I wish I could give this book 10 stars. This fantastic novel made me literally laugh out loud over and over and at times made me cry. This was my first Katherine Center book but after two chapters I could tell I was in love. The writing is smart and witty and really draws you in to these fantastic characters. This book is a MUST read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved the premise of the book - Emma, a writer who has spent the last 10 years at home caring for her disabled father, gets a chance at her big break in Hollywood to write with acclaimed screenwriter, Charlie Yates! Emma travels to LA for 6 weeks to re-write Charlie’s rom-com movie, which is terrible in her opinion, only to end up falling in love with each other.

There was some humor and good insight to the writing process in the book which was fun but I didn’t feel a real spark between the characters. Charlie was at times insufferable and not even a little bit sweet or redeeming.

📝
Thank you to St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for a free digital copy on exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 11 JUNE 2024.

This is a perfect rom-com. It's full of heart and heartbreak. It has joy and sorrow, and it highlights the connections between people. Center has been one of my favorite authors for years, and I think her books just keep getting better and better. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

She has done it again 😍. Another beautiful rom-com! I laughed, cried, and squealed😂. I loved all the character development, descriptions of love, and getting a glimpse into the life of a rom-com writer. The pantry scene was adorable 🥲. If you are looking for an adorable Summer read this is it!

VIBES/TROPES: He falls first, workplace romance, opposites attract.

PERSPECTIVE: 1st Person
SPICE: 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of the book, the romcom writer helping an incredibly successful screenwriter write his own romcom. There was definitely some humor built in overall though I found the book lacking a real spark between the main characters. The story was an incredibly slow burn that just had me losing interest about 1/2 way through. I do look forward to reading anything by Katherine Center but I would prefer to reread “The Bodyguard “ .

4.5/5

I always know I’m in for a delightful time when I start one of the authors books, pure sunshine and joy and this was no exception. Listening to the audio version of this was like listening to a friend tell a very entertaining story that you can’t get enough of. Patti Murin brings Emma to life, she made me laugh with her performance and during the emotional sections there is a depth to her portrayal. I always feel like the authors books are perfect for those readers who don’t tend to pick up a romance, they’re so charming and just plain fun I feel like everyone can enjoy them.

Thank you for another delightful, funny, deep, heartwarming, lovely book Katherine Center! To say I loved this book is an understatement. I definitely teared up several times, especially when thinking about my family. So thankful to have received this ARC. Go read this book!!

Katherine Center's "The Rom-Commers" is a delightful blend of romance and comedy, perfect for a summer read. The novel features Emma, a strong-willed screenwriter, and Charlie, a renowned yet unlikely rom-com writer, whose interplay breathes life into this Hollywood-set story. While some plot elements may stretch credibility, Center's warm, humorous storytelling and sharp dialogue make for an engaging read. This book is ideal for those who enjoy a light, heartwarming story that balances romance with personal growth and the pursuit of happiness..

Thank you to Saint Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own

Quick summer read. I appreciate that I got what I signed up for: a rom-com! Some suspended belief required, but also moments that rang true. Insight about balance between keeping hope alive and the reality of suffering and tragedy in the midst of happy felt grounding. I also appreciate that Center writes romance with a closed door.

There has never been a book by Katherine Center that I didn't like, and "The Rom-Commers" was no exception. I am usually a thriller fan but will drop anything for a book by Center because I know how good it will be. I enjoyed the book writing plot as well as mixing in Hollywood screenplays and Hollywood life. Great book overall.

Katherine Center delivers warm and fuzzy romance in all of her work. There is always humor, warmth and good messages. I reach for a Katherine Center novel when I want a fun and light read. It's similar to all the feelings one gets when watching a Japanese or Korean love drama. That being said, I think this novel could have been better. A romance novel (or any novel for that matter) is better if it's plausible, in my opinion. There were a lot of details that screamed fiction in this book. Starting with a famous (drawer full of awards and best of all time) screen writer who is thirty years old. I felt Charlie's character should have been older to have so much acclaim and fame for his work as well as lived life experiences. His character could be richer and more believable if we had a full realistic back-story for him. I also thought the accident and death of Emma's mother and Charlie's fear of water could have been more believable. Some of the language in the book makes it hard to take it seriously - would Emma's father really master so many one-handed hobbies (it's a lengthy and unlikely/implausible list)? These details are fun and cute but make for unrealistic fiction (which interrupts the flow for me). I prefer realistic romance novels that are funny, heartwarming and sweet to read. I still love Katherine Center and I enjoyed this novel but I don't think it was her best work.

Charlie Yates, Hollywood Screenwriter Superstar, changes genres, leaving action/apocalyptic/zombie movies behind for a rom-com! Not a good idea, Charlie! It’s so bad it could ruin your career. 

Meet Emma, a longtime friend of Charlie’s agent, Logan. She's been an aspiring writer for years, but had to put her dreams on hold to tend to her family. Now, as fate would have it, a new opportunity arises. It’s Emma's turn to step into the spotlight and make her mark in the world of writing.

The question is, can she teach Charlie how to write a rom-com, how to feel love, and what an HEA looks and feels like?

This was a charming read about life and love, chock-full of life lessons one can take away. There were no tears here…just good insight into enjoying what’s right in front of us, maybe even finding light through the darkness we all sometimes experience.

A million thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC.

I am going to say something bold… this is my FAVORITE Katherine Center book yet! This was written beautifully. I adored the characters, the small romantic moment, the banter, the emotion, the tragedy, the plot, everything!

I was highlighting from the beginning. The Rom-Com girlies will love this. Not only does the author reference famous movies and actors, but she creates the perfect rom-com moments between the characters. There were so many beautiful and emotional quotes, as well.

I adored Emma. She was strong-willed and challenged Charlie but she was also a hopeless romantic who just wanted to be loved back. Charlie was battling so many things that made him closed-off but was written in a way that you understand him by the end.

The story wrapped up beautifully and everyone got their own moment to shine. So many small details came full circle in a way that wasn’t cheesy at all.

I’m in love. Thank you, Katherine Center, you have a beautiful mind.

I needed a break from all the murder-y, doom and gloom books so I read The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. Emma Wheeler is a talented, passionate screenwriter who hasn’t met her potential. Her parents had a tragic accident when she was about to go to college and Emma has been her dad’s caretaker ever since. For ten years she has stayed home and helped her sister achieve her dreams. Now, an opportunity to write with Emma’s personal writing god has landed in her lap. Emma’s sister steps in to take care of their dad and Emma flies to L.A. for six weeks. Only for her to discover that Charlie Yates has no idea she was hired for this and has no interest in working with her or writing this romantic comedy script. Let me start by saying that I love Katherine Center books and devoured this one in less than 24 hours. But…. I absolutely loathe the number of times something gets said or done by a character in this book and it is followed by “like” such and such. For instance, “Charlie nodded, like fair question”. This has to happen, on average, once a page in this book. It is distracting and very annoying. Also, we search for words for things often. For a person who is a writer, our main character really struggles to find words. That being said, I like these characters. Emma is a strong woman who stands up for herself and what she believes no matter what. Charlie is a grumpy, reclusive writer who is also sweet underneath and charming. He isn’t the typical man we have in romance books. He has flaws and isn’t some incredible male specimen. Which is refreshing. There is very little spice in this book. I think they kiss a few times and that is it. Which honestly, suits me just fine. Most sex scenes are cringe. I do think there were issues here with how they communicated with each other that were red flags. Emma broke the 4th wall a few times and that was an interesting way to approach this book. A 4/5 star read for me, though. I enjoyed the experience. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date June 11th, 2024. This review will be found on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline

The Rom-Commers is fundamentally concerned with defining and defending romances against the disrespect and dismissal the genre unfairly faces. It’s very meta, a romance about the craft of writing romance and the existential reasons romance is important. Throughout the story, as the main couple work from opposing viewpoints to revive a bad rom com screenplay, we are treated to the hilarious hijinks and banter so foundational to the genre. The Rom-Commers reminded me of Jennifer Crusie’s Welcome to Temptation—when the FMC uses the couple’s intimate times as inspiration for scenes in the adult film she and her sister are making—except here instead of explicit scenes, it’s unexpected or charged romantic moments between the characters that make their way into the screenplay.

The Rom-Commers is a romance for romance lovers. Of course it delivers on the promise of tropes: grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, caretaking, and some shades of celebrity romance. Charlie is a grumpy misanthrope who is secretly a cinnamon roll and Emma is a sunshiny ball of anxiety. So much of this novel is just the two of them in their own writing, cohabitating world, which really works because of the convincing chemistry and rhythm they have together. There’s also a guinea pig named Cuthbert who steals the show. Also for romance lovers, this book appreciates the magic of a kiss. In another meta moment, Center describes a kiss as a liminal space between the ache of longing for something and the delicious feeling of getting it—arguably the same can be said of a romance novel, as it lets the reader linger in that space of tension.

While some of the novel’s genre explorations retread common ground, even the things a regular reader will find familiar still sparkle. Center has such a clear voice, with compelling narration and snappy dialogue. Her writing renders Emma and Charlie as magnetic and charmingly idiosyncratic. She knows what we want in a hero’s character arc. With Charlie, we get that thing I love where the hero says something callous, based on assumptions from a position of privilege, without having all the facts—and is eventually forced to reframe that perception and realize/admit they were wrong. I also love when an MMC’s huge mistake is followed by a heartfelt but anonymous grovel. Like, I’m respecting your wishes and so I’ll leave you alone because I know I hurt you, but I care so much that I’ll use my money and influence to make sure you’re ok and help you behind the scenes, and you won’t know it was me until someone else tells you. It’s great.

(Some vague spoilers below.)

Unfortunately, while I loved these characters, they each have aspects or actions that I just cannot get behind. Charlie is carelessly mean to or about Emma multiple times in the story, usually when he’s dealing with uncomfortable emotions or situations. While the book acknowledges it, it doesn’t really hold him accountable for it. I wanted more explicit discussion of the toxic masculinity of pretending that things don’t matter when they do, of how unfair it is to one’s partner when every negative feeling comes out as anger, sarcasm, or dismissal. I also found it extremely frustrating that Charlie does the 3rd act breakup thing where he lies to Emma to preserve her freedom/choices—which paradoxically hurts her and allows her no choice in the situation.

For Emma’s part, her unforgivable moment was not with Charlie but with her sister, Sylvie . Emma’s family plays a big role in the story which my review hasn’t as much covered, but suffice it to say that in a moment of crisis, Emma panic spirals and says incredibly hurtful and toxic things to her. Unfortunately, but understandably, her sister says something toxic and hurtful in return. As the crisis passes, Emma’s feels deeply wronged by her sister, but doesn’t seem to feel any remorse about what she said that also crossed a line. So while Emma eventually gets an apology from Sylvie, she doesn’t reciprocate. Her words just hang there between them, unacknowledged by the text, and I couldn’t come back from that. I was rooting hard for these characters, and it felt like a betrayal when that feeling didn’t last.

Overall though I really loved most of the book. It was a quick, engrossing read, as funny and romantic as it should be. In its focus on writing and emotion, The Rom- Commers has a clear point of view. Center wants us to see the power and connection between the internal stories we tell ourselves and the fictional stories artists create for the world, stories which iterate themselves and shape our individual and collective lives. It’s very poignant. This is a story about gratitude, second chances, and family, both born and chosen. It implores us not to take the people we love for granted, to treasure precious memories and stay present in every moment because nothing is certain.

I would definitely recommend The Rom-Commers to other romance readers.

Such a fun story! Always love a Katherine Center story for romance, comedy, and heart tugging. This was not an exception. Perfect summer read!

I've done it again. I raced through this book like there's no tomorrow and now I'm sad. It's over. I'm done. Darn it! As always the characters are wonderful, their situations unique, and I couldn't get enough. Well, I guess I'll just have to read it again.

Review: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

This rom-com dives into what makes a rom-com great while creating a pretty adorable one. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and often did not want to put it down. While the initial few chapters took me a minute to get into, I fell in love with Emma and then the banter between her and Charlie.

I highly recommend The Rom-Commers to readers of Emily Henry and Courtney Walsh, and readers who love:
▪️Quirky characters
▪️Amusing banter
▪️Reading about writers
▪️Deep emotions
▪️Coming of age / character growth stories

This delightful, closed door romance is a perfect summer read. Check it out on June 11th.

4.25 stars ⭐️! I’ve been devouring Katherine Center’s books lately so I was super excited to get an advanced copy of her new one. Her books are definitely comfort reads for me and this one made me feel all the warm fuzzies like usual. It was cheesy at times and utilized all the genre stereotypes (which is expected in a romcom about romcoms 😂), but it also somehow felt fresh and fun at the same time. Lots of LOL moments and witty banter, and I loved the chemistry between the two MCs! I felt myself truly rooting for both of them.

Katherine Center books always put me in a feel-good mood. This was no exception. I really liked Emma’s family dynamics, the look at why her career was placed on hold, the representation of chronic illness and anxiety, and the story of Emma finally chasing after her dreams. Charlie’s own story and reasons for stepping “out of the limelight” as a award-winning screenwriter was also compelling. Their interactions and working-relationship turned friendship turned love was humorous and full of top-notch banter. The only things that pulled me from the story just slightly were the moments of second-person perspective when Emma addressed me, as the reader, directly. And while I absolutely loved the statements Emma makes about romantic comedies, her championing them and convincing Charlie of their importance, it did all feel a bit meta at times. I suppose it would have to in a romance book about a romantic comedy screenwriter teaming up with a famous screenwriter of anything but. In some ways, it was like the author’s note from Hello Stranger (sidenote: so worth the read) came to life in this story.

The bottom line: I loved this wonderfully fun book and the undercover defense for the genre within it.