So at first I wasn't going to be giving feedback but realized it might help someone else. I was 100% expecting this to be a romantic comedy with some spice sprinkled in like most are, but this wasn't if for me. It was more a self reflection kind of thing.

This book really surprised me! The Perfect Rom-Com, despite it's title, isn't really about a romantic relationship; Though there is a ridiculously cute one in the novel as well. Rather, it shows the story of Bryony Page rediscovering herself and learning to choose herself. As a people pleaser myself, I found her journey to be relatable and I found myself rooting for her success every step of the way. Despite all of that, her and Jack's relationship was still the cherry on top. No spice in this novel, but you'll find the romance between the two extremely satisfying nonetheless and heartwarming. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5)

Melissa Ferguson’s The Perfect Rom-Com is a lighthearted, charming tale of ambition, identity, and love, peppered with witty banter and delightful rom-com tropes. While it doesn’t completely stick the landing, it’s an enjoyable read that combines the highs and lows of the publishing world with a sweet, slow-burn romance.

Bryony Page is a relatable protagonist with a dash of endearing chaos. Her optimism, ambition, and dedication to her grandmother’s struggling ESL organization make her likable from the start. Watching her navigate the cutthroat world of publishing, from her disastrous pitch session to the unexpected opportunity to ghostwrite for the demanding Amelia Benedict, provides plenty of cringe-worthy yet laugh-out-loud moments. Her determination to balance her own dreams with the needs of those she loves adds depth to her character.

Jack Sterling, the literary agent with a golden reputation and an even bigger heart, is Bryony’s perfect foil. His steady, no-nonsense approach contrasts with her whirlwind personality, and their dynamic is filled with witty banter and growing chemistry. While the romance develops slowly—almost too slowly at times—it’s ultimately sweet and satisfying, with moments that make you smile and swoon.

The insider look at the publishing world is a highlight. Ferguson’s portrayal of the highs and lows of ghostwriting, from the triumphs of success to the frustrations of being invisible, adds a unique layer to the story. Bryony’s interactions with Amelia are particularly entertaining—Amelia’s over-the-top vanity and outrageous demands create both humor and tension, making her a scene-stealer in her own right.

Favorite moments? The scene where Bryony steps in to “correct” another author’s work during her disastrous pitch session is both hilarious and cringe-inducing, perfectly capturing her mix of bravery and desperation. And the eventual moment when Jack realizes he’s as captivated by Bryony’s passion as her talent is a swoon-worthy payoff for their slow-burn romance.

That said, the book does have some pacing issues. The middle drags slightly as the story focuses on Bryony’s struggles with ghostwriting and balancing her personal goals, and the romantic tension with Jack sometimes feels like it’s simmering on low heat for too long. Additionally, the resolution of Bryony’s personal and professional arcs feels a bit rushed, leaving some secondary storylines underdeveloped.

Themes of ambition, self-worth, and balancing one’s dreams with real-world responsibilities are handled thoughtfully, even if they sometimes take a backseat to the rom-com elements. Bryony’s journey to reclaim her voice—both literally and metaphorically—is satisfying, even if it feels slightly predictable.

Final verdict? The Perfect Rom-Com is a delightful, if uneven, read that will appeal to fans of books about books, slow-burn romance, and lovable underdogs finding their voice. While it doesn’t quite reach perfection, Melissa Ferguson’s witty writing and charming characters make it an enjoyable escape into the messy, magical world of publishing—and the even messier world of falling in love. A fun pick for rom-com enthusiasts!

3 ⭐️ 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 my 2nd book by Melissa Ferguson. I’ve also read Meet Me In The Margins and really enjoyed that one. This is a heartwarming and sweet novel set in the publishing world. The romance is so subtle I’d almost consider it a sub-genre. Bryony is a ghost writer. Jack is a hot-shot literary agent. I really enjoyed their enemies to best friends story, and their banter was entertaining as well.

I found Bryonys job as a ghost writer fascinating. I love reading books about books! I definitely empathized with her having to write for Amelia who is a huge narcissist. I found Bryonys stubbornness to accept feedback on her first book (passion project about The Bridge) really frustrating.

Jacks backstory needs flushed out a little more.. I feel like I ended the book not knowing a lot about his character. I wonder if this would be better as a dual POV to really get into Jacks brain. I’m not the biggest fan of how this book begins and how she got the ghost writing gig. I didn’t find that origin story believable.

This book was a light read that had a good premise, but lacked some of the depth that I search for when reading a rom-com.

Bryony’s journey as a ghostwriter is definitely the focus here, with a mild subplot of romance with our MMC. But even though the book spans throughout multiple years, we lose some of the critical moments of Bryony and Jack’s romance development when they first work together. I also think that some of the side characters are only just briefly mentioned and instead I would have loved to see and hear more about who they were, etc.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction.

I got to read this as an arc from Net Galley and i am really glad i did. This book was so good. It had many good quotes and the romance was really good. My only problem with it was the pacing, that i felt was too slow. This book could have been at least 50 pages shorter and still be as good.
The characters development was really good. I loved how the book wrapped up but i feel like it should have wrapped a bit earlier. I was cheering for our main character through out the entirety of the book. I do admit that i didn't see the ending coming in that way.
Overall Summary:
Bryony Page works as a ghostwriter for a famous author for years but also has her own novel on the side. After years of waiting she is desperate to get her own book famous and published so she can save her grandmothers organization. In order to succeeded she needs the help of the famous editor Jack Sterling, who she has gotten to in the past few years she has been working as a ghostwriter. Will she get to finally publish her own novel? Are her and Jack really just co workers, or is there something more? Will she save her grandmothers organization?

Would read again if I had no service and this was my only option—emphasis on no service and absolutely nothing else to do.

The main character left much to be desired. She was both overly compliant and frustratingly complainy, making it hard to connect with her or root for her journey. For a book titled The Perfect Rom-Com, the romance was lackluster and barely there. I went in expecting charm, humor, and chemistry, but unfortunately, the story didn’t deliver on any of those fronts.

I appreciate a good cause, but the way the protagonist described her philanthropic efforts felt like a chore to get through rather than inspiring or heartwarming. It was more of a drag than a delight.

The one saving grace? The behind-the-scenes look at the book publishing and ghostwriting industry. That insider perspective was fascinating and gave the story a layer of intrigue that kept it from being a total flop.

Overall, this book had potential but fell short of the mark. If you’re looking for a perfect rom-com, this isn’t it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was a page-turning quick read! When writer Bryony Page attempts to get agent Jack Stirling to take her as a client and promote her book, he instead offers her the opportunity to act as a ghostwriter for an extremely popular author. After working together, it’s clear that their chemistry goes beyond just being colleagues.

I loved this book so much that I read it in the span of 24 hours! I loved the banter between Bryony and Jack, as well as Bryony’s dedication to her English Language Learning students. This story was wholesome, inspiring, and witty!

This is my first book by Ferguson and I need to read her backlist! So cute and I loved the banter. I had never really thought about the ghostwriting aspect when it comes to publishing and I think it was such a clever topic for a book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Will post my review on bookstagram and Goodreads on the publication date.

4 stars!

Thank you, Melissa, for writing such an entertaining story! The characters from the start captivated me. The banter and action were spot on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

i really enjoyed this book! jack and bryony were incredibly sweet, and friends to lovers is always so cute when you can tell the main characters know each other so intimately. going into this book, i thought that we would be getting to see jack and bryony's friendship develop, so it was a little bit surprising to me that the book takes place (for the most part) about two years after they met. we don't get to see their friendship develop, but we do get to see how natural and comfortable they are with each other already, and you can feel the casual intimacy and love there already is. because we didn't get to see their relationship grow, i do wish there had been a couple of chapters from jack's POV, or maybe more of bryony looking back and realizing the feelings they had for each other were there all along. however, their romance definitely felt like a subplot to me, so it makes sense that we weren't hit over the head with the romance, and i liked it. it felt normal.

I really wish I loved this book as I had such high hopes but sadly it really wasn’t for me, found it a bit too much of a slower burner for me

First thank you for the wonderful opportunity with the ARC, This will not be a sugarcoated review, for context this is my first time reading work from this author. Diving into this book, I only read the description once and the title "perfect rom-com" is quite the irony since from the very first part there is no comedy with this. It took me few pages before getting hooked/convinced to continue, I thought that the story will be a fast paced romance but the thing is, it is super inconsistent esp when they came in terms with the feeling also i feel like this book is 70% Amelia whinning and most of passed like a blur though the middle part is dreadful, and i kept thinking " Is this where the conflict will be?" " where is it?" but it was way later than what i expected. I commend this book for the main plot but in my opinion when a writer writes about a writer they should be more cautious since this will be specifically tear apart during reviews and the expectation for the story flow is much more. All in all i can say that this book is like reading BRYONY'S unedited version of her book.


Though I am open in trying to read the author's other work.

This was a very frustrating experience. Right off the bat Bryony annoyed me; writing a book just to fundraise and spread awareness for her organization was ill-advised and utterly absurd. And then you're going to tell me a woman who's never written anything in her life, who shows up to a writer's conference with a 150k debut novel, gets offered the job of ghostwriting for a famous romance author? Really?

And then you have the gall to jump two years ahead, so we don't see Bryony work on the book or learn about the industry or anything?

I really wanted to DNF this book at that time jump and I wish I had, because I felt like I was hate-reading the rest of this novel. That's not an experience I ever want with a book, especially not at the very end of the year.

Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC! Unfortunately I didn’t have time to read this book before the deadline came up, so i couldn’t finish it but it was a really good idea and I look forward to buying it once it’s released!

I'm so sorry, but I did not finish this book. I really enjoyed the main character, but 70 pages into a 300 page book, and the romance hasn't even really started yet? My reason for not finishing it may seem flimsy, but I was also not super into the writing style. The storyline, however, intrigued me.

I had high expectations based on the title of the novel (and I suppose, I judged the book by its cover too), but sadly, it did not deliver the Perfect rom-com. A lot of things that I would have liked in a romance novel were missing. It was disappointing not to see the main characters' (Bryony and Jack's) relationship in the first months, which created a problem of their chemistry not being believable. Also, a lot was missing from Jack's character building. Supporting characters weren't well-developed either. And at times, I just wanted to jump over some parts, even though the book was pretty short. FYI, it is a very tame romance, nothing happens other than kissing. You could try reading this when it is published in February 2025, especially if you are looking for a short and cute read, but perhaps lower your expectations and you might like it more.

📖 𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤: Bryony is an aspiring author. She meets a literary agent, Jack at a writers' conference. The pitch for her own manuscript doesnt go well, but she ends up correcting another author's work on the spot and gets offered a ghostwriting deal for a popular rom-com novelist. She agrees to this on the condition that Jack tries to sell her own book too. Bryony's ghostwritten books become hits, and Jack and Bryony end up spending a lot of time with each other. But what will happen to Bryony's own manuscript?

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have to admit, I felt as though the storyline was a little rushed...and would have liked to have more depth to the relationship between Jack and Bryony. I understand that the story was more than just a romance, however, I felt like I would enjoyed it more if I could really feel the connection and build up for the two of them. That being said, it was still a good read and I am glad that I was able to review it.

This book follows Bryony while she tries to get her first manuscript published. While she wiats for that to happen, she works asa ghostwriter for an extremely popular author. Her agent, Jack, keeps telling her that there is someone interested, so she has hope.

Bryony is such a hopeful person, I don't know how she has the time to do all the things she does. Teaching and writing stellar novels at the same time?!

Jack really made some bad choices, but I can understand why he did what he did. Still, I would have liked more groveling.

Bryony wants to be published. She meets Jack, an agent who has a proposition for her, to ghost-write for Amelia Benedict. The more she writes, the more she hones her craft. She has a novel of her own she wants published under her own name, but no one will touch it. It's too long and it doesn't really say anything. She takes Jack's offer on the basis that he will find her a publisher for her book.
Amelia is hard to like, caught up in herself, and publishes her novels because her uncle owns the publishing house. She has a tour bus to rival any band. Because of Bryony's contract, she has to tour with Amelia for two weeks. It's the hardest two weeks of Bryony's professional career.

While this book is not the Perfect Rom-Com, it is a great read. Melissa Ferguson has written a unique story that really hits the readers in all of the feels. The relationship between Bryony and Jack kind of sneaks up on the readers and takes them completely by surprise. This is not a typical rom-com, but it is a good novel for romance lovers. The funniest part of the novel is Amelia's come-uppance. It is humorously gratifying.

This is a four-star book.

Thomas Nelson provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.