Bryony and Jack's story was so fun and entertaining. I tend to love a good storyline about authors and the publishing industry, and The Perfect Rom-Com did not disappoint. Without giving away too much, I will say that the romance trope between Bryony & Jack was charming and one of my favorites. Dare I even say that it was even say that it was swoony...yes, yes I will.

This book publishes on February 11, 2025 and I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This was a super cute, quick read.

Bryony just wants to become a writer and publish her own novel, but she must go through several meet and greets with different publishers. This is where she meets Jack. Jack doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to interactions with inspiring authors. After some much needed persuasion for Jack to just hear her out, Jack offers her a job... to be a ghost writer for Amelia. Amelia isn't the most likeable character, with her dense appearing personality. However, Melissa Ferguson created loveable characters with Bryony and Jack.

This is full of humor and witty banter. Lots of cute little details between Bryony and Jack. There is a lot of character growth between Bryony and Jack. Definitely worth the read, especially if you're looking for a quick "palate cleanse" between reading thrillers or any other heavier material books.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced, clean, and cute rom com! I really enjoyed this, the main characters had great chemistry together and I thought that plot was very unique and interesting. Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good light hearted rom com.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. It had a lot of potential based on the title and the summary, and sounded like they type of rom com book that love to eat up - a celebration of romcoms and all of the joy they bring.

However, this book lacked believability for me. I don’t understand how a character can be a world class, best-selling ghost writer and struggle that much getting her own book published. Brain does not compute.

Additionally the side characters do almost too good of a job making you dislike the MMC. My heart hurt when he described the FMC as “leechy”.

Finally I found it interesting that the author notes that romcoms are supposed to make the reader feel like they’re sparkling and uplifted when all we get from our main characters is heavy complaining about their situation.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it was just not for me.

This book had everything I love in a romantic comedy—great characters, a unique premise, and just the right mix of humor and heart!

Bryony was such a standout character. I loved how determined she was—she knows exactly what she wants and will try everything to make it happen. She wasn’t just a typical rom-com heroine; she had depth, ambition, and a boldness that made her so fun to root for.

The ghostwriting aspect of the story was another highlight for me. It’s such a fascinating and rarely discussed topic, and I loved how the book explored it. The way it was woven into the plot added an extra layer of intrigue and made the story feel fresh and different from other rom-coms.

And then there’s Jack. He was far from perfect—he made mistakes, had flaws, and wasn’t always the ideal romantic hero. But that’s exactly what made him so charming and real. His journey, both personally and in his relationship with Bryony, felt genuine and heartfelt.

Overall, this book was an absolute delight. It had me laughing, swooning, and completely invested in the characters from beginning to end. If you love a rom-com with depth, heart, and a unique twist, this one is a must-read!

Thank you so much Melissa Ferguson and net galley for allowing me to read this book early in advance in exchange for an honest review. The review is linked below via Goodreads .. I face this book 4 stars

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, swoony goodness in this latest from fav author Melissa Ferguson that sees a best-selling ghostwriter aspiring author falling for her literary agent while struggling to get her own book sold and published traditionally. I really enjoyed this slow burn single POV, romcom full of heart, humor and an epic grand gesture. It was good on audio read by fav narrator, Karissa Vacker that's perfect for fans of books like Emily Henry's Book Lovers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This is definitely a new favorite for me by Melissa Ferguson!

I’m a Melissa Ferguson fan, so when I was approved to read the ARC of her latest novel (thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson!), I was excited! Having read almost all of her novels, I started this story with a hint of what to expect. Sadly, it seems many other reviewers experienced unmet expectations because of the title.

“The Perfect Rom-Com” is not a traditional rom-com, although there are many amusing (and embarrassing/awkward) parts. It contains a lovely heaping of romance, but it’s truly a romantic women’s fiction novel... the sort I love to curl up with and savour.

Bryony’s story is a wonderful read. She’s the sort of character you want to win, but you stick with her even when it turns from bad to worse. I sympathised with her anxiety struggles, loved her heart for the people around her, and wanted to cry when she was giving everything... yet it still wasn’t enough. We’ve likely all felt this.

Bryony held hope for her dreams, her family, and the future of her students despite everything... and I loved her all the more. What I didn’t enjoy was experiencing the strategic manipulation by some and the outright hostility from the antagonist. I really wanted to punch a certain character in the face on multiple occasions, and almost despaired when Bryony was at one of her lowest moments. But take heart, dear reader, as the ending is far from depressing!

Jack filled the “romantic hero” role nicely, even with several disappointing choices thrown in the mix (what person is perfect?). I loved his forthrightness! Also, his attention to detail endeared himself not only to Bryony but to me.

Enjoy the rollercoaster of being inside Bryony’s head and check out this wonderful story!

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

This one surprised me—in the best way. It’s got all the makings of a classic rom-com (grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, a dash of workplace romance), but at its heart, it’s also about resilience, passion, and the rollercoaster ride that is publishing.

Bryony Page is an ESL teacher with a dream—to publish her own book. But after a soul-crushing writers’ conference, she finds herself ghostwriting for a mega-successful (and demanding) romance author under the watchful eye of literary agent Jack Sterling. Between juggling her students, saving her grandmother’s struggling school, and figuring out how to make her own voice heard, Bryony has her hands full—and no time for distractions. (Too bad Jack is a very distracting distraction.)

I adored the behind-the-scenes peek into publishing (so much rejection! so much waiting!), and the ESL angle was a refreshing and heartfelt touch. The romance? Cute, swoony, though a little predictable. But sometimes, predictable is exactly what you need.

📢 The Perfect Rom-Com hits shelves next week on February 11!

📚 Read if you love:
✨ Rom-coms with depth
📖 Books about books & publishing
💡 A heroine chasing her dreams
💞 Grumpy/sunshine goodness

In this sweet slow-burn romance our FMC Bryony is a ESL teacher and an aspiring author, who is trying to get her book about the English school she works at published. Her hope is that it will save the school from closing. At a writer’s conference, Bryony meets our MMC Jack, a literary agent. Even though he hates her book, he sees potential in her and asks her to become a ghost writer for a client of his. Over the next 2 years they become close friends who are practically joined at the hip. While secretly becoming a bestselling author as a ghostwriter, she continues to push Jack to get her book published and save the school.

I really think this story has potential. I really like the premise of this story. I love the background you get on the publishing world and ghostwriting as a career. I also loved the zany supporting characters who encouraged Bryony along her journey. The sister in particular was a hoot!

However, as with Bryony’s first book, this book needs some editing too. The biggest issue I had is the 2-year jump where they become fast friends. You only see snippets of it as flashbacks/remembered moments throughout the book. Another glaring issue is that Jack never encouraged her to re-read and re-write her original “bad” manuscript. Finally, the overseas “boyfriend” she had for the majority of that time. She dated him for a short time before he left the country and then he kept extending his trip. It seems bizarre that she would stay that long in a relationship with someone she barely knew and hasn’t seen in over a year. It just doesn't seem necessary for the plot.

This is a sweet (no language, no sex), tug-at-your-heartstrings kind of book from an author that I have fallen in love with (this is my 4th book of hers to read and they’ve all been wonderful).

Bryony Page is watching as her grandmother’s nonprofit organization (The Bridge), where Bryony teaches ESL, is failing without funding. As a last ditch effort, she writes an overlong novel based on her grandmother’s experiences but is turned down at an agent’s pitch session by the brutally honest super agent Jack Sterling…but not before giving a less-than-flattering review of his megastar client’s latest effort. She’s hired to be a ghostwriter for said superstar (who is a pampered diva) and becomes a big (but secret) success. She and her agent become best friends over the next couple of years, but she still pushes him to get her initial novel published. As she and Jack’s feelings deepen, the reveal of a lie threatens everything she trusted and hoped for.

I am a character-driven novel lover, and Ferguson’s characters are so humorous, charming and likable that I’m left wishing I could meet them in person rather than just through her words. Bryony and Jack are not perfect but when they are together they seem to complete the other. And there are enough wonderful side characters sprinkled in (especially Bryony’s hilarious sister) to round out a stellar cast all-around.

I honestly can find nothing I don’t like about this book, and I very much look forward to Ferguson’s next novel.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing the early arc of The Perfect Rom-Com for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Melissa Ferguson can be depended upon to deliver clean romcoms with relatable characters!
I really enjoyed the insider look at the publishing industry as the setting for the budding romance relationship between Bryony and Jack. I found the different elements about how a book moved from concept to print, along with the ghostwriting element, to be a really engaging part of the story!

This one is features a friends-to-lovers troupe, but I would’ve liked to see more of Jack and Bryony’s journey from strangers to “friends who have obvious feelings that they’re hiding.” The jump of two years in the timeline felt disorienting. Jack’s character felt foreign to me and I think he could’ve been developed more.
Bryony was portrayed as very much of a hot mess; her inner dialogue would ramble and go on thought tangents, before suddenly getting back on topic. I personally think it was a bit overdone, but others may be endeared to that aspect of her character.

😇: Christian publisher; contains no faith content or themes
😍: only sweet kisses!
🤐: no language

ENEMIES TO LOVERS

I always look forward to Melissa Ferguson’s new releases. Her latest release, The Perfect Rom-Com, doesn’t disappoint! Ferguson seems to be at her best when writing enemies to lovers, and these main characters fall into the enemy category for most of this book. That does not mean there is no spark or simmer under the surface the whole time, though. Bryony is trying to get her manuscript published. Instead, she becomes the ghostwriter for rom-com novelist Amelia Benedict. Jack Sterling is a legendary agent and promises Bryony that he will work on selling her book, too. Only the thing no one could have predicted happened. Bryony’s ghostwriting is off the chain and pushes Amelia Benedict to a household name and bestselling author status, with millions of copies sold worldwide, and the three find themselves trapped not in a love triangle but rather in a triangular web of deceit. The entertaining part is when the three and Amelia’s personal assistant go on a Book Tour and find themselves in Amelia’s Tour Bus. Traveling in close quarters with a diva leads to many hilarious missteps, particularly with everyone sharing one small bathroom area! Then, there are the Book Tour Stops. If Amelia had read the book, it would have impacted how she answered her reader's questions. Instead, Ferguson shows how hero worship causes people to believe what they want to see. Just as Bryony reaches her breaking point with Amelia and her diva ways, Jack starts giving her attention and hinting at more. Bryony finally believes they may have the relationship she has always wanted, and he will get her manuscript published. Alas, Bryony thinks she has discovered the truth about Jack's only use of her to get what he wants. Working with the adage, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Bryony turns the tables on everyone, rewrites her original manuscript, and makes it into a rom-com. Ferguson creates a surprise ending by turning the tables again at the end and brings this book to a fantastic conclusion! She sneaks it up on readers, and it may take you a minute to catch on to what is reality! It is very clever! This is a delightful read and I highly recommend it!

Thomas Nelson and NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. However, my opinions are entirely my own and uninfluenced.

Let me start out by saying I enjoyed this book, but don’t let the cover fool you. The cover alone is very suggestive that it is a cliche cutesy romance book, however that’s far from it. This book is more women’s fiction, as you follow Bryony through the stages of being a ghostwriter and wanting to take her own pathway to being a writer. Don’t be mistaken about her as a character though, she puts herself into many projects that require her attention and she truly cares. I understand how this book wrapped up the way it did, but I still feel Bryony could have better? She scarified so much of herself to not get a ton in return and I would’ve been content if she didn’t get someone in the end. A huge thank you to Netgalley for this book, it was a quick read and overall a great time!

Overall, this was a really cute book. It was very slow getting into it. I felt more annoyed by the Bryony character than invested in her. About half way through things really started picking up and I really enjoyed the book from there. I really enjoyed that this book wasn't centered strictly on the romance portion. It was refreshing to have a title where there was an actual plot and character growth involved.

Bryony Page is an apiring author and as she tries pitching her book for the umpteenth time, she continues to get rejected...until she meets Jack Sterling, literary bad boy with a reputation for being brutal. She manages to talk him into pitching her manuscript with the promise of revising it.

Then the book jumps 2 years, and suddenly Bryony and Jack are best friends and coworkers, as Bryony had gotten a job as a ghostwriter for the acclaimed romcom author, Amelia Benedict. But Bryony still doesn't have an ETA on the acceptance of her manuscript. While out on a 2 week book tour for Amelia's book, Bryony and her boyfriend of 2 years suddenly break up, and within a few hours, Bryony and Jack are suddenly dating. They date for a week before Bryony finds out some things Jack has been keeping from her as her agent and they break up.

Then a few weeks later, there is a massive expression of love and forgiveness and approval of Bryony's book and a tv interview which leads to Amelia's downfall as an author...and all of this comes to a massive plot holed filled head and Bryony and Jack ride off into the sunset together.

oof. This book was rough. I didn't even touch on the ESL side of the story in this review. There was just TOO much going on in this book, and for a "romcom", there was NO romance and NO comedy. This was definitely more of a general/women's fiction book than a romance. I felt like Bryony was a stubborn spoiled brat who whined and demanded to get her way too much, Jack was sweet, but also a bit too insistent and pretentious to be the golden boyfriend. Amelia was utterly dislikeable, yet I liked her character the best in the book, because she was written well. There were other characters and parts to the story that seemed to be thrown in, yet never expounded on, therefore could have been left out.

I love when romance books feature characters who also work with books - it feels like a wink from the author to the reader! When a ghost writer and her literary agent have immediate sparks, you can tell right away they are a fit for eachother and it is up to Jack to prove that to Brony.

While the main characters were so charming, the side characters really made this book even more fun! They brought so much humor and heart to the story.

A charming, fun romance. You might say, a perfect one!

This was cute! I enjoyed the relationship of Jack and Bryony. Their friendship was cute and a bit of a surprised based off the beginning of the book. I also loved Bryony’s passion for The Bridge and her students. I had no idea what an ESL teacher was an I wished it was explained when it was first introduced. This was originally a 3 star read but the ending bumped it up for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson fiction for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. It did start off slow but once I got started I was able to really move along quite fast. The characters were great, as well as the banter. I laughed out loud several times. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

I initially found it a bit slow to get into, but after the first few chapters, I devoured the book. The plot is unique, making for a delightful and charming read. It offers both heartwarming humor and an insightful look at the world of aspiring writers. The story centers around Bryony, a hopeful author attending her first writers' conference. She has two goals: to sell her manuscript and to raise awareness for her grandmother’s struggling ESL organization. I received a complimentary
e-copy of this book and read it with pleasure. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.