Melissa Ferguson’s *The Perfect Rom-Com* delivers exactly what it promises—a light, breezy read packed with wit and heart. It follows Bryony Page, an ESL teacher with a passion for writing and a determination to save her grandmother's ESL school. Bryony lands a gig ghostwriting for a wildly popular rom-com author while trying to get her own manuscript off the ground with the help of her literary agent, Jack. Their friendship is charming, although it would be nice to get a bit more of Jack's backstory.

That said, the novel stumbles a bit toward the finish line. Not to give too much away, but the resolution feels totally implausible, like something out of an 80s movie, and the timeline doesn't quite make sense. It feels a bit rushed.

Despite this, it’s a charming, easy read for those who love rom-coms, though you might find yourself wishing for a more satisfying conclusion. In any case, I'll be looking for more from this author!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I could not put this book down. The main character, Bryony Page, is an easy to like ESL teacher at her grandmother's immigrant program called The Bridge for students trying to learn English and pass the GED exam. The Bridge is running low on funding and is scheduled to close. Bryony has written a book about her grandmother, The Bridge and the different experiences that the students experience in their path in their new country. It is a large novel and the story begins with Bryony trying to pitch her book proposal to different agents. She is assigned a difficult agent, Jack Sterling, and manages to get him to sign her on as a client if she can be a ghostwriter for a famous socialite client of his. Bryony and Jack end up developing a very close friendship, which can seem like they are in a relationship, but they are both attached to others, who are conveniently in another country or not present. I don't want to spoil the ending. I will say that while I could not put down the book, I was very disappointed towards the latter third of the book. I felt that some things were a bit far-fetched and could have been handled better. With that said, I still had to finish the book in 2 days. I'd give it 5 stars for the first 2/3, 2.5 stars for the last 1/3 and overall 3.5.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher for my honest opinion.

So many perfect notes in The Perfect Rom-Com, from the title and cover to the bookish love within. This is a fun rom-com-y look into the life of a ghost writer to a horror of a person. In the many books about bookish-type people, I’m not sure I’ve read one about a ghosts writer before and that was fun. I would’ve loved some more romance and relationship development but then again, I can never get enough romance.

This was such a cute and fun read! I always find it so fun to read about authors and I liked the ghost writing element of it.

At the start I wasn’t too sure of the story as it seemed like it would be a pretty straightforward book. But it quickly turned around when he revealed what he wanted her to do and how that worked out.

I loved her drive and passion and how she didn’t give that up once. It felt like she grew quite a bit throughout the timespan of the book which I loved. I would’ve liked to see more of how their relationship grew as well instead of the 0 to 99 we got.

The only thing I didn’t love is how his character lacked a bit of depth. His main role was just being her love interest and we never really got to learn more about him and his feelings which I did miss.

The vibes of the books were just so fun and I really loved reading it.

Melissa Ferguson is a new to me author and this will NOT be the last time I read her books. She did not disappoint! I loved this book sooo much! Off to go see what else I can read from Melissa now.

** Thanks to NetGalley, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the arc! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. **

rating: 2.5* rounded up

while this was cute, it didn’t quite give me the feeling i was hoping for. i’ll admit it was interesting to learn about the challenges of publishing, which was new to me, but the overall pacing felt a bit slow, and made it hard for me to fully engage with the story. the fmc came across as a bit too impulsive and stubborn (her relationship with jack, her career, everything).

i also felt like this book being categorized as a romcom is a bit misleading because the romance definitely took a backseat to everything else that was going on, so that was a bit disappointing too.

overall, it was an okay read !!

I received this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book. This review is my own.
The Perfect Rom-Com is exactly what the title describes. A cute, cozy, heartwarming story about an aspiring author and her agent.
Throughout the story I felt a connection to Bryony as we experienced the ups and downs in her pursuit of her dreams, watching as she evolves as a person and a writer.
The banter between the main characters gives it a lighthearted and comical aspect as you find yourself rooting for their relationship to evolve throughout the book. Though it does have all the feels of a rom-com I like that it’s more than first appears as you progress through the plot.
Overall I give this book a 4/5 stars and look forward to reading future work by this author.

Bryony is an aspiring author trying to sell her novel about her grandmother and the place she works teaching English to adults. she meets Jack, a literary agent who instead of helping her with her manuscript hires her to ghostwrite for a popular author. Two years later, she is still writing books under someone else's name while still hoping her book will get picked up. This book has some parts that I enjoyed like the character of Bryony and her grandmother and the Bridge where she taught English. Where the book falls apart for me is with the love story and love interest. Jack is kind of the worst. He is not very supportive of Bryony's book or her career but is instead more worried about.making money and also lies to her a lot. I wanted to like it but alas it is not the perfect rom com.

1.5 stars. This review makes me so so sad to write. Because I’m always looking for new closed door/no spice romance authors to read from. However, this book was a huge miss for me.

I’ll start with my one big win! I loved that this was set in the world of publishing. Bryony is an author trying to break into the world of publishing the love interest character (Jack) is her agent.

Unfortunately it goes downhill from there. After Jack and Bryony meet and Jack is an absolute jerk to her, there is a 2 year time jump and the reader is just told that they’ve become best friends… Umm that’s the whole building of the relationship!! And none of it is on the page! So there is literally zero chemistry as all the reader has seen of these two characters is an awkward encounter and Jack being an a-hole!

For the whole middle of the book nothing happens and then we find out Jack has been lying to Bryony the whole time. Two strikes for Jack.

But then ending is an over-the-top, plot-hole-filled madness and everybody forgives Jack and they live happily ever after. WHAAAAT!!!

This synopsis had so much potential.

Bryony is an aspiring author who finds herself in a precarious friendship with literary agent Jack. Their story unfolds in The Perfect Rom-Com and you will not want to miss it!

Melissa Ferguson does a wonderful job with light banter and offers some insight into the literary world. All around an easy, light hearted read!

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

Bryony is an aspiring author meeting literary agent Jack. After a disastrous interview, Bryony is more than surprised when he offers her the opportunity to be a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, an acclaimed rom-com novelist.

I very much liked Bryony and Jack's characters and their story but was a bit disappointed by the book's pacing. The beggining of the story felt a bit slow but suddenly two years were skipped. They were friends and suddenly they ended up lovers. I just wish there had been more time to see their relationship build over time.

Still was a good book and would recommend but I wouldn't call it the perfect rom-com.

4.25/5 (rounded down for whole star reviews)

This was such a sweet and fun story. I really loved Bryony and Jacks relationship and how it progressed. The one thing I wished had been fleshed out a little bit more on the page was Bryony’s boyfriend that gets referenced throughout the story. Kinda felt like Paul from the Gilmore Girls revival where Rory kept forgetting him — I kept forgetting he existed because we barely got more than brief mentions of him. I don’t think he needed to be a fully fleshed out character, but just something to get a feel for him would’ve been nice.

This did feel like an ode to the authors former ESL students, which as a former teacher myself, I truly loved. They were portrayed so beautifully and respectfully and never used to just move the story along or as props. You could feel Bryony’s passion and respect, and I loved how she channeled it into her work.

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

The sweetest Rom Com with so much heart! I loved this enemies to friends to lovers so much. A bit of a slow burn, I just wish we would have had some more time with them as a couple, because I loved them together so much, I wanted more 😊

Bryony an aspiring author and ESL teacher, trying to sell her manuscript about her Gran and “The Bridge’ (an ESL school that she started) has quite the entertaining meet cute with Jack the very successful book agent. He of course declines her book proposal, but then later hunts her down or in his words “spots” her in the elevator trash talking him. A working relationship soon follows along with friendship of the best kind. I really enjoyed their friendship, the fun banter and the way they showed up for each other. Jack while coming across a bit dishonest and manipulative was actually so sweet. A perfect match for hard working Bryony who will stop at nothing to save The Bridge.

There were a few times where I felt like even though I knew how the book would end; I had no idea how they were going to get there. It was fun to be kept guessing. When will she lose the long-distance boyfriend who quite frankly sounds like a bore? Will they actually save The Bridge? How in the world is she going to end her ghostwriting relationship with Amelia?

This was my first Melissa Ferguson book, now I’m excited to go read some of her past books!

This was surprisingly less of romcom and more women’s lit. We see Byrony on her journey to follow her dreams and help her grandma’s organization. The banter was witty and good but the overall writing style was a little strange for me. For example, the time jump was confusing and a lot of the plot didn’t quite work.

I think this is an enjoyable easy read for some out there but not my personal cup of tea. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

The title really does the book justice, this really was the perfect rom-com and I will die on that hill

The Perfect Rom-Com tells the story of Bryony Page, an ESL teacher and (ghost)writer, and Jack Sterling, a book agent. The book describes the
relationship between them, while also detailing the struggles for Bryony as she works as a ghostwriter for a difficult author.

Learning about the writing process and the publishing environment was one of the many interesting aspects of this book. The side characters were also fun to read about, such as Gloria and Penny. Still, I would have liked more background and flashback scenes about Jack and Bryony, just to have a better understanding of how their relationship developed.

Overall, The Perfect Rom-Com is a fun read for readers who enjoy friends-to-lovers rom-coms!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC!

Before I start this review I would just like to say that I don't know much about publishing. Also these opinions are my own and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Everyone knows that a lot of authors have ghostwriters. Not sure if all author's act how Amelia acts towards Bryony, who is only doing this job to help her grandmother's legacy and get her foot in the door for her own book, does not need to be treated poorly. Amelia is definitely the type of person who has the mentality of "it's my way or the highway." For a while I was starting to dislike Bryony, but her character development at the end saved her. This was such a cute little rom-com with stories about stories. I liked the development between Jack and Bryony a lot because it wasn’t an instant love connection, it developed over time. Also Amelia got what she deserved.

This is my second Melissa Ferguson book and I was so excited to read The Perfect Rom-Com!

In this friends to lovers read, Bryony is working hard has a full time ESL teacher and ghostwriter to a true diva, while she not so patiently waits for her moment in the spotlight. Jack is her quick talking, always planning agent turned best friend. I enjoyed the relationship between Bryony and Jack, especially their banter. Overall the book was cute and fun.

This book had the heartwarming, fun vibe with lovable characters and witty dialogue that kept me hooked the whole time. Bryony and Jack’s friends-to-lovers romance gave me all the feels, and the blend of humor and emotion was spot on. I have to give so much praise to the author for her incredible style, story, and characters! This book was an absolute joy to read, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

3.75

It was honestly better than I expected! Likeable characters, great chemistry between the MCs, lots of funny moments. Unfortunately, the characters lack depth, and there was just too much internal monologue.

I do love that the author gave us a little peek of how a writer’s mind works, and the inner workings of the publishing world (not sure of the accuracy, but I appreciate it nonetheless).

I feel like the title was understandably misinterpreted as the genre of this book. I was one of those who was expecting a Rom-Com. Despite the chemistry between Bryony and Jack, the romance part was more of an afterthought. By the end of the book, I see it as Bryony’s journey into getting her book published, saving The Bridge, and finally, how she came up with The Perfect Rom-Com.

This is my first Melissa Ferguson book, and it definitely won’t be the last. I have some of her books on my tbr list, and I look forward to reading them!