Katherine Center does it again!

read this book if you love
- the ultimate grumpy/sunshine
-forced proximity
-slow burn
- a heartbreaking 3rd act
-closed door romance

Emma Wheeler is a selfless hopeless romantic who has spent most of her adult life caretaking for her father. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to edit a screenplay with her professional idol and heads to LA. When she arrives on Charlie Yate's doorstep, she realizes this project is going to be much more complicated than she expected.

I ended up tearing through this book in one evening because I quite literally couldn't put it down!! The plot is fast-paced and chock full of major events and revelations that keep things interesting. The witty banter is laugh-out-loud funny. While I found the ending to be a tad rushed and I know the miscommunication trope isn't everyone's favorite, I still enjoyed this book from start to finish. There is so much pining and tension! If you've loved Katherine Center's other novels than this one shouldn't be missed!

Whenever I read a Katherine Center book, I always end up feeling like I’ve received one big hug. And this book is no exception.

This book brings us on Emma and Charlie’s journey, which left me feeling so many emotions. There were some high highs and some low lows, and that made this book and relationship feel so relatable.

Both of these characters were great individually, but by the end of the book, I couldn’t see them being anything but one unit together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly, I am so mad at myself for sitting on this book for so long. It’s been sitting on my kindle app for well over 4 months. Katherine Center has a style of writing that immediately pulls you in. Once I started this book, I couldn't stop reading. It's simply unputdownable. It's literally the rom com to all rom coms.

Emma Yates is given the opportunity to help rewrite her screenwriter idol's, Charlie Yates romantic comedy screenplay.

But Charlie Yates doesn't write with anyone. He doesn't even really care about the screenplay, let alone believe in love.

Emma is determined to make him see that rom coms are great and that love actually does is exist. All the things Emma wants to dispell as non-romantic actually becomes romantic. The more time they spend together the closer they become.

Gah! Let me tell you, I laughed, I cried, I got indignant, I felt all the emotions. ALL. These two characters grow, and learn, and love. This book is absolutely amazing. And the little peek at Hannah and Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard made me giddy.

Thank to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love this author and think this was the best one yet. Emma our main character is both quirky and serious at the same time. I know that’s hard to wrap your head around, but the thoughts that go through her head make me laugh and at the same time, she’s been the full time caregiver to her medically challenged father for the last ten years. I worried that I would not connect with our main man, Charlie, who is a celebrity, but even he was relatable for such an accomplished writer. The dialogue was great and it kept my attention. I couldn’t stop reading it. Great job Katherine Center!! Can’t wait for the next one, but you’ve raised the bar with this one.

Thank you to both St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for early review copies via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I mostly listened to the audio because I really enjoy the narration of Patti Murin 😍
Emma, a romcom screenwriter, has been working as her father’s caretaker and putting her own life on hold. When a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity comes up, Emma is able to take advantage of it as her recently graduated sister takes over in caring for their father. Along the way, Emma grows both professionally and personally. Working with a famous screenwriter, Emma helps him break out of his writer's block and teaches him a few things. Emma learns to forgive herself and is able to finally break out of the shell of herself within which she's been existing. I enjoyed witnessing her growth. And I laughed aloud at the cameo made by a previous Katherine Center main character 🤣
This one is now available for everyone to experience, and I highly recommend it! I got teary while listening to the end of this one, so perhaps prepare yourself with some tissues.

“A great rom-com… is just like sex. If you’re surprised by the ending, somebody wasn’t doing their job. We all know where it’s headed. The fun is now we get there.”

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up. When I saw Katherine Center was writing a rom-com where the MCs were writing a rom-com, I knew I had to read it! This was such a wonderful slow burn romance. It does take a while to get the romance going, but it felt like a natural development of their feelings. I loved their witty banter, the laugh out loud moments, and the tension. I loved that in addition to the romance, this book focusing on a variety of topics like family relationships, personal growth, and healing. I also really loved Emma’s character. I highly recommend this one, and I look forward to reading more of her backlist.

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Grumpy sunshine
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Workplace romance
✔️Slow burn
✔️Witty banter

Thank you @stmartinspress and NetGalley for my eARC!

This was not only a feel good story but one where both the characters have such depth and grow so much. This was my first Katherine Center book but definitely not my last. I read this while I was on the air plane and I literally had to hold my breathe to not bust out laughing. Charlie isn’t your typical grumpy mmc. He had so much more depth to himself and I really enjoyed learning about him. I mean a man who loves Guinea pigs is a perfect man in my book. Emma was so lovable, she spent her life being selfless and taking care of her dad after a freak accident happened to him. She deserved love and we are just rooting for her the entire time. A story isn’t a good story u less the side characters are just as lovable and they sure were. This had its cheesy moments but it was the gouda kind 😉

Would recommend for fans of…
🎥 Cutesy romances
🎥 Hallmark movies
🎥 Grumpy X Sunshine

I historically haven’t been a massive fan of Katherine Center’s romances as they’re just a bit too cheesy for me. But I LOVE a Hollywood romance so I figured I’d give The Rom-Commers a chance.

Long story short fans of Katherine Center will eat this up. It’s funny and romantic and just a little bit goofy, but I found it to be a great palette cleanser between some of the darker thrillers and heavier romances I typically read.

You do have to suspend your disbelief with this one (especially when it comes to a lot of the Hollywood details) but I had such a fun time reading it that I was willing to overlook that. And the guinea pig…I was a big fan of the guinea pig!

The Rom-Commers is out today so make sure to pick this one up if you’re looking for a fun and frothy summer read. Thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 - This book genuinely was such the perfect summer romance...but it also kind of tore me apart. Katherine Center has the most beautiful, emotional writing and I cried through half of this book. BUT also fell so deeply in love with CHARLIE!! and Emma.

Emma gets a proposal from her best friend: Charlie Yates, the world famous screenwriter, needs help rewriting his first screenplay for a rom-com, that currently sucks. Emma is known for her love of writing and reading rom-coms, but has to be persuaded, as she hasn't left her dad's side since he became partly paralyzed and diagnosed with several severe diseases many years ago after a terrible accident. After Emma is persuaded to fly across the country to go work for Charlie, she discovers that Charlie never knew that Emma was coming, and instantly hates her. The enemies to lovers was STRONG. Charlie doesn't want anything to do with Emma and Emma doesn't want anything to do with a man who refuses her help, and treats her so poorly. The two are forced to spend time together writing in Charlie's mansion after Charlie agrees to let Emma work with him. But they can barely get along to have a decent conversation...

I loved the enemies to lovers in this book. Charlie very clearly had feelings for Emma early in the book, but refused to show any positive emotions towards her, despite doing everything indirectly to try and make her happy. Both Charlie and Emma struggled with such deep rooted trauma and a lack of believing in love. Charlie struggled with his ex wife leaving him after a terrible ordeal he had to go through and Emma had been struggling for years with the regret and trauma after the accident that tore apart her family. Most of all, I loved Emma's character and the way that Katherine Center wrote her. There were SO MANY quotes that I underlined in this book where I felt SEEN. Emma struggled with letting others into her life. Most of all, I loved the way that Emma connected so much with fictional books and romance in fiction, and how much love stories had given her hope and taught her about love. It was something I could relate so much to and that I think I have never seen articulated in that way. I also loved the way that Katherine depicted grief in this book, how it was never the forefront of the story, but was woven delicately into every facet of the characters lives. The ever present thread of hope, love, and possibility in this book made me so happy and felt like a warm hug. This book felt like so much more than a romance book and I loved it!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!!

4.5 stars

Katherine Center has done it again! I loved this forced proximity, enemies to lovers romance. I loved the main characters, Charlie and Emma. Their banter was so fun and I didn’t want the book to end.

This book made me smile the whole time reading this!! It was witty, funny, heartwarming and just a delight to read! I loved the sacarstic witty banter between Charlie and Emma. Charlie is such a perfect mix between grumpy and golden retriever character. There was also some deeper subjects the characters face and learn to overcome. I love the growth of both characters throughout the story. I really loved the dialogue and conversations between Emma and Charlie- to opposites but two characters who learn to grown, become a better person and fall in love.

Katherine Center just keeps getting better and better. The Rom Commers is well written and the characters are very relatable. A beautiful romance that blends slice of life, women's fiction and romance. Lots of heart warming and thought provoking moments, just a beautiful, enjoyable and entertaining read.

They say never meet your heroes. So when Emma meets her screenwriter idol she is disappointed to hear him putting her down. Little did she know he wasn’t expecting her. Her ex-boyfriend tricked her I to flying to California to re-write his horrible script.

Charles doesn’t write romcom screenplays but he has to in order to make his mafia movie. He phoned it in and isn’t happy when his agent suggests a ghostwriter who’s never had a movie made.

When he reads her work though he is impressed and begrudgingly agrees to let her help.

Their banter was fun, and they both push each other’s buttons. Their support pet for their writing sessions were adorable. I struggle a bit with how he spoke about her at times.

I did love her heart and her strength in being the caregiver for her father who had a horrific accident. Her need to take care of him and not asking for help was admirable but at the cost of giving up her dreams, so it was nice to see her get that chance.

As always Katherine’s writing is so beautiful and just flows so well. It went by so quickly and I devoured it.

4.5 Stars
I always have a good time with Katherine Center’s novels and The Rom-Commers was no exception.

There was so much I loved about this book. Emma was a great FMC, and she was an easy character to root for. Despite all the difficulties she has faced in her life, she still manages to be a complete ray of sunshine. Charlie is the complete opposite and SUCH a jaded grump. I thought the premise was fun and while I’ve read a bunch of Hollywood romances at this point, I don’t think I’ve ever come across one involving two screenwriters. I loved the banter between the pair - so many funny one liners! And the totally unromantic “research” moments? Swoon!

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star was that Charlie was just so mean at times and even though we learn why that is, I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like how he talked down to her (and about her), and how Emma just took it and didn’t expect an apology. Everything just happened so quickly at the end it was hard for me to reconcile his actions.

Read if you like:
*Top-notch banter
*Forced proximity/workplace romance
*Grumpy/sunshine
*Kissing “practice” and romance lessons
*The cutest guinea pig

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

Have any of us ever read a bad Katherine Center book? Because I have never spoken to anyone who has and this is not an exception. Her books just keep getting better! Cute, witty, banter filled, and totally binge-able. Only thing that cost this half a star is the MMC, Charlie Yates, was slightly too far over the line between perfectly imperfect and “dump his ass” for my taste.
4.5/5

The Rom-Commers is an engaging and well-paced rom-com featuring colorful and memorable characters.

Emma is an aspiring screenwriter who has enjoyed some success while she also attends to her elderly father who needs full time care. One day, she has an opportunity to re-write a script for the famous screenwriter, Charlie Yates. She admires him and this is a break too good to pass up, so she enlists her sister to take over “dad duties” for six weeks while she works with Yates in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Charlie Yates doesn’t appreciate the assistance and doesn’t want to write with anyone. The truth is that he really doesn’t care about the script or believe in love. Emma faces the challenge of her career: working with Charlie Yates and convincing him that love stories matter. What happens when the lines of fiction and real life become blurred? What then?

Meta is fun! A romance/rom-com about a writing team writing a romance and stumbling toward their own romance in real life.

Entertaining tropes relied on in this story include strangers/enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and close proximity. Although we know how these tropes will play out, the execution is fun. I will note that Charlie, the grumpy character in this duo, is beyond charmingly grumpy and borders on offensive and belligerent. Emma sees that this writing project is the opportunity of a lifetime for her career and puts up with a lot from Charlie. Even though these dynamics provide an engaging read, it took me some time to warm up to the characters.

What Worked:
* Well-paced
* Witty dialogue
* Interesting dynamics
* Sweet father/daughter relationship
* Multi-layered
* The Bodyguard characters make a brief appearance
* Line dancing fun
* Dramatic HEA

I wished for more likable and healthier characters. These two need some individual counseling. However, I guess this provides the entertainment?! Charlie has experienced a great deal of hurt and has some challenges in the way he treats others. I’m not sure this can be resolved with a simple HEA.

****spoiler alert****
I really wish authors would not use cancer as a plot device, especially in a rom-com where I’m not expecting or braced for a possible tragedy. In addition, I was perplexed by the execution of this complication. I realize this is an imagined world, but in the real world I would hope that more testing would be done before giving someone a terminal diagnosis. I wish this whole section could have been handled differently or that the author could have thought of another scenario to complicate their lives and not relied on cancer. As I mentioned, this is a personal opinion, but it somewhat affected my reading experience.

Content Consideration: cancer diagnosis

Overall, I love Katherine Center and have enjoyed many of her stories. She’s an author that I follow and I’ll read her next book. I think fans of the author and entertaining rom-coms will appreciate this engaging story!

Thanks #NetGalley @StMartinsPress for a complimentary e ARC of #TheRomCommers upon my request. All opinions are my own.

I will start by saying that I liked this story, but I did not love it. Katherine Center is one of my favorite romance authors, but this one just does not live up to her past books for me. I do not like the main male character/love interest at all, and the storyline feels a bit cliche and tropey, which may well have been intentional. It just doesn't work well for me. However, the book read easily and I often found myself entertained.

In this story, Emma gets a once in a lifetime chance to cowrite a romantic comedy with her favorite, very famous screenwriter, Charlie Yates. Emma is a talented writer, but has delayed pursuing a career in screenwriting in order to be the primary caregiver to her disabled father. Charlie is an award winning writer, but he is encountering an interval of writer's block. Of course, this being a rom-com itself, romance and shenanigans ensue when these two begin working together.

What I like about the story is the relationship between Emma and her father. I wish the book had been about her and her family more than a romance with Charlie. Charlie is quite mean to Emma at times, and it is hard for me to get behind a romance with someone like that. I also found Emma's narrative voice to be a bit immature. I wanted her to behave less like a fangirl and more like the smart, responsible woman she is when she is with her family.

Overall, this is a just okay book for me. It's not a favorite, but I did not actively dislike it. I much prefer Center's earlier works.

The rom commers
I devoured this book! It made me feel all of the emotions and my husband even caught me crying a couple of times. I loved the banter and the chemistry and everything about Emma and Charlie. They had my smiling like crazy one second and then tearing up the next.

I love a good grumpy sunshine pairing and this one was PERFECT! All I really have to say is GO READ THIS BOOK! It is my new favorite Katherine Center read and if you like rom coms with depth then I think you’ll love it too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

You might see that this is a romantic comedy and think it will be the typical rom-com, but you'd be wrong. Yes, there are hilarious antics and crackling, witty banter, but Center has a way of taking us deep and masterfully manipulating heartstrings no matter the genre or subject matter.

Few works of fiction leave a lasting impression, but this one is full of pearls of wisdom and reminders to appreciate the little things amidst life's challenges. Thanks to this story, that reminder is imprinted on my soul. This one is chock full of so much profound, sagacious beauty that I’ll return to it again and again to glean new insight and be reminded to focus on what really matters.

Emma and Charlie will live in my heart forever. I could easily empathize with Emma and the challenges she faced in her family life, and Charlie, despite his best efforts, was charming and endearing. If you’ve never read this gifted wordsmith's work, you’re really missing out. Start with this one, and I have no doubt you'll be devouring her back catalog.

*Great big thank you to Erica Martirano at St. Martin's Press for bringing this one to my attention and providing an early copy!

The Rom-Commers was an adult romance that was so heartwarming. Love, family, friendship, sacrifice and perseverance laced through the pages making this story so easy to devour. If you like Center’s previous books, you should enjoy this one too!

Emma was someone who was so easy to adore. I got her struggle of branching out and taking a chance. Her whole life, for the last ten years, was to take care of her dad. And when the opportunity of a lifetime landed in her lap, her first instinct was to take care of her family. So, I adored that her family was rooting for her every step of the way. That they wanted her dreams to come true just as much as Emma did. I was so hopeful for what was to become of Emma!

I love the dynamics of Emma and her sister, Sylvie. And her relationship with her father. Their love for one another was so palpable! They would do anything for each other, and I loved their traditions and how they looked out for each other. They were brutally honest, that last fight cut my heart, but love conquered all, and they were able to mend all wounds. If you like close-knit families, Emma’s is one you can’t help but fall for!

Emma and Charlie’s meet cute was one for the books. Embarrassment and hurt wove around those moments. And I truly didn’t know where they could go from there! The chemistry between Emma and Charlie was always there between them. I loved that as the story unfolded that they each started to grow and see more of life than where they both were. That they helped each other expand their horizons and grow.

But my hiccup for the book was Charlie. As someone who likes men in books that could be considered a jerk or far, far worse lol, I struggled with Charlie. He made countless mistakes, and while he apologized, he would then seem to make the same mistake. Again. So, while Charlie had lots of redeeming moments, the biscuits were one of my favorites! He kept making mistakes and I struggled to continue to forgive him.

The Rom-Commers was a forced proximity romance that was filled with all the hope! Embarrassment, hurt, baggage, healing, forgiveness, friendship, accomplishment, and love could be found in this book. And I think many people will absolutely devour this story!