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clairetrellahill's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In recent years I’ve avoided books about writers because tbh it feels a little navel gazey. Also they’re usually about the kind of writer I am not, and the added heightened unreality of their situation irks me. That’s why I put off reading this ARC a while even though I love the author’s work. I thought, “mm, maybe I’ll just wait a bit.”
I’m very glad I was wrong.
In a world of books incorrectly billed as romcoms when they are low on both rom and com, The Rom-Commers was a massive delight. Center writes deadpan humor with rapid back and forth banter, inner dialogue that slays, and amazing chemistry. Her books are just READABLE. The voice is engaging and delightful. But even through the humor, her book packs a powerful emotional punch.
Emma set aside her writing dreams to care for her invalid father after a family tragedy and only gets small jobs that a former boyfriend sends her way. But this job he sends her is a doozy—rewrite a script from a massive screenwriting legend that is abysmally bad. After much coaxing, Emma travels to LA to find out that he doesn’t want her there, he didn’t agree to this—but she’s not giving up. She’s going to get this script written—even if she has to teach him how to love again.
I absolutely loved this book. 5 stars.
Heat level: 0. Kissing only!
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.
I’m very glad I was wrong.
In a world of books incorrectly billed as romcoms when they are low on both rom and com, The Rom-Commers was a massive delight. Center writes deadpan humor with rapid back and forth banter, inner dialogue that slays, and amazing chemistry. Her books are just READABLE. The voice is engaging and delightful. But even through the humor, her book packs a powerful emotional punch.
Emma set aside her writing dreams to care for her invalid father after a family tragedy and only gets small jobs that a former boyfriend sends her way. But this job he sends her is a doozy—rewrite a script from a massive screenwriting legend that is abysmally bad. After much coaxing, Emma travels to LA to find out that he doesn’t want her there, he didn’t agree to this—but she’s not giving up. She’s going to get this script written—even if she has to teach him how to love again.
I absolutely loved this book. 5 stars.
Heat level: 0. Kissing only!
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
CW: death of a parent (past), caretaking of a dependent parent (current), cancer diagnosis (past)readingonthefly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ahhh The Rom-Commers was so cute!! I liked it SO much more than Hello Stranger. It was so funny, flowed so easily, and was soooo addicting!! I finished in less than 24 hours (stopping to teach America’s future) and enjoyed every bit of it. While it was funny, it also had more serious elements that reminded me of older Katherine Center books that I loved so much. This wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center but it was a great Rom-Com that every romance reader should read ❤️
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Out 6/11
CW: Cancer, loss of parent
“I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could” 😭
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Out 6/11
CW: Cancer, loss of parent
“I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could” 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
smorrow_03's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I won an ARC o this on goodreads and I loved it so much!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Death
Minor: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
anovelglimpse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.
The Rom-Commers bought me immense joy. I have no idea how to show that in this review. It was just so good! I felt like I was watching a romantic comedy movie while reading this book.
The plot of The Rom-Commers was fun and unique. Two screenwriters, one enthusiastic and one not so much, falling in love while collaborating on a script provided a lot of hilarious and also surprisingly emotional moments. Katherine Center did a fabulous job of keeping this romantic comedy upbeat and fun while every once in a while, throwing the characters' emotional baggage at the reader. I'm happy to report I laughed way more than I teared up. This was a true romantic comedy and not just a book disguised as one.
Emma was a little bit quirky, and rightfully so. The past ten years had been tough on her. She was her father's caretaker and a mother figure to her younger sister. Breaking away from her daily duties and going to L.A. to help rewrite a script pushes her out of her comfort zone and brings on her anxiety. I loved how her anxiety was depicted and how Emma's character grew throughout the story. Emma getting a chance at a different kind of life, one where she flourished and enjoyed her talents was rewarding to read about.
Charlie Yates didn't get his own POV in this book, but I'm not complaining about that. Seeing him through Emma's eyes was more than enough. He had issues of his own. Emma pushing Charlie out of his comfort zone while being out of hers was highly entertaining. These two were awkward on their own. Together, they were one big mess that somehow worked in the best ways. The things they taught and shared with each other were sometimes funny and sometimes special. I fell in love with them as a couple while they were falling for each other.
This romance wouldn't have been what it was without the amazing cast of characters there to support Emma and Charlie along the way. Emma's family was just the sweetest. They had problems like all families do, and I liked that none of them was perfect. I loved Emma's best friend who forced her out of her little life and made her reach for the stars - even though he was kind of an idiot at times. I also enjoyed the people in Charlie's life. It was fun to see Jack make some cameos.
Thank you to Katherine Center for writing a romantic comedy that was such a joy to read and for spelling out what a romantic comedy is in terms anyone should be able to understand at a time when so many love stories and women's fiction sob fests are being incorrectly marketed as romantic comedies.
You can find this review and others like it at A Novel Glimpse .
The Rom-Commers bought me immense joy. I have no idea how to show that in this review. It was just so good! I felt like I was watching a romantic comedy movie while reading this book.
The plot of The Rom-Commers was fun and unique. Two screenwriters, one enthusiastic and one not so much, falling in love while collaborating on a script provided a lot of hilarious and also surprisingly emotional moments. Katherine Center did a fabulous job of keeping this romantic comedy upbeat and fun while every once in a while, throwing the characters' emotional baggage at the reader. I'm happy to report I laughed way more than I teared up. This was a true romantic comedy and not just a book disguised as one.
Emma was a little bit quirky, and rightfully so. The past ten years had been tough on her. She was her father's caretaker and a mother figure to her younger sister. Breaking away from her daily duties and going to L.A. to help rewrite a script pushes her out of her comfort zone and brings on her anxiety. I loved how her anxiety was depicted and how Emma's character grew throughout the story. Emma getting a chance at a different kind of life, one where she flourished and enjoyed her talents was rewarding to read about.
Charlie Yates didn't get his own POV in this book, but I'm not complaining about that. Seeing him through Emma's eyes was more than enough. He had issues of his own. Emma pushing Charlie out of his comfort zone while being out of hers was highly entertaining. These two were awkward on their own. Together, they were one big mess that somehow worked in the best ways. The things they taught and shared with each other were sometimes funny and sometimes special. I fell in love with them as a couple while they were falling for each other.
This romance wouldn't have been what it was without the amazing cast of characters there to support Emma and Charlie along the way. Emma's family was just the sweetest. They had problems like all families do, and I liked that none of them was perfect. I loved Emma's best friend who forced her out of her little life and made her reach for the stars - even though he was kind of an idiot at times. I also enjoyed the people in Charlie's life. It was fun to see Jack make some cameos.
Thank you to Katherine Center for writing a romantic comedy that was such a joy to read and for spelling out what a romantic comedy is in terms anyone should be able to understand at a time when so many love stories and women's fiction sob fests are being incorrectly marketed as romantic comedies.
You can find this review and others like it at A Novel Glimpse .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer
andrearbooks's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is my sixth Katherine Center, and I just love having her books in my life. I love how she talks about the complexities of life through the world of romance, and she does it with such unique characters. For this round, it's the story of two writers. One is a famous screenwriter who's lost his words, and the other is a woman whose always dreamed of a career in writing, but life responsibilities have taken priority. They find themselves working on a project where her job is to teach him about what romance in writing (and maybe life? I mean, y'all, this is literally a ROMANCE) looks like. This was an emotional journey, even more than I was expecting, so know that going in. But I adored the layers of this one, and the way the plot had so many layers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this June 2024 release!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
melodyharmon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is a journey. It's full of witty banter throughout with literary puns thrown in that will make any book nerd smile!
I found this book to be very endearing. I won't lie, there are some heavier parts in this book that left me confused with how I felt about the book. In the end I decided I really did enjoy it, and the Rom-com aspect of it was great!
This book does deal with some heavy topics: death, accidents, injuries, cancer. So keep that in mind if you have those are your trigger warnings.
I received a courtesy ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center. All thoughts and ratings of this book are my own, and without expectation.
I found this book to be very endearing. I won't lie, there are some heavier parts in this book that left me confused with how I felt about the book. In the end I decided I really did enjoy it, and the Rom-com aspect of it was great!
This book does deal with some heavy topics: death, accidents, injuries, cancer. So keep that in mind if you have those are your trigger warnings.
I received a courtesy ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center. All thoughts and ratings of this book are my own, and without expectation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
oxfordcommas91's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First, huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book as an ARC! Any new Katherine Center book is a book I will always beg to read early.
The plot - meet Emma, the “sunshine” of our Grumpy/Sunshine duo who is an aspiring screenwriter stuck in Texas as a caretaker for her chronically ill father. Emma’s pal Logan is an agent for some Hollywood stars, including (unbeknownst to Emma), Emma’s favorite super famous screen writer, Charlie. Charlie is, of course, the grump of this duo who has written a truly abysmal romcom to curry favor from a network exec. Logan brings Emma into the picture to get Charlie’s writing on track, moving her across the country for a six week stint at Charlie’s mansion. Write a beautiful rom com, cash that mega check, and then Emma will be on her way back to her home town. Or will she?
My thoughts - this book was delightfully cliche, and I say that in the nicest way possible. Sometimes it’s okay that something is a cliche - it works for a reason. Grumpy/sunshine is not my favorite romcom trope, and variations on this plot have been done before (Jasmine Guillory’s “By the Book” comes to mind), but this one worked for me, because of course it did. Because no matter how suspicious I am of the plot or the tropes, Katherine Center makes you FEEL things about her characters in a unique way that I think is really difficult to find with modern romance writers. The plot is sickeningly sweet, but I will sign up for the cavities because I love her characters so much.
The one major downside for me was the absolute onslaught of traumatic medical content (more on that below in the content warnings section). It was inescapable and truly there at every turn throughout the book. One of the medical plot lines would have been enough to further the storyline, but the three major accident/trauma plot points was rough. It felt like we were being cracked over the head with a baseball bat to remind us that bad things happen to good people.
Other than that, I feel like there were moments that felt a bit obvious to me and I would have loved a bit more insight into Charlie and what made him tick, but I can’t wait for all of you to read this one. You’ll laugh, you’ll shed some tears, and you’ll walk away feeling just a bit lighter than you’d felt before you read it.
Important content warnings: there is a LOT of medical content in this book, and that’s something you should be conscious of if you’re sensitive to that. There are discussions of traumatic accidents/death, near death experiences, loss of a parent, cancer, and a lot of talk of caretaking for a loved one with a disability/chronic health condition. If any of these issues are weighing on you, I’d encourage you to take a take a beat on reading this right away.
The plot - meet Emma, the “sunshine” of our Grumpy/Sunshine duo who is an aspiring screenwriter stuck in Texas as a caretaker for her chronically ill father. Emma’s pal Logan is an agent for some Hollywood stars, including (unbeknownst to Emma), Emma’s favorite super famous screen writer, Charlie. Charlie is, of course, the grump of this duo who has written a truly abysmal romcom to curry favor from a network exec. Logan brings Emma into the picture to get Charlie’s writing on track, moving her across the country for a six week stint at Charlie’s mansion. Write a beautiful rom com, cash that mega check, and then Emma will be on her way back to her home town. Or will she?
My thoughts - this book was delightfully cliche, and I say that in the nicest way possible. Sometimes it’s okay that something is a cliche - it works for a reason. Grumpy/sunshine is not my favorite romcom trope, and variations on this plot have been done before (Jasmine Guillory’s “By the Book” comes to mind), but this one worked for me, because of course it did. Because no matter how suspicious I am of the plot or the tropes, Katherine Center makes you FEEL things about her characters in a unique way that I think is really difficult to find with modern romance writers. The plot is sickeningly sweet, but I will sign up for the cavities because I love her characters so much.
The one major downside for me was the absolute onslaught of traumatic medical content (more on that below in the content warnings section). It was inescapable and truly there at every turn throughout the book. One of the medical plot lines would have been enough to further the storyline, but the three major accident/trauma plot points was rough. It felt like we were being cracked over the head with a baseball bat to remind us that bad things happen to good people.
Other than that, I feel like there were moments that felt a bit obvious to me and I would have loved a bit more insight into Charlie and what made him tick, but I can’t wait for all of you to read this one. You’ll laugh, you’ll shed some tears, and you’ll walk away feeling just a bit lighter than you’d felt before you read it.
Important content warnings: there is a LOT of medical content in this book, and that’s something you should be conscious of if you’re sensitive to that. There are discussions of traumatic accidents/death, near death experiences, loss of a parent, cancer, and a lot of talk of caretaking for a loved one with a disability/chronic health condition. If any of these issues are weighing on you, I’d encourage you to take a take a beat on reading this right away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Infertility, and Panic attacks/disorders
booksgardenhappiness's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I felt this book deeply and with my whole heart. I laughed, cried and fell head over heels in love with both Charlie and Emma. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading the entire thing in practically one sitting. Sometimes you read a book at just the right time and that’s what this book was for me -- the exact right book at the exact right time.
Parts of the story were sad and will definitely pull at your heart-strings but The Rom-Commers is also laugh out loud funny. The banter between Charlie and Emma is perfection! I loved every minute. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book that I have ever read by Katherine Center but I can say without a doubt that this one is my absolute favorite. I loved it so so much!!
View my full review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Pt4NBLhLA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
maliat1130's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
maliameiireads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer