You need to read this book! It’s a wonderful story of family and finding oneself. The dialogue is snappy, the romance is fun. I’d love to spend a day just hanging out with Charlie and Emma. Yet another fantastic book by Katherine Center! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I finished this book in one sitting as soon — and did so as I could get my hands on it. The loss of sleep was most definitely worth it. Katherine Center has this style of writing romances that not only makes me fall in love with the characters and the story but also feel like I’ve learned something pertinent about life or grief or myself — or people in general.

The book features the very practical and smart Emma who has put her whole life on hold to take care of her sick father for 10 years (and her younger sister for some of that time, too) and hasn’t been able to actively pursue what she loves: writing screenplays. And she's really good at it — but she just hasn’t been able to catch a break because of her circumstances. When she gets the chance of a lifetime to work with Charlie Yates (yes, THE Charlie Yates, a screenwriter whose writing she’s been obsessed with for years), her family pushes her to take the opportunity, and she ventures out to the unknown world of Los Angeles. Emma’s obsession with CHARLIE YATES!! borders on excessive (yes, we get it, he’s a big deal!!), and he comes off a bit prickly at first. But we soon learn Charlie is actually very earnest and kind and really listens to what Emma has to say and wants to learn from her.

In pursuit of bettering a romantic comedy screenplay they’re working on together (a modern retelling of the classic "It Happened One Night"), they go through a rom-com crash course by doing things such as line dancing together and watching compilations of the best movie kisses. And of course, the latter part of the book involves them needing to kiss “for research.” They also manage to fall on top of each other accidentally multiple times — and it's actually as romantic as rom-coms make it seem.

Charlie is originally hard on Emma and just doesn’t understand why, with her talent, she hasn’t pursued screenwriting. But they come to understand each other as Emma explains about taking care of her father and as Charlie opens up about his health and relationship with his ex-wife. You see them start to fall for each other — sometimes coming in the form of Emma realizing her heart beats a lot faster around him, and his heart does, too.

I had a few nits with the plot in this one — such as with eavesdropping being used as a plot point three times, the third-act break-up, and the horrible contract Emma agreed to for writing the rom-com screenplay (my lawyer sister says it’s legally very ambiguous). But I still think this book is a five-star read and is one I’d recommend to just about anyone, especially for fans of other of Center's books. This one probably ranks third among my favorites of her's (I will never get over “Things You Save in a Fire” or the characters from “The Bodyguard,” who make a brief appearance in this book).

The title of the book comes from a line from Emma says to Charlie in frustration: “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.” And there's the perfect title to the book.

At its core, the book at its core looked at how people respond to loss, the way they grieve, how we have to sometimes try to make the best out of really, really bad situations, and the importance of focusing on the little things every day and really appreciate them. In true Katherine Center fashion, this is a romance with a larger life lesson about trying to write the best version of your life possible — rom-com or not.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this book.

A rom-com novel about two writers adapting an old rom-com for a new audience. It sounded right up my alley, but it fell short.

Emma Wheeler has always dreamed of being a big screenwriter in Hollywood, but a family tragedy kept her from fully fulfilling her dream. When an ex, who happens to be her manager, offers her the chance to ghostwrite a screenplay for a rom-com with her dream writer, Emma takes the chance and travels to Hollywood. What her manager didn't say is that Charlie Yates has no idea Emma is coming to help him and Charlie prefers to work alone. After an unwelcome meeting, Charlie and Emma find common ground to work together.

The novel is full of so many rom-com tropes that it became to much for me. The plethora of tropes is what made it hard for me to read by the end. Emma's naivete also got on my nerves by the end of the book. I guess I'm a little more like Charlie than Emma. I really enjoyed Emma's family and would like to see more from them in the future. If you've read The Bodyguard, you'll notice a little cameo in the story. This isn't my favorite novel by Katherine Center, but I still look forward to reading what she'll come out with in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Katherine Center is always an automatic read for me! She knows how to tell a story … Then comes a Rom-Com within a Rom-Com while they live out a Rom-Com!

This was a fun witty read. I read this book while at the gym, yes on the treadmill, and for that you have to find the right book! This kept me so engaged I forgot I was at the gym! Also, I had my own theory of how the book ended & I was surprisingly wrong. Add this to your beach bag today!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance eARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Swipe for full synopsis 👉🏼
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ARC Review

Emma, a want to be screen writer is paired up with Charlie, a very successful screen writer to rewrite Charlie's not to romantic (or comedic) rom-com. This grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, work place romance blossoms as the two writers work through their differences to rewrite a script.

Brief take away;
- grumpy/sunshine
- work place romance
- forced proximity
- egotistical MMC
- anxiety and disability rep

Trigger warnings for;
- illness/cancer
- grief/loss of parent

Emma took a step back from her dream of being a screen writer to take care of her sick dad. When the opportunity to work with her favorite screen writer, Charlie, to help him with his rom-com, it's an opportunity she can't pass up and her family won't let her. Charlie doesn't believe in love and just wants to get this out of the way quickly so he can get the green light on another project.

I absolutely adore Katherine Center's writing. Her books always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside and this one was no different. The connection between Emma and Charlie was slow to spark but once it did, they had great chemistry. This was the kind of book that gave me butterflies. The characters pasts are a big driving factor in their relationship and the story progression.

Big spoilers ahead!!

One thing that didn't sit well with me, was the last minute "solution" to Charlie's cancer. It felt very deus ex machina to me. It felt insensitive to real life people who are dealing with cancer. I'm sure they wished an incorrect scan would happen to them, but I'm not sure how likely that is to happen in real life. I wish she would have found a different and better way to deal with this. Even as simple as Charlie freaking out thinking he had cancer again, to be told it's okay you have bronchitis.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the book and characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katherine Center and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Rom-commers has a premise which is Hollywood and over the top in aspects, but it was a lot of fun. Emma is such a pure, passionate character. She is stellar at everything from her writing, to her teaching, to her care for her father and sister. Emma has also been excellent at protecting herself from bad relationships by not having any.

Her whole life is upended by the opportunity to write a screenplay with her personal favorite Charlie Yates. Emma is surprisingly blunt about things, well it is a business relationship. Charlie is more closed off, actual a bit of a gaslighter. He's not talented at rom-coms either.

Their routine of writing and trying out different aspects of his screenplay over six weeks are hilarious and heart-breaking as they get to know each other. It's hard for each of them, but they grow to be more supportive and protective of each other.

Emma misses her dad and worries that her sister will properly take care of him. Charlie is worried about his guinea pig and his five year cancer remission. It feels light and funny but there are serious issues and feelings supporting their connection in the background.

I enjoyed this and had some real feelings. I cared about the characters and worried for them and laughed at their antics and cheered for their triumphs.

Addictive, charming, and fun!

The Rom-Commers is an amusing, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers romance that takes you into the lives of both Emma Wheeler, a young aspiring screenwriter who has selflessly put her dreams on hold in order to provide round-the-clock care for her debilitated father until the opportunity of a lifetime leaves her once again contemplating more, and the broody, handsome Charlie Yates who has the career of his dreams writing action films for Hollywood until he’s required to write a dreaded rom-com and must reluctantly accept the help from a woman who may finally challenge his long-standing views on relationships and love.

The writing is light and tender. The characters are supportive, kind, and genuine. And the plot is an entertaining, alluring mix of life, love, family, friendship, guilt, grief, trauma, trust, responsibilities, happiness, self-reflection, tricky moments, undeniable attraction, and romance.

Overall, The Rom-Commers is another enchanting, optimistic, brilliant tale by Center that is the perfect blend of heart, hope, humour, and heat and is undoubtedly one of the must-read novels for summer 2024.

For ten years Emma has put her career and life on hold to care for her dad and sister. Now her sister is coming home, a college graduate and out of the blue Emma gets the call of a lifetime. Her high school boyfriend is asking for her help. She has six weeks to turn the dumpster fire that is, the biggest love cynic, but hottest hollywood screenwriters, first rom - com screenplay into something other than something for the rubbish bin. But when life starts imitating their art, Emma will have to decide to either let go of the career she has always wanted, or the family she has always cared for.

I absolutely gobbled up The Bodyguard. It was one of the highlights of my 2022 reading. Hello Stranger on the other hand, fell a little short for me. When Katherine Center's latest, The Rom - Commers, came available on Netgalley, I had to have it. It was time to know, was The Bodyguard or Hello Stranger the norm. Spoiler Alert : I think Katherine Center is my new favorite Rom - Commer.

You, like Emma, might think you know how the story is going to play out. Because all romance novels have the same structure to them, right? Wrong! Does Katherine Center re-write the romance novel? No. What she does do is give it more heart and emotional pull in a way that isn't cheesy, over the top, or unbelievable. Her characters come across the page and come to life. They could be anyone you meet walking down the street and that's why I think her novels are such a hit. They could easily be the life of someone you know.

"There's something about a kiss that brings opposites together. The wanting and the getting. The longing and the having. All those cacophonous emotions that usually collide against each other teaming up at last into a rare and exquisite harmony." - Emma

One of my favorite things about this book is the way that we get to see the best of humanity. Emma has been through the ringer in life and still has hope. She loves love and the wonder of falling in love, even if she hasn't experienced relationship love. Emma's love for her family is so strong that she self sabotages to ensure that their wants and needs are always in first place. Charlie is the worlds biggest love cynic, he doesn't really have any use for emotion at all and as the story evolves and we get a bigger picture of what makes Charlie, Charlie, we start to understand that he's just a little bit jaded and heartbroken but the feelings are all still there...he just buries them very very deep.

The Rom-Commers may be my favorite romance of the year so far. Honestly I will be going back to my shelves and reading every one of Ms. Center's books that have been waiting for me. Easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

**While doing some googling I learned that One of my favorite romances of 2020 was based on a Katherine Center novel. If you haven't checked out The Last Husband on Netflix...what are you waiting for?

"So it can't be where you're going that matters. It has to be how you get there. That's what I've decided. It's all about the details you notice. And the joys you savor. And the hope you refuse to give up on. It's all about writing the very best story of your life. Not just about how you live it—but how you choose to tell it"

Thank you @StMartinsPress and @Macmillan.audo for the gifted eARC/ALC of THE ROM-COMMERS!

Katherine Center has been one of my autobuy authors for years now. I adore her writing and her characters. Somehow she is able to write about painful life experiences and infuse them with joy and hope and love, aka a world I would like to live in.

Pick this one up if you like:
*Hilarious banter
*Inside jokes that repeat throughout the book
*Quirky MCs
*Books about movies and screenwriting
*Jack Stapleton ;)
*Life lessons
*Books about finding hope
*Ending that will make you cry

THE ROM-COMMERS is out today!

CW: Character with cancer, character with disabilities due to accident, death of a parent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6557891684
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8FIhITpIZd/

Thanks to an ARC from NetGalley I was able to read Katherine Center's newest book (releasing on June 11). I have enjoyed ALL of her previous releases and her newest book always jumps to the top of my favorites from her! With every page read, I was cheering for Emma, her family, and for Charlie. I laughed out loud several times and also teared up as several hard topics were touched on. Loved the emphasis on commitment and family and gratitude amidst the challenges of life.

Oh my goodness I loved this book so much! Emma and Charlie were both just such a delight to read. When the power wash video game was referenced I knew it was going to be 5 stars. I love that game so much. And then near the end as I was crying, I REALLY knew it was going to be five stars. I loved the brief cameos and mentions of the characters from The Bodyguard. The slow slow burn was so good. Man I wish this book was twice as long because I wanted it to just keep going.

This definitely lived up to its title. Sweet rom-com involving two writers who are brought together to save a terrible screenplay, and in the process, they save themselves from what’s holding them back from past emotions. Anthem from Katherine Center!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

4.5?

I really like Center's writing. The banter, the emotions, the inner thoughts of the main character- it was all very good. It has several hard, deep topics that I wasn't expecting from something that looks/is called/sounds like a romcom, but they only gave the book more depth. I would be prepared and read the content warnings to be sure you know what you're getting into if you think you'll struggle with some harder, sadder content, but I personally enjoyed them (I'm a big angst fan though).

I think I need to reread it because while it's a quick read, it's not something to skim through or read with only half of your attention. I read it while at work so there were periods when I had to set it down or lost focus, and I hit that last 10% and realized I should have waited until I could devote my entire attention to it. (Actually, I tried from the beginning but every time I put it down I had to pick it up again)

There were periods when I didn't quite care for the characters or their actions, and I guessed where the conflict would come from, but they grew on me by the end.

It's a fun read that, though it talks a lot about common romcoms, has its own creative spin and feels pretty unique.

thank you Netgalley for the arc

"Because the bad thing you're worried about is never the bad thing that happens."

"If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you're at the mercy of darkness."

Looking back on my highlights of this book, I just am so happy that I read this. Center can do no wrong & always brings out the emotion within her characters.

This book has
-forced proximity
-grumpy x sunshine
-workplace romance
-unique characters

I liked Charlie Yates. Probably in the minority on that one, but I just really felt for his character in certain parts of the book. Did I want to shake him? Yes, but it still brought emotions to me.

Emma- I do not love as much. She just seems very complain-y. Although, I would've been pissed at my sister too haha. I think she just really went for the jugular and it was not okay.

I enjoy the way that Center approached topics and does not sugarcoat things for her characters. I thought that these two finding love while writing a rom-com under some very different types of circumstances was great & I just really enjoy her writing.

Hard for me to review this one because I think it depends on your mood. It was a cute, fluffy, typical (non spicy) romance novel. The plot reminded me a lot of By the Book by Jasmine Guillory. Emma is quirky in the sense that she has crazy red hair and talks like a Gilmore Girl. She kind of got annoying after awhile. I don't think I like the trope where the guy is mean because he's trying to protect the woman from him. Charlie was a little too mean at times. But like I said, overall a cute, fluffy, romance novel, if that's what you're in the mood for :)

This book is by no means perfect, but I had such a good time with it! It was very fast paced. Not a single lull and I flew through it. The characters were also very loveable. Also, this is a clean romance with no steamy scenes, which is exactly how I prefer my romances. The mark of a good "rom-com" (see what I did there 😂)is the couple finally getting together at the end, not this boring nonsense of getting together halfway through the book and then it's all about the sex.
I will say, however, that sometimes the MC would break the fourth wall and that would instantly take me out of the story. I also feel it's a bit eye-roll worthy and cheesy when rom-coms rely on the whole "accidentally bumping into him a bunch of times" trope. It's annoying and overdone, in my opinion. Also, without any spoilers, she gets into a very nasty fight with her sister where they BOTH say very hurtful things, and yet, only the sister owns up to it and apologizes. She never does! That really bothered me.

⭐️⭐️💫 2.5 stars

Here I am on outlier island.

This is one of those books that got worse as I read. When I started this I LOVED it. Truly. I had such high hopes. It was adorkable and tropey and Emma was a delightfully goofy yet brilliant hot mess. And then we meet Charlie and he's a broody, angry, misanthropic award winning screenwriter who just wrote the worlds worst Rom Com script. Why? It's because he doesn't believe in love. Yes!!! She's gonna teach him what it means to love right? Color me giddy because I'm gonna love this.

Her best friend Logan, who is his manager, ghost hires her to work with him to improve his script and bam, now we have Grumpy Sunshine meets Forced Proximity with two writers and I'm ecstatic. Of course Charlies is unaware and that just adds to the angry tension but it's amazing! Their first meeting set the stage perfectly.

And what happens? This grumpy grump became worse as the book went on. He would frequently be rude and insult her. She would overhear him disrespecting her saying she's a terrible writer and she's annoying and to his credit she actually was those things (except the writer part, she was an amazing writer). She had no backbone and heard every terrible thing he said, would contemplate leaving, and then decided being a disrespected doormat is the best thing since sliced bread and stayed.

Now our fair Emma is used to being a doormat because she has been taking care of her dad for the past ten years due to his traumatic brain injury from a rock climbing accident that also killed her mother that she harbors terrible guilt over because it was her idea for the family vacation to be rock climbing and so she martyrs herself into being the family savior and omg you guys she's finally decided to do something for herself and begrudgingly allows her more than capable younger sister (who desperately wants to) help their dad but not without insulting and micromanaging her and drilling it into her head just how incapable she thinks she'll be at helping their dad. Breathe. Did I purposefully write the most obnoxious run on sentence there? Yes, I did it to illustrate the point of how insufferable Emma is about being the family "savior" who uses her guilt as a crutch to self sacrifice.

Newsflash little sis is a much better caregiver because she actually allows their Dad to live a little and doesn't hold him back.

Back to the book.

So cue the angry mysterious phone call that leaves Charlie throwing his phone and rage leaving Emma in a tizzy of whether or not she should still have the special dinner for him to celebrate his almost 5 year cancer free anniversary. He leaves and what does she do? Throws on a slinky dress and cooks beef wellington.

He doesn't come back for hours and she gets appropriately drunk and attempts to dive off his diving board that he's terrified of because pools scare him so why do you still have a pool oh yeah it's a plot device for him to overcome his water fear to save her. Got it.

So he saves her, she's drunk and professes her feelings for him, kisses him, pushes up on him, and all that and he says I can't do this because you can't consent. You're drunk Emma, you can't consent to this. What's her reaction? "Ugh, now he's throwing consent at me? How was I supposed to argue with that? Maybe I could use my feminine wiles." And then she gets mad at him when he says no! SHE. GETS. MAD. AT. HIM.

What. The. Fuck.

The third act breakup was absolute garbage. I would've thrown my kindle like he threw his phone if I didn't respect how much my kindle cost me. Of course there's withheld information that leads to hurt feelings and a breakup. That's Rom Com 101, I'm honestly OK with that but man did she turn into a see you next Tuesday and lash our at her poor baby sister. (and then never apologized to her either, baby sister wound up apologizing to her, fuck that.)

If he wasn't so insufferable the whole book and she didn't turn into a jerk I would've loved the grand gesture and apologies at the end, they were gooooooood. But it was unfortunately too little too late for me.

Bottom line? They both sucked so they honestly deserve each other.

There's also a weird dynamic with an ex-wife who just comes in his house whenever she wants because she still has a key and they share a guinea pig. Yeah.

But ex-wife is team Emma yet Charlie throws ex-wife in Emma's face and says maybe I'll get back with her. Yeah.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me but I do appreciate the opportunity to review it. Thanks for the arc St Martins Press & NetGalley.

I haven’t read any of this author’s books before but I absolutely loved this one! First of all, a story about writers will always draw me in, but a story about writers writing a rom-com is bound to be good. I love how this novel had more than just a romance plot; it discussed chronic illness, grief, failure, fame, love, sisterhood, and much more. I think the humor of this narrative was so great to balance the pessimism of Charlie’s character. It was a classic grumpy/sunshine trope, and it was done so well! I highly recommend anyone interested in writing and rom-coms read this!

Phenomenal, I am so taken back by this book. I normally hate the third act break up but gosh this book did it PERFECTLY. Charlie Yates has my heart.

Read if you love
🌻one pov
🌻forced proximity
🌻enemies to lovers
🌻 he falls hard and fast
🌻both writers

Just phenomenal everyone should read this one🥹

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was a joy to read. I am late to the party on this wonderful author and I regret the lost chances. It is a story about two screenwriters cobbling together a romantic comedy movie script. One, the famous screenwriter, is a cynic and no longer believes in love. His partner, who he didn’t want in the first place, has made a study of romantic comedies, and even has a database of movie kisses saved on her computer. To say they clashed, would be understating it. The experienced writer, Charlie, has written an epically horrible script. His agent, Logan Scott, was Emma’s high school boyfriend, who has made it big in Hollywood and has tossed her small jobs over the years. Emma has been the 24-hour-a-day caregiver for her father and so has limited, availability. She does some writing and she teaches college courses online. Now he is offering her the opportunity of a lifetime: go to Hollywood and co-write a script with her idol, Charlie Yates. She makes it happen, only to discover when she arrives that Logan had not passed the arrangement by Charlie first, and he refuses. Not nicely. No summary can do this story justice.

It is an epic romance, perfect for the big screen. As they work they discover that tripping and falling on one’s partner is not as romantic as it seems, line-dancing is more romantic than either of them could have guessed, and bad news is usually followed by good. Wonderful characters; Charlie is the epitome of the disheveled, cranky, semi-hermit, and Emma is a ray of sunshine. She has to learn that she is replaceable and things aren’t always as bad as they look. The script gets finished, but it was a difficult journey. The people the readers expect to fall in love, do. And everyone lives happily ever after. The reader had an epically good time reading this book. Thanks, Katherine Center. I apologize for not hopping on board sooner.

I was invited to read The Rom-Commers by St Martins Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #KatherineCenter #TheRomCommers