The one sided rivalry from Finn, filled with many petty attempts at payback towards Lavender Rose was hilarious. Really enjoyed how Lavender Rose was oblivious towards his payback attempts and always worked in her favor. It was an entertaining read, loved the plot from beginning to end.

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson for the ARC!

This is my 3rd book by Melissa Ferguson now and I've really come to look forward to whatever she puts out each year! When I saw this cover, I knew I had to have it! And the synopsis? Adorable!

I really enjoyed this one overall, especially on audio- the narrators were fabulous. The male narrator was possibly one of the best I've ever heard and I listen to over 100 audiobooks per year!

The plot itself was cute and had relatively low angst, so perfect for a palette cleanser read!

While the story flowed well and was very readable, I personally would have enjoyed a little more romance and for the characters to fall a little sooner. There was not much love interest for the first half at least of the book and then when it finally happened at the end, it seemed a tad rushed for me. Since I enjoyed both characters so much, I wish I could have SEEN them fall in love for a longer period of time!

Overall, still an enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what Melissa does next!

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

"Lavender Rhodes takes my well-laid plans and throws them out the window, no matter what, I can't ever seem to take control of the situation around her. I plan to destroy her, but backtrack to the point of apology. I plan to stay as far away from her as possible, but end up beside her. I plan to hate her, but somehow fall in love with her."

She’s the star of America’s favorite sitcom. He’s just been hired as a producer of the show- The only problem is, he can’t stand her. For as long as he can remember, Finn has blamed all his lives problems on the famous actress, Lavender Rhodes. After being hired onto the show, he begins to plot his payback. But what happens as Finn gets to know Lavender , and finds out maybe she isn't at all like he thought she was?

This was a laugh-out-loud funny & wholesome love story. It was packed with witty humor, drama, slow-burn romance, and an overall feel good story. In-spite of Finn's petty revenge, I found both characters to be so loveable & was very invested in their love story. Even during Finn's childish payback, the romance was there & once he got over it, it was even better. I love a couple who just makes sense together. I was smiling SOOOOOO big during their first kiss, like full on gushing.

Thank you, Paula, for being the voice of reason for these two crazy kids.

"I'm terrible at paybacks, and more importantly, she is not at all the person I suspected for so long. Even more important, I've learned I'm not the person I thought I was either. I'm worse."

Melissa Ferguson does it again! How to Plot a Payback is a witty, funny, adorable book of sunshine that I simply could not put down.

Our girl Lavender Rhodes is a lovable and charming sitcom actress who reminded me how important it is to let transgressions roll off your back and focus on the good because you’ll always be happier for it.

Ferguson’s style of writing is what rom-com dreams are made of. The pacing is exciting yet easy, the dialogue is always spot-on and purposeful, and our characters’ inner musings make me see the world in all its best, brightest, most colorful ways.

Like Lavender says early on, audiences love an escape and sitcoms are an opportunity to see the world through a “slightly rosier lens.” You can always count on Ferguson’s work to bring you just that.

Congratulations to Melissa Ferguson and her team on another excellent, feel good read! Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC!

A fun romcom full of nemeses, hijinks, & cute pups. Finn is a screenwriter and gets the perfect gig on a popular show. The only thing not perfect—the show’s star, Lavender, ruined his life as a kid and he’s held a grudge ever since. Forced to work in close proximity, Finn starts plotting out ways to get payback, and each backfires more than the last, but perhaps the worst result is realizing she’s not so bad, after all.
This novel is definitely more comedy than romance which made it a fun read, but I wasn’t a big fan of either main character and had trouble connecting to them as a reader.
Narration by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West helped bring Finn and Lavender to life and they did a great job.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson fiction and. Zondervan audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. There seemed to be no real chemistry between Finn and Lavender. The grudge that Finn was holding just seemed ridiculous. I did find it a bit slow in parts, and it took a long time to get to the romance between Finn and Lavender.

"How to Plot a Payback" by Melissa Ferguson is a clean rom com. I really enjoyed this story between screen writer Finn Masters and actress Lavendar Rhodes. The two have known each other most of their lives, being from the same hometown and even school in the UK. Finn blames Lavendar for every bad thing that's happened to him in his life and the list of grievances is very long. They both end up in Hollywood and when Finn is offered a dream job working for the show "Neighbors" that Lavendar stars on, sparks fly!

This is a very fun story that includes cute dogs, quirky neighbors and the best of friends. It's everything that you'd expect in a rom com book and more. The story doesn't have any mystery and is an easy to read book. The two main characters experience a lot of character growth as well.

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

This was a fun, slightly over the top Hollywood enemies to lovers romance between an actress bored with her role on a popular sitcom and the new show writer with an axe to grind and a long list of grievances against her. The banter was top notch and while I wasn't a huge fan of the narrators, the overall story was quite entertaining. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I finished How to Plot a Payback a week ago and I’m still thinking about it! What that tells me is Melissa Ferguson created memorable characters and scenes with lots of charm and spark. The characters’ intersecting backstory was interesting and I loved how the characters had different outlooks of their past. I enjoyed the revenge vibes and how everything backfired for Finn. Lavender reminded me of Taylor Swift even though she is a star actress in a high flying sitcom. This story was fun and funny, there was really so much to love. I just wish I could go back and spend more time with the characters!!

How to Plot a Payback is our April 2nd!! Thank you Thomas Nelson and netgalley for my e-arc!

Wow. Has Melissa Ferguson worked on a stick set before?
How she managed to write something as fresh as this, floors me. The story line was new to me, more of AN enemy to lover instead of enemies to lovers.
Laughing out loud was frequent, Finn is a high strung (grumpy to her) dude and Lavender is pure sunshine.
There wasn’t much “God” in this book, so take that as you’d like. It had a good storyline and didn’t go against anything Biblical. It was a completely, “clean” book. There was an occasional Biblical story reference but if you’re looking for more something deeper than that, this isn’t your book. The ending is wholesome and heart warming.
Enjoyable from the beginning, middle and end. Wonderful story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, opinions expressed are my own.

How to Plot a Payback is a book that is almost too hard for me to rate. On one hand, I enjoyed the character of Finn, his community of elderly people and his plans for payback aka revenge. Lavender is the type of girl I would avoid; not because she does anything particularly wrong, she is written as an aloof airhead, but because she's too in the clouds. Where I struggled was in figuring out the how and why of Finn and Lavender together. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope in romance, but this is a one-sided enemies to lovers and the time and effort Finn had to expend to even know how to properly "payback" Lavender seemed almost out of character for him. Knowing random interview tidbits despite being a self-proclaimed workaholic who is a slave to the writers room. Not knowing how Hollywood tabloids worked even though he's been in the industry for over a decade. They were convenient to the story but didn't make a lot of sense.

There were parts of the book I liked, but there were parts where I scratched my head and wanted it to be over.

I appreciate the ARC to review.

Book 18 of 2024-#Howtoplotapayback by
#MelissaFerguson
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy.
Finn Masters has always seen Lavendar Rhodes as his personal nemesis. He has blamed her for lost opportunities, and feels she has thrived on his losses, making his failures her successes.
He is hired to be a writer on her wildly successful tv show and he can no longer ignore her. He plots his payback. He starts to realize that she is not what he thought she was.
I loved the story, Finn’s attempt to get redemption and what ensues.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I've read one or two of this author's work, and I've enjoyed her romcoms. I think when reading a book you aren't able to connect with, or find anything relatable to, there isn't much that will pull you in or hold your attention. Not only is it a slow burn romance, but I found the storyline slow to start, as well. It wasn't until 100 pages or so the story began to roll. Lavender Rhodes is the sunshining face of a hit sitcom. Finn Masters is now the screenwriter of said hit sitcom. He's also a bit grumpy and is holding a grudge towards Lavender. Finn plans to sabotage Lavender's character's role, but continuously fails. This story had potential, but it just didn't do it for me. The story continues on, but it wasn't enough to really grasp my attention.
I went into this book hoping and wanting so badly to enjoy it, but it didn't happen.

3 stars!

This was a grumpy/sunshine, one-sided enemies to lovers — meaning she is his enemy, and she has no idea. I think the big problem I had here was that Finn's reasons for disliking Lavender were SO convincing, that I couldn't forgive her myself. Lavender does absolutely nothing, she is so underwhelming, and people fall at her feet. For what? I just can't believe that Finn would completely change his mind about her when she really, really doesn't give him any reason to. Some of the early chapters made Lavender seem so ditsy too, where I was like "Okay, she is actually that unaware and just floats through life." It didn't make her likable.

There's no 3rd act breakup, or really any conflict at all outside Finn getting "over" his dislike for Lavender. Which again, she doesn't do anything spectacular to make him change his mind. We do have to wait until the 3rd act for them to get together, though.

Overall, there could have been a little less enemy and a little more lover.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review!

A WRITER & HIS NEMESIS
Melissa Ferguson always writes clever Rom-Coms. They involve masterfully crafted stories and excellent characters. What I like about How to Plot a Payback is how she follows the same successful pattern and gives readers, in my opinion, another fantastic read! Finn Masters has finally obtained the job of his dreams, writing for one of Hollywood’s highest-rated sitcoms. The bad news is his lifelong nemesis, Lavender Rhodes, is the main star! Ferguson concocts many hilarious situations for the two of them to get caught in, and several involve their dogs. His is a perfectly behaved dog, and hers is a rescue that has not had anyone spend time with it to teach it how to act. Lavender gets on Finn’s last nerve, but there is a fine line between love and hate, and Finn may not realize that it is sneaking up on him. He, too, may be falling for Lavender Rhodes like the rest of her fans.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own and without influence.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I rally wanted to like this book more than I did. Finn is a write on a TV show. When he is hired to write for a top rated show, he is happy, until he finds out the lead character, Lavender, is someone who has made his life miserable since school. So what does he decide to do? Figure out how he can payback all of his misfortune for Lavender. Most of the time I was like, meh, that's it? I was probably more interested in their dogs and things they did with them.

I just couldn't get into the story. 3/5 stars

This story is hilarious. I loved the concept of Finn seeking revenge on Lavender, who doesn't even know that she's done anything at all to offend him. Her obliviousness and awkwardness are so funny, as is Finn's thought life. Seeing inside his head really highlights his dry, sarcastic sense of humor.

I also really liked that the story took place on a Hollywood TV set. I haven't read many books with that setting and I'm fascinated with how TV shows (especially sitcoms) are produced, so that was a win for me. There is a full cast of side characters who support and challenge the two main characters, and I liked watching Finn and Lavender slowly shifting from enemies (though Lavender didn't know it!) to more.

How to Plot a Payback is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, clean rom-com.

Finn is just given the opportunity of his life. He is going to work in the successful sitcom Neighbors. But his goal isn’t fame but crush the star of the show, they way she has effectively crushed his life since he was seventeen. But the more Finn gets to know Lavender, the more he realise that perhaps he was wrong and meeting her again can be the best thing that happened to him. Sweet and funny.

I really loved this one. If you are a grumpy x sunshine fan, this one is for you (especially when the grump turns out to be kind of a cinnamon roll, but in a grumpy way).

Finn really wants revenge against his arch-enemy, Lavender, but his execution is not so strong (probably because he's just genuinely a good person). Following along on their journey from "enemies" (can you be enemies if it's one sided?) to lovers was a fun ride. It was a little kooky at times but I was never bored, and always entertained by the story I read. Definitely pick this one up for a fun read!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am stunned by how much I LOVED this book

The story felt unique to me, the writing captured my attention from page one, the characters were loveable with a well rounded personality and the pets - THE PETS!! - I loved every second with the doggos, cats and chicks; they created such a fun, cute and lighthearted atmosphere. This book quickly became one of my favourite adult romcoms!

✨grumpy x sunshine dynamic (but he is not always grumpy)
✨workplace romance
✨celebrity FMC
✨fun, cute and witty humour that will make you laugh out loud
✨dual POV
✨childhood friends (?) to lovers - or more like they went to the same school when they were kids and they knew each other there
✨more focus on the comedy, character development and plot than the romance - no spice at all
✨a very one sided nemesis to lovers (our adorable sunshine Lavender has no clue she has a nemesis but Finn has been boiling for quite some time)

If you ever want to pick up a lighthearted, easy to read, gripping romcom that feels like sunshine after a week of gloom then this is a book for you! ☀️

Thank you so much NetGallery and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with this ARC!