Charlie is kind of a jerk, but Emma finds a way to make him loveable, or maybe palatable. lol. This was such a quick, fun read for me which is typical for a Center novel. She just writes characters that you care about.

Emma has always put herself second and for once she is doing something in pursuit of her own dreams. I love how she doesn’t let anything stop her once she and Charlie get started. I did enjoy the “meta-ness” of this as Emma explains all the attributes of a romcom to Charlie. And I really liked how she broke through is grumpy exterior and helped him understand both the genre and himself.

Totally recommend this one.

In true Katherine Center fashion, this book definitely delivers on balance between light rom-com as well as tackling heavy topics. I loved the family story as well as the journey of self-discovery our protagonist, Emma, takes. I loved seeing the personal growth in her character.

I enjoyed parts of the romantic story, but (I hate that there’s a “but”) unfortunately there were parts of Charlie’s character that kept me from fully getting on board with him and the romance. We have a classic enemies-to-lovers trope here as Emma and Charlie don’t get along when they start working together, but some of the things he said and the way he treated her was just too hard for me to get over. We of course saw some redemption in his character toward the end but to me it felt like a switch flipped and suddenly he’s a great guy and we’re supposed to just forget how mean he was to Emma in the beginning.

I’ve seen a lot of praise for this book, and overall I did enjoy it, so maybe I’m alone in this feeling. I definitely would still recommend it as I think Center is always a solid choice for a summer romance. I just didn’t quite love it as much as I loved her last two. I’ll definitely keep reading whatever she puts out though!

The Rom-Commers was a terrific read, I enjoyed it from start to finish. Katherine Centers books normally are full of wit, emotions and are never a disappointment. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone.

I received an ARC from NetGalley an St. Martin's Press, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

******Now Available!!!!!!******

First of all just want to start with how much I enjoy and appreciate when ROM/Com is written without trashy language and vivid sexual scenes!!!

Emma has been asked to help her favorite legendary screen writer Charlie to rewrite his rom/com but many surprises along the way! Such a heart warming story with twists and disasters along the way.

Solid writing.
All the emotional feels roller coaster.
Loveable/relatable characters that have understandable flaws.

Bit descriptive wordy but really can’t say much negative about the book!! Definitely had me thinking about the story/characters when i wasn’t reading and had me looking forward to when i could be reading it again!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Rom-Commers is my third read by Katherine Center. I enjoyed her other two novels, so I greatly looked forward to this one and I am glad it did not disappoint. This story follows aspiring screenwriter Emma Wheeler who has been the primary caregiver of her ailing father for the past ten years. When her sister comes home after graduation and can help, Emma seizes an opportunity to work with her idol, screenwriter, Charlie Yates. The two end up working together on Charlie’s latest rom-com screenwriting project. As the story moves through its pages, the reader follows the two characters getting to know each other through the screenwriting process. There is also the fact that Emma has her life waiting for her still with her father after the process is complete, so there is some tension added to the story.

The two characters are the classic sunshine/grumpy trope where Charlie is the grumpy one and Emma is the sunshine. She loves rom-coms and is excited for the project while Charlie is dreading it. I can see the appeal of the opposites attract as I greatly enjoy this trope, but I do think it went a little far in the beginning with how mean Charlie was to Emma. While I expected him to be standoffish, it came off a little meaner than I prefer. There was also the power imbalance to consider while reading as Emma was a superfan to Charlie. While it was present, the relationship that does form between them was believable enough to counteract this idea. The two characters had a nice amount of growth, and I enjoyed the reading experience. I am still not sure about the “com” part of the rom-com, but the “rom” was there and it was well-done. I enjoyed that there was some inclusion of characters from her other novel, The Bodyguard, so it was great for readers like me who have read her other novels. These moments were nicely incorporated as those who have read the other novel and those that haven’t could enjoy the scenarios. Overall, this was a nicely done novel and I look forward to reading the next novel by Center in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Katherine Center writes fabulous fiction that is perfect for someone who wants that touch of romance. Her books are kind of like if you dipped your toe into the ocean that is the romance book world. Perfect if you like the relationship building aspect of a story, but are uncomfortable or don’t want to read about physical intimacy.

Emma is a (failing?) small-time screenwriter who does an old friend a favour by reading an Oscar-winning screenwriter’s rom-com screenplay. The work itself is as far from romance as it can be and is generally accepted as being downright terrible. Emma reluctantly leaves her father, for whom she is the sole caretaker, and heads to Hollywood to work alongside Charlie Yates and help him rewrite his miserable work, much to Charlie’s dismay. While she teaches him the workings of how to write real romance, sparks fly between them.

The Rom-Commers delves heavily into the idea of what makes a good romance, but doesn’t execute it quite perfectly itself…but I’m not sure it’s supposed to. So much is said within the pages of what makes a good romance book/screenplay/movie- tropes, tension building, miscommunications, steamy kisses…and yet with Emma and Charlie it shows that romance is weird and messy and people often get it wrong. I kind of liked that. We’re almost hit over the head with classic romance moments throughout the book, but at the same time the author gently pokes fun at them. It was sweet.

While clunky at times, and so HEAVY on dialogue, the last 40% of the book relied largely on family drama and relationships and was quite emotional and beautiful. While Charlie was a bit of an enigma (mostly due to the story being only from Emma’s POV), I thought Emma was charming and lovely. Her work ethic and outlook on life was made up of tragic life circumstances and yet she seemed happy(ish). I could definitely see this as a cutesy rom-com Hallmark-style or Netflix romance-lite movie.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

💭 MY THOUGHTS: Another Katherine Center book that I absolutely loved! I love how all her stories build fun worlds and characters that explore the dynamics of relationships.

Emma is a writer and her favorite Hollywood writer is Charlie. Imagine her surprise when she gets a chance to write with him but it’s totally not what she expects. Charlie is a bit of an eccentric grump with Emma being a level-headed optimist. I loved the two of them.

As only Katherine can, the book deals with hard topics like cancer, death of a parent (past) and relational trauma but somehow interjects tough topics with sweet sparks of light and hope.

Read for:
⛅️ Grump + Sunshine
🏡 Forced Proximity
🚪 Closed Door Romance
🎥 2 Writers
👄 Single POV
❤️‍🩹 Healing from Relational Trauma
📍 Hollywood, CA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🧼 Squeaky Clean

4.25 stars!!!!

Once again, Katherine brings us a witty, heartwarming, journey of a book! I loved the character arc in this and how both Emma and Charlie learned and grew. I highlighted so many lines that made me laugh, and made me cry!
"...All I can figure it this: it hurts to be disappointed. It hurts so much, we'd rather never get our hopes up. And it's humiliating too- right? How foolish are you to hope for the best?...." GAAHHHH.. How does Katherine know the thoughts I've had about love and life and becoming so cynical and skeptical.
The only con's I had was there were a couple of cheesy parts that made me cringe a little BUT stuff like that happens in a RomCom so I get why she included that. The middle of the book stalled for me just a teeny bit, and I think it was just due to a lot of dialogue between the Emma and Charlie, and not a ton of action.

My rating for Katherine's books from favorite to not quite favorite-
Hello Stranger - i am still obsessed with this book
The Bodyguard
How to Walk Away
Happiness for Beginners -read this last year by the pool and LOVED the book and movie
The Rom-Commers
Things You Save in a Fire

MANY Thanks to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

This fun read is proof that good writing can make even rom-com cynics smile and nod in approval. This was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish...as the characters explored and researched, then embodied the typical tropes. It's all about how the love story unfolds. You're rooting for somewhat messy Chloe and Charlie, waiting to see if they can smooth out each others' rough edges as they get to know each other. It was refreshing to me that this didn't have to happen with all the language and spice. We just get to see the chemistry play out in their everyday lives, as is much more realistic.
I hope Center continues with more stories about these characters, or at least pursues more rom-com-like books in the future!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

We’re big fans of Katherine Center’s books. They always have a great balance of emotional and lighthearted moments with fun banter mixed in.

The Rom-Commers follows Emma, an aspiring screenwriter who gets the chance to work with her writing hero, Charlie. He’s writing a romcom, something outside his wheelhouse, and it’s terrible so Emma is hired to help. This is her second chance at her dream career after a family tragedy changed her life plan.

Emma was an endearing and cute FMC. The way she loved her family fiercely and sacrificed so much was special but also heartbreaking. On the other side, Charlie was a little too hot/cold in the way he treated Emma for our liking. It sometimes leaned towards him being mean and he fell a bit short as an MMC for us.

Our favourite parts involved Emma and Charlie trying out romcom scenes while writing the screenplay. It added some much needed fun into the story. We love a good cameo and since this book is set in LA, keep a lookout on some fun ones!

Read if you like:
▪️Romcom about writing romcoms
▪️Forced Proximity
▪️Grumpy/Sunshine
▪️Celebrity romance
▪️Closed door

The Rom-Commers is THE book of the summer of 2024. Katherine Center has brilliantly created the perfect mix of poignancy and wicked humor. Once I started this wonderful book, I honestly couldn't put it down and when I did, I was beyond curious as to how the organized and seemingly upbeat yet cautious Emma Wheeler would manage her new writing partnership with her idol, the equally cautious yet decidedly unorganized and a bit stuffy, one Charlie Yates. From the very start, the fireworks were going off at a rapid rate as Emma had to leave her stagnant albeit happy life (at least in her eyes) as her father's caregiver in Texas for the bright lights of Los Angeles and the opportunity of a lifetime. Emma now has the chance to offer up her expertise in all things rom-com as Charlie must fix a screenplay he has zero interest in truly seeing brought to the screen and it soon seems that this might have been a huge mistake. But as fate would have it, the many crazy moments between these two set off a chain of events that could only be classified as the true love both never saw coming.

Oh my goodness. Center is such a talented storyteller. We are in Emma's head the entire book and her thoughts and observations made me laugh and shake my head over and over again as she describes all that is happening around her. Her bestie Logan who snags her the job of her dreams is the perfect foil for when Emma is feeling ready to bolt back to Texas as the writing partnership is forever on shaky ground. But I loved that Emma had the moxie to continue to want to make it work and to say she is adorable is almost an insult. She is a lovable, goofy goddess that the world doesn't deserve. Her attention to detail whether it's to manage her Dad's meds and all that comes with his health issues or her copious amount of notes that she rattles off in a heated moment to Charlie about his disastrous attempt at writing romantic comedy, emphasis on romantic, I fell hard for her. She is a joy of epic proportions and deserves much more than she had been handed.

The way the story unfolded was sheer delight and Center beautifully combines truly anxious moments with silly ones in a way that was addictive. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and if Emma and Charlie would ever find a way to be happy, even if it meant not being together after their 6-week writing contract was up. I will say that I was jubilant when Charlie stepped up in the very best way and I fell for him almost as much as Emma did. He's a work in progress for sure but sure glad he got a much-needed kick in the pants that only Emma could have delivered! Just know that Center's prose is perfect and gives you that feeling of being front-row center as well as being Emma's partner in crime as everything comes to a head. It's as exquisite a reading experience as I've had in a long time.

With secondary characters who add the right touch when needed even when it might be the wrong words said or seemingly impetuous actions, I honestly could have read another 100 pages of this captivating book. It's a keeper and a must-read whenever you're feeling low. I enjoyed myself immensely from start to finish and wish I could give this gem more than 5 stars. It's a story of perseverance, self-discovery and most of all, that crazy little thing called love. Especially when you least expect it.

5++++++ huge stars!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a romantic comedy on the page. Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a successful screenwriter. She writes romantic comedies and good ones that win contests but she is also the sole caretaker of her father who needs full time care. When a long time friend calls with an opportunity to re-write a script with the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, she feels it's too good to be true. As her younger sister takes over the caretaking duties, Emma moves to LA for six weeks. However, when she arrives, Emma quickly learns that she is not wanted. Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone and doesn’t really care about this script, it was just a means to an end. And worst, he doesn’t believe in love. Emma isn’t going to give up. She is going to fight for herself, for rom-coms and love. She is determined to change Charlie’s mind about love. Of course, life is often stranger than fiction. Will their script come true?
Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me. Her stories are often fun, filled with laughs and great moments. The Rom-Commers is no different. It is so good! I laughed. I cried. I grinned from ear to ear as I could not put it down! It is a grumpy-sunshine, enemies to lovers romance with humor and drama. Are these characters perfect? No, Charlie and Emma are deeply wounded people with pasts that Ms. Center does not sugarcoat or gloss over and do not have easy or simple solutions. No one wants to read characters who are perfect. We want to see characters who change and grow throughout the story and end up changed for the better. Real life people are flawed and yet still lovable which are the type of characters Ms Center writes. The story goes through the highs and lows of falling in love. I loved The Rom-Commers and I closed the book with a sigh and a happy heart. I highly, highly recommend The Rom-Commers!

The Rom-Commers is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

A (mostly) light hearted and fun summer read. This truly does read like your favorite rom com movie would. Center does break the 4th wall often by talking directly to the reader which only adds to the light and fun tone of the book.

I say “mostly” light hearted because there’s an argument between sisters that feels overly aggressive. The last twist also didn’t totally sit right with me.

Overall this book kept my attention and was a wonderful sweet, joyful summer read.

This was my first Katherine Center, and I can see why she’s so popular. Everything was very cute. But at times, I felt like the light-hearted cuteness of it all conflicted with the heavier themes Center was trying to pump in, such as parental loss, disability, illness, etc. Those two aspects to the story, the light-hearted putting-it-all-out-there for love and the real-life sadness that can get in the way of love, felt in opposition to one another. I’ve seen it done well (Kennedy Ryan, Emily Henry, etc), and this didn’t quite feel right.

I also just… didn’t care for the FMC. Like at all. She was exasperatingly naive for a fully grown, college-teaching, screenplay-writing woman. She also felt superficial. Like aside from her stubborn commitment to her belief in the concept of love, I don’t think there was much to her. And maybe that was on purpose. By making the main character more of an idea-on-legs rather than a person, Center allows every reader to put themselves in the role of leading lady.

All that being said, I enjoyed the book. I liked the force proximity and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. I liked two artists sharing their love for their craft. I liked the mutual respect, the banter, and the slow burn. I liked the small-town-girl goes to Hollywood story. And I actually didn’t mind that this was closed door. The tropes were really really well done.

Overall, I think this book is intended for a reader who’s more of an optimistic idealist than I am. Therefore, I expect this one will be really, really popular.

A new Katherine Center book just means summer to me, I have loved her books for years and I am always excited to see a new one and another colorful joy inducing cover.
The Rom-Commers met the high expectations I had for this book. I cried, I laughed and I smiled. Emma’s and Charlie’s story is beautifully told and so heartwarming, I even found myself highlighting passages. Now on to the actual story: Emma’s life is confined by being her disabled father’s caretaker her writing has taken a backseat to the demands that poses on her when two separate things culminate to change her life and catapult her to Beverly Hills: her old friend Logan offers her an exciting opportunity working with famed screenwriter Charlie Yates and her sister Sylvia graduates and can take over caretaking duties for a while. Charlie wrote romcom that just doesn’t work, he is a cynic to Emma’s anxious but sunny disposition and they need to figure out a way to work together, work through hard feelings and assumptions about one another and make this romcom work - and they do make it work so beautifully. I loved my reading !

"You want me to take it?" I said. "I'll take it! And I'll spray-paint it bubblegum pink and write my name on it in red Sharpie with little hearts! And I'll tell everybody I won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for a rom-com so rom-commy it was called The Rom-Commers!"

I was intrigued by the idea that Emma, an amateur yet aspiring screenwriter, would assist Charlie, a well-known screenwriter who also happens to be her idol, in rewriting a script in a genre she knew well because she loved it. Charlie, on the other hand, wasn’t remotely equipped to write it because he couldn't write about love when he forgot what that felt like. beach read anyone? It wasn’t like it but the idea of helping him write something opposite of what he wrote was similar

“I get it now.” “Get what? I asked. “Why we’re rewriting this story”

That said, seeing them work together during the writing process was pretty fun and it made it easy for it all to play out like an actual rom com movie in my head. I truly enjoyed seeing Emma open up Charlie to the confines of romance and love and sparring with him as it allowed him to come to the realization of what that could look like. “everything you say is not romantic is romantic”

The acts of service and kinda getting one another out of their comfort zones was pretty sweet but I also loved when emma humbled Charlie given the nonchalant and entitled energy he gave off initially until it became clear why. I mean he came across as a grump who doesn’t believe in love so it made sense. I think he could’ve went about things differently as I just wanted him to speak up! but I understood why he didn’t and I thought it was ironically selfless.

“I had a theory that we gravitate toward the stories we need in life. Whatever we're longing for-adventure, excitement, emotion, connection-we turn to stories that help us find it. Whatever questions we're struggling with-sometimes ones so deep, we don't even really know we're asking them-we look for answers in stories.

This wasn’t just a story of romance and how to write one as it also dealt with elements that molded Emma into the person she is and that increased my enjoyment. It made this feel more real and heartfelt and i felt proud of Emma for still choosing to believe in her dream since for much of her life—it felt unlikely that anything was possible. Emma felt relatable in the role she had to take on during part of her life and I loved seeing her take charge of her narrative. To my surprise, I enjoyed this and can say it was filled with fluffy/cheesy moments and witty banter aside from some introspection. All of which set up this story that revolved around two writers who unbeknownst to one of them--would fall in love in the process of rewriting a rom com.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

other quotes

“Stories exist for the emotions they create—and you can't write them if you can't feel them.”

“Maybe staying so busy was a lifeline out of my own grief. But I willingly made myself a supporting character in my own story.”

“Real life doesn't come with warnings," Logan argued, half-assedly. "That's why fiction," I said, "is better than real life."

"Whatever story you tell yourself about your life, that’s the one that’ll be true.”

I love a Katherine center book! This one was fun and easy. The way the medical issue was handled at the end kind of threw me. But overall a great summer romance!

4.25/5⭐️

I always enjoy Katherine Center’s books. Some I simply love while others I like a lot but maybe don’t quite make it into the love category.

While this one had all the characteristics of an upper tier book for me (humor, slow angst, a decent storyline, some curves and even some tragedy to add a more serious/in depth touch), I didn’t quite fall for the female protagonist.

I understood and sympathized that Emma had a decades’ worth of issues/guilt to work through, and I was happy that she was finally able to have her chance to shine in her career, but she ended up seeming a tad overblown to me. She began as being a strong, ultra organized caregiver, turned into a less confident, overly out to please woman for most of the book and by the near end became an angry, disgruntled and frankly a bit selfish character. Yes, she had some hard things to work through, but I kind of felt a bit dizzy keeping up with her moods/emotions/actions. While Charlie, on the other hand and also with some baggage of his own, remained true to his character throughout the book... yes, he started out as somewhat of a jerk, but I saw that as more of a defense mechanism than his true personality. I actually loved his sweet, giving nature (which I just knew was coming) and he ended up really shining during the denouement.

So again, it was a wonderful book, and I definitely recommend it. I just wasn’t a complete Emma fan on a personal level.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of The Rom-Commers for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Emma Wheeler, an aspiring screenwriter obsessed with romantic comedies, finally gets her big break to rewrite a script for her idol, Charlie Yates. However, Charlie is a cynical screenwriter who despises rom-coms and views love as a scam. Their journey from clash to connection is heartwarming, filled with real emotions and unexpected romance. This audiobook beautifully blends the charm of romance comedy with a touching, real-life love story.

The Rom-Commers 💛💕🧡

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s press for this digital ARC. I am extremely grateful and SO GLAD I read this book.

The Rom-Commers is out TODAY and I highly recommend you grab a copy! As always, my recommendation comes with my honest review and touchy topics listed below to help you make an informed decision for yourself.

This book reminded me why I love reading.

Writer rep, screenwriter rep, romance rep, grief rep, parental loss rep. It’s beautiful and chaotic and echoes so many truths of life.

In the last 15% in particular, I was giggling, kicking my feet, and squealing. I mean that literally; you can ask my bestie who heard everything.

Charlie Yates is worthy of being labeled a “book boyfriend” from someone who doesn’t read romance as a primary genre and reserves that label for only men I would respect in real life.

Emma Wheeler is a fireball and is so brave and goofy in all the brilliant ways, and some of the troublesome ways, too.

The dialogue and banter were my favorite part, until Mr. Yates’ non-wood-chippered heart was fully on display, at which point he immediately became my new favorite part of this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Content: 🍓🍓🍓

Touchy Topics: Language, parental loss, terminal illness, divorce, grief, alcohol consumption, drunkenness, aftermath of a bar fight.

#bookreview #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #writersofbookstagram #authorsofbookstagram #arcreview #releaseday #pubday #katherinecenter #theromcommers #romcom #romance #romancebooks

Rating Scale:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: PERFECT. Probably cried
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Wonderful, just not top 10
⭐️⭐️⭐️: Good! Most books fit here
⭐️⭐️: Not really my cup of tea
⭐️: Basically DNF

Content Scale:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓: Squeaky clean!
🍓🍓🍓🍓: Appropriate for most readers
🍓🍓🍓: Heavy topics, likely 18+
🍓🍓: Intense scenes about heavy topics
🍓: Tread lightly