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.

Thank you to negalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This was a very cute and addicting read, but almost distractingly busy, at times.

The pros: really cute he fell first moments of romance, a fun way to tie up loose ends at the end, an interesting and weird main character, hard to put down.

The cons: I felt like this was actually trying to tell three different stories which resulted in none of them feeling truly complete. It was so busy at times I felt we lost some of the warmth of the characters, which was the highlight when it was present.

It was okay, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t like the characters this much but overall it was okay. Nothing great but easy to read.

Oh how I wanted to fall in love with this one. A book about publishing and books. The romance did not work, the writing was choppy, incomplete sentences, there's no chemistry. It just honestly had nothing to grab me and make me feel for their relationship, we are not in any of their moments together. We just see them awkwardly together and with Jack bein a jerk. The ending is full of plotholes. This was just an entire miss..

I thought this was a cute story between friends who realize maybe they mean more than that to one another. I also loved that there was a journey for the female main character that showed her love of her family as well as growing into her talents professionally. Also loved the grand gesture!

I would like to start with a big thanks for this arc.

My biggest pro for this book is the fact that it’s in the publishing world. A book about books and publishing is a major plus. I also appreciated it was a romance without spice, sometimes it’s exactly what you need.

When it comes to what I would develop or change… the two year gap in the beginning was unsatisfying. It left a whole in the plot for me.

I do know this is an arc. But for me it was difficult to read and process the book with all the typos and ”work in progress” parts left in the arc.

To summarize this was a cute read and I would recommend it to the older students at my school as a cute read and I would probably recommend it to some of my colleagues that appreciate a rom com.

2.5/5 for me.

A big thank you for the possibility to read it.

This book is fun, cozy and cute. It’s exactly what is promises to be, a romantic comedy.
For my taste it was a little a miss, I didn’t feel very connected with the characters and was not giggling with their relationship. It felt rushed in some parts and then to descriptive in others.
The theme of the book is really interesting, and I enjoyed some parts but overall, it was a book that I would easily put down while I was reading and get distracted with other things, it was not captivating my attention.
I would have like to see more banter and attraction and building for them.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!
3/5 stars
This is a story for people who love the publishing industry and loves romcoms: Bryony, an aspiring author with a debut manuscript that is not-quite-right, becomes the ghost writer for the biggest rom-com icon of the era...but has to hide it all from everyone but her agent, Jack.
Jack and Bryony's banter is adorable although maybe a bit lacking in real depth: a perfect pinch of chemistry, tons of humor, that teeny glimpse into two people who have become best friends but probably secretly want more. I liked watching them sort of stumble into the opportunity to be together and how just truly PG-13 this was. The romance wasn't the focus, and I enjoyed that! Their 'third act break up' was a bit silly, but its hard to drive up the tension when the physicality is a bit lacking.
I loved all the insights into the publishing world, Bryony's time as a ghost writer, the ins and outs of how to get yourself in front of agents: all of it. Its such an ode to publishing, even if this instance it isn't always so cheery.
I do think by the end you have to suspend a bit of reality: this wraps up a bit too nicely for my taste. But overall, an enjoyable quick read.

The Perfect Rom-Com was sweet, cute, and a fast read. A go-to rom com book. This book has no spice so it is perfect for readers of all ages looking for a good romance. This has heart, but could use a little bit more depth as it is a fairly light hearted book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book by Melissa Ferguson. It is just okay for me. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it. The pacing is a bit too slow and I expected more romance. However, I like the way things wrapped up and I enjoy a happy ending.

Two years ago Bryony Page attended a rom-com workshop/conference to try to get an agent for her book, which is a super-long genre-defying fictionalisation of her grandmother's work setting up an ESL school, where Bryony also works. She never got any interest in her book (she's still trying), but the last agent she met, Jack Sterling, offers her a job as ghost-writer for Amelia Benedict, a successful rom-com writer, famous for being the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the US.

Two years on, Jack hasn't been able to get even a whiff of interest in Bryony's own book, but she has proved herself a brilliant ghostwriter, successfully increasing Amelia's sales and critical acclaim. Bryony has tried to walk away from the contract many times, but she is paid handsomely for her work (including a percentage of sales) which she uses to anonymously donate to her grandmother's school, and Jack can talk her out of anything, she's such a pushover.

Jack and Bryony have become friends, maybe even best friends, over the past two years. They eat together once a week and play on the same bowling team. If it weren't for Bryony's boyfriend Parker (also an ESL teacher in Aukland, Russia) and Jack's girlfriend Chloe (or is it Claire) ...

Amelia is a nightmare. She only wrote the first book and since then has relied upon a series of ghostwriters, but Bryony is so good that over time the others have been let go. Amelia doesn't even read her own books and has made some truly awful gaffes about characters and scenes when being interviewed or when talking to fans.

Bryony wants to complain about the ever-shortening deadlines and pressure to write two books a year, on top of her dayjob, with Amelia's mindless twittering about how she wants the books to be written, but instead she gets railroaded into going on a two week book tour with Amelia and the rest of the team to perform damage limitation after saying things like she based one of her characters (a murderer) on her father.

Two weeks on the road with Jack and feelings are starting to develop, but when a multi-millionairess relies on you to write the books that get her fame and publicity she has a vested interest in forcing you to stay.

I wanted to like this because I loved Meet Me in the Margins, but sadly there were too many flaws with this. Firstly, the convenient boyfriend who's been overseas for 27 months - puhlease that relationship is so dead. Second, to have become a successful writer and not realise that your original story was an overblown, confusing mess? Smacks of one of my favourite films Teacher's Pet (amazing film starring Doris Day). Third, the way in which the conflict was resolved was pure end of the film Singing in the Rain. Fourth, Bryony was just so wet. And finally, Jack said something to Bryony which I imagine was supposed to be sweet and romantic but came across as slightly alarming and a bit of a red flag. (view spoiler)

As above, I liked it but I didn't love it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.