Melissa Ferguson does it again! Sucks you into the characters and the storyline and you fall in love with the characters!

Finn Masters is writing for a successful crime/ drama and had aspirations when he was younger of being an actor. However, there was one person that just got into his way Lavender Rhodes who he grew up with in England. Lavender has taken everything from him starting with his play at school where he was the lead and Lavender getting the agent that swept her away to LA. Finn and Lavender are as different from any other two people. Finn is organized and put together whereas Lavender is all over the place, which infuriates Finn to no end. Finn ends up taking a job on the successful comedy Neighbors that Lavender is a main star. Can Finn survive Lavender and her quirky personality?

I absolutely got sucked into this book and loved the storyline along with the character development.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

Super cute!!! Melissa Ferguson’s romcoms lean more on the com than the rom, and this book is no different, delivering chuckles and giggle with an effortless writing voice, witty dialogue, and a cast of lovable characters. I was totally on board as soon as I read the premise, especially since it’s a storyline I haven’t already read more than a dozen times (give me all the fresh plots please!). You could say this is a grump/sunshine (although he’s really not all that grumpy), enemies-to-lovers (although the hard feelings are only one sided and misguided at that), slow burn, but I just call it a cute little romp of a book.

Rom-com, grumpy/sunshine, feel-good read! Surprisingly funny with good banter. however lacked chemistry between the MC's as well as tension.

This book was cute, but I didn’t love it as much as some others by Melissa. The formatting was off on the ARC, so I think that contributed, but I struggled to follow it sometimes.

Ultimately, I was somewhat invested in the story- although it felt like it resolved very quickly & the story never really climaxed. Was there any real conflict? The “payback” plot seemed to become irrelevant very quickly. Idk. This just didn’t connect for me the way others have.

Title: How to Plot a Payback
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Rating: 4/5

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

I really, really enjoyed this one! Melissa Ferguson is an auto-buy author for me, and this book was another winner. I loved the characters and the setting! A romance between an actress and a script writer was cute and unique, especially with the tropes in this story. I loved the whole backstory of the MC and FMC’s hilariously unfortunate relationship. These characters aren’t exactly what you think either!

This was a truly funny, heartwarming romcom. I enjoyed this one as much as Meet Me in the Margins, which is my favorite Melissa Ferguson!

Read this one if you like:

-Grumpy/sunshine
-Slow burn
-Almost Enemies to lovers
-Puppies

Highly recommend! This would also be a fun book club book.

Coming Soon: Releasing April 2024

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read

✨How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson✨

“This job is perfect…absolutely everything I ever wanted. Except for her. Because I hate - no, it’s not a strong enough word- I absolutely loathe Lavender Rhodes.” - Finn

📚 About the Book…
Finn has always dreamed of working in Hollywood, and when the perfect screenwriting job is offered to him, he snatches is up. The only problem is that Lavender Rhodes, his nemesis and the person responsible for all of his failed dreams, is the leading lady of the show. Finn decides he’ll get her back. But he’s not a villain - so it won’t be revenge - just… justice and a chance to set all things right.

Genre: General Fiction, Rom-Com
Publisher: @thomasnelson
Release Date: February 2024
Major Themes: Revenge, Forgiveness, Community, Good Samaritan/Acts of Service, Perspective, Dreams
CW: Murder (in context of a tv sitcom)
My Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌷What I Loved…
My favourite part of this book is the Hollywood setting and the hilarity of Finn and Lavenders unexpected collisions, which almost always result poorly for Finn. While this book is mostly lighthearted and full of laugh-out-loud moments, I enjoyed the way the Melissa transforms Finn from a revengeful victim to someone who regrets his attitudes and perspectives; ultimately making more selfless and hope-filled decisions for his future.

☀️This Book is for you If…
You love the sunshine/grumpy rom-com trope, sitcoms, crazy cat ladies, aggressively loyal besties, perspective change, community vibes, and need a good laugh!

📖 Book Club Read?
Yes!!! This would make a fun book club read for rom-com lovers, and Melissa provides questions at tue back of the book.

*arc review*

Loved this one! I really enjoyed Finn and Lavender but I especially loved the side characters. While it was about the behind the scenes of the hit show neighbors I felt like you could easily follow along. The plot and ending were so sweet and I really enjoyed it!

What fun! This was charming and witty. With a great slow burn. I loved the dynamic between Finn and. Lavender. and his in the end they really saw the other person. This is my first book from this author but I’ve had Meet me in the Margins on my tbr for awhile so I can’t wait to read more from her. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

If ever, there was a book to prove that it’s impossible to hate a genuinely good person that is the book. Finn’s absolute insistence that Lavendar was the cause of all of life’s pains for him was both ludicrous and hilarious.

While this was no Meet Me in the Margins, I can see rom-com lovers digging in.

This book is a captivating journey through the depths of imagination. Its rich storytelling and well-developed characters kept me engaged from start to finish. With its thought-provoking themes, it transcends genres and offers something for every reader. A must-read for anyone seeking a literary adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; it was a lovely way to spend a free weekend! The characters mesh together well and evolve throughout the book, including side characters. The setting gives you a glimpse into the frantic world of sitcom writing as well as acting. The dogs added a bit of extra charm to the book and the ending was perfect!

How to Plot a Payback is a cute and engaging half-enemies-to-lovers/grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy. Finn Masters, a script writer turned executive producer, holds a grudge against famous actress Lavender Rhodes for multiple transgressions she either had no idea she committed or had no idea the impact they had on Finn. When his dream job lands him on the set of Lavender’s hit show, he attempts to “plot a payback,” but his efforts don’t have the effect he intended.

I found this premise to be intriguing, and I overall really enjoyed how it played out! Finn and Lavender were both endearing in their own ways, and I really appreciated how Lavender brought out a lighter side of Finn.

I honestly think the “payback” part could have been fleshed out more thoroughly—there were a couple attempts (primarily around 50-65%, I’d estimate) but the plot progressed beyond them pretty quickly. I also thought that Lavender at times behaved unrealistically, but I suppose that was also just the appeal of her character’s charming personality.

Melissa Ferguson, thank you for writing this book! I loved everything about it! Lavender is such a great leading lady, Finn is so funny and grumpy. The whole story I was laughing or falling in love with the characters.

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

Two complete opposite characters could not be more well suited for each other than Finn and Lavender! This book really explores how one person’s actions can affect such an affect on someone else without the offender even realizing it. I loved the witty inner monologue of Finn and found myself laughing out loud more than once. An added bonus was the dogs! As Bernese Mountain Dog mom in real life, I found Bernie’s hilarious antics spot on with the breed!

It took me awhile to get into but once I did I had a hard time putting it down. Such a different premise and I love that the main character is named lavender, definitely got t swift stuck in my head

DNF’d at 28%. Look I really enjoy the concept, but it just took too long to get going and unfortunately failed to capture my interest. Maybe I’ll give it another go in the future, but I’m leaving it for now.

This story follows Finn, a Hollywood screenwriter, and Lavender, a Hollywood actress and his worst enemy. Only, Lavender didn’t get the memo. When Finn has the opportunity to move up in the screenwriting world and move to a new show, he accepts the offer, despite the fact that Lavender is the lead. He tries his best to enact payback for all her years of inadvertently ruining his life but finds himself falling for her instead.

This premise is so fun, very Gold Rush by Taylor Swift, but I think it started on a weird note. It was all just TOO MUCH. The writing was great, very easy to follow and entertaining, but the plot points were just so crazy or weird that I just couldn’t vibe with it. Like, at the very start, Finn is talking to someone at the party, who drops his cocktail weenies on the floor. Finn picks them up, puts them back on the plate, and the man eats them. To me, this just wasn’t funny and was so in your face about “this man is a doofus.” Maybe some people will enjoy this kind of hyperbole, but I prefer more subtle plot points. There were quite a few moments like this, but I was mostly able to get over it and enjoy Finn and Lavender’s story. It was really interesting and made a lot of sense up until the 80%, which just felt super duper rushed. The ending that Finn manufactured for Lavender felt sooo unrealistic and out of nowhere, it just didn’t fit well with the rest of the story. I also felt super disappointed as a reader when they only kissed twice in the wholeeee story, mostly because this is marketed as a romance, and we didn’t get that in the end. Again, up until the 80% point, the slow burn progression was great, but after all that reading, we get two kisses? I felt like I had wasted all that time, waiting for a great “the couple finally gets together” moment just for it to end abruptly.

Besides all that, I really did enjoy this story, I just think it needs to be finely polished. I can really see this going from a 4-star to a 5-star read. ALSO, the cover is atrocious, why does the hot British guy look like Andrew Glouberman from Big Mouth? It’s really bad.

This was a fun easy read. I enjoyed the different hiccups and twists that came throughout the story. My favorite character was Lavender. She was such an easy person to cheer on and had such a joy that wasn't built on her success but just the world around her. I loved the community that surrounded Finn as he went through the story.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

I recently read a cute and enjoyable romantic-comedy that I believe many readers will adore. The book features a grumpy/sunshine trope with a slow-burn romance, and the characters are not what they seem initially, which adds to the intrigue. I particularly enjoyed the subplot regarding the famous actress and the scriptwriter. The characters were likable, and the story was well-crafted. I loved Finn and Lavender - my new favourite couple.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.