Interestingly enough, a few years ago, I began work on TL on this very subject, several of the drafts of which are floating around the archives of this board.
A very good source to consider is Colin Jones' The Great Nation, which covers French political history and development from the death of Louis XIV to the rise of Napoléon. It's important to remember that throughout most of the reign of Louis XVI, the revolution was far from inevitable (France had arguably recovered from worse fiscal crises in the past), and Jones points out quite a few aborted opportunities that presented themselves (all of which are heavily detailed in other sources, but the work provides at least a sound introduction).
One POD that is often understated here is Le Triumvirat of Aiguillon, Terray and Maupeou that was in power during the final years of Louis XV's reign.
Despite opposition, Terray enjoyed a great deal of early success as contrôleur-général with reforming the tax system and stabilising the state's finances before his dismissal and, perhaps more importantly, he worked well with the financiers.
Maupeou is also far too underrated IMO, considering his reforms as chancellor. The suppression of the parlements and their replacement with the purely judicial cours supérieures was, arguably, necessary to any long term reforms that preserved the king's prerogative intact. It's important to remember that the greatest opponents to reform in the 1780's were not the noblesse d'épée but the noblesse de robe, who tended to be highly conservative as a social group. It was Louis XVI's great mistake to repeal the cours and re-institute the parlements, since their remonstrances were a constant thorn in the side of any minister with serious aspirations to reform (and Louis XVI, for the most part, lacked the strength of will to force through his ministers suggestions).