This is a very well-written rom-com (and I really did appreciate the comedy).
I loved the premise, but that would have been nothing without a strong execution and this book didn’t disappoint.
Personally, I LOVED reading from Finn’s point of view - I felt his frustration and loved his internal monologue (especially when things turned to murder writing).
I took me a bit longer to warm up to Lavender, but I felt by the 60% of this book that I loved both these characters and that there was more under the surface when it came to her character.
I loved reading about the production aspects of making a show and I loved seeing Finn’s “revenge” attempts.

Overall, I found this book highly entertaining and funny in so many places. The characters felt real - with real wants and real fault, but this only made them more relatable and endearing. I would highly recommend.

I couldn't put this one down. Finn Masters loathes Lavender (Mary) Rhodes for all the pain she has caused him. Everything that has gone wrong is his life has been her fault. Then he gets a new dream job but has to work with the famous Lavender Rhodes. Lavender has no idea who he is at first and has no idea why Finn seems to not like her.

I love the enemy to lovers twist in this book. There were so many funny parts in this book and it just kept me wanting more. I highly recommend this cute romcom. It is a closed door romance but still had that spice I love.

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

i just want to start with a thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction for letting me read and review this book.
it was a good idea and it would've been good, if Finn didn't have such a silly reason for plotting a payback again Lavender.
Lavender was a sweet person, and Finn's neighbors were funny too. i just wish Finn was more forgiving and didn't hold such a grudge against Lavender from over a decade ago. but i'm glad he eventually realized that he was wrong for thinking that way and he didn't have to get revenge.
the dogs were great too, it was funny to read about their shenanigans throughout the story. especially bernie because he was so cute and crazy.
i always go into melissa ferguson's books not expecting much romance, until the very end, and this one was no different. it was a nice change from most romance books and i did like how Finn ended up caring for Lavender in a very thoughtful way. overall, it was a good read and i'm glad i had the opportunity to read it.

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

This is one of those books where I'm not sure what the plot was supposed to be, the beginning of the books didn't fit with the storyline at all and a romcom with no romance save for a stage/fake kiss at 81%, and let's consider a relationship at 95%? We didn't get to connect with the characters or root for the supposed romance that has brewing between Finn and Lavender.

Came for what sounded like a fun book, stayed for the dogs. Literally Bernie and miles were the best part. Could have been a fun book but not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Melissa Ferguson has nailed not-so-spicy romantic comedy. I loved it! Finn and Lavender's enemies-to-lovers romance happens organically. The setting is fun. The themes of choice and work-life balance are spot on. Well-done. Thanks to NetGally for the eARC.

This book provides a fun romp that reads like the rom-com films of the early 2000s, quirky meet cute and all. While I enjoyed the romance, the male lead's story caught my attention most. This is a one-sided enemies-to-lovers, as most of the book shows Finn trying to avoid and then trying to get revenge on Lavender for everything going wrong in his life before the inevitable realization of love. I breezed through the book in a couple of sittings, and while it doesn't rank as my favorite Melissa Ferguson novel (that honor goes to Meet Me in the Margins), it provides a space to escape where nothing is too serious and happy endings abound.

I did knock a half-star because it took a little too long for the ML to take account of his life and for the romance to start, which is why I position this as his story more than anything. I loved the second half of the book but this paired with the multiple dog-related incidents that Lavender gets into, the set-up took a bit too long. Still, the book is enjoyable and provides a nice, cheerful break when life gets hectic.

I have enjoyed other titles by this author but she is also hit or miss for me. Unfortunately this one was a miss. After multiple attempts I just couldn't get into it. I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters as much as I tried. I ended up DNFing at 22%. Thank you NetGalley, and Thomas Nelson, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

I discovered Melissa Ferguson a few years ago and try to read each of her books. I have enjoyed them. This one started out a bit slow for me, but, once I got into the story I couldn't wait to put my kids to bed and pick it up and read each night. Finn Masters seems a bit ridiculous thinking that someone else could be the cause of all his missed opportunities, but, after reading the story a bit you wonder if he's right? It is funny what things go wrong, what things go right, and what he learns about sabotage. There is a scene in his condo community watching the show "Neighbors" outside with his neighbors that I could read over and over. I love the love story. I would definitely read this book again and buy my own copy. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Have you ever wasted a good majority of your life despising someone only to come to the realization that you never REALLY knew them at all? You had just assumed…all too much. It happens to the best of us and in the world of Hollywood, we can so easily be blinded by personas that aren’t at all authentic.

Finn Masters is a 30-year-old Brit working in Los Angeles as a screenwriter. His DREAM job is offered to him – to work on Neighbors, one of Hollywood’s longest running and highly successful sitcoms. Problem being…Lavendar Rhodes. Lavendar is the lead actress. Someone who has left a bad taste in Finn’s mouth ever since their school days together back in England. Finn blames Lavendar for destroying his acting career. A grudge he holds so deep that he feels he now has the power to deliver a deserving payback as the writer of the show she stars in.
Finn works his best magic to get under Lavendar’s skin, but plans seem to backfire and instead, he winds up discovering a side of her he never knew existed. A very unlikely Hollywood star side of Lavendar exists which longs for some normalcy in life. The realization begins to come to light, that he and Lavendar have far more in common that he ever could have dreamed and their constant struggle with Hollywood success and balancing a normal life is a goal that perhaps they can help each other to obtain. I think authentic friendships and love are harder to navigate in a world like theirs.

This entire book was like a deep dive into the inner workings of television production. Such a unique RomCom setting that was a lot of fun to read – especially for this born and raised So-Cal girl. The inner workings of Hollywood have always intrigued me. CA bred or not, I think you’re going to really love this book!

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

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I feel very middle of the road with this book. Parts of it were cute for sure! I liked the storyline of a TV writer and actress romance. This was a dual pov, and the way the characters were talked about from each other's point of view made them seem so opposite of how they were originally portrayed. And maybe that's the point of it..? Idk. I also wasn't a big fan of Finn. He seems very childish. The ending of this book was very cute though so I will give it that!

3.5 out of 5 stars

This book really would be wonderful as a rom com movie or tv show. Everything is really easy to visualize.

I really enjoyed the dual point of view. Finn's definitely my favorite but Lavender really grows on you as the book goes on.

The feel of being behind the scenes of a tv show makes you feel like you want all the gossip too.

The points of views on the same event especially the first chapter are great

I did almost stop reading the book in the middle but it won out and reeled me back in. So much so that the ending I think felt rushed and needed more time to breathe.

This book was entertaining. The romance was a lot lighter in the story. But there was a ton of comedic humor that kept the plot moving along. I did find myself getting bored at certain points with Finn constantly trying to get Lavender to dislike him as well. But at the same time it was enjoyable how oblivious her character was.

This was such a fun enemies to more rom-com story. I especially loved the grumpy/sunshine character trope and how it was only "enemies" on one side of things. This fed into how ridiculous and over-the-top the comedic aspect was - which was great. The book had a very sitcomy vibe, which was perfect since the setting was working on a Hollywood sitcom after all. I enjoyed having both POVs and loved the progression of the main characters (especially Finn). I do feel like some of the scenes were slightly too drawn out, maybe there was just too much internal dialogue at times, but overall very fun vibes!

4.5 rounded up!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I once read that the problem with most TV/movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice is that they only have an hour or so to go from 'Darcy is horrible and nasty and Elizabeth is haughty and proud' to 'they are completely in love' and it's very hard to do it believably. A lot of romcoms have a similar problem. They need their characters to be apart at the beginning but together at the end. Why are they apart? Usually a misunderstanding or character clash, which is what we have here, that gets sorted out by the end.

This was a nice enough read, but it felt shallow. Finn has been holding on to this grudge for twenty years, but drops it after twenty minutes? Lavender has been living in Hollywood for ten years and still thinks people are nice underneath? Kye and Sonja - well, I don't really know anything about them, so I can't comment?

It's fun to read, but don't go looking for a deeper meaning - there isn't one here, and sometimes that's ok.

I have read this author's work before and always enjoyed it. This book was another very cute romantic comedy about a man with a nemesis who is completely unaware of this status.

Finn and Lavender have met before in school and then, years later, he becomes a writer on her hit tv show. While Finn is busy plotting revenge and calling it 'justice', Lavender's sunshiney personality worms its way into his heart and scuppers all his plans.

I really loved the way we get to see things from Finn's point of view. He is so grumpy it's hilarious. And Lavender is the perfect foil without being too sickly sweet. She's a human who has made mistakes and learned from them.

While this isn't a very deep book it's thoroughly entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a few giggles on their way to a HEA.

I received an ARC of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

I hate enemies to lovers. But THIS BOOK makes me get it! This was so good. I loved every detail of this and how it was written. I also loved the TV star/writer dynamic. Finn having his life ruined by Lavender in so many ways was so entertaining, especially after they started working together. I laughed so many times while reading. And I appreciated that they fell in love slowly. The revenge plot made the book fly by and I wasn’t even missing the romance! I think my problem with enemies to lovers is the instalove they seem to have. This was slow and sweet and funny. A true friendship was built and I was rooting for them! I love how this wasn’t a spicy book, with Finn showing his love by fighting to help Lavender accomplish her dreams. And I loved how Bernie and Miles were treated as their kids instead of the epilogue ending with them having lots of babies. The way this ended was much more consistent with the characters and I really liked it. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a quick and fun read! This was a perfect romance in my opinion.

When you’re in the mood for something cute or something that feels like a 30 min sitcom show might I suggest picking up HOW TO PLOT A PAYBACK!

Finn just landed a spot as a TV show writer for the big hit sitcom Neighbors (all the FRIENDS vibes) starring Lavender Rhodes who he’s known since childhood and has a way of ruining Finn’s life. With the opportunity at hand, Finn starts to plot his payback!

The more I sit with my thoughts on this one the more I’m finding my mind wondering to the little details I loved… Finn’s terrible no good very bad first bad day…All the dogs… Lavender’s friendships with her costars…. Mrs Teaberry and her eccentric lifestyle and how Finn fit into it… as well as the rest of the community and descriptions of Finn’s building… Lavender’s down to earth lifestyle and love for living above a bakery to smell baklava each morning… give me an alternating POV and you got me!

I am a Melissa Ferguson completist and I’m excited to see what wholesome read she creates next.

Thank you Thomas Nelson & Uplit Reads
Releases 4/2

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I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am honestly grateful for this opportunity. But I’m sorry I didn’t really like the book.
I had trouble connecting to this story. I didn’t like the writing style; it is often all over the place. For example: one chapter is about Lavender trying to get het co-worker to take a puppy, while this co-worker is doing her own make-up because she sacked her make-up artists because blah blah blah (long story), but she needs a puppy because she is following influencers who organize her entire life, which is why she threw all her books in the bin, followed by an endless list of things that this co-worker re-organized - aaarrggghhhh! I kinda lost track of the storyline here. But it goes on and on. Then on to her other co-worker Kye, whom she tries to take another one of these dogs, but then you get an summary of the different looks on his face and in which episode he showed this look; then onward to the differences in the dressing table, where she can find the lipstick, all the things that happened in this dressing room (divorces, break-ups, everything is mentioned), and back to a list of every item in the room. Then after many years Finn finally got his ultimate dream job, he decided to be more than half an hour late on his first day at the job in order to help a PA handling ten dogs find new owners?! Very unrealistic and again toooooo manyyyy details!!
I tried to trudge on but the book it looks like the author wanted to put as much detail into the story as possible, and to use as much words as possible. It was a overwhelming and slowed down the story.
Finn’s attitude was quite childish. His list of ‘transgressions against Finn Masters’ is quite frankly, ridiculous and petty. He missed or was late for some appointments and a date gone sour or didn’t get picked for a job opportunity, but to blame Lavender for that? And thus calling her a ‘dragon’, <i>knowing full well the plumes of smoke from the distant town are her doing</i> - I think he’s highly immature and overreacting. Lavender wasn’t a dragon, a nasty, horrible woman, but she seemed superficial and shallow.
I think this book had a lot of potential; the idea of a famous tv actress and a script writer was a good idea but the execution wasn’t working for me, unfortunately.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh. My. Word. This book had me laughing out loud. I also had to tell my husband all about this book, which I never do, because he usually is not interested. But, this one had me laughing so much, I had to share it with him. I loved the interaction between Finn and Lavender. Also, the way Finn discovered that he quite possibly was the villain in their story? It was utter perfection. I have never read a Melissa Ferguson book before, but now all of her previous books are on my TBR list. Read this. You will not regret it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy! I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice, lighthearted romcom that had me smiling and eager to see how their romance developed. I thought that all of the characters came across as well-developed and realistic, and although Finn and Lavender did get on my nerves occasionally, they were overall enjoyable to follow. I do wish that the playback was a bit more fleshed out, or that we got more time with Lavender and Finn as a couple (that might just be me being selfish because I loved them as a couple!), but it still was a thoroughly fun, sweet, and lovable romcom. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so grateful I got a chance to read it before it's publication! I definitely recommend it to people who traditionally enjoy romances or other quick-paced, lighthearted reads!