Saw mixed reviews about this but was still excited to read this. Overall, the story line just took too long to get into. It felt like nothing really happened until more than halfway through.

This book was so so cute. This might be my new favorite from this author. This would be a great vacation read.

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and swoony goodness—The Perfect Rom-Com delivers exactly what the title promises. Melissa Ferguson, one of my go-to authors, brings us a slow-burn romance between a best-selling ghostwriter and her literary agent, with plenty of humor, heart, and an unforgettable grand gesture.

I loved the single POV and the relatable publishing world backdrop. It’s a perfect summer read, especially for fans of Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for my DRC!

This is a belated arc review after being provided the arc by NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity! ✨

The perfect rom-com is my first novel by Melissa Ferguson and to be completely honest, I did not like it. I pushed through reading it because I truly wanted to know the ending but it did not convince me at all. This was surprising because, truthfully, I loved the author’s note at the beginning about true experiences as an English teacher to foreigners as well as the vulnerability as an author I out yourself out there over and over again without success until you do get your first yes and I wanted to see that reflected during the book. The intention for it was there but it did not land the way it expected. I saw the plot twist coming about 15% into the book.

I did like the ending and the way Jack masterminded the entire thing to help Bryony come on top of Amelia and her family legacy.

There is a lot that can be said but my intention is to keep it honest and respectful because there is essence in the plot line, it just did not appeal to me personally on a deeper level. This book lacked more of the romance and the comedy that I thought it would have and instead felt like an inception scenario in which these two elements were in the book within the book.

This story focused heavily on Bryony's writing career, versus the romance between Bryony and Jack, so it didn't feel like a strong rom-com. If you like a story that leans more to women's fiction with a romantic subplot, then this would be a good choice. I did enjoy Bryony's development, especially as you can compare her across a couple years. Shockingly, listening to professionals is valuable and important.

I did see the twist/secret coming and generally found the FMC too egotistical.

The end scene was my fave, we love a happy ending for all who deserve it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an arc to read and review!

Read for: closed-door romance, friends-to-lovers, villain gets comeuppance, FMC POV

Melissa Ferguson is one of my go-to authors. You know you’re going to get a fiction book with romantic undertones and some fun banter and character growth. This book was no exception!

This is the second book I have read by this author and she is going to be an autoread author for me. This is an enjoyable rom-com about an aspiring author who makes an impression with an agent at a pitch event. Unfortunately he isn’t impressed by the novel she is pitching but at her writing ability. He offers her a job as a ghost writer and she accepts with the understanding that he will try and sell her original book. After they embark on a romantic relationship Bryony is heartbroken to find out he hasn’t been pitching her book. Can they overcome this setback? I liked the characters and their chemistry together. The pacing and writing are great and this is an enjoyable read to add to your summer TBR.

I am torn about my feelings for this book. The premise, the setting, and even the characters were intriguing and likeable, but I found myself skimming through a majority of this story.

With a title like "The Perfect Rom-Com", I expected the focus to be more on the romance (or potential romance), but this leaned heavily on the publishing industry, and Bryony's struggle to make it as something more than a ghostwriter.

The relationship between Jack and Bryony was so perfect, the brief glimpses we got and small focus on their friendship and working relationship through the years had me wanting SO.MUCH.MORE.

Overall, this book had its moments, but as a romance, it didn't focus on the romance enough for me.

The Perfect Rom-Com is a clean and cute book that follows Bryony as she strives to be a published author under her own name.

This book fits into the mold of the author’s other books, and I’m going to keep coming back for every single book. The characters are well, written. The plot is easy to follow and believable. And I couldn’t help but root for Bryony.

With all of the smutty romance novels available, this one is the opposite. It’s all love and romance, and that’s what I prefer.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Bryony attends a writers’ conference to try to find an agent after writing a manuscript to benefit her grandmother’s ESL program. Unfortunately, no one wants to take on her manuscript, but she strikes a deal to become the ghostwriter for rom-com author Amelia Benedict in exchange for her agent taking Bryony’s manuscript. Although the new Amelia Benedict books take off and she becomes extremely famous, Bryony doesn’t feel as fulfilled as she thought she would. And when she finds out her agent, Jack, has been lying to her, she starts to wonder if she can trust him (and herself) as much as she thought either. This was a cute little rom-com, and I enjoyed it! I liked Bryony and Jack (even though they infuriated me a few times lol), and the ending was very sweet. If you’re a fan of closed-door romance, you’ll enjoy this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy! ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced release copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book!

The Perfect Rom-Com is the fifth book I've read by Melissa Ferguson. I won't say it was my favorite, but I have found that I've enjoyed the books where her characters are part of the publishing industry the best.

Bryony is an aspiring author. She's been working as an ESL (English Second Language) teacher at a facility her grandmother founded. She's fallen in love with the people who come through her classes. But the facility is losing its funding, and Bryony wants to publish the book she's written about the facility and her grandmother to support it financially and raise awareness about it. The only problem is that Bryony keeps getting turned down by agents. She needs representation to get her book in front of different publishers.

After a disastrous meeting with agent Jack Sterling, Bryony leaves, not realizing that she left her manuscript on the table. Jack sees enough promise in her from reading what she left that he hunts her down to get her opinion on a new book being ghostwritten under a famous name. Jack convinces Bryony to sign on as a ghostwriter for Amelia in exchange for representation.

The romance was SLOW building. So slow that tension wasn't even there until about 65% or more. Usually, that would bother me, but truthfully, I was enjoying the story just fine without a heavy romantic push. Bryony's struggle with writing for someone else was the heart of the story. And it's not even that she couldn't get credit for her work; the real issue was how resentful Amelia was toward Bryony, who was literally saving her. At the same time, Bryony is struggling to wait for her own book, continuing in limbo. Plus, there's the added pressure of the center she works for rapidly running out of funds and nearing closure.

The big conflict resolution was entertaining but highly improbable in the real world.

I didn't highlight much, but this quote does a good job of showing Bryony's struggles.

-But the fact is, these books are meaningful to me. They’re meaningful to readers. And I sit by my computer, day in and day out, living on crumbs of news about my own story. When on earth will it be my turn to write under my name? When on earth will I get the chance to reach readers with words only influenced by my mind and not dampened by Amelia’s input?

Most of all, I enjoyed another look into publishing, writing, and all of the aspects of the industry that Melissa Ferguson highlighted. I find the whole industry so fascinating. And man, I know the waiting and not hearing back would drive me crazy.

I also want to mention that I appreciated how the ESL topic was handled. She could have gone completely political over this topic. Even the funding being lost was handled well. I applaud this because most authors, when touching on subjects like this, can't help but be divisive. Good job, Melissa and the editors.

Also, on that note, this was a clean book. There's no on-page spice at all. And I don't remember any language used. Proof that those things are not necessary to write a good book.

I read The Perfect Rom-Com quickly, especially given that I've been in a little reading slump. I liked the romance even though it wasn't at the forefront of the entire book. I loved the view inside the industry. And so much more. The Perfect Rom-Com gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Perfect Rom-Com ? What did you think? Let me know!

Just as the name suggests this was a Perfect Rom-com. A struggling ghostwriter/aspiring author who falls in lover with her literary agent. I really enjoyed this one much like her other book I read Meet me in the Margins. Any book written in the literary world I just eat it up.


Thank you to netgalley for an arc.

Liked this book! It was a cute little romance! One thing I personally don't like is that it's about authors, I realised this after reading this!

Melissa Ferguson does it again! She's created a rom-com full of wit and charm, along with a heart felt story arc that is at once entertaining and hopeful. I loved Bryony as a character. Her people-pleasing tendencies definitely hit close to home. I also loved the cast of characters that made up her ESL students. I also love how Jack saw her in a way no one else did. I love a book boyfriend who falls first and falls hard.

What I thought was interesting was the dynamic of Amelia Benedict's character. her over-the-top antics is where a lot of the comedy comes in. She was insane, in the best way, ha! I will say this has made me even more fascinated with publishing and I would love some inside secrets on the who's who of ghostwriting!

While I received a digital copy through Netgalley, I ended up purchasing the audio and listening to the book. It was the perfect bingeable audio to start off summer!

Was this supposed to be a rom-com? Title is a bit mis-leading. I didn't really get that vibe from this book while reading it. I mean, it was okay, some jokes here and there, some romance in a couple of places towards the end and some build up beforehand, but there wasn't really enough for me to want to classify this as a rom-com.

One thing that definitely took a whole star (maybe a star and a half) for me, was that between the start of their business relationship, and the present time where most of the book happens, there's just a couple year gap. A huge blank slate. There's no visible progression of their relationship and after we jump to present time, we're told that the two are really close, and are comfortable with each other, which is completely different from when they first met. But how did we get there? Then again, even the rest of the book without the time jump didn't really show the progression of the relationship, it only told us it was happening.

Now, leaning away from the romance (or lack thereof), if it wasn't classified as that, I do think this is good otherwise. Bryony showed a lot of character progression throughout the story and showed greatly increased confidence after her writing was rejected, and she was able to turn that around and actually pursue a career in writing, even if it was not originally in the way that she wanted to.

Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for this eARC. This is my honest review.

I finally got my hands on reading this book and as per usual Melissa Ferguson doesn't disappoint. Fun writing, silly banter, and a great premise is the perfect recipe for the perfect rom com (see what l did there). I liked this book. I'm not sure if there anything that absolutely stuck out to me, but I liked the characters, and their dynamics. I didn't enjoy the third act conflict, but other than that, I absolutely enjoyed the book. Thank you for the arc. I’m excited to see what Melissa Ferguson has up her sleeve regarding any new releases.

Bryony Page is an aspiring author trying to sell her own manuscript about her grandmother. In the process, she instead becomes a ghostwriter for a popular rom-com "novelist."

I felt slightly disappointed reading this one. While the premise was a fun idea, I expected more of the rom-com aspect considering the bold title of the book.

While it was a quick read, I felt that there wasn't enough substance to get invested in the characters and their relationship.

Thank you Thomas Nelson for selecting me for this ARC.

Melissa Ferguson just gets it. Her "Perfect Romcom" is exactly what you need when you crave laughs, heart, and a serious dose of feel-good vibes. Seriously, this book is basically a warm hug in novel form.

Our hero? Bryony, a ghostwriter who's secretly a romance queen but wants her own story published. Enter Jack, her literary agent and the slow-burn, friends-to-lovers dream. Their banter? Chef's kiss. And Jack? He's the patient, swoon-worthy golden retriever you've been waiting for. Plus, her ESL students are pure gold.

Look, this isn't some high-stakes, angsty drama. It's a sweet, charming ride that focuses on witty dialogue and warm fuzzies over steamy scenes. If you're into low-key perfection with a side of witty charm, grab this. It's a solid 4-star winner and your next delightful escape.

I was expecting more romance in a book called The Perfect Rom-Com but this felt more like contemporary fiction with a splash of romance. 3 stars