I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!

This was a super quick romance read — I loved the relationship between the two main characters and definitely felt like there were interactions that made me believe in the chemistry.

The Perfect Rom Com written by Melissa Ferguson is a charming romance story about an aspiring author looking to publish her first novel. Jack, the agent who passes on Byrony's book, promises to publish her book if she ghostwrites for a best selling author.

It's a complicated strangers turned lovers story with the humor we have come to expect from Melissa Ferguson. The side characters added charm and interest. This is a fun quick clean read.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Aspiring author Bryony is an ESL teacher by day and ghostwriter by night. Like the author’s other rom-coms, this book is about much more than romance. The long time friends to lovers story is sweet, but it is almost secondary to the main story. This book explores what being a ghostwriter and aspiring author is like. Can Bryony finally catch her big break and make enough to save the organization where she teaches ESL?

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

3.5⭐

This was a cozy story about Byrony, an aspiring author, and Jack, a literary agent. I enjoyed learning about the world of authors but could have used a little more romance and for Byrony to stand up for herself more. It felt like the story was more about Byrony's journey to become an author vs. Byrony and Jack's romance.

Read if you like:
📚 friendship to lovers
📚 authors/the literary world
📚 character growth

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I found the writing in the first few chapters to be very choppy, I did feel it improved and the main characters began to grow on me, but towards the end once again it felt rushed to get to the point. The grand gesture didn’t really make sense when there was so much emphasis on the contracts not being possible to broken with the owners of the company being so close to Amelia etc. there were some plot holes that were only very briefly discussed, such as the FMCs long distance boyfriend. I felt like everything was wrapped up neatly in a bow, but getting there just didn’t make a lot of sense to me, unfortunately. I did really enjoy learning about the Bridge and wish there had been some more insight into some of the students, I feel that this could have added to the story line.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!
I really enjoyed this book! Read it right before I went into a reading slump and honestly think it was the only thing that kept me from going into such a deep slump, because I kept thinking about this book and these characters!
My first Melissa Ferguson book, but certainly not my last, will be reading through her back catalog over the next few months!

This book really drew me in! To me, it was like a delightful mashup of Two Weeks Notice and Singing in the Rain, both which I love.

While at a writer’s conference, aspiring author, Bryony, presents her novel to Jack, a respected literary agent. She is disappointed that he is not interested in her book as it currently is, but he does offer her an opportunity to be a ghostwriter for one of his famous clients. Flashforward two years, and this unlikely pair have developed a close friendship and the books she’s penned have become best sellers.

Bryony still has a dream of selling her original novel, but despite being the brain behind numerous well received books, that dream is starting to feel further away now that she’s become indispensable as a ghostwriter. Jack is now in a tough spot as a literary agent having to manage his client, honor contracts and still help Bryony pursue her actual dream.

•Strangers to Friends to Lovers
•Workplace Romance
•Forced Proximity
•Single POV (1st Person)
•No Spice and No Expletives

I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short, sweet read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Thomas Nelson Fiction for giving me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Perfect Rom-Com! I'm giving this 4 stars because, while there were a few errors in this early copy, I really enjoyed it overall. I loved that this story didn’t focus just on the main character’s romantic struggles, but instead dove into her purpose and mission in life. It felt so refreshing! Melissa Ferguson flips the typical romance formula, moving past "everything is sweet and fluffy" tropes and getting into the real stuff.

The book really shines with:

1. The Romance Industry – It gives a cool look at the world of romance writing, with ghostwriters, aspiring writers, and all the hurdles that come with it. I thought this added an interesting depth.
2. Cultural Diversity and ESL – I loved how the book highlighted cultural acceptance and differences, especially around the experiences of ESL speakers. It added a sense of authenticity and made the story feel fresh.
3. The Romance between Bryony and Jack – I liked both Bryony and Jack as individuals, and as a couple. Their chemistry felt natural and real. My only wish here is that the reader could have seen more of the transition from work partners to friends to something more.

I also saw some reviewers call this the “worst rom-com" on Goodreads, and honestly, I think that’s kind of the point! This book is a critique of the industry that pumps out tons of cookie-cutter romance novels (which I do enjoy reading), but those often have little to do with real life. It’s true that The Perfect Rom-Com isn’t a typical romance novel where all the heroine does is think about the main lead, it doesn’t follow a specific trope, and it’s not smut (which, to be clear, I love reading too—bring on the hockey romance and small-town romances!). But this wasn’t that, and I think that’s okay.

As for the ending—it’s happy (yay!), but given how realistic the story was overall, I think a slightly more down-to-earth ending could have fit the vibe better. But hey, no complaints here; I loved that they ended up happy!

This is such a solid, well-rounded novel that’s a bit of a breath of fresh air in the rom-com world. Highly recommend!

This was a cute story! It focused a lot on the writing/publishing world which was hard for me to relate to, but I enjoyed the way it all wrapped up at the end.

no, this was in fact not the perfect rom com. it’s a quick palette cleanser and absolutely nothing else.

if you’re looking for a short, quick, fluffy little romance book then i would recommend this! i liked the writing, it was cheesy in the best ways, and served its purpose for why i picked it up when i did.

with that being said a lot threw me off. the timeline most of all because ??? there was a jump of a few years where the characters really formed their relationship and we MISSED IT. it was the worst possible place you could’ve put in a time jump. it also felt like there was a lot missing from the story? plot holes or forgotten points or whatever, it felt like the story itself didn’t go through any beta reading.

so this was okay, like i said it served its purpose and if you go in with low expectations then you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

This was a good one, first time to this author loved it will definitely check out her back catalog. This is a story about our MC Bryony an author who is trying to get her bookpublished to save her grandmas legacy (an ESL school) she meets book agent Jack and being persistent somehow ends up being a ghost writer for a hugely famous author- she still wants her book published but she accepts and starts writing the books- best sellers! There is a love story wrote in with Jack and the secondary characters of the ESL stories are so good(especially when knowing how hard these students work, her sister needs a book too!!! Of course we get a villian also who we want to get what's coming - this is definitely highly recommended!

This book was excellent! Jack and Bryony had such a charming romance! I cherished their camaraderie and friendship, but I think what I cherished most was Bryony's perseverance and pursuit of her goals! The characters were endearing and realistic. The story is made light and fun by the humor and the charming side characters. Even though there are some predictable parts, anyone who enjoys romantic comedies will still find it to be a wonderful feel-good read.

Okay, this book was so fun and so good! I have loved all of Melissa Ferguson’s books and this one did not disappoint. Bryony and Jack are the best main characters and their relationship is so fun and sweet. The ending was a little different than expected, which I loved!

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

I enjoyed this book. I found myself getting swept away with the characters and their story.

I look forward to reading more by Melissa Ferguson in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I’m so thankful I live in a world where Melissa Ferguson is writing books that I can read. She’s a genius in every sense of the word and I love her and this book.

I didn’t think I would find my most disliked book of 2024 in a book that hasn’t even been published yet. That was definitely not in my 2024 bingo card.

Where to even begin with my review for “The Perfect Rom-Com” I’ll tell you this right now this was not a perfect romcom in anyway shape or form. Nor was this a “perfect romcom for book lovers” someone needs to review that pitch line. I know I’m probably coming across as really harsh. But I had such high expectations for this book. I love when romcoms feature the publishing industry. Plus the premise of this book revolving around a popular ghost writer really excited me. But the execution was just not it.

Our main female character Bryony has to be the most infuriating lead character I’ve read in years. She’s whiny, naive and a freaking doormat. The amount of work-place abuse she endured in this book was disgusting. Like take some pride in yourself and your work and leave. I wanted to scream at her multiple times and at several points I wanted to DNF. But I decided to keep torturing myself cause I wanted to know if she would ever grow a backbone and publish with her own name.

Next up we have our MMC Jack. I also found him to be extremely unlikeable and also a dick. In terms of his romance with Bryony I want to laugh with, “what romance!?!??” There was zero chemistry between them. And the scene of him swooping in after she immediately broke up with her ex. Nope just nope. What infuriates me the most about their romance is what could’ve been. We see them talk in past tense about these midnight calls, a party and conversations about hitting deadlines. However, we never witness them. If those had actually been in the book and flushed out I think I may have enjoyed their relationship more.

And lastly can’t forget to talk about that ending. Now I’m no lawyer but for that dumpster fire reveal they should all be in jail or sued. But alas we’re left with a giant plot hole and told yay happily ever after. (Internally screaming)

Overall, I cannot recommend this book. This was definitely not for me. Now even with all this said I am still interested in checking out some of Melissa’s others books. Lastly big Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the e-arc.

⭐️⭐️

This was a struggle to get through. About 60% it picked up and the ending was cute about completely unrealistic.

I didn’t really like Jack. Bryony fell flat for me. She didn’t stick out and wasn’t memorable. Jack was lying by omission.

The first half felt like I was being left out on a lot of secrets. They both had a lot of history but I just felt like an outsider while reading this. The beginning was confusing to people who aren’t in the publishing world. Felt like I was thrown into this book and was looking around confused. Also, the writing seemed stunted and choppy. Sentence didn’t flow and there were errors. I know with ARCs this can happen, but there were errors on almost every page.

I wouldn’t label this as a rom-com. There wasn’t anything cutesy about a bully author, a ghostwriter being treated like garbage and an agent who lies to his friend.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley. My words are 100% my own as is my choice to share a review of this title.

That said, I raced through this book. I loved it. I read it in every spare moment of my day. And then I worried I read it too fast to give an unbiased review.

I was wrong. This was charming and I would happily rave to read it again.

Melissa Ferguson is one of my favorite authors of contemporary romantic comedy with plenty of fun tension, great banter, vivid settings and all without the explicit scenes.

You can read the publishers summary about the plot, but read this if you like to laugh, if you like to live in your imagination, if you enjoy contemporary rom-coms, and if you believe in reading books that leave you feeling happier than when you found them.

This is good-mood material.

Bryany Page is an aspiring author who spends her life savings on a conference, for a chance to find an agent who will publish her first novel. But, things don't go as expected during a meeting with curmudgeon agent Jack Sterling, who passes on her book. Bryany runs into Jack after the conference and begins working as a ghostwriter for a celebrity's popular rom-com series. Years pass and Bryany gains success ghostwriting the series, but there are a few problems. 1) She hates Amelia Benedict, who she is the ghostwriter for and 2) She still hasn't gotten her novel published. Bryany is forced to go on a press-tour with Amelia and Jack, and while sparks fly between Amelia and Jack, Bryany continues to be unhappy in her career.

This book is not like any other rom-com I have read recently. It is fun, innovative, and the banter between Bryany and Jack is top notch.