4.5 Stars

Katherine Center always writes grown up love stories and I am here for it. I absolutely loved Emma and Charlie. Charlie is a famous writer and Emma is aspiring to be one. When she gets a chance to help him with a Rom-com she is thrilled. Turns out Charlie is not a fan of Rom-coms and Emma is in for a challenge. This book gave me all the feels. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Emma Wheeler is a struggling screenwriter who has put her career—and life—on hold for the past ten years to care for her father after a tragic accident. When she gets a chance to work with her idol, Charlie Yates, she can't turn it down. Tasked with re-writing his awful script, Emma quickly realizes that the most significant reason Charlie's script is so bad is because he doesn't believe in love or happy endings. What ensues is a heartwarming journey of discovery for both Emma and Charlie as they navigate their pasts and learn to embrace love and hope once more.

"The Rom-Commers." is packed with all the elements I adore in a well-written rom-com: plenty of witty banter and main characters who are adorably flawed and deserve a happy ending. This book is lighthearted, fun, and hopeful and will make you believe in the power of love and the importance of chasing your dreams. Katherine Center knows how to tug at a reader’s heartstrings, and "The Rom-Commers" delivers on every level.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Why I Chose It: I’ll read anything by Katherine Center

I’ve seen tons of glowing reviews for this one on booksta, so I feel like the minority here, but I didn’t love this one. I didn’t see the chemistry between the two characters; I thought some of their interactions were problematic. I didn’t find the characters endearing (except for the dad). The FMC was immature, insecure, and too much of a fangirl. The MMC was negative, gross to other people, and egotistical. Both main characters felt emotionally stunted.

In terms of the plot, I loved the premise. However, I felt like a lot of this book told not showed. It didn’t feel like a journey as much as it felt like being told what happened. Like now they are writing. Now they are eating. Now they are writing again.

I did love that the FMC occasionally broke the fourth wall. I thought that was interesting and a nice touch. I also found the ending to be more Center’s style that I was expecting - emotional, loving, people coming together.

Fans of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and books about self-growth will enjoy this one.

Audio narration was great for this! Love KC’s books - there are some common elements across all of her books, but she writes them so well! This was no exception. I adored Emma and Charlie and Emma’s family as well. I’ve been reading a lot of books with actors and screenwriters recently, but this was a fun and different look into that life.

thank you so much netgalley and st. martin’s press for the arc!! i loved this book so much wow katherine center has done it again! i would read her grocery lists honestly. the rom-commers was the perfect kicking your feet, i cannot put this book down romance! charlie yates is on my list of god tier fictional men because he had me SWOON!!! him and emma’s chemistry was electric- i loved the way center built up their relationship. my favourite part is that the guy fell first, truly one of my favourite tropes and i am a sucker for it! but having two screen writers come together to work on a rom-com when one of them is a romance expert and the other doesn’t believe in love- you will be gifted with an amazing romance story! both of our main characters were wonderful- emma is this radiant, hardworking, family centred angel that you want to give the biggest hug to. charlie is a little jaded and grumpy but is the biggest teddy bear in the world. both of them together brought out the best in the other. i know this book will be a must reread and i will be buying a physical copy once it’s released because i loved it so much!

This was my introduction into the work of Katherine Center, and let me start by saying that I get it. I get why her books are immensely popular! I honestly had been hesitant to pick up her books because of the hype around them, but wow, I was missing out. This was great and now I can't wait to check out her back list!

I went into this one completely blind, and at first, I was a little thrown off by the fact that Charlies Yates was the MMC. Let me explain, haha. When he was first mentioned (and the way he's talked about by Emma and Logan), I pictured like a grumpy, 60-year-old Clint Eastwood. So when I realized he was the MMC, I was a little confused, but then it's mentioned that he's 35, and I had to draw a new picture of him in my head. But that was fine, once we got into the dynamic between Charlie and Emma, he grew on me (a bit, I'll talk more about that later).

Every time I saw the name Emma Wheeler, I thought of the Freeform show, Baby Daddy (which is hilarious btw), and wondered if the author is a fan. I loved Emma as a character! I truly felt for her and how she had given up so much of herself and her life to care for her dad. The whole dynamic between Emma, her dad, and her sister Sylvie was beautiful. They were truly making the best of a heartbreaking situation and did it with so much grace and gratitude. It was commendable.

Now let's talk about Charlie, This is where I'm really struggling with how I feel about the book overall. I love a good grumpy sunshine trope, but I also feel that there's a fine line between grumpy and just downright rude and hurtful. At times, Charlie was extremely hurtful and toxic. I can certainly empathize with the fact that he had some pretty scary and disappointing things happening in his life, but at the end of the day, that still doesn't excuse bad behavior. I'm just not sure that there was enough growth and remorse from his end. I would have liked to have seen genuine acknowledgement of and remorse regarding his words and actions.

This one took me through SO many emotions, and I did shed a few tears. But I also laughed SO much. All that combined makes for the perfect rom com and despite my reservations about Charlie, I truly enjoyed reading this one!

Read if you enjoy:
- grumpy sunshine
- forced proximity
- found family
- closed door (though there are jokes/innuendos/references)
- opposites attract

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc! All opinions are my own!

Gosh, I do love a grumpy x sunshine. I laughed, I cried, I told my husband he doesn’t love me enough. You know you can write a good story when I give it five stars and there is NO SPICE! Emma and Charlie were perfect opposites who I couldn’t help but root for. I loved watching them try to grow their partnership and write a great script. Emma was everything I love in a FMC - spunky, unique and hard working. I loved how much she loved love and how much of a caretaker she was. Just read this one - I don’t think you will be disappointed!

Katherine Center is always an auto read and auto buy author for me. Her stories while usually easy to read often hit on heavier subjects but in such a positive and light way. They are just so joyful, I always find myself smiling when I am finished. The Rom-Commers was no different.

This was a fun story. A writer trying to get her big break, Emma Wheeler, is shocked when she gets the chance to work with her writing idol rewriting a romantic comedy. Charlie Yates, a famous screen writer, never writes with anyone, but is desperate because his romantic comedy script is terrible. They butt heads, believe in different things, but they only have six weeks to complete the script.

Charlie and Emma were by no means my favorite characters of Centers. But this was a fun, quick story that is perfect for summer.

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

Katherine Center is always an auto read and auto buy author for me. Her stories while usually easy to read often hit on heavier subjects but in such a positive and light way. They are just so joyful, I always find myself smiling when I am finished. The Rom-Commers was no different.

This was a fun story. A writer trying to get her big break, Emma Wheeler, is shocked when she gets the chance to work with her writing idol rewriting a romantic comedy. Charlie Yates, a famous screen writer, never writes with anyone, but is desperate because his romantic comedy script is terrible. They butt heads, believe in different things, but they only have six weeks to complete the script.

Charlie and Emma were by no means my favorite characters of Centers. But this was a fun, quick story that is perfect for summer.

“You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it. And savor it. And not stomp it to death by reminding everyone of everything you’d lost.”

This book. Katherine Center has done it again! I think this is my new favorite of hers. I adored the two MC’s. The opposites attract/enemies to lovers -esque situation was soooo much fun. I loved the setting as well. This was such a fun, summer read, with a big splash of emotion that was just enough to make the story feel complete and to really make you fall in love with the characters. Also, this is the best book cover I’ve ever SEEN!!!!

I quite enjoyed this book! Emma is an aspiring screenwriter who is given the opportunity to rewrite a rom-com script with her screenwriting hero Charlie. After spending 10 years as caregiver for her father, 6 weeks away to work on the script is challenging for Emma, as is Charlie's attitude about rom-coms and love. He is not a fan. I thought Emma and Charlie had great chemistry and witty banter which I like in a romance. There is also personal growth in both characters. Fans of closed door romance should pick up this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

A solid three star read for me. I enjoyed Emma’s wit as well as her relationship with her father and sister. The plot was also fun. But I wasn’t impressed with Charlie…he seemed downright mean sometimes and that’s not appealing to me. Overall, I liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. The Rom-Commers follow Emma as she takes on the task of ghostwriting a manuscript with her idol, Charlie Yates. Emma has had a difficult life with many obstacles in her way, and this is her big chance. Who knows what may happen with whom. The Rom-Commers is not my first book by Katherine Center and it won’t be my last. Katherine Center has quickly become an auto buy author for me. Her books are feel good romances with heavier topics thrown in. Although The Rom-Commers is not my favorite of Center’s it is still very entertaining. I loved the appearance of a character from one of her previous books. I also loved the relationship between Emma and her father.

Katherine Center has done it again! She is a queen of rom com. I just love her character development and story lines. Her stories also have so much depth and also are laugh out loud funny. I adored this one, as per usual.

This is the third Katherine Center book I've read and I can say without a doubt that this is her best book yet! I feel like I'm better for having read The Rom Commers - is that even a possibility to be better after having read a romance book?? This is probably one of the best grumpy vs. sunshine books I've ever read. I can honestly say yes! I saw a lot of myself in Emma in the way she looked at herself. I found myself laughing out loud at the banter between her and Charlie. It isn't until the end that you really understand why Charlie was the way that he was with Emma but the ending is so worth it. Absolutely adored this book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

It’s a dnf for me at 36%

I thought the premise was cute, but the plot kept going in circles and the MCs were both annoying. The banter was fun at parts but it just didn’t outweigh the rest and I didn’t have it in me to continue on this journey.

I loved the idea of this book. Grumpy/sunshine always gets me. And I love how adamant he was in his ideals. The book is well written and the characters are good.

The problem is I think KC is just not the author for me. This is about my third book from her. Something about the pacing or maybe the writing just doesn't vibe with me.

I appreciate that I read it but I won't re read it.

“The whole trick to life…Be aggressively, loudly, unapologetically grateful.”

Wow, I’m not even sure how to start this review…this book…it was everything I could have ever expected it to be and so much more! I am a huge Katherine Center fan! I love her style of writing, particularly the way she has the MC talk to the reader as if they were a character in the story, and how she incorporates incredible life lessons into her stories. I absolutely adored both The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger and didn’t think she’d be able to top them, but she definitely did with The Rom-Commers. Who knew a romcom about writing a romcom could be so heartwarming and uplifting?!

I made an instant connection with the characters on so many different levels. It is full of angst, witty banter, hilariously awkward moments, joy, life lessons, heartaches, tragedies, brokenness, healing, hope, forgiveness, the importance of human connection, and the true meaning of love…all wrapped up in one spectacular story.

This story got me in the heart and in the gut. Being a breast cancer survivor, Katherine perfectly put into words so many of the things I felt during my fight with cancer. This book was such a great reminder of all those feelings and thoughts I had during that time. We often forget to slow down and take a moment to notice and enjoy the little things in life. It is truly important to remember that life happens and tragedies will occur, but it is how you handle those battles and what you can learn from them to make you a better person. “It’s all about writing the very best story of your life. Not just how you live it–but how you choose to tell it.”

Patti Murin’s narration enhances the experience, bringing the characters to life with impeccable tones and inflections while creating a believable narration. Murin delivered a spectacular performance from start to finish.

I won’t say too much about the story for fear of spoiling the experience but trust me when I say it is a must read and I HIGHLY suggest reading it as soon as it comes out! This is probably one of the quickest and easiest reviews I have ever written because I loved this book so much! My only regret is not reading it sooner!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Katherine Center for granting me early access to The Rom-Commers in exchange for an honest review.

Warning: This book will make you laugh AND cry... hysterically... multiple times.
Katherine Center has cemented herself as an auto-read author with The Rom-Commers!
This book is a perfect blend of delightful banter, swoon-worth moments, character development, and heart wrenching/heartfelt moments.
Did I love our male main character right off the bat? Absolutely not. He was arrogant, egotistical, self-centered, rude, and disrespectful. Yet somehow, Center slowly makes you adore him and adore the way he treats our delightful female main character.
Our female main character is definitely the star of this show. The book is entirely in her perspective and Center imbued this perspective with earnest sincerity and relatability. I fell in love with this character instantly and was desperate for her to be protected and appreciated throughout this story. I'm so happy Center took such care with her.
The plot of this book is also a really fun take on a romance. It has a "life imitates art, imitates life" vibe that really works! Our main characters having their profession in common allows for an initial bonding point and also gives opportunity for great banter and appreciatively gradual development of their relationship, which feels so realistic.
Do I think Center emotionally manipulates the reader at the end of this book? Absolutely. Am I mad about it? I feel like I really can't be! This book is far too good to hold a grudge!
Please read this story! It's a five star read well before you get to the last page!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a beautiful story about a writer becoming a screenwriter and working on a screenplay with her idol.