Lee Winter's storytelling is nothing short of excellent. The dynamics between Olivia and Margaret were a rollercoaster of emotions. The journal entries, omg, Margaret is an absolute character! The story had me completely hooked, and poor Olivia—I was torn between laughter and sympathy. Every page turn left me on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating the next unexpected twist.
Lee Winter has truly hit it out of the park with this one. The storytelling is top-notch, the characters are unforgettable, and the humor is simply brilliant. Bravo!
Free ARC via Netgalley

As someone who has read and enjoyed several of Lee Winter’s books, I have to admit I was intrigued that she chose to write a romantic comedy. While not being her usual genre, with Vengeance Planning for Amateurs I would argue that she’s proved herself as versatile as the best in the business. Full of humor and fun Australian bushranger history, this book is a well-crafted wild ride that packs an emotional punch.

Perfect for fans of slowly melting Ice Queens and well, complete idiots, this book was just as absurd as the blurb promised (and I mean that in a good way). With her first foray into this genre Winter did a wonderful job of balancing the comedy with heartwarming romance and great character development. I highly recommend this book and am very much hoping she continues to explore this genre in the future.

I received an ARC copy of this ebook from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

4 stars

The first and the second half of this book had very different vibes. The first half focused primarily on the vengeance/ex storyline. I really enjoyed this part; there's just something so fun about a poorly planned revenge plot. You also get to know all the characters throughout this, including the eccentric book club cast. I thought all of their interactions were really funny and I enjoyed their contributions to the scheming. This storyline was also crucial to Olivia's character development. Throughout her confronting her exes you get to see her grow and learn to stand up for herself and realize what she wants and deserves. I thought this was done really well and was really interesting to see. I will say, during the first half of the book the romance was just... not really there. I had a hard time rooting for the characters as a couple because I just wasn't really feeling the chemistry between them. Their first kiss felt like it came out of nowhere and it didn't feel like the book had the buildup that I would've liked.
The second half of the book, however, is pretty much centered entirely around the relationship. In the second half, I thought there was really good communication between the characters - both of them had a lot of trauma and past issues that they were trying to work through and I felt like they had really mature and healthy communication about how this affected them. The buildup to the relationship in this part of the book made a lot more sense and you could see a lot more of the connection between the two characters.

Overall I ended up really enjoying both the vengeance plotline and the romance in this book- just know that if you're not feeling the romance at first, stick it out because it does get more interesting later in the book

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC

LOVED IT! First let me just say Bookclub had me laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants. What a great start to showcasing character personalities, and oh my god the chapter titles were fantastic. The journal entries have mercy Margaret is a character lol. As I was reading I had to stop and think. Did the author stop and laugh at the absurdity of the entries. I’m so hooked on the outcome of this story. Poor Olivia my word I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Every time I turned a page I couldn’t help but wonder WTH is going to happen now. Beat Poet Ninja, I say no more. My gosh the next time I read this book I’ll wear Depends because I devoured this literary goodness and laughed so hard. What excellent storytelling. Olivia and Margaret were so good for each other even in the worst moments you could feel the despair and love. The rag tag bunch of friends were a most welcome addition of wit, laughter and advice. Lee Winter knocked this story out the park.

I found the first chapter a bit overwhelming as it felt a lot of detail was being given, however by chapter 2 I had settled in for the ride. I have loved Lee Winter’s books so far, and so far, this is going to be no different. There was humour, a plot and character development. What’s not to love. Somehow it felt like a bit less depth than some Winter novels but no less worth reading for that. I really enjoyed this as a romp that never let me down.

What a fantastic book! A sapphic romance that is funny, quirky, heartwarming and sweet… plus some revenge 😂

I love a grumpy-sunshine trope and this one hit the mark just right. And the secondary characters were amazing. Supportive and funny as well. Just an all around great read!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Vengeance Planning for Amateurs to come out February 14, 2024.

Thankyou netgalley and YLVA for this arc! I was a little apprehensive about how much I’d like this book considering how heavy it is on Australian bush ranger references but I was so pleasantly proved wrong! This was my first Lee Winter read after having her books on my TBR forever and I can see why she’s the queen of writing ice queens because I am obsessed with Margaret Blackwood! The contrast of her iciness with how refreshing and bright Olivia is just made for the most amazing tension throughout this book! Add in the scheming against Olivia’s exes and I couldn’t put it down! I never expected to be so invested in a stolen stuffed penguin but I was ride or die for trip, and getting to see the way Margaret softened for Olivia the more she learned about her was such a heart warming part of this book for me. The process of grief Margaret was going through over Helen is something I think every one who reads this will be able to relate to on some level, how grief isn’t linear and that phase of acceptance coming out of no where is so relatable, I cannot recommend this book enough and cannot wait to go through the rest of Lee’s backlog!

I admit that I often think, “ok, that’s my absolute favorite book by this author,” and then bam - she just writes another one!
However, it is clear to me that,
Dr Margarete Blackwood has stolen my heart! I'm rarely so fascinated by an Ice Queen character.
However, she is perfection!
Dry, sarcastic humor paired with what I consider to be an extremely attractive appearance. Hopelessly in love.
Of course she is also solitary, withdrawn, judgmental and seemingly against the world and its people.
Although she owns a bookstore and you would actually think that there would be some interaction with people.
Olivia definitely asks herself this question.
Sweet Olivia with the sunny, warm, open personality is the complete opposite of
Dr Blackwood and also a little annoyed by the invisible, but not inaudible interruptions at the book club for example.
That’s the highest level of human interaction for Dr Blackwood, even if not personally present, but always presumptuous.
Much to Olivia's chagrin!
Well, or so it seems...Olivia's plan of vengeance brings these two together and it's one of the funniest things I've read in a long time!
It's also nerve-wracking and sometimes unbelievable what poor Olivia had to endure in her past. However, she doesn't seem to be alone in this.
I was very touched, amused and definitely entertained!
Thank you Lee Winter for this gem and of course for the ARC. Thanks to Ylva Publishing too!

I would’ve never guessed that Lee Winter’s next novel would be an unconventional love story between a muffin maker (who runs a bad crime-book club and sometimes hires henchpeople) and a semiretired eccentric academic layabout—oh and who can forget; there are *two* taxidermied birds with plot essential roles. I loved every minute of it. With its eclectic cast of lovable misfits, “Vengeance Planning for Amateurs” primarily follows Olivia, aforementioned muffin maker with a heart of gold. Taken advantage of one too many times by one of her excessively horrible exes, Olivia enlists the help of one henchperson, reclusive crime-book shop owner Dr. Margaret Blackwood, and they embark on a journey of well-deserved revenge. Chaos ensues.

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the road to vengeance seems to be paved with schemes that never seem to go to plan. Think Ocean’s Eleven if it was a slapstick comedy, starring the *most* rag tag group imaginable. It was very impressive how many characters Lee Winter was able to juggle effectively in this novel—not once did I get confused as to who was who, and even more I felt myself growing fond of basically all of them (especially Emma, who doesn’t love a well-done precocious child). This was very different than what I’ve come to expect with Lee Winter in terms of tone (a truly impressive amount of muffin-related puns) and plot, but it remains true to Winter in that it’s exceptionally written. The choice to do a second POV through diary entries was also fabulous in my opinion.

I’m glad to have read the book and not only because I now have so much more bushranger knowledge than I did 24 hours ago. 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Ylva, and Lee Winter for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lee Winter’s wit and brilliance strikes again, this time writing about vengeance for abuses inflicted on her main character, Olivia Parker, the award winning muffin baker whose popular muffins were sold all over Melbourne.

It all started with the theft of a stuffed penguin named Trip, stolen by Tina, one of Olivia’s exes. Poor Olivia was the nicest, kindest person who was disrespected and taken advantage of by some pretty awful exes. Tina had the nerve to steal, beg to be forgiven, only to steal again. Olivia was conned into giving another ex, Annalise, money for law school, slept with her boss and then expected Olivia to bake her a wedding cake for free. There were also two ex-boyfriends that were terrible mistakes in her dating past that needed to be dealt with.

Olivia just didn’t get respect from those losers and decided to advertise for a “henchperson” to help her get vengeance on those she wanted to get even with. The applicants’ reasons were all very clever and amusing, such as one applicant who said she was a vegetarian and thought the job was for vegan planning! The one chosen for the job was Dr. Margaret Blackwood, the owner of Mary Bugg’s Bookstore and Coffee House where Olivia was the moderator of the weekly book cub. Margaret wanted the job because she was bored and thought the job would provide some distraction.

Margaret never participated in the book club meetings other than to sit behind the partially closed door to her office and mock Olivia’s comments. She was six feet tall and looked like the goth-librarian Morticia Addams.

Olivia and Margaret then had meetings to decide how to customize vengeance that would fit each individual’s “crime.” As Margaret told Olivia, “Revenge is a dish best served bold.” The schemes were cleverly designed, but not always carried out as planned, the first time.

Gaining respect and enlightening her exes helped Olivia to recognize her own weaknesses, the need to grow and gain her own self respect. Margaret kept a diary, which we read after each chapter and were able to see how she also began to recognize her own growth. Showing how the relationships developed was creative, clever and well done by the author.

This book was entertaining and enjoyable. I knew I was going to like it when I laughed in the first paragraph. I want to add that this was also a romance with some enjoyable intimate moments. It was a joy to read and celebrate this HEA with these characters.

I am so fortunate to have read this delightful book and thank NetGalley and Ylva Publishing.

This book was everything. It was hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking, happy, haunting, and likely a bunch of other H-words I’m not creative enough to string together. I would recommend it for absolutely everyone. It has a mix of elements that provide something for everyone; it’s a sweet romance that also tackles heavier topics, all wrapped up in a package of hilarious misadventures and vengeance.

After Olivia, our golden retriever-sunshine-cinnamon bun protagonist, gets her treasured taxidermy penguin stolen she embarks on a journey of vengeance against her four evil exes. Unfortunately vengeance isn’t in her wheelhouse, so she posts an open call for henchperson interviews. Dr. Margaret Blackwood, a frosty and cynical academic (ugh), applies and the results are a delightful yet emotional thrill ride of a novel. If that description doesn’t grab your attention, then you don’t like fun.

The general premise of the novel made me expect something overly wacky that required far to much suspension of disbelief or unreasonable good luck on the part of the protagonists, and this is NOT what I found. Despite the wacky premise the novel is grounded and realistic (in a good way that doesn’t distract from the plot) while still being outlandish and entertaining. Peppered throughout were more serious elements while both characters address their difficult pasts (you don’t get a list of evil exes without some issues to work through!) which added some great depth to the novel.

The romance was very well done, but also not the primary focus of the novel (which I like). The characters acted realistically and like real adults which was refreshing, and they both had great character arcs that were noticeable and satisfying. There was a whole host of side characters who enriched the novel and made the setting feel larger and more lived-in; particularly the down on their luck family that featured heavily throughout the novel to great effect (I loved them so much and wanted to reach into the book and lend a helping hand!).

Outlandishly fun read that touched my heart.

When her taxidermied penguin is stolen, the kind, heart on her sleeve, pun loving muffin baker and book club leader, Olivia Roberts, decides enough is enough and she’s going to stand up for herself and do something about her awful exes. She gets unlikely help from the highly educated, reclusive, ice queen bookstore owner, Dr Margaret Blackwood, who is both sharp in wit and dress with boardroom CEO vibes. Together they plan and fail in their revenge schemes but all things work out in the end with the occasional help from some of the easily distracted book club attendees and friends.

Good combo of hilarity and hijinks that had me laughing and some heart to heart moments that wet my eyes.

Side note: First time I’ve read any of Lee Winter’s works. I liked how Margaret’s diary entries sprinkled throughout the book gave that extra insight from a first person viewpoint.

➥ 4.5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧

She turned to face her. “I know you’ve had a lot of people in your life who didn’t want you enough or didn’t care about you the way you deserved, and I need you to know that stops with me.”
“It does?” Olivia whispered.
Slowly, Margaret stroked her cheek with the back of her knuckles. “It does. Anything you want, ask me. If I can give it, I will try. And to be very clear,” she said intently, her gaze locked on Olivia’s, “I do want you.” Then she kissed her.

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Vengeance Planning for Amateurs sucked me in and didn't spit me back out until I read the last word of the book. I can't even describe how amazing it felt to get enchanted by a book again, to the point of reading it in one sitting.

As some may have noticed I haven't been reading much at all these past months, mainly because the university-assigned reading has left no room for my favourite pastime: reading sapphic books that make me go psychologically insane and giggle and re-realise how gay I am. But now that I'm back on the bandwagon I do NOT plan to get off. "Get off"...lol. Now that I'm back in Winter's grasp, I'll probably have to go and read whatever books of hers are left that I haven't read. (I think it's only Changing the Script 💔).

Enough about me, how shall I pitch this book... Well, the set up is just such fun. As you may be able to tell from the title, we follow Olivia (h), a muffin business owner, and the owner of the bookstore she hosts her bookclub at, Margaret (h) as they embark on a quest to get revenge on all of Olivia's exes.

Winter has declared this her first RomCom and I'd have to agree. I admit I was unused to the lighthearted tone of the book but that didn't last very long, lol, Winter always incorporates some grit and depth into her novels.

Brief intermission: I just need a second to complain about the name choices. I simply cannot keep track of all the gay Olivias. Or Olivia's in general!! And sorry to break it to any authors but Olivia Jaeger is the best Olivia so you've gotta pick a somewhat more unique name to make your character stand out. And Margaret? That was the name of my Scottish choir director who had a fascination with the royal family 😭.

Genuinely, choosing more unique names would make the characters more memorable. For instance, everyone knows who Inej is and what book she's from (if they've read it of course — Six of Crows ). In the past Winter has chosen names like Lena, Felicity or Eden which I think are much better in comparison. Now I'm sure it's unintentional, but another one if the most popular sapphic books Count Your Lucky Stars had characters names Olivia and Margot. It's just too similar, please we need to switch it up!

Okay intermission over. Back to our regularly scheduled programming of me saying that Winter is too good of an author — she is. Here, she's added so much nuance and thoughtfulness to nearly every aspect of the novel. I truly didn't expect our love intrest to be a (view spoiler) so that added a layer of complexity for sure.

The little things started to pile up, leading to a convincing connection between our two heroines, and the way they began to care for and weaken for each other was very endearing.

"...but after that, will you join me?”
“I’d love to.”
“All right, then.” Margaret pulled away. She sighed at herself. “No. I need one more for the road.” She leaned in and kissed Olivia once more, softly and wistfully.


However, unfortunately for Winter, she's her own greatest competitor. It seems unfair to rate this more harshly (I'm literally just rounding it down rather than up, don't know why I'm being so dramatic), because I know Winter is capable of a little better.

The characters this time didn't stand out to me. Their background, hobbies and motivations were sound, but their personalities were not as memorable as characters have been in Winter's past novels. Don't get me wrong, I was squealing all throughout because that's what happens when you pick up a Winter book regardless. Margaret (the appointed love interest) did have her moments. I liked how commanding and direct she was.

*Gives list of her qualifications*
“You left off modest.”
“You wish me to feign a mediocrity I don’t possess?” Dr Blackwood’s eyebrow lifted. “No.”


I liked how she had a weakness for our protagonist, and I loved to read her diary entries, I thought that was a very nice touch.

However, overall, I can't say there were many moments of gravity and tension. Toward the end there were some, and maybe I'm just more partial to Winter's hand at darker, more serious plotlines and situations, but I kept hoping for more intensity in the moments they were together.

Their first kiss was cute, but it didn't have as much build up as I tend to enjoy in other Winter novels, and there's only (view spoiler). The rest is fade to black and, to be honest. Winter has written better sex scenes too. That's not the say the (view spoiler) was bad, but the dialogue wasn't the best.

It feels so cruel to complain about dialogue being millennial but! 😭 the whole "you like when I'm badass? or my awesomeness? hehe" made me cringe a lil too hard. Also, when Margaret would validate Olivia's emotions she would ALWAYS respond with something adjacent to "really? you don't think I'm stupid and it's all my fault?".

On the topic of Olivia, she was...also not the best heroine. She had a very doe-eyed personality, and naivete became frustrating at times. Apparently what Margaret likes about her is her ability to make Margaret want to tell her things? Okay... I just am quite a fan of Winter's usual power couple pairings. Not that a kind-hearted muffin business owner cannot be a powerful woman or that you have to be mean and cold to be one, that's not what I mean. It's the mega-innocence that I didn't love, but maybe that's a me thing.

Though to be fair, she had some serious character development, which was probably what Winter was going for. She really learns to stand on business by the end.

Still, Winter never fails to make me feel, and I felt a LOT. I also really loved all the side characters, Winter was really great at making the setting and surroundings very vivid. The plotline was thought through so well, I loved how seamlessly everything worked out in the end. And you know what? I have a newfound respect for taxidermy.

Overall, though I shat on this book a lil, I truly think it was an absorbing, endearing read, especially for those who are less into Winter's grittier books. Please check TWs though. TW: (view spoiler).

100% worth the read, a great way to start my 2024 sapphic reading, I'll always be looking forward to Winter's releases.

Thank you NetGalley and YLVA Publishing for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Lee Winter once again knocks it out of the park! I loved every second of this book! I didn’t want it to end. The characters were wonderfully funny and written. And that includes the secondary characters! I was definitely laughing in unexpected places such as my bus ride home from work! I definitely recommend this to everyone!

what an incredible book! It was such a fun read, genuinely exceeded my expectations. If you told me the author had been writing romcoms for their entire life, i’d believe you. this is lee winter’s first comedy but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. The schemes, the humor, situations and all the characters (besides the exes, obviously) were all so fun. The more I read, the more I wanted Olivia to get her revenge. Girly deserved it. The romance was so incredibly written. It’s a slow burn and by the time they finally get together, it’s like million fireworks going off in your stomach. Olivia and Margaret’s relationship was so organic. the fact that they were pretty much clueless only added to it.

anyway, what a sick book! Already one of my favorites of the year.

Olivia Roberts has been unlucky in love. But each time, she's picked herself up, dusted herself off and carried on. But now, not only has her ex-girlfriend Tina mistreated her... she stole Olivia's beloved stuffed penguin!

Clearly, Vengeance must be had.

Dr Margaret Blackwood is bored running her unique bookstore, Mary Bugg's, and is intrigued by Olivia, who runs a book club in her shop. When Olivia puts up a job ad for a henchperson in her quest for Vengeance, she's intrigued enough to apply.

Onward to Vengeance!

This is Lee Winter's first official comedy, though there's a LOT of humor in her other books, and she does NOT disappoint. The situations, the vengeance schemes and the book club members are all really fun, and the exes are all awful enough that the reader is OK with them getting payback.

And WOW are the exes awful.

The romance between Olivia and Margaret is a slow burn, and they're also fairly clueless. Which also makes for comic fodder.

Really solidly good book, one I'll probably reread often.

This book is slightly off the norm of previous Lee Winter books but that doesn’t mean it’s any less great!! It follows Olivia who is a muffin baker and book club founder and proud owner of a penguin named Trip. She has piss poor judgement on exes and after the final straw of the latest ex stealing trip she puts out an ad for a henchman. Dr Margaret Blackwood, ice queen, owner of the crime/history bookstore Olivia supplies muffins and holds her book club and now henchman. These two hilariously get vengeance on Olivia’s exes and sometimes it doesn’t go to plan.
I really really enjoyed this book and was able to finish this in a day! It has the classic ice queen which Winter again killed, I would love to put out an ad for a Dr Margaret Blackwood myself lol. It was a light easy read and I highly recommend! Thanks to netgalley and ylva publishing for the arc!

wacky, funny, cute romcom! i really liked the vibe from the beginning. and tell me that isn't one of the best covers you've ever seen. thanks for the arc!

This book was so funny, I couldn´t stop reading. It is masterfully write.

The story about Olivia, who is to good to be true and her vengeance plans, is really good - Quick and really funny. I am even considering to put an add for a henchperson my self and hope some as Margaret answer it. The story is about to find a good way in love an I simple love it.

Book clubs and henchmen and muffins oh my!
Author Lee Winter is masterful when it comes to the ice queen trope and writing sharp funny dialogue. You get both here along with Winter's skillful storytelling.
The story is an easy page turner with drama and comedy along with the romance. It had a lighter feel to its overall tone and subject matter compared to Winter's other works even though some serious and weighty real life issues are addressed. The synopsis for the book is a great indicator of the story's flavor and other elements without giving away too much if you're on the fence about whether or not this book is for you.
I laughed a lot and genuinely enjoyed the creative comeuppance some characters got (and deservedly so) for their misdeeds. The quirky characters and snicker worthy baking puns were icing on the cake (or muffin in this case). I think I also spotted a cameo appearance by a couple of characters from another series by the author which was a welcome surprise. A twist in the plot trajectory also surprised, me mostly due to its placement in the story.
This isn't my favorite book by the author (I've read them all) but I still recommend it along with all her other work for the quality writing, witty humor and her fresh takes on several beloved tropes. I look forward to reading whatever she publishes next.