Thank you to Uplit Reads, NetGalley, and Thomas Nelson for my gifted editions.

If you love a sweet, clean romance, this is for you! This was a truly delightful read from beginning to end.

The Perfect Rom-Com follows Bryony Page as signs on to be a ghost writer for a hot new author (who is evil incarnate) in exchange for Jack, the literary agent, to get her very own book published.

I really enjoyed everything about this one. Bryony is absolutely adorable and I fell for her instantly. I love that she speaks her mind, remains true to herself, and is just naturally a fun person.

Jack is the dreamy book boyfriend we all search for. While he did make me mad a few times, he definitely makes up for it ❤️.

While, light at the core, Ferguson was able to weave in some deeper moments. Bryony was also passionate about teaching the English language to immigrants and migrants, and it really added some depth to the story.

There were laugh out loud moments and pages that made me cry.

🎧 Karissa Vacker narrated the audiobook and she never missed a beat. Well done all around!

Read if you enjoy:
*He falls first
*Friends to lovers
*Workplace romance
*Clean romance

I absolutely adored this laugh-out-loud peek behind the scenes of the ghostwriting world!

When aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers conference, she finds herself pitching to none other than the legendary agent Jack Sterling, known for his ability to send authors running from the room in tears.

After a disastrous pitch session, no one is more surprised than Bryony to be offered an opportunity to write for the ridiculously vain and demanding popular novelist, Amelia Benedict. But when Bryony’s ghostwritten novels turn Amelia Benedict into a household name, the publisher can’t let her go. And neither can Jack.

A delightful tour through the often angst-ridden world of writers and publishers, and a must-read for those who love all things words and books!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A great read, the story of Bryony and Jack. She is am aspiring author and they meet when she is looking for an agent. I liked the character of Bryony and wanted everything to work out for them.

A book about a girl desperate to write a book - possibly one of the quickest ways to my heart! With a charming agent, a detestable celebrity and a secret life as a ghostwriter, Bryony finds herself stuck and her dream floating further away.

This was a delightful read and one in which I fully immersed myself. The romance developed with a natural ease that had me smiling to myself from the comfort of my blankets, and my inner voice was urging Bryony on to see what was right in front of her.

Ticking all my boxes, this is a sweet romance about someone who is determined to achieve their goal, even if it means putting up with a spoiled celebrity.

While this wasn't exactly the perfect rom-com I had in mind, I really enjoyed Bryony’s journey as an aspiring author. I found myself cheering her on as she faced challenges and learned to assert herself. Jack, the mysterious literary agent with a bit of a manipulative side, definitely added some intrigue to the story. I do wish his character was explored a bit more, though! The witty banter and the charming friendship between Bryony and Jack were such highlights, but I felt like the romance took a bit of a backseat. Though the cozy, feel-good vibe was wonderful, I was hoping for a little more depth in the romantic story arc. Overall, it was a fun and light read. A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Perfect Rom-Com (eARC) — 3 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: February 11th

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 —
🗺️ Immigration
🔐 Closed Door Romance
🔥 Slow Burn Romance
📚 Book about Books
💼 Agent x Ghostwriter
🔗 Forced Proximity

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: I had so much hope for this book - from the FMC being an ESL teacher with a mission to save her grandma’s legacy, a foundation and teaching school assisting immigrants with English, to the book publishing world to the expected swoon-worthy romance. Unfortunately, this book was just okay. Its only redeeming factor was the grandma’s foundation.

Spoiler Warning 🚨 There are not many tropes I dislike, but Third Act Breakup and Miscommunication are included in that list. Add a catty, self-centered female side character (*cough* BULLY *cough*) who makes you want to rip your hair out, and I’m deceased. Unfortunately, this book had all three. Plus, while the ending was satisfying, there were too many plot holes for it to be believable.

𝐓𝐖: infidelity

Thank you, Uplit Reads, NetGalley, and Melissa Ferguson, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re looking for a clean romance for the month of love, then this one is it!! 💗 This book is adorable. It will make you happy, it will make you laugh, and if you’re a crier…it will make you cry some sweet, happy tears at the end.

Bryony and Jack were an excellent friends to lovers pair! The way they so seamlessly started their relationship after Jack’s sappy confession (he totally fell first) was something I appreciated.

Bryony had a hard job of being an amazing ghostwriter that never received any praise. Jack was always in her corner rooting for her and encouraging her to work on her own manuscript, so one day she could publish under her own name. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the inner workings of publishing.

Bryony is also an ESL teacher at her grandmother’s organization, The Bridge…and it is struggling financially. Bryony does everything she can to raise awareness to save The Bridge. It was so heartwarming reading her impact on her students (sometimes I wonder if my own students will remember me as they get older)…so this really tugged at my heartstrings.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 - IT WAS PERFECT. I had no idea how Melissa was going to wrap everything up, and boy did she deliver!!! It was WAY more than I was hoping for or could have even imagined (which is why I’m not a writer 🤣) It’s been a while since I’ve read an ending that left me in such high spirits 🥹🥹🥹.

Loved this book so much! I love the story line and the description of the scenery. This is definitely a book that I will tell many people to buy and read. It is so adorable.

talk about justifying the book title. this is the perfect rom-com indeed. so emotional over this one. this will always have a special place in my heart. effortlessly embodying the rom-com genre with one of the best couples I've ever read about, the perfect rom-com is a must read for all rom-com lovers

This romantic comedy has been the highlight of my reading this month, I loved this plot between a ghostwriter who writes romantic books, whose big dream is to publish but can't get any publisher to take her into account, and the author's editor to whom she writes these stories.

The book reads fast and has super funny dialogues, you won't be bored at all while reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

I was so excited to read this! I pretty much went in blind because how could I not love something called “the perfect rom com”?! Unfortunately, I was disappointed):
I did not think it was very “rom-commy” or romantic in general. It was an enjoyable read, but I wanted more from it.

This fast-paced and absolutely heartwarming contemporary romance novel very much reminded me of the sweet Hallmark movies that I love to watch.

I enjoyed the humor and banter between Jack and Bryony, their down-to-earth relationship and their sweet romance arc. They are so cute together! If you are in the mood for an easy, clean and feel-good romance romcom with tropes like he fell first, slow burn, strangers to lovers, forced proximity and a big grand gesture, this is the book for you!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫
This one took a minute to grab me, but once it did, I flew through it! The chemistry between Bryony and Jack was so sweet and natural. Their dynamic was one of the best parts of the book, and honestly, I adored watching them navigate that transition from strangers to friends to more, especially Bryony who was a slow to realize.
Now, as for Amelia—yikes. I have no idea how Bryony put up with her antics for as long as she did! It was a bit frustrating to watch at times, but I get it—it’s all part of story.
Overall, it was a fun read, and gave off Two Weeks Notice vibes. If you enjoy closed door romances with grand gestures, you will enjoy this one. Happy reading!
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Bryony Page is a writer. Her first manuscript, about an organization her grandmother created that teaches ESL students, called The Bridge, has been rejected. At her last pitch session, she's given an interesting opportunity - ghostwrite for Amelia Benedict, the popular rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees on two conditions - that she will only write the one book and that Jack Sterling will work on selling her book too.

Two years later, Bryony is still writing as Amelia. She's getting nowhere with her book. And now, she has to go on tour with the author she ghostwrites and despises.

This was a very cute rom-com that was a quick read. I liked the character of Bryony and HATED Amelia. I liked the love interest between Bryony and Jack - friends to lovers, but it felt like it went from 0 to 100 in no time. Plus, the lying Jack did (or not telling the whole truth about Bryony's book) didn't sit well with me. I thought the ending was a bit rushed and would be surprised if what Jack pulled off actually happened in the real world (maybe it has - I don't know!)

Overall, a good, quick, clean rom-com.

Let’s start with the audio, loved it . The voices were amazing and jack voice really good .
Now the story . Is a bit of a slow burn . But so worth it. The FMC was so relatable, I like her personality and how she is such a sunshine. She needs it to step up a bit more for herself but aside from that she was a delight. The MMC it took a bit to grow on me, but once he does uff. Everything he does for her. I loved it , he did a couple of things too that he shouldn’t have, but he made it up for it . Definitely a super cute rom-com, loved every second of it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.5)

Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers' conference hoping to sell her manuscript and save her grandmother’s ESL program. Instead, she lands a ghostwriting gig for rom-com queen Amelia Benedict—who skyrockets to fame under Bryony’s pen. Now, the agency won’t let her go… and neither can Jack Sterling, the agent she never saw coming.

Melissa’s writing is effortlessly charming. I’m always amazed at the tension between playful and emotionally satisfying plots—and I do mean truly emotionally satisfying. The romantic tension had my heart racing and my cheeks blushing. Who would have thought innocent under-the-table touching could be so mesmerizing?

The breeziness of sweet kisses and Jack’s grounded, affectionate words made this so easy to devour. Around 42%, I felt the plot finally starting to take shape, but that’s because I initially consumed this as a romance. I think chick lit is a much better descriptor for the plot’s tone and pacing—there’s a great romantic couple with conflict, but plenty of other elements that contribute to the overall feel.

Also, can we take a moment to appreciate this stunning cover? If you love NYC publishing flirtations (cue TV Land’s Younger), you’re going to breeze through Jack and Bryony’s workplace relationship.

Thank you @tnzfiction for the ARC 🥰

Perfect for you if you like:
Swoon-worthy moments
Mix of rom-com and women’s fiction
NYC publishing and workplace romance
Strong, charming writing voice

Similar to:
Cole and Laila are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
The Rom-commers by Katherine Center
Beg, borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams (open-door)
*Also somewhat resembles The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston without the magical realism (open-door)

⛔️closed door romance (kisses only)
⚠️previous death of a parent mentioned

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson was a very cute read, and was the second of Melissa Ferguson’s novels I’ve read, Meet Me in the Margins being the first. As I thoroughly enjoyed that one, I was excited to have a chance to read this as well!

I think what surprised me the most about this novel was that there was so much about the inner workings of the publishing industry. I have no clue what any of the publishing aspect of books entails, so it was very interesting to see the whole process of what goes into making a book. From pitching at a large writing conference to what exactly an agent handles.

I liked seeing it from the perspective of a new author, who was very passionate about her book and getting her book printed to the journey that doing so took her on. If you’ve read the synopsis, you’ll know that Bryony’s querying efforts inadvertently result in her obtaining a ghostwriting gig. As I didn’t read the synopsis (I like to be surprised going into a book!), I didn’t realize the story was going in this direction, but I was glad it did. It was so fascinating and also drama filled in such a good way - I was immersed in the story. I liked the setup of this novel a lot and the premise, though it did take a little while to really ramp up, so wait for it!

The rom-com aspect of the storyline was very sweet as well. I enjoyed watching the love story unfold and was rooting for the characters to get together.

The ending was so unexpected but I very much appreciated it. I liked how everything panned out in the end.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. As always, my review has been written honestly. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for giving me access to this delightful audiobook and digital copy! This is a perfect rom-com, especially for book lovers (readers or writers!) it gives you a glimpse into the—albeit, fictional—publishing world. But most importantly, you fall for these characters. Bryony cracks me up. I laughed and smiled and just felt all the things with her. And her enemies to friends to lovers journey with Jack is beyond adorable. And Amelia is the enemy we all love to hate. Grab this newly released book—in any format you can! You’ll absolutely love this (zero spice) rom com!!

"The Perfect Rom-Com" is a sweet and closed-door romantic comedy about a ghostwriter and her literary agent. Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes, and I really enjoyed Bryony and Jack's playful banter. The plot was fun, and I loved that this was a squeaky clean romance. While I liked this book overall, it just didn't stand out to me. There have been a lot of books about books lately, so I was feeling kind of burnt out on the subject. Overall, though, it was a light and quick read, and I will definitely be reading more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was sooooooo good!!!!! True I love this author but I have been disappointed lately by a few of my go to authors but not this one.

I love the build of the relationship it was believable and worked so well. I loved the supporting characters they were so fun, including the "villain".

The hero was truly heroic. His patience, understanding, "knight in shining armor actions". He's not perfect but such a great example of everyday romance, joining a bowling league.

Our heroine, a little head in the clouds but so delightful. I loved seeing when her spine showed out.

The plot worked. Comedy, Romance, subterfuge.