Katherine center did it again!!! This book is so fun! I couldn’t put it down.. this latest book might be my most favorite yet.

I’m waiting for another one of her books to be turned into a movie. This one would be perfect! Bring back the rom com era!

Charlie, a successful screenwriter, needs to write a rom-com. His problem? He wrote one but it’s bad. Very, very bad. He thinks romance is a Ponzi scheme and doesn’t believe in love.

He needs help. And fast. Enter Emma, an aspiring screenwriter who has been hired to re-write Charlie’s script.

Her problem? She’s the full-time caretaker for her dad, who was injured in an accident that took her mother’s life. But her sister steps in to help so Emma can fulfill her dream to write for Charlie, her writing hero. Dreams can come true.

Now her problem is how to thaw Charlie’s cold heart and make him believe in love and rom-coms.

In true Katherine Center form, this book has the perfect blend of romance and comedy, but with substance and depth. The witty banter gets me every time.

I closed the book with a full heart and a smile on my face.

I also loved the theme in defense of love and rom-coms, a theme the author continued in her note at the end of the book. Don’t miss it. Finding joy in adversity is another overriding theme that I loved.

I read a variety of genres and rom-coms will always have a place in my heart and on my shelves. Especially one written by this author. A well-done rom-com requires serious writing chops, and Katherine Center is among the best. She is able to write a story that has the perfect magical blend that captivates this reader.

My only regret is I now have to wait another year for a new Katherine Center book.

Don’t miss this one. A pure delight from start to finish! 5+ stars! The audiobook narrators were just perfect in their roles - 5+ stars for them too!

Honestly, 2.5 Stars? Which is SUCH a bummer! I really enjoyed Hello Stranger and had heard such good things about this one. That said, I found nearly all of the characters (minus her dad and sister) unlikeable immediately and most never really recovered in my mind. Also, I expected to chemistry in a book called The Rom-Commers, but felt absolutely none. 😩

The audiobook was good, but I think because I disliked the FMC I also disliked the narrated a bit. Le sigh.

I personally struggled recommending this one, but also know SO many people gave it 4 or 5 Stars so who knows! If it sounds interesting to you, definitely check it out!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed so many of Katherine Center’s previous books, so I was excited at the opportunity to read/listen to the latest release. The premise got my attention. However, that’s pretty much where the positive aspects ended. It bothered me that Emma was a doormat. She had no self esteem and there was just no romantic chemistry between Emma and Charlie.

I won’t give up on Katherine Center books, though. Several others, especiall Hello Stranger, were delightful reads. But don’t choose not to read this book on my review alone. There are plenty of reviewers who loved the book. So it may be just up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook! ⁣
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The Rom-Commers was my first Katherine Center book and it certainly won’t be my last! Emma Wheeler is an inspiring screenwriter in need of a big break. Charlie Yates is a famous screenwriter in need of a ghost writer. She loves romantic comedies. He hates romance. What could go wrong? ⁣
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I absolutely loved these two vastly different characters and it was quite the ride as they tried to figure out how to work together. There were some deeper themes (mentions of trauma, loss, and illness) to the story that I wasn’t expecting but they really help you to appreciate and get to know our main characters. The plot was entertaining and I found the ending to be satisfying as well. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of romantic comedy movies!

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Kathrine Center for giving me an eARC of The Rom-Commers in exchange for an honest opinion about the book!

This was my first Katherine Center book. I've head great things about her writing so had pretty high expectations going in. I'll say that this book was ok. The romantic attraction/tension/chemistry between Emma and Charlie wasn't electric which I feel is necessary to fall in love with a rom-com book. I felt like they were both good people and I liked them an characters individually. But I didn't get heart eyes for either of them.

There were a few funny moments which stuck out to me and overall I enjoyed the pacing of the book as well as the character development. I'm not sure what trope it would be considered (lying? miscommunication? withholding information?) but it is not my favorite in general so when it came into the book later on, I wasn't a huge fan.

This book didn't really stick out to me, but it was ok. 3/5 stars.

This was my first Katherine Center book (even though I own 3 others!) and I loved it! The audiobook was fantastic and I’m so glad I listened to it! I absolutely loved the characters, and the storyline. I didn’t expect to cry at the end - but i did. And then laughed when the whole reason I cried changed!

It had a little more language early on than I usually care for, but it mellowed way out as it went on and I couldn’t stop listening. Now I can’t wait to read the other books I have!

This is my first Katherine Center read. I've heard so many good things about her stories and overall this was a fun enjoyable read. At first I was a little hesitant because the first quarter is pretty heavy cheese and general rom com set ups without much personal depth from each character. Imm glad I pushed through though because the story got better as a I got know Emma better. I enjoyed her dynamic with her sister, even when it was a little strained. I was never fully sold on Charlie, he felt like too much like a John Green stand in and he felt very oblivious about his privilege and despite Emma calling him on it at one point, there was no evidence that his character changed at all. The narration was great though and I would read more from this author.

A very cute love story, easy read! Emma has been attempting to be a screenwriter for a long time and gets her lucky break when she gets to help write a script for a famous screenwriter Charlie. She quickly finds that she is falling for him but he doesn't seem to reciprocate in the same way. She attempts to teach him the ways of romantic comedies to his dismay.

This is very cute, lighthearted! I love Katherine Center books and would recommend this highly to anyone looking for a light summer read.

Katherine Center is a must read author for me. Her books always have the right balance of trauma/joy that is needed when dealing with tougher subject matter.

In The Rom-Commers, we have two screen writers pushed together to rewrite a horrible rom com movie. One has put her career on hold to care for her father after a hiking accident and the other is highly successful but freshly divorced and in remission from cancer giving him the yips.

You know they are going to fall for each other because come on, BUT it was fun to see the journey to get there.

Katherine never lets us down! This is a love story for people who love love stories. A hopeful screenwriter (Emma) with some trauma in her past lands a job with her favorite screenwriter (Charlie) who happens to be a total catch… BUT he doesn’t actually want her help. Emma is determined to make it work, and Charlie is determined to not let her in. Did I mention they’re living the same house?

This has some tropes I totally love - grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and he doesn’t believe in love (a micro trope but for sure one I can’t get enough of). The way Charlie and Emma fall for each other, hurt each other, and then fix it later is so precious, and Emma has the BEST family so I enjoyed that so much, too!

All in all, another instant classic by a beloved author. Highly recommend

Thank you SO much to netgalley and Katherine Center for the ARC of this book. Pub date: June 11, 2024. I cannot wait for this romance to fly!
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This book was quite sweet. I loved the message. It had some top tier jokes.

I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator was very good! If you love audiobooks, you’ll love this. I think I may have liked it better reading it though.

<i>”I don’t have anxiety, I just worry all the time.”</i> Through the FMCs perspective, you can tell Katherine Center in an anxious overthinker herself.


<i>”I don’t think marriage is hard at all, I think when you do it right, it’s what makes everything else easier.”</i> 💕💕


Don’t skip the bonus chapter from Charlie’s perspective!

Also, don’t skip Katherine’s author note at the end of her defense of romance books. So true. You tell them 🥊
<i> Witnessing other people do good makes us want to be better.
If we didn’t insist that romantic love was more ridiculous than zombies, would we be better at it? </i>

Thank you to NetGalley and Mcmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this super cute and charming audio book.

Emma Wheeler hasn't had the easiest life. After losing her mom and becoming the main caregiver for her father, she has had to make many sacrifices. One of her biggest sacrifices being her career. As a screen writer, she has had opportunities, but had to pass them up. Until her agent calls her and gives presents her with a chance to work with her most favorite author.
The book goes on to tell their heartbreaking story of love, or lack there of and laughter.

The characters in this book were so lovable! I am always a fan of the authors in a book trope. It is one of my favorites. I have never read a Kathrine Center book before, but now I am hooked and cannot wait to dig into more from her.


I loved the narrator of this book. She did such a fantastic job of playing the characters. Overall, this was a great story.

The Rom-Commers is the kind of book that I didn’t quite realize I disliked until I was nearly at the end and my frustration had just continued to compound. A romance between screenwriters is at least a more original take than authors, but not by much. The “writers falling in love” trope has been done and dusted for years now - not even Emily Henry was safe from falling into this tired pitfall of the genre. I understand authors want to write what they know but… they all know writing. We don’t need a writer romance from every contemporary author in the genre.

Beyond an unoriginal trope mix, the main couple was just frustrating to watch interact. We are 30% into the book before the MC finally decides to stop flip-flopping back and forth between staying and leaving the ML’s house. Like what a phenomenal waste of page time when the main couple were certainly not having any meaningful character interactions before that. If this wasn’t a romance, it wouldn't be a problem. But it is.

And genuinely, honestly the sheer number of Jack Stapleton name drops in the story with no narrative purpose other than to be a cheeky throwback was actually mind-numbing. And this is coming from someone that genuinely loved the novel where Jack was the ML. You simply cannot pretend like this man is the most famous actor in Hollywood and then sit him next to Meryl Streep in the same book. Either commit to real life celebrities or not - it’s so jarring to try and include both.

I’m all for romance committing to the necessary bit of having a happy ending. But I think I’ll avoid romance books from now on that involve a grand gesture and a lung cancer undiagnosis in the same speech onstage at an award ceremony.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I ADORED this book. It's been a while since a book has brought me to tears but this one did it. It was heartwarming, LOL funny and it hit all my wants for a rom-com. I loved the humor, the characters, the grand gestures (yes, more than one!) and I loved the high dive.
Emma and Charlie were complete opposites but the grumpy/sunshine was so well done, you couldn't help but root for them! Definitely add this one to your summer list!

The Rom-Commers
5/5
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I loved this book so much! just Flawless!!!!

Read this book if you like:
-grumpy x sunshine
-one liners
-LOL funny
-pet guinea pig
-forced proximity

I LOVED this one!! Loved the characters and the banter. I both laughed out loud and cried during this book. One of my faves of this author!! 5 stars ⭐️

Emma Wheeler is a bit stuck. A talented budding screenwriter (and a HUGE lover of rom-coms), she has put her career on hold for the past ten years to be the sole caretaker for her gentle, loving father. But when her ex-turned-LA-agent comes to her with the chance of a lifetime--to work with her favorite screenwriter to rewrite his (AWFUL) script for a rom-com, she swallows her anxiety and heads to LA.
The only problem is... the screenwriter doesn't want to work with her. And even when he does give in and let her stay, she faces a bigger problem: he doesn't believe in love. But will the steps she takes to convince him otherwise just end up breaking her heart?

As always, Katherine Center writes a romance novel with more wit, character development, and layers than many I am used to reading. Emma's family relationships are tender, and the reader truly sympathizes with her desire to care for her dad, while also realizing (as Emma slowly does) that maybe she DIDN'T need to sacrifice her entire life to watch him. Because once she opens her life up to help from others, while also making space for herself and her own dreams, she realizes that... everyone is happier. The way that she learns this lesson is a masterful example of "showing, not telling," and it makes it all the more satisfying for the reader when it clicks for Emma at the end.

The romance itself is also a slow burn, although it also created some of the issues I had with the book. Charlie is crotchety, but some of the things he says to Emma are... truly cruel. The reader is supposed to realize that he is trying to push her away on purpose to protect her, but he never truly apologizes for his words, and what's more, she doesn't necessarily act like a self-respecting, normal person in response to what he says. I think most people would not have taken it like she did, without even seeming to acknowledge the meanness more than to think "ouch," which is consistently what she seems to do. I get that it's her dream to write with Charlie Yates, but it felt like more could have been done to redeem his behavior. The trope of "he's just mean because he likes you" isn't great, in my opinion.

Additionally, what felt like naiveté on Emma's part made me cringe during several of her interactions with Charlie. I understand that it was so far out of her realm of possibility to think that Charlie could fall for her, but she seems to almost deliberately not understand his meaning several times when he makes it obvious that he has feelings for her, and that was difficult to read.

Overall, I loved the messages and the themes of this story, and it will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

5 PERFECT STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this. this is my new favorite romance book of all time. and maybe, quite possibly, my favorite book of all time?? and i’m taking it as a sign of fate that it releases on my birthday June 11th so I can reread it again. and again. this is a book i want to inject in my veins, blend in a smoothie and drink for breakfast.

(and there is no spice, just perfect beautiful ROMANCE at its core)
this made me laugh, cry, cry some more, cry some more and then heal my heart in the best way possible.
i will be standing on a mountain top screaming on my birthday for everyone to read this unbelievably perfect blueprint of a romance novel. 💗😭🫶🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook.

I have read all of Katherine Centers books to date and have enjoyed them all. This book was no exception! Her books are fun, funny, and touching at times and over all just really good.


I enjoyed listening to this as a Audiobook. I can't wait until I read her next one!