How to Plot a Payback is a highly entertaining and cleverly crafted tale that unfolds in the glitzy world of Hollywood, offering readers a rollercoaster ride of humor, revenge, and unexpected romance. Finn Masters, the successful screenwriter, embarks on a journey of payback against his lifelong nemesis, Lavender Rhodes, the show's beloved star. The narrative is infused with sharp wit and clever plot twists as Finn attempts to manipulate Lavender's character for revenge, only to find himself ensnared in his own misguided schemes.

The characters are well-developed, and the dynamic between Finn and Lavender is both hilarious and heartwarming. The author skillfully weaves together humor and romance, creating a story that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. Despite the predictability of some plot elements, the execution is so well-done that it adds to the overall charm of the novel.

It deserves a solid four out of five stars for its witty writing, engaging characters, and the seamless blend of humor and romance. While the premise may seem familiar, the execution sets it apart, delivering a delightful and satisfying read for fans of romantic comedies. Ferguson has successfully crafted a story that not only entertains but also leaves readers with a smile and a desire for more.

How To Plot a Payback
By Melissa Ferguson

This romance is a screwball comedy. Finn Masters is a newly hired head writer to a sitcom called Neighbors. The lead actress, Lavender is his bad luck nemesis from his youth. Unbeknownst to Lavender, she has left a series disasters in Finn’s life and he is plotting payback.

I did laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of a situations and witty remarks. Lavender could be extremely annoying and oblivious. Finn leads himself right to his own downfalls, just so someone else won’t feel bad.

I felt more chemistry and funnies between Finn and his writing friends, Paula and Chris than Finn and Lavender for the majority of the story.

Lavender and Finn’s connection did grow and I liked them together especially near the end of the story. This is a cozy romantic comedy. Thank to Thomas Nelson Fiction for a complimentary copy of this title and the opinions in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to publisher Thomas Nelson, author Melissa Ferguson, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
Release Date: April 2, 2024

How to Plot a Playback was a delightful story! I enjoy Melissa’s writing style, her unique story lines, and I think this is her best book yet. It was hilarious and I really enjoyed reading Finn and Lavender’s perspectives which were, at times, very different. Haha! This book has a bit of the grumpy/sunshine trope plus slow burn romance and it made for some entertaining dialogue. The other characters made me laugh too! Mrs. Teaberry and the rest of Finn’s neighbors were so fun. I wanted to be part of their community! I also loved the deeper message of resentment and forgiveness and for that reason I believe that this would be a fun and meaningful read for a book club. This is also a very clean read and I would recommend this to any of my friends.

In this story we have Finn Masters and Lavender Rhodes. She is the star of a famous american sitcom, the american sweetheart
and he is the new writer of this same sitcom.
They have history, they used to go to the same acting school. The only problem is that Finn is not very fond of her,
he wrote a "black list", of everything
Lavender (the "Transgressor" as he like to define her) did wrong to him. So he decide to have a little revenge.
This is decidedly a light reading, the tropes are: grumpyXsunshine, slow burn.
The story goes fluent, it didn't hit me right away, but after 30% i was all in.
I love the double POV, always a fan of that.
The plot is original, and i never read something like this (until now), it's a good idea, sweet and heartwarming.
This is the first Ferguson's book i read, and decidedly not the last one!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review. 

This story reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy- where it's so fun to see the inner-workings/schedule of a long running sitcom production.

I enjoyed the journey and progression of the MCs from their hometown history, through the *transgressions* to the present day.  The dogs and elderly neighbors were lovely comic relief.  All in all, a very sweet Melissa Ferguson romance.

I thought this was a really sweet romance, and I loved the Hollywood vibes. The grump/sunshine trope is always one of my favorites, and Ferguson really delivered! The banter between the two MCs was SPOT ON and so fun, and I just loved how sweet it was. What a wholesome, great love story! And let's not forget -- the cover is GORGEOUS! I have already recommended this book to several of my friends who love "sweet" romances.

Melissa Ferguson does it again! How to Plot a Payback is a sweet and funny read that just leaves you feeling happy and blissful.

I actually recently read a similar story - a grudge held for years, forced proximity through the movie industry, etc.. and I loved the premise but thought it lacked substance (that book just had the MC's sleeping together constantly). With this book, Ferguson added the substance that book lacked.

I LOVED the parallel between how the MC's handled transgressions. One with payback, the other with grace. I also loved how the characters felt like real people with misunderstandings and flaws and fears and also growth and depth.

I will read everything Melissa Ferguson puts out because she nails clean rom-com stories every time.

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

Sweet and funny with adorable dogs and a touch of ridiculousness- this one would make a great movie 😄 great comedic timing too

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

The characters were fun and loveable. I loved Lavender and her personality. Finn is the grumpy yet soft guy we all love.

This book wasn’t giving me anything new but it was still a super cute book and if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted romance, this is for you.

When the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself to successful Hollywood screenwriter Finn Masters, he jumps at the chance for change and successfully negotiates a job for his mentor, as well. Finn knows he’ll need a friend in his new job.

Despite the pay raise and prestige of writing for a famous producer of a wildly successful long-running sitcom, Finn will enter the orbit of his nemesis. For over a decade, Lavender Rhodes has inadvertently caused every life disaster Finn experiences—starting with breaking his ankle (causing his broken ankle, not literally snapping it in two) right before the school play back in England and stealing his role while he suffered multiple surgeries.

Lavender’s list of iniquities takes up almost an entire sheet of paper. This could be his breakout opportunity if Finn can ignore America’s darling and keep his nose to the grindstone.

Unfortunately, Finn discovers why everyone loves Lavender—she’s down-to-earth, genuinely kind, and upbeat. But she’s still causing career problems for him. Within weeks, he gets fired. Things only get worse.

Finn goes on the offensive and plots a series of perfect paybacks. Only each attempt at a payback goes horribly wrong, and forces Finn to realize his feelings for Lavender have changed dramatically.

Why I Love This Book

Ferguson knows how to plot a perfect rom-com—even one based on revenge. Readers will love the hopelessly optimistic Lavender, especially once they understand her journey. Finn’s attempts to avoid Lavender (or even liking her) will make the reader laugh out loud. Ferguson proves the impossible can happen with proximity, compassion, and friendship.

Fans of Emma St. Clair will love this book.

There's just one person that Finn Masters blames for the major mishaps in his life-star of the hit television series "Neighbors", one Lavender Rhodes. Offered his dream job of writing for the "Neighbors" series, he figures he can avoid Lavender by sticking to the writer's room and avoiding the set. It is only after several chance meetings that the light finally dawns on Lavender that she knows Finn from her school days back in England where she carelessly left a stage trapdoor open and Finn fell breaking his ankle which required surgery. This on the eve of Finn's stage debut. Lavender takes his place, is seen by a talent scout in the audience and the rest is history. She moves to L.A. and becomes a star and he gives up acting to become a script writer, now also living in L.A.
Now that Finn is writing the scripts for Lavender's show, he decides to exact some revenge for all the times she has caused him trauma-which he has documented in a notebook!f But scripts are for actors and real life writes its own scripts and Finn realizes that Lavender isn't the career wrecking person he thought she was. Mix in an uncontrollable Bernese Mountain dog puppy, a seniors' living complex and watch the relationship morph from hate to something quite different!

A rom com set in Hollywood should have been a slam dunk for me, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. The main characters begin the novel unlikable to an almost cartoonish degree, and while they do improve slightly by the end, it's not enough. The premise is interesting, but the details of the television show that Finn and Lavender work on are wildly unrealistic even by Hollywood standards. The romance between them is predictable, which I didn't mind, but also relatively unsatisfying as there's very little spice to it. I really wanted to like this book, but in the end I found it frustrating and disappointing.

This was so good! I loved the premise of an actress who has no clue the main man has a lifelong hatred of her. They are forced together and, of course, are a perfect fit. The writing was excellent and I was always squeezing in time to read. It’s all closed door - no spice on the page except for a few “heated kisses”.

Well, thank you Melissa Ferguson! What a dang delight! If you're a fan of grumpy vs. sunshine, slow-burn romance, and PUPPIES...you will love this. So FUNNY and a perfectly sweet romance. Loved the lead characters. Their enemies-to-lovers vibe was giving Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox. If I had any critique, it would be that I was hoping for something that went slightly deeper...but honest to goodness, I had a blast and it was a great antidote to the winter doldrums. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the ARC.

This was a fun book to read. I loved the plot of being the scenes of a popular tv show. I also liked how Finn had the vendetta against Lavender, since childhood and how it carried throughout his life.
The story was easy to follow along. I enjoyed it.

This is another winner by Melissa Ferguson! I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this one was so well done. Lavender and Finn were such a fun pair. They balance each other well and their character development was very satisfying. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance, enemies to lovers, and celebrity dating stories!

Great read that starts off somewhat flat but smooths out into an exceptionally good read.

The plot has Finn bearing a huge grudge, and he's not subtle about that. Lavender is a huge Pollyanna, sharing sunshine without listening to those whom she tries to help. No nuance in the characters to start, and for the first part of the book, I contemplated whether to finish or not.

But as the story develops, the talented author smooths down the edges of her characters, and they become individuals the reader really cares about. At some point in the narrative arc, I became committed to learning how the story would end -- and it ends beautifully! Lots of warmth and encouragement in this book.

You will want to read this one -- pub date is April 2, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers (!) for a compelling story, lovely romance, and a scintillating plot line.

Cute, quick read! Love Melissa Ferguson's other books and enjoyed this one as well! The characters were alright, but I enjoy her writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Melissa Ferguson!

This one just wasn’t for me. I don’t know if it was the story line or the characters but I just didn’t vibe with it. It took forever to read and actually finish and it was one of those books where you wonder what you just read after finishing it. I’m sure it’s a good book for someone out there, but it just wasn’t for me. That being said, I’m not typically into books with blissfully unaware women characters. Like please, wake up and stand your ground. But like I said, I’m sure someone will enjoy this as the romcom it is.

What happens when two people meet but seem destined to live parallel lives? This is a good light read about how we can affect each other without ever having known. Finn wants to be enemies but forgot to tell Lavender about his plans. Typical storylines for the star crossed lovers but with an element of authenticity that makes you keep reading.