. I loved the second half of the book especially the last 15% I think that I highlighted so much of the end of the book. There a lot of good life lessons in this book and I definitely recommend picking it up! .

Was this review helpful?

This book was AMAZING! Even more amazing than I expected. I honestly could have read it in one sitting if I had the time, I flew through the last half in one evening because I just didn’t want to do anything other than enjoy this fun story! It was like a hug, a perfect temperature coffee, an A on an exam, a perfect sunny day. Emma and Charlie’s relationship kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen, but also kept me so entertained!

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center’s voice always feels so young and vibrant to me. The conversations seem like conversations that I would have with my friends they have natural flow that feel real. There were a few trigger warnings in this book that I didn’t anticipate but I didn’t look that up before hand. I love the idea of two screen writers falling in love, writing a love story. It made me kick my feet with excitement, watching Emma and Charlie flirt with each other. There were moments that made my heart ache in ways I haven’t felt in a long time. I really appreciate how everything wrapped up in a little bow, even down to the guinea pig. 😌

I will definitely be promoting this one to my followers on IG

Was this review helpful?

The Rom-Commers
I fell for Katherine Center when she introduced another author (I don’t remember that author!) at a reading. Her vivacious personality and down to earth manner, coupled with her academic background made me curious. That led me to her books, and frankly, she can’t write fast enough for me.
Katherine has a philosophy that we should read for joy, and her books let us do just that. Rom-Commers, her 2024 novel, is no exception. She creates fabulous characters, sets them in places that ignite imagination and then weaves a story with them that is one that is hard to put down.
Rom-Commers is the tale of Emma, a talented romance screen writer whose career is derailed before it gets started by family tragedy. Charlie is her screen writing hero. Even though he doesn’t write Rom Coms, she’s seen every movie he’s written for. So, when she gets the chance to “help” Charlie fix his terrible attempt at a Rom Com, she jumps at the chance.
It's a classic Rom Com…you don’t need me to tell you the ending, but the journey is fun, interesting, and educational. It’s also a lot of fun. Thanks to Katherine, St Martins and NetGalley. The book will be released June 11, 2024

Was this review helpful?

First I’d like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. I loved this book so much. I loved the characters, the forced proximity trope (which usually isn’t my favorite), the grumpy/sunshine trope (which I do love), the banter between the two main characters (and honestly all the characters) and most of all the ending.

I have read a couple other books by Katherine Center but this by far was my favorite. Emma and Charlie were so great together. I loved how their banter and interactions just started right from the beginning. These two were so great together. There were a couple times where Emma was just a little over the top for me but the rest of it was so great that I almost forgot about it.

And the ending…so good. It might be one of my favorite romance Epilogues ever! This book was fantastic. 5/5 stars for sure. #netgallry #stmartinspress #theromcommers

Was this review helpful?

I could not put this down. Tore through it in one night. I love the chemistry that Katherine center is able to write and the family dynamics that she adds into her rom coms. Truly a favorite author

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I usually really enjoy Katherine Center’s books, but this one missed the mark for me. It was a fun read and I liked the premise, but the writing felt immature at times - the fake celebrity references and overall “quirkiness” were a bit too much - and I didn’t love either of the main characters

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Center does it again with her upcoming release, The Rom-Commers.

Emma gets the chance of a lifetime to take a break from full time caretaking and re-write the disaster of a screenplay written by her favorite writer, Charlie.

Upon arriving at Charlie’s house, she realizes he wasn’t expecting her at all and doesn’t want her help. Even worse than feeling rejected, she’s stuck staying at Charlie’s house until she can get a flight home.

She wins Charlie over and begins to teach him all the elements of a quality rom-com, while the two of them race to finish the screenplay before real life catches up.

As always, Katherine Center writes a story with all the pain of real life phobias, loss, & responsibilities artfully crafted into a heartwarming narrative that will have you feeling ALL the feels.

Thank you to Katherine Center & St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Heroes come in unexpected packages!

Emma is her father’s caregiver after a traumatizing accident a decade ago. She’s happily placed her life on hold to help her dad and allow her younger sister to finish school, but now Emma has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, and she wants to grab on with both hands. After all, it’s only for six weeks. What could go wrong?

World-famous screenwriter Charlie Yates can’t find his words. There’s a gaping maw where his creativity once resided, and he doesn’t know if it will ever return. He has one mafia script on the cusp of production, but there is a caveat: the producer’s girlfriend wants a romance, and the one Charley wrote isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

The only thing I’m proud of is my career. And I will not frigging turn it into aerosol cheese by seriously writing a rom-com.
The Rom-Commers- Katherine Center

Enter the irrepressible pain-in-his-butt ghost-writer his agent tricked him into working with. It doesn’t matter. He plans to make sure this script never sees the light of day. If only he could put the beautiful Emma out of his mind as easily.

This is a fun, poignant read between a grumpy hero and an outspoken heroine who is determined to teach him how to get in touch with his romantic side to fix his script. There are close encounters, awkward moments, swoony looks, and even a guinea pig.

Love everything this author writes!

Was this review helpful?

This book was so good! I really love Katherine center and I was so happy to get to read this book! I would recommend this book to everyone!

Was this review helpful?

I’m late to Katherine Center so, “The Rom-Commers” is the first book of her’s I’ve read. I’m a total sucker for teasing banter so this book definitely tickled my dialogue fancy and made me smile. I was fond of the characters on an individual basis and found them endearing. However, the comfort level Emma and Charlie developed with each other felt like it rushed from 0 to 100 and then oscillated too frequently. The romantic tension was hit and miss, and the hit didn’t totally satisfy when it happened. Ultimately I think it was hard to believe in their feelings because the build-up just wasn’t cutting it for me. The typical romance novel fall-out was even less believable and seemed forced. That being said, I enjoyed the book for what it was: a cute, quick rom-com read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

In true Katherine Center style, this one hooked me in from the first chapter & I breezed through it in a few days. It was fun, endearing, funny, emotional and just plain sweet. There are definitely some harder topics sprinkled throughout, but overall this is a light hearted romance that I truly enjoyed.

Was this review helpful?