Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Perfect Rom-Com was a fun story that, while not quite the perfect rom-com, was absolutely an entertaining one. In truth the book follows Bryony, an ESL teacher looking to write a book simply to bring attention to her Grandmother’s ESL school in a bid to keep it open. After putting herself on the line and bombing with agents, her uncharacteristic direct talk hits a chord with Jack, a big shot agent, and she gets a secret job as a ghost writer.

From there we start to build out to a romance between the two while also dealing with Bryony’s bid to get her own book published (the school is still in peril) and dealing with the prima donna ‘author’ Bryony ghost writes for. I loved that Bryony had found her voice as an author and we focused on her growing confidence in herself before the romance got hot and heavy, so that it could not be attributed to ‘woman finds man and finds herself as a result’. I also loved the school storyline, especially Bryony’s care for her quirky students. While the wrap up was clean and neat this story was so sweet and just that much different that I could absolutely get behind it. I’d recommend you read this, perfect rom-com it may not be, it’s truly far better as a more nuanced story about a woman who starts to believe in herself, hard truths and all, and just so happens to have a good man waiting when she does.

Such a fun book! I devoured it and enjoyed every minute. Get ready to jump into the world of publishing with all of its quirks and behind-the-scenes drama. Bryony Page, rom-com ghostwriter, ultimately finds her own success in more ways than one. Highly recommended.

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson is a fun, fast -paced novel with witty banter. The dialogues will draw you in and make you not want to put it down.

A book about writing books. Do I need to tell more?
It took me some time to get into it at first, but after a while, it flew by nicely. Story felt fresh and original. It was very easy to read. Some parts were a little bit dull to me, but I enjoyed the story a lot. Everyone needs a Jack in their life. Not any Jack, but this one. He was just perfect. Bryony- I love her name, never heard it before, but I love it, was great and interesting main character. I would love to know if her hours last really 24 hours. I don't know how she could handle everything. It was inspiring to me. Amelia was just annoying enough. She really completed the story.
Overall, it was nice, light, story to read. It felt like a cup of cappuccino- smooth and easy to drink. Perfect for early fall/early spring days. Great when you want to relax with a nice book.
My rating would be in between 3-4 stars.

Thank you to Net Gallery shelf for eARC of this book.

⭐⭐⭐.7 / 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. This was my first book by Melissa Ferguson and I can say I liked it.

In the story, we met an ESL teacher who is an aspiring author. But when none of the literary agents take on her lengthy manuscript, she accepts the offer to ghostwrite for a successful contemporary-romance author. While she is getting close to her agent, Jack, she doesn’t loose her initial mindset, which is to get her own book published under her name.

The story starts off well, with Bryony (name could have been much better) meeting Jack in a literary conference, where aspiring authors pitch their books to agents. Although Bryony didn’t get a contract for her book, she did get a contract to ghostwrite for another author who lacked the skills. The problem came in when the story’s narrative was suddenly forwarded to after two years with Jack and Bryony being well close friends. I wish I could just have some insight on to how they became that close. Otherwise, it was all well.

The romance was pretty cute and I really liked it but it felt like more of a subplot with Bryony’s journey coming out as the more prominent plot. Another reason for the same is that this book is written in a single pov (fmc). Although, I really enjoyed reading the book from Bryony’s pov, I really wish to know Jack the way I now know Bryony from his perspective.

I loved the insights we could get into the world of writers and how the minds of authors work. I never thought of the connect between an author and their book, definitely not in such a beautiful way as this book showed it to be. But it’s not all sunshine and flowers, the book also shows us the struggle an author has to go through in the start of their careers.

Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend it to you if you like sweet romances or want to know more about how the mind of an author works.

(PS: This book is making me overthink if my favourite authors have hired ghostwriters)

THE PERFECT ROM-COM by MELISSA FERGUSON is an enjoyable read with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and the author’s great insight into her characters’ emotions. There were times when I laughed out loud and others when I was close to tears!
The story starts with Bryony Page at the last day of a writer’s conference where she desperately wants to encourage one of the agents to take on a manuscript that she has been working on for two years. She is emotional about the story about her grandmother and the school for immigrants that she started and where Bryony teaches English. The school has run out of funds and she hopes her book will create an interest and bring in investors to keep the school going. She has two chances of trying to persuade Jack Sterling to take her book, but he has other ideas for her literary career ……
Other interesting characters are Bryony’s intensely loyal, incredibly amusing, court reporter sister, Gloria, the foreign students with their loyalty and interesting English, and the narcissistic Amelia Benedict, to name a few.
i am not going to tell you any more as I do not want to spoil things for you.
I highly recommend this “perfect rom-com” which I found quite inspirational as well as hilariously amusing.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

2.5/5 star romance.

Okay, I had very high hopes for this one. I loved the premise and the cover is super cute. But I felt like the story fell a bit flat. The romance between the two main characters really didn't connect for me, and I found myself kind of skimming through the middle because I just wasn't feeling a connection to the FMC at all. This is my first book by Melissa Ferguson, so it may honestly be that the writing style just isn't for me!

After attending a writers conference Bryony gets the chance of a lifetime. She’s offered a ghostwriting position for one of the most famous romance writers. But it’s not what Bryony wants. She wants to publish her own novel that’s near and dear to her heart. Jack made a deal to take her book on, but 2 years into ghost writing and Bryony book is still unpublished. As the pair work together will they become more than literary agent and author?

This book shouldn’t be classified as romance, it’s definitely more general fiction/women’s fiction. Very slow start and choppy beginning. The first chapter did not suck me in at all. I think it would’ve been better to have a one chapter flashback to her meeting with Jack agreeing to ghost write and then jump into the story. The beginning was just too long. And a 50% into the book there was only one slightly romantic scene. Given the title/genre I was hoping for at least some sparks early on. I think most of my disappointment comes from the fact that this book was classified as a romance, which obviously there’s some romance but it’s such a tiny portion, it’s really not fair to readers to market it as such.

really liked how this book started off, how ever it lost me somewhere in the middle. I felt as if the romance fell a bit into the background and was rushed off. I really liked the FMC, the writer really had me rooting for Byrony, but the MMC wasn't my cup of tea. I really did enjoy the banter though.

Although I was a bit disappointed about the whole romance bit of the story, I did really enjoy reading the FMC's journey as a ghost writer and how she fought for het Grandma's ESL school. That's why I gave it 3 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and the Thomas Nelson for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another fun literary-themed rom-com from Ferguson. I loved Bryony and rooted for her (and Jack!) the entire way through to the happy ending!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

So, so, so good! Devourable! "The Perfect Rom-Com" by Melissa Ferguson kept me turning pages all night long. All the feels, drama, laughs and depth that you're looking for.

Ferguson's protagonist, Bryony Page, whose journey from aspiring author to secret ghostwriter is both inspiring and entertaining. Her dedication to her grandmother's ESL program adds depth to her character, making her instantly endearing to readers.

The author's keen understanding of the publishing industry shines through in the vivid descriptions of writers' conferences and the intricacies of book deals. This insider's perspective adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story, making it a must-read for both romance enthusiasts and aspiring writers alike.

The chemistry between Bryony and Jack Sterling, the literary agent, is palpable and electric.

Ferguson's writing style is crisp, witty, and engaging.

In short, Melissa Ferguson has penned a winner with "The Perfect Rom-Com." It's a book that deserves a place on every romance lover's shelf. Highly recommended!

3.5
Fun, but...I don't understand the compulsion to make the bad-guy so repellent she has no redeeming qualities or any real reason to have garnered the support that kept her in her enviable position from which to go forth and do evil in the first place.

I love Melissa Ferguson so I was excited for this book. It was a very cute story and I loved the relationship set-up with friends to lovers trope. However the writing and the plot felt a little flat and just were not as great as Ferguson's previous work.

A sweet romance about an author and her secret

Bryony Page is dreaming of publishing her own book. But since none of the agents will accept her lengthy manuscript, she accepts an offer to ghostwrite for one of the biggest romance authors in the genre. While getting closer to her agent Jack, she doesn't lose sight of her original goal of releasing a semi-biographical novel that could well save her Grandmother's ESL school.

I breezed through this book! The dialogue is snappy, the protagonist stubborn but very likeable and the love interest a perfect friends-to-lovers hero. The book is on the shorter side but does not have a dull moment. Melissa Ferguson crafts very memorable characters and while she is not big on descriptions, she makes the bits count. This book is funny, serious, frustrating and rewarding!

I am not sure about the publishing interna, but would be happy to recommend this even to people who know the industry a little more intimately.
There are some elements that are a little bit far fetched and a few characterisations that felt very over-the-top but overall, this book is a fantastic read for romance lovers, aspiring writers and people looking to see that their antagonists get what they deserve. Because all's fair in love and business..

I absolutely loved this! Romantic comedy with a ghost writer? I'm immediately in. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that Jack was introduced so briefly that he didn't seem like a main character or love interest at first. I know he's supposed to be hot in a bookish way, but that's kinda it? I wish he had more of an introduction and that we got to see their friendship unfold. It felt like we met him and suddenly they're really close. But still, loved this book so much.

I have previously read Meet Me in the Margins, and I thought it was a cute fun rom com, so I was excited for this one as well. And while it was cute and sweet, I felt it lacking in some parts.

I thought the book had great beginnings but the follow through wasn't the best. The meet cute between Bryony and Jack was amazing and set up the book to be filled with lots of fun banter, but it seemed to shut off after a third of the book. I also feel like there's such a big deal with how Bryony wants to tell her grandmas story and how much her grandma means to her, but she only has one present scene with her, and it isn't one that would make you feel like they have a great bond. I just wish that their relationship was as profound as she makes it out to be.

What I did like was the bond between Bryony and her sister. And all of her students. They were really charming and made you root for The Bridge.

I think this could be a fun read that people will enjoy. I will say I usually read books within three days, but I've been in a slump where is takes me over a week to finish any book, and I just read this one in two, which I'd consider a positive!

I greedily devoured this book in one sitting. I've never read this authors work before, but I was charmed by her characters before the end of the first chapter.

It was a cozy read, with interesting characters and a sweet friendship and love that wasn't overly sweet. I'd recommend this to anyone who needs to break their way out of a reading slump and find the joy of a good book again!

I felt like I was reading someone's random train of thought, not a thought out story. I didn't know what was going on because I am not an author and didn't understand what was happening.

2.5 stars …

I wanted to love this book as much as all of Melissa Ferguson’s other books, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While there were parts I enjoyed, and I liked the general storyline idea, it didn’t suck me in or make me fall in love with the story or characters.
I felt like the story didn’t come together well. In the beginning, I felt like the main characters were actually antagonistic towards each other, only to suddenly fall in love. I wanted more of THEIR friendship and love story, and way less about Amelia. I also really struggled to care about The Bridge and the side characters to do with that.
I’ll continue to read Melissa Ferguson’s works because I tend to love it, but this one wasn’t my favorite of hers.

I loved this rom com about a rom com ghostwriter. Bryony's emotional development mirrored that of her writing development which I thought was a great parallel. I wish there had been a touch more backstory to Amelia as a character, but the other side characters were a big add to the story, especially the assistant. As a love interest, Jack was both a good friend and also a champion of Bryony's writing!