“Putting my foot down isn’t my strong point. Being an inconvenience to someone, or even thinking about the possibility of being an inconvenience to someone, is right up there with dropping into a tank of jellyfish. Unacceptable.” ― Melissa Ferguson, The Perfect Rom-Com
Bryony Page has written a novel that she has pinned all of her hopes and dreams on. Attending her first writers conference, Bryony knows that one of these agents will accept her manuscript, sell it, and help her raise awareness (and funding) for The Bridge, her grandmother’s organization where Bryony has taught ESL full-time for the last fifteen years. Her agent meetings are utterly disastrous with the last one ending with her critiquing and correcting a famous author’s latest manuscript. This last-ditch effort to impress literary agent Jack Sterling of the legendary Foundry Literary Agency ends up working in her favor though.
Bryony is offered the job of a lifetime: writing as ghostwriter for popular rom-com novelist, Amelia Benedict. While this isn’t exactly what Bryony’s goal, she finds a way to get what she wants out of Jack. She will agree to ghostwrite, only if Jack will work to sell her own book too. The Bridge needs all the help it can get.
Flash forward and it should come as no surprise that Bryony’s work as Amelia’s ghostwriter is fantastic. Her books have made Amelia into even more of a household name. She is selling millions of copies around the world which means that Bryony is irreplaceable to the Foundry Agency. Jack and Bryony are closer than ever, which makes the line between their professional and personal relationships grow murkier and murkier. Bryony’s ultimate goal is to get her book published under her own name, something that Jack has been working on for the past two years. Or has he?
The Perfect Rom-Com was a delightful read. While this was described as a grumpy x sunshine read, I had trouble figuring out who was who, as both Bryony and Jack had their moments of sunshine and grump. If you’re looking for a friends to lovers, opposites attract, kisses-only romance, this is the book for you. The romance is more subtle than other books I have read lately, but I kept reading because of the quippy dialogue between characters. I also enjoyed the insider knowledge of traditional publishing. This slow burn, workplace romance book about books was a good palette cleanser.
“Spend a few hours with your eyes skating over pages of happiness, all while the more serious bits of your life get to rest their legs. Take a break. Laugh your heart to healing, I like to say. Now there’s a tagline. Because laughter is a part of life too, isn’t it? Something not to be dismissed as it stands side by side with more serious matters of growth and grief.”
― Melissa Ferguson, The Perfect Rom-Com