I wasn't expecting to read this one practically in one sitting, but that's what happened! While I definitely enjoyed it and laughed out loud a lot, the last 25% perplexed me because it veered from the typical romance plot-line. That made me bump it down a star, but I did enjoy it overall!

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

Lavender and Finn have their lives interconnected.
Through time, Lavender has impacted Finn's life in too many instances, and always for the worse. And he blames her for every single one of them.
Even crossing the Atlantic, their paths keep crossing. Until the day Finn has the perfect opportunity to get his long-awaited revenge. But how? Manipulating the plot of their series against Lavender.

Interesting and funny. It is a marvelous way to spend your time!
What did I enjoy the most? The main characters, the community where Finn lives, and the dogs.
What did I enjoy less? The rhythm of the story - although it has a nice pace, some parts are of slow progress.

This is another good book from Melissa Ferguson, just like she made us expect.
(My favorite keeps being Famous for a Living🙂)

Sadly this one didn’t live up to the hype for me. I was all excited about a Hollywood romance but it just dragged on for me

This was a charming enemies to lovers romance with all the humor, a glimpse into the Hollywood scene, and getting revenge.

When Finn Masters gets his screen-writing dream job of writing for the sitcom “Neighbors”, the only catch is no other than frenemy Lavender Rhodes, the star actress for the show, and thorn in his side since their childhood. Once friends, until Lavender ruined Finn’s chance at stardom, and what he feels is his life, and now Finn wants revenge.

Now forced to work together, the shenanigans kept coming, and I loved the banter between each other.

🎧I paired the book with the audio and thought the narration was great! It really brought the antics and dialogue to life and was so entertaining.

*many thanks to Thomas Nelson and librofm for the gifted copy for review

It seems I'm becoming a bit of a Melissa Ferguson fan. This is the fourth book of hers (not counting an anthology she was also in) that I've read, and I've enjoyed her characters and storyline in each of them.

In "How to Plot a Payback," Finn has blamed someone else for missed opportunities in his life and so has staunchly avoided anything remotely connected to her. But now he's been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, and he can't pass it up. The problem is, Lavender, his nemesis, is part of the deal. He's going to have to deal with her on a daily basis. But he figures, he'll do his best to avoid her and all will be well.

But instead of being this black-hearted opportunist that he's been harboring a grudge against all these years, he begins to realize she's one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

It's really hard to hold a grudge against someone who's nice all the time! But that doesn't stop Finn from seeking to get his revenge on Lavender for her past misdeeds. The question is, why does he feel so guilty when his plans accomplish more than he'd even hoped for?

Maybe revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be? Especially once you start harboring a bit of a soft spot for the intended victim?

I really enjoyed the characters and storyline of this book. It's sweet, funny and, at times, thought-provoking.

Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

I originally really enjoyed being a fly on the wall in the Writer's Room on a sitcom (think Friends!) but the antics quickly took over. I lost interest. There is no romance - this isn't necessarily an issue, BUT if you're advertising as a romance there should be a glimmer of something before the 70% mark (and even at that point is pushing it...) I've read this author before which is what originally sparked my interest in this ARC. After reading and enjoying Meet Me in the Margins and seeing how the author could entertain while the romance was built so organically and innocently, I was excited to see what she could do with this really fun premise and set... but it lacked greatly for me.

I also do not recommend the audio. Even with the audio to help me get through this book, it took me an entire month to finish. If this weren't for a NetGalley review, I would have DNF'd.

How to Plot a Payback released April 2nd, 2024.

Melissa Ferguson returns with an irresistible rom-com that will have you laughing out loud!

2024 is the year of romantic comedies, and How to Plot a Payback is a standout addition to the genre! Hilarious, addictive, and utterly charming, this novel encompasses your favorite sitcoms and rom-coms while bringing its unique flair. With flawless execution, Melissa Ferguson delivers her best work, crafting characters that are impossible not to adore!

"Whereas I’ve clung to every rotten moment, she lets trespasses slip through her fingers like sand. Whereas I’ve spent countless nights staring down at my journal, writing down my woes, she spends her nights looking up, counting the stars. I grumble, she cheers. I grimace, she smiles with eyes as bright as the sun. Somehow I have become darkness, and she is light. And of course, darkness cannot mix with the light." ~ Melissa Ferguson

I don’t know why, but I’ve always read Melissa Ferguson’s characters with a British accent, so discovering that the protagonists in How to Plot a Payback were British was an exciting surprise. Finn and Lavender shine as the show's stars, their character arcs expertly penned to the point where they practically leaped off the page. Every story has two sides, so the dual POV provided more hilarity as their lives collided.

How to Plot a Payback? More like How to Plot the Worst Revenge, haha! Finn’s antics to "get back" at Lavender were both comical and endearing. As the saying goes, “He who seeks revenge better dig two graves.” Poor Finn could not catch a break. I could feel his frustration and conflicting emotions seep between the lines as he wrestled with the transgressions made against him and his growing admiration for his lifelong nemesis. Nevertheless, through his plotting and Lavender’s kindness, readers will learn that sometimes the worst things that happen to us actually move us in a better direction. It may seem like your life is over at the time, but overall, our “worst” moments can become blessings in disguise.

"If there’s one thing I’ve learned of late, it’s that dreams can shift, can change. They grow and evolve into new and different dreams—sometimes fashioned by outside forces, sometimes by change of heart. I’ve learned, from you actually, how my dreams could change due to external forces. And it’s not a bad thing. But this time, it’s a mix. Because you are my bigger dream now. I don’t care what I’m writing, so long as I get to share my days with you.” ~ Melissa Ferguson

Finn was a brilliant leading man, but Lavender stole the spotlight with her unexpected complexity and heart. From the minute I met her with ten dogs wrapped around her legs, I knew I couldn't hate Lavender. She was the opposite of your typical Hollywood Starlet and, as Finn finds out, impossible not to fall in love with. The culmination of Finn and Lavender’s journey is nothing short of brilliant. And let’s not forget Bernie and Miles, the canine companions who bound into each scene with tails wagging, ready to take the attention off their owners.

If you enjoy a good laugh and a silly sitcom or rom-com, How to Plot a Payback must be at the top of your to-read list!

*Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with a pre-release copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.*

☕ Paula’s eyes are shooting at me as if to say, “Hey, sweetie, we’re nodding but you sound a bit manic.”

📚 WHAT’S TO LOVE? Oh, the laughs! I purposely read this to cope with some stress/grief and to take a little break from the marathon of clean Regency-era books I’ve been reviewing like candy.

It was the perfect distraction.

The writing is hilarious. My sarcastic brain felt right at home in the head of the male, screenwriter main character. Not his plotting, but his overall sarcasm. We get into the head of our main female character too, but Finn’s dry British sarcasm was the best. It was like hanging out with a great old friend.

I enjoyed the fresh storyline and the brilliant, snappy inner thoughts of both POVs.

Reading the ebook was fun. But a couple chapters in, I added the audio reading… it was a busy time and I wanted to hear the story as I got things done. I couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t stop listening and reading either.

True story:
I started the book yesterday afternoon. By the time I was ready to settle into bed last night, I was invested. I didn’t want to stop reading. So I quietly dimmed the light on my e-reader and popped an airpod in my ear beside my sleeping hubs. When I say I had to cover my mouth several times to not wake the bear with my uncontrollable laughter, it’s an understatement.
I stayed up way too late!

Best of all, the entire novel is free from foul language and the romance is squeaky clean - thank you! 💕

This book contains no Christian elements. The word “God” was used once, capitalized reverently, but wasn’t used religiously. There was such a hopeful vibe throughout though that I had an inkling that the author must be a Christian. For instance, there is a mention of two people moving in together “after” they got married. The way it was worded, I felt those details were purposeful and it made me smile.

📚CAUSE FOR PAUSE? I gathered from the start the plot was going to be a bit all over the place. Near the middle of the plot, following the female lead felt like I was trying to keep up with a pinball machine ball [haha]. Lavender Rhodes is reading lines as an actress one minute, wrangling stray dogs another, interacting with a male actor yet another, etc, etc. But it settled down after a bit.

📚 CONSIDER READING IF… you want a light-hearted, wholesome contemporary romantic comedy quick read - full of goodness, hope, and laughter. 😀

🌟🌟🌟🌟 This novel was newly released on April 2, 2024.

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

How to Plot a Payback is such a great read. It was an amazing read with all the tv and murder references.

Thank you to NetGalley for this read.

Cute rom-com book. Finn and Lavender knew each other back in school, but they have taken different paths in life. Now those paths are crossing, and Finn must decide if his resentment toward Lavender of wrongs done should merit him paying her back.

Very clean, sweet romance with funny moments, especially if you love dogs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel #sponsored

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

While I really appreciated the set up for this book and found some of the side characters interesting, I had a hard time with plot and pacing of this book. I felt like the plot was a little unrealistic without being interesting enough to make up for it. I also really didn’t love the main characters!

Melissa Ferguson is so good at writing slow burn, enemies to lovers rom coms 💗 Loved Finn & Lavender and the dynamics between them. Sweet ending ❤️

Thank you Thomas Nelson & NetGalley for my advanced copy & thank you LibroFM for the audiobook 🙌🏻

Another great book from Melissa Ferguson! Every time I finish one of her books, I find myself anxiously awaiting the next one!

This book was so freaking cute I can’t stand it! I couldn’t read this fast enough. I devoured it in a few sittings!

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

A grumpy/sunshine, enemies to more rom com about a screenwriter with a vendetta against the lead actress in the show he's now writing for. The actress has no idea of how personally he's taken all the things she's done to "wrong" him. Plus, lots of dogs, an incident with chickens, and some romance too.

The hatred that Finn (thinks he) has for Lavender is pretty hilarious. He keeps a list of all the ways she's wronged him since secondary school, and tries pretty hard to get revenge, but it all ends up backfiring. Then he ends up feeling guilty, which was pretty sweet, because if he REALLY hated her, he wouldn't have cared that his chicken revenge plot sent her into a panic attack!

There were plenty of LOL moments, in typical Melissa Ferguson fashion. My only wish is that there was more time for romance and their relationship towards the end! Her books are getting better and better with each release!

An enjoyable enemies-to-lovers rom-com that follows Finn (a successful TV writer) and Lavender (female lead on a long-running sit-com). They have a past, although Finn's memories of their fraught shared past look quite different from Lavender's, who barely remembers Finn and certainly isn't aware of the larger-than-life role she's taken in some of the worst events in Finn's life. Finn finds himself in Lavender's immediate orbit, and takes the opportunity to try to pay back some of Lavender's misdeeds by making things intentionally difficult for her. But what happens when you realize that the villain in your origin story is actually the love of your life? This was a charming read with nuanced writing and little absurdist touches that make you want to slow down and enjoy the written words. It was a closed-door romance; normally I like a bit more steam but this book is so lovely you don't miss the lack of on-page hubba-hubba action. I loved Finn and Lavender, both as individual characters and together. Great supporting characters, even (especially!) the dogs. I've read this author before and really enjoyed her, and I definitely liked her newest book. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest and objective review.

Dnf at 56%

I had a hard time getting in to this book. It made me go into a reading slump. I just didn't care about any of the characters and the story was too boring. I'm sorry, but it's me not the book... It wasn't a book and a story for me. I think others would enjoy this one much more....

I enjoyed this romantic comedy; typically a comedy of errors is always a crowd pleaser and these two main characters certainly were in one scrape after another but it was all in good fun and never got too annoying.

How To Plot A Payback is the story of Finn, who lands his dream job as a writer on TVs top show - however, this means he has to work closely with his nemesis Lavender, who he holds responsible for all the mishaps he’s had along the way.

A quick, lighthearted read that was funny beginning to end! Finn is a goofy grump and Lavender is completely kind, sunny and a little too clueless/carefree but I found them both to be quite endearing as they fell for each other - they made a great match! I loved all the side characters and subplots and I feel that both of those additions really helped the storyline thrive!

** thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and chance to read and review, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own**

She’s the star of America’s favorite sitcom. He’s just been hired as a producer/writer of the show- The only problem is, he can’t stand her. For as long as he can remember, Finn Masters has blamed all his lives problems on the famous actress, Lavender Rhodes. After being hired onto the show, he begins to plot his payback. What will happen when these two are forced to work together on the same show.
The start of this book got me hooked but unfortunately it faded.