The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Genre: Romance
Length: 336 pages
Audiobook Length: 10 hours
First Published: 2024

Rachael’s Review

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Emma has always wanted to be a screenwriter but her dreams have taken the backseat to being a full-time caretaker for her father. When Emma gets the chance to rewrite a script for Charlie Yates, her screenwriting role model, Emma’s younger sister steps in as a caretaker so Emma won’t miss this opportunity. Yet Charlie has no interest in working with Emma or even in the script they are rewriting. Emma must convince Charlie that love stories matter, but it might end up being her heart that is on the line.

The Rom-Commers has all the hallmarks of a fantastic romantic comedy: witty banter, darling personalities with adorable clashes, and over-the-top plot twists. But all of these are combined with real emotions and character development. Emma and Charlie was so cute together and their will-they/won’t-they had me gripped to the page. I love how Center knows all the clichés of the romance genre and expertly utilizes them to write something that feels charmingly adorable.

Publisher’s Description

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?