This was son much fun to read! Friends to lovers romance and character development, realizing you can improve yourself and a big gesture, I mean, what’s not to like! Sweet and clean read that left me swoon and heart eyed.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this book. I enjoyed the characters and their dynamic. I loved seeing their growth, but I wish I had seen more of the in-between when they met and where they ended up. Without giving anything away, I loved the plot and seeing the publishing world mechanics. I love to read books about books. I cannot wait to read more books by Melissa Ferguson.

I ADORED THIS BOOK! It was funny, lighthearted, and oh so addicting to read, or in my case to listen to. Bryony Page is a funny, very anxious in a relatable way, ghost writer for a very famous author that is trying to save a place that means so much to her and to the people she helps by teaching them ESL. She is an aspiring writer and goes to meet Jack, a really cool and totally badass agent in the literary world and makes an impression to land her the ghostwriting job.

Soon their chemistry starts to show more and more and it's hard to deny that they are only "just friends". Bryony and Jack are two amazing characters and I loved listening to their banter, how Jack was totally obsessed with her (and everyone knew it), and how Bryony grew as a character from the beginning of the story to the end. I think what broke my heart the most was that it ended and I don't get to read it anymore. Melissa Ferguson really made the perfect rom-com and if this book isn't on your TBR, what are you doing?!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for letting me read this beautiful story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson fiction and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this ARC! Jack and Bryony are a cute enemies to lovers workplace romance story. She just wants to get published and he needs a ghostwriter for a popular social media star. Their dynamic of ‘are they just friends or are they more’ is so sweet and I was happy to read all about their evolution. The narration by Karissa Vacker was so wonderful - I will listen to anything she does!

Truly it's a 2.5 star rounded up.

To be honest, I had taken 4 tries to get started on this book. The first 25% was slow going. There's too much internal dialogue, too details of the background and you have to get thru that before the story gets started. I would say the 'meat' of the story starts around 31%-60ish% of the book. Then, before you know it, the 3rd act happens. The lead up was very predictable too, but I would say I did appreciate how the resolution came together and that was exciting to read/hear.

The pacing at the beginning was slow, too slow. The showing of the friendship with the banter made it fun, but again, didn't really get started there until after a quarter of the book. Once that gets going, it was good. The wind down was good, and the ending was beautifully done. But man, you have to get thru the first quarter before you get to the meat, I had contemplated DNF several times, kinda glad I stuck with it, but can see how many would've given up.

My favorite character, is Gloria, we all should have a personal cheerleader sister in our corner. The students are cute and provided levels of the environment. The bus ride felt too claustrophobic. Kinda wish Browny has more of a backbone given the amount of internal dialogue that she has.

One note about the audiobook, I love Karissa Vacker, she shows the emotions of each of the characters well, and I've enjoyed other books that she had performed. I think it's because of her that I stuck with this one. Give it a listen.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ARC.

This is a cute little hallmark movie book! It's a little slow but it's an easy fast read! No spice, just kissing, so I would be good for ya too. The ending of the book is was caught my attention the most!

Bryony is an aspiring writer and after she meets Jack (literary agent) at a writers conference, he doesn't want to push her own book but for her to be the ghostwriter for popular novelist, Amelia. Fast forward, she's the exclusive writer for Amelia and Jack still doesn't have traction on her book. After a break-up, her and Jack find they're attracted to each other but Jack hasn't been fully truthful with her about her book.

I thought this was a cute book and I did enjoy the relationship between Bryony/Jack and how it was organic throughout time. While Jack did lie, it was clear he was smitten with Bryony and he was trying to do right by her behind the scenes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book really is the perfect rom-com. I adored every single thing about it.

I loved this book! Bryony Page was a fantastic FMC. Bryony daylights as an ESL teacher for adults new to America. Her situation really touched my heart. I also appreciated that I got a peak behind the curtain of book writing/publication in America. I also loved the slow burn between both MCs

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I have no complaints. The voice acting was great!

Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Harper Collins Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was absolutely cute and such a delight to listen to!
I loved learning more about the publishing industry and what it’s like being a writer and also about the struggles that a writer goes through at the beginning of the road until their first book gets to be published
I also enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Bryony and how it started as being a friendship and later on developed into something more which I think was really cute and sweet
Overall, this was such a fun audiobook and I would highly recommend picking this book up!

This was a great romance book to listen to. I loved the relationship between Jack and Brynn. I did get sad when they broke up but it ended happily which made me smile. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC

This book was so exciting to the very end. I really enjoyed this plot, its characters, the romcom, and the challenges the fmc comes across. I feel like this book was unique in the way the story kept going til the end. It wasn't full of fillers, and there wasn't a forced "and they lived happily ever after with marriage and a baby "at the end. This was so good in my opinion.

The narrator did a really good job, she captured the emotions of the characters so well. So good, i finished in 1 day.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

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. I listened to this book at 2x speed and enjoyed the narration, style, and tone. 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.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of the audiobook. It took me a little while to get into this book, but was hooked about 1/3 of the way through. Great narration, too!

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.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a marvelous job!

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

There was a lot I really liked here, but the few issues I had with the book were all pretty glaring. Jack is a massive red flag: from the fact that he has a history of dating authors he works with (I don't remember if he represented the first one who's mentioned or if she was just a ghostwriter hired to write for one of his authors, but either way, that makes me less okay with him dating Bryony because now it's a pattern of behavior), to his behavior later on which, without leaving spoilers, would absolutely land him on my (and everyone I know's) Do Not Query list if he were real.
I did like Bryony's growth. I was very frustrated with her unwillingness to actually take feedback or learn anything at all about the industry, genre expectations, etc. but it led to a great arc for her, so overall I thought it worked. I also loved how much she cared about The Bridge.

Overall, while I liked the bones of this book quite a bit, the issues I did have were big enough that it made it hard for me to see past them. I listed to the audio arc and really liked Karissa Vacker's narration!

For a book called “The Perfect Rom-Com” - was the rom-com even in the room with us?
Buckle up for this review, cause it’s going to be a long one.

Let’s start with the positive since I listened to this on audio: The narrator for this book was absolutely amazing. I’ve listened to a few of her narrations by now and I always love her voice, listening to her tell a story. So kudos to her and can’t wait to hear more books by her!

Now.. to the negative…

This book markets itself as a rom-com but there was nothing romance genre friendly about it, in my opinion. The two main characters, Bryony and Jack, had next to no chemistry and the chemistry mainly lived in the first two chapters before we get a two year time jump where they’re suddenly good friends and work together. There were a few cute moments here and there, but I was getting more friend vibes with these two than romantic partners. Then when these two FINALLY go on a date and kiss, it’s very instant lovey, which ok I get we have two years of “build up” but up until this date, Bryony doesn’t really think too much of Jack in a more than friendship/boss type of way. And this happiness of them being a couple lasts only a few minutes before there’s conflict that lasts the remainder of the book…

The conflict in question is my least favorite trope, the miscommunication trope, which is bad enough as is but if you’re trying to market a “perfect rom-com” wouldn’t you not want to have a third act conflict/break-up at all or have it be something a little more… realistic. The way Bryony just decided to write off Jack (pun intended) after one conversation with a mere stranger really threw me for a loop and made me really annoyed with her as a character which I was already struggling with. Then when Jack does explain his side of the story she acts even more annoying and storms off. THEN to throw the two together to resolve the issue at the end you have Jack, who has shown no real grumpy energy this whole time, THREATEN TO SUE HER?!

Speaking of Bryony being annoying - you’re telling me she wants to be her own writer so bad yet just assumes her manuscript is perfect, doesn’t really listen to feedback from the PROFESSIONALS, and gets pouty when people bring up how she doesn’t have a following? Girlie admitted multiple times she doesn’t have any social media accounts - how do you expect to connect with readers and other writers this day in age?

Despite my feelings towards this book, I would give this author another chance. Especially since I read another one of her books in the past and really liked it! That said - just because something wasn’t my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it won’t be yours!

**Because of my low ranking review I will not be posting on my book instagram page*

2.5 rounded up solely because the coup at the end was so comically insane.

I have a lot to say and also nothing to say at all. Where was the love? Where was the romcom? Where was the yearning? I literally am so let down by this book. This novel is the definition of "yes girl, give us nothing!!!!!!" The love story in this was so much of an afterthought. Even Bryony's perfect romcom that she was writing wasn't detailed enough to elude to any real romance.

Overall, it was entertaining enough to push through but truly I didn't love it. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction for this audiobook arc.

The Perfect Rom-COM it was indeed! I love Bryony she’s such a go getter! I give this book 3,75. stars.

I recommend not reading it while in public spaces though, because it will make you laugh, frown, and cry.

I think I’m going to re-read it and definitely spread the word to my friends.

A clever romcom sprinkled with depth and laugh out loud moments! One that you will devour in one sitting! I listened to the audio and the narration was fantastic!

I received an audio ARC through Netgalley and all opinions are my own.