This was a fun book! I liked the glimpse into the behind the scenes of the publishing world as Bryony navigates being a ghostwriter for a famous author while trying to get her own manuscript published.

Bryony started the book as a fairly timid character, and I enjoyed watching her self confidence grow. I thought she and Jack were a good pair, with lots of fun and teasing banter, though I would have loved a little more romance.

All in all, this was a really fun book with a sweet, slow burn romance, great side characters (other than Amelia—boo!!!), and some Two Week’s Notice vibes.

If you’re looking for a sweet romance with witty banter and grand gestures, then this may one be for you.
 
Read this if you like:
-he falls first
-ghost writers
-slow burn
-closed door romance
-grand gestures

Unfortunately for me this did not turn out to be the Perfect Rom-Com. There were two main things that I didn’t love: 1) the FMC Bryony was too whiny and 2) there wasn’t enough romantic moments (and I don’t mean steam as I’m not a fan of steamy scenes, just romance). There was definitely romantic tension and I loved the MMC Jack, but to me, the book seemed more focused on Bryony’s journey as a writer than anything else.  I needed more Jack and more sweet moments between him and Bryony.

I have read every Melissa Ferguson book and I love each one for different reasons. This was another fun read. Thank you to NetGalley for the early read!

I'll give it a four because I really did love the story- I just think it's incorrectly marketed.

It's called "The Perfect Rom-Com." The cover looks like every other romcom out right now. The premise at least insinuates it will be a romcom. And it's definitely full of "com"... but it's lacking the "rom."

I absolutely devoured this book- mostly because it really didn't feel like anything was happening. I kept waiting for the romance to begin so the story can start, but it had to have been at least 60-70% before we got anywhere with the romance, which doesn't really make it a romance book then.

The thing is, if I'd read this knowing it would be more like a Chick Lit than a romance, I'd be able to bump up the rating. But it's not, it's listed as a romance, and it's hard to justify giving a perfect rating to a book that's masquerading under a different genre.

Again, I really did love the story. I loved the characters, the plot, and I was very invested in Amelia's downfall. The ending definitely hit me in the feels and I shed more than a few joyful tears (but I'm also very sleep deprived so that might be caused by something else) and everything about the story. It was a quick, fun read. And maybe it felt quick because I was waiting for the story to actually start, but even when I thought the whole point was going to be about the love story, I was not disappointed with the actual plotline. And Jack and Bryony's relationship was super cute, from how well they intuitively knew each other to when the romance actually began to bloom. But the romance was so short and over and done with before I could even blink, so it was hard to really connect with that aspect of their relationship.

It's at least a 4.5 read, had it been properly marketed (or if the romance was dialed up some to fit the genre).

thank you Netgalley and Melissa Ferguson for the arc!

Bryony wants nothing more than to publish her book and to save The Bridge, her family’s struggling ESL school. But pitch after pitch with not a single offer, Bryony is almost out of hope. With a last ditch effort, Bryony wins the attention of Jack Sterling a well known literary agent. With his offer to help publish her book on the line, Bryony agrees to be a ghostwriter for none other than Amelia Benedict, daughter of one of the literary scenes biggest investors. When Bryony’s books take off and the best selling author has trouble answering questions about her own books, it’s clear an intervention is needed. Bryony, along with her agent turned friend Jack, must follow Amelia on tour and save face. Amelia’s face that is. However, with Bryony’s breakup, Jack’s secrets, and Amelia’s ever annoying presence there was bound to be a fallout.

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I really loved this one! Bryony was easy to connect with and I admired her love for both her students and the Bridge. Not to mention her dedication to her writing career. And Jack, I mean was there anything not to like? He put everything on the line for Bryony and in such a big way. I did find the writing a little chopping, but part of that could have been due to the poor formatting of the arc. Overall it was a wonderful read!

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson was a surprisingly refreshing and funny read. I loved the characters and their quirks, and loved how this book gave us both friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers. The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson gets a four-star rating from me, because I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend, but wouldn't read it again.

Oh, this was such a fun book! The title fits the book perfectly—it is a perfect rom-com! I adored Bryony- she was such a strong and relatable FMC. Jack had some flaws but was a lovely MMC. I ended up forgiving him because what he did at the end was so sweet and Bryony deserved the happy ending.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ALC and ARC.

3.5 rounding up to 4.

If you are looking for a super sweet, he falls first, NO spice romance, this is the one for you! It was a bit slow to start and Byrony was definitely frustrating as a character but not enough for me to get annoyed with the story or DNF. I did love the premise of the story though and the MMC is super sweet. There wasn't a huge amount of chemistry but I could see the potential. The story really picks up the last 30% of the story and I wish that pacing had been throughout.

What a fun and flirty little romance! With tropes like forced proximity and slow burning to keep you on the edge of your seat and kicking those feet!

A fun read with great banter between the characters! The fake dating trope was entertaining, and I loved the playful chemistry. It’s a light, enjoyable romcom, though it felt a bit predictable at times. Still, a perfect pick for a quick, feel-good read.

Many thanks to NetGallery for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I did not care for the protagonist’s name. I realize this is petty but it would have been nice to have had an off-handed statement from protagonist as to how to say her name - Bryony. I used several different nicknames while reading so as to help me move along. For me, the story dragged on too long. There were chapters I thought it was overly descriptive and did not move the story along. Jack waiting until chapter 21 to finally tell Bryony why her book won’t be published was a relief but would’ve been better information sooner. I didn’t relate to any of the characters. Amelia is a horrible person with no redeeming qualities. Jack could’ve been more supportive. I did like when Bryony and Jack finally dated and thought that was relatable but wanted more of that. I kept waiting for the title of this book to happen. The story does wrap up with a nice HEA which I kept waiting to happen and when it finally did it was the redeeming factor to the story.

Melissa Ferguson is one of my favorite romantic comedy authors, and this book fits the bill for a great rom-com. I particularly liked the concept of the protagonist as a ghost writer hoping to get her work published in her own name in order to save the ESL school started by her grandmother. It made me wonder just how many books are actually ghost written. The banter between the two main characters was witty and charming.
Thank you to the publishers for an ARC of this novel. The opinions in this review are my own.

Aspiring author Bryony gets offered the opportunity to be a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, popular rom-com novelist - she agrees as long as the agent, Jack, works to sell her own book too.

This was a quick, cute read but I almost wish it wasn’t a romance and was contemporary fiction instead. I loved that Bryony was career driven - her self doubt was so relatable and I loved reading about her personal and professional journey which was written to be so heartfelt. In this sense - there was a lot of emotional depth. Where the depth lacked however, was the romance, which mainly happened off page. This in my opinion, led to some romantic plot holes and I didn’t really care if they ended up together or not.

-Agent x Ghostwriter
-Slow Burn
-Closed Door Romance
-Forced Proximity

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction & NetGalley for the arc. Available now!

I would have liked to see chapters with alternating viewpoints from other characters. It was perfectly ok, but nothing overwhelming.

3.75 🌟

Very cute, laugh out loud funny moments. Love the ESL aspect and mentions. For some reason, didn't like the FMC name! Love the hype sister. We all need that in life!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson is a light, witty, romantic novel. Bryony Page dreams of becoming a best-selling author. One weekend, when away at a conference, she has a meeting with Jack Sterling, who doesn’t seem to give her this time of day. However, once he reads the beginning of her manuscript, he sees an opportunity for her to explore her creative side by becoming a ghost writer to a popular best-selling author. Over time, this just doesn’t seem to be enough for Bryony and just as she’s ready to throw in the towel the most unbelievable thing happens. Will she be ready for it? Will she be ready to go out on her own? Will she make it big or will she just keep walking in the shadow of her ghost writing self. Overall, a great novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Recommended for: people who are looking for a cozy romance with zero spice but a cute story

Summary: Bryony wrote a book about a school her grandmother made that helps immigrants learn English. She desperately wants it published in order to help raise the money to keep it open. So she hunts down the infamous book agent, Jack! He sees something in her and offers to help her if she becomes a ghost writer for another author of his. Jack and Bryony grow close over the time she spends helping his other client. But will she ever publish something in her own name? And will they get together in the end?

Review: This was a very cute, sometimes funny, cozy romance. I actually got a little emotional by the end of the book. At one point in the book, they all go on a book tour with the famous author, and I believe the tour bus is the new “one bed” trope! The only thing I found annoying was that they kept referencing Bryony’s mother’s death, but didn’t fully explain what happened until near the end of the book. I didn’t get the references because I (as the reader) didn’t know the details.

I was really excited to read this book, but the format that was provided via NetGalley was incredibly hard to read. It looks like its a PDF that was saved from the INDD book layout file, and includes all sorts of trim marks and extra white space, and the text was very small and unable to be customized via the Netgalley app to make it easier to read. Unfortunately due to the format, I was unable to read this ARC.

Very cute story. Enjoyed the characters and had a great time reading. That is all I was looking. It did the title justice! 😊 Would recommend it to everyone who is looking for a fun little rom com.

I found the premise of this book to be different and sweet and while it didn’t not turn out exactly as I thought it would, it did meet those expectations. I found Bryony to be a standout main character and I was so pleased that she finally got her moment in the sun by the end of the book.

Unfortunately, I found this book lacking in several areas. I did not feel the chemistry between Jack and Bryony. I was also extremely frustrated with Jack and his massive betrayal of her trust from beginning to end. I think my biggest disappointment was in the conflict of the book between Bryony and Amelia. Amelia was portrayed as such a one note, rich, entitled bully. There was no nuance to it. I was disappointed in a woman (or any character for that matter) being portrayed so stereotypically.

Overall, I wanted to like this book more than I did. It has a unique concept and I typically enjoy a book centered in the book world. Sadly, this simply didn’t work for me.