Would you take your dream job if you had to work with someone who has been ruining your life since you were classmates?

That's what Finn Masters has to decide for himself. This was such a fun read and I loved the dynamic between Finn and Lavendar. Also, can we talk about the cover? Absolutely beautiful!

If he stopped plotting his payback, he might just realize that there is more to Lavendar than meets the eye.


Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about Finn and Lavender and how their lives come together, since they were in high school in the UK, until they are in one of the most popular shows in America. Lavender is the main character in a comedy tv series called Neighbours and Finn gets a contract to be the new producer of the same show, but there is a twist,.. Since they were in school that Lavender keeps ruining Finn's life in various ways, so when Finn arrives in the show, he wants to payback for all the things she did to him, but is very unsuccessful in doing so.
Throughout the book they become closer and closer, as Finn begins to realize that Lavender isn't the person he thought she was and Lavender starts to appreciate more of the little things in life.
It's a very wholesome story and I really liked how it easily floewd. There weren't unnecessary plots or fights between them.
Although I thought it would be more of an enemies to lovers, the book dind't disappoint and was really fun to read.

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

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was super cute and charming and made me giggle multiple times!!

Finn HATES Lavender. He hates her so much he has a list of all the things she's done to wrong him. When he's offered a job writing for the show she stars in he takes it but plans to never spend time with Lavender. Because of said hate.

Of course things don't go as planned and Finn has multiple encounters with Lavender that all end poorly (on his side of things) and just add to the list.
Via the slowest burn ever they come to see each other as more than just "hated star of the show" and "writer on the show" and something blossoms between them.

I'd recommend this book!! I also plan to read other books by this author.

This was very cute and entirely preposterous, but a fun romp through Hollywood and the TV industry. I read another one of Melissa Ferguson's books - Famous for a Living - and I think this one is better, though it still has a little bit of the "main female character is someone everyone thinks is dumb but she's secretly smarter than you think but not really" energy of the other book. Very well developed hero main character, though, which is nice.

I received an advance reader copy of the book in exchange for the possibility of a review.

My rating: 5/5 stars

The story followed Finn and Lavender, who have known each other since they were kids. She’s been muddling his plans for years—now he’s the writer for the beloved character she plays on television, and it’s time for payback.
I loved Finn and Lavender and was so excited that we got both of their POV. Lavender is a super famous movie star and just has a down-to-earth vibe and Finn is a TV show writer who is incredible at his job and he has a sort of cynical look at life.

This book was so fun to read. It was a wholesome, clean, addicting, and sweet romcom. It had everything you want in a romcom. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Hollywood stories, clever romcoms, banter.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC!

Finn Masters, a terrific television writer is offered a fabulous job on the TV sitcom Neighbors – a sort of Friends-ish hit starring Lavender Rhodes. It’s a fabulous, life-changing opportunity for Finn but unfortunately, he HATES Lavender. She is the woman who has single-handedly ruined his life on multiple occasions, from stealing roles to destroying his relationship with his almost fiancé. However, as a head writer on her show, he decides he might be able to get even with her. If she weren’t just so darned cute. And nice.

In this adorable rom-com by Melissa Ferguson, the fun characters and situations are delightful and she delivers a slow romantic burn for the vengeful, but really, truly nice guy Finn. He helps little old ladies, loves dogs, is kind and unassuming. And can’t even handle the guilt of trying to cause problems for the mercurial, happy Lavender. I found the book to be a super fun read. Hard to put down with lots of laugh-out-loud moments. The chickens’ situation is hilarious. And the HEA is worth it.

Super cute grumpy/sunshine, enemies (for him at least) to lovers workplace romance. Lavender is a super popular actress who just wants to be seen as a normal person, not someone to be treated differently. Finn is the only person to treat her as such, why? Well because she’s been accidentally ruining his life since they were children. Through misguided attempts of revenge that spiral out of control very quickly Finn realizes Lavender might actually be the treasure everyone believes that she is. The witty dialogue, adorably uncontrollable puppy, best friends and overprotective elderly neighbors this book is funny, heartwarming and just a cozy read.

HOW TO PLOT A PAYBACK is another laugh out loud romcom by MELISSA FERGUSON, which also gives us much food for thought as we see how bitterness and unforgiveness has affected Finn Masters, who blames famous sitcom star, Lavender Rhodes, for ruining his life, right from their school days.
Lavender, on the other hand, with her kind and empathetic nature, is quite oblivious to his dislike of her and his payback attempts do not have the desired effect.
Bring in the cast of a ten year old sitcom, script writers, elderly fans, romance, dogs, cats, ehickens and much more, and you will be hooked!…..
I really enjoyed this delightful read and highly recommend the novel to anyone with a sense of humour.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completelymy own.

If you haven’t read Melissa Ferguson’s books, you need to start! I will request/buy (usually both) every book she writes.
This book is adorable. I loved Finn and Lavender together. All of their misadventures had me laughing out loud and coming back for more. I also enjoyed the writer and actress dynamic, it lent really well to the attempted paybacks. Definitely snag this one when it is available in spring of 2024!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️/5
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SO GOOD! I truly loved “How to plot a payback”, it was the perfect romcom, and I’m so excited for the day it comes out as a movie (Manifesting😉)! It’s light and fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and has great MC’s. Some chick lit books have such big conflict/tension that it makes the whole thing seem cliche and forced, but Melissa makes this story have just enough tension to remain interesting, but moves the story along unforcedly.

Big thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts included are my own

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No spice!

Ideal Cast:
⭐️Lavender: Lilly James (Big LJ kick as of late)
⭐️Finn: Andrew Garfield
⭐️Paula: Annabelle Apsion
⭐️Sonya: Keke Palmer
⭐️Kye: Glen Powell

I went on to read this on a very cold and windy day- and I have to say it still made me feel fuzzy. I LOVED Finn and his grumpy golden retriever vibes - my guy was not well equipped for that payback 😂 and lavender was the sunshine to
His grumpy. I loved how he kept discovering things about her that squashed his animosity towards her . All around a solid romcom

I wanted to love this book, but while it was a unique plot, the story ended too quickly with not enough chemistry between the two main characters. All in all it was a light read, just not a lot of impact for me.
Thank you for the ARC provided to me.

Amazing, sweet, why-are-they-so-cute-together-crying.
Lavender is the happy relaxing woman I think I would be if I had financial stability.
Finn is a grumpy genius completely in love with her.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC!

Another winner of a book! I absolutely adored this story from Melissa Ferguson. I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance, and this one had me swooning by the end! I loved that I could root for both main characters, and the dual perspectives made everything even more fun!

I love stories about Hollywood and television and behind the scenes drama, so this was a perfect fit for me. I also found Ferguson’s writing really hilarious and fun! I am so glad I got to read this, and look forward to reading more of Ferguson’s work in the future!

Thank you again for the ARC!

This book is so adorable! I loved the characters. Finn Masters has kept a list of everything that Lavender Rhoads has ruined in his life, starting with the moment she took his place in their high school play and wound up in Hollywood as a result. But, when the chance of a lifetime comes in the form of writing for the TV show, he can't pass it up. Even if it means writing for Lavender's character.
This book is such a cute romcom, with likeable characters and funny mishaps. I enjoyed the grump/sunshine storyline. If you are looking for a book that will brighten your day, pick this one up!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4++ stars

Adorable read. Smiled a ton. Lavender and Finn are adorable.

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

I enjoyed the escapism this book gave me - the ideas of tv stars and public profile jobs was a great way to end my day. I’m not sure I enjoyed the slow burn that this book had. I found myself wanting to skip ahead, just to see where the climax was. I did find the climax of the book a bit small and wished there was more oomph in it. I felt like there were a few characters in there that weren’t really relevant.

Overall, I enjoyed the main characters, the idea of a tv show setting and especially how many dogs were in the book!

I was drawn to this book because of the cover. I enjoyed the storyline and kept reading to see how the story would come together, but I did find the writing choppy and hard to follow. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute, fun rom-com. It's a grumpy/sunshine trope with a (very) slow burn romance. The characters were likeable and the story was well done.

It took me a while to get into this book as the slow burn was definitely slow, I almost DNF because it wasn't gripping me. However, I persevered and was definitely rewarded with this super sweet rom-com.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Netgallery and Thomas Nelson Publishers.

This book is fun romantic comedy. Once I started it I could not put it down. This is the first Melissa Ferguson book I have read. The main characters were interesting and engaging. This book was funny and was a slow burn. I found this book to be more comedy than romance. I really enjoyed this book.