The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center Published by St. Martin's Press on June 11, 2024
Pages: 325
Format: ARC
Genres: Romance, Women's Fiction
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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?
I expected The Rom-Commers to be exactly that: a standard romantic comedy. I was pleasantly surprised by how heartwarming it is.
Emma Wheeler is a fledgling screenwriter who gets an unexpected offer to work with her writing idol, award-winning screenwriter Charlie Yates. Charlie has written numerous action and sci-fi blockbusters, but he’s just written his first romance, an updated version of the classic rom-com film It Happened One Night. It is—in a word—abysmal. Emma’s forte is writing romantic fiction, and she is tasked with helping Charlie polish his turd into a diamond. The one hiccup is that Charlie doesn’t want Emma’s help.
Both characters are endearing. I loved Charlie immensely. Even in the beginning when he’s gruff, there’s something appealing about him. As the story progresses, we get to see his boyish charm and vulnerability. I clicked with Emma instantly. She’s smart, funny, and talented, and I admired her willingness to put her dreams on hold in order to care for her sick father. It’s touching. Charlie and Emma’s road to love is a bumpy one, paved with humor, setbacks, frustration, and tenderness.
The actual writing process is only a small portion of the story, but Emma’s insight into what makes a good romance is spot on. Hollywood power dynamics are an interesting addition and make for some entertaining moments.
I also loved how well-developed the supporting characters are. Emma’s dad is a gem, and her sister is her biggest cheerleader. I was struck by how invested I became in the outcomes of all the characters—not just Emma and Charlie. The epilogue is particularly satisfying.
Recommended for fans of:
Rom-coms
Enemies-to-lovers
Hollywood
I received an early copy from the publisher to voluntarily read. Opinions are my own.
About Katherine Center
BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.”
She is the New York Times bestselling author of nine bittersweet comic novels, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and Happiness for Beginners, which is soon to be a Netflix movie starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine’s newest novel, The Bodyguard, was an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller.
The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix in August of 2020, was in Netflix’s Top 25 movies of the year, and was a Top Ten movie in over 30 countries around the world.
Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.”
Her work has appeared in O Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Redbook, InStyle, People, and many others—and has made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year, and more.
Katherine holds degrees from Vassar College and the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program and lives in Texas with her kind-hearted husband, two fun teenagers, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.
I am so glad that you loved it Angela!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! I have the audiobook from my library right now, so it’s my next read. Hopefully, I’ll enjoy it as much as you did.
Great review! I really enjoyed this one too!