This was a story within a story. One about an aspiring writer who has a book she is trying to get published, which is also about her grandmother and an ESL school she started for immigrants. It also has another story line about her ghost writing for a wealthy woman, and her journey with all of that. It was fun read, but it was a little long on the character development.

Although I DNF'd her last book, I wanted to give this one a chance. The writing was a little better, not a lot of romance, and I enjoyed the ending. Thanks #netgalley

Read If You Like:
- Romantic comedies
- Enemies-to-lovers trope
- Stories about writers and the publishing industry
- Witty banter

Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers' conference with high hopes of selling her manuscript and raising awareness for The Bridge, her grandmother's financially struggling organization where she teaches ESL full-time. After a disastrous pitch session, she unexpectedly lands a job as a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, a popular rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees on one condition: that Jack Sterling, a literary agent at the Foundry Literary Agency, works to sell her own book too. As Bryony's ghostwritten books propel Amelia to greater fame, she finds herself entangled in the complexities of the publishing world and her growing feelings for Jack.

This novel offers a delightful blend of humor and heart, with engaging characters and sharp, witty dialogue. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Bryony and Jack adds tension and charm to the story. The behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry provides an intriguing backdrop, and Bryony's dedication to her community adds depth to her character. The narrative is both entertaining and uplifting, making it a perfect choice for fans of lighthearted romance.

The Perfect Rom-Com is a charming and enjoyable read that will leave you smiling and believing in the serendipity of unexpected opportunities.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC and ALC!

Book 041 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I think this is my favourite one by Melissa! One star because the protagonist is an ESL teacher!

I've actually got a CELTA myself, and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching English as a second language!

What a wonderfully paced romance with none of the spice, yet you can feel the sparks.

Enjoyed both the well narrated audiobook and ebook!

I received a complimentary copy of both the ebook and the audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Received as an ARC from NetGalley.

Bryony needs to save her beloved ESL school and tell her grandmother’s story—so she writes a novel, goes to a writing conference to meet with agents. She meets Jack and becomes a best selling author, just under someone else’s name. We follow Bryony as she continues to try and save The Bridge, survive Amelia, and find love.

This was such a cute story. We love a man that falls first and yearns for the FMC. There is zero spice in this story, so it lives up to its name as a perfect Rom-com.

I didn’t enjoy how many parentheses were used in the writing to show what she thought others were thinking or seeing. But, aside from that this was an enjoyable, easy, palate cleansing read.

I expected it to be a quick delightful light-hearted "perfect" rom-com but unfortunately it was anything but.

I hate dnf-ing arcs but ugghhh i was suffering way too much to get going further.

Lesson learned:
Pretty Cover & Perfect Title ≠ good book.

Tropes:
☞ Agent x Ghostwriter
☞ Friends to Lovers
☞ Workplace Romance
☞ Forced Proximity
☞ Slow-burn
☞ He falls first

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson. 

Although this is literally put out there as the perfect rom-com, I felt like this book...wasn't? Yes, it was a cute book and the vibes were sweet and fun, but there is no spice, one kiss, and that doesn't truly convince me it's a true love or 'perfect'. I'm not sure I believed the couple's love.

I had really high hopes due to the FMC Bryony being an ESL teacher (and I'm a previous ESL teacher), and the publishing industry plot. I thought those two things would really make me love the book, but it was just a bit too predictable for me, and felt like a slog to get through at points. 

Not the one for me, but thank you NetGalley for the eArc - all opinions are my own!

A bit delayed with this review, but better late than never hopefully! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC - all thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.

Reading has felt the tiniest bit like a chore so far this year, and this book really helped me get out of a reading slump!

Books that dive into the world of publishing are always so fascinating to me, and this one really kept it real, especially with the honest discussion about rejections. It's refreshing to see that front and center, showing the gritty side of the industry. Sure, the ARC formatting is a bit rough around the edges, but honestly, that’s not the book’s fault—just a minor thing in the grand scheme of things.

As someone who has absolutely no clue how the publishing world works or what it's like to even get picked up by big-name authors, I loved watching Bryony take control. She’s totally owning her journey, going back to the interview table, fighting for herself, and giving feedback and edits to Benedict’s book. Talk about empowerment! I’m all here for it.

Their banter? I’m obsessed. It’s witty, it’s playful—just the perfect dynamic. And then there’s Jack. Honestly, I couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or just stringing her along with promises of getting her book out there. It was kind of heart-wrenching at times, but the twist? Wow. Turns out he *was* stringing her along, but for a good reason? I don’t even know if I’m fully buying that (in terms of how the publishing industry works, not his intentions to protect Bryony), but I guess it makes sense in the end.

The time jump totally threw me off at first, but I ended up loving it. It works so well for the story, and I’m really glad it happened. Also, the fact that both Bryony and Jack are technically in relationships adds such a compelling dynamic. I’m already rooting for them, and really appreciate the path Ferguson took with their story

And can I just say? I’m beyond obsessed with Bryony being an ELL teacher. As an educator myself, I loved that representation.

But the absolute cherry on top? The twist and the resolution at the end. I was so shook, I had to make my boyfriend stop playing his game just to tell him what happened. I’m still thinking about it. Seriously, what a ride. Highly recommend!

⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ (4/5 stars)

As a former foreign language teacher, I knew I was going to like this book. Bryony Page is an ESL teacher for a language learning school (The Bridge), that her grandmother founded. The program is struggling and all Briony wants is to publish her novel about The Bridge to keep the school running. She pitches her novel to numerous agents with no luck, until she meets Jack Sterling. Jack has no interest in her novel but gives her the opportunity to ghost write for the popular (but really annoying) rom-com writer, Amelia Benedict. Briony’s books under Amelia’s name are wildly successful and she finds herself stuck in the contractual agreement to keep writing for Amelia but wanting to breakout on her own with her own novel, all while wanting to save The Bridge. The relationship with Jack and Briony evolves overtime and muddles the agent/author relationship and Briony’s end goal. I read part of this book and listened to the audio for part too. I audio was excellent and Briony’s wit really shined. I really enjoyed it but by the end I was missing the rom-com spirit for Briony and Jack. This was definitely a slow burn but to the point that I didn’t really feel the spark between the two main characters. Yes, they were cute together but I was missing the glue (the real chemistry) that makes the reader really fall for their love story. The rest of the story I really loved though.

Workplace romance / agent & author (ghost writer)
Friends to lovers
Slow burn romance

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson Fiction for the eARC and audio ARC in return for my honest review.

This was a book. Idk what else I can really say about it? There were parts I equally liked and disliked, but overall this was just a very middle of the road book for me. I liked the premise but the FMC absolutely ruined it for me. I liked that she FINALLY had some character development near the end and listened to what practically EVERYONE was telling her. But she was just so stubborn and sure of herself, while also thinking she was nothing like the self-centered author she was ghostwriting for.

There was absolutely zero spice. I think there was only one kissing scene? The romance was basically and overthought, and hardly mattered at all. Funny bc the title is literally “The Perfect Rom-Com” and there wasn’t even any romance, and hardly any comedy. I feel misled.

Also, I got this book as an ARC on NetGalley.

I thought this was a really relatable storyline and the FMC was quite believable. We've all struggled with having a dream and having to fight against being pulled in other directions. Bryony is so passionate about her writing and her grandmother's organization, so it's really hard not to root for her. It did feel like Jack could be a bit self-centered and was subtly holding Bryony back at first, but showed good character development by the end. I thought the banter was fun and the characters were great together. Overall a fun read!

Well that was just the sweetest thing I’ve ever read!! I swear I spent 90% of this book smiling! I loved it! Bryony is so relatable and the development of her character is perfect. It felt exactly right from page one to the end of the epilogue. I loved getting a kind of inside peek of the publishing world and ghostwriting too!! I really enjoyed this!

Thank you NetGalley, Uplit Reads, Thomas Nelson and author Melissa Ferfuson for the arc!

Ok, so this was my first Melissa Ferguson book and ya’ll … it was a delight!! Excellent writing with a fun and fresh plot that's oh so swoon worthy ... this slow burn sweet romance has funny laugh out loud moments with the most loveable characters that will burrow their ways into your heart! Plus, a villain-ess that was so deliciously hate-able! Gah! It was absolutely one of those books that I just could snuggle down with & let the story take me away! And the ending was absolutely satisfying! This one is 100% a recommend from me!

SYNOPSIS
Bryony Page is an aspiring writer, currently teaching ESL in her grandmother's financially struggling organisation, The Bridge. After a disastrous pitch session, Bryony finds herself correcting another author's work in a last ditch attempt to impress an agent. This catapults her into becoming a ghost writer for Amelia Benedict, popular rom-com writer. Bryony agrees to write for the demanding, self-obsessed woman, on one condition - Jack Sterling, her literary agent, works to sell her book too. As the books catapult to success the Foundry Agency realise they can't part with Bryony, and neither can Jack.

THOUGHTS:
This one for me felt quite surface level, I didn't really connect with the romance. I don't think it helped that the story jumped 2 years & although the characters weren't an item after the jump we still missed the initial stages of them falling for each other and therefore I just felt disconnected from it.

I found Bryony as a main character to be quite annoying. She has multiple professionals in the publishing industry that repeatedly tell her that her manuscript needs editing and needs more work, yet she just continues to ignore thinking she knows and expecting everything to just fall into place. It also irked me the way she was such a push over, why is she acting like Amelia's assistant & just going along with everything that is said. That is most definitely not part of your job?!

It was a quick easy read, while reading chunkier things, it's just not one that will stick with me over time.

Tropes:
- workplace romance
- agent x author
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- under table touches

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️3.5

This is such a heartwarming story, I laughed, I cried.

Byrony and Jack are so adorable together!

To be completely honest, I gave The Perfect Rom-Com five stars purely on vibes. This book is the cutest one I’ve ever read. The writing itself is just okay, and the grand finale is a bit unrealistic, but the romance between Bryony and Jack is exceptional. Be prepared to giggle and kick your feet in the air while reading this adorable romance.

I can say that I have really read and enjoyed several books by Melisa Fergusson. Its characters are witty, funny, fun to get to know page after page and this book in particular made me notice the difficulties that authors have to go through and the little-known face of the publishing industry, with fictitious characters and situations of course, but which have made me appreciate more each new book that comes into my hands.
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Having said this, I want to say that I really enjoyed Bryony, her charisma, her love for books and how she did everything she could to continue trying to get her book published, and her school open. But when Jack began to make her a different proposal that the one she was hoping, I became suspicious and from then on, no matter how beautiful their friendship, chemistry and dynamic they had together, I began to dislike Jack.
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Every time the protagonist is going through a difficult situation, every time she felt about to leave the vicious cycle in which she was living stressed, feeling low and Jack opened his mouth, it made me want to scream "he's gaslighting you!!" "He is so patronizing!! “, and “he’s saying it only because he needs you to comply with the goals that are demanded of him or he imposes himself." It was very difficult to like him so I only saw Bryony's point of view and hope for the best
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I was really intrigued and get me worried that there was no way out of the situation and at several moments I wished that Bryony would man up and put them in their place or say that it was enough, you know that the MC has to work more and give in to have a good ending.
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Despite wanting to scream at it several times, especially in the audio book which feels so vivid and real as funny and entertaining , I really enjoyed this book, a solid 3.5 4 stars
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Thanks to Melisa Fergusson and Thomas Nelson fiction for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.
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Cute book, but not what I was hoping for it to be. The title got me and I was hoping for the perfect rom-com, but sadly it was not for me. But i love Melissa work and will keep reading!

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I loved that it was a cute, fluffy, cheesy romance. I did get a bit annoyed with the time jumps and the bits we missed in that time we missed but overall a good read

This truly was the perfect rom-com. I was hooked from chapter one. The chemistry between Bryony and Jack was pouring off the pages. Loved their dynamic and how well they both played off each others character. The heart of the story for me was her never giving up on saving the center where she worked, which hit close to home personally. I had the best time watching these two totally platonic friends fall for each other. It was a fun, flirty, feel good love story. I’ve loved each book I’ve read from Melissa and this has become my new favorite! A must read for all of us hopeless romantics.