What a fun listen!

After attending a writer’s conference in search of an agent for her book, the last thing Bryony could have expected was to land a ghost writing contract for a world famous romance author. But two years later, she finds herself exclusively writing under someone else’s name and best friends with her agent - Jack. However, when their contracts require them to go on a bus tour with the author and her team, Bryony and Jack realise that the line between friends and lovers is pretty blurry.

The writing was witty, the characters were loveable and the subplot of saving the ESL school (The Bridge) gave the story such a heartwarming edge. This is the kind of romance book that you could give to any kind of romance reader and you know they'd love it. I found myself listening to this in any quiet moment I had in my day! Would highly recommend!

Thank you to the author & publishers for this audio ARC.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. There were parts I really liked, but the parts I didn’t I *really* didn’t.

The character of Amelia was so terrible that I actually found it hard to get through parts of the book with a lot of her in it. She was the ultimate rich, selfish, mean girl. I couldn’t stand her and I found even just reading through her sections difficult.

The agent, Jack, lied big time and should have just been honest from the start.

The ending was… I don’t know? A lot.

Giving 3 ⭐️ because it wasn’t all bad and did have characters I really enjoyed but I did find it difficult to finish.

***Five Stars***

This was my second book by Melissa Ferguson, and I loved it just as much as I loved Famous for a Living.

The Perfect Rom-Com follows ESA teacher, and aspiring author, Bryony page. Looking for a way to dig her family business out of a serious lack of funds Bryony decides to write a book about the history of it all. This book ends up being.... way too freaking long and without a serious genre. After being turned down by several agents her quick critique of a much-anticipated release leaves literary agent Jack Sterling impressed. He signs her on to become a ghostwriter for an AWFUL socialite Amelia Benedict, she agrees but only if he will be her agent for her book. We quickly skip over two years' worth of Bryony writing for Amelia and building a life with Jack and her new friends in the company. Now, one fateful tour and one long-time-coming phone call changes everything.

Bryony and Jack's HEA is a sweet one. The way it falls apart and comes back together was so fun to read and Jack really nailed it in the "fix your mess" department. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a sweet and fun, low angst, friends to lovers book. Karissa Vacker made this book with her narration; I would absolutely seek her out as a narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this story.

This was a fun read! I laughed out loud a few times! I enjoyed the audiobook and the narrators. I listened to it in one day! This is my second Melissa Ferguson (Meet Me in the Margins) and although it was different I enjoyed it. I did not see the twist at the end.

Thank you Net Galley, Melissa Ferguson and Harper Collins Christian Publishers for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

The Perfect Rom-Com is now available.

I really enjoyed reading about possible struggles that new authors could potentially face. However, I do believe that the title is misleading. With a title of The Perfect Rom-Com you would anticipate a book full of light, witty banter. In the first 80 percent of the book there is no romance at all.

I listened to this novel in pub day thanks to NetGalley!
Two things. One, zero spice. Two, prepare to love the supporting characters.
This novel refused to platy by the emotionally ambiguous norm that so many of the current contemporary romance novels do, and I adored that this novel distinguished itself from others in that perspective. We knew at first question where the MCs intentions were.
This lack of “does he like her?” allowed for a deeper conflict to be impactful when you knew both their hearts were in it. This absolutely added weight to the romantic gesture, and allowed it the grandeur deserved.
I was looking for a lighter and soul soothing romance novel, and this absolutely delivered.
Yup. I cried.

This is the perfect rom-com, it was witty, fun and lighthearted. Loved the characters. The friendship between Bryony and Jack that developed after their not so great meeting was hilarious and perfect. Enjoyed reading from beginning to end. The narrator was very upbeat and complemented the tone of book.

4.5 ⭐️
This book was so cute and refreshing! I liked that Bryony had more than one passion with writing, her ESL position/ the school, and her connection to family - and how those all come together within the book she is pitching. Her journey and growth as a character (and over the course of the book as a writer) lead to an entertaining read. - Then of course you have Jack and their romance as Agent x Ghostwriter which was sweet (closed door romance, no spice).
As noted by other reviews, I don’t think the book itself has as much comedy that I would call it a perfect rom-com, but the title does reflect Bryony’s ghostwriting well!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audiobook of this story. All opinions are my own.

Write what you know.

“This is what this is all about” IYKYK

Happy pub day to The Perfect Rom-Com!

Tore through this one after receiving the ALC and what a fun find this was!

I love a good book about a book/author and this love story had swoon-worthy moments. However, you also experience the growth of Bryony individually and she’s just fun to root for. The ending was wonderful.

I went in totally blind and had never read any Melissa Ferguson but I will be back!

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for an eARC and eALC in exchange for an honest review!

The Perfect Rom Com was such a delight to read! This was my first read from the author and I will definitely be checking out more. Although I guessed the conflict between Jack and Bryony, I was still invested in the story and wanted to see how everything would play out and come together. I loved our FMC’s inner monologue, it really added to her character and helped make her well rounded. I LOVED Jack! He made some dumb choices, but he was so clearly down bad for Bryony from the beginning and I am a sucker for a down bad man.

This is not a problem for me, but I also wanted to let readers know there is no spice in this book. I hate when a book gets low ratings because of the spice level, so just wanted to throw that out there!

I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I was looking forward to jumping into this book when I was approved for an ARC, the title, cover and synopsis seems like it would be a book I would really enjoy.

I’ll start off by saying that the narrator did an outstanding job with the material she was given. I honestly would’ve shelved this as a DNF if it weren’t for the way she brought life into the story.

It seems like it would be a fun romantic comedy about an aspiring author who accepts a deal to become a ghost writer after her hopes of publishing her own works are unsuccessful. Plus a fun workplace romance sprinkled in. But really this book lacked romance and comedy and I did not have fun while reading it.

This book had sooo much potential. I really believe if the time jump did not occur and instead we got to follow along the main characters through the ups and downs of her ghost writing and seeing their friendship bloom on page, it would’ve made this book immensely more enjoyable.

Almost all of the focus followed the FMC as she navigated the world of publishing and balanced her teaching position. I found most of this book to be very boring and drag on for too long.

We are just told there’s a romance between the main characters while they share zero chemistry and all of their relationship development happens off page. Not to mention that the characters were very flat and unlikable.

I think it does this book a great disservice to be categorized as a romance or a rom-com. I’m sure there is an audience who would want to read this book, however I don’t think that person is me. I was looking for a romance novel and this fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

3.75 stars

I was given an audiobook for an honest review from the publisher.

Can I start off saying I did enjoy this book. But I do have to say this. This book, even with the cover and title, is not a romance by any means, and it's marketed that way, and I feel like that's going to be a downfall for the ratings of this book because it's targeting a different type of readers when it should be targeting womans fiction. There is no romance what so ever in this book. Don't get me wrong, I love all genres of books, and I still gave this 3.75 stars, but honestly, this book didn't really go anywhere. The narrator was awesome. But the premise was flat and dull. The writing was average it didn't really stand out from the rest of the books I've read

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC!

I also received the digital ARC a while back and rated it three stars. I hoped hearing it narrated would help me enjoy the book more, but not really. I did really enjoy the narrator and will be seeking out books narrated by Karissa Vacker in the future. I really enjoyed her voice and she did a great job narrating the book! If I solely based this review off narrating it would easily by 5 stars!

For a book titles “The Perfect RomCom” I expected more romance. This was the slowest of slow burns and at the end it was sweet, but not the perfect romcom by any means.

*Light spoiler*

I didn’t like the fact the FMC had a long distance boyfriend yet had a crush on her agent the entire time. I understand and appreciate that she didn’t physically cheat, but I hate the whole “emotional affair” they had.

I absolutely HATED Emilia and I’m so happy that b didn’t get a redemption arc 🤣🤣🤣🤣 the ending was really perfect and very vindicating!

The story overall was good, yet predictable and it missed the mark for a romcom, in my opinion.

Thank you again for the ARC.

Melissa Ferguson, author of The Perfect Rom-Com, delivers romance and humor set amid the world of writing and publishing. I can count on her to provide an entertaining read that is uplifting and clean. Narrator Karissa Vacker provides the voice of the story with her versatile and captivating expression.

The female lead Bryony Page, an aspiring writer, meets agent Jack Sterling at a writer's conference. Bryony's pitch was less than perfect, but it took her in completely unexpected directions. What follows are twists and turns involving love and the bookish world, and it's all fun, engaging, and enjoyable.

I received an advance listener's copy from NetGalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction. My review is my own.

The Perfect Rom-Com follows aspiring author Bryony Page, who attends a writing conference hoping to land an agent for the novel she’s poured her heart and soul into. Instead, she stumbles into an unexpected opportunity—ghostwriting for a wildly popular romance author with millions of readers. While honing her craft and using her earnings to support a deeply personal cause, Bryony forms a close friendship with literary agent Jack Sterling. Over time, she begins to see Jack in a new light and reevaluates her own career ambitions tied to her own name, leading to a heartwarming journey of self-discovery. Inspired by Two Weeks Notice, this book delivers a charming take on love, friendship, and finding one’s own voice.

As a longtime fan of rom-coms in both books and movies, I was eager to see a fresh spin on a familiar story. Melissa Ferguson took the best elements of Two Weeks Notice and refined them, creating a protagonist you can’t help but root for. While it didn’t completely blow me away, it was an undeniably fun, feel-good read—I flew through it in less than a day! If you’re looking for a lighthearted, engaging rom-com, this one is worth picking up.

A heartfelt thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, Melissa Ferguson, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The writing was super immersive, funny at just the right moments, and made the characters and situations feel so real. It had the perfect mix of humor and heart, which kept me hooked the entire time. The pacing was spot-on, and I almost read it in one sitting.
In this book, we follow Bryony after she ends up ghostwriting for Amelia Benedict (a rom-com star) while trying to publish her own book.
My only issue was the romance. I loved every single interaction between Bryony and Jack, but I found myself craving more romantic moments between them. Their connection was so strong, and I just wanted to see it explored more.
Another thing that didn’t quite work for me was Parker. Honestly, his character felt kind of pointless, and I kept wondering why he was even in the story.
I had the opportunity to read both the ebook and the audiobook, and I can recommend both. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the story and characters to life, making it an enjoyable experience for me.
That said, this book was heartwarming and left me wanting more. It also made me super interested in checking out more of Melissa’s books.

This book is a super cute friends to lovers romantic comedy that brings the ups and downs of the literary world to the readers. I enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Bryony as the evolved from friends to something more.

While this book was cute and quirky I found this book to be a little slow. I do wish this had been dual POV between Bryony and Jack instead of only focusing on Bryony.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration by Karissa Vacker was well done.

Another Melissa Ferguson book that I could not put down! Bryony is an author, trying to make it in the publishing world with her debut when she meets Jack and the trajectory of her life changes. Bryony is given the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for a popular author, writing romantic comedies. The ins and outs of the publishing world detailed throughout this book was interesting to see and read about. I love getting the behind the scenes look of different industries but most definitely the book world. The friendship to relationship between Bryony and Jack was so sweet to watch unfold on the pages, and in fact becoming a "Perfect Rom-Com". Thank you to Thomas Nelson for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own! The audio version was also wonderful, as it made it seem as I was watching this book unfold like a movie!

I enjoyed this novel, it is a quick and light read about a young aspiring author (Bryony) with a dream of saving the ESL program her grandma founded with a lucrative book deal. However, I found the pacing of this novel to be a bit odd. The first 20% of the book was just at the writing conference and then all of a sudden the reader is jumped forward 2 years and Bryony is best friends with the grumpy agent who turned her book down at the beginning. I struggled with how we got from point A to point B, but it's romance so I powered through.

I enjoyed Jack's "new" character in the second half of the book and his relationship with Bryony. Having been in a long distance relationship I questioned Bryony dating someone for 21 months overseas without seeing them ever but again it's a romance 🤷‍♀️ Overall the book was sweet but I didn't get a rom-com vibe, more second hand embarrassment for how naive and awkward Bryony was throughout the novel.

The ending was just 🤯 And that is where the author lost me completely. It wasn't believable or realistic, so the last 20% of the novel I read with my mouth hanging open in shock.

I don't know if I'd recommend this novel to a friend, i don't regret reading it but it didn't stand out to me as being well written or with a great plot. I was definitely disappointed with this one because it could have been amazing

Ferguson writes simple plots that are breezy and short. She adopts that approach again in The Perfect Rom-Com. However, this felt like more of a proposal for a book, arguably a potentially good book, rather than the finished product. There are a lot of threads introduced that have not been developed as the plot gallops from one point to another. Bryony presents as a manic, one-dimensional Pollyanna and there are only brief tidbits offered about Jack.

I think I would like this book if all of the many threads were developed and there was some major editing. As it is, I give it 2.5 stars.