SUMMARY
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?
Image and summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
The Rom-Commers was my first Katherine Center book and after hearing so many people rave about her writing, I was really looking forward to finally seeing what all the hype was about. I decided to listen to this one as an audiobook, which made it an easy companion for my day.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I think it was a good introduction to Katherine Center’s writing style. Her writing feels warm, easy to read and full of heart. I can definitely see why so many readers love her books and I’m still interested in picking up more from her in the future.
One thing I appreciated was how character-driven the story was. Rather than relying on big dramatic moments, it focused on the relationships and emotional growth of the characters. There were some genuinely sweet moments throughout the book, and I liked the behind the scenes look at the world of screenwriting. It gave the romance a unique backdrop that felt different from a lot of contemporary romances I’ve read recently.
That being said, I struggled to really connect with the main characters. I liked them well enough, but I never reached that point where I became completely emotionally invested in their relationship. I kept waiting for that moment where everything would click and I’d be rooting for them with my whole heart, but unfortunately it never quite happened for me.
The biggest thing that held this book back was the amount of miscommunication. I know it’s a common romance trope, but it’s probably one of my least favourites. There were several moments where I found myself thinking, “Please just have an honest conversation!” Instead, misunderstandings kept dragging things out and there were times when I honestly wanted to stop reading because it became a little frustrating.
Thankfully, I stuck with it because I really enjoyed the ending. Everything came together in a satisfying way and I thought the emotional payoff was worth the journey. It had a good conclusion, even if getting there wasn’t always smooth sailing.
The audiobook itself was also really enjoyable. I found it easy to listen to and the narration helped keep me engaged during some of the slower sections. Sometimes a good narrator can make all the difference and I think that was definitely the case here.
Overall, The Rom-Commers was a pleasant read, even if it wasn’t a new favourite. While I didn’t fully connect with the characters and found the miscommunication a little overdone, I still enjoyed Katherine Center’s writing enough that I’d happily give another one of her books a go.
This was a 3 star read for me. It was a solid introduction to Katherine Center as an author and although this story didn’t completely win me over, I’m curious to see if one of her other books might be the one that does.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
