I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sweet sapphic romance.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

No one messes with nana’s things and surely not taking the penguin. The description of the book drew me to it. Who would think an ad to exact revenge or find the penguin thief would lead to love? I have to admit I did not know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. This is an opposites attract, acquaintances to lovers novel. One that you will not want to put down and will pick up repeatedly to read.

3.5★s
Vengeance Planning For Amateurs is the sixth novel by award-winning Australian author, Lee Winter. Having her heirloom stuffed penguin stolen is the last straw for award-winning Melbourne muffin baker, Olivia Roberts. She decides it’s time to get revenge on her four exes, all guilty of unforgiveable mistreatment, of taking advantage of her generous nature. She puts up a notice in her happy place: Mary Bugg’s Bookstore and Coffee House is where she moderates the Women in Crime Book Club, and where her older sister is barista.

“Wanted: One Henchperson Duties: Assisting in vengeance planning and execution of a revenge bucket list. Payment: Six months’ supply of assorted baked goods from Love Muffins”, the ad says, and it draws several applicants, including a few from her book club, as well as her sister’s persistent ex, and ten-year-old Emma Garrity, a voracious reader who claims a quiet corner of the book store after school for her homework.

One or two applicants misread the ad, but while Davo, a seasoned felon, won’t work for muffins, he does offer a piece of good advice: “Revenge is a science, not a blood sport. Remember that.” Ultimately, it’s Dr Margaret Blackwood, owner of Mary Bugg’s, who convinces Olivia she has the right qualifications to fill the role of henchperson.

Olivia’s plans are, by her own admission, a bit pathetic, but Margaret has some good ideas and, even though “We’d have these great plans, and nothing ever went according to them” the revenge seems to happen almost by accident. Meanwhile, with a little help from their friends, the feelings each has for the other are gradually realised and revealed.

Although Winter stuffs her romcom full of popular Australian culture references, it still somehow seems generic, lacking a genuine Aussie feel and, once the vengeance aspects have been resolved, and the romance established, the story runs out of steam despite a few pages of hot sex, and readers may find themselves skimming towards the end. The bushranger tangent? Ho hum. May appeal to those who enjoy silliness and same sex romcom.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and YLVA Publishing.

This was perfection. Just utter perfection.

I haven't laughed so much in a book in a long time, and this is going straight to the top of my 2024 favourite list.

The characters, the plot, the vengeance - it was all just incredibly well done. I loved the entire cast of characters, and loved the found family between everyone at the book club. It was so wholesome and wonderful. And I adored how everyone was eager to help Olivia get some much needed vengeance on her exes.

There's nothing else to say except how incredible this one was.

I really did not like this, I couldn’t get into the writing style and it’s so sad because i I have a couple books of this author on my list I was really looking forward to!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Seriously, Lee could write a book on toilet paper and I would pay top dollar for it. This book is freaking hilarious and I absolutely loved it. Buy it and you won’t be disappointed.

This is an unusual Lee Winter book in that it is a bonafide romantic comedy. I thought it was silly and ridiculous but in a good way.

The premise is a bit absurd in itself. Olivia, tired of being taken advantage of, decides to get revenge on her exes. She needs a “henchperson” to assist her and Margaret applies for the job. Olivia and Margaret are as different as night and day. Olivia is the sunny, sweet one whereas Margaret is the grumpy ice queen. It makes for an amusing journey on their way to love. Silly, right?

It’s told from Olivia’s pov. There are some journal entries from Margaret that allows the reader to be in her head space about her feelings. The journal entries were very helpful in the beginning because Margaret was closed off in her interactions with Olivia. This is a slow burn and Margaret’s melting was nuanced. I enjoyed her insights and the way she processed her feelings through the journal entries.

I thought this was good fun and enjoyed my time with it. While it is ridiculous for the most part, there were a few serious moments. Those moments were fantastic and allowed me to take these women and their lives more seriously and gave them more depth.

Also, if you don’t like muffin puns you may want to skip this.

Recommended!

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I laughed throughout this book. Such a quirky book for Winters to write. You have sweet muffin baker Olivia Roberts who is tired of people jerking her heart around and puts out a sign for a henchperson to help with her quest to get even with everyone who has wronged her. Ice Queen Margaret Blackwood, the owner of a bookstore turns out to be her new henchperson and goes on these quests with her. They don’t start out with chemistry but it’s off the charts by the end of the book. This is a Lee Winters must read.

If I had known this was mainly a romance I wouldn't have read it, and I wouldn't know what I was missing out on. I absolutely loved this book, and it was funny, but it was also sweet and heartwarming. The plot is hilarious: Olivia needs help getting revenge on her exes, because she's finally had enough. She interviews some people who really don't seem like they could do it and ends up with a surprise helper, someone she thought wasn't very friendly.
I loved how Olvia had silly ideas that grew as she learned to stand up for herself, and I loved the motley crew she spent time with. The acts of vengeance never went as expected, and I was satisfied with every one of them. I will be thinking about Olivia and Margaret fondly, because I feel like they earned each other. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Lee Winter has outdone herself with Vengeance Planning for Amateurs. She has created an epic romantic comedy for us all to enjoy.

Olivia’s life is fraught with the disappointment of being taken advantage of by her ex’s. Revenge becomes Olivia’s new mantra but she is just too nice to be diabolical. Olivia decides that she needs a henchperson for guidance.

Vengeance Planning for Amateurs is a fun romp with laugh out loud dialogue, a sexy Ice Queen with a razor sharp tongue and a bookstore full of offbeat characters. What could go wrong? Or right?

I received an advance review copy from Ylva Publishing through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 stars
Well, Lee Winter definitely step out of her comfort zone for this one. It was absurd in a fun way.
The book was written in Olivia point of view with some exerpt of Margaret’s journal that shows enough of her point if view to not let the reader frustrated. Margaret was definitely the most interesting and intriguing character. The main quality of this book is how “alive” it is. The book club member bring even more life, making the vengeance scheme become a joyful mess. Olivia wears her heart on her sleeves and even gives her shirt to others, making malicious people to take advantage of her. Margaret is aloof and an introvert that shut people out after grief striked her. Olivia takes her out of her shell in her ridiculous way and it was nice to read. Sadly, the chemistry between them was not Winter’s main focus and at some point was a bit too close to friendship for me. Some other topics didn’t really speak to me, like bushrangers but that’s totally on me, my mind being a million years from my own country’s history, let alone Autralian’s one. I also admit, Olivia niceness, tiptoeing with being a total doormat, and being such a big victim was a bit frustating to read, but again, not everyone has an iron heart like mine.
Despite some things that didn’t speak to me, it was a fun read that balanced perfectly with my previous one.

Oof. I'm sorry. I waited too long on this one and it's past it's release date! I'll be looking for this title at my local library or bookstore, then come back and add a review! I was looking forward to reading it, sounded right up my alley!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. This was truly a fun read. Enjoyed reading my first ever lee winter book and I'm looking forward to reading more of her stuff.

Lee Winter is my go to author when I want to read a story with a well-developed ice queen. Winter is one of the best at creating these wonderful folks. Some of my favorite ice queens have been penned by this author including Catherine Ayers, Elena Bartell, and Elizabeth Thornton…just to name a few. With Ms. Winter’s newest novel, Vengeance Planning for Amateurs, she has given us another name to add to this list, Dr. Margaret Blackwood, crime bookstore owner and henchperson for muffin baker Olivia Roberts.

Olivia is as sunny and kind as Margaret is grumpy and introverted. Though the two have never officially met face to face, they know each other through the bookstore. Olivia makes the muffins that are sold daily in the store, and also runs the crime story book club that meets just outside Margaret’s office. In fact, Margaret often makes sarcastic comments from inside her office that usually only Olivia can hear.

Olivia’s exe’s have always taken advantage of her kind and forgiving nature, but when her latest ex steals something very precious to Olivia, she has had enough! She puts an ad on the bulletin board for a henchperson to help her seek vengeance on those who have hurt her. To the surprise of everyone, Dr. Blackwood applies for the job. Thus begins a series of adventures that will have you in tears for more than one reason.

This is Winter’s first romcom, and she really nailed it. The chaos, the plans that go incredibly wrong, and of course the muffin puns! All of this, and more, creates a story that will have you rolling your eyes, laughing and crying, sometimes all at once. And of course there is that attraction that keeps pulling Olivia and Margaret together in spite of themselves.

I adore this story. It has been added to my list of favorites and has my highest recommendation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for allowing me to read and review this novel.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a really fun and enjoyable read. Olivia managed to be well characterised as someone who has been walked over by horrific exes but without coming across as a doormat, just someone who was more trusting and good than the exes deserved. Margaret was an absolute delight, fierce, stern and secretly very sad; the narrative technique of keeping the narration in Olivia's POV but giving Margaret a short diary entry for her perspective worked really well.

This had a lovely mix of horrible people getting their comeuppance, humour, excellent slow burn tension, and realities of dealing with grief and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

The book was so grounded 95% of the time, and realistic in it's slightly out-there set-up, that the one revenge plot that felt rather too unbelievable for me did stick out and I did wish it had played out a little differently.

But overall a really fun and heartwarming read.

CW for grief

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*

DNF @ 50% but skimmed through to the end.

It's rare that I have thoughts of DNFing from the first page of a book, but this one is joining that exclusive club. Here I am again to rain on everyone's parade and have the unpopular negative opinion I guess.

Right off the bat, I didn't not like the writing style, the characters, or the fact that the "stuffed" penguin is TAXIDERMIED not just like a teddy???????? (I say this as someone who owns multiple skulls/bones/etc, loves gore, and loves penguins - this completely changes the vibe and I felt misled). Everyone was a caricature and everything was annoying. The "wet work" thing wasn't funny. Olivia seemed to be a child and an old lady simultaneously. None of it was funny or quickly or endearing to me. I wish someone quoted "is your muffin buttered?" to make all of the 'muffin' jokes worth it. I could see the romantic plot a mile off immediately and I wasn't excited or interested or invested or anything I should be. At this point, I don't see a couple I should root for.

This was a chore I was putting off and put me in a slump, and I should've DNFed immediately. I scanned through to see if anything seemed appealing or worth continuing, and unfortunately I came across the phrase "lesbian catnip panties" during a sex scene and I will now be vomiting for the foreseeable future. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Quirky and entertaining. Olivia Roberts makes award winning muffins. Her world is her muffin business, running a weekly book club at the bookstore where her sister is a barista and being kind to others. She has a stuffed penguin that is a legacy from her grandmother. When it is stolen by an ex she reflects on how awful her taste in romantic partners has been. Determined to seek revenge for those they walked all over her, she puts up an ad for a henchperson. Dr. Margaret Blackwood, is mysterious and owns the bookstore Olivia frequents. Almost against her will she applies to be the henchman to keep Olivia safe.

The story is told from Olivia’s POV but Margaret's views are from her daily written journal. In it she keeps track of her reading, drinks and the things she is observing around her. Margaret is so closed off that these writings are actually brilliantly humorous in giving insight to her thoughts. Of course vengeance doesn’t go smoothly but it gives Margaret and Olivia time to be with one another. It is more than Margaret has let anyone into her world in three years. I found the plot original, funny and entertaining. It is very Australian so some of the historical references were lost on me but I caught the gist.

This book was spectacular. Over all it was perfect 5 stars. Great pace, great story, great everything.

I was a big fan of the penguin sidekick. A good sidekick is hard to find and should be rescued at all costs. I genuinely thought this book was planning to focus on vengeance due to penguin theft…but it’s SO much more. Olivia has quite the shit list of exes
It’s set in Australia, but not the scary Jurassic Park parts.
SUPER bookish - MCs are the owner of a bookshop and a person who runs a book club in said shop.
The book was single POV with journal entries by Dr. Blackwood peppered in for flavour. I loved it. Her running commentary on Olivia is *chefs kiss*
Author clearly marks a change in vibes of the book when she stops double naming/titling Dr. Blackwood. It was subtle and incredible noticeable all at the same time.
The 3rd act break up (unfriending) is sooooo cutting. The book manages the complexities of grief and how surprising it can be when it stops being your primary focus really well.
Middle life romance

I wish I could sum this all up in a lovely post, in paragraph form, but it’s all mashed up in my brain and not willing to come out. I will rave about this book for the next 12 months. I LOVED it. Even though it’s early days of 2024, this has been my favourite book of the year…Possibly the last 18 months or so. I will be suggesting it to EVERYONE.