The Rom-Commers -This was an easy 5 star book and one of my favorites by Katherine Center.

The unique storyline of Emma getting hired to help Charlie write his rom-com screenplay was fun and created a fun and humorous storyline. Add in Charlies medical issues, that showed his sensitive & human side instead
of just being someone famous.
I just loved Emma & Charlie and even their long road to be together and their many tropes through the book. I laughed, cried, and wanted to smack both main characters during their stuborn times.

Highly recommend!
Thanks to the publisher & author for my arc.

This story is about Emma, an aspiring screenwriter, who gets the opportunity to collaborate with one of her favorite screenwriters, Charlie, on his first rom-com script…which is terrible. Charlie is grumpy and immediately refuses Emma’s help when she surprisingly shows up at his doorstep (a surprise to both of them.) eventually Charlie agrees to let Emma help him and the two live together while they work on the script. They both bring their own traumas to this new “relationship” which creates tension throughout the story.

I know I’m going to be in the minority here but I did not love this book. It was quick but tried to cover some deep topics like death of a parent, caregiving, and cancer but didn’t have enough time to actually develop much of them. Emma and Charlie both have their problems and nothing that happened between them seemed even remotely convincing that they actually might like each other are thus will predictably have “a happy ending.” Granted I read this quickly in order to get through this ARC before it comes out but nothing grabbed me or emotionally tied me to the story. It was like enemies to lovers but the enemies never actually connect in a meaningful way to turn into lovers? I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️

Many people disagree with me so read it for yourself and decide!

I am a huge fan of rom-coms. I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers. I’m a fan of books written by Katherine Center. This book was not what I expected. I could not find a reason to love this book. The blurb had me excited to read it, getting an early copy made me so happy. The main character is not likable. She’s supposed to be funny snarky yet she’s kinda mean. The recluse action writer who kinda insta likes her is even harder to believe. She doom scrolls the internet because she takes care of her dad but can’t figure out why her heart is beating so fast and then asks this stranger to put his hand on her heart, day one, to see if her heart is beating normally?!?
She comes across as a predator in some instances. If a man did that to a woman, it’d be considered harassment, that’s exactly what she did to him. And then have the nerve to try to make him feel bad about it?! the absolute nerve.
THEN she says all that nasty stuff to her sister, accuses her of being selfish, without knowing all the facts, then says if she loses her dad because of her negligence, she will never see her sister again. When the sister counters with her own response, she has the audacity to think her sister is being mean? She never did apologize for that. That apology was only one sided. The absolute audacity.
This book made me angry. What the heck. She didn’t deserve a happy ending. She feels like she was owed something because she took care of her dad. Why? I can’t.
That’s just some of the things I felt are me not like her. This was not for me.
Someone please tell me how else to feel about this book. Did I miss something?

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

Really liked this book. Loved the cameos from some characters in her previous stories. Definitely cried while reading this one. I enjoyed the characters.

Just wow. Katherine Center outdid herself with this one!
Emma Wheeler is a writer, who loves rom-coms, that put her life and career on hold after her dad had an accident and needed round the clock care. Ten years in, it's supposed to be her little sister's turn to step up, but until Emma gets the opportunity of a lifetime, re-writing a screenplay with THE Charlie Yates, she doesn't even consider making her sister follow through. After making the decision to go for it and flying to LA, Emma finds out, while standing on Charlie's doorstep, that one, he didn't know she was coming, and two, he has not agreed to hire her.

Charlie Yates is the "it" guy when it comes to screenplays in Hollywood. He's won all of the awards, has had all of the opportunities, and he knows everyone. He is mean, doesn't mince his words, and is unapologetically himself. Emma has read everything he's ever written, and is one of his biggest fans. But after the debacle with him not having actually hired her, and then her overhearing him in the bathroom making fun of everything she's dedicated her life's work to, she sets out to change his mind. She is going to make him believe in love, and teach him the art of writing romance.

Emma and Charlie quickly learn that they both love writing, they work well together, and they actually get along away from the writing table, too. One part of Emma's plan is to make Charlie actually experience the things he writes about in the screenplay. She tries to help him overcome his fear of water and they learn to line dance, but then he draws the line at practicing kissing. It's not until that moment that she realizes how far deep she's gotten herself.

They both have past traumas they need to work through, and they both run before they can get hurt because of them. The question is whether they can actually get over those issues and find the "happily ever after" they both deserve.

This book is funny and heartwrenching at the same time. It gives you the butterflies, and breaks your heart little by little. It's taken over the top spot as my favorite Katherine Center book, and I highly recommend everyone reads it!

Love this book! Emma and Charlie’s story read just like a rom-com which it is! I hope there will be more from this author! Great book to take to the beach!

Katherine Center does the best job of writing a romance novel with deep, realistic themes while making it feel like a sweet, light-hearted experience! She has done it again in “The Rom-Commer’s.” Emma, a ghost screenwriter, is given the job to work with Charlie, a very famous screenwriter, on a Rom-Com script. The only thing is, he doesn’t believe in love. It was so fun getting to see these two write together and fall in love.

For those who love:
🩵 Workplace Romance
🩵 Roommates
🩵 Screenwriter + Screenwriter
🩵 Cinematic
🩵 Anxiety Rep
🩵 Caretaking Rep
🩵 Guinea Pigs

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When I first received this I was SO excited as I love Katherine’s writing style. This book follows Emma a writer as she navigates her life after her mothers death and her fathers tragic accident which left him needing around the clock care. For ten years she has put her life on hold to take care of her father when she gets an opportunity of a lifetime to move to LA for 6 weeks to help famous Hollywood screenwriters Charlie Yates fix his rom com script. Emma arrives with the goal of helping Charlie go from a cynic and pessimist to someone who knows what goes into a rom com and appreciates life a little more. This book sucked me in and was such a roll caster of emotions. Although sometimes i wanted to shake both Charlie AND Emma and knock some sense into them both. This was beautiful, witty, hilarious and I loved every second of it.

You can always rely on Katherine Center to deliver low-angst, high-enjoyment romances. This is another story that balances heart (previous death of a parent, chronic illness) and humor (a screenwriter who writes a terrible screenplay) well.

The banter, cheese, and romance is going to appeal to romance readers, and while there were a few things that didn't sit quite right with me when it came to the conflicts, I still enjoy this author's fierce defense of love stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: some strong language, kisses

I’m dying… this book is just beyond words. Katherine Center could transcribe the dictionary and I’d still gobble up every word she wrote. Thankfully The Rom-Commers makes for infinitely better reading than the dictionary. What do you get when you put two screenwriters - one aspiring with no recognition to her name and the other the most accomplished of his time - together to rewrite his abysmal screenplay for a romantic comedy? Fireworks of multiple types. Emma Wheeler has been caring for her father and sister for the last 10 years since her mother’s death and father’s near-fatal accident, so when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes up to be the ghost(re)writer for Charlie Yates’ truly terrible (must find a better word for terrible) romantic comedy. Charlie is infamous in Hollywood for his blockbuster movies, but his script for the romantic comedy he was forced to write reflects his belief that love isn’t real. There is zero chemistry. No happily ever after. After their explosive first meeting, Charlie reluctantly agrees to let Emma fix this with him. As their truce turns into friendship, the pair can’t deny their chemistry. But there are things about Charlie that Emma doesn’t know and he pushes her away, just when she’s finally brave enough to try reclaiming the life she put on hold for so long. Filled with rich characters, yearning and humor and so much tenderness, The Rom-Commers made me laugh on one page and cry the next but every word of it was worth it.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! I devoured this book in a few hours, I was immediately invested in both the characters and the plot. This is a perfect beach read, with a good mix of lightheartedness and broaching some more difficult topics like divorce, family issues, and trauma. Emma is a main character who you immediately want the best for. Charlie is a bit of a grump who grows on you pretty quickly. Reading a rom-com about writing a rom-com is even more fun as you get to see all of the little aspects that help you fall in love with the story. Highly recommend this book for the summer!!

This is my first read by Katherine Center and I enjoyed my time reading it but I am giving it 3 stars. There were some heavier topics in this book as well as just the romance. I liked that were was some good banter in this book but the main characters were not my favorite. Even though this book wasn’t my favorite read, I am going to try another Center book in the near future!

This book is available to read next week (June 11, 2024)!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

(Copied this review straight from my Goodreads)

Five LOL and feel good stars to Katherine Center’s latest novel. I don’t know how Center does it! Her latest book becomes my newest favorite of hers. I just ordered two older books. Now for her latest: The Rom-Commers. The Rom-Commers positions itself with the full blown definition of a romcom where two characters, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately realize their love for one another and reunite.
Emma’s character is well developed and seasoned. (She gets from her dad who is self motivated in finding the positive each day). I praise Emmas strength, loyalty, and commitment to her father, whom needs full time care, and devotion to her younger sister. Emma puts her needs and wants on the back burner. Until a can’t turn down opportunity is offered. (…because she did turn down the other life time opportunity).
She flies to LA for six weeks to ghost write a rom-com with a man who has won academes for his writing but doesn’t know the first thing about romance or romance and comedy. She’s there to help him rewrite his lover story.
I enjoyed Center narration and telling her reader to brace themselves with what she’s about to say. A perfect beach read as you will find yourself smiling and laughing at the bantering between two mix matched screenwriters trying to fix a “terrible” script. I devoured this book in 2 days. Thank you very much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for ARC read in exchange for my review.

While Katherine Center is one of my "automatic buy" authors, I couldn't help feeling disappointed with this story. Emma was such a wonderful, caring FMC & I loved reading about her family & their relationship. I could have read a whole story about her own re-self-discovery after suffering a childhood loss & caring for her father for ten years; I do not feel that Charlie Yates brought anything to the story. While I can get behind grumpy, pompous, arrogant MMC's, Charlie was just outright mean & I don't think these two belonged together. If this hadn't been a romance, it would have been a 5 star. I will continue to read all of Katherine Center's stories, this one just wasn't for me.

I loved the bodyguard and hello stranger, and while I enjoyed this one a lot too I liked those other two more. I struggled a lot with liking those two characters at the beginning. By the end I did like them and their relationship, but it took away to get there with worthwhile moments along the way. I'll read whatever romance this author writes

It's taken me a little bit to decide how I want to rate this book. I think it's falling at a 3.5 (rounded up to 4 for this review) for me which is right between I liked it and I *really* liked it.

I love Katherine's work. It's fun. It's fast paced. It's easy to read. The Rom-Commers is no different. I loved the concept and a lot of the story itself. There were just some things that weren't my favorite that knocked the book down a little bit for me. I'll put them at the bottom of this review, because they'll be spoilers and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

Overall, I enjoyed this one! Loved the surprise cameo from some of KC's other characters. Loved the way everything comes together. Loved the overall vibe. It's a solid book. Not my all time fav of hers, but definitely a good one!

The things I didn't love *spoilers*
-I feel like we just brush over some of the really rude things Charlie says (throughout the whole book) without much healing/closure from them. I get that the guy is scared, but that's not really an excuse.
-Emma said some awful things to her sister and for PAGES, goes on and on about how she can never forgive the one thing her sister said in response to being berated by her. Obviously, Emma forgives her and gets over it, but we never talk about all the things Emma said to trigger her sister into that response? That really bugged me.

This book was going to be a *really* liked it book for me but those two things made me pull back a little on it.

This story was so cute, hilarious, and captivating that I just couldn’t put it down. Emma and Charlie’s relationship is the kind of effortlessly funny, sweetly awkward tango that makes for the perfect romantic comedy. I absolutely loved their banter and how natural their chemistry was.

In true Katherine Center fashion, this book also deals with some very heavy emotions related to the characters' pasts. Center captured the internal struggles with grief, regret, and fear so well that I probably cried as much as I laughed over the course of this book. Truly powerful.

That said, I couldn’t help but crave more of those swoon-worthy, romantic moments where we could see their love fully bloom. And I wish Emma would’ve called Charlie out more on his less-than-stellar moments.

Still, the book is a gem. Katherine Center once again proves she’s a maestro of the rom-com genre. For anyone who needs a few more laughs and a lot more love in their life, “The Rom-Commers” is a must-read. It’s a heartfelt reminder of why we fall in love with love stories.

I have so many things to say about this book. First of all, it took me wayyyy longer than it should have to finish this (between late nights and nonstop work, it's been pretty hectic). Under normal circumstances, I probably would have devoured this book in a day (it was definitely that good).

The first book I've ever read by Katherine Center was Hello Stranger, and it was then that I knew I'd have to read more novels by her. Her writing is filled with so much heart and humor, so many emotions, that you just can't help but to smile and begin to believe in humanity again. Just for the record, I've always believed in love, but this novel sure did make me feel like I was learning to believe in it for the first time ever.

So, let's get to our main characters. Charlie is this adorable recluse of a writer who can't seem to get past his nerdy, shy, traumatized exterior. Emma, on the other hand, mitigates her trauma by being loud, overly enthusiastic, and a hopeless romantic. I have to say that based on these two very opposite characters, I end up leaning towards being more of an Emma (I'm completely loud and overly enthusiastic at times). Both of these characters had desires, goals, traumatic pasts (although I have to admit, Charlie's did seem a little lackluster), and something that completely shifted their character throughout the story.

With the plot, I have to say that the middle got a little tedious when all you get is the writing, the romantic angst, and lots of cooking and swimming. I will also have to say, though, that it was all worth it for a literal applause ending moment. This is what rom-coms are all about. When I tell you, I legitimately wanted to hop out of bed and give a standing ovation for that kiss when they finally end up together. It was just... amazing.

Onto the writing style. There were a few things that kind of bothered me throughout this novel. Emma often refers to moments as a, "when I look back at this moment now" kind of deal. It seriously took me out of the story every time she did that and bothered the heck out of me to no end. I would have enjoyed the story much more without that (and this is honestly where it probably lost half a star).

Spoilers ahead.

Alright, I, of course, have to talk about spoilers because there's a lot I want to say. There are some very specific things that irked me that I can't say in the regular review. There are also a few moments that made me smile so big my jaw hurt. So, this is my safe space to talk about it. There are plenty of spoilers, so you've been warned!!! Twice!

Below are a few bullet points of things that seriously irked me:

-Literally so happy that the "kiss for research" part didn't happen and Emma realized the predatory nature of her actions. Of course, Charlie was just pushing her away to "save her" and blah blah blah, but I would've beet so turned off by this book if she would've forced him to kiss her.

-Okay, now onto Charlie. Why the hell would you come home after a mysterious phone call, hug Emma, and then proceed to yell at her???? Like dude, I get your traumatic past, but you're acting like a baby.

-WHY THE HELL DID EMMA NEVER APOLOGIZE TO SLYVIE????? Like excuse me ma'am, you're supposed to be the older sister. The example. The nice one. How is it that Slyvie apologized for that awful thing she said at the end, but EMMA DOESN'T EVER APOLOGIZE FOR THE BAJILLION RUDE THINGS SHE SAID TO SLYVIE????? I'm really mad about this if you can't tell.

-Last thing. I was literally reading the scene where Emma is at the awards ceremony and Charlie sees her and their big epic kiss is about to be televised. But then they proceed to have a whole conversation for like ten minutes.... I honestly was just thinking about the audience the whole time and how they were probably wondering what the heck was going on before they finally kissed 😂. This was also one of my favorite scenes, to be fair, and it's the one that I literally wanted to give a standing ovation for. I just couldn't stop thinking about how long it took them to kiss hahaha.

Overall, this was an adorable book that I really, truly enjoyed. Emma and Charlie were so cute and awkward together and the whole story was genuinely beautiful. There were a few things that bothered me, but all in all this is a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars for me (rounded up to 5 for all the platforms that won't let you do half stars....). A quick thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!!

The one rule of a writing a romcom, Emma tells Charlie, is that the two MCs have to end up together and have an HEA. And that's exactly what Charlie, who is decorated in awards for screen writing, did not write in his first draft of a romcom script. And that's where Emma comes in, an aspiring writer, who picked up her life from being the sole caretaker of her father, moves to LA, to help him.

Charlie has demons of his own that he is battling and the last thing he wants is a nobody writer to help him. He doesn't know what love is supposed to feel like. He not only can't write about it, but his personality towards it transfers on the page to his character to the reader, bringing a lack of swoony chemistry between the two. The forced proximity of these two brings lots of banter, but throughout the book I was telling myself I honestly could care less if they didn't end up together. I felt bad for Emma who was chasing this dream and left her sick father behind to help a man who didn't really deserve her help.

The overall story was decent to read, and as a small pet momma, I loved seeing a pet guinea pig and the delicate care that small pets need to survive. I think those were my favorite scenes. Will Emma and Charlie have an HEA? I guess you'll have to read to find out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center 🧡
Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
336 pages
🗓️ June 11th

🎬 romcom
🧡 workplace romance
🎬 close proximity
🧡 love denier
🎬 grumpy x sunshine
🧡 opposites attract

📌And maybe, in a way, I started wanting my fantasies about the future to stay fantasies. Right? Because if fantasies come true, they can’t be fantasies anymore.”

📌“I don’t have anxiety. I just worry all the time.” “I’m just gonna let those words echo around the room.”

📌“Don’t break his heart, okay? He’s much sweeter than he seems.”

📌“Here’s another thing I accidentally figured out: happiness is always better with a little bit of sadness.”

I could keep going. I highlighted so many quotes and scenes from this book that it’s easier to find the ones I didn’t. And you want to know why? Because this was the most perfect romcom you’ll read all year.

I laughed so much. I smiled even more. And I cried both from the laughter and from the inevitable pre-HEA heartbreak… this is a romcom after all. But most important than all of that, I think, is that I felt. I felt freely and constantly. I felt so hard and yet remained so light. The romcom effect as I like to call it.

I now NEED to go line dancing. I MUST. I WANT it so bad 😭

Thanks to this book I also realize that I LOVE LOVE LOVE that scene where someone close to the MMC tells the FMC “I’ve never seen him like this or look at someone like that.” My heart thanks you. Deeply😌

{Love is in the details. And I so noticed when he stopped messing up the mean lady’s title 🥹}