There is something seriously special about Melissa Ferguson and her writing! Now, I'm usually a "the spicier the better" reader, so I shouldn't love these books the way! I should also miss the spice in a clean romance, right? wrong. Melissa's writing is so vivid that you get absorbed into the tension, angst, and myriad other emotions experiences by these characters that before you know it, the book is over and you're clicking your e-reader trying to get to the next page because you aren't ready for to be done with it yet.

I love a good revenge plot that isn't "I'm going to destroy their whole life and make them wish they were never born" but instead "I'm going to mildly inconvenience them over and over again just to drive them up the wall a bit." This book was so fun and the romance was so swoon and cute, that I will definitely put this into my rotation of comfy romances to reread.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 1 star / DNF at 25% ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

i said i would never DNF a book but i'm sorry, this was just not going anywhere in my opinion. i started reading this book 3 months ago at the end of march and i honestly only read a bit of the book during the first week but then i completely gave up on it.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Melissa Ferguson for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC! How To Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson is a funny, witty romantic comedy which takes place in Hollywood. When Finn sets out one night to attend a party as his co-writers plus one he never thought he’d get the chance of a lifetime. Writing a long running sitcom is always been a dream but, as luck would have it, he also has very strong feelings about working with Lavender Rhodes. She has, from the time he can remember, caused havoc in his life. Once he begins working with her, the trend continues. However, overtime, he learns the true meaning of what it is to be part of Lavender’s inner circle. Where will life take them? Overall, a quick read which I enjoyed.

I was so excited to see Melissa Ferguson had a new book out, she is one of my go to authors! I thought this was such a cute book! I found myself not wanting to put it down once I started it. I love a good enemies to lovers romance, and this one was so well done! This book will have you laughing the whole time you read it. Theres witty banter and hilarious payback schemes. It’s a really fun, light hearted, easy read. I would highly recommend checking it out. It’d be the perfect beach read this summer!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How to Plot a Payback is Melissa Ferguson at her finest!!!

Finn Masters has held a grudge against Lavender Rhodes since the day she inadvertently caused him to break his ankle. Years later he finds himself in a position to repay her for a laundry list of transgressions he has accumulated. Will he be able to get revenge, or will Lavender win out once and for all?

This is such a fun premise!!!

If you are fans of enemies-to-lovers, Ferguson’s spin on the trope will have you hooked. She brilliantly kept things fresh by having a one sided rivalry. I couldn’t help but laugh at the grudges Finn kept and how oblivious and sweet Lavender was in return.

This is a sweet, clean romance perfect for the summer.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Melissa Ferguson for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson is a enemies to lovers rom com between two coworkers working on a sitcom together: Finn Masters, the producer/writer and Lavender Rhodes is the star. They have a past. She stole his career and he's determined to never see her or hear her name again. But that all goes out the window when Finn is offered a job on Neighbors, the sitcom staring Lavender. She doesn't even recognize him at first and is always so up/chipper/happy/perky. He loathes her because hate isn't a strong enough word.

I DNF'd this book at around 60%. The writing style wasn't a hit for me. The main characters were pretty much insufferable - but I did enjoy some of the side characters like Finn's neighbors that he takes care of. I thought that it was almost too much for him to continue to hold this grudge for multiple decades.

I have heard that the book got better in the last third, but I couldn't make it that far.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Because it's making me give a star rating, I'll give it 2 stars, but I'd rather not rate it at all.

This was such a good read! I am all for the grumpy/sunshine vibe and I will definitely read this again! This was a laugh out loud read. I love when you get a real dive into characters careers since many of them are so different from our own. I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend.

A wonderful rom-com that is sweet, funny and fast-paced. Finn has just landed a career-making dream job as a screenwriter, so everything is perfect until he finds out that his school days nemesis, Lavender Rhodes, is the star actor in the show he will be writing for. This author does a great job of getting deep into the minds and hearts of both the male and female lead characters in this book, which makes for an even better story!

Definitely not the romance book I was hoping for! While there was a little banter and flirting, this one didn’t have the steam. Finn and Lavender have this relationship that’s the opposite of a relationship, but once Finn gets to know Lavender on a deeper level, they blossom. They really learn how to work with one another and cope with one another, but not before the drama happens. Wanted to like the plot and writing style more, but I struggled just a bit getting into this one. Plot was intriguing - enemies working together against a network! Loved that aspect. Overall, a decent read!

Cute enough even though I feel the premise is a little convoluted. Nice light read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't finish this. For some reason I couldn't connect with the characters at all. The male main character just felt broken, mean, and spiteful in a way that I couldn't understand.

This is quite possibly the perfect summer read. Finn and Lavender have history that only Finn recalls and his recollections are what make this novel hilarious. Lavender's blissful unawareness just adds to the hilarity.

Finn is holding a huge grudge against all things Lavender. But Lavender doesn't have a clue and is determined to win him over. The problem for Finn is that the real life Lavender is hard to resist.

I absolutely adored this story and I'm hoping that Melissa Ferguson supplies us with more just like it (including these characters would be a bonus). In fact I think this would make a delightful movie.

I recommend getting a copy of this book (or audiobook) and pop it in your bag for your next trip, whether it be to the pool or the beach. You're not going to regret getting this one!

What a delightful read! This book is a great read that hooks you on the first page and doesn't let go. It has wonderful characters, a great plot and will keep you reading late into the night. I loved it!!
I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to wright a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Thomas Nelson for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review. A Hollywood romance between screenwriter and longtime "it girl" who have history, How to Plot a Payback was cute and funny, though sometimes Finn and Lavender's shenanigans were a bit over the top. The early pages may also raise eyebrows for animal lovers - would a charity trying to help pets find homes really just give cute puppies away during a fundraising event? There's zero spice, so if you're in the mood for a sweet workplace romance with some laugh out loud moments, How to Plot a Payback is one to check out!

I enjoyed this newest novel by Melissa Ferguson. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and I love when two people stand out from the crowd - for instance, the two main characters being Brits. I will say, this is the slowest Ferguson book I’ve read so it took me a little longer to get through. But I ended up liking the ending enough to justify it!

Also, I struggled with the romance side of it all - I didn’t really feel like the characters (both) showed a ton of interest in each other and then they end up together. The chemistry could have been played up a little stronger.

Looking forward to the next release from her!

This one was confusing to me. Having read Ferguson's previous work Meet Me in the Margins, this felt like a totally different writing style and perspective. It was hard for me to grasp that the main characters were British but now working in Hollywood. It was hard to believe that two people from the same town in England from the same school/childhood ended up halfway around the world working on the same TV show...
I also get that Finn is the grumpy trope but it also took me a minute to be ok with a grown man holding this childhood grudge for years into adulthood, and still going through on plans to get even.
All that being said, once I got into it, the fast paced writing and humorous responses were fun to read. Hollywood/TV world was an interesting backdrop to the storyline. And they are dog lovers! This is also a slow burn romance and I wished there had been a little more to it in the end.

I'm not sure I would call this a romance -- more of a general fic/women's fic with a romance plotline. That said, it was fun -- I enjoy Melissa Ferguson's writing.

Loved these audiobook narrators! Truly! I was super into both of their stories - very relatable. I thought the part where Lavender is trying to give away dogs was super long and way too detailed.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Melissa Ferguson writes such fun stories that are easy to get lost in and this one was no different. From the hilarious situations, the rescue dogs, and the character development, I really enjoyed this.

Lavender Rhodes is the hottest actress in Tinseltown. She stars on a long running hit sitcom called Neighbors. Finn Masters is a screen writer who has just been poached from his true crime show to write for Neighbors. Unfortunately Finn holds a grudge against Lavender who has unknowingly ruined his life numerous times over the years. He starts to plot a payback by writing out of character things for her to do and say. But the more he writes, the more he realizes Lavender isn't so bad after all.

Read if you for:

-a Friends based sitcom
-tons of rescue dogs
-dual POV
-revenge gone wrong
-slow burn romance (no spice)
-the audiobook narrators were so good and perfect for Finn and Lavender

Really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine romance book. The author did a great job introducing the characters as well as the reason they were behaving the way they were. I particularly liked the behind the scenes of a TV show with the writers and staff fleshing out the dialogue.