Melissa Ferguson never fails to delight me, and 'How to Plot a Payback' is definitely no exception. There is so much depth in the study of human nature in the worthless practice of holding grudges and in the joy of forgiving all wrapped up in perfect humor. I would give this book more stars if I could!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was my first book by Ms. Ferguson, I've been wanting to try her books for awhile now though. This was a good one to start off with. I thought the behind-the-scenes of the TV series was a lot of fun! I actually wish Neighbors was a real show! Fun read

What a fun (almost chaotic!) journey the author creates for Finn-a television screen writer who holds a grudge, and Lavender- his famous co-worker actress and nemesis. I enjoyed that the we were introduced first to the main male character and the transgressions done by his nemesis. This comedy of errors was a super sweet read. Definitely pick this as your next read if you like a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, closed door rom-com with an actor/screenwriter, dog-loving twist!
The divided cover design is quite clever, and the bright colors with bold typeface truly hints to the fun story within.

I absolutely loved this book. It was well written and I highly enjoyed the Grumpy X Sunshine and slow burn tropes.

Finn is a well known writer for a successful TV show in LA. He gets his chance to land his dream job not knowing that his "enemy" is the lead of the new show- Lavender Rhodes. Not knowing what to do initially- Finn decides that this is opportunity that he has been waiting for to have his payback.

Why I chose this book: The description and title caught my attention. I hadn’t read Melissa Ferguson before and the humor caught my attention.

Type of Book: Sweet romantic comedy; Stand-alone novel; contemporary inspirational fiction

Favorite Quotes/Characters: I have nearly a dozen highlights in my book of quotes I loved. One in particular spoke to me, just because it’s what authors go through all the time. As an editor, I get to be a part of it as well: “It is both grueling and adrenaline-pumping to watch your work be torn apart and analyzed to pieces, then remade into something so much better. Exhausting but exhilarating.” YES!
Both main characters are my favorite here. And the supporting cast is pure perfection. Every scene, every character, every line moves the story forward.

Overall: I have a new favorite author. Melissa Ferguson, your writing has captivated my heart. Every heart needs a good laugh and this book is a great source for that. Previously, my go-to author for a light-hearted read that can make me laugh is the great Jen Turano. It’s nice to have another author on that list!
Oh, ok—the book. Yes, the story is fantastic. We have a great plot. Dynamic characters that you get the privilege of walking beside in their journey. The Dialogue is stellar. Wonderful hooks and chapter closings. The story is in first person, with two POVs.
And y’all—you know how I love tension and this book has it! (I really don’t think I give books five stars unless there is great tension.)
If I was going on vacation and wanted some light and fun reads while I sat on the beach or cozied up in the mountains I think I would take the Melissa’s along; Melissa Ferguson & Melissa Tagg.

Bookshelf worthy? YES. Buy it now. You’ll want to reread it or share it with friends.

Teenability: Absolutely teen friendly.

Five Stars


**I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. If I don't love it, you'll know. If I do love it, you'll know.**

Finn Masters is a screen writer. Lavender Rhodes a TV star. Who Finn loathes because hate isn't a strong enough word. She is caring and sweet, he only cares about himself. What will happen when these two are forced to work together on the same show?
The start of this book got me hooked and I was sure this would be a 4 or 5 star, but unfortunately it faded. Finn was my favorite character but he turned meh after reading a few chapters. Lavender was cute but felt overdone. These two were the complete opposite of each other and didn't feel believable as a romantic couple.
Idk, it was a promising at the beginning but I grew bored of it, so I skimmed most of this book until the end.
If you like enemies/co-workers-to-lovers, actor/screenwriter plot, grumpy x sunshine, rom-com, or need an easy read romance novel then this one's for you. Hopefully it'll be someone else's next favorite read, it unfortunately wasn't mine.
Happy reading!♥️

A fun, adorable little rom-com.

Lavender Rhodes has been sabotaging Finn Masters since they were teens, albeit unintentionally most of the time. When Finn, now a screenwriter, is hired to write for the show Lavender stars in, he uses the opportunity to plot his payback.

What I liked:
- I’ve got a soft spot for rom-coms set in the world of t.v. production and writer’s rooms, so this was right up my alley.
- This was a great twist on enemies-to-lovers. This trope, when applied to rom-coms, often lacks teeth. But no, Finn *really* does hate Lavender for a while there (even though she’s absolutely clueless that he can’t stand her).
- A perfectly paced slow-burn. I never felt bored or impatient.
- I really grew to like both MCs as the book progressed, each surprising me as they opened up to one another.

What I didn’t quite work:
- The humor was a bit too broad in a couple of spots.
- The sitcom they are working on gives major Chuck Lorre vibes. Gag.

Slowburn, Closed Door, Grumpy Sunshine, Enemies-to-Lovers (with a twist).

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I’ve been introduced to a new author, and can’t wait to read more of her work.

I loved this sweet romcom. There were several moments in the book when I aughed out loud. If you are needing a feel-good romcom that makes you laugh, read this book!


Favorite Quote:

"Isn't it nice to live in a world where so many can specialize in their gifts, and we can enjoy the fruits of each other's labors?"

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

How to Plot a Payback is an enemies to lovers, second chance romance book. It is a slow slow slow slow burn with a HEA. It follows Finn Masters as he seeks revenge on an old high school rival, Lavender, who has ruined every opportunity that has come into his life time and time again, and has become a mega famous actress.

I found this book very cute and the main characters likable for the most part. The tv show in the book was very obviously based on FRIENDS, down to the main actors negotiating their salaries together. Lavender was truly America’s sweetheart (even though she’s British). This entire book, I kept asking myself why is Finn so bent out of shape over this girl who is so kind and down to earth and really didn’t do anything wrong to him? All of his grievances towards her seemed to be just miscommunications. He was likable enough by the end when he had a change of heart towards her. The ending also seemed very abrupt and all his grievances were suddenly resolved. Overall it was a cute book.

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

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I read all the other books by this author and loved them. The description of this book is interesting and the characters seem to be lovely. There are my favourite tropes here, like enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine. We even get dogs! All of those amazing elements and yet I don’t love this book. It’s not awful, far from it, just doesn’t have the charm and lightness I got used to with other works of Melissa Ferguson.
Both Finn and Lavender are great “on paper”: he is a very talented writer/producer who harbours a bit of an unhealthy loathing towards a very famous actress for all the wrongdoings she committed against him in the past; she is an actress, with the most sunny of all sunshine personalities who has no idea who he is and why would he hate her. They are both made to work together on the sitcom and the proximity to one another gives Finn a rare opportunity for a bit of a payback on Lavie. The ideas he’s getting backfire in a big way and he learns that maybe, just maybe, Lavender is not a despicable human being who is set on ruining his life, but a lovely person, full of joy and kindness. It should work. It should make you fall in love with them and root for their relationship. And yet the pettiness of Finn and his grouchy personality just don’t make him likeable in my eyes. nd yet the rose tinted view on life of Lavender and her carefree approach exhaust me as a reader. I can’t relate to them, even though they get their backstories and characters growth sorted.
What does work in this book is the dialogues, the side characters, the storyline itself, the writing style of Ferguson. Finn’s misfortunes are quite funny. Miles and Bernie are the cutest dogs ever. The elderly community Finn lives in is amazing.
Is the book worth reading despite of the main characters? I’d say yes. It’s a charming and funny romcom. My overall experience with it I’d rate 3/5.

Lovely romantic comedy. Easy to follow and loved the dual points of view it is written from.

This is the first Melissa Ferguson book I've read but I loved how easy and fun it was so ill definitely be looking for more

I did not enjoy this. I found the writing stilted and the characters to be unlikeable. I would not recommend.

This book was so fun!!! I adore Melissa Ferguson and have enjoyed her other books. This one was just as wonderful!

Through a series of bad events that are all attributed to his nemesis, Lavender, Finn has tried to avoid her at all costs. Whenever she’s around his life is tipped on end. Then he gets a dream job as a writing executive on a hit sitcom. Unfortunately the star is none other than Lavender.

Try as he might, his life is thrown into chaos from his first day on the job! After an especially irritating happening he decides to plot revenge on Lavender, just to make her suffer as he has.

I loved everything about this story.
Finn’s Grumpy to her Sunshine
The backfires
The Senior neighbors
Of course the puppy’s shenanigans

If you’ve never read anything by this author I certainly recommend you give her a try. If you have, what are you waiting for? Get this book!

Finn Masters believes Lavender Rhodes has plagued him for much of his life. She has managed to ruin all the most important events for him. The worst part? She has no idea. A missed chance with an agent, a close casting call that didn't go his way, a breakup with a serious girlfriend... all of it was affected by Lavender's actions. So when Finn accepts a lucrative job with a highly-rated television show, he's thrilled but in disbelief. One of the main stars is Lavender Rhodes. Can he get past his dislike for her to be successful at this job? Even better, can he use this opportunity as a chance for payback?

I really enjoyed the dual perspective format of this novel - it was just so funny to see the stark difference between Finn's and Lavender's perceptions of what was happening. The setting affords a cool glimpse inside the world of TV, which is also fun. I loved the author's previous book, Famous For A Living, and this one did not disappoint. It's a fun rom-com which takes the enemies-to-lovers trope to new heights!

OMG, guys, listen up! So, imagine this, there's this super cool sitcom, and the main dude gets hired as a writer, but guess what? He totally can't stand the star of the show! Like, he's got his reasons and stuff. Drama alert!

But then, get this, it's like a romcom dream come true! This book called "How to Plot a Payback" swoops in and changes the game. It's like a breath of fresh air in the romcom world, seriously. It's all about behind-the-scenes drama of writing a sitcom and brings back all those rad '90s vibes (I'm talking Friends vibes, y'all! RIP to the good old days 😢).

And let me tell you, it's hilarious! Like, I was laughing my socks off at how these two were total frenemies at the start. But it's all good vibes, you know? No heavy stuff to weigh you down, just pure fun.

Oh, and get this, there's no content warnings! So, like, you can totally recommend it to everyone. No awkward moments or anything. It's just good, clean fun.

Seriously, I was living for every minute of this romantic comedy. The setting was awesome, the main couple were goals, and even the side characters (especially the furry ones) were epic. Like, I need a sequel ASAP! Give me more of this goodness, please! 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I had never read anything by this author, but I had seem in some other review that she had a weird writing style. I didn't enjoy the style of her writing very much, so that made it very hard for me to get into the story. I also didn't really connect with either of the main characters. This book just wasn't really for me.

I genuinely loved both of the main characters. Finn’s sweet, kind and almost nurturing nature shining through in between his need for payback and Lavender’s sunshine personality, who is at her core an incredibly kind and good person, whom you can’t help but fall in love with. They were both relatable in their own way and the ending was everything I could have asked for.

Melissa Ferguson and enemies to lovers troupe…two of my favorite things!!

I truly enjoyed this story and its characters. It was entertaining, relatable and just all around enjoyable. I also appreciate Ferguson’s ability to write clean, wholesome books that still entertain and are fun to read.

I definitely recommend How To Plot A Payback…and all of Ferguson’s other books too!

Starlet, Lavender Rhodes appears to be the bane of Finn Masters' existence. And he's just accepted a job writing for the series that launched her to stardom. While Finn keeps (and adds to) a list of transgressions she's imposed against him since they were teens in England, she is completely oblivious. A very sweet story that's perfect for a rainy, relaxing weekend snuggled up on the couch - or even by the pool in the warm sun.

Absolutely adorable! Melissa Ferguson's romcoms always prioritize comedy over romance, and this book is no exception. Filled with chuckles, giggles, and a cast of lovable characters, it's a delightful romp that grabbed my attention from the unique premise. The grump/sunshine dynamic, one-sided enemies-to-lovers trope, and slow burn all come together in a cute package.

Natalie, with 2,769 reviews and 84 followers, shared her thoughts on January 7, 2024. Giving it 2.5 stars but rounding down, she seems a bit undecided.

In her ARC review of "How to Plot a Payback," she praises the book for its hilarious moments, belly laughs, and valuable insights into perspectives and personal growth. The enemies-to-lovers trope shines as Finn attempts revenge against Lavender, a pure sunshine character with not a mean bone in her body.

However, Natalie has two reservations. Firstly, she notes a lack of a strong romantic element, feeling more like falling into shenanigans than love. Secondly, she wished for more drama and angst, especially regarding Finn's revenge attempts. Lavender's mature handling of the situation disappointed Natalie, who was hoping for some juicy drama and emotional turmoil.

Despite these reservations, Natalie enjoyed the book, appreciating the laughs, dual POVs, and the overall enjoyable experience.