If you are looking for a super light hearted, charming, easily digestible meandering romance that will have you laughing but also rolling your eyes, look no further. This book claims to be enemies to lover with Finn, a tv writer, and Lavender, a tv star, suddenly working on the same show. Finn, because he is a whiny man baby and can't possibly look at his own life critically, blames Lavender for everything that has every gone wrong in his life. Most of it was circumstantial, but the dude can hold a serious grudge. So when he lands the top writing job on Lavender's show, he decides to plot revenge.

Unfortunately, he straight sucks at it and it all back fires on him. It's fairly childish but mildly amusing. We get the POV of both Lavender and Finn and I liked Lavender a lot more than Finn. Finn gets 2 stars and Lavender gets 4, so we average out to 3 stars. The romance was very gradual and wholesome, but the ending did not work for me. Spoiler! Anytime a man disappears, cuts off communication, and then sweeps in at the later to "fix everything" is a hard no for me. Maybe communicate first? What if the grand gesture backfired? Anyway, Lavender handled it well, I guess, and the epilogue was cute.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was my first Melissa Ferguson book and certainly won’t be my last, I loved it. Effortlessly witty writing, full of loveable characters and a funny plot with some cheeky twists and turns. Who knew trying to exact revenge so longed for could turn out to be so difficult in reality, huh?

How to Plot a Payback is a perfect RomCom and the audio really brought the chucklesome story to life with endearing dual POV narration between the main characters Finn (swoon!) and Lavender (misunderstood!). A tale of enemies to lovers, but she doesn’t know she’s the enemy!

Will they? Won’t they? You’ll have to read it to find out, and I highly recommend you do! The audio book is available now and the paperback available from Amazon (UK) from 9 May.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for access to this ARC.

4.5 stars

Melissa Ferguson never disappoints and this is one of my new favorites of hers! I absolutely loved this and I HIGHLY recommend the audio. The narrators were fantastic. Finn’s narrator truly brought his disdain for Lavender to life! This is definitely a one sided enemies to lovers romp. Finn’s strong feelings towards Lavender are comical. For everything she’s seemingly put him through, you can’t help but feel for him. That is until, along with Finn, you get to know the real Lavender, and you fall just as hard as he does!

Lavender was such a breath of fresh air! I loved her self-awareness and how she didn’t take herself too seriously. All she wanted to do was help everyone she met — human and animal. Speaking of animals, I loved Bernie and Miles! Give me all of the dogs in books! Lavender and Finn had such good chemistry and banter. There was plenty of room for misunderstanding, but their communication was so good. And Finn’s grand gesture at the end of was chef’s kiss!

Content: kisses

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the gifted copies. My thoughts are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley and Uplit reads for my e-arc of this one.

Unfortunately I did not love this one like I did Famous for a Living.

How to Plot a Payback is a slow burn rom-com. Enemies to lovers follow Finn and Lavendar. Finn, now a successful screenwriter, has held a grudge against Lavendar for years. Now, they are forced to work together again.

For some reason Finn annoyed me so bad. The fact that he blames Lavendar for everything and was so whiny just drove me crazy. Lavendar was not likeable at all and was so self centered. At the end, I just didn’t find myself invested in this story at all

I have to say that I don't think I would have liked this if it wasn't an audiobook. The plot was weak as there were not really any stakes driving it forward, at least not powerful enough ones to keep me turning pages. However, the British Narrators (I love when there are multiple narrators to cover viewpoints) were brilliant and I couldn't stop listening. It felt like when two of your friends are having drama and not communicating and you're getting both sides of the stories. Low stakes drama, but juicy to listen to nonetheless.
I think it was a sweet slow burn.
No spice, pure romance.
I also have to give props to the author because at the beginning of the book I loathed Lavender with Finn's fervor "Yeah! She is inconsiderate!" but just as he slowly fell for her, so I slowly started to enjoy her as well.
Cute, easy read.

Forget the predictable enemies-to-lovers trope! In "How to Plot a Payback," grumpy Fin is convinced his life's misfortunes stem from one person: the sunshine-y Lavender Rhodes. Fin's revenge plans backfire hilariously, and as he gets to know Lavender, he questions everything he thought he knew.

Lavender's golden retriever energy clashes perfectly with Fin's vengeful streak, creating a delightful tension that keeps you hooked. This rom-com masterfully balances humor with heartwarming moments of self-discovery. Fin's evolving perception of Lavender mirrors the reader's journey, as we delve into their complex dynamic.

Cleverly plotted payback schemes and laugh-out-loud mishaps bring the characters to life. Relatable and entertaining, "How to Plot a Payback" will leave you grinning, swooning, and rooting for love's unexpected victory. If you crave enemies-to-lovers with a healthy dose of humor and heart, this book is the book for you!

Title: How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson

Release Date: April, 2nd, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars

Finn Masters, a successful screenwriter, lands his dream job working on the sitcom "Neighbours," but there's a catch—he has to collaborate with Lavender Rhodes, the show's beloved star and Finn's lifelong nemesis. Unbeknownst to Lavender, she inadvertently derailed Finn's acting career and ruined his relationship in their school days. Seizing the opportunity for payback, Finn plans to twist Lavender's character in the show. However, his scheme goes awry, leading to unexpected consequences that force Finn to reconsider his feelings toward Lavender, whom he finds impossible, infuriating, and perhaps even lovable.

An intriguing read that explores the enemies-to-lovers trope without delving into spicy territory. The banter between the characters is engaging and adds depth to the story. Additionally, the audiobook format enhances the experience, with narrators skilfully presenting the characters' personalities. Overall, it's an enjoyable read, especially for fans of enemies-to-lovers romances.

Tropes:

Miscommunication
Enemies to lovers
Forced Proximity
Workplace romance
No spice


Thank you to The Publisher HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction , The Author Melissa Ferguson & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I’m hoping that this is an unpopular opinion, but this book just wasn’t it. It had an adorable cover. I usually love second chance, payback, and actors in romcoms. I fully expected to love this book. Unfortunately, I really disliked the characters. In the beginning, Lavender seemed really shallow and Finn reasonably upset with her. As the book progressed, her character stayed surface level, and he became incredibly petty. It all felt very immature, and the ‘cute’ moments were undermined by Finn’s attitude.

I felt like Finn went from hating her to being head over heels in love with no in-between, and she had basically no reaction to discovering how he felt. There were some interesting points about side characters that were mentioned, but never really followed up on. This book had a lot of potential, but fell flat for me.

Lighthearted, sweet read with main characters that were easy to like. The narrator was great, too. But Quick and fun!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read in return for my honest review.

4 ⭐️

Short and sweet!

It is a romantic comedy, with more emphasis on the comedy part and was an absolute delight to listen to. I love the characters in this book. Each written very well and empathetically. They were a bit too ideal and simplistic at times but it did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

It is a slow-burn romance, with a lot of heart and warmth, very cozy, low-angst and perfect for a comfort read. This was also a quick read and is sure to help get out of a slump.

The audiobook in particular, enriched the listening experience for me. I liked the way the narrators conveyed the internal thoughts, conflicts and monologues. Very crisp and clean. There were production notes in the book which were not included in the audiobook, but were probably of no consequence. Other than that, the listening experience was stellar.

Melissa Ferguson is a seasoned writer and I would definitely love to pick up more books by the author.

I received an ARC of the Audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t captivated by this book. The characters feel flat, the story was nothing special it feels dreadful trying to read this book. And I listened to this in audiobook which makes books easier to read but it wasn’t the case. I was bored and felt the ick for this book. I dnf it

This book had a fun plot and so much potential. I feel like it fell short in some places but overall I’m glad I stuck with it. The first half of the book dragged a bit for me and the repetition of payback was getting really annoying. The grudge that Finn held against Lavender was childish and became so tedious at some points that I was really rooting against him.

The dogs definitely helped this plot because I truly cared about them and their outcomes. Lavender was likable but also so naive. Again, the main characters had so much potential and maybe I just wasn’t in the headspace to deal with them but the first half of the book was not the best. The side characters, especially Finn’s neighbors were one of the best parts of the book.

It’s one thing to plot a payback but another to second guess your payback every step of the way. Blaming someone for something they unknowingly did as a kid is a bigger issue than what they actually did. Second half was definitely much better and I loved the ending!

The narrators were fun and easy to listen to but they did come across very young, like teens and not late 20s. Finn was whiny and childish at points and that was hard to listen to and align with the characters in the book.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of the audio.

3.75 ⭐️

This was a really cute read! Lavender is an actress and Finn is a new writer for the show ‘Neighbors.’ They’ve known each other since they were kids but Finn has a list of reasons he hates Lavender for ruining his life, despite her being nothing but a warm and caring person towards everyone. In an effort to take revenge for her wrongdoings, he starts writing his payback into her scripts to traumatize her, with less-than-successful results, until he just gives up altogether and decides she’s too good of a person to get payback on.

I loved that ‘Neighbors’ was basically ‘Friends’ and the revenge schemes were so wild as to be funny (who could possibly be that scared of baby chicks?!). The doggie playdates were adorable and Finn’s senior center apartment community was so wholesome.

Overall this book had me smiling all the way through and I binged it in a single afternoon. Nothing but fun vibes.

The narration of the audiobook was great, but Steve West in particular had such a swoony voice - I’ll be looking up more of his books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a perfectly average romance. It was nowhere close to the best I’ve read but also not the worst.

Where this book didn’t work for me was both of the main characters read very young instead of 29 and 30. Also, Finn was way too petty and caught up in having Lavender as his nemesis. Lavender felt waaaayyyy too quirky and positive and happy and two dimensional, I like my romance heroines to be a little bit less extreme sunshiney than this. As a side, all the coincidences of Lavender messing something up for Finn, starting from their small town high school play from England felt too convenient and unrealistic.

The romance also came very suddenly in the book, especially on Finn’s side. He went from I hate her and must get revenge to ohh I’m falling in love in literally the same chapter. I was expecting him to have a middle step of friendship before he full on went to in love.

What I did like about this book was the neighbor community that Finn had and all the friend side characters.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I went in thinking the MMC would continually do ridiculous things to get back at the FMC and she would fight back in her own way. I thought the FMC would be more callous and harsh. But I found that I loved them both more than I expected. I was surprised that she was so oblivious to the supposed sabotage that she had caused in his life, I found her more endearing and genuine than I expected. I found him to be more soft and sweet and supportive than I expected. I found I really loved the idea and the promise of their HEA. I really enjoyed the lessons they learned along the way and how they filled the other's needs and complemented each other so nicely. This was really fun.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
How to Plot a Payback was a lighthearted story about a girl named Lavender who accidentally ruins a guy named Finn’s life and they end up working together. Lavender doesn’t realize she’s wronged him and Finn has been keeping score. He becomes the executive producer for the show she stars in and they end up falling for each other.
This book was okay. It was easy enough to listen to and I did like the dual narration. There really wasn’t much going on at any given point and I felt like it wrapped up very quickly. It felt maybe a little disjointed? Like nothing was happening for so long and then suddenly EVERYTHING happened and everything seemed to have progress so quickly. I definitely don’t regret reading this, but it’s not a memorable one for me.
3 ⭐️

3.5 ⭐️

This was a cute listen! Super quirky, definitely heavier on the com than the rom for this romcom. This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed myself! FMC is a famous actress, MMC is a tv show writer that has been wronged by the FMC his whole life. When he becomes head writer for her tv show, he makes it his mission to get payback for all she's done to him. Quirky and funny! Felt like the characters were younger than they were said to be, though. Overall, a good book!

Posted on Instagram stories, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Amazon 4/13

I’m a huge Melissa Ferguson fan and always find her books to be cute, funny rom coms. And How to Plot a Payback hit the mark.

I thought the premise was funny, and Finn’s “revenge” was hilarious because he’s just too nice. And Lavender was truly one of the sweetest characters ever.

By the end, I adored them both. But I wasn’t connected to either of them really until 50% in the book.

Also, I listened to the audiobook and the male narrator’s voice for the show exec (I forgot his name already) sounded like Ben Affleck as Batman. And that isn’t a compliment 😅

Either way, I think this one is worth a shot. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted audiobook and e-book!

This audiobook was such a mixed bag for me. Honestly, I struggled to connect with the characters in this story, even though I really wanted to like it. While the premise sounded promising, I found myself struggling to get invested in the story. The concept sounded intriguing, and I was excited to dive in. But as I got into it, I found myself struggling to really connect with the characters. Finn's determination to get revenge felt a bit over the top, and I couldn't quite get on board with it.

The narration was decent, but it didn't really grab me like some other audiobooks I've listened to. I found myself zoning out at times, which made it take longer than usual to finish. That being said, there were moments of humor and some interesting twists in the plot that kept me somewhat engaged. And towards the end, as Finn's plans start blowing up in his face, there were some moments of introspection that added depth to the story.

On the bright side, the narration was decent, and there were some funny moments scattered throughout. But overall, "How to Plot a Payback" didn't quite hit the mark for me. It's not a terrible listen, but it's not something I'd rush to recommend either.

In terms of audio, the voice actors were great. Finn’s voice actor was really animated and easily conveyed intense emotions and kept me engaged. The production of this audio was crisp and clear. Usually I struggle to listen to British accents at higher speeds, but that wasn’t the case with this book.

Onto the actual plot, I’m sad that this fell short of expectations. I’m all for holding a grudge, I’ve been there before! However, Finn’s long term frustration with Lavender without ever confronting her about it was so annoying. I’m all for adults working through their communication issues, but it was so clear that Lavender wasn’t a hate worthy character so Finn just seemed absolutely delusional. The HEA was lackluster. It was kind of comedic how Lavender ruined pieces of Finn’s life by simply existing and being a girl boss.

This book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It’s the kind of audiobook you can listen to while working, cleaning, etc and even if you leave the room, you won’t miss much. It’s like a show that you leave on in the background. Comfortable and enjoyable, but not captivating.

No spice whatsoever fyi! That didn’t hurt the rating.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.