I adored Katherine Center's "The Rom-Commers". Charlie and Emma's banter and grumpy-sunshine relationship was so freaking good. Their romance was slow yet somehow delicious - and this is from someone who doesn't always enjoy a slow-burn. Their story made me cry as well as giggle, and I highlighted numerous passages that I could not help but identify with. This story leaves you feeling hopeful and happy. 5 stars,

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

The Rom-Commers 4⭐️ 2.5🌶️

Contemporary Romance
Hollywood/celebrity romance
Workplace romance
Unwilling allies to lovers
Grumpy sunshine
Grief
Strong family
🏳️‍🌈Side Character
Injury disability rep

This was a very cute rom-com about a pair of screenplay writers writing a rom-com. It was cliche in the best ways, but also packed a punch when it came to a dressing trauma and serious topics.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were complicated and dynamic. I found my self wishing that there was a little bit more vulnerability from the MMC for the big gesture, but he was also a silent but strong type... so, I don’t know. I’m conflicted. I was absolutely charmed by the epilogue.

The plot was a fun spin on a Hollywood insider’s romance. I appreciated that the boom wasn’t over-run by pop culture and real celebrity references. The pacing was perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Overall a super cute beach read. My issue was it felt like the plot dragged and there was no real development for the male character. He truly was mean and gaslighting the main female character. He needed therapy that is for sure.

I was so excited to read this book, and I was getting along fine (about a 3.5 read) until roughly the 95% mark. Immediately, this book became a 2 at the most. And I am so mad.

This is going to be a spoiler, but I think it's definitely needed so readers know what they're getting in to.
WHY WOULD AN AUTHOR USE A FUCKING CANCER FAKE OUT AS A PLOT DEVICE.
Please excuse my language, but I am BIG mad. Two of my grandparents had lung cancer and died due to complications from it. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU USE TO EMOTIONALLY MANIPULATE AN AUDIENCE. It is insensitive and callous and plain lazy writing. Also, no self-respecting good doctor is going to give a patient a cancer diagnosis ON THE PHONE. As someone who has been through a cancer scare, the doctor will say there is something "concerning" on the scan/biopsy/etc and ask you to come in for more testing. When you get to the office and are face to face with the doctor, THAT'S WHEN THEY'LL TELL YOU. Not on a damn phone call. And they're definitely not going to tell you they fucked up and misdiagnosed you over the phone. Wtf even was that? Lazy writing at it's finest.

*deep five point five second breath* IYKYK.

I wish that was all that was wrong with this book. But sadly, it's not. I have a whole list of notes I took while reading. Which I'm usually not able to do, but I kept getting pulled out of the story.
Also, yes, there will be spoilers ahead.

“I fell in love all the time. Just… nobody fell in love with me back.”

This perfectly describes our main character Emma. Her feelings are finnicky, and her personality is all over the place. She has zero common sense, no backbone, overthinks every tiny thing, and is constantly eavesdropping on conversations she has no right to listen to.
Charlie is a terrible love interest. He constantly criticizes Emma, is always talking down about her, and doesn't seem like a good guy, even though everyone says otherwise. He never apologizes for the disgusting things he says about and to Emma. He hurts her over and over to "protect her from herself" and says he would do it again. What a great guy!
Also, they had absolutely no chemistry. It was like putting two dolls together and saying "now kiss".

This author has an issue with time management. A 15 minute walk is apparently equivalent to a 20 minute car ride. And a 10 minute waiting period was long enough to divulge entire life stories. (This is probably just nit picking, but it really stuck out to me.)

At one point, Emma fell on top of Charlie. Then she just laid on him, sprawled in the middle of the kitchen floor. She started waxing poetic about his eyelashes, and Charlie had to explicitly tell her to get off of him, because it was obvious she was never going to. Yikes!
The café scene with Donna Cole was so awkward. It made Emma seem clueless and kind of pathetic. Charlie had to rescue her and not for the first time.
When Emma is telling us what happened to her parents, we get 2-3 pages of “stick with me” and “we’ll get through it”. Okay… We don’t need pages upon pages of coddling and inspirational life quotes. This kind of writing really took me out of the story. It was like the author had a word count to hit and added in so much unnecessary fluff, which would also explain why her sentence structure throughout the story was horrendous.
When drunk Emma fell in the pool, Charlie took her to his own room so she could change out of her wet clothes. Why? She lives there; she has an entire room filled with her own clothes she could’ve just as easily changed in to. Why was it necessary for her to change into his clothes? Was it so she could point out how she was wearing his hoodie three or four days later? Because she mentioned it constantly, as if we needed to be reminded.

What is with everyone saying each other’s whole names? Donna Cole is not going to refer to her FRIEND as Charlie Yates. And Charlie is not going to refer to his VERY CLOSE FRIEND as Jack Stapleton. He’d just be Jack. And I swear, Emma said Charlie Yates more than she just said Charlie. She beat us over the head with his full name, and I wish it could be scrubbed from my brain.

There HAS TO BE more words in the English language you can use to convey speaking instead of "said". It appeared 1,111 times in this book. (I searched it on my kindle.) That is an absurd amount of times! And, just as a reference, I also searched the word "Charlie", and it appeared 1,244 times. Wow!

This whole book was written like a stream of consciousness. Why is Emma talking to the reader all the time? Just another point that takes me out of the story. Also, we're continuously being told things and not shown, which leads me back to the unnecessary fluff added.

Overall, the book was okay. But the faking cancer plot gave me the major ick, and I can't recommend a book like this.

My rating is for the first 80% of this book. The third act becomes a little too much to handle, and the “twist” is unfair. But more on that later.

Things I loved: the witty banter, the premise of screenwriters working together and falling in love, exploring past traumas and achieving personal growth, family loyalty, and callbacks to Jack from The Bodyguard.

I loved Charlie and Emma’s working relationship and watching it bloom to something more over time in all the little cute romcom ways; stolen glances, grocery shopping together, forced situations “for research”, all of it. I loved their subtle tells and their quiet support. Otherwise, to be honest I didn’t feel the chemistry between Charlie and Emma.

The writing was cute and I loved the breaking of the fourth wall. In true Katherine Center fashion, heavier themes are included and explored including history of cancer, death of a parent, illness and caregiving, divorce, and others. This makes her books and characters more relatable, which I certainly felt in this book as well. She covers these topics with grace and compassion, and sneaks in eloquent commentary. [Please review trigger warnings; I’ve mentioned a few above, but they are not all inclusive].

HOWEVER she added a “twist” that, to me, was unforgivable. I won’t put a spoiler here, but I feel it is wholly inappropriate to use this circumstance for “entertainment”. I understood it being a means to an HEA, but it could have been achieved differently. In truth, the end of this book went off the rails a bit with a lot happening all at once and was a bit messy, then throwing this in was the final straw. Hence, my overall rating is based on the majority of the book but not the end.

I do wish to thank St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As I've come to expect from Katherine Center, this book made me laugh out loud and shed a few tears. I love the way Center fleshes out even her secondary characters. The Rom-Commers feels a bit like an enemies-to-lovers story; though enemies is too strong a word to describe two people who are bringing a different set of values and expectations to a shared project. Center layers romance with family issues, guilt, old friends, and her usually snappy banter. In bringing together a hopeful believer in true love with a grumpy cynic, the entire novel allows Center to explore, and expound upon, the value of a happily ever after. Fans of Center's won't be disappointed and readers who discover her through this novel should go running to her other books.

The Rom-Commers is a solid well written rom-com with likeable characters. Emma has put her dream of being a screenwriter on the back burner to take care of her father. Charle is an accomplished screenwriter, except he has written the worst romance script there could be. Emma is brought in to help him and of course he isn't the most willing partner. A slow burn romance with fun witty characters, a great novel for those that like the love interest to bloom gradually and most happen behind closed doors. A great book to read while sitting by the pool or on the beach.

I read and reviewed a copy provided by the publisher and netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read a few books by Katherine Center, but this is definitely my favorite book of hers! It’s so good! I ended up staying up way too late just so that I could finish reading it.

The Rom-Commers is about forgiveness, growing, not giving up on your dreams, and making the most of the life you have. It was such a beautiful story.

I loved the characters in this story. While Charlie Yates started off a bit rude and arrogant, he quickly became such a sweetheart who’s thoughtful and maybe not as confident as you’d expect him to be with the fame and awards he had.

Emma was an absolute delight and so funny and charming without even trying to be. She was constantly putting others first, which was lovely, but I also liked the moments when she did things that she enjoyed. She learned to let others help even when it’s hard to give up that control.

The friendship that formed between Charlie and Emma was so wholesome. They got along so well and really complemented each other. Their conversations were entertaining, and I just loved how quickly they became comfortable with each other.

Emma’s family was really sweet, but I loved that they weren’t perfect. They didn’t always say or do the right things, but it was clear how much they loved each other. Emma’s dad was a total sweetheart, and I loved that he didn’t let grief and his health hold him back from life.

The premise of this book was also so interesting and unique. I haven’t read any other books about screenwriters, and I thought it was fun to learn more about that. It was also adorable to see Emma teach Charlie all about rom coms (especially the kissing!).

Also, I read this book as an audiobook, and it was fantastic! Patti Murin did an amazing job with her character and with her dialogue with Charlie. She fit Emma perfectly, and I definitely need to read more audiobooks that she narrates.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone! It was an easy five star read for me, and I can see myself re-reading this book many times in the future.

4.75 - Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be out June 11th.

This is my 3rd summer of reading a Katherine Center and this may be my favorite one of the three.
I just enjoyed the book from start to finish. The way that Katherine writes just always sucks me in. I really need to go back to read her backlist.

"I fell in love all the time. Just...nobody fell in love with me back. Fiction really kind of was all I had in the romance department."

I just loved the dynamic between Emma and Charlie. Emma was a talented writer who just needed the write opportunity to strike to hit. And the opportunity came from her former ex who manages a very famous screenwriter and he needs help reworking a romcom. But the catch, Charlie doesn't believe in love nor has never seen a romcom!

Even though I loved this book, I am so surprised how many reviews are saying how much they love Charlie. I felt like Charlie was unlikeable through majority of the book. We do find out why this was the case but it made it hard to like him. Day by day Emma just chewed away at Charlie's hard exterior. And while doing this he slowly began to warm up and a different side to Charlie began to shone through. He would do small gestures to show he was paying attention.

"I get it now."
"Get what?"
"Why we're rewriting this story."

A major storyline that is woven throughout the book is Emma's role as a caretaker to her dad. We learn what happened that caused his Ménière's disease and what her daily life is like taking care of him. She is entrusting her younger sister Sylvie (and her boyfriend) to take care of her dad while she is away in LA. I did feel bad because Emma had taken on the brunt of his care for the last 10 years and it was just something that she made her full responsibility. I really feel like she was so passionate about his care after feeling responsible for their mother's death. The climax came towards the end when things came to a head.

I really enjoyed this but I know a lot of peers have had mixed reactions to this so please take in consideration my thoughts but also others as well.

I love reading whatever Katherine Center writes. Unfortunately, this story about two writers didn't land for me. Charlie Yates is grumpy and Emma is a bit of a pushover with a martyr mentality. Logan, their mutual agent, tricks Emma into showing up to work with Charlie who doesn't want to be helped. The writing was in Center's usual style with quick banter and amusing conundrums. I think my issue is that I don't deeply relate to the quirks of writing and it was difficult to showcase those quirks with action rather than descriptions of messy tables and talismans. I wish we had learned even more about Charlie's family and that Emma had had one friend other than Logan and her sister.

Overall, it's a quick and fun read if you're interested in or relate to writers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

I’ve said it before, but Katherine Center just has that storytelling magic . You don’t have to worry when picking up a book of hers… it always delivers. This story solidifies that statement. What a treat it was to escape into the world of Emma and Charlie:)

Emma is a writer. She has been caring for her father since a life altering accident years ago, which also left her raising her little sister. When her agent (who happens to be her ex) calls, he shocks Emma by offering her the opportunity of a lifetime. To rewrite a screenplay for the Oscar winning writer, Charlie Yates. The romcom he wrote is awful and since it’s not in his regular genre he could use some help. Emma is encouraged to take the job, be the ghostwriter, and fix it. She is hesitant to go and leave her dad because the job requires her to be in L.A. Her sister Sylvie who just graduated is taking over care and so Emma heads to L.A.

This begins the journey that will change both Charlie and Emma’s life. It’s a slow slow burn and at its core it’s a story about family and sacrifice and forgiveness. It’s tough to read in parts because this book gets raw and real. It’s also funny and it’s a heartwarming love story too. The scene at the end has the most grand gestures of grand gestures and I adored it!!

Katherine Center never disappoints… I am obsessed! This book had me feeling all the emotions! I couldn’t put this down! The characters were so likable. Her writing style is just amazing. I don’t want to spoil anything but this is a MUST read! I love how the author always incorporates positivity. All the things can be going wrong but she has a way of focusing on the good out of the situation and I love that.

“I have 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 to help us find it.”

Emma Wheeler has always wanted to be a screenwriter, but when her life went off script unexpectedly, she was forced to accept a rewrite. Still, she’s never completely let go of the dream, or of her love of all things romance. In fact, when she isn’t writing her own, she’s obsessed with soaking up the works of others.

So when she’s contacted to ghostwrite for when one of her all time favorite screenwriters, Charlie Yates, she panics. As much as the proposition is “pinch me I must be dreaming” true, Emma feels like can’t leave behind her familial obligations. Luckily her father and sister feel differently and they force her to go to California for the six week project.

But when Emma reads Charlie’s introductory attempt at romance, it becomes clear why the genre has never been in his repertoire before- he’s awful. An even bigger problem? Charlie never agreed to getting another writer’s help, much less one with no street credit, or actual credits, period. Charlie changes his tune, however, after he reads some of her work. The pair ultimately agree to work together, even after Emma realizes the romantic cynic has no real intentions of making his love story better. And thus begins Emma’s descent not only into a romantic rehab of a script, but one of the jaded Charlie himself.

The Rom-Commers is the latest release from one of my favorite romance writers, Katherine Center. Attempting to write an original love letter to love is no easy feat, and yet Center manages to just that time after time with her silly yet swoon-worthy take on love. She also manages to do all of this without cheesy or graphic love scenes. I can only hope that this book will be turned into a real romcom one day as it’s a genre that desperately needs on screen resuscitation.

2.5/5

Thank you for the advanced copy! I was excited for the opportunity, since Katherine Center has written a couple of my go-to- recommendation novels. To be honest, though, this one fell very short of my expectations. I would have DNF’d it at 25% if it hadn’t been an ARC and if it hadn’t been a quick read.

I was just… bored? The plot has so much potential, but it all felt so short-lived and surface-level all the way to the ending. I would have loved more character development and maybe even a heavier emphasis on the tone/banter between MCs. At no point was I excited to see what happened… unless you count the guinea pig?

It could have been a fun spin to have more of a dual perspective - to have gone back and forth between reality and the script they worked on. Or really just to have provided more depth and material.

I’ll copy and paste this to my Goodreads account.

Having read and enjoyed two previous books by Katherine Center (The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger), I requested a review copy of both the ebook and audiobook versions of The Rom-Commers from NetGalley. The story centers around an author/aspiring screenwriter named Emma. Emma has long been a fan of a screenwriter named Charlie Yates. When she gets the chance to help him rewrite a failed script, she jumps at it. However, Emma feels a lot of worry and guilt for leaving her disabled father in the care of her sister while she jets off to LA to work with Charlie.

At first, Charlie is a jerk. He doesn't believe in love, much less rom-coms. Emma is determined to change his mind.

There were a few things that I enjoyed about this book. I have one of the same medical conditions as Emma's father and my husband is a survivor of the same disease that Charlie was recently cured of. I also loved Emma's relationship with her father and sister. The author's audiobook narration was enjoyable as well. The drawbacks for me were that Charlie remained kind of a jerk for most of the book and overall the book was pretty slow-moving for me.

This was a 3.5 star book for me, rounded up to 4. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for review copies of the ebook and audiobook versions of The Rom-Commers.

So needed this in my reading rotation after several serious reads. Love Katherine Cente’r’s writing and this may be my new favorite by her. Emma, a screenwriter has been caring for her dad every day for 10 years after a devastating accident that left him a widower with severe debilitating injuries. Their relationship brought tears to my eyes. Emma is given the opportunity to rewrite a rom com script written by her very favorite author, Charlie Yates, and the fun begins. The dynamics between Emma and her sister also rang true. Sisters sometimes have a love/hate relationship.
Their interactions were so convincingly realistic, given their back stories, and I so appreciated the hilarious scenes in the closet, on the diving board, and on the dance floor. Katherine Center had me laughing and crying, caring for both Emma and Charlie and feeling ❤️ throughout this read…something special that so many writers are unable to achieve. I grew to love them both. This is a perfect feel good book to immerse yourself in during these hot summer days on the beach, at the lake, in the pool, or in a comfy chair in an air conditioned house. Do not pass this heart warming read up…it will bewitch you!
Many many thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this fabulous read, to be published on June 11th.

(4.5 out of 5 - rounded down to 4)

Katherine Center's more recent works have hit every other time for me. Example: Loved The Bodyguard; Didn't really like Hello Stranger. And now here we are with The Rom-Commers and she's back on top! This was a quick read and I finished in I think 4 days while also reading other books.

I HATE this cover though - I am so sorry, but it is just ugly to me and doesn't seem to fit with the aesthetic of her other works.
 
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a cute story! I really loved Charlie! He was a grumpy guy, and a little bit clueless, but he was adorable.
I fully expected there to be a big tragedy at the end, because Katherine is know to bring out all the tears.
Color me surprised when everyone got their happy ending, though it was a little touch and go for a minute there.
Really great read, with fun tropes like grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, celebrity crush, mental health rep, disability rep, and all kinds of yumminess in between.

✨Book Review: The Rom-Commers✨
Author: Katherine Center
Rating: ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡ (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

I’m telling you now…this review is based mostly on vibes and feelings because I absolutely fell in love with The Rom-Commers and and still get giddy AND tear up every time I think about this book.

Last Summer I read Katherine Center’s book “The Stranger” and I liked it a lot. So when I saw the ARC of The Rom-Commers come up on NetGalley I knew I needed to request it. I figured it had to be just as good.
Wrong. It was better.

I read it in 2 days. I devoured it. I took it to work and read it during my planning period instead of putting in grades (shhh…don’t tell). I took actual phone screenshots of passages that I read aloud to my coworkers. I laughed out loud. I cried. I giggled. I sobbed. I am not exaggerating at all.

I absolutely loved the friendship that developed between Emma and Charlie. The amount of emotional support the characters were able to give each other throughout the story was phenomenal. These characters felt REAL. Their journeys to get to the heart of what they were looking for and needed in their lives was amazing.

Do you know what really made the book? The dialogue. The conversations that Charlie and Emma had felt so authentic. It was like watching two “in real life” friends talk to each other. I felt like I was simply an extra in every scene, looking on and watching two people fall into “like” and then fall into love.

Listen…I didn’t even realize there was no “spice” until I sat down and tried to give this book a spice rating, but couldn’t. This book didn’t need spice. There are that many feelings in this book. It is THAT GOOD.

I could go on about this book and how wonderful it was for a long time. But, quite simply, read this book. It’s amazing. Ten out of ten would recommend. No notes whatsoever.

A very grateful thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love that this author’s books are closed door romances. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a romance that is cute and not super spicy. I’ve read many of her books, but want to work my way through her backlist soon.

Emma trying to teach Charlie about rom coms was absolutely hilarious to me. I was getting the whole grumpy/sunshine vibe throughout. The forced proximity situation worked for me, but wow the miscommunication was very trusting at 80% in. I loved the snippets where Emma was actually talking to us.

I love how Katherine Center’s book always touch on tough and even tragic topics with grace and respect. She writes extremely relatable characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.