“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 how we get there. Seriously, have you ever had fantastic sex that culminated in an epic orgasm and then said to yourself “god, that was so cliche. It should’ve had a different ending.”

I absolutely loved The Bodyguard when it came out a couple years ago, though was less impressed with Hello Stranger. I was hopeful this one would be a winner though. I love the premise (see blurb, because I’m not gonna re-blurb the book in my review 😉), and I had moderately high hopes for this one.

I did like the characters. I liked the plot. I enjoyed the romance and the family relationships. The only real issue I had was that some of her familial stuff felt very surface level. I don’t think they had enough of a conversation about some of the things that were said and done. The same can be said for Charlie and Emma - some things were resolved a bit too abruptly and didn’t seem to go as deep as they could’ve.

I did not love the “breaking of the fourth wall” that happened fairly often, where she’s talking to us directly. It’s just not my cup of tea. That’s more of a personal preference though and it didn’t overly detract from my ability to enjoy this.

That said, it was still a good read and I’d recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4⭐️

This was the definition of a binge read. I picked it up and NEVER wanted to put it down and I never wanted it to end. This was my second book by Katherine Center and I can't wait to read more. Normally if a book makes me even a little sad and/or cry I don't love it....I was both sad AND cried and I loved the HECK out of this story. The grumpy sunshine we get from Charlie and Emma is perfection. I will be highly recommending this story to literally anyone that will listen to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Out today 6/11
“If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you’re at the mercy of darkness”💕

#julesbookshelf #theromcommers #katherinecenter #arc #netgalley #bookstagram #goodreads #outtod

This book was absolutely fantastic. Emma was a delight who had so many setbacks in her life. I loved her spunk (not sure there is a better word for it). The book really did have shades of all of my favorite rom-com movies. Her banter with Charlie was such fun even when in the middle of something serious. The book was well written, I could visualize the scenes so clearly in my head. I've read a few books by this author, but this one cemented her on my must-read list. I really didn't want to put it down. I loved the ending so much too! I received an advance copy from NetGalley and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

The Rom-Comers by Katherine Center
My rating:
4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Emma’s agent says he has an opportunity for her to work and stay with her favorite writer Charlie Yates, she is thrilled! She was thrilled until she found out that Charlie had no idea she was coming to rewrite his screen play.

This was my second Katherine Center book and I absolutely love her writing! The banter between her characters is always top notch & I was really invested in the characters! This was closed door slow burn romance but it was still so good even without any spice! There was a hint of miscommunication in this one which is why it was rated a 4 from me!

Thank you St Martin’s press & netgalley for the ARC! This just came out today so go get yourself a copy!

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