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!

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"All genres have a promise...the same is true for a romantic comedy. The two leads will wind up together. That's what the audience shows up for; the joy of it all...The fun is how we get there..."

...and WOW do we get there in the laugh out loud yet tender comfort read/listen of The Rom-Commers by the always sentimentally funny author Katherine Center.

Emma loves to write romcoms. She's even won writing contests but as the caregiver for her sweet Dad who needs constant care from an accident for which Emma feels guilty, she has no time to pursue her writing career. Then a chance to help an award winning screenwriter salvage his awfully bad RomCom script comes her way and her Dad and sister force her to take the opportunity.

Charlie is a cranky grump. He doesn't believe in love and can't remember the last time he laughed, so of course his try at romantic comedy is a dud. He can write violence and action but in order to get approval for his next movie the studio wants this script.

He doesn't want Emma's help but soon she's living in his mansion, writing with him everyday, and helping him hide from his ex-wife. Their hilarious mishaps, ridiculous arguments and obvious chemistry makes its way into their RomCom story but then Charlie gets a phone call and it changes everything.

When I found out that voice actress Patti Murin was performing the words of Katherine Center this easily became my most anticipated summer book and neither let me down. As always the funny capers were awesome but it was those tender heartfelt moments that made the tears fall.

Hey Prime Video and Netflix you have a ready made RomCom hit with The Rom-Commers! It fulfills all the promises of the genre for us fans.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

This was cute! Definitely not my favorite Katherine Center book, but I still enjoyed it. I loved Emma’s character.. I did struggle with her and Charlie’s relationship and how that all happened. But in the end, I was happy how it worked out!

I really loved The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger so I was really excited to receive this ARC! Katherine Center is always a beautiful writer and I love how she talks about the value of romance and reading about love. That being said, I didn't love the characters or story in this book.

Emma and Charlie had both been through a lot. I do think they both ended up in a better place as a result of meeting each other but throughout the story I really just wanted everyone to get therapy. Charlie was often not very nice to Emma. He often had good reasons for this but I still felt like the ratio of him being sweet to rude wasn't great.

Emma was pushy, dramatic and in a lot of ways never got to grow up as more than a caregiver. I thought her behavior was realistic given her history but at times I found her behavior manipulative and self-destructive and would have liked that addressed more.

I think if you like a book that is a bit of an emotional roller coaster you might enjoy this one. I tend to prefer lower angst. It is also important to me that the relationships I read about are healthy in contemporary romance (throw in werewolves and I'm much more flexible). If you like writing and story more than the likeability of the characters you may love this one. Lots of people seem to but it wasn't for me.

Dear all that is good in the world, with THE ROM-COMMERS, Katherine Center may well have written a brilliant tribute to rom coms, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, and writing in general. In telling the story of loving, never-lived-up-to-her-potential Emma accepts the questionable, many-strings-attached-opportunity to rewrite a horrific rom com screenplay by the incomparable genius screenwriter Charlie who despises rom coms and is only doing the project so he can do the Mafia movie he is desperate to do. Pitch perfect dialogue, deeply developed and believable characters, and masterful plotting made for an epic, wonderful read. I've read Center's work for years, love it all, but have to say this could well be her best, most intelligent, wry and loving work ever. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I really loved reading The Rom-Commers. Who wouldn’t like reading a rom-com about writing a rom-com! I was laughing out loud one minute and then, teary eyed minutes later.
Definitely a slow burn read! But, oh, how I loved the main characters, Emma and Charlie!
The Rom-Commers is the perfect book to pick up to get your summer reading started with a bang!
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I know a lot of people liked this one but it’s a no for me. I couldn’t get behind how Charlie treated Emma. He was really mean to her and it just made me dislike the connection. I’ll admit the author does a good job writing dialogue and inner monologues. The story does flow well and for that reason I will give it 3 stars because it is well written. I just wasn’t a fan of the love between them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I wasn't able to connect with the characters or the story at this time. I found the two main characters hard to cheer for and their dynamic to be frustrating. I found it difficult that Emma kept being perusing Charlie when his was unkind and rude to her. Also, consent in books is really important to me so when Emma wouldn't take no for an answer and kept pushing Charlie, it really bothered me. Overall, I just didn't mesh with the story or the characters. Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for an ARC.

Happy release day to The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, the QUEEN of the rom com!! She is forever a champion of love stories.
I’ve always admired how passionately she defends the merits of reading romance novels, as I have personally answered the question about what genre I like best with, “oh just romance.” But as Katherine says, they are no more ridiculous or unbelievable than any other type of fiction novel. Why is it more accepted to read about a zombie apocalypse or fairies and dragons than it is to read about an “unrealistic” happily ever after? It’s not. Katherine says that reading about people learning to be their best selves and finding love is exactly what this world needs, and I agree.
This book is the perfect representation of all of this. It is truly a love letter to love stories.
I was so excited and honored to receive an advanced readers copy of this book! I truly loved every minute of it. I loved the characters, their growth, their banter, and their love.
If you can’t tell, I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It has been a long time since I've read a book in one day, but I did exactly that with this one! Emma has obsessed over screenwriter Charlie Yates for years, and finally gets a chance to work with him. Charlie is the opposite of Emma in every way -- he doesn't believe in love, he hates romcoms -- but the way they worked together was done so well. I loved their banter, their working relationship, and the overall story arc in this one. I will say there were times Emma was exasperating, but that was also part of her charm. The secondary characters added a lot to this story, especially Emma's family (I loved them all!). This is a sweet, not at all spicy, romance. I switched between the audio and kindle version and I loved the audio version as well! Katherine Center remains one of my favorite romance authors and this one is definitely one of my favorites from her!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to review!

“I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on topics like divorce, parental death, disabilities, and cancer. Describes being a full-time caregiver for a family member.

“The Rom-Commers” follows Emma Wheeler, an aspiring screenwriter that had to put her dream on hold to take care of her father full-time, as she gets the opportunity to work with her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates, as they rewrite a rom-com (something Emma’s an expert on and Charlie has no idea how to execute).

And so this book literally brought me back to life. After a rough patch at the beginning of the year, I hadn’t been able to finish one (1) single book in its entirety—until Katherine Center came around. “The Rom-Commers” made me feel warm inside, with all the giggly feelings rom-coms are known for, but it also made me cry and feel for these characters deeply.

If you like rom-com movies and you like your romances closed door but with a ton of sexual tension, then this book is for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 11, 2024

I truly believe with my whole heart that if Katherine Center writes it, I’m going to love it.

I’m struggling to express with words how much I loved this book. I laughed out loud, smiled so much, wanted to smack Charlie up the side of the head, and also bawled like a little baby. The full range of emotions were felt and I loved every minute.

This one had so many of my fave tropes including:

Forced Proximity
Grumpy x Sunshine
Opposites Attract
Workplace Romance
Slow Burn

… and the wittiest of banter - because they’re screenwriters duhhh of course they will have the best quips.

Charlie and Emma were so quirky and loveable and watching her teach him what love and rom coms were all about warmed my heart.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for the amazing opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review!

If Katherine Center writes a book, I am reading it. She honestly is probably the number one author who is a must read for me. Her books radiate kindness, and happiness, and everything she publishes feels like a gift. She is also the sweetest person who makes it known she appreciates her fans - I can’t say enough nice things about her.

The Rom-Commers is the romance book of the year, it’s adorable.

Emma Wheeler has spent years focusing on caring for her disabled father but when a once in a lifetime opportunity arises, to work with a hero of hers, Charlie Yates, she jumps at the opportunity after a little push from her family.

What follows is a wonderful will they/ won’t they story, that is so pure and fun and often laugh out loud funny.

I love how Katherine Center creates characters that are flawed yet relatable, and how she allows them to grow and learn throughout her books. Emma & Charlie are not to be missed!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this one, and there were some parts that I did! But overall it just didn’t do it for me.

I loved Emma’s character, but it took me soooo long to like Charlie and feel like I could be interested in anything he was saying/doing.

There were some swoon worthy parts- but the constant pushing away of each other was just too much and made me not be able to connect enough with their love story.

A lot of great parts, and I still think it’s worth checking out! But just not a favorite for me.