While there were quite a few times that this book made me laugh out loud, I didn't really feel the chemistry between the main characters, and that didn't work for me. I really enjoyed when Emma talked about hte more serious things in her life, such as her family's tragic past, or her love for her sister. And she and Charlie shared some great dialogue, both light-hearted and more serious. What held me back from really enjoying this is that it didn't seem like a healthy relationship, and I didn't want to see Emma get hurt.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review.
#netgalley
#TheRomCommers

I really wanted to love this book, as I loved Hello Stranger and The Bodyguard and I LOVE rom-coms. However... this one was a bit of a letdown for me. Emma and Charlie Yates (because they say his full name about 120 times throughout the whole book) were both characters who didn't fully grab my heart, and therefore I didn't end up caring about their love story.

Charlie is kind of an a**hole throughout the entire book with a few moments here and there to try to lure you back into liking him (which didn't ultimately work). Emma was fine... until she wasn't. IS NO ONE GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW SHE NEVER APOLOGIZED TO HER SISTER?? Spoilers (but I'll leave it vague) but Emma and her sister fight over the phone towards the end and they both say something meant to wound the other. However, the sister does it in retaliation to Emma saying something EXTREMELY hurtful, and yet Sylvie is the one who has to apologize to Emma at the end. No apology from Emma, which is RIDICULOUS BECAUSE SYLVIE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG. That was what really solidified the entire thing for me and almost brought my rating down even further.

I was more invested in Sylvie's relationships than I was with Emma or Charlie, and for that reason alone is why I don't think this is that good of a romance novel. There were so many good tropes put in this that are supposed to make you feel like there is romance there, but that's all there is are tropes and no actual chemistry.

One final thing that irked me, and maybe I just noticed this more because I was listening to the audiobook, but I hated Emma's way of "stream of consciousness" talking. So many moments were written as "And he looked at me like 'did you really just do that?'. And I looked back at him like 'yep, I sure did.'. IRRITATING TO THE NTH DEGREE!!

This wasn't a bad book by any means, but I just had so many annoyances throughout my reading experience that it left me wanting a lot more compare to Katherine Center's other novels. You may like this one... but you also might not.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC for my review. The narrator did an amazing job, the story was cute and fluffy while at the same time attacking not so cute and fluffy topics.

Fascinated by the narrative's depth, I found myself drawn into a world where imperfections became the very essence of life's beauty. From the outset, I felt a deep connection to the characters, immersed in their journey of struggles and triumphs.

The companionship I felt with the main characters was truly profound. Together, we shared moments of laughter, tears, and heartfelt emotion, forging a bond that transcended the pages of the book. Their challenges resonated deeply with me, evoking a myriad of emotions from empathy to joy.

What struck me most was the author's ability to evoke such a diverse array of feelings. With each turn of the page, new layers of complexity were unveiled, offering insights into the richness of the human experience.

The narrative held me fascinated until the very end, with each chapter delivering fresh revelations and insights. It was a testament to the transformative power of storytelling to illuminate the human condition.

In the end, this experience left an indelible mark on my soul. It served as a poignant reminder that life's beauty often lies in its imperfections, and that true resilience is found in embracing the challenges we face. The impact of this extraordinary journey will linger in my heart for years to come, regardless of its title.

Katherine Center is another author whose books never miss for me. The Rom-Commers is a win for sure and I loved this book. I liked the humor and the banter between Emma and Charlie and it really balanced out the at times heaviness that Center incorporated into the story. I loved that writers were the sole focus and it took place kind of in the behind the scenes aspect of Hollywood. Both characters felt so real and vulnerable which I enjoyed and I think Center handled their different traumas with such a high level of care. The fact that love was the main focus of the book made me love it even more. I couldn't put it down and felt Emma's declations about romcoms in my own soul. All of her books manage to both get me to laugh and cry and this was no exception. The concept was brilliant and the execution was a delight. I also loved the quick cameos from The Bodyguard. Overall, this was a fantastic one! Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and Macmillan audio for providing me with an e-ARC/ ALC to read and review!

Good heart warming story. I really enjoyed the characters, I just wish there was better communication.

WOW! I absolutely adored this book! It has delightful characters, real life problems, amazing dialogue, and the most perfect happy ending. The narration for the audio book was also great. You'll find yourself riding the emotional ups and downs with all of the characters, and rooting for all of them to get their happy ever afters. This truly was such a win for me! 5 star read for sure!

The Rom-Commers isn't my favorite book from Katherine Center but was still an enjoyable read! This book deals with some dark topics in a delicate way and is still lighthearted enough to be considered romance. The romance is charming and sweet with a lot of banter between Charlie and Emma. It took me a bit to warm up to Charlie. Also keep an eye out for a Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard appearance :). The audiobook was narrated well and I felt I could follow the plot easily.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Katherine Center for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a love letter to romcoms and it did such a good job depicting why they matter and why they are so beloved. I appreciate that there was hardship in this story and that the characters' struggles helped shape them into resilient, flawed people by the time they met. This was a heartwarming story and I loved all of the characters, especially Emma! All the feels...

The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job!

I LOVED this book SO much. 🥰 Charlie and Emma 🙌🏻

Charlie with the heart of a suicidal bird. 🦜
Emma with her trauma and grief. ❤️‍🩹

This was my first book by this author. It was absolutely delightful. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me sad, it made me happy. So beautifully written.

This was a solid 5 stars for me!
Now on to scope out more of Katherine’s work.

Buy the book! Publish date 6/11/2024
Amazon has a beautiful hardcover with sprayed edges. 😍 Automatic pre-order for me!!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the arc audiobook of The Rom-Commers.

I absolutely loved the audiobook!! The narrator was wonderful and brought the story to life!

In this witty enemies to lovers troupe, Emma and Charlie are unwilling brought together to rewrite a screenplay. Emma wants to make it big but her family obligations have held her back. It was so fun to read these two as they learned about each other and tried not to fall in love. This is the perfect escape read! Beach read, here I come!

Amazingly surprised at how well this was done and the twists and tragedy portrayed was a great twist on romcoms we love ❤️

If you don’t like romcoms, why not? Also, you should read this book if you want to have a well-rounded opinion. If you do like romcoms, reading this book is a requirement - add it to the TBR pile now and leave it at the top. This is my first Katherine Center book, and now I will devour all of the others. Emma and Charlie’s tale is clever and joyful and all the things a wonderful tale should have. Thank you, Katherine Center, for working so hard for us readers and especially for your note at the end. You are a gift that made my day.

Unfortunately, The Rom-Commers was a huge miss for me. I found the story full of unlikable cliche tropes which made it difficult to relate to any of the characters. I'm not sure what has happened since The Bodyguard, but KC's writing and story development has felt very messy and unimaginative. One of my least favorite is how she creates her messy female lead characters that aren't anyone that we inspire to be like. I get that coming of age adults in their 20's have difficulty sometimes carving their own path, but come on...."her messy frizzy red hair" and her big sister role becoming her entire personality is something that I really struggle to read about. Regarding the romance aspect, this was not a relationship worth rooting for and I didn't find the male lead (we heard "Charlie Yates" about 5,000 times) attractive or that masculine counterpart we wanted for the leading lady. Dude was a basement dwelling troll. No thank you.

3.5

katherine center has really mastered the art of getting deep without making it feel heavy, or overly emotional. the setup here was cute, and written well. an effective rom-com, as the title suggests.

i liked how the narrator sounded; she was very easy to listen to! sometimes it takes me a bit to get used to an audiobook, but i was in this one almost right away.

🎧 listened to audiobook
#netgalley

Five glorious stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Rom-Commers!!

So, not being into romance and after seeing great reviews I decided to read Katherine Center’s book Hello Stranger. It was the first romance novel I have read in 20 years. I loved it and am slowly making my way through her books, so when I was approved for an advanced copy of Rom-Commers from NetGalley I was so excited!

Rom-Commers did not disappoint. I think it’s my favorite so far! And Patti Murin does a wonderful job narrating it.

Emma is a sweet FMC who has put her life on hold to care for her disabled father. The biggest thing she has put on hold is her dream of becoming a screen writer.

Charlie Yates is a celebrated screen writer and Emma’s idol! However, he has written a terrible romantic comedy and when his manager enlists Emma to help Charlie with it he balks. He NEVER works with other writers!! So starts the journey of two people who end up half heartedly working together.

I liked the playful banter and crazy situations they go through together. Charlie has his own problems and doesn’t share them. He just flounders along hiding them from Emma hoping to get the job done.

The ending is so sweet! And that’s how I happily expected it to be. There was just the right amount of tension between them to keep you wondering if it would really work out.

I was listening to the audiobook and was thrilled to listen to Katherine, herself, talk about why romance novels are so important to read and why they don’t deserve to be laughed at and put on a back burner. As I listened to her speak, I began to tear up. Her words resonated with me. Deep in my heart! I don’t care how silly that makes me seem. The joy that comes with finishing her book is very fulfilling. ❤️

May she have many more rom-com converts!

Many thanks to Katherine Center and Macmillian Audio for the ARC via NetGalley!

💐𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖-𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜🌻
🩷𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚌𝚘𝚖..𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎!
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺(𝚙𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝..Emma is a talented writer & lover of romcoms, but also the sole caretaker for her dad. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to write with her fav Hollywood screen writer and…

🌻🌷🌸🪻🌼🌻🌷🌸🪻🌼🌻🌷🌸🪻💐

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜…THIS BOOK IS PURE JOY! ☀️ this is my fourth Katherine Center book & def my fav! 🥳 I read this as a hybrid(audio some, kindle some) & had to take breaks to rest my jaw. Why, you ask? 🤔Well, because I was smiling so much my jaw would ache & cramp that I had to ice it 🧊🙃…those that really know me know I had a tumor in my jaw..had it removed & stem cells put in its place..yada yada..I am fine(ish) now but have NEVER had a book that caused such elation that I needed to ice my face. Thanks, KC😆

🌈I could rave about it all..her amazing banter, the characters(they are so real!), the relationships(& not just love interests), the quotes that should be its own book in itself, the surprising little plot twists & so.much.more!

📝 Her authors notes are an absolute must read always so never miss those! If you don’t like smiling 😁or want to be a miserable human being then don’t pick it up…otherwise please add this jubilation compilation to your TBR! ☀️🌈🦄

🌻The Narrator was perfection for this one!!

A touch meta and a lot of love

Emma is an aspiring screenwriter who is also her disabled father’s caregiver - a fact that has hampered her career and life in general. A well-connected old friend gives her the chance of a lifetime: to ghostwrite a rom-com with the screenwriter she idolizes. The only problem is he doesn’t want her help nor does he want to “lower” himself to write a love story.

Full disclosure, it took me waaaaaay too long (like 2/3 into the book) to realize this is a sequel of sorts to Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard. I enjoyed that book as well but I think I liked this one a smidge more. Emma is a lot less sure of herself than Hannah was, and normally that would bother me, but it is lovely to see a caregiver’s oft-hidden struggles highlighted. Emma loves her dad and will do anything to protect her sister’s future — much to her own detriment. And while there is conflict around that, neither her dad nor sister take her for granted. They are a strong family unit and fully fleshed out side characters.

Charlie is a grumpy writer who, frankly, I hated at the beginning of the book. The author had to do a lot of character rehabilitation and she did so with aplomb. By the end, cheesy and predictable as it was (I mean, that’s why we are here, right?) I was cheering for Emma and Charlie.

Throughout the book, the case is made for romance stories and romantic comedies in particular. Why are they beloved by so many across time but still denigrated as “fluff” in popular culture? The author lays out a convincing case that the stories we tell ourselves are often as important as the facts. She speaks more about this in an authors note that I really enjoyed.

There are a few questions I still have about the book that I think classify as plot holes, but this is a story about love conquering fear, pain, and loneliness and not a story we need to pick apart for logic or continuity errors.

Overall a very enjoyable read (or in my case, listen) and I will be recommending it to my fellow romance loving friends.

Macmillan Audio provided this audiobook for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Rom-Commers is one of Kathrine Center's best books. Emma and Charlie are so likeable and loveable, I liked Emma's quirkiness I loved the way Charlie did the little things to show how he felt for Emma. I liked that at times during the audio it felt like Emma was talking straight to you like a friend. I loved the pantry part, wait and see you'll love it too. I liked how she took no crap from Charlie and gave it back to him, she was spunky.

This was truly an utter disappointment. I’m so sad to say this as I really enjoyed Katherine’s books when I discovered her. But as I continued to read I noticed they all tend to be one note. All the same storyline but with different scenery if you will. I liked the audio reader. It’s like there are no unhappy endings allowed and the moment girl meets boy you know they will end up together. No surprised. I hate giving negative reviews but unfortunately I felt I had no choice.