Thanks, but no thanks. This is a DNF for me. I am bored and uninterested in the characters. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

This was the first book I read by Melissa Ferguson and I can now say I’m officially a fan! How To Plot a Payback was a funny (laugh out loud funny), sweet and fast paced rom com that gave me major Schitts Creek vibes. I immediately fell in love with the FMC Lavender and I was hooked into her story within the first few chapters. If you love cute and playful romance books then you will adore this book without a doubt! This book made me want to move to a busy city, adopt a dog and spend my days rubbing elbows with charming Hollywood types.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

I enjoyed this funny enemies to lovers romance. Finn is a screen writer who’s finally landed his dream job, writing for the show Neighbors. Unfortunately, the woman he considers his nemesis, Lavender Rhodes, stars in the show. They’ve known each other from childhood and Finn has a list of fails/coincidences he considers to be HER fault. He has a chance to get payback, but as all his plots fail he sees Lavender differently.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are cC

How to Plot a Payback is a contemporary romance written by Melissa Ferguson.

Summary: Finn Masters has a problem. He has done absolutely everything he can to advance his career-only to be thwarted by his nemesis Lavender Rhodes.

Now, he has an offer to produce the most popular show on television.

It’s his dream job.

The only problem? The main star is…Lavender Rhodes.

The one person he has been trying to avoid his whole life.

But maybe this isn’t so bad after all.

Just maybe this is Finn’s chance to enact a little bit of payback for all of the grief she’s caused him over the years.

Time for some harmless little payback.

Nothing could go wrong…could it?

My Thoughts: This book was just plain fun.

I love the author’s writing style-it’s so unique and gives such a fun and fresh point of view.

There were so many wacky situations that seemed impossible, and the two main characters were so completely different, but the book is written so well that it all just worked together and was a joy to read.

I would recommend this fun, light, romantic read-I definitely enjoyed it!

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I had to stop at 47%. Lavender is so unlikable and seems like a 2D character (as they describe her on-screen character, Ashley). The story didn't work for me and I could not finish the book.

Finn Masters and Lavender Rhodes went to school together in England and now find themselves working together in LA. She is the beloved star of Neighbors, one of Hollywood's highest-rated, longest-running sitcoms, and Finn has just been hired to write for the show. What Lavender doesn't realize is that Finn believes she ruined his life way back when and sees this an opportunity to get even with her. Unfortunately for him, his plans backfire one after the other, until he finally begins to realize that maybe Lavender isn't what he always thought she was.

I have read and enjoyed several Melissa Ferguson books in the past, but How to Plot a Payback fell short for me. I thought the plot of Finn carrying his grudge for so many years a bit hard to believe. His ideas to make Lavender look bad were petty and childish. Lavender was a great character and rolled with the punches. The actual romance was also hard to believe considering how much Finn disliked her and for how long. I almost DNFed this one. I know others really enjoyed this one, so if it interests you, give it a try, you might really enjoy this story.

Right off the bat, I had trouble connecting with the writing style. It just did not work for me, which is odd to me because I’ve read other books by this author and enjoyed the writing style. This was just flat and very surface level.

A fun, if not a little over the top silly, rom com. I enjoyed this “imagine the writers room on a Friends-equivalent sitcom” scenario. Melissa Ferguson delivers another good-feels, clean, funny and sweet story.

A Fresh, Fun, Lighthearted RomCom That Animal Lovers Will Adore!

Melissa Ferguson delivers another clean, solid four star story with wonderful characters, a cute storyline and moments that will have readers chuckling as they devour the pages of this new release.

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting when it came to the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it didn't disappoint nonetheless. Ferguson put her own unique spin not the trope and the tension and depth were still there, even if the banter I expected wasn't. One thing that Ferguson writes well is inner thoughts, sarcasm and slapstick comedic situations, wherein I happily enjoyed many smile-inducing moments.

There's a fantastic cast of side characters that made this story highly entertaining for me including, but not limited to, the four-legged kind! Animal lovers like me will adore the cat-collecting Mrs. Teaberry who quickly became a favorite side character, Bernie the lovable Bernese Mountain dog puppy and Miles, the distinguished Weimaraner.

Also noteworthy was the premise of working on a Hollywood television set, with Finn being a writer/producer and Lavender starring as a leading actress in the tv sitcom he's writing for making the setting for this novel fresh and fun.

While I was hoping for flirting, snark, banter and chemistry from the start, this book is a slow-burn, true to the recent releases from this author. But for readers like me who want it all from the beginning, never fear, it picks up around the two thirds part and has a sweet, rewarding HEA.

Overall, a light read that's worth an afternoon or two and would make a great road-trip or vacation read. I highly recommend the audiobook as well as I listened to it while simultaneously reading my e-copy and adored the narrators (especially the narrator who read Finn's POV) who did a brilliant job of making the characters and comedy come alive.

*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson is such a fun rom com. This book started quite slowly for the first third of the book. It was a bit hard to get into and the characters were not as likeable as I expected. However, I kept reading and I am so glad that I did. Eventually, I absolutely loved the characters and everything fell into place beautifully with the plot. This is a wonderful book and I definitely recommend it to readers who love sweet romance. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This was a fun book. I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters.
A short list of what I liked:
- The characters (main and side)
- The story itself
- The writing (especially Finn's inner monologue at times - had me cackling!) and pacing
- Just the overall vibe I had while reading this.
- Miles & Burnie

I think the only drawback was how almost petty Finn was for the first half of the book. Holding onto those grudges and blaming Lavender for almost all the bad things that have ever happened in his life (even though his girlfriend dumping him was actually one of the best things to happen to him - but did he thank her? Of course not) Also, maybe how extreme his I LOVE LAVENDER eyes were... He took a while to get there, but then once he was, it was like zero-to-one-hundred real quick.

Otherwise I think it was a great book if you're looking for a slow burn, dislike-to-lovers with cute puppies and on-set shenanigans. And adorable old people. I would totally recommend this to people who are looking for a light romance, heavy on the comedy. I'll also be keeping an eye out for other Melissa Ferguson books in the future.

Your average romcom that’s heavy on the comedy over the romance. I enjoyed it but felt a little let down by the romance.

This was such a FUN and cute romcom that I literally devoured in a day. I had so much fun with these characters and the swoony romance that left me smiling.

3.75 rounded up

This was so much fun! Finn is the definition of not taking accountability for his choices, instead he has blamed every minor/major inconvenience in life on Lavender. Now he has gotten his dream job writing on a long running show, starring none other than Lavender! He is determined not to let her ruin this opportunity for him, annnnnd promptly things start to go sideways for him. He then chooses to make it his life's work to do everything within his power to make her feel the same level of inconvenience daily. The internal monologs cracked me up, and the delulu that Finn started with was hilarious. This was a cute book, and Lavender was the absolute cutest (if misguided and unaware of her she effected others, in the beginning) and I loved watching the story play out. A very fun read!

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read anything by this author before and went into this book with 0 expectations. This was such a fun read and I flew through it.

My one complaint is that I wish that they both hated each other at the start of the book. Finn was this super relatable character with flaws and grudges while Lavender was literally perfect. I liked her (how could you not). If the whole book had been from Finn’s perspective or if they both had same level of grievance with each other instead of Lavender just being oblivious, it would have been a perfect enemies to lovers.

Thanks for the ARC copy. Opinions are my own.
First time reading this author.

Sweet, slow burn rom com with interesting storyline and plot. I found the characters a bit difficult to get into and the story moves slowly., but it's a decent book for a summer read on a hot day

This was such a good book. I laughed till I cried and hubby was looking at me strange! I would definitely recommend this book. I loved the storyline and all the characters in this book.

I liked the characters on their own, and eventually together too. The story itself seemed like I have read it before though and never really pulled me in. It wasn't bad ....just not for me.

There is something seriously special about Melissa Ferguson and her writing! Now, I'm usually a "the spicier the better" reader, so I shouldn't love these books the way! I should also miss the spice in a clean romance, right? wrong. Melissa's writing is so vivid that you get absorbed into the tension, angst, and myriad other emotions experiences by these characters that before you know it, the book is over and you're clicking your e-reader trying to get to the next page because you aren't ready for to be done with it yet.

I love a good revenge plot that isn't "I'm going to destroy their whole life and make them wish they were never born" but instead "I'm going to mildly inconvenience them over and over again just to drive them up the wall a bit." This book was so fun and the romance was so swoon and cute, that I will definitely put this into my rotation of comfy romances to reread.