This is actually my first Katherine Center read, and I loved it so much that I'll be going back to start reading her other books! This was a sweet and entertaining read. I laughed, a lot. I cried. I felt all of the feelings throughout reading this. And I read it in one day. One sitting, actually. I couldn't have asked for a better read. There was plenty of angst and emotion, and all of the fluff that goes along with it, and it wasn't spicy, which was a nice change for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the wholesomeness of this love story. The heartbreaking moments were not heavy, but they were definitely there, and then those feel good, full of love moments were just the right mixture. I couldn't have loved it more!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Hello Stranger last year and was so excited to receive a ARC of this book. Katherine is a wonderful author, but unfortunately this book just fell flat for me. I was not connecting with the characters at all and felt like Charlie just had no personality whatsoever. The plot was just ok. This was a miss for me. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I would read a cookbook written by Katherine Center, so I was beyond thrilled to get this ARC. And, like all of Center's books, this one did not disappoint. Somehow Center was able to mash so many rom-com tropes into one book and make it absolutely work: grumpy sunshine, force proximity, popular/not popular (or in this case famous/not famous) and some that are potential spoilers so I'll leave it at that. This book works through the "in good time and in bad, in sickness and in health" vows but they aren't always for the main characters relationship. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of rom-coms!

Ok....please don't hate me but this was kind of a let down. I did love absolutely everything to do with Emma's father, and the scenes with Emma's family were my favorite by far, absolutely no question. The romance though? I don't know...
*
First of all, this felt straight up ripped from Beach Read - a rom-com writer has to help a "more serious" writer write a rom-com, and in doing so, she takes him out to experience the elements that feed into that. I have definitely read this plot before.
*
Second, I'm sorry but Charlie was a d*ck. Repeatedly. I honestly think the way he treated her at the end was unforgivable and should have been the biggest of red flags. I don't want to spoil anything, but this employed a trope that I just absolutely cannot get behind. And Emma wasn't really that much better. Especially her martyr attitude and the way she treated her sister. Ultimately, I just wasn't rooting for them as a couple.
*
This does have some heavy content, and THAT I liked. I thought that was really touching, and I would have loved to have more of that. But overall, I did sadly find this disappointing.

I always enjoy Katherine Center books, but I had a hard time liking these characters.

What I liked
- fast paced
- Emma was fun at times and brought Charlie out of his shell.

What I didn't like
- Charlie talked bad about Emma twice behind her back (she overheard though) and Emma just carried on. I would have been hurt.
- Emma's meanness toward her sister.
These both stuck with me and made it hard to root for them.

I think this could have benefited a little more from Charlie's POV. That might have helped me understand him better and be more forgiving.

3.5 stars (rounding up to 4) because I still had a good time while reading even if the main characters had flaws I couldn't get over.

Ugh, this book! My heart didn’t stop thumping. The passion, desire, and love the author was able to create while keeping this book closed door is such a testament to her writing ability. All the heat without the spice.

I absolutely fell in love with both the male and female main characters. Charlie Yates is going to be long remembered. Both characters were so genuine and realistic, if you set aside the razzle-dazzle of Hollywood, I’d think this was a story of two real people who fell in love. The humor was also spot on…l’ll never look at a can of biscuits the same way again.

This was nearly a 5 star read for me but there was a stylistic choice that drove me a little batty at first (but admittedly, its charm grew on me and won me over) and the ending wasn’t quite the way I imagined it would go, and perhaps, if I’m honest, wasn’t how I wanted it to go.

This was my first Katherine Center read and you better believe it will absolutely not be my last!

My favorite Katherine Center book by far.

What I Liked:

Charlie and Emma's story is so heartwarming and endearing. I was kicking my feet, blushing, and smiling reading this (which was difficult at times since I listened to this while I was driving for work travel).

Charlie and Emma's banter is so good. Give me a book with good banter and I will fall in love so hard.

The relationship Emma had with her father and sister. Not just the good parts, but the difficulties (physical/mental/ emotional) that come with being a sole caretaker for a loved one. I cried so many times during these parts of the book.

What didn't work for me:

Not a thing

This was the first book I read by Katherine Center, and loved it ! It was unique, exciting and had a lot of action. I will definitely read more of her books! thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy.

This was another cute, quick read from Katherine Center. I liked the main characters and the plot. There were a couple of things I wasn't a huge fan of. First, the internal dialogue seemed a little immature. Plus I felt like the FMC let people treat her pretty terribly and she still kept going back. How many rejections can a girl take?!

Given those complaints, I still liked the story. Not my favorite by this author, but I will still read every book she writes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for sending this ARCfor review consideration. All opinions are my own. It’s no secret that I love Katherine Center. I’ve read basically everything she’s written. 5 giant glowing magnificent stars for this new one! You know how sometimes a book is just exactly what you need at a certain point in life? This was that book for me, wow. It’s funny, sad, encouraging, and hopeful with friends, family, and love. She hits all the emotions and feelings. The Rom-Commers is a perfect summer beach read!

This was my first Katherine Center, but it definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed this book and felt that the two main characters had a lot of depth. While it was predictable at times, I enjoyed that I could feel the connection between Charlie and Emma. I am glad that everyone got their happy ending, but maybe would like to see more Sylvie and Salvador? If that is a previous book of Katherine's, someone please let me know! All in all, I will now be reading Katherine's entire backlog.

Another winner from Center, who knows how to tell a story. Emma is over the moon but also conflicted when she gets the chance to work with Charlie, her screen writing idol. She's been the caretaker for her dad, who was badly injured in the accident that killed her mom. Turns out Charlie didn't know she was coming to Hollywood, doesn't want a writing partner, and doesn't have any intention of selling the rom com script she's meant to fix. All that changes though when he hears her out. This has so many echos of rom com movies (Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, and so on) and that's the point. This also has all the ups and downs of those movies. Charlie's got his own backstory (and a guinea pig) of illness and trauma as well as an attitude. And a bigger heart that Emma realizes. It just all works. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

"The Rom-Commers" was a fast-paced and entertaining read. The author did a great job crafting a storyline that hooked my attention and kept me turning pages.

The witty banter was fantastic there were times I was laughing at loud during this book but at the same time the character's storylines had a lot of depth to them and the author did not shy away from including sensitive topics.

Overall this was definitely a great reading experience and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you Katherine Center, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Rom-Commers, to me, was a fun read. I loved the writing style and the overall premise of the story however I felt like there was no chemistry between the main characters. They felt like genuinely good friends but I did not fall in love with their love, or more specifically, I didn't buy it. I felt like maybe it could've been developed on a deeper level and explained to us better. These characters also felt a little flat, with supports being almost non existent. However, its still a very enjoyable read that doesn't walk on eggshell around serious topics like traumatic injuries, cancer, anxiety and depression.

This was my very first Katherine Center book, and I absolutely loved it! I was a little hesitant going into it because I was worried that the interaction between our two main characters would be almost too parasocial, but Center did a fantastic job.

This book balanced the real life problems that we face everyday, but also had enough elements of a classic romance book. It was cute, realistic, and so much fun. I truly enjoyed seeing Charlie slowly open up out of his shell, and I think the romance developed at the perfect pace. I read this book so fast just because it was easy to read and I had to know more about each of the characters. Center’s writing is completely addicting and now I am ready to read all of her other books! Also, this is a no-spice romance.

Thank you so much Net-Galley for the eArc!

Another winner by this author!

One writer who no one knows her name is friends with an agent who is involved with Hollywood. She has spent the past 10 years, taking care of her dad and completing jobs that pay the bills.

He takes her to her dream job with her dream writer who is writing a romantic comedy. His worst work yet, because he doesn’t believe in love. He job is to try to help him rewrite it.

This is an author where I didn’t read the plot. I will just read her work without knowing anything about the book.

Now, I have to say, for the first half of the book I was going to give this book a 3.5. I struggled with the characters. I still feel like the male main character wasn’t fully evolved. I couldn’t really place his personality type and he had a lot of red flags Morally grey, maybe. Complicated and a mess, yes.

As for the female main character, she is definitely whole. Passionate, caring, insecure, and bossy, but she is brilliant. She is bold, honest, and she knows what she wants.

They argue a lot!

This book is very mild on the spice rating scale. It down right HILARIOUS, when you get over the halfway mark.

Trying not to spoil it so I will just say “suicidal bird.”

There are some twists and turns. Some predictable and some not. There are some super cute scenes in the book, cringe worthy scenes, and some really over the top things that happen too.

I read this book in two days. It completely over took my night tonight. Loved this book!

Thank you so much to netgaller and to the publisher for the arc!!!!

For readers who:
- loved 'The Bodyguard' or 'Hello, Stranger'
- read romance
- need a good, low brain capacity commitment (it's an easy read)
- love completely unrealistic scenarios (like nobody-writer being flown out to fix huge celeb writer's work)

When Emma's sister agrees to take over care-taking duties for their dad, Emma finds herself available to chase her dream - writing the next great romcom! And she even gets to do it with her hero, Charlie Yates. Turns out, her hero isn't so heroic under the cape. And his romcom is AWFUL - so bad she's not sure even she can fix it. And his personality is sorely lacking. But underneath it all... there may be something there that wasn't there before.

My thoughts: I devoured this one. Cheesy dialogue, likeable (and dislikeable as necessary) characters, good plot line. Not quite as good as The Bodyguard, but right there with Hello Stranger. I do love a good Katherine Center romance.

My favorite Katherine Center book so far! I loved the concept of two screenwriters working on a romantic comedy script. Both main characters were so charming and relatable you couldn’t help but root for them. Katherine somehow strikes a balance between dealing with heavy topics, while maintaining an overarching sense of lightheartedness and wit.

I’m clearly in the minority on this one, but it’s getting a low and very generous 3⭐️ from me.

I’ll start by saying I LOVE KC’s books! Love them, I’m still a huge fan- but unfortunately they can’t all be a win and this one was a miss for me.

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma was giving “I’m not like other girls” energy and in 2024 that’s just not passing the vibe check, sorry. What made her so eclectic and unique you ask? She had big, curly, red hair and loved movies.. that’s it! It will be drilled into you now over and over again for 336 pages. That aside, Emma was your typical Type two personality that always sacrifices for her family but she does it in the most unhealthy way because she keeps score and holds it against them. I was so frustrated by the end.. like girl- it would not have taken you 10 years to ask for help. No way. I don’t buy it.

She also had one of the most unhealthy sister fights I’ve ever read and after her sister gave her a sincere and heart felt apology she never reciprocated!!!!!

Honestly her and Charlie deserve one another!
speaking of Charlie…


Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

Y’all. Charlie Yates is so cool.
Except he’s really not. You’re just told that over and over again. To be honest I didn’t feel any particular way about Charlie, which isn’t really what you want for your MMC in a romance novel. Did i enjoy him on the page.. sometimes, when he wasn’t being a colossal jerk that never takes responsibility for his words.. did I like him in the end? Not at all. Which leads me to my biggest issue with this book..

The cancer plot.

Cancer is a big, hard, scary, thing that affects so many people, obviously you can’t avoid it in books, but I do feel like it should be handled with the upmost care when it’s included and I didn’t feel that with this book.

There’s spoilers from here on out.. fair warning! ⚠️

Charlie had cancer 5 years ago..

This plays a role in why his character is the way he is as well as his characters deep rooted insecurities and hurts. People always leave him when he’s sick.

I would have liked a bit more from this plot and character thread.. cancer is a big thing to just use as a footnote, but I was like “okay, sure!” Let’s just roll with it!

But then Charlie gets cancer again. As someone who’s mom had cancer twice in the span of a few years this fell close to home, I was excited to see the relationship grow through this, develop deeper roots, so on and so forth.

Instead he used his cancer as a solid reason to push her away, he was the martyr and he’d sacrifice their love so she could pursue her dreams. Big ick. That’s not appropriate or healthy at all.

Emma then finds out Charlie has cancer again in a video he made FOR AFTER HE’S DEAD. And then surprise! He doesn’t actually have cancer, just bronchitis.

I’m sorry.. what!? At that point it was VERY evident that the cancer was just a plot point used to move the story along and I’m not willing to engage with books that feel that way. I’m sure sensitivity readers were used but maybe cancer specific sensitivity readers should have been utilized. This just felt gross and frustrating to me.

Alas, I would have DNFd but it was also the very end of the book, literally, so I finished grumpily and then angry messaged a friend so I could rage for a bit.

Maybe my close connection with cancer colored my experience with this one, but it’s definitely not one I’ll be recommending unfortunately.

The saving grace? The audiobook! Thank you to Macmillan audio for the ALC!! Patti Murin did phenomenal, so much so I looked up other books she’s narrated so that I could read some of those as well! If you plan to read this one I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the audiobook! 🎉

Emma is a full time caretaker of her disabled dad, and an aspiring screenwriter. When she gets the call from her agent giving her the opportunity of a lifetime to ghost write for her favorite writer of all time, Charlie Yates, she hops on a plane to LA reluctantly leaving her caretaking duties in the hands of her sister. The only problem? Charlie had no idea she was coming.

I love all Katherine Center books but I think this one might be my new favorite. The banter was adorable, the chemistry was so strong, and I loved Charlie’s personality so much. I kept thinking it would be such a cute movie the entire time I was reading.