This was an enjoyable grumpy-sunshine romance. I was looking for a fairly lighthearted book that would make me smile and this was the perfect choice. I liked the heroine and the goofy situations she got herself into that inadvertently caused problems for the hero. I enjoyed seeing some stereotypical personalities from a different viewpoint, which was a great reminder to look past the surface.

Ultimately, this book shows us that there is more to people than meets the eye. It is full of grace and forgiveness and will leave you smiling.

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

This was cute and fun, but the first 75% of the book didn't quite hit for me. The last quarter was so good!

The connection between our characters was not super strong, and I think Finn's list of grievances was too petty for me to care much about. I knew he had them, but I couldn't relate to why he STILL harbored his resentment.

I loved Lavender and I loved the setting and backdrop (Hollywood-esque, the "industry"). Overall I enjoyed it but it wasn't my all time favorite!

I received a digital copy of this from NetGalley. Thanks NetGalley!

Finn Masters is a successful screenwriter. He wanted to be an actor, but back in high school, Lavender Rhodes ruined that opportunity when she left open a trap door during a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and Finn fell through, ruining his chances of playing Puck. Lavender takes his place in the play, and is discovered by a talent scout who happens to be in the audience. When Finn moves to L.A. to work as a writer, Lavender ruins his relationship with his girlfriend, to whom he was going to propose.

Finn vows revenge. When he becomes the screenwriter on the successful show, "Neighbors," in which Lavender is the star, it provides the perfect opportunity to exact that revenge. However, Lavender is more than she seems. She's not the typical self-centered actress, and Finn feels more guilt than satisfaction for trying to sabotage Lavender.

This is a sweet, slow-burn romance. As a reader, you have to buy-into the revenge plot, which is rather ridiculous, but still makes for an enjoyable read.

a fun fluffy quick read that’s perfect to get you out of a slump.
i think i really needed to pick up something lighthearted and entertaining and that’s exactly what i got with this book.
The writing was great and made for an easy read while the dialogue with all of the characters kept me wanting to pick the book back up. i think it can be hard introducing side characters sometimes but the author does a really good job at giving everyone a personality and a fits them in well.

the only thing i would have loved to see is Lavender getting a little angry and standing her ground with Finn as sometimes i felt she was apologising for things that weren’t really her fault.

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the arc. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I've attempted to read this book multiple times, yet I can't seem to get beyond the surface level of this story. The enemies to lovers trope was from holding a grudge for nearly a decade?!?!? The love interests were petty and a bit unlikable. Best bits featured the dog!

Thank you, Thomas Nelson

I loved the cover. I found the premise interesting. I waited until the book's release to listen to the audio. Loved the narrators. The book blurb did say Finn is from England, though, had it not, I wouldn't have known having just read the book until almost a quarter of the way through. I wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. I found the characters to be unlikable, unrelatable, and therefore I just couldn't get invested in this book and ultimately didn't care to finish. There was too much focus on the TV script/show that I didn't find myself drawn into the story at all, rather turned off because I wanted to know the character's and their real lives over the show. I've read this author's previous novels, so I probably should have known better. But as she's grown in popularity, I thought I'd like her more well-developed voice and while I do think her writing has merit, I'm always turned off by the fact that her books are marketed as rom com, but I don't find them particularly funny or romantic. WHERE IS THE ROMANCE?! If it's there, it took too long to see/get to it. I think if her books were marketed as women's fiction or even contemporary fiction, she might find better success with satisfying her readership. As it stands, I think this will be the last book I attempt by this author.

The story was just fine. There were some sweet, cute moments. I struggled to connect with the characters. I didn't feel like they had any depth. Lavender was a bit annoying and very one dimensional.

This book had me laughing out loud. I was intrigued by the title and the actress/writer relationship. Loved the POV of the MMC and his grumpiness. Recommend as a fun romcom!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cute romcom with a few funny scenes throughout. I'm not sure what it was but I didn't fall for Finn and Lavender. I would have liked to see a little more "payback" I guess for an enemies to lovers book. It was easy to read, had a good flow, and held up as a romcom.

Enemies to lovers is my fav romance trope and this book didn't disappoint in the delivery!!! Rivals working together when both had a hidden agenda is a plot I can always get behind. The writing was solid, the banter, witty and the way they move from "hate" to not, very well done.

Sophie Kinsella fans are going to love this one! It’s an absolutely unhinged and ridiculous closed door romance that had me laughing out loud. There’s nothing heavy in this one. If you just want a book that’s light as a feather and cute and funny with an apartment complex of 80 year olds with cats to boot, this is your book. The audio was well done, I really enjoyed it.

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

Finn has just landed his dream jobs and the biggest perk? He's now in charge of writing for the show who Lavender Rhodes is the star of. He's about to make her life a living hell. Lavender who is amazing and perfect and has absolutely ruined Finn's life dating all the way back to grade school. But as Finn writes for the show, Lavender seems to be taking all his plot twists in stride and it's not making Finn's revenge any fun. As their lives intertwine, Finn must decide whether the revenge is what he wants to continue to pursue or if Lavender is his finish.

This one was fun but after a while, it got a little repetitive. I liked the story as a whole but Finn's pessimism and antics were just a little... childish. It was hard to root for him and then for him to just decide that he actually loved her... it felt forced. I wish the characters had more chemistry as well. I feel like I liked it overall but it wasn't the best way this book/plot could've been written. It wasn't the worse either though.

Overall 3.25

This book was a little hard to get into in the beginning. But it did get better around the middle of the book. This was my first book by the author and I will definitely be reading more.

The trope of this book is definitely grumpy sunshine plus enemies to lovers. I did find Finn a little annoying in the beginning and Lavender is extremely flighty. They did grow on me as the story went on and their characters developed more. While I found the book difficult to read in the beginning, it did get much much better around the middle and the ending is cute.

I was provided a copy of the book from the author/publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Finn Masters has been writing for the same tv show for several years when the opportunity of a lifetime arises. The only problem is that the star of the show, Lavender Rhodes, has been (unbeknownst to her) ruining his life since they were in school. He doesn’t want her to ruin this new opportunity he’s been given so he does his best to plot his payback, but the payback doesn’t go as planned…

Will he be able to get past the injustices he feels Lavender has caused him? Is there a chance that they might become friends?

I loved this book! The antics that continued to play out had me laughing and wondering what would happen next. I will be recommending this to others to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #HowtoPlotaPayback

Finn’s “arch-nemesis” Lavender is America’s sweetheart. Lavender has been “ruining” Finn’s life for the better part of 15 years - and she has no idea.

She has been on the same sitcom for over 10 years and is beloved by actors, producers, and the public. But her show is getting tired.

Finn has spent the last decade writing about murder and is looking for something else. He meets the showrunner of the sitcom Lavender is on and after some negotiations, he becomes the head writer for her show. Looking to liven it up, he suggests some changes and some of those changes payback Lavender for the suffering she’s caused him. But it hits different and Finn finds himself wanting her instead.

I really enjoyed how Finn and Lavender grew into their relationship after some struggles. I liked the background of the sitcom and secondary characters. This book had some funny scenes and I laughed a bit. It’s a fun and lighthearted grumpy/sunshine romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this eARC. How to Plot a Payback is out now.

DNF at 30%.

This was a really hard book for me to get into and understand. There were some parts I truly didn’t understand why they were happening.

I felt the chapters really hard to relate to and a little annoying.

This is usually an author LOVE & always give her books a chance! But this book was just so hard for me to get into.

Screenwriter Finn Masters joined the staff of Hollywood's highest-rated, longest-running sitcoms. The star, Lavender Rhodes, once destroyed his acting career and wrecked his past relationship and doesn't even know it. Finn won't let her destroy this dream job, too, and realizes he can change the course of her career as he writes for her character. Everything goes wrong with each attempt to do so, and he's caught up in the drama. It also makes him see her in an entirely new light.

Finn is rather grumpy and dour, a serious crime series writer who takes the career opportunity of a lifetime. He isn't mean at heart, though he resents Lavender and hates even the mention of her. She's flighty and perpetually cheerful, almost willfully so, determined to see the best in everything. Their interactions take a turn when he sees the potential harm in his pranks; he isn't trying to seriously hurt her and goes out of his way to correct the situation. That takes it from a dangerous plan to a slapstick one. I sympathized with him from the start and wasn't exactly rooting for Lavender either at first. But like with Finn, she grew on me and I saw her good points, too. The two are a good pair, complementing one another. The book is a fun take on the grumpy/sunshine trope, complete with Hollywood magic.

How To Plot a Payback is nemesis to lovers, laugh out loud. romantic comedy. Great chemistry and banter. A fun and light hearted romance.

I thought this storyline was a lot of fun. I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers and this book nailed it
I love how Finn has this whole list of the many ways Lavendar has done him wrong throughout his life and she honestly had no clue.
So many fun laughs and witty banter as the payback schemes Finn concocts keep falling apart and the lines of his loathing turn to love.
It was a super cute, lighthearted, fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of How To Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson. All opinions are my own.

This funny romcom follows Finn and Lavender who went to high school together and acted in their high school shows. After a few unlucky mishaps, they both end up in LA, Lavender successfully living the actors dream and Finn bitterly a writer for successful shows. Finn blames Lavender for every bad thing in his life, and she quite frankly doesn’t know he exists. Until he becomes a writer for her ten year long sitcom.

This girl was really living rent free in his head for 10 years wow lol. This book did make me laugh and I loved the audiobook. The narrators were great.