How to Plot a Payback is a cute romcom about an actress and screenwriter. The two characters are quirky, with completely separate takes on the world and the situation between them. It was quite a funny story, watching things unravel between the characters.

This is a closed door romance, so it is great for all romcom readers, including the readers who prefer mild spice levels. The plot is intriguing without the spice, which makes this an easy read for all romcom lovers (even if you typically like more spice).

I listened to the audiobook, which had two narrators, one for each POV. The narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I listened at 1.75x speed, with 1.75x - 2x speed being my normal audiobook speed.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this advanced audiobook copy.

This was so cute!! I had a really great time with both of these characters! I was given the audio book ARC and the narrators were fantastic! They were so good at bringing these characters to life!! I really hope there is a spinoff sequel about Kai one day, I would love to see where he ends up!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for my audio book ARC!!!

I thought this book was super cute! It’s a sweet and wholesome slow burn romance that starts out as a guy plotting his revenge for the woman he blames for ruining his life. She doesn’t know that he has a vendetta against him and they end up falling for each other! Overall I’d recommend and I’m excited to read more of her books!

Not My favourite Melissa Ferguson book. The characters weren't very realistic and were a bit annoying. The voice actors did match the characters but not necessarily in a good way.

The story sounded fun, but I found that I didn’t particularly like Finn or Lavender.

I read Ferguson’s Meet Me in the Margins and adored it. I found it charming & beautiful.

But I unfortunately found none of that same charm in this book. I wasn’t invested in the characters, which made for a bit of a dull read.

Talk about grumpy x sunshine- Lavender is sunshine personified. I loved this one! I love almost anything that is entertainment industry adjacent, so this was right up my alley. One of my favorite parts of a good enemies to lovers is the character growth that comes with their falling in love, and the MCs had such great communication! This was also laugh-out-loud funny. Loved this!

The narration was also engaging and really fantastic. Lavender and Finn were brought to life in a very vibrant way and it added such a fun layer to a great book.

This sweet, clean romcom was a wonderfully light and easy listen.

Lavender Rhodes seems to always show up at the wrong times in Finn Masters’ life. She’s his bad-luck charm, and he’s determined to stay as far away from her as possible…until he gets offered the job of a lifetime writing for the sitcom she stars in.

Perfect for fans of:

💕Enemies to lovers
🎬Hollywood romances
🐶Furbaby characters
🏡Found family

The fictional sitcom at the center of this show,called “Neighbours”, has a lot of “Friends” vibes too, which is a lot of fun, and I love the way Ferguson makes Finn’s real-life neighbours such important secondary characters.

Do you like 90s and early 2000s romantic comedies?
Think like Pretty Woman, Bridget Jones Diary, How to Lose a Guy in 10 days; this book feels like watching those romantic comedies with the (mostly) clueless heroine (FMC) and the broody hero (MMC) which, if isn't clear, I absolutely love
I love how this book is hilariously realistic and yet relatable at the same time

I love how somehow this book has a guy as the main character which I understand there's always a male main character in every book but it's also usually told from the girl's POV especially in a romance book
But this somehow feels like we're seeing it from Finn Master's perspective
I love how even if he thinks he hates and resents Lavender Rhodes, ultimately he's a really good guy

Every character in this book is lovable and realistic
I love how the plot plays out (which I won't touch so I don't give away spoilers)
This is one of the best audiobook (especially in audiobook format) that I listened to
Dare I say, I think audiobook is a perfect medium for this story

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley, Melissa Ferguson, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Super cute and fun! Loved the characters and the Hollywood aspects of the book! Bernie the dog was also fabulous! Great romcom I highly recommend. This is one of my favorites of Melissa’s books!

The narrator was good. The plot was basic but still fun to listen to. The relationship got cuter as time went on but in the beginning it sucked.

Well, that was a very adorable book! The dual perspectives are easy to keep track of the back stories of the characters were developed very well. I found the ending to be very unique in the plot twist not the romance part. It’s always fun to read enemies to lover story, especially when the enemies are one sided.

This story was a fun look at what goes on behind-the-scenes of TV-making as Finn (the writer) tries to get payback for what Lavender (the actress) has done to him. With all the dogs, grandparents, and show-biz rush, it could only be called zany. The romance felt a bit rushed to me. One minute Finn thinks his nemesis is Lavender and the next they're confessing their love.
Except for the publisher being Thomas Nelson, there is nothing to differentiate this as Christian fiction. There's zero mention of God or faith and no faith thread. This is very disappointing to me because those books that do have a strong faith thread always leave me encouraged and strengthened in my own faith whereas this one was merely clean entertainment (no language, no explicit scenes).

I received an ALC of this book for free. All opinions are my own.

As someone who doesn't usually reach out for romance sit com books I couldn't help but be interested in this one.

I really enjoyed this book both Finn and Lavender were hilarious characters and constantly bumping into each other creating schemes that are comically backfiring.

This was a great will they won't they dynamic as you could just see the chemistry between them and it worked so naturally

This book read like your typical low budget romance. All of the romance tropes (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, grumpy and sunshine) were present and made it incredibly predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
This book was just okay for me. Not one that I’ll tell people is bad but also not really one I’ll remember

I loved Melissa Ferguson’s Meet Me in the Margins, so I knew I had to read How to Plot a Payback when it came out.

Ok, so I didn’t read, I listened. I love a good audiobook, and this one was so fast-paced and witty that I couldn’t take my ear buds out. Dual POVs are my favorite (both to read and to write), and both narrators here sounded exactly like I thought the characters would in my mind.

In this utterly delightful and laugh-out-loud funny novel, screenwriter Finn Masters thinks he’s finally caught a break landing a dream job writing for the hit sitcom Neighbors. But his joy is tempered by one major downside – he’ll be working alongside Lavender Rhodes, the show’s effervescently charming star who has unwittingly been his personal nemesis since childhood.

With impeccable comedic timing, Ferguson created a riotous will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic as Finn tries to plot his revenge by shaking up Lavender’s sickeningly sweet on-screen persona.

What ensues is a masterclass in romantic comedy as Finn’s hilarious schemes comically backfire, forcing him to re-evaluate his long-held grudge against his old friend. The banter between the two sparring leads is whip-smart and endlessly entertaining. But it’s the tenderly moving moments that reveal their unmistakable chemistry that will keep you rooting for them in the end.

This witty yet deeply heartwarming tale of old wounds and second chances is simply unputdownable. An absolute must-read for fans of classic romcoms!

How to Plot a Payback - this was a light, fluffy listen/read. I really enjoyed the narrator. Not my favorite audiobook I’ve received this year- I think I might have reading the book better. I’ll be giving that a try. Right now, a solid 3-star for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Harper Collins Christian Publishing|Thomas Nelson Fiction for an ARC copy of this title.

If you are looking for a light and fun read, How to Plot a Payback is a great choice. The storyline isn't too deep, the cadence of the narrators is fun and funny. This audiobook is a perfect palate cleanser between heavier books. Melissa Ferguson knows how to keep reading a joy.

"How to Plot a Payback" was well-written with funny moments. The main characters were sweet, and the narrators did a great job of bringing them to life.

Finn Masters had gotten his dream job, writing for a hit show in Hollywood. The only downside? His arch nemesis Lavender Rhodes is the star of the show. She has been ruining his life since they were in school together and doesn’t even know it. But he won’t let this stop him, he even sees it as an opportunity to get his payback on Lavender. As his plans backfire on him he is forced to reevaluate his opinion on Lavender.

I found this book to be so cute and sweet. The premise is nice and not something I’ve read before. All the “plotting” and subsequent backfiring of them were funny. Overall I enjoyed this lighthearted easy read. The narrators were enjoyable to listen to and I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Netgally and the Author for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my review.