I was looking forward to jumping into this book when I was approved for an ARC, the title, cover and synopsis seems like it would be a book I would really enjoy.

I’ll start off by saying that the narrator did an outstanding job with the material she was given. I honestly would’ve shelved this as a DNF if it weren’t for the way she brought life into the story.

It seems like it would be a fun romantic comedy about an aspiring author who accepts a deal to become a ghost writer after her hopes of publishing her own works are unsuccessful. Plus a fun workplace romance sprinkled in. But really this book lacked romance and comedy and I did not have fun while reading it.

This book had sooo much potential. I really believe if the time jump did not occur and instead we got to follow along the main characters through the ups and downs of her ghost writing and seeing their friendship bloom on page, it would’ve made this book immensely more enjoyable.

Almost all of the focus followed the FMC as she navigated the world of publishing and balanced her teaching position. I found most of this book to be very boring and drag on for too long.

We are just told there’s a romance between the main characters while they share zero chemistry and all of their relationship development happens off page. Not to mention that the characters were very flat and unlikable.

I think it does this book a great disservice to be categorized as a romance or a rom-com. I’m sure there is an audience who would want to read this book, however I don’t think that person is me. I was looking for a romance novel and this fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

3.75 stars

I was given an audiobook for an honest review from the publisher.

Can I start off saying I did enjoy this book. But I do have to say this. This book, even with the cover and title, is not a romance by any means, and it's marketed that way, and I feel like that's going to be a downfall for the ratings of this book because it's targeting a different type of readers when it should be targeting womans fiction. There is no romance what so ever in this book. Don't get me wrong, I love all genres of books, and I still gave this 3.75 stars, but honestly, this book didn't really go anywhere. The narrator was awesome. But the premise was flat and dull. The writing was average it didn't really stand out from the rest of the books I've read

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC!

I also received the digital ARC a while back and rated it three stars. I hoped hearing it narrated would help me enjoy the book more, but not really. I did really enjoy the narrator and will be seeking out books narrated by Karissa Vacker in the future. I really enjoyed her voice and she did a great job narrating the book! If I solely based this review off narrating it would easily by 5 stars!

For a book titles “The Perfect RomCom” I expected more romance. This was the slowest of slow burns and at the end it was sweet, but not the perfect romcom by any means.

*Light spoiler*

I didn’t like the fact the FMC had a long distance boyfriend yet had a crush on her agent the entire time. I understand and appreciate that she didn’t physically cheat, but I hate the whole “emotional affair” they had.

I absolutely HATED Emilia and I’m so happy that b didn’t get a redemption arc 🤣🤣🤣🤣 the ending was really perfect and very vindicating!

The story overall was good, yet predictable and it missed the mark for a romcom, in my opinion.

Thank you again for the ARC.

Melissa Ferguson, author of The Perfect Rom-Com, delivers romance and humor set amid the world of writing and publishing. I can count on her to provide an entertaining read that is uplifting and clean. Narrator Karissa Vacker provides the voice of the story with her versatile and captivating expression.

The female lead Bryony Page, an aspiring writer, meets agent Jack Sterling at a writer's conference. Bryony's pitch was less than perfect, but it took her in completely unexpected directions. What follows are twists and turns involving love and the bookish world, and it's all fun, engaging, and enjoyable.

I received an advance listener's copy from NetGalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction. My review is my own.

The Perfect Rom-Com follows aspiring author Bryony Page, who attends a writing conference hoping to land an agent for the novel she’s poured her heart and soul into. Instead, she stumbles into an unexpected opportunity—ghostwriting for a wildly popular romance author with millions of readers. While honing her craft and using her earnings to support a deeply personal cause, Bryony forms a close friendship with literary agent Jack Sterling. Over time, she begins to see Jack in a new light and reevaluates her own career ambitions tied to her own name, leading to a heartwarming journey of self-discovery. Inspired by Two Weeks Notice, this book delivers a charming take on love, friendship, and finding one’s own voice.

As a longtime fan of rom-coms in both books and movies, I was eager to see a fresh spin on a familiar story. Melissa Ferguson took the best elements of Two Weeks Notice and refined them, creating a protagonist you can’t help but root for. While it didn’t completely blow me away, it was an undeniably fun, feel-good read—I flew through it in less than a day! If you’re looking for a lighthearted, engaging rom-com, this one is worth picking up.

A heartfelt thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, Melissa Ferguson, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The writing was super immersive, funny at just the right moments, and made the characters and situations feel so real. It had the perfect mix of humor and heart, which kept me hooked the entire time. The pacing was spot-on, and I almost read it in one sitting.
In this book, we follow Bryony after she ends up ghostwriting for Amelia Benedict (a rom-com star) while trying to publish her own book.
My only issue was the romance. I loved every single interaction between Bryony and Jack, but I found myself craving more romantic moments between them. Their connection was so strong, and I just wanted to see it explored more.
Another thing that didn’t quite work for me was Parker. Honestly, his character felt kind of pointless, and I kept wondering why he was even in the story.
I had the opportunity to read both the ebook and the audiobook, and I can recommend both. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the story and characters to life, making it an enjoyable experience for me.
That said, this book was heartwarming and left me wanting more. It also made me super interested in checking out more of Melissa’s books.

This book is a super cute friends to lovers romantic comedy that brings the ups and downs of the literary world to the readers. I enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Bryony as the evolved from friends to something more.

While this book was cute and quirky I found this book to be a little slow. I do wish this had been dual POV between Bryony and Jack instead of only focusing on Bryony.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration by Karissa Vacker was well done.

Another Melissa Ferguson book that I could not put down! Bryony is an author, trying to make it in the publishing world with her debut when she meets Jack and the trajectory of her life changes. Bryony is given the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for a popular author, writing romantic comedies. The ins and outs of the publishing world detailed throughout this book was interesting to see and read about. I love getting the behind the scenes look of different industries but most definitely the book world. The friendship to relationship between Bryony and Jack was so sweet to watch unfold on the pages, and in fact becoming a "Perfect Rom-Com". Thank you to Thomas Nelson for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own! The audio version was also wonderful, as it made it seem as I was watching this book unfold like a movie!

I enjoyed this novel, it is a quick and light read about a young aspiring author (Bryony) with a dream of saving the ESL program her grandma founded with a lucrative book deal. However, I found the pacing of this novel to be a bit odd. The first 20% of the book was just at the writing conference and then all of a sudden the reader is jumped forward 2 years and Bryony is best friends with the grumpy agent who turned her book down at the beginning. I struggled with how we got from point A to point B, but it's romance so I powered through.

I enjoyed Jack's "new" character in the second half of the book and his relationship with Bryony. Having been in a long distance relationship I questioned Bryony dating someone for 21 months overseas without seeing them ever but again it's a romance 🤷‍♀️ Overall the book was sweet but I didn't get a rom-com vibe, more second hand embarrassment for how naive and awkward Bryony was throughout the novel.

The ending was just 🤯 And that is where the author lost me completely. It wasn't believable or realistic, so the last 20% of the novel I read with my mouth hanging open in shock.

I don't know if I'd recommend this novel to a friend, i don't regret reading it but it didn't stand out to me as being well written or with a great plot. I was definitely disappointed with this one because it could have been amazing

Ferguson writes simple plots that are breezy and short. She adopts that approach again in The Perfect Rom-Com. However, this felt like more of a proposal for a book, arguably a potentially good book, rather than the finished product. There are a lot of threads introduced that have not been developed as the plot gallops from one point to another. Bryony presents as a manic, one-dimensional Pollyanna and there are only brief tidbits offered about Jack.

I think I would like this book if all of the many threads were developed and there was some major editing. As it is, I give it 2.5 stars.

I loved this book! Melissa Ferguson did a great job laying out the storyline for this rom com. I enjoyed the back and forth banter and personality reading of the characters.

She's written dozens of smash hit novels as a ghostwriter. Too bad no one knows it.

Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers conference bursting with optimism and ready to sell her manuscript with long-shot dreams of raising awareness for The Bridge, her grandmother's financially-struggling organization where she teaches ESL full-time. But after a disastrous pitching session, she stumbles into correcting another author's work in a last-ditch attempt to make a good impression with the agent. And she, as it turns out, is spot on.

Melissa Ferguson’s The Perfect Rom-Com is a delightful, feel-good romance filled with humor, heart, and irresistible charm. After enjoying How to Plot a Payback, I was excited to read this one, and it did not disappoint. With witty banter and lovable characters, it’s a perfect pick for fans of lighthearted, uplifting love stories.

One of many things that make Melissa Ferguson's romcoms stand out is how unique the plot of each novel is! Every one of her stories is so memorable I can still summarize them to my friends years later.

In this novel Bryony is desperate to publish her book to use the funds to save her beloved ESL school she has been teaching at. But fate (and a stern literary agent Jack) have a different plan for Bryony. She is to be a ghostwriter to Amelia Benedict, the mediocre author with the bigger-than-life name in exchange for the possibility of publishing Bryony's own novel.

I loved that this book had a very dramatic beginning with a twist (Bryony meets Jack)! It grabbed my attention from the first few chapters. And so began this unusual Agent-writer-colleague-friend-support-system-relationship. The romance side story was sweet, friends to lovers, close proximity, slowburn, kissing only - just my cup of tea!

There was a hilarious cast of ESL student characters I just fell in love with. Bryony's internal monologues were to die for! I laughed outloud reading her signature "self-loathing anti-pep talk". The novel is unique and imaginative. The author so masterfully conveyed an incredible experience of someone writing a book. It gives you a very good look inside the world of publishing.

This was indeed the perfect romcom and so much more! If you're looking for a clean romance/feel-good fiction, I hope you pick up this book!

The Perfect Rom Com chronicles Bryony’s adventurous quest to achieve her dream of becoming a published author while discovering love on her journey!

This charming story, filled with warmth, was delightful to read! Although it had a smooth flow, I expected a bit more humor given the title. The romance was touching, and I found myself wholeheartedly cheering for the couple!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.!

This was a cute, heartwarming, low stakes type of romance story. I think it would be a great "pallete cleanse" between heavier topics or heavier romance stories. I do wish it had been dual POV though. I would have loved to see the MMC's side of the situations and story.

The setting for the book was well done, and i really loved Bryony's tenacity and fight to get her book out there. She had great determination, and i really enjoyed how she was written.

The ending was so satisfying. I felt that Melissa really gave it a solid wrap up so that we had everything that we needed.

This book is the perfect balance between quick moving whitty romance and a deeply realistic. I loved each character and how much we learned about them despite the speed we zoomed through the plot. Despite the quickness it still felt full rather than rushed.

I listened to the audio version of this book. I absolutely loved it. I also had a copy of the e-book.

The story opens with Bryony trying to find an agent or publisher for her epic book. She strikes out completely. But one agent in particular really gets her annoyed. As she's bad-mouthing him on her phone, he arrives at her doorstep with a proposal to become a ghost writer. Although she doesn't want to do it, she wants the money for her English As A Second Language school where she is a dedicated and loved teacher.

It turns out that her writing launches the popularity of the named author on the books to new heights.

The narrator of the audio book is fantastic. This book was so much fun to listen to. I look forward to reading more books by Melissa Ferguson.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were so relatable and heartwarming. I listened to this audiobook in 1 sitting and was sad when it was over. I can’t wait to read more from this author!!

Bryony Page, is an ESL teacher trying to help save the school where she teaches by publishing a debut novel and is attending a book conference in the hope of finding a literary agent to take on her book. She catches the eye of Jack Sterling and agent. But along the way the only thing Jack learns is that he cannot live without her. This is a nod to the classic rom com "two " which the author points out in the opening words of the book.
There is 0 spice but it is a sweet warm and fuzzy romance.

Absolute perfection! Just like the title says, this is THE PERFECT ROMCOM. Byrony is a ghostwriter (for an absolutely horrible woman), but she's trying desperately to be published under own name to save an ESL school in her community, that she also teaches at. I would give anything to be able to read the books that Byrony has written cause they sounded so good! Jack is her agent and I rarely cackle out loud while reading a book, but some of Jack's lines got me! He's sweet, funny, protective, and just all around a good guy. I believe this is being released today, February 11th, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to read it again! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital and audio ARC!! ❤️❤️❤️