The Rom-Commers

Dear Katherine,

THIS BOOK! I am absolutely smitten, totally in love, wholly wrapped up in this story. Happiness for Beginners has long been my favorite of your books, but this one gives it a run for its money. I adored Emma and Charlie. It wasn’t difficult to love Emma. I saw a lot of goodness in her, even if I also saw flaws. I think that’s something I love about your books—your characters are so raw and real, I feel like they could be my neighbors or my friends (at least the friends thing would always be my hope). I’ll be honest, I wasn’t so sure about Charlie at first. He grew on me quickly, however, and then I was smitten and rooting for them both to figure things out and just get together already! I love how the challenges you set up for your characters always throw not only them, but also me. I never see almost anything coming. They really add to the realness and humanity of your novels, and that is the case with this one as well. I adored Emma’s family, and how supportive they were of her. I loved how Emma was pushed and stretched and pulled, and Charlie was pushed and stretched and pulled, and how they grew, both as individuals and together. The banter and humor were spot on, and that was balanced so well with depth and rawness. I just loved it. I absolutely adored it. Forever yours, Jessica

AUDIOK REVIEW: I loved this audio! I felt like the narrator really brought Emma and her emotions and thoughts to life. The audio makes this read even better.

TW/CW: mentions death of parent (occurs previous to book); mention of cancer; health concerns with parent; mentions of divorce; multiple uses of the f-word; romance: kisses only

**Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

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’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? 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.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?

My Thoughts:

As I jumped happily into The Rom-Commers, I couldn’t stop rapidly turning the pages and smiling gleefully at each moment that grew more delightful for our main characters.

I loved Emma and Charlie, even as I didn’t really like Sylvie, who was selfish, but then things changed. Just as everything turned around for all of them. I loved this book, which would have earned more than 5 stars if possible.

First of all, this book had no business being SO FREAKING CUTE.

The Rom-Commers follows Emma Wheeler, who is an aspiring screenwriter, and full-time caretaker of her father. Following her sister’s graduation, Emma gets a chance to rewrite a script for her idol, Charlie Yates, and moves to L.A. for six weeks while her sister cares for their father.

Charlie is dismissive of her and cynical about love. Recently divorced, and full of unhealed trauma, Charlie does not want to work with ANYONE, even though his new screenplay (and first romantic comedy) just plain sucks. Determined, Emma fights to prove the worth of romantic comedies and, in the process, sparks fly. She starts to wonder if their real-life chemistry might lead to an unexpected love story.

This was such an easy five stars for me - it had banter, humor, and was just plain adorable. It also had ZERO spice, but the tension and cuteness between Emma and Charlie was so great that I wasn’t missing anything. I was invested from the beginning, which to me, says sooo much about Katherine Centers writing. The Rom Commers was a perfect summer romance!

Katherine Center is one of my all-time favorites and this book is a prime example of why. At its core, it's a love letter to rom-coms and writers who create them - and it's also much deeper than that. Katherine has a unique ability to take very deep and heavy topics (tw: death of a parent, cancer diagnosis) and work through them in a very bright and heartwarming way. This book made me laugh-out-loud and tear up at various times and really evoked a whole range of emotions.

Read this book if you enjoy: > Forced proximity > Grumpy/sunshine > Writer MCs (screenplay writers) > Hollywood > Slow burn/closed-door romance > Banter and humor

I loved both of these MCs. While I usually enjoy dual-POV stories, this one didn't feel lacking because we got such a well-rounded view of the MMC through his dialogue and other sources. His gruff/grumpy demeanor was well done - with enough breadcrumbs to see how he was starting to feel about the FMC without it seeming abrupt or disjointed. The FMC had a lot going on! And all of her backstory was treated with care and really made sense to highlight the character she was and her growth throughout the story. The banter between the two was fun and I definitely had some laugh out loud moments with the FMC. And I loved that this was a strong FMC who didn't take any crap from the MMC.

There were some really great side characters in the FMCs story - her family and extended network in Texas was such a crucial part of who she was and her journey. The different Hollywood cameos and network that the MMC had made it very interesting to show the difference in their two experiences. And I adored the Jack Stapleton (The Bodyguard) cameo at different points in the story.

I was so excited to get a chance to read this book early - thank you so much to NetGalley, KC and St Martin's Press for the eARC to read and review. All (very enthusiastic!) thoughts are my own.

🎬I don't even have to read a #katherinecenter book to know I'm going to be giving it 5 stars; that's how confident I am in her ability to write exactly the book I want to read. She writes it. I read it. I love it. It's actually quite simple.

✨This one was no exception as I absolutely flew through the audiobook and was literally laughing out loud two different times by the 2% in mark. No one actually makes me laugh in a book as much as KC does! She gets it! And she's actually just a funny person!

🎬After reading Katherine's author's note in her previous book, Hello Stranger, and following her (religiously) on Instagram for years, I can't help but notice and understand her deep love for the romance genre and her defense of the romance genre. I really felt that part of her coming through in this book particularly through the female main character, Emma Wheeler. So while I could be way off, I feel like Emma Wheeler and Katherine Center have a lot in common which made me love the character Emma even more!

✨This story was just plain fun...which is always odd to say when you know how heavy the topics her books address can be while keeping the overall vibe light. And this book had its fair share of big and hard topics: loss of parent, serious injuries, etc.

🎬The love story felt believable and realistic which I always appreciate, just two flawed people that find each other and can't live without each other.

🎧The narrator @pattimurin did a wonderful job and definitely enhanced the reading experience!

✨I'm so sad every time I finish her newest book because the waiting game for the next one resets 😩😂😍I can't wait to read whatever Katherine writes next!

First of all, the main female character has red, curly hair just like mine and many of the same pains and struggles that I’ve had with mine. No one ever has a lead with red curly hair and so this was incredibly exciting and relatable for me!

Okay, on to my thoughts. I will admit to being a little hesitant to bump this to the top of my reading pile so soon after it came out as the author is typically a like but not a love for me but I’m so glad I did because I LOVED this. Charlie is the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood and he’s written a rom-com that’s horrible. Emma is an aspiring screenwriter whose career has never come to fruition because of extenuating circumstances (taking care of her injured father). When Emma’s hired to help Charlie rewrite his screenplay into an actual rom-com, he’s cranky, defensive, and unhappy about the whole thing but she quickly convinces him to give her a chance but of course Charlie is wounded and tortured and doesn’t believe in love…until Emma. This was the sweetest story of a grumpy curmudgeon completely changing as a person when he meets his person and it was just so damn cute. Loved it!

This was my first book by Katherine Center, and it will definitely not be my last. I was hooked from the first page and voraciously devoured Emma & Charlie’s story. I was pleasantly surprised how Center effortlessly spun a fun and epic love story but managed to sprinkle in bits of tragedy, hardship, and perseverance. The more somber moments didn’t detract from the levity of the story. They, in fact, made it better; more believable & real. Just two wonderfully flawed characters, trying their best to deal with the tragedies of their past. All while hoping for a better future.

Emma Wheeler is a talented screenwriter. Well, sort of. She was on the path to realizing her screenwriting dreams when a tragic climbing accident left her father partially paralyzed. With a traumatic brain injury to boot. Guilt and a strong sense of responsibility made Emma abandon her prestigious Warner Bros. screenwriting internship to stay in Texas and care for her disabled father 24-7.

Charlie Yates is a screenwriting legend. He can do no wrong and everything he pens is sought-after. That is until he tries to write a romantic comedy and fails. Miserably. I mean it’s bad. Like, "We’re going to need a better word for terrible." bad. He only wrote it because he needed to get one of his other screenplays green-lit. He doesn’t even believe in love. He doesn’t really believe in anything anymore.

Charlie’s agent, Logan, who also just happens to be Emma’s ex-boyfriend from high school, has been throwing Emma work any time he’s able. When The Charlie Yates needs help rewriting his script, Logan jumps at the chance to give Emma the job. She is the best romantic comedy writer he knows, and Charlie Yate’s biggest fan. Two birds, one stone. Except Charlie doesn’t know Emma is coming to help him, and he absolutely does NOT want to write with anyone, especially a nobody like Emma Wheeler. That is until Emma rips Charlie’s script to pieces and impresses the hell out of him, all at the same time.

Charlie and Emma are polar opposites that complement each other perfectly. I love the kick-ass writing team they make, the close bond they form, and the deep love they share. From the way they navigate their working relationship, to the tension-filled "research"that leads to them falling in love, Charlie & Emma kept me laughing, crying, and turning pages at a rapid pace. Their character growth was immense, and their happily ever after was well deserved. Because Emma & Charlie are sheer perfection together. And it’s high time they both managed to be ok and write the very best story of their lives.

Also, more books should have an adorable pet guinea pig named Cuthbert. Just saying

The Rom-Commers Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Happiness is always better with a little sadness."

"We act like 'and they lived happily ever after' is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that's never the way I read those words. I read them as 'and they built a life together, and looked after each other and made the absolute best of their lives."

.....................................................

I have so many thoughts on this book. First, let me say... I really enjoyed Katherine Center's writing style and the overall vibe this book carried. It flowed well and it was a light, quick read. The beginning pulled me in, and I was here for the premise of the plot. Two rom-com writers thrown together to fix a script that was in a word "terrible".

I admired the FMC, Emma. She was strong, mature, responsible, and just trying to do the best for her family. She rarely did anything for herself, and I really enjoyed that she took a chance on this adventure.

I initally found the MMC, Charlie, intriguing. He had a cute, nerdy, boy next door, disheveled vibe. I will say I did have a hard time with him during the middle of the plot. Due to the direction taken by Katherine with the plot, and some of the back and forth, I found him extremely frustrating. Maybe that was the point...I don't know.

However, I will say that as frustrated as I was in the middle third of the book, the ending did redeem some aspects of the plot. I was left with a happy, warm, fuzzy feeling, a true feeling of family, and what a 'happily ever after' truly means.

⚠️Warning⚠️ Language, no spice, adult content

It was good, but not a 5 star.

I loved some parts, I hated some parts, I liked some parts, I was confused by some parts. To be a 5 star…Some things didn’t click for me. I wanted some resolution at the end but it seemed like it was more of a sweep under the rug for some parts, and it seems like the ending went very fast and tried to wrap up, unexplained things that began throughout the book, but it just didn’t quite match the book speed, and tempo. The epilogue seems like it really tried to quickly explain all of the unraveling in the book in a really hurried way. I guess I just wanted more conclusion and wrap up. I felt a little lost and like I was waiting the whole time.