*Paperback

I received an ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts…it wasn’t the book for me, it was just fine, I could take it or leave it. I didn’t hate it, I mean I finished it without being annoyed.

I just felt like the characters fell flat (I prob shouldn’t have read this after reading a TJR book) and I really really didn’t understand why on earth Finn got so bent out of shape about so many things.

I didn’t feel any real chemistry between the characters.

I did like all of the animal cameos though.

I think it would make a cute lighthearted movie.

The best way to describe this book is squeaky clean cute. The “rom” was more like a light building fondness for each other and the “com” definitely felt like a sitcom (which considering the plot is appropriate). Was it my fave? No. Was it an amusing and easy read? Yep.

Cute, slow burn frenemies to lovers. Finn Masters might have been a star, but when his understudy accidentally leaves a trap door open, he spirals down. Literally. While he recovers from a broken ankle, she steals the show- landing her an agent and ticket to Hollywood. A series of unfortunate events follow Finn, and they all seem to be related to her- Lavender. When Finn gets a writer position on her hit TV show, he seizes his opportunity for payback, yet everytime, she surprises him.
Full of humor, the sweetest pups, and a Hollywood backdrop this was delightful love story.
The stakes are low, the plot is simple, the spice almost nonexistent. It was a fun, heartwarming romance with adorable senior citizens and hilarious mishaps.

2.5 stars rounded down. I think it might be time for me to part ways with Melissa Ferguson. I wasn't a fan of her last book, <i>Famous for a Living</i>, but I adored her debut, <i>Meet Me in the Margins</i>, and I was still excited by the premise of this one. Unfortunately, I found it lacking in similar ways.

<u><b>Summary</b></u>
Finn Masters's life has turned upside down with landing a new job in the writers' room for the <i>Friends</i>-esque hit sitcom <i>Neighbors</i>. It's a huge compliment to his already illustrious career, but there's one pretty big downside that he'll have to get over: the leading lady is none other than his life-long nemesis. What's worse? She doesn't even know who he is at first.

Lavender Rhodes has everything she thought she ever wanted, but a flourishing acting career and steady employment aren't enough to satisfy her any longer. Then she finds out that she's essentially ruined the new show writer's life as he knew it in high school, and everything comes crashing down around her. She's determined to rectify her past mistakes, but she can't seem to stop screwing things up. The two adversaries vow to work together to make things right between them, and they just might find something stronger between them on the way.

<u><b>My Thoughts</b></u>
I just could not force myself to care about this relationship. I thought the grudge Finn held was incredibly immature, the ending was dumb, and I had a hard time believing Lavender was genuinely attracted to him. Also, the "payback" I was promised was a very minor plot point, so I felt like the book was misrepresented in its marketing. I won't go on further than that because I would just be ranting.

<i>Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced listener's copy!!</i>

Loved this audiobook! The narrators did a great job at bringing these characters to life and making it that much more enjoyable. This was such a fun celebrity romance with dual POVs. The writing, banter and characters were all so good! I don’t usually like slow burn but the author did such a great job with this story that I didn’t mind.

Oh the cheese!
Such a cheesy romance novel and I was here for it.
The beginning is very noteworthy as I had momentarily forgotten what the book was about and I was starting to fantasize about this man and woman, whom were both assasins and met on the job and loathed each other. (A sort of spin on the classic Mr and Mrs Smith)
The enemy-to-lover story arch truly works in this instancce. Often it can be a bit too unbelievable but it truly makes sense why the male character hates the female character due to their past history. And I'm a fan of how it is resolved in the end, when you flip certain past wrongdoings and see them from a new perspective. Also. One of the characters wholeheartedly apologizes to the other person in a way that is believable and actually feels true. Too often romance novels contain ridiculous apologies for stuff the character shouldn't even apologize for - and unfortunately this book partly falls into that trap in other scenes. But I'll take what I can get.
I felt the whole "she's too good for me" dilemma dragged on for way too long. I wasn't into it.
But overall, I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in some cheesy romance.

This feedback is specifically for the audiobook of How to Plot a Payback.

I loved this twist on the Enemies-to-Lovers trope. These books usually revolve around some grumpy alpha with a chip on his shoulder or some long-term, unrequited pining disguised as hate. In this case, Finn Masters has legitimate reasons to hate Lavender Rhodes. Well, at least from his perspective, before he gets to know her. The more Finn tries to sabotage Lavender, the more he realizes he might have been wrong about her all along.

This is the first audio book I’ve reviewed, already having read the book, and I’ve got to say - it really enhanced the experience. Both parts were well performed. I also found it helpful because I have a hard time accurately imagining accents.

4 stars for the book, plot, etc.
4 stars for the audiobook performance.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook.

3.5🌟
0🌶
➳ Writing
The writing flows very well not making it difficult at all to get through the book. There were plenty of funny lines and cute scenes that could have been cringy but were super cute!
➳ Plot
Basically this guy named Finn thinks that this girl named Lavender is a terrible person and just wants to ruin everybody's life. But as he get's to know her because of course he is forced to work with her as her producer he starts to realize that maybe she isn't so bad.
➳ Characters
Finn is very skeptical and pretty stubborn but he does have a big soft spot for Lavender.
Lavender super sweet and sunshine but is such a people pleaser to the point where if everyone if happy about something she'll use her tremendous acting skills to make it seem like she's happy.
➳ My thoughts
I thought it was so fun but it's advertised as a romance when it's closer to a fiction of Finn not judging a book by its cover. Overall I had a great time listening to this and I would recommend this if you want something fast and heartwarming!

Really liked this! A cute enemies to lovers with more passive aggression. The MMC was clever in his revenge, but his plan always seemed to go awry! Quick cute romcom!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

A well written contemporary novel, which focuses largely on the separate growth of the two leads as opposed to their romantic relationship. The romance is subtle but developed well over the course of the novel, through the character interactions.
The setting was super fun, with a lot of detail put into portraying the tv production and set, as well as LA as a broader setting. Finn's home and place with his elderly neighbours was probably my favourite setting. It felt so real, and really worked as a platform to show Finn's layers as a character.
I really liked how Lavender's character, the woman who unintentionally ruined Finn's life multiple times, was fleshed out. She could come across as very flippant and oblivious, but the explanations for her actions felt true to her and valid. And I liked that she was the labrador character, who just keeps seeking out Finn, even when she figures out he's holding a grudge.
It only really loses that last star because it wasn't as much of a romance as I would have liked.
The audiobook itself was fantastic. The story is dual POV, and has two voice actors. They were both great and I felt fit their respective characters so well. They both had to do multiple accents and I thought they did them well.
If you like a light and easy to read contemporary which doesn't go too in depth with the romance, this one could be for you.

🧡 Enemies to lovers
🧡 Slow burn
🧡 Grumpy/sunshine
🧡 Workplace
🧡 So many animals/puppies
🧡 Closed door romcom
🧡 Dual pov

I REALLY wanted to love this. I have loved all of the books I have read from this author previously and thought that would be the same here. But it just didn't work for me. I didn't feel the bond between our two MCs. I didn't connect with the FMC at all. I LOVED the scene where they are watching the show with the old neighbors and I LOVED the epilogue but I needed more of that and less pet plot.

I'm actually giving the overall rating a star more for the audiobook than I am the ebook because the narrators were THAT good. Steve West blew it out of the park. I also loved how the author started with him, that seems rare in romance.

Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers. I received a complimentary copy of this book.

If you like grumpy/sunshine a clean work place romance this is for you. As the title suggests, this is about plotting a payback. Finn starts working with actress Lavender who he knew in high school. He holds a personal grudge against her and finds this as the best opportunity to give her a taste of her own medicine. What started as funny pranks, I found Finn being way too petty. There are a lot of cute moments with puppies and Finn's neighbors which added so much to the story.

I enjoyed the dual POV and narration. The narrators both did a great job with bringing the story to life.

Thank you to @thomasnelson @netgalley for a copy to the audiobook.

This is a super cute delightful rom com that totally engaged and entertained me. Finn Masters, a television mystery writer has held a grudge against an old school friend Lavender Rhodes for literally years. Lavender is a very successful television star of an extremely popular sitcom in America. He blames her for pretty much everything that has ever gone wrong for him in his life whether warranted or not. But now he has the chance to plot a payback by writing her characters story line in her sitcom. He sets out to make her character spiral out of control, and unfortunately for him none of his efforts succeed. Finn must reassess his feelings and take a hard look at himself and his feelings toward Lavender. This is a very funny and enjoyable story, full of fun characters and snappy dialog. Highly recommended.

The reason they were enemies was kinda dumb and very much one sided. But the love story was cute. A cute little workplace romance.

This book was such a cute enemies to lovers/grunpyxsushine book! I thought Lavender was so full of life and so humble for being a big star. Finn's grumpiness was funny and his failed plots for payback was hilarious.

I really liked that we got to see both Lavender and Finn's POVs and witness the moment they realized they were falling for each other.

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved two actors who played Lavender and Finn.

This one grew on me so if you find yourself not loving it, hang on and it will make sense. In the end, I loved Finn and his old man ways. His neighbors and what Lavender comes to see in him was endearing. Finn wants so badly to plot his payback but he keeps getting thwarted. Lavender took some time to grow on me but in the end I liked her character and have a better understanding of all that came before. The dogs were some of my favorite parts of the book. The romance was subtle and sweet but I loved how it played out. This was my first read by this author and I will definitely be adding her other books to my list.

Steve West as a narrator is always going to be a win for me and I also loved Fiona Hardingham’s take on Lavender.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

This is a sweet wholesome romantic comedy revolving around Finn Masters, who was recruited as the head writing for most highly rated and longest running sitcom in Hollywood. A dream job for any screen writer! Except the fan favorite star of the show, Lavender Rhodes has been the bane of Finn’s existence since they were classmates. In order to wrap his head about working with Lavender, and his inability to avoid her, Finn decides on a plan of payback. I’d say this is an enemies to lovers trope but Lavender doesn’t even know of the grudge Finn has been holding against her! As Finn discovers the true Lavender, can he forgive her for his perceived transgressions.
I absolutely enjoyed the audio version, narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West, and they really added to my enjoyment of this book. I loved hearing Finn’s disdain through Steve West’s voice.
A very entertaining, heartwarming and humorous read that encompasses the grumpy/sunshine, workplace, enemies to lovers and slow burn tropes.

A joy! Just an absolute joy! I love how Ferguson’s stories are just a burst of sunshine and pure entertainment. Each year I’m always looking forward to her latest sweet romcom, and How to Plot a Payback brought all the charm and quirkiness I love!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

Everything, everything, EVERYTHING!! I loved the characters, the plot, the building romance, the humor, just everything!! And it gets even better - This book is set in the TV production world! Need I say more!?!

How was the romance?

I loved following Finn and Lavender’s building romance and found myself rooting for them to find each other from the very first chapter.

🔥Steam Level - Clean romance

How was the pace?

This was a fast-paced story that I couldn’t get enough of.

Do you recommend this book?

You bet I do!! I’m sure you could tell by my obnoxious use of exclamation marks at this point. If you are looking for a fun story to lose yourself in, that is full of lively characters and humor, then I hope you pick this book up to read soon.

How was the audiobook?

I could not stop listening to this book after I started it! Listening to the story unfold through both POV and with two narrators really brought more life and emotions as this slow burn romance unfolded.

Thank you Thomas Nelson, TLC and NetGalley for my gifted copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Harper Collins Christian Publishing and Thomas Nelson for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

First of all, I love the cover! I really enjoyed the narration. Steve West and Fiona Hardingham did a great job! I enjoyed the setting of a tv rom com and the writer’s room for that show. I did like how Finn made it up to her with the show twist at the end. I’ve enjoyed previous books from the author, but this was just not my favorite.

Finn Masters may had reason to be upset with Lavender about his earlier injury, but blaming her for so many things as an adult man just seemed like too much. Some of the things were not directly Lavender’s fault but he still blames her. She was too nice and wanted to support her friends and family even if it wasn’t what she wanted. I thought when she found his list of grievances she’d be mad, but instead she was apologizing to him. I would’ve liked her to stand up for herself like they encourage her character to do on the show. I also would’ve liked more romance. They seemed to quickly go from Finn hating her to having more romantic feelings.

Melissa Ferguson's books seem to be hit or miss for me, and this one was unfortunately a big miss. A character doesn't have to be likable for a book to be good, but in romance... the two kind of go hand in hand, and sadly these characters missed the mark for me. Finn spent the majority of the book being super intense (and not in a good way) and dreadfully petty, while Lavender was like Legally Blonde's Elle Woods but with none of the charisma. While I didn't care for the characters, I do think the audiobook narrators did a really good job performing their roles. I think it was an interesting concept for a book, but I just couldn't connect to the characters or the way it played out, and it ultimately left me apathetic about and not buying into the happily ever after.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.