Katherine Center can do no wrong in my opinion! I did not want to put this down! I love her writing and her characters feel so real!! Emma was such a fun mc and even though I still don’t really understand why Charlie had to say some of the sings he did say, I really liked him as well. I love how Katherine Center can make me feel for these people in 350-ish pages. I cried my way through the end!! I loved Emmas and Charlies dynamic and banter and the storyline was so cute as well!! Im so looking forward to rereading this and I can not wait for her next book! The biggest thanks to netgalley and the publisher!! Im so grateful that I got the arc for this book

thank you netgalley and katherine for the arc!

I really loved this book and whole heartedly enjoyed the characters, their banter, and the overall writing! it read like a true rom-com and made you giggle out loud and kick your feet! emma and charlie were both so stubborn, which is relatable, but i wish they communicated better or were able to relay how they were feeling about situations without making the decisions for each other! silly gooses!

i cannot wait to see this story on the big screen, because i know it'll make a phenomenal movie. everyone go make this your book of the summer!

"there it is. the whole trick to life. be aggressively, loudly, unapologetically grateful."

I really enjoyed this book! I have loved all of Katherine Center's books that I've read, and she continues to hit it out of the park for me. At first I thought Charlie would be an old man (I was thinking a Scorsese-type), so that felt a little weird, but I quickly realized that Charlie was not an old man and got super into the book. I loved Emma, she was complicated and caring and stubborn and talented. The dialogue between her and Charlie was quippy and fun at times but also deep and meaningful at other times. Emma's relationship with her family was complicated, and her grief felt so real. I highly recommend this book, there are a lot of people who will enjoy it. Those who love rom-coms will definitely like it, though they should first be made aware that this is a bit more complex than a typical rom-com. Readers who enjoy character driven fiction will like this book as well. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

I don’t even know who I am anymore. I have never been one to read romance books or romcoms, but I have been lately and I’ve been THOROUGHLY enjoying them. No going back now! I have been transformed into a different person!

Anyway, this book is great. It was exactly what I needed at this very moment and I’m sad that it’s over honestly. It made me giggle, it made me mad, it made me happy, it made me sad, and most importantly it made me really feel what the characters were feeling. This was my first Katherine Center book, but I promise you it won’t be my last. Truly beautiful writing and I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I can’t wait to see where this new era takes me and what doors it opens up next for me.

I’ve loved reading every book by Ms. Center and this is no exception. While there are sad experiences for several characters, this was an entertaining experience from beginning to end.

Emma Wheeler has lived with guilt from the loss of her mother and has taken on the role of caring for her father for many years. She’s always wanted to be a full-time, romantic comedy screenwriter, but she’s turned down several options due to her father. With her younger sister completing college, it’s supposed to be her time to live the life she’s dreamed.

Emma’s friend from high school is an agent who always seems to have some screenwriting work for her to complete, which helps with honing her talent and the expenses of her family. When Emma is offered an extraordinary screenwriting experience with her favorite writer, Charlie Yates, she’s torn between wanting to go to CA for six weeks for the job and staying to take care of her father, believing her sister can’t do the job as well as her.

When Emma overhears that Charlie was not aware of her working visit and does not want her to work with him, she lets loose on her friend for deceiving her but, eventually she and Charlie strike a truce and agree to work together.

Their time together was so hilarious with Emma spewing facts about love and more and Charlie just doesn’t believe it. He’s had difficult, heartbreaking life situations and is seems to be a curmudgeon about everything.

I could write pages about every hilarious, sweet, poignant, heartbreaking scene in the book, it was just that good! Ms. Center doesn’t hesitate to show the painful parts of life while also sharing the brighter side. I loved the ending with so many that become family and the HEA I love.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work. I highly recommend!

The Rom-Commers is legit a rom-com within a rom-com and I was here for it.

This book is about two screenwriters who are paired up to write a, you guessed it, rom-com script. One is OBSESSED with the concept of love, while the other one is INDIFFERENT about it. Emma Wheeler loves romantic comedy as much as breathing and cannot believe her favorite writer, Charlie Yates, doesn't know how to write it. Throughout the book, you literally notice how opposite these two people are, not only in their personality but also in the dialogue, which makes the author's storytelling a genius. 🎬❤️

Even though we didn't get as much banter between them when it comes to disagreeing about what to put in the play, you get the behind-the-scenes of what happens when two people live together for six weeks while writing a rom-com that ends up literally becoming one.

IT WAS SO CUTE! 🥰 Seriously, seeing both personalities smash together and eventually having Charlie Yates' hateful journey about love turn into a joyful one, aghhhhh my heart just fluttered thinking about it. 💖

I recommend this book to anyone who is a big fan of a laughing, lovely romantic comedy that we all know ends in a HEA, plus with a "YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN LOVE, IT'S LOVE" vibe. 💕

Favorite Quote:
“Is that you or me?” I asked. “What?” Charlie asked. “The thumping.” “I’m not thumping,” Charlie said. I put my hand on his chest. “Yes, you are.” Then, out of fairness, I shifted to my own. “But I’m thumping worse.”

Tropes:
🎥Opposites Attract
🎥Forced Proximity
🎥Grumpy x Sunshine
🎥Work Romance
🎥First POV

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press & Katherine Center for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Katherine Center outdoes herself with each new book. This story is a triumph.. It is a delightful and heartwarming novel that effortlessly captures the magic of romance and comedy.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

🥰 TOO CUTE THURSDAY 🥰 featuring “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Emma Wheeler is obsessed with rom coms and desperately longs to be a screenwriter for one! But family comes first, and as her father’s primary caregiver, Emma has had to put her dreams on the back burner …

UNTIL she gets the biggest phone call of her life and a job offer like no other: a chance to re-write a romantic comedy for the ultra famous screenwriter Charlie Yates! Charlie has always been an inspiration for Emma and the chance to write with him would change her career forever!

Emma jumps on a plane to LA, moves into Charlie’s mansion and together they get right to work. Charlie’s script is rushed and BRUTAL and goes against all of the “rules” of what a romantic comedy is all about! Emma makes it her duty to rewrite his love story, while unintentionally rewriting hers!

OMG!! This book gave me ALL OF THE FEELS! The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is perfect and I got such a kick out of the banter between the two MCs! I loved the concept of a rom-com about writing a rom-com and had so much fun reading it! If you enjoy sunshine/grumpy, forced proximity and workplace romance tropes, then you NEED to read this!

Thank you kindly to @katherinecenter @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on June 11, 2024!

Wow I LOVED THIS BOOK. My lil heart could not handle this! I loved how the romcom was interwoven with complex tragedies and trauma. The author did an amazing job making authentic characters who I could not stop rooting for.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is the best rom com that I have read this year. Is it perfect? No. The characters could possibly be a bit more likable, but this did not bother me at all. This book was honestly so fun, from start to finish. I read it as both an ebook and as an audiobook. The audiobook had some of the best narration I have heard. It was so fun to listen to but just as fun to read in print. The characters worked so well together. I think the falling in love with a famous person trope worked so well in this novel. It felt realistic and vulnerable and just right somehow. Parts of this book really touched me deeply. I have always enjoyed this author’s books, but this is now my new favorite. I cannot recommend it enough. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This book was actually perfect. I laughed, I cried, I read it in 2 1/2 hours. this is the perfect rom-com book. Spoilers, but I had a feeling towards the end that the twist of charlie writing the book for Emma was going to happen but I didn’t care, it was beautiful and I loved it. So excited for this to be released so I can talk about it forever.

I absolutely loved this book, as I have every book by Katherine Center. Despite their flaws, the characters are very likable and I enjoyed seeing their budding romance throughout the story. This book kept me interested, and had happy notes throughout. I couldn’t put it down, and finished it in a day.

i devoured this book. i loved it so so much. i read hello stranger and really liked it but this one takes the cake. it will easily be in my top 10 of the year. I thought Emma and Charlie were absolutely hilarious. their dynamic was the cutest and i loved their banter, especially when they were line dancing. i found myself cracking up constantly and i love when a book does that to me. i'm a huge fan of rom coms so i was really rooting for Emma to woo charlie over to the rom com side and away from everything else. and it worked!!!! the ending made me extremely happy. i just knew Charlie was in love with her, and i knew he was pushing her away because he found he was sick (the coughing gave it away) but turns out he wasnt actually sick, which made it even better. i was like they cant give us this happy ending and then insinuate he's going to die??? that's the opposite of a rom come. which is ironic lol. the speech at the end made me swoon and i just loved that he admitted he was finally in love with her. Also, Jablowmie can jablowme lol, he's literally so dum. ANYWAY, absolute 5/5
thaqnk you st martins press and netgalley for this e arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved everything about this book. I loved the two main characters so much. I felt the banter was perfect and the chemistry happened naturally. I always look forward to a new book by this author, and this did not disappoint.

My favourite Katherine Center book to date (I think - the Bodyguard was also so good!)! I laughed, I cried, and I highlighted so many good quotes and passages and disappointed my arc copy won’t send my highlighted quotes immediately to Goodreads!

The premise of the book was so good and the story was really well put together. Emma and Charlie were both such likeable and relatable characters and it really was so hard to put the book down to work today when I just wanted to know what would happen next!!

The writing was flawless and effortless to read. I’m a sucker for a roommates, forced proximity situation and there were so many good scenes here. Also loved how thoughtful and deep the story and characters were. They felt real and had real arcs, even the side characters. I felt the twists were a bit of a misunderstanding trope, which I don’t really love in books, but honestly loved the rest so much I didn’t even care.

Thanks so much to SMP romance and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and not impacted by receiving a review!

This might be the best banter I have ever read. Literally chef's kiss. So well done. This was light hearted, yet talked about deep heart wrenching topics. I could not put it down. I want to read everything Katherine Center writes. I liked this better than the Bodyguard. The female main character was so witty and oddly charming. I loved everything about her. Definitely read this book if you want a warm fuzzy feeling and to feel good.

3.5 stars

I started The Rom-Commers eagerly excited to dive into a new Katherine Center book… but quickly found myself not connecting with the characters, which started to give me an existential crisis. Center is one of my favorite romance authors and I was in desperate need of her optimism. While I did struggle through most of this one, I’m happy to report it did somewhat redeem itself in the end!

I have read and loved six of Center’s books, starting with How to Walk Away, the first book I picked up by her, reading every new release she’s had since, and picking up some of her backlist books in between, as well. The Bodyguard was my favorite book of the year the year I read it. Then last year I picked up Hello Stranger, fully expecting to love it, as well. I did still enjoy it, but it wasn’t up to the gushing standards Center’s books typically receive from me. I’d hoped it was just an anomaly, so I picked up The Rom-Commers with all the hope in my heart. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with this one, too.

The Rom-Commers is full of Center’s signature witty banter, great lines I found myself highlighting, but it lacks the polish of her previous backlist books: the great character arcs, the backstories that make me connect with the characters, a believable connection between our couple. The romance felt forced and overly cheesy at times, and I didn’t like the characters much; sometimes their personalities came across as inconsistent. Charlie, our male lead, was not very nice, and not in a cute grumpy way. Emma came across as immature sometimes. I found myself not caring at all. But then I jumped on Goodreads to check out my blogging friends’ reviews to discover they ARE gushing about this one, giving it five stars. So is it me?? Have I become so jaded that I can’t read romance any more?? I’ll save that worry for another day.

I found so much of the plot unrealistic. I’m okay with suspending disbelief a bit in my romances, but this one was one unbelievable thing after another; it was too much for me.

One of my issues was Emma’s adoration for Charlie from afar. Granted, I’m not generally a big fan of the celebrity trope, but I did adore The Bodyguard, so I thought I’d be okay with this one, as well. But Emma was such a fangirl for Charlie that it came across as immature and annoying instead of endearing.

This romance also had more miscommunication or lack of communication, and I’m over that trope. I’d be okay if I didn’t read another book with it for the rest of the year.

It wasn’t all bad! There were things I did like. I mentioned the witty banter before, and Center excels at dialogue. There were some romantic scenes I enjoyed, as long as I pretended that I liked the characters.

I did enjoy Emma’s father and sister. And the family’s backstory was heartbreaking, but I didn’t feel as empathetic toward Emma as I should. For me, she has been the main hindrance to her happiness, and at one point I thought she was overly cruel to her sister.

I struggled to rate this one because I’ve never given Center’s books less than four stars, but this one wasn’t for me. If you prefer your romances on the lighter side and enjoy the celebrity trope, The Rom-Commers might be a romance you’ll enjoy.

half of this was good and the other half was, well, not it.
see:
- the description of the outfit emma wears getting off the plane
- the description of charlie's entire look (OMG IT NEEDED TO BURN WHY DOES HE WEAR SHORTS AND FLIPFLOPS ALL THE TIME HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE HOT WHEN HE LOOKS LIKE A MIDDLE AGED DAD)
- charlie is rude, aloof, and absolutely did not learn how to be emotionally intelligent even after it was the downfall of his last relationship
- why is he always referred to as charlie yates. stop.
- her ~frizzy red hair pom pom~ we get it. you have curly hair. it's not a personality trait.
- STOP going back to this man omg how many times did this need to happen, this book had at least 3 "breakups"
so, after all that, what makes this worth reading?
- jack stapleton
- emma's dad is such a cutie
- SALVADOR
talk about a man!! this whole book should have been about him and emma's sister. if someone riffs this into a novel pls credit me.
thank you to net galley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Katherine Center remains one of my favorite authors because of the work she delivers in this book. The characters are likable, they draw you in, and they leave you feeling good! What a wonderful summer read.

This is a romance book that gives you a little more than the typical genre. Of course it’s a love story but there’s some other relationships and feelings mixed in for you to ponder. Are we able to move on from blaming ourselves for an incident in the past.? Forgiving ourselves and others is a necessary part of the story in order for the characters to grow and move on with their lives. Katherine Center does this through easy breezy dialog and individuals that we can’t help rooting for. Another great summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced eGalley of the book.
#TheRom-Commers #KatherineCenter #NetGalley