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kerosenelit's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I swear, I open a Katherine Center book and I cannot help but devour it. I've read nearly all her books, and I'm always hooked by her warm blend of meaningful topics within an otherwise breezy, cheerful story. She makes me feel all the emotions!
This was very much a validating love letter to the romance genre. And Charlie Yates certainly gets a lesson! With his script for an upcoming romantic comedy being downright terrible, aspiring screenwriter Emma Wheeler is tasked with helping him rewrite it.
Let's just say, it took me time to warm up to Charlie. He is a realist, and for understandable reasons, but his bitterness was uncalled for at times. Emma was a darling powerhouse of personality, and it irritated me to see Charlie continually push away a good thing.
But he won me over!
Through writing sessions and research (hehe), I loved seeing Charlie experience all that romance has to offer. Leaving you with the message of finding joy within the hardships, it's a delightful ending with a totally memorable grand gesture!
(heat level: closed door)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
This was very much a validating love letter to the romance genre. And Charlie Yates certainly gets a lesson! With his script for an upcoming romantic comedy being downright terrible, aspiring screenwriter Emma Wheeler is tasked with helping him rewrite it.
Let's just say, it took me time to warm up to Charlie. He is a realist, and for understandable reasons, but his bitterness was uncalled for at times. Emma was a darling powerhouse of personality, and it irritated me to see Charlie continually push away a good thing.
But he won me over!
Through writing sessions and research (hehe), I loved seeing Charlie experience all that romance has to offer. Leaving you with the message of finding joy within the hardships, it's a delightful ending with a totally memorable grand gesture!
(heat level: closed door)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content
jillwedemeier's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Katherine Center does it again with another delightful romantic comedy, aptly titled "The Rom-Commers." Center is a master at crafting sweet, closed-door romances that will give you all the feels. Like with her other books, "The Rom-Commers" will have you laughing out loud and wiping away tears. There are quite a few hard-hitting topics in the book, so be sure to check the trigger warnings. But, as usual, Center is able to skillfully balance grief and trauma with romance and humor. This book was not my favorite of her works, but it was an enjoyable and easy read that will make the perfect beach or poolside companion this summer. Emma and Charlie were relatable characters, each dealing with their own challenges and past traumas. I loved the "opposites attract" trope and thought they both had excellent character development. Overall, a wonderful rom-com that I recommend.
I listened to the audiobook read by Patti Murin. She has narrated Center's books in the past, and I always enjoy her narrations. Murin is a believable narrator who brings the story to life with a fun and lively performance. The audiobook featured a bonus scene from Charlie's perspective and an author's note read by Center, which are both audio-exclusives, as well as acknowledgements read by the author.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to the audiobook read by Patti Murin. She has narrated Center's books in the past, and I always enjoy her narrations. Murin is a believable narrator who brings the story to life with a fun and lively performance. The audiobook featured a bonus scene from Charlie's perspective and an author's note read by Center, which are both audio-exclusives, as well as acknowledgements read by the author.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Katherine Center is such a delightful writer. The Rom-Commers combines all the best of her writing - lovable characters, some sad/tragic circumstances, an obstacle, and a lovely, meandering path to change, love, and growth. Gahhhh this was such a great book. I really enjoyed Emma as a character - I'd want to be her friend, to support her and the tough family situation she's been in, but also because she seems like a great, loving person. I also loved Charlie. Despite his fame and success, he's held onto himself and has kept his circumstances to himself. I loved seeing how the two come together and understand one another. I also adored Emma's family and the resolution there. :) :) :) Great book! It made me laugh and cry and smile. Read this book, please! :)
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Katherine Center is such a delightful writer. The Rom-Commers combines all the best of her writing - lovable characters, some sad/tragic circumstances, an obstacle, and a lovely, meandering path to change, love, and growth. Gahhhh this was such a great book. I really enjoyed Emma as a character - I'd want to be her friend, to support her and the tough family situation she's been in, but also because she seems like a great, loving person. I also loved Charlie. Despite his fame and success, he's held onto himself and has kept his circumstances to himself. I loved seeing how the two come together and understand one another. I also adored Emma's family and the resolution there. :) :) :) Great book! It made me laugh and cry and smile. Read this book, please! :)
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
mrs_meg_walsworth's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Closed door no sexual content really. A few kisses but nothing descriptive.rachminick's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“It’s all about the details you notice and the joys you savor and the hope you refuse to give up on.” There are many great quotable lines in this book!
Emma and Charlie are both broken people who develop a friendship and eventual relationship through the common trope of forced proximity. The way the characters continue to carry baggage from past trauma leading to the eventual conflict led to me feeling a little frustrated and disappointed toward the end of the story. However, the earlier steps taken toward growth by each character and the banter between them kept me invested in the love story.
I love a story that includes lovable side-characters and this has a mix of easy to love and easy to hate side characters.
Emma’s father is a lovely example of overcoming and one of my favorite quotes from him: "Whatever story you tell yourself about your life, that's the one that'll be true."
I absolutely loved the audiobook and found it an easy and engaging listen. Patti Murin’s performance lends a lot to the story giving each character a distinctive voice.
A great big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
louisekf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-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
4.75
Katherine Center is a must-read author for me. She never lets me down. Her romance novels always bring joy to my reading life, even as she covers serious topics along the way. The Rom-Commers is no different - it was just delightful.
Emma Wheeler is an aspiring screenwriter but life got in the way of her taking advantage of a prestigious Hollywood internship. Specifically, she became her father’s caretaker and a mother-substitute for her younger sister, after a tragic accident. So she put her life on hold, while she continued to write without achieving any success in that area. But an old friend in LA is her manager and one day he hands Emma the opportunity of a lifetime - to write (actually re-write) a rom-com with her screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, if she can come to LA from Texas. Apparently, Charlie is a masterful writer but this rom-com is a disaster and rom-coms are Emma’s specialty. So this is a rom-com about writing a rom-com! Very meta.
The whole sequence of events after Emma gets to LA is pretty hilarious, while also touching on Emma’s fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, and her fangirl idolization of Charlie and other Hollywood writers and actors. There’s a fun cameo appearance by Jack Stapleton, who we met in The Bodyguard - and Meryl Streep! We have a bunch of tropes: enemies-to-lovers and/or friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, grouchy-sunshine, etc., but Center somehow pulls it together in her expert way. Among the serious topics covered are: Meniere’s disease (I don’t think I’ve seen another book that covers this, a disease a friend of mine deals with); cancer; death of a parent; disabling injury; and more.
Do not miss this book if you like rom-coms at all!
I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read - or when I could not listen. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Patti Murin, and the audiobook includes a short piece by the author (read by the author).
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer
cayleyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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
Omg I loved this book so much. I cried so many tears, both sad and happy, and can’t not rate it 5 stars.
I loved Emma’s energy and personality, and the way she behaved around the stars of LA resonated so much. Her family overcame so much and was so lovely. You could tell Charlie was in love with her from the first second, and the grumpy energy made for such a good build up.
Both characters have a lot of trauma that they work through, both together and apart, and they’re just such a power couple.
I also loved the nods to the tropes and writing style of a rom com throughout. Fantastic writing and story.
I loved Emma’s energy and personality, and the way she behaved around the stars of LA resonated so much. Her family overcame so much and was so lovely. You could tell Charlie was in love with her from the first second, and the grumpy energy made for such a good build up.
Both characters have a lot of trauma that they work through, both together and apart, and they’re just such a power couple.
I also loved the nods to the tropes and writing style of a rom com throughout. Fantastic writing and story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
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
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