Title: The Rom-Commers
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romance
Pages: 336
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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The Rom-Commers

Emma Wheeler dreams of becoming a screenwriter and is willing to take any job that helps her earn extra money. Fortunately, her best friend, Logan, is an excellent agent. However, for the past ten years, Emma has only been able to accept work-from-home jobs. She has been the full-time caretaker of her father, needing to stay with him around the clock.

Emma and her younger sister, Silvie, had an agreement: Emma would care for their father during the first ten years, and Silvie would take over for the next ten. One day, Logan calls Emma with an incredible opportunity. Her favorite screenwriter, Charlie Yates, needs help rewriting a romcom screenplay after the first draft turned out to be a disaster. Initially, Emma hesitates to leave her father, but Silvie assures her that she’ll step in and take care of him.

When Emma arrives in Los Angeles, she quickly discovers several challenges. First, Charlie wasn’t informed that Emma would be assisting him, and he prefers to work alone. Second, he knows next to nothing about romcoms. Lastly, Emma will have to live with him for the next six weeks.

Review

I think I’ve just read my first five-star book of 2025, and honestly, it might be my favorite Katherine Center novel yet—and that’s saying a lot since I’m already a huge fan of her work.

For me, the key to loving a book is finding characters I can relate to, and that’s exactly what happened here. Some moments hit me hard, especially Emma’s situation. She’s spent the last ten years taking care of her little sister and father, but no one is taking care of her. That really resonated with me. She also struggles with anxiety, which feels so real. And, of course, Emma’s love for romcoms mirrored my own. We had so much in common. But surprisingly, I also related to Charlie in a lot of ways—insomnia, a shared fear of swimming pools from a near-drowning experience as a kid. It was fascinating to connect with both characters on different levels.

This book had everything: humor, relatability, romance, and even moments that made me cry. I couldn’t put it down. For a minute, I worried it might have a bittersweet Me Before You-style ending, but thankfully, it delivered a happy conclusion. Still, the emotional journey was intense. When Charlie rejected Emma, it felt like he was breaking my heart, not just hers.

Charlie wasn’t perfect—he could be rude and stand-offish—but his actions showed how much he cared for Emma. He was in love with her but didn’t think he was good enough, which made him try to push her away. That dynamic broke me, but it also led to some sweet moments, like when he Googled whether he was in love with her because he wasn’t sure. That made me laugh so hard.

The supporting characters were great too. Emma’s father was inspiring—always learning and making the most of life, even mastering ten instruments with just one hand. Logan, on the other hand, left me conflicted. He lies a lot, and I don’t think he ever really apologized for his actions.

A couple of thoughts lingered after finishing the book. I wondered why Emma and Silvie didn’t consider placing their father in a nursing home so they could both pursue their dreams. Also, I can’t believe it took me so long to realize Jack Stapleton from The Bodyguard made a cameo! That was such a fun surprise.

This book was full of witty banter, genuinely funny moments, and even adorable animals—Cuthbert the Peruvian guinea pig was a delight, despite his small role.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. I highly recommend it. And in case you’re wondering—there are no spicy chapters in this one.

4o

The post The Rom-Commers – Katherine Center | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.

Title: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romance
Pages: 325
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Hello Stranger

Sadie Montgomery is an artist but hasn’t had her big breakthrough yet until now. She is one of the finalists of the National Portrait Competition. This is her chance! When she goes to the supermarket to buy some things to celebrate, she faints in the middle of the road. A good samaritan saved her life. In the hospital, the doctors find out that she needs brain surgery as soon as possible, otherwise, she could die, just like her mother did. But after the surgery, she can’t see faces literally. She got face blindness and Saide can only hope it is temporary. Her dog is staying at a Vet clinic for a few days, where she meets Dr. Oliver Addison. She immediately falls in love with this guy and knows they are going to marry one day. Even though, she can’t see his face. In the elevator of her building, she meets Joe. Sadie thinks that he is a player, who has zero respect for women. But when they start hanging out after Oliver Addison stands her up on their date, she realizes he is not as bad. But is it smart to fall in love with someone when you can’t see his face?

Review

OMG! Yes!! I honestly loved this book. It was hilarious and just amazing! This was one of the books I couldn’t stop reading. I thought the first book I read this year (Make Me Wilder – Serena Bell) was great, but this one was even better. I loved every single minute of it.

The story itself is hilarious. She has to paint a portrait for this competition, but that suddenly gets a lot harder when she gets face blindness. And then there are these guys she thinks she is in love with, even though she can’t see their faces. Although, now I think about it. Maybe that is a sign of real love. She loves the guy for who he is and not for what he looks like. The story has a plot twist at the end, and it was a great plot twist. Although, I saw it coming. I think there were many hints. But I still enjoyed it.

The characters are likable. Sadie is a poor artist who has her big breakthrough. Joe is likable as well, even though Sadie thought he was a player who slept with every single woman in their building. Sadie’s stepsister however is an annoying little bitch. I wanted to scream at her. Sadie is unfortunate that she can’t recognize her immediately anymore, so she can run away.
I only wonder how Sadie could all afford those check-ups for her dog and buy so many coffees. She was literally broke and there was no income. That did not make any sense.

The writing style was great and this was definitely one of those books I couldn’t put down. It was just too good. I enjoyed every single minute of it. I couldn’t wait until I got home and could read it again. This makes me wonder if her other books are just as good as this one. Because if it is, I want to read them now, all of them. I did some research and I just realized that ‘Happiness for beginners’ is also by her. I watched that movie recently on Netflix and I loved that as well. So maybe they are all good. I think Katherine is going on my instant-buy list. But Hello Stranger is definitely one of the books I would recommend.

The post Hello Stranger – Katherine Center first appeared on A happy life.