An adorable rom-com. Set in the publishing world, where Melissa Ferguson first gained my appreciation in her book Meet Me in the Margins, this story is about the unexpected career path of Bryony Page, an aspiring writer at a literary conference who steels herself to keep pushing for positive feedback from literary agent Jack Sterling. Instead of picking up her book, however, he convinces her to come on board as a ghostwriter for his most successful celebrity author.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Bryony and Jack are not only a literary team but have also become the best of friends, all while they tug back and forth over Bryony's original manuscript — the passion project that she's hoping will go big and save her family's school for immigrants.
I really liked this couple. I did find a lot of the ghostwriting job to be a bit stressful to read, since the celebrity author is a true narcissist, which is not fun, but the interactions between Bryony and Jack were fun, sweet, and down-to-earth. A great contemporary romance.

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bryony Page is an ESL teacher who dreams of saving her grandmother's struggling foundation, The Bridge, by publishing her debut novel. Things take an unexpected turn after a disastrous pitch at a book conference where she meets Jack Sterling, a ruthless literary agent. Jack offers her a different opportunity: to become the ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, a famous rom-com novelist. What starts as a temporary gig quickly becomes a long-term deal as Bryony’s writing turns Amelia into a literary sensation—though no one knows the real talent behind the success.

Now, 2 years later, Bryony is still ghostwriting bestseller after bestseller while her own manuscript remains untouched (with maybe a couple of edits), and her dreams of publishing her work seem further away than ever. As her relationship with Jack becomes more complicated, she’s left wondering if she’ll ever step out of the shadows and into the spotlight herself.

Honestly, I expected this book to be your typical rom-com and was surprised that it was much more. The story was heartfelt, authentic, and you could feel the love Bryony had for The Bridge, her manuscript, and writing in general. Jack killed me with the " You weren't dating me. But I was dating you." Just to be transparent, this book wasn't really a rom-com. Did it have romance? Yes, but it was more of a sub-plot than the main focus. Regardless, I still enjoyed it!

3 Vainglorious Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 0/5 Only Kissing
“Ooooh, she’s going for the rage words,” Gloria says gleefully, knowing how my vocabulary expands when I’m heated up.
“—only to secure, after said six hours, the most eremitic, vainglorious, and least desirable agent of all time—”
“Vainglorious, I love it,” Gloria interjects.
They say don't judge a book by the cover, and that should possibly also extend to "don't judge a book by its title". I thought I was getting a romcom, I MEAN it's IN THE TITLE... and while there is some element of romance to this plot... this is not a rom-com. This is VERY CLEVERLY DISGUISED CHICKLIT. The problem is while I am "open" in my romance reading, I am PRIMARILY A ROMANCE FOCUSED READER... so I am not the best target market for Chick-lit.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
This follows Bryony Page, an ESL teacher with a mission to save her grandmother's legacy, a foundation and teaching school that helps immigrants learn the English language. To help save this cause she has written a debut novel and is attending a book conference in the hope of finding a literary agent to take on her book. She completely messes up her pitch with one of the most ruthless agents in the business Jack Sterling. But somehow she sparks his interest in something else... so he makes her a proposition to be a ghostwriter for a socialite. Two years later that book became a bestseller and the few after finding similar fame. Now Bryony finds herself in the contractual obligation of being a ghostwriter, all the while still trying to get her book published.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I don't have a problem with chick-lit, but it doesn't hook me as much... so given that 90% of this book was chick-lit which focused primarily on Bryony and Bryony's journey, it was hard for me to be invested. It is a first-person story, so we don't see the other characters' thoughts and opinions except through her eyes. While I love what she stood for and what she was hoping to achieve, I find that given the choice of solely focusing it on her, we lost a lot of the connection with the other characters and so their foundation is lacking.

Bryony really shows a lot of dedication and compassion for her cause. She has this profound sense of loyalty to her family and to her grandmother and the legacy that her grandmother started. She is an amazing teacher and shares such a unique and special bond with her students. She's that type of personality that you can't help but instantly connect with and like, and it's one of the things that I think attracted Jack to her the most. One thing I didn't like about Bryony was her "Relationship" with her long-distance ex. They never talk, never interact - he is never featured. His presence felt like it was there just to cause DRAMA...

I didn't really like Jack because I felt like I did not know him. Besides a few snippets, all their interactions are spoken about previously happening and you are never shown their connection really forming. This is one of my pet peeves in a book as I like being shown and not told. By the time the "story" starts years have passed and Jack and Bryony have already established this codependent friendship. It frustrated me that all their moments of "romance forming" were conversations and reminiscing.

I found Jack completely manipulative, and he irritated me that he lied and used Bryony and that he wasn't able to talk to her and communicate. Yes, a few things he did were sweet and cute and can be sappy and perfect for a little rom-com, but the problem was that there wasn't enough of that romance foundation to keep me hooked in the story.

The one element that I did truly like about this, and found interesting was the aspects around the insider world of traditional publishing. It was the reason I kept reading. Seeing all the different elements that it takes to publish a book, with all the steps, hoops and caveats. It's not something that a regular reader like myself is exposed to, so it was pretty interesting to see that element of the plot and how that played into the overall story.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Agent X Author
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Chicklit
▶ Under Table Touching
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Forced Proximity

Overall, if you LIKE Chicklit, I think you might like this book since it's about a woman finding herself, finding her passion, standing up for herself, and in the same process finding love in an unexpected place.

This book started out a little rough, in my opinion. It felt like a huge info dump and there was a lot of added details, that I don’t believe needed to be in there. The storyline, itself, was intriguing and is the only thing that kept me interested.

The story was slower than most books I read, which may be why I struggled with all the content. But, about 3/4 in, it picked up and I really enjoyed that last portion of the story.

Bryony was not my favorite character, which I hate to say about the FMC. She was kind of a pushover and let everyone treat her any way they wanted to. Jack, on the other hand, was a great MMC. His starts off as a guy you despise, but he grows on you. He’s definitely the character that carried the whole story.

Overall, I would say this was a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me, but I’m rounding it up, because it had a lot of potential and was still a good read!

This book is also a closed door romance for anyone that is looking for a clean romance 🙂

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! Worth reading again & again. Has all the feels for a great movie, #Melissa Ferguson has done it again - written a book that will have you laughing, crying, hoping, wishing and sighing. This book was provided by Net Galley, Melissa and her publisher for me to read. These are my own opinions.

This was definitely a cute romance story with drama of boob publishing and ghost writing. The romance itself however didn't seem to br so strong in this book and I would have loved to see more of how their story evolved. I just had some issues connecting with the characters or the plot.
I did enjoy the writing and the premises! It was an enjoyable clean romance book for sure!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher Thomas Nelson Fiction for an eARC copy in exchange of an honest review!

Oh. My. Goodness. What a stand out book! It has slow-burn romance, it has a villain that you just love to hate, it has relatable main characters and it moves at the perfect pace... And the ending is the very best part!

This is a really well-written romance and I devoured it in a couple of days. I'll be honest - before I read this, I was expecting a mediocre romance. I wasn't super intrigued by the ideas. It sounded not very exciting - a book about the inner workings of publishing? Yawn!

But the way Melissa Ferguson has taken her ideas and perfectly executed them is just *chef's kiss.*

Just you wait - this is a high quality, well written romance on par with some of the most popular writers in the genre.

I will be looking forward to reading other work by this author.

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

This is my first book by the author and I can truly say I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the Perfect Rom Com, we meet Bryony Page - teacher/author desperately trying to get her 149,000 page manuscript published. She meets agent Jack Sterling, and it doesn’t take long for him to rip the manuscript apart. Fast forward 2 years and Bryony is ghost writing for one of Jacks clients, and all round nightmare of a human being Amelia Benedict.
As mentioned above, I really enjoyed this heart warming book. The chemistry between Bryony and Jack was perfect, they definitely brought the rom com vibes. I really enjoyed the scenes with “Teacher Bryonys” students, the relationship she built with them definitely proved how much she loved her work at the Bridge. I always enjoy reading about the publishing world and what it takes to make the books we love to read. I want to thank Net Galley, the author, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. All thoughts above are my own. I look forward to reading more from this author!

“But as often happens in life, the greatest joys and 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.”

Another keeper by Melissa Ferguson. I really liked the speed of this book. When I first read the summary I wondered how it would all fit, but it was masterfully done. And (ahem) it also gives you a little glimpse into the ghostwriter world 🤫

Thanks to @netgalley for the ebook at not cost in exchange for a review 😉

I liked the premise of this book but the characters don’t really seem to hit it off.

It was interesting as it’s about books and publishing but it’s supposed to be a rom-com and it doesn’t quite hit the mark.

They need more chemistry!!!

While the premise of this one sounded cute, it just didn’t live up to that for me. The male MC was adorable, but I was often annoyed by the female MC. The ending was also too over-the-top and unrealistic.

This really was the perfect Rom-Com. Melissa Ferguson did it again with a heartwarming story of love and sacrifice. This book was so magnetic. I loved the friends to lovers from the main characters. This is truly her best work so far. You can feel the personal point of view she brought writing about an ESL teacher turned writer. What a beautiful story!

This book has an interesting plot that I hadn’t really explored before - looking at a ghostwriter behind the pages. I liked this and seeing the dynamic between the author and ghostwriter (Amelia was a good antagonist)
The dynamic between Jack and Bryony was interesting to read. I was a bit sad we only saw their first meeting then their friendship after it had developed after a few years - you didn’t get to see how their relationship evolved overtime. This is often my favourite part of books - you get the tension and banter that forms the foundation of a relationship.
The book was very well written, and was very heartwarming with all the students that Byrony teaches at The Bridge shared throughout the book. I would recommend it as a cosy light-hearted read!

1.5/5 rounded down to 1 for goodreads and netgalley.
This one had a lot of potential but fell so flat. The publishing industry and what was related to that was quite interesting, but that was it. The characters were bland and they all melted with one another. None of them stood out. The main character is not particularly likeable but the guy? Wow. He’s a jerk from the beginning to the end of the story. Also, the romance? It went from 0 to 100 in a snap of a finger. It completely threw me off. The characters have no chemistry and there’s no banter no build-up.
Very disappointing.

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

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

I requested an arc of this book after I read Meet Me in the Margins. I absolutely loved that book and couldn’t wait to read another by Melissa Ferguson.

The Perfect Rom-Com didn’t disappoint. I read this book in a matter of days. I couldn’t wait to find out how it played out. I cared about the characters and was deeply invested in their journeys. Melissa Ferguson, for me, is now an auto-buy author. Highly recommend!

Thisnis my 2nd book by this author and it just wasn't as good for me as her first. The romance was just ok. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read a few Melissa Ferguson books and they are always enjoyable. Meet Me in the Margins is my favorite and I was hoping this book, also set in the world of publishing, would be just as good. It wasn't quite, but was still enjoyable. Bryony and Jack have a reverse meet-cute (a meet-ugly maybe?) She has a lot of hutzpah and charms Jack. They become close friends and are kinda a placeholder couple for each other. This book delivers on the friends to lovers and close proximity tropes.
TPRC would make a great Netflix film. The vibe reminded me a little bit of Confessions of a Shopaholic. If you are looking for a cozy romance that is a quick read you will enjoy this. 3 stars. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ghostwriting romance novels for a demanding diva? Check. Falling for a literary agent? Double check. Bryony Page's life just got a whole lot more interesting!

This book is a fun, flirty ride from start to finish. Bryony's a relatable heroine who's just trying to make it big as an author, but ends up ghostwriting for the infamous Amelia Benedict instead. And let's be real, Amelia sounds like a total pain in the butt. But hey, it's a small price to pay for success, right?

Enter Jack Sterling, the swoon-worthy literary agent who's got Bryony's back. Their banter is witty, their chemistry is real, and their romance is swoony. But what really gets me is how Bryony stays true to herself throughout the whole wild ride. She's got spunk, she's got heart, and she's got a whole lot of sass.

This book's a must-read for anyone who loves romance, writing, or just a good laugh. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. It was frustrating in a good way; I hated to see the main character struggle and only wanted her to pursue her dreams the entire novel. I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to take from Amelia if I was the main character. The storyline had me hooked from the very beginning. The banter and slow build (well from Bryony’s side) between the two love interests was very entertaining. Such a cute, closed-book romance, with a (SHOCKER) happy ending.

absolutely loved this! Romantic comedy with a ghost writer? I'm immediately in. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that Jack was introduced so briefly that he didn't seem like a main character or love interest at first. I know he's supposed to be hot in a bookish way, but that's kinda it? I wish he had more of an introduction and that we got to see their friendship unfold.