The Perfect Rom-Com is an adorable story of an author coming into their own. It starts out slow but gets better the more you get into it. Its a fun. quick read that is sure to be enjoyed by many!

What a charming rom-com about a ghostwriter. I don't know if this book is for me, but I will be recommending it to my rom-com friends!

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

I really enjoyed parts of this book and really didn’t enjoy others. It was very up and down for me. I think the best way to review it might be to break it down into pros and cons. Just very cut and dry.

First, a little recap: This book follows aspiring author Briony Page as she aims to get her passion project novel published. Briony is full-time adult ESL teacher for The Bridge, a program where immigrants can learn English and get their GEDs. Unfortunately, The Bridge is struggling to stay funded and will close soon if nothing changes. Enter Jack. Jack is an agent who Briony queries at a writer’s conference to take her on as a client, and in the process, save The Bridge with her advance. While hesitant to take on her book, Jack does pick Briony up as a ghost writer for one of his most famous clients, Amelia Benedict. We follow Jack and Briony as they navigate the world of publishing while trying to save The Bridge and inevitably grow closer.

Ok. Pros: I really loved the story of the ESL students. The author pulled from her real-life experience as an ESL teacher, and some of the stories were just hilarious. These characters had so much heart and soul, and their love for Briony just leapt off the page. They were a shining light in this book, and I was so invested in seeing The Bridge saved. I loved Briony’s dedication to them and her willingness to try literally everything she could to make sure the program stayed open.

I also enjoyed the plotline of Briony as Amelia’s ghost writer. Amelia Benedict is easily one of the most infuriating characters I have ever read. She was heinously awful. The ending she got was so sweet and satisfying. I absolutely ate 👏 it 👏 up 👏, despite it being supremely unrealistic haha, but what do we read for if not suspension of disbelief. Amelia deserved every single thing she got. I love that Jack facilitated it, and finally, put Briony’s best interests first like he should’ve been doing for years as HER agent.

Now for the cons … in a book titled “The Perfect Rom-Com,” one would think that the romance aspect of the book would not fall into the cons category, but it — unfortunately — does. There really is no other way around it. The romance in this book sucked with a capital S. I actually think I preferred Briony and Jack as friends. There’s no build-up, no chemistry, no burn, no tension, no banter. Nothing about their relationship said to me that they should be together romantically. It just came off as two really good friends/coworkers.

Briony gets broken up with halfway through, Jack immediately asks her on a date, then bam, they’re together. I was actually thrown off by how quickly it happened, thinking I might have accidentally skipped a section of the book. I didn’t. It was really just that quick. Then, it immediately takes a backseat for the rest of the story. Jack royally screws up, and Briony dumps him for it. AS SHE SHOULD. What that man did was so beyond ridiculous, and there is absolutely no logical reason he couldn’t have been honest with her from the start. Yeah, sure, he fixes it, but if I were Briony, there is no way I would have forgiven him. NONE.

I am happy with the ending and with what happens to Briony and The Bridge. That was my favorite part of the book. It was so endearing and made me smile. They were a family. It was beautiful to read about it, especially knowing it was inspired by a similar program in real-life. It makes me happy to know that places like that still exist in this evil world.

This book has good bones, but, sadly, is not a perfect rom-com.

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Ferguson, HarperCollins, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions stated are my own.

i love how melissa writes writers, it feels very raw and honest, equally having the bad and good of publishing, my issue with the book is that i felt like it was trying to do far too much in the amount of pages it had, similarly to bryony's novel, this could have cut at least one plot point to flow better, overall i enjoyed but sometimes was confused at the pacing and overlapping storylines

thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback!

Book ARC Review: The Perfect Rom-Com(✨📚)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Okay, BESTIES, let me tell you about this book, because I just finished it, and I’m straight-up OBSESSED. 😍 Bryony Page? My new literary icon. This girl is out here ghostwriting smash-hit novels while nobody knows her name, and I was screaming at the injustice the whole time. Like, girl, give her her flowers already! 🌸📖

The story kicks off with Bryony showing up at a writers’ conference all starry-eyed and hopeful 🥺✨, and honestly, same, because who hasn’t dreamed of their big break? Except, uh, her pitching session? Absolute chaos. I cringed, I laughed, and I wanted to crawl under the table for her. 😂 But then she accidentally flexes her editing skills on another author’s draft, and the agent is like, “Wait a minute, you’re a genius.” 👏✨ Cue Bryony signing up to ghostwrite for the ultimate rom-com diva, Amelia Benedict, who’s basically a walking bad vibes emoji at first. 🙄

The plot absolutely takes off when Bryony starts ghostwriting, and her books turn Amelia into a literary queen 👑📈. Millions of sales, bestseller lists, the WORKS. Meanwhile, Bryony is just chilling in the shadows like, “Hey, it’s fine, I’m fine…” (She’s NOT fine, BTW. 😩) Add Jack Sterling—the dreamboat literary agent who sees Bryony’s potential and maybe falls for her along the way—and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a swoony, dramatic, unputdownable read. 💕🔥

But this book isn’t just about romance (though the tension between Bryony and Jack? CHEF’S KISS. 😘). It’s also about ambition, knowing your worth, and fighting for your own spotlight when the world wants to keep you hidden. 🥊✨ Bryony’s passion for raising awareness for her grandma’s ESL program melted my heart, and her journey of self-discovery is one for the books. (Pun intended. 😂)

TL;DR: If you’re into books about underdog queens 👑, fake-it-till-you-make-it vibes 💪, and love stories that’ll have you grinning like an idiot 🥰, THIS. IS. IT. Go read it right now, and thank me later. 📚✨

Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

This is the first book by Melissa Ferguson that I ever read. I loved the writing style, it's honest and genuine, but what I didn't like is that the book reads like a shameless self-insert. I would give it a higher rating if I read this on Wattpad.

Melissa Ferguson has done it again! This is an excellent insider view on the publishing world, wrapped up with a smidge of romance and some excellent sisterhood.

I'm not sure I massively believed the romance aspect just because we skipped the whole development of Jack's friendship and he never seemed to actively be nice? I felt like Miss Benedict was the most developed character and that felt odd. It almost felt like The Bridge and tour parts of the book could have been two separate books for the amount of detail they required. The situation with Parker felt entirely irrelevant.

Overall I enjoyed this book, Ferguson's writing is sublime and flows beautifully and I finished it all in one sitting.

I LOVE Melissa Ferguson! She is a favorite author, so I was excited to read her newest title, The Perfect Rom Com! This one did not disappoint!

Bryony is an aspiring writer and also an ESL teacher at The Bridge, a nonprofit started by her Gran to teach English to immigrants and refugees. Her first novel tells the story of The Bridge and how her Gran started this incredible organization. As Bryony attends a writers conference (in Nashville! My home!) to pitch her book about The Bridge, she is quickly rejected by each agent she meets that day. However, she throws a “Hail Mary” with Jack, the last agent, and she ends up with a ghostwriting gig for one of his existing clients. Bryony turns the author, Amelia Benedict, for whom she ghostwrites, into a best seller.

The one stipulation for agreeing to the ghostwriting job for Jack’s client is that Jack will pitch her book about The Bridge to publishers. After months and years of working together, Jack falls for Bryony and unbeknownst to her, she falls for him. With a boyfriend living on another continent, Bryony doesn’t realize it….until she does. However, when Bryony finds out that Jack hasn’t pitched her book about The Bridge to a single publisher, while making Amelia’s novels top sellers, she leaves Jack behind. Will they find their way back to each other? You have GOT to read this one to find out!

I enjoyed this clean, captivating and clever rom com! As a book lover, I loved a book about an aspiring writer and a peek into the book publishing! I could
NOT put this one down! It was fabulous!

I recently tried Melissa's book for the first time. While it was a good, fast-paced read, I wouldn't say I loved it. In my opinion, the book is overhyped. The writing style didn't particularly impress me, and the characters were just okay. Overall, it was a decent read, but I'm not a huge fan. Thank you for sending me an advance review copy (ARC).

I've read all of Melissa Ferguson's books, but there was something extra special about this one that landed it firmly as my favorite of her novels. I don't know that I can put my finger on it, but I seriously LOVED everything about this book. It just hit the spot for my reading mood and I ended up bingeing it unexpectedly. I simply didn't want to put it down, it's that good. It was just a great escape, exactly what I hope to have happen when I pick up a rom-com. Low stakes, but high reward. Dynamic characters and a really fun plot for a bookworm.
Told through Bryony's POV, I felt like her character was relatable and even as she was navigating everything, it was impossible not to feel the chemistry between her and Jack. It was just fun. I loved the plot and the characters as a whole. The romance was nice; the way they danced around each other in denial (friendzone/work place romance) and then Jack making his move and his end grand gesture … yeah, I was here for it. It put a smile on my face.
I received an advance reader copy of this novel from Netgalley and Uplit Read Tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a clean romance.

The Perfect Rom- Com is nothing close to romantic. The cover alone is worth a thousand stars, it's so beautiful and MISLEADING! I picked it up and thinking 'wow this looks like it's something straight out of a Cary Grant movie!' Woah buddy was I WRONG! This story deals with the book publishing industry and ghostwriting for a super snobby actress. She's so self centered she drives around on a tour bus with her face plastered on it like a presidential campaign bus. Ugh, it doesn't even seem real! There's also an ESL class to save and a long distance Russian boyfriend that we have no idea exist because there's just nothing there.
I don't know what I read and still don't understand the whole story, just that third act break up was so so so stupid.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was very meh for me. I really liked the premise but it didn't deliver. It is definitely far closer to chick lit than romance and was missing some much needed romantic tension between the main characters. I didn't hate it....I do love some good character development but it stopped with the FMC. The side characters blended together, which stinks because some of them started out really likeable and interesting! There is so much potential in this book and it has such a cute cover, but I really wanted more out of it.

I enjoyed the story more than the romance.

Bryony Page desperately wanted someone to read her story based upon her grandmother's life. Bryony loves teaching ESL at the small community center which her grandmother started, but funds are running low and the fact they might have to close down is making her pretty desperate. Bryony just needs one "no thanks" to become a "we love it." She knows the sale of her book would focus a spotlight on The Bridge as well as add much needed funds to the coffer. So she waits with the other "vultures" hoping that someone chickens out of their meeting with a book rep or maybe got lucky enough during the conference and already received a contract, damn them. Problem is the only one who seems to have free time--a lot of free time--is Jack Sterling of the Foundry Literary Agency. Jack is notorious for his very tiny list of authors that he represents. If he doesn't think you are amazing enough to be worth his time, he will send you on your way, quickly. Bryony knows he will be amazed by her story...and he's absolutely not. But before he sends her on her way, he shows her another manuscript and asks her what she thinks.   She has nothing to lose so she tells him exactly what is wrong with it before she storms out.

While Jack still isn't interested in Bryony's story, he thinks Bryony has what he needs to be one of the ghostwriters for NY Times best seller, Emilia Benedict. Seems Emilia doesn't actually write her own books and Jack can see that Bryony has writing potential and he needs someone to write those million copy best sellers for his company. Bryony agrees because the money will at least help keep The Bridge funded for awhile longer but only if Jack agrees to try and find a publisher for her book as well.

Two years later and Bryony has become the sole ghostwriter for Emilia Benedict since every non-Bryony book has failed with critics and fans. The biggest problem they all face is the fact that Emilia hasn't even bothered to read any of the books that she supposedly writes. And when Emilia fails to answer any of the questions correctly at the meet & greet on her latest tour, the publisher forces Bryony to hop on the bus with Emilia to coach her through the rest of the tour.  It is going to be a disaster because the one person who isn't a fan of Bryony's writing, it is Emilia Benedict herself.

THOUGHTS:
I enjoyed this story which is publishing centric. It is a peek behind the curtain of my favorite hobby and puts into perspective any wish I might have to be a writer. Even if I had a talent and a unique idea, I don't think I have it in me to fight amongst the thousands of books written each year for a publisher and to survive all those "no, thank you's".

In the two years Bryony is ghostwriter, she wrote a lot of very successful books. I felt it truly wasn't fair that Bryony is writing those wonderful novels for someone else, especially someone who doesn't appreciate the work. She did get paid  really well, as she got a percentage of the sales, but still. The problem for her is the fact that publishing as Emilia Benedict, there is already an audience and those automatic purchases. We all have our list of authors that we buy and read whatever they put out there. Trying to convince the publisher, who is more interested in profits, and agency, who are more interested in profits, that they should allow Bryony to publish these books as herself would be a very hard sell as it could be an instant hit or it might take her years to collect the same audience as Emilia Benedict.  No one is willing to lose that kind of easy money when they don't care whose name is on the book jacket. 

As far as the romance, Bryony and Jack are like an old married couple. They go out to dinner a couple times of week and Jack has even joined Bryony's bowling team. Jack even goes with Bryony on the tour bus with Emilia to make sure she doesn't get mistreated.  Problem is, they actually aren't dating, and the why is kind of stupid. Bryony has a "boyfriend" who she was seeing for four months before he was transferred to Russia to each English to students and two years later, he really hasn't come back but Bryony's very faithful to this ridiculous relationship. What would have made more sense is the fact that we hear in the beginning of the story that Jack was in trouble for dating one of the ghostwriters who suddenly quit when she realized Jack wasn't that interested in anything more. Apparently Jack has dated a few co-workers and writers which caused some problems.  A better reason to keep them from actually getting romantic would be the fact the literary agency and the publisher would have drawn the line at Jack pulling this same stunt with Bryony, their literal cash-cow. Obviously, if Jack dated Bryony, broke up with her, and upset her, she might walk away so the very real threat against a relationship could be for Jack to keep his hands to himself. They can then grow close without getting physical giving us that will-they or won't-they that everyone likes in their romance.  Especially when the absent boyfriend officially calls it off and all we get between Jack and Bryony are a few chaste kisses. This book had the Scoville scale of a bell pepper.

Sorry to say there wasn't much Rom in The Perfect Rom-Com but I did enjoy the story.

This rom com was a delight from start to finish. The story gripped me from the jump and brought a whole range of emotions, with plenty of surprises along the way. I was invested in the romance, the FMC’s personal journey with her ESL school, and the fun behind-the-scenes of the publishing world (accurate? Idk, but it was fun). Melissa Ferguson has been a bit hit-or-miss for me, but this was a definite hit.

4.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

2.5 stars, which I think is generous.

I was excited to read this ARC. I loved Melissa Ferguson's Meet Me in the Margins, and although I didn't like Famous for a Living, I had hopes that this one would be better. Sadly, my hopes were in vain. This is not good. Ironically, the book is about an author who is unable to see the flaws in her own writing.

The story has a lot of potential, but it falls short in so many ways. Too much MC internal monologuing, too little character development, and an ending that defies belief. For a book that's supposed to be a romcom, there's very little rom or com. There's no buildup to the romance and no indication of why we should root for these two characters to be together. The writing and dialogue are clumsy. There might have been a couple funny moments, but not enough. I can think of two sweet moments that made me smile, but those do not make up for the overwhelming disappointment of the rest. I spent a lot of the book wondering why the editor wasn't doing his or her job; this reads like a rushed first draft, not a book by an author with multiple published titles.

It's a short book (less than 300 pages) but it took me almost a full week to read because I didn't want to pick it up. If not for the fact that this was an ARC and I felt like I should give it an honest try, I would have DNFed it in the first 30%.

The Perfect Rom-Com is a lighthearted, cozy romp that will appeal to lovers of literary romance and books about writers.

I first want to preface by saying I don’t give out 1 stars often.

This book had so much potential, I kept reading hoping there would be a turning point but there wasn’t. I got 50% of the way through and was still waiting for the romance.
I also felt that the characters didn't have much depth to them to the point that they all just merged with one another. We were missing key scenes which they talk about but we didn’t get in the book, I was really disappointed that we didn't read more about the build up of their relationship as it would have helped them have more chemistry and overall would have made the book feel more like an actual rom-com.

Honestly this just wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC

This book is really Bryony’s journey, in my opinion, and less about the romance of Bryony and Jack.

I liked the book publishing setting, Bryony’s ESL teacher background, her personality, and her quirky sister. I disliked the long-distance boyfriend who served as a barely there, weak plot point.

I felt unsure about Jack; I loved the bowling league, but needed more romantic gestures from him. I liked him at the beginning, not as much in the middle, and then had redemption in the end.

The middle of this book was just an average 2-3 stars, but the ending is a satisfying resolution.

I am a fan of Melissa Ferguson and enjoy her writing style. But, The Perfect Rom-Com would not be my top recommendation of her books.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

OH Melissa, you get better and better with each book! I really loved this one and it's definitely my new favorite! Bryony wants to get her book published SO badly, but nobody at the writers conference is interested. She meets Jack, a hot shot agent, and he isn't interested either, but she makes a last ditch plea and it sort of works. He doesn't pick up her book, but he asks her to ghostwrite for a best selling romance author. Turns out, Bryony has a knack for this, and she turns this author into a household name and big time bestseller. She and Jack become quite the pair of BFFs too, neither of them realizing that there's a bit more to their friendship than they anticipated.

I loved Jack and Bryony together, both their friendship and then more. The big breakup made me so sad, even though I was expecting an HEA.

I definitely recommend this one if you like romcoms. It's closed door/fade to black, which isn't usually my favorite, but I know it's how Melissa writes.

Having read a couple other Melissa Ferguson books, I felt a bit let down on the flow of this one.The storyline appealed to me but parts of the storyline dragged on and at the end, felt a bit rushed; I'd have liked to have seen the ending stretched out a bit more. Ferguson's earlier book, Meet Me in the Margins, felt like a much better written book that followed a similar storyline/trope; I had hoped this story would be more like it. There wasn't much of a love story for a book titled The Perfect Rom Com. I feel like having a bit more of Jack's point of view would have helped, especially considering a couple twists in the book he was directly involved in.