I loved the depth of this story and the depth of the characters! Emma’s family - specifically her dad! The representation of caregiving and caregiving fatigue. I loved Emma’s internal dialogue the first person narrative with a little fourth wall breaking! Emma’s anxiety felt so real and relatable! I also loved the cameo from Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard!

I was irritated and embarrassed by the main characters in the beginning. Emma was obsessed with Charlie and he was just so so so rude. Some of their early conversations were odd and felt inappropriate for people who had only just met. But ultimately, they grew on me and I fully felt and believed their love story and I couldn’t put the book down!

I wasn’t a fan of the language, the innuendos, or the getting drunk as a way of coping. Or the tiny little dig on marriage near the end.

I appreciate that Katherine Center keeps the door closed and I loved that she made me connect to these flawed characters!

I love the author’s note at the end and Katherine Center’s passion for love stories!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook to honestly read and review.

The Rom-Commers follows Emma, a writer, who idolizes famous screenwriter Charlie Yates. I wanted to like this one so much, but I just didn't care for either of the main characters. I understand that Emma was going through a hard situation with her family, but I felt like she didn't have much of a personality apart from that. Charlie just never became likeable for me. I think Patti Murin did a good job with the audio for this one, but the book itself was a miss for me. I did like that the book gave us a fun peak into the writing process, and I appreciated the family dynamics that Emma had!

Thanks to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to review! My opinions are my own, and I am obviously in the minority, so give this one a shot!

Katherine Center always writes such feel good books. She manages to make stories that are emotional and lighthearted at the same time. I always find myself unable to put KC’s books down and this one was no different. I think this is my new favorite book of hers!


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Emma dreams of being a romantic comedy screenwriter, but has been spending her time taking care of her dad who has significant health issues. Charlie Yates is already a famous screenwriter - and Emma just got the chance to re-write a script with him. Emma’s sister drops everything to take over caring for their dad, and Emma heads to L.A. to meet Charlie. Except Charlie, isn’t what Emma expected. He doesn’t even believe in love! Emma is convinced she can change his mind about love and proceeds to do everything she can to show him he’s wrong.

This was a cute romantic comedy with some heavy topics sprinkled in. Emma’s character was sweet and happy, even though she’s been through a lot in life. Charlie’s character was grumpy and mean at times, with soft spots that occasionally peeked out. I wish there was a little more of a romantic spark between Emma and Charlie earlier in the book. It really took until the end for me to feel like they had a connection. This was a great read and is one of my favorite Katherine Center books.

I listened to the audio and loved Patti Murin’s narration. She gave so much life to the characters and the emotions they were feeling in various situations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance copy.

I love Katherine's take on rom-coms—that they are more meaningful than are given credit, and that it is perfectly fine, and actually essential that the story be predictable and cozy.

The Rom-Commers has your requisite rom-com factors: enemies to lovers, charming situations that the lead characters find themselves in together, and backstory to each protagonist to give them dimension. Although this book is cute, I found Center's Hello Stranger to be a more entertaining read with its twists and obstacles.

Overall, The Rom-Commers is a fun ride but not memorable.

I do have to mention, though, that Patti Murin's audiobook narration is fantastic. She has expert comedic timing, and lends her very likable voice to a likable character.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a wonderful read. Two screenwriters come together to write a romcom. The problem. Emma, while she lives and breathes romantic comedies, is an amateur. Charlie is well renowned for everything he writes but his romcom is utter trash. Oh, and he refuses to work with anyone. They do slowly start working together of course. As they spend time together, there is more than just a script to work through. Anxiety and other health issues represented. Line dancing. The donut part is my favorite because my dad would make those for me too.
Thank you again for the advanced reader copy!

I never think that Katherine Center’s books can be better than the last but here we are. This book is such an easy read. I looked forward to listening and wanted to know what happens next and laugh. It’s a Rom-com, can we guess what’s going to happen, yep but the journey there that’s so enjoyable. It’s not the typical mindless romcom, it’s deeper with a good life lesson. Loved it!

This has been posted to Goodreads.

Delightful banter and undeniable chemistry, the main characters in this book light up the pages with their witty exchanges.

This was super cute but also FULL of trauma. 🥴 This is only my second Katherine Center book and I enjoy her writing so far. It’s refreshing to have a romance with low-no open door scenes that is still entertaining and draws you in. (I do love me some smut don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to be reminded it’s not necessary.)

Charlie! What a prick am I right?! lol I hated the way he hurt Emma’s feelings. Heck he hurt MY feelings! 😂 But truthfully, I would have loved more than one bonus chapter of his perspective.

Sweet and salty Emma! What a fun main character. Super sassy and sarcastic. But also feels all the feels. I enjoyed how she wasn’t just telling her story but she was talking TO us, the readers. Great narrator for this audio. Highly recommend!

I have read many books by Katherine Center and this one is probably my most favorite one of all so far! I laughed, I cried, and I experienced many different emotions that were quite relatable throughout. The main female protagonist gives up all of her career aspirations to take care of her father with health issues while the main male character makes many assumptions and statements that end up getting corrected in time. Both struggle with not feeling lovable and fight to overcome their own complex mental issues. I did not really like the way that Charlie put down the main character, Emma, so much throughout the book and tried to deny his feelings and ended up pushing her away. However, that is pretty much true to real life. People will say and do things that they don’t really mean to say and do, and yet somehow this couple finds their way back to each other anyway. The book was a tad bit unrealistic in places such as how the sister and the fiancé just made their lives work out perfectly fine while trying to take care of a father that needed around the clock care. However, the main point of the book is to keep pursuing your lifelong goals and to not give up on love and on the people you care about the most, which is a strong and powerful message. I’m not a huge fan of romance, but this writer has made me want to read more romances.!

This is the best romance of the year (alongside The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce)!!!!! I cried so bad during the epilogue it shouldn’t even be legal. It’s the most realistic romantic romance I’ve ever read I don’t even know what to say apart from : perfection.
Guys the slow burn was so amazing, the banter 10/10, it made me giddy, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me yearn for them to kiss, for them to say they love each other. It is just pure perfection, pure entertainment.

I loved the narrator for the audiobook, i was really into it. Ugh i need the physical copy ASAP

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is the best rom com that I have read this year. Is it perfect? No. The characters could possibly be a bit more likable, but this did not bother me at all. This book was honestly so fun, from start to finish. I read it as both an ebook and as an audiobook. The audiobook had some of the best narration I have heard. It was so fun to listen to but just as fun to read in print. The characters worked so well together. I think the falling in love with a famous person trope worked so well in this novel. It felt realistic and vulnerable and just right somehow. Parts of this book really touched me deeply. I have always enjoyed this author’s books, but this is now my new favorite. I cannot recommend it enough. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I am withholding my review and rating in solidarity with the SMP boycott. Netgalley doesn't allow you to not rate books so that's why I gave it one star,

Katherine Center has become an auto-read for me. I have enjoyed each book better than the previous. I felt so much for Emma who was trying to do her best by everyone, blaming herself for the accident that killer her mother and injured her father. She make the choice to go to LA to assist her idol, Charlie with a screenplay, and finds out, she was set up by her best friend and Charlie does not want her help, She sets out to show Charlie what romance and love is. What will happen? Keep reading to find out. Kudos to Patti Murin for her perfect narration.

So excited I got an ARC for this since I’ve enjoyed every Katherine Center book I’ve read so far and this one was no different! Katherine really knows how to take the most improbable scenarios for us normal people, but then allows you to feel every emotion by making the characters so relatable. I can always expect to be kicking my feet and giggling reading her books!

Emma & Charlie’s story made my heart so happy! I typically don’t rate romances with somewhat predictable endings so highly but I think the amount of times I laughed and smiled during this story bumped it up in the ranks for me.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & Katherine Center for letting me get an advanced readers audio!

WTF.

This is my least favoirite of KC's books. WHAT HAPPENED? I don't know, I just know the male MC was not a kind person. The female MC was so blind, I wanted to shake her. How many times does he have to treat you badly or talk behind your back for you to realize you should have left the first day?

I was frustrated the entire book and how it played out. I don't know what happened, but toward 80% i literally tuned out the rest of the story because I didn't care how it ended :(

The narrator did a decent job, but I think this book was just a miss for me.

If Katherine Center wants to make it her mission to turn me into a romance reader then sign me up. This book was utterly DELIGHTFUL! Center broke the fourth wall, the main character Emma engaged with the reader directly. The dialogue between Emma and Charlie was just adorable. Each of them had experienced hardships and had made choices that impacted their lives and relationships. Even with the times where Emma and Charlie were having those hard conversations, the book's lighthearted tone made this a very enjoyable read. I am definitely going to read more of Center's work.

Katherine Center has done it again. I smiled, giggled, swooned and grinned with glee. While lighthearted and fun, this book had some incredible messages about gratitude and perspective that I wanted to highlight at the end. I loved it!

I loved this audiobook! The story was so well written and the characters relatable. There were real-world problems happening within a relationship dynamic that really tore at your heartstrings. Truly just a fun, witty rom-com that I would read over again in a heartbeat. The narrator of the audiobook was skilled and I enjoyed it, when normally it is tough for me to enjoy a female producing a male voice.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Narrated by Patti Murin
Standalone Contemporary Romance
4.5 Stars rounded up
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post contains affiliate links.

I adored The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center . When I finished it I thought it was 5 stars all the way, but as I sit here writing my review and looking at the notes I took while listening, I can’t really give it a full 5 stars. For me, there can be nothing in the dislikes column for a 5-star read, but there were a few little things I didn’t 100% vibe with in this book, which you will see in the dislikes section below.

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

Emma Wheeler has spent the last 10 years as her father’s caregiver after he was disabled in an accident. She put her dreams of being a rom-com screenwriter aside and had to turn down some amazing opportunities, but she loves her dad and is devoted to his round-the-clock care. Her sister is now graduating and can step in if needed, so it’s perfect timing when Emma gets the opportunity of a lifetime.

Charlie Yates is one of the most famous screenwriters in the world, and he is also Emma’s idol and celebrity crush. He writes action movies, but was forced to write a rom-com and it absolutely sucked. He doesn’t write with anyone and doesn’t want help even though he needs it. Charlie and Emma share the same agent, who convinced Emma to upend her whole life to come to LA to re-write the awful rom-com with Charlie. But did Charlie know?

"Are you trying to put frozen peas on my ass?"
"It's julienned mixed vegetables," I said, like I beg your pardon.

Charlie was a dick at first, but he won me over. His problem was that he didn’t believe in love or romance, so how could he write it? Well it was up to Emma to teach him. This created some amazing banter, and I love banter in my romance!

“Because love is something you can learn. Love is something you can practice. It's something you can choose to get good at. And here's how you do it. Appreciate your person.
That's it.
Well—first be sure to choose a good person. But we're all good people here.
Choose a good, imperfect person who leaves the cap off the toothpaste, and puts the toilet paper roll on upside down, and loads the dishwasher like a ferret on steroids—and then appreciate the hell out of that person. Train yourself to see their best, most delightful, most charming qualities. Focus on everything they're getting right. Be grateful—all the time—and laugh the rest off."

There was a LOT of emotion and some tragedy in The Rom-Commers. If you have triggers, you may want to check the warnings, It brought me to tears more than once, but I still found myself smiling for the majority of the book. The narrator breaks down the fourth wall several times to explain things to the reader, and I love that, especially in audiobooks. It wasn’t until I finished the book and thought about my rating that I realized it was a closed-door romance. I was so into the story, that I didn’t notice there was no sex!

Likes:
•Brought out every single emotion. I laughed, cried, got angry, got sad, got happy, and more.
•After some initial dislike, I loved both MCs.
•I loved the secondary characters, especially her father.
•Her teaching him about love and romance and him catching on quickly.
•A lot of broken 4th wall
•The way they wrote together.
•Amazing banter.
•A unique pet.
•A cameo from The Bodyguard.
•The bonus scene (audiobook only) from his POV.
•I loved the author note (audiobook only).

Dislikes:
•She pushed herself on him after he said no and she scoffed at consent.
•Emma let him get away with being a douche-canoe too much.
•She seemed to enjoy being a martyr and I didn't like the way she spoke to her sister.
•He was always 'Charlie Yates', not just Charlie.

The Narration:
The narrator sounded like she had a cold in the second half of the book. But she did a good job for the most part. I especially loved the cameo in the epilogue. I think you can either read or listen for the same enjoyment.

The Down & Dirty:
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is one of my favorite books of the year despite a few things I didn’t love. Those few things just weren’t enough to make me dislike the overall tone of the book. Until I looked over my notes to write this review, The Rom-Commers was a 5-star read in my head. I didn’t want it to end and I ended up slowing the narration a little so it wouldn’t end so quickly. I have a feeling there will be a great divide on this book—people will either love it or hate it, but I think most will love it!

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 0 Heat, 3.5 narration