I finished this a bit ago and thought I had reviewed but recently realized I had not! This was a good read so this defintely needs a review.
I loved the opening line. I loved the main characters banter and lots of moments I highligthed that were lol The main characters were likeable. He was witty with great dry humor. I loved her inner dialogue. Jack and Byrony were just wonderful together and indiviudally. Gloria was great as a friend to Byrony and their scenes added nicely to the story. A favorite quote: "But as often happens in life, the greatest joys and the greatest struggles tend to be delivered to your doorstep in the same basket. And it's up to you to dissect the two and embrace the good without letting the bad overcome." I could put this in my re-read section.
*great flow to story
*great characters
*great plot
*great dialogue
*subtle and gentle build to their relationship
*he falls first
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc of this book. All opinons are 100% my own.

This one was just not for me. I just didn't feel the romance in this book. There felt like no connection between the characters. I also found it weird how Byrony had a long term boyfriend (never seen) until right when it was time for her to hook up with Jack. This book was cheesy, and not in a way that worked for me.

I really enjoyed this story, it felt so unique for a rom com. I loved all the publishing insider info and a peek inside the life of a writer. The beginning was so good because I couldn't figure out how it was going to play out. It was a fun and interesting read and I enjoyed my time reading it.

There are so many things I loved about this book.
1. This is a perfect HEA
2. There is so much depth and warmth and connection between the main characters that make it feel like more than just lust
3. Super clean romance
4. So much more substance than normal, laugh out loud moments, secondary characters who are heartwarming and feel good side stories
5. Overall quick read

My only criticism is that it starts just a touch slow buy quite quickly picks up and you overlook a bit I. The end to make it work so neatly but totally would recommend.

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was delightful. Bryony Page is an aspiring novelist whose heart is broken when no one wants to represent her or send her novel out. While downtrodden, she speaks her mind to hot-shot agent Jack Stirling about a different author he represents. That's how she ends up being a ghostwriter for a vapid and horrible "writer" named Amelia. I loved that the book really focused on Bryony and Jack's friendship over the course of their working together, and how it's clear from the way he follows her around and supports her that he's her greatest ally. The two are very funny together as well. Of course, being a ghostwriting isn't enough for Bryony, and the shit hits the fan when she and Jack start a romantic relationship and she desperately needs to get her novel published (but why hasn't anyone responded to Jack's queries for it?). It's got all the usual Rom-Com tropes and mayhem and break-up and resolution. A classic of the genre with two fun leads.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bryony Page is determined to get her first novel published...despite it being a confusing mix of genres. It is a story dear to her heart and part of her plan to fund the school her family runs to teach ESL students. Bryony comes to the attention of literary agent Jack Sterling and is hired to be a ghostwriter for a demanding and talentless writer, Amelia Benedict. Bryony agrees, but only if Jack helps her own book find a deal.
The complexities of the publishing world are explored as both a delightful work friendship and personal relationship develop between Bryony and Jack. The side characters (the students, Penny, Gloria, etc.) are enjoyable and add a nice dimension to the story.
There is a very satisfying ending so that Amelia gets what she deserves, and the other characters get their perfect rom-com ending. I will be recommending this book.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction, Melissa Ferguson and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Perfect Rom-Com brings us to Bryony who is struggling to get her first novel to a publisher that will listen to her and give her a chance. She needs this book to take off. Bryony teaches English as a second language at The Bridge, her grandmother's organization. The Bridge is struggling financially and this book could help. Her book tells the story of her grandmother and how The Bridge came about. In an another effort to find a publisher, Bryony meets Jack. He sees something in her, but it's not exactly what Bryony wants him to see. He wants her to be a ghost writer for the famous Amelia Benedict. She can't pass up the money. It is just too good not to take this job. She hopes she can also get someone to take a look at her manuscript especially if they love her new work for Amelia...
Melissa Ferguson is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! I love her witty, sweet, romantic, banter-filled novels. They always make me feel like I am in a Hallmark-esque movie. She has yet to disappoint me. I will always recommend Melissa Ferguson and I will always look forward to reading her new work. Special thanks to Melissa Ferguson, NetGalley, and Thomas Nelson Fiction Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars for me #ThePerfectRomCom #NetGalley

Melissa Ferguson, this might just be my favorite book you’ve written. I was immediately sucked into this one & the style in which Ferguson wrote. The writing here was so fluid & brought these characters to life off the page. I could see each interaction, hear every conversation, and feel every emotion between these characters.

This story is focused on Bryony, an aspiring author who needs an agent so she can publish her book & help save a place that holds a lot of meaning to her. Enter Jack, a literary agent who isn’t drawn in by her book proposal, but loves her attitude and who she is as a person. They strike up this friendship that you just know is going to blossom into something more. This story is all about the journey, though, primarily for Bryony, but also for Jack. It’s hard to describe the emotions these two evoked in me, but I was just completely absorbed by their story.

Did the ending wrap up in a way that was grandiose & slightly unrealistic? Sure.
Did the name Bryony feel like a mouthful every time I read it in my head? It did.
But neither of those things kept me from loving the way this book made me feel…and isn’t that how we should rate books? On the way they make you feel? I loved it.

This one was so vivid in my mind as I read it. I have no doubt this will translate beautifully on audio, as well.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson (Harper Collins Christian Publishing) for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure you pick this up when it releases in February!

Your review
Dec 30, 2024
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I loved Melissa Ferguson's novel, Meet Me In the Margins, so I was excited to be approved by Thomas Nelson Fiction to read The Perfect RomCom on NetGalley. My little book group and I agree that we love when romance books center their story around people working with books. In this case, it is a writer/ghostwriter and her literary agent and sparks fly between them almost immediately when Bryony shocks Jack in quickly fixing a romance novel he was working on. I love how both Bryony and Jack are complicated yet seem right for each other from the start even though they have a lot of differences. I rooted for Bryony to make it as an author on her own terms and for Jack to prove he was always worthy of her.

Hoping to sell her manuscript, Bryony heads to her first-ever writers' conference, Despite bombing her own pitch, she ends up impressing a big-shot agent, Jack. Next thing you know, she’s got an offer to ghostwrite for the famous rom-com author Amelia Benedict.

If you’re into slow-burn romances, you’re going to love this one! You also get a look into the cutthroat world of publishing!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson fiction for this ARC.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review purposes courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins.

While I wanted to like this book, it was very difficult for me to get through. The characters did have some traits that I connected with, but the writing itself was slow. I kept waiting for it to pick up and it just didn’t. Still a solid 3 star read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Byrony Page is a writer whose name lives near the top of the NYT Bestsellers list…but you wouldn’t know that by her name because she’s a ghostwriter. On a mission to save The Bridge, a non-profit that helps immigrants get their citizenship, she accepts a position ghost-writing for Amelia Benedict. A nepo-baby whose family owns just about the whole publishing world and cant string two thoughts together to save her life. With the help from her agent Jack Sterling, Melissa finds herself turning into the writer she never thought she could be and comes more into herself in the process.

The title of this book threw me a little bit as I expected more of a rom-com read, not that Byrony is writing “the perfect rom-com”, so I was a little disappointed that our heroine and her love interest don’t really connect or show a whole lot of attraction until the last third of the book. The book is heavily focused on Byrony (personally I cannot get over that name either, its hard to push past), and her struggles to save the Bridge by getting her own book published while working as a ghost-writer. Byrony herself was witty, quirky, thoughtful and a great main character to read about. I appreciated the insight on the cause our heroine was pushing for and how tough the publishing world is, but I would have given up so much of that for more character insight on the other characters. With so much focus being put on our heroine, I also don’t really start to see the other/side characters development until we are deep into the book as well, which is a bummer because its hard to connect with Jack. Bits and pieces of their friendship are shown through their reminiscing, but because of the time jump from their meeting to 2 years later, you miss all of the things that bring them together. As this is a story told completely from the first-person, it almost makes it especially hard to connect with any character outside the mind of Byrony as most only seem to really exist when they are interacting with her.

With that, I feel characters that are mentioned that are meant to be larger pieces of the puzzle (like her sister) are there for one or two chapters then left behind; or there for the purpose to cause a later rift between Jack and Byrony (like her long distance boyfriend) but could have been done in different ways. Personally, I could have done without the long distance bf and read more about the ways Amelia could cause disruption. While Jack is supposed to be our love interest and has amazing witty banter and a fun chemistry with Byrony, he also comes off as a bit manipulative. The grand gesture is all fine and dandy, but if he truly had feelings for Byrony as long as he did, he would have been doing more behind the scenes work to make her dreams come true.
I enjoyed the book overall, but not really as a romance. I do very much love Melissa Ferguson’s writing, but this one just didn’t hit the right sport for me. It took me longer than my usual to get through because some spots I had to push through.

Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Fiction nd Netgalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Bryony Page is an ESL teacher trying desperately to save her beloved organization, The Bridge. She writes a novel based on her grandmother's experience of founding the organization, but has not been able to land an agent at her writing conference. It seems like her hail mary chance is over, but, since she has nothing to lose, why not be bold and brave with this last agent who summarily dismissed her. But instead of discussing her book, he asks her to tell him what's wrong with someone else's book proposal. And with that, she enters into an agreement to ghostwrite a romance book in exchange for representation for her own novel. But, after two years of writing someone else's books, she's no closer to seeing her own on shelves or having enough money to save The Bridge. While forced to go on tour with the author she writes for, things get tense and secrets are exposed. Has Bryony's hope run out? Maybe she'll blow up everything in her life and see what happens.

This story took me on a ride. I had varying emotions about the main character and the side characters but always hoped Bryony would get her HEA. It was full of heart and growth and entertainment. A very fun and endearing romcom.

The Perfect Rom-Com is a light-hearted book that features a rom-com but very much focuses on personal growth first. Bryony is an ESL teacher by day and a ghost writer at night. In fact, she is a ghost writer for a very popular romance writer, never mind that her books have outsold every one preceding her. She desperately wants to publish her own writing but her agent, Jack, keeps pushing back. On top of everything else, she has a 2 year long distance relationship going nowhere and a not-really-a-relationship-but-definitely-a-relationship going with Jack. Over the course of the novel you see Bryony's heart through her writing, her relationship with her students, and her relationship with her romance writer's entourage. She attempts to write the perfect rom com while being surrounded by conflict, all while desperately trying to sell her literary fiction novel that holds her heart.
I enjoyed this book, but I'll be honest I didn't care for Jack. That's not bad since the story is way more about Bryony as an individual and way less about her relationship with Jack, but she could have done better. So could a lot of the other characters in the story. It felt like we ended everyone at a midpoint in their journey instead of at the end, and we could have reduced the number of characters to more fully form the remaining characters at the end (Bryony is a prolific teacher with an amazing number of students, but maybe I didn't need to meet a dozen of them)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC - I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a sweet romcom that was easily read in a day! I really fell in love with the characters and loved going on this journey with them!

3.5⭐️’s. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Different storyline than I have encountered before so I was hopeful that I was going to love this book. I struggled with relating to the characters, especially Bryony and Jack’s love story. It just didn’t hit for me and wasn’t believable that they were in love.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was a little hesitant going into this book because of the previous books I have written centered on a ghostwriter. It’s been done a lot. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this iteration. Maybe it had to do with how the gig came about and the motivation behind it or the fact that it was a means to a specific end. In either case I am glad that I read it. I really liked the relationship between the MCs. I love a good friends to lovers trope. I also loved The Bridge and highlighting how valuable resources like that are to immigrants and refugees, and, in turn, how valuable they are to our society and communities. Such a sweet story!

The perfect rom com is a quick easy read but I found it difficult to connect to and care about the characters in this story which is why I haven’t rated it higher.

Bryony is full of optimism attending her first writers conference. Things don't go quite as planned, and instead of getting an offer on her book, she's offered a position as a ghost writer instead. No one could have predicted how popular her stories would become or how difficult it would be to get her stories published under her own name.

Thoughts 💭
I struggled with this one a little bit. I was quick and relatively easy to read but gave us a glimpse into the difficulties of publishing. I know it's difficult, but that's not really why I'm picking up a story to read it. I want more of an escape. I could not connect to Amelia Benedict at all (I kept wanting to call her Amelia Bedelia), and she had no depth to her other than she was rich and entitled. These are acceptable things in a story they just didn't do anything for me. I did love Bryony and Jack and their slow burn romance. Everything wrapped up into a neat little bow at the end that left me satisfied. This is a quick read if that's all you're looking for.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to like the book but just felt that it fell flat. Spoilers coming.

I liked Jack's authenticity so it just felt like a real disconnect when his secret was revealed. Plus him saying he was dating her even if he wasn't just feels not good. That's creeping on territory you shouldn't be...
Amelia was just such a witch with no redeeming qualities.
The long distance relationship with Parker just fell flat from the beginning - there were red flags galore, they didn't even have a scene talking to each other ever.
I enjoyed Gloria as Bryone's hype sister.

I appreciated the story to help immigrants/refugees because that is near and dear to my heart but it all just felt kind of off and I didn't connect with it. How it resolved also felt so unrealistic also that they could magically pull that off.