Melissa Ferguson writes rich realistic characters and wonderful storylines and playful banter. It starts with meeting Bryony. She's an aspiring author, and desperate to save the Bridge, an ESL program that has been the heart of her family for years. Her first book pitch doesn't go the way she expected. Bryony Page instead of selling her own novel, she's suddenly faced with an opportunity to ghost write for Amelia Benedict. She goes from an unknown author to the brains behind several best selling novels.

Bryony is always putting her students, her family and of course her work first. You soon find yourself rooting for Bryony to get her happily ever after with Jack, but more importantly you want her to get credit for her hard work. The work she has put into creating stories that everyone loves. You soon realize though, that without this brief stop as a ghost writer, she wouldn't have been able to create the novel, the one that tells the story dearest to her own heart.

If you are looking for a light romance, with just a touch of comedy, this is the perfect book.

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

This is an excellent Rom-com! I loved hearing Bryony’s story about her growth as a writer, and her love for said words! I also enjoyed seeing her relationship with Jack grow into a solid romance! I also loved the “villain”!! This was a wonderful book to read!!

Title: The Perfect Rom-Com
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

Melissa Ferguson’s The Perfect Rom-Com is an enchanting blend of wit, humor, and heart, offering readers a delightful behind-the-scenes peek into the world of publishing and ghostwriting. With lovable characters, a sprinkle of romantic tension, and a smart, engaging plot, this novel is a rom-com that lives up to its title.

Bryony Page is an incredibly relatable protagonist. As an aspiring author trying to catch her big break while juggling her full-time job teaching ESL at The Bridge, her grandmother's non-profit, she’s full of optimism but faced with the reality of how difficult it can be to break into the publishing world. After a disastrous pitch session at a writer’s conference, Bryony unexpectedly stumbles into the role of ghostwriter for the high-maintenance and wildly successful romance novelist, Amelia Benedict.

What makes The Perfect Rom-Com stand out is the way Ferguson playfully tackles the irony of Bryony, a true talent, having to watch from the sidelines as her work skyrockets Amelia to fame. The exploration of ghostwriting is fresh, funny, and filled with amusing moments that capture Bryony's frustrations and triumphs as she navigates the industry's highs and lows.

The romantic subplot between Bryony and Jack Sterling, a literary agent at the prestigious Foundry Agency, is slow-burn and full of the classic rom-com charm. Jack is the quintessential rom-com hero—supportive, thoughtful, and increasingly smitten with Bryony as he begins to see not only her talent but also her heart. Their chemistry builds gradually, and their interactions are filled with a blend of genuine connection and light-hearted banter that keeps readers invested.

Ferguson also does a fantastic job of balancing humor with heart. Bryony’s dedication to The Bridge, her grandmother’s organization, adds a deeper emotional layer to the story. While the romantic elements shine, her personal journey toward achieving her own dream of publication is equally compelling. The challenges she faces—both professionally and personally—are depicted in a way that is authentic and inspiring.

Amelia Benedict, the diva-esque novelist Bryony ghostwrites for, brings another layer of humor to the story. While she's over-the-top and sometimes hard to like, her character provides a great foil to Bryony's sincerity and adds to the comedic tension.

The themes of self-worth, ambition, and staying true to oneself are threaded seamlessly throughout the novel. Readers will cheer for Bryony as she not only strives for recognition in her writing career but also finds her voice both on the page and in her personal life.

Overall, The Perfect Rom-Com is a charming, feel-good story filled with warmth, wit, and all the ingredients of a great romantic comedy. Melissa Ferguson has crafted a delightful novel that will appeal to readers who love stories about the publishing world, finding love in unexpected places, and believing in oneself against all odds. Whether you’re in it for the laughs, the romance, or the heartfelt journey of the protagonist, this book delivers on all fronts.

⭐⭐⭐ 3.25

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC, all thoughts are my own.

With some finetuning/edits, this book could be so great! Our story revolves around Bryonny (pls consider a different name), who is an ESL instructor, wishing to be an author, and ending up being a ghostwriter. The romance was more of a subplot (afterthought) sometimes and I felt we were a little too focused on some of the tiny details that come with writing/workshopping books. I understand that was kind of the point, but we're marketing this as "The Perfect Rom-Com" in a double-meaning sense...so it needed to have that double.

It's a really sweet book, and I would read more of Melissa's books.

I didnt completely vibe with this book. The writing style was confusing and I didnt connect much. But I will check out more from melissa

this was cozy but the third act breakup was too dragged out and i honestly didn’t love this one. honestly not as much romantic elements as i would have thought.

This is a delightful fit for readers who adore witty, feel-good stories about chasing dreams, finding love, and the power of creative expression, with a dash of humor and a healthy dose of romance.

This book was a challenging read. The dialogue felt disjointed and difficult to follow, making it hard to stay engaged. Despite hoping to be drawn into the story, that moment never came for me. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review

4.5

I loved this so much. It had me hooked right from the beginning, the characters were so funny and the banter and friendship between them was perfect. Jack Sterling is now in the ranks of my favourite book boyfriends! This story had romance, comedy, heartache, and many struggles that the character was dealing with aswell as helping her students with. I will say that the ending was a little bit far fetched but it was so much fun to read that I don’t really care. This is my first book from Melissa Ferguson and I can’t wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A fun, banter-filled romance! I have enjoyed Melissa Ferguson's books in the past, but I think this book has her best banter! It was so fun to read about Bryony and Jack's relationship throughout the book. I appreciated the development of their relationship from agent/client to friends to lovers. Jack is Bryony's agent and at first has her ghostwriting for a popular author with the understanding that he will represent her book that she wrote. I really enjoyed the characters from the Bridge program and the dialog overall between Bryony and the people in her life(especially her sister Gloria who is hilarious). I felt like the conflict was a tad drawn out and that Bryony's response to the conflict was a bit immature for her character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend for a feel good quick read!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for a digital ARC of The Perfect Rom-Com.

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

I LOVED this book. Melissa Ferguson is a new to me author, but I've already planned to order her backlog. One of my favorite things is a MC with a unique voice that allows for the breaking of grammatical or traditional rules in exposition, and this book was full of them. The author did a great job at making me forget I was reading. I loved the premise and the execution. Both the FMC and MMC were great, as well as the supporting characters, except for one in particular which I haaated (as I was supposed to). I devoured this in two days. Such a cute, clean story. Loved it and can't wait to recommend to other people!

The Pefect Rom-Com is a story about Bryony Page, an aspiring author with dreams of her manuscript being published. She became a ghost writer for a popular author after meeting an agent.
The story describes her love for an organization where she teaches ESL, in which her manuscript is based on, and her relationship with her agent, Jack. This story felt more contemporary fiction with less romance, however, the relationship between Bryony and Jack was sweet. Some of the supporting characters and relationships could have been more developed but overall this was an enjoyable read. This was a fun and entertaining story with clean romance.

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

I want to give this book 50 stars!!!!! I'm not even completely finished with it yet, but chapter 13 and 14 are some of the best stuff I have EVER. Read in my entire rom com reading life. When I tell you I literally stopped and did a silent squeal and got my hand repeatedly on the bed in glee. My goodness!!!! THAT IS LOVE. I am unwell In the best possible way. This for sure is going to be a re read for me and go on my top ten fave romance books. I am deceased in a puddle of ooey gooey Lord please give me a love like that bliss.

** spoiler alert **

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

The beginning of this book i thought was great. However, after that the book was extremely hard for me to get through and I ended up getting annoyed with the two main characters. I thought the relationship between Bryony and Jack was incomplete from the beginning and there was no back and forth between the two of them and then all of the sudden they are dating? It was clear from the beginning that Jack was not being honest with Bryony about sending out her book for people to read. And I hated the fact that we never had a real scene where Bryony and Jack spoke about his intentions behind why he did what he did before things were resolved in the end. Instead we just got Bryony who just ignored him the whole time. Overall, I skimmed most of the book because it seemed to drag on.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I thank NetGalley for offering me the e-ARC of this title.

3 stars!
This was a delightful read! However, I would say that this is NOT primarily a romance. While the book (at first) appeared to mimic the structure of an Ali Hazelwood book (FMC and MMC meet, have a misunderstanding, then years pass by as he was pining for her the whole time with her having no idea) after the two year time jump there is minimal romance other than to create enough context to believe his motive to do a big gesture at the end to solve the problem. There is one night they spend together (out to dinner & talk) which is cute but overall you get little to see and believe that she loves him back. They get together and kiss at the end but you don't get much of them mutually in love or see them be together. Meh.

TLDR: Not a romance, but a lovely casual read about an author who loves her first manuscript and what it means to her (don't we all!!) but then realizes that she has grown along the way and adapts it to reflect her growth (to its major success).

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5a761a1f-bd45-4a05-a929-ba782df50e6e

This was a 3.5 read for me. It’s a lovely story with beautifully written characters. The romance was not there a lot though and the focus laid more on bryony’s life and how it all plays out. Not that it is a bad thing but I just expect to read more about her and Jack together. The ending was gorgeous though. I adored it. Smart move there honestly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! I absolutely enjoyed it, Bryony and Jack were so cute. I devoured this in a few hours cause I was hooked on their story. The perfect rom-com was indeed the perfect rom-com!

Thank you Netgallery and Thomas Nelson Fiction for chance to read an ARC of this book!

Melissa Ferguson is the queen of clean romance. The most romance you will get is kissing and holding hands. She is amazing at building romance without being detailed or having sex scenes.

Likewise, I really liked this book. There weren't any grammer errors that I saw or noticed. The characters had developed over the course of the book that was realistic and not overwhelming. The only thing I wanted more of was The Bridge. I wanted to learn more about the students, how The Bridge impacted students and people lives other than it made it better; basically I wanted more.

I absolutely devoured this book! Melissa Ferguson’s writing always makes me giggle, cry, and smile! One of my favorite things about this book was the heart of the story. Bryony is such a wonderful FMC, and I loved the heartfelt aspects of her teaching career as well as her writing journey. This book was definitely giving Two Weeks Notice vibes (one of my favorite movies EVER). I imagined Jack as a Hugh Grant style, British, and grumpy publishing agent! The writing in this book had me hooked and it was such a creative technique! Overall, this was such a great book and I’m so excited for release day!! 🤍
I would certainly categorize this book under fiction, rather than a regular rom-com, but it still had some great early 2000s rom-com vibes! This read was fast paced and so intriguing! Super fun tropes and NO spice!
I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own!

Bryony Page has a wild ride trying to navigate the publishing world!

Bryony, an aspiring author and all-around dream chaser, heads to her first-ever writers' conference, hoping to sell her manuscript. Things take a turn when her pitch completely bombs, but she ends up saving the day by correcting someone else's work and impressing a big-shot agent, Jack.

Next thing you know, she’s got an offer to ghostwrite for the Amelia Benedict, a famous rom-com author.

I loved this book!

It’s got that perfect slow-burn romance which is my favorite!

Bryony’s journey through the cutthroat publishing world was fascinating, but watching her grow as a person and fall for Jack? The best!

If you’re into slow-burn romances, you’re going to adore this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson fiction for this ARC.