Karissa Vickers did a fabulous job at bringing to life Bryony Page. With her sights set on helping save her grandmother's floundering nonprofit, Bryony hopes a story about her life will be the wind fall they need. Unfortunately getting published isn't easy, and she is met with rejection after rejection. When she goes toe to toe with the famous agent Jack Sterling everything changes.

I like the character development, especially the rollercoaster Bryony put herself on and how it created space for personal growth and confidence. Jack's character was also well written from the perspective of a flawed human who is trying to do the right thing. I loved the topics discussed, especially how important adult programs are for immigrants moving to the United States. It felt very poignant given our current climate.

I couldn't finish it fast enough while also not wanting it to end.

Thank you HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the gifted ALC.

I had such a great time listening to The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson! The story was hilarious, heartfelt, and completely engaging, and the audiobook made it even better. The narration really brought the characters to life—I felt every laugh, every swoon, and every moment of frustration (looking at you, Amelia!).

One thing that really hit home for me was Bryony’s passion for helping newcomers integrate into the U.S. and learn English. As a non-native speaker myself, that part really pulled at my heartstrings. In such a divided time, it was such a beautiful reminder of kindness, empathy, and embracing diversity.

And oh my gosh, that ending? Perfection! I was grinning from ear to ear. But I have to say… I was sooo frustrated with how everyone treated Amelia like she was the greatest when she was honestly so unlikeable! I kept thinking, Why is everyone acting like she’s amazing?! But honestly, that just goes to show how well Melissa Ferguson wrote these characters—they felt like real people, flaws and all. If you’re looking for an audiobook that’s funny, heartwarming, and full of personality, this is one you don’t want to miss!

I had an amazing time listening to this book and I’m so grateful I got to read this ARC! Thank you to HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Melissa Ferguson for the gifted Audiobook ARC provided through NetGalley! It was an amazing experience and I’m so happy to share my honest review.

Thank you @NetGalley and @ThomasNelsonandZondervanFictionAudio for the audio ARC. Bryony wants to be a published author and has the perfect story but everyone says no to her dream. Jack is the best literary agent in the business and he has the need for a ghostwriter for a famous author. It is not what she wants but he promises to sell her manuscript after her contract ends. Bryony takes the job but Jack is holding something back and Bryony will not let him forget their deal. Was such a fun read.

Bryony Page is decides to ghostwrite for a famous author 'Amelia Benedict' till her agent, Jack finds a publisher to publish her manuscript. She needs the money to fund the school for foreign students where she is working as a teacher. She writes a lot of novels for Amelia which are bestsellers and now the publishers dont want to let her go and Jack too.
Their first meeting was chaotic and very fun to read and we get to see the behind the scenes of publishing and book tours. The road trip was the perfect example of how road trips happen with lots of discomfort, adjustments, patience and people always knowing other people's business. I thoroughly enjoyed that part.
Jack and Bryony had the sweetest trope, work place romance and I liked how they first became friends and then gradually fell in love. I wish some things handled differently on Jack's part but their relationship was really adorable.
I think Amelia infuriated me whenever she opened her mouth. Thats how much well written her character was and she got her payback in the end.
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed this author's previous work.

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson is a delightful, drama-filled read that captures the life of a newfound author’s life. With charming characters, sharp writing, and just the right amount of tension, this book had me hooked from start to finish.

Bryony and Jack completely stole my heart, and their chemistry was everything—especially with swoon-worthy lines like “Make anything else your muse… make me your muse!” Meanwhile, Amelia? Oh, she had me raging. But watching Bryony get her well-deserved justice was so satisfying.

The uplifting, feel-good ending wrapped everything up perfectly, making this an absolute treat to read. Highly recommend for rom-com lovers looking for a little drama, a lot of heart, and a truly satisfying conclusion!

Narrator feedback:
Karissa has a very lovely voice to listen to. Even on 2x speed it is spot on. She’s very melodic and I love the emotion she puts into the story. Big fan!

I always love reading books about people who love books. I also enjoyed the ghost writing aspect of the book. The ending while a little far fetched was super cute and the perfect way to end this perfect rom-com!

Hmm. Serious stuff this!! No laugh out moments at all.

Bryony, the Fmc needed to get a backbone. Seriously, you're hanging on to a supposed boyfriend who is on the other side of the globe for two years!! And the abuse from Amelia and somewhat from Jack, again if you do not like it, then change it. For a successful writer, she just would not take criticism from established people in the industry. Epic Fail.

I did, however, like all the extended family. The immigrants, the grandmother, the cause, the bestie.

You don't see much of romance developing between the protagonists. They go from friends to let's kiss now and explore. Also, Jack needed his voice. It would have been nice to hear his thoughts throughout the book vs. A few explanations here and there.

Overall, the audiobook was easy to listen to, no complaints there.

#ThePerfectRomCom #NetGalley

I requested this book specifically for the narrator, Karissa Vacker. She completely made this book for me. She is so easy to listen and makes any book entertaining! 5⭐️ narration, 3⭐️ book

This was just super adorable and fun! I am absolutely in love with the writing style and the way this author describes her world and her characters!

This book is about Bryany and Jack. Bryany is an aspiring author to be and Jack works for an agency. Naturally they meet by Bryany presenting her novel to Jack.

Bryany has been working on her novel for a really long time and has been turned down by agency’s over and over. she puts her last hope on Jack who in turn also turns down her novel. He then shows her an unedited version of a novel by a very popular and well known author, and asks her what’s wrong with it. Bryany in turn is so surprised that she loses her filter and spits out a list of things she thinks are wrong with the book. Jack is so interested in her opinions that he ends up offering her a job as a ghost writer for said author.

At first Bryany is having the best time seeing her own novels get published and seeing how much people love her work but after some time it’s starts becoming very frustrating for her to see another author get all the credit for novels she’s put her body and soul into. At that point though it’s pretty much impossible for to get out of her contract. Meanwhile she’s still trying to get Jack to find someone willing to publish her very first novel but with no success.

The banter between Jack and Bryany was so cute! The way you could so easily tell how head over heels Jack was for her even though she was so clueless! The only thing I did not really like was the miscommunication trope. that’s just always a no for me unfortunately. I feel like sooooooo many things could have been avoided if Bryany would have just taken the time to hear Jack out instead of ghosting him and not giving him any chance to explain his actions. I get she was very upset. (Reasonably so) But she reacted kind of in a childish way.

Overall this was just super fun and fluffy! The characters were all super loveable (except for one obviously) and I had such a blast reading this!

This author has been on my radar for a while and I’m not entirely sure why I haven’t picked up one of her books until now, especially considering I actually already have some in my library. Now that I’ve completed this one though I’ll definitely be reading through her backlog. What a sweet, fun and lighthearted little novel this was! As a general rule I often don’t love books that include a novelist or creative writer as a main character mainly because as a writer myself, I like to read characters who do other things. This one however was really enjoyable. It hit a little close to home (the rejections and frustrations that come alongside the career) and I appreciated and admired this characters tenacity and grit. I thought there were aspects of this novel that were relatable to an unpublished writer, especially the part about her revisiting the novel after years. It’s rough going back and reading something you cared so deeply for and realising it’s basically a sh*tshow, for lack of a better word. Anyway, I’m rambling. I enjoyed this. I liked the characters, I liked the pacing. I think the romance could have been worked on more but otherwise, it was a solid book!

This was my first Melissa Ferguson novel and I am hooked and ready to start reading through the rest of her bibliography. Karissa Vacker Was a great narrator and perfectly executed multiple character dictations and appropriate accents. I enjoyed Karissa’s voice for the MMC and the way she delivered the material. I found Melissa’s writing educational yet relatable, witty and poignant. This one was hard to put down and is my second 5 star read of the year and the first 5 star closed door romance I have come across in a long, long time.

I do not think I could have loved a book more. The Perfect Rom-Com was in face THE perfect rom-com. Bryony is the epitome of grace and class. A woman who cares deeply for others and also has true grit and determination when it comes to her life goals. This book is how you truly include immigration in the conversation in today's political climate, surrounded by positivity and light. Bryony is passionate to teach ESL to those who need it and more desperate to save her grandmother's ESL program that has run out of funding. She wants her book to be picked up and published so badly and at the same time is in a situation where she is ghost writing for a huge author but is getting none of the spotlight to be able to promote her own work. Jack, her agent and friend turned lover is entertwined in her story as well. I don't want to give too much away but I felt this was a perfect slow burn, friends to lovers romance book that I very very much enjoyed listening to. The narrators did a wonderful job and really made this story come alive with their emotion. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins for the copy of the audiobook.

Let me start by saying that I enjoy Melissa Ferguson’s writing. I was just introduced to her in the past couple of years but have read the following books: Snowy Serendipity, The Dating Charade, The Cul-de-Sac War, Famous for a Living, and Meet Me in the Margins.

Meet Me in the Margins is my favorite to date but The Perfect Rom-Com is a close second. The Perfect Rom-Com is the perfect writer’s meet cute. Bryony Page has been a ghostwriter for authors on many projects but has decided to make the big and terrifying step to publish a book of her own. She attends a writer’s conference to pitch her book. After meeting with several publishers and receiving rejection after rejection, she strikes a deal with her agent (Jack Sterling) to be a ghostwriter once more in exchange for his work to get her book approved for publication. Most ghost writers would absolutely be thrilled at the chance to write for Amelia Benedict, famous influencer but Bryony can’t quite view this opportunity as anything but a punishment.

A series of unexpected events including an in person tour with Amelia and Jack and a breakup with her boyfriend leave Bryony windering what she is doing with her life. Can she move past her breakup and find love again? Can she push through and become a published author?

Review for The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson – 3 Stars

Okay, so first off—what the hell was that trope? A sue trope? I was fully prepared for a classic rom-com setup, and instead, I got… whatever that was. The premise was cute: a ghostwriter finally getting her chance while a literary agent is swooning in the background. But the execution? Questionable.

Bryony was fine, but her sister? Oh my God, she was so annoying. Every time she showed up, I wanted to skim. I get sibling drama, but this felt unnecessary and forced. And then there’s the whole “suing” plotline—why? Who asked for that? It added unnecessary tension to a book that should’ve been light and fun.

Jack was decent, but the romance felt more like an afterthought. There were a few swoony moments, but not enough to make up for the weirdness of the plot.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, if you go in knowing it’s not the fluffy, predictable rom-com you think it is. But if you’re looking for something to make you giggle and swoon, there are better options out there.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for access to this eaudio ALC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator, Karissa Vacker, was great, I felt all the characters come to life through their performance, I was well-immersed in this story from beginning to end. This was a one-sitting experience and I listened into the wee hours of the morning; I wanted so badly to watch Bryony see her dreams fulfilled. I read some reviews that complained that this was more chicklit than romance, I will say that fact was appealing to me, not off-putting. The fact that it was marketed as a romance gave me the assurance that Bryony would have her happy ending, no matter the struggles and set backs she faced. This story had the depth of character growth of chicklit and the hopeful, happy ending of a good romance, which I enjoyed. Bryony's fevered search and struggle to grasp her dreams and goals and find fulfillment and meaning in her life and save the program that means so much to her and the many ESL students that it serves was contagious; it inspired me to find my cause, the thing that matters more than anything else and go put my heart and soul into that project! I hope we can all find our own Bridge to fight for.

For the most part, I absolutely LOVED this book. The banter between Jack and Bryony was truly top tier and, ugh, the build-up to their relationship was so so good. There’s also something about a pining man that will get me every time …
That being said, there are some drawbacks. First, there was too much “fluffy” stuff at times - a very in-depth description of the people/things going around the character rather than a focus on the plot (however, this has more charm later in the book).
My main issue is ultimately the third-act issues between the two MCs. Not to give away too much, but Jack’s betrayal is a rough one and one that took some serious time (I mean … a whole two years?!). So while I know he was ‘down bad’ for Bryony and he claimed this was a way of protecting her, I just think it was the ultimate betrayal to Bryony given her emphasis and love for the book. So, yes he sorted it out in a grand romantic gesture (a serious romantic gesture!!) but he did still lie to her for a while… I think we as readers still forgive him but have to point out that he’s not the perfect MMC one initially thinks he is. It’s because of this that the book moved from a 5-star read to a 4-star read.
Ultimately, I still really loved this book. I was gripped by the characters’ stories and was rooting for the MCs to get together throughout their friendship. I will definitely be picking up books from this author again!!

P.S. absolutely loved the acting in the audio version of this book!! Dual narrators will always be superior.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook The Perfect Rom Com by Melissa Ferguson. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and completed it in one day.
Bryony Page is an author and has and is trying to get her own book published when she receives an offer to ghostwrite for someone that did write a popular rom com book.
I love Bryony’s determination and passion that she has for the ESL students that she also teaches on the side.
This is a quick read or listen and I would recommend you reading it.

Minimal humor, minimal romance, maximum monologuing.

Bryony Page is quite literally exhausting. I should have known from the blurb that the main focus of this book would be about her getting her manuscript published with a smidge of romance thrown in but even then my expectations fell way short.

What we get is Bryony constantly rambling about every possible thing, becoming annoyingly focuses on her book, and feeling used when things don’t go her way. Yet for the past two years SHE was the one using Jack as an “in” to get her manuscript to a good publisher and refuses to accept any sort of criticism for it.

Don’t get me wrong. I can appreciate a romance book without any smut but there was no romance here. We go from enemies to friends to potential romantic partner all because he was nice to her and does nice things for her? We skip two years of potential moments between the characters to make the romance believable but we get no opportunity to read about it.

This may sound harsh but Bryony did not deserved the ending she got. However, I thought the narrator did a great job in making each character unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

eh, this one kind of missed the mark for me. zero spice which is fine, but there was no butterflies or anything like that and then suddenly the MMC changed into a different person. i was slightly dissapointed.

Thank you @harpercollinschristian for the gifted audiobook. #audiobooks


I love books about books and I love romances. Melissa Ferguson has brilliantly blended the two worlds together in 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐦-𝐂𝐨𝐦.

Bryony Page teaches ESL to adult immigrants at her grandmother’s organization. But her dream is to be an author. In fact, she has her manuscript in hand; now, she has to get it published. When she bravely approaches one of the biggest agents in the publishing business, Jack Sterling, he rejects her lengthy novel. But he does offer her a ghostwriting position for one of the biggest rom-com novelists.

I couldn’t get enough of Jack and Bryony! Sure, Jack’s her agent, and they have worked together for years, but let’s just say they work very closely and have become friends. But when Bryony feels like it’s time for her to walk away from ghostwriting, tired of being unseen and unrecognized, it's Jack who has been watching and waiting all along. Ugh, my heart.

I also adored Bryony’s students; they were funny and sweet and added so much personality and charm to the story. This book is not just a workplace romance; it's a journey of self-discovery and a peek into the publishing world. It has substance, yet it has humor, wit, and warmth - truly a delight!


🎧The audiobook was narrated by one of my favorites, Karissa Vacker. Her narration brought the characters to life and added a new dimension to the story. I loved pairing the physical copy with Karissa’s narration - it was an absolute treat.



Thank you @harpercollinschristian for the gifted audiobook. #audiobooks