I had a hard time connecting to the MMC the first couple chapters that were from his point of view. However, once the story really got going, I kind of fell in love with it. I absolutely adore the FMC. I kind of wish I had her Rosie outlook on life lol. There is zero spice in this story, but the plot doesn’t need it so I didn’t mind. We’re looking for a nice fluffy easy listen, this one’s your go to.

Although I think this book should've been under contemporary fiction (as it contains little to no romance) I had a good time reading it:) The revenge plotline was very well executed and the narrative style is more funny than it has any right to be. Just wish it had more romance though!!

How to Plot a Payback - Melissa Ferguson 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

☀️Grumpy/Sunshine
♥️Enemies (one sided) to lovers
🤩Celebrity
💋Kissing only

This book was so fun!

Synopsis: Finn Masters lands a dream job producing THE top Hollywood sitcom. The only issue is his biggest rival, Lavender Rose, is the show’s leading lady. Finn and Lavender were school fellows in England until Lavender ruined Finn’s shot at stardom. Since their childhood, she has repeatedly ruined his life. Now Finn wants revenge and he’s going to use his new job as a means to take it.

Review: Hilarity ensues— and I mean it. This book was so funny! The ways Lavender has gotten in Finn’s way are comical and his “payback” is always clever. The romance is written so well, one can’t help but root for them.

A quirky set of side characters round out the book and makes it a quick, easy, enjoyable read!

The audiobook was great. I’m always a sucker for British accents in an audiobook. This book was an easy listen!

Finn Masters blames every significant setback in his life on his childhood rival, Lavender Rhodes. As an accomplished screenwriter, he's brought on board to inject fresh ideas into the long-running, immensely popular sitcom "Neighbors." However, there's a major hurdle: the show's star happens to be Lavender Rhodes.

To be honest, it took me a while to immerse myself in the story. Initially, neither of the main characters grabbed my attention, and the storyline didn't quite captivate me. However, as the narrative unfolded, I found myself enjoying it more.

Dogs play a pivotal role in "How to Plot a Payback," and I'm all for it!

Although this novel is categorized as Christian Fiction, it could easily fit into general chick lit or romantic comedy. While it's undeniably a clean romance, it lacks elements that would categorize it solely as Christian Fiction.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narration engaging, particularly given that the two main characters are British.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ALC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this book! Definitely slow burn. I enjoyed the banter! I am excited to read more by this author. Exclamation, I really like the characters my thought it was really nice characters development. I will be honest. I did almost give up on this book because I thought lavender was a bit annoying but I’m glad I suck it out because I really end up liking her in the end and I think that that’s all because of the way that fan viewed her and it was all about the narration that we got from him and how some characters could be unreliable narrator. I really like this book ❤️

The premise was entertaining but also a little unrealistic, I enjoyed it nonetheless. Think British Jennifer Aniston (while filming Friends)falling for former nemesis turned show producer from her small home town…. It’s a lot, in a good way. Zero spice but plenty of banter and even a few comical moments.

Honestly I did not love the narration on this and could get past the first 4 chapters. I did however borrow this book and read it. I liked the story but would not recommend as an audiobook.

How to Plot a Payback was a fun, lighthearted little romcom for anyone looking for a low-stakes summer read. The narrators were great and a phenomenal fit for the main characters. My only complaint was that the pacing was a bit off, but it hit its mark and definitely a recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this advanced audiobook copy.

What to Expect:

🎬 Workplace romance
☀️ Grumpy-Sunshine
😈 Revenge Gone Wrong
📺 Sitcom screenwriter x lead actress
⭐️ Hollywood behind the scenes
👩‍❤️‍👨 Enemies to Lovers
🐶 Mentions a Dog
🚪 Closed Door
🎧 Dual audiobook narrators

Finn Masters is a screenwriter that just landed a dream gig as a writer for a popular sitcom television show but there is one detail that has him less than thrilled about this new opportunity. What could have him so worked up? The star actress of the show is Lavender Rhodes. Lavender Rhodes has been the one single cause to all o this misfortunes since he was a teenager. Finn has vows get revenge on all the “bad luck” caused by Lavender and that is when he decides to plot a payback… but will it work?

I absolutely adored Meet Me in The Margins by Melissa Ferguson and How to Plot a Payback was just as enjoyable! I read a review saying this book was as if You’ve Got Mail and Friends were mashed together and let me tell you, it was a perfect description! Finn and Lavender may have grown up in the same place, but they are total opposites— Finn has an old fashioned, gentlemen’s soul while Lavender is a bit more charismatic. Their back and forth interactions will have you laughing at times and swooning at others to make this an over all warm and fuzzy romcom! The icing to the How to Plot a Payback experience was the audiobook narration! Fiona Hardingham and Steve West executed the MC’s of Finn and Lavender so well, I was sucked into the story from the start.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Melissa Ferguson for the ALC of How to Plot a Payback! All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.

Cute! This book was very lighthearted, funny, and quick. I really enjoyed that the plot wasn’t based on anything intensely serious. The main conflict between the characters is very far-fetched but it totally still worked. There’s always a place on my shelf for this kind of book. Especially if you’re a mood reader like myself, I recommend picking this one up for those times you need something entertaining and light. This book is also very well done as an audiobook and is easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳."



It's ROUND 2 of Melissa Ferguson for the week!

And this time, it's her NEWEST addition to the book world!

I'll start with 100% honesty, it took me a teensy bit to get in, into this book. But once I did get into it, I really enjoyed it!

I wasn't a huge fan of our MMC towards the middle of the book (I mean, I think that was on purpose) - but he was just taking some of the revenge stuff a bit too far.

And it really made me feel for Lavender. I know what it's like to be a genuinely good person, and still have someone(s) out there not like you for one reason for another. And not even being aware that you're having some kind of effect on someone else's life.

As always, a huge thank you to @thomasnelson and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #howtoplotapayback #melissaferguson #book30of2024 #whatsnikkireading #whatsnikkilisteningto #audioarc #advancedreadercopy #grumpysunshine #enemiestolovers #sitcomsetting #neighbors #bookstareviewweek #thomasnelsonfiction #netgalley @mommaleighellensbooknook @jm_bibliolater @bookstareviewweek

I really enjoyed this cute rom com. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this one made me laugh so hard. Lavender is so quirky. I loved her, she was so relatable. Finn was grumpy, but I liked him too. I would highly recommend this book!

Honestly, this was a cute book. I believe that the narrators that they chose for this book are really good. I gave it three stars. The story flowed really well. The only con that was a little overwhelming was that there was no climax or big bad situation where the has to chose. I felt like there was wasn’t a big problem to resolve. Overall, the It’s cute romance. There was no smut and it’s okay. I love that in this book. They included dogs. I’d recommend this book. It’s a cute grumpy x sunshine.


Thank you NetGañley and the publisher for this arc

How to Plot a Payback is a fun romp through grumpy sunshine. Finn Masters has one lot in life, and that is Lavender Rhodes. Lavender has been ruining Finn’s life one circumstance at a time since stealing his big stage debut as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream back in school. Now they’re both living their very separate lives and dreams in Los Angeles — far from their childhood village in the UK. Actor turned talented writer Finn avoids glittering sitcom star Lavender with every grouchy ounce of his being. When the perfect, unexpected job presents itself that puts Lavender in his orbit on the daily, Finn can’t decline. We’re taken on a lighthearted romp, heavy on the friendships, easy on the romance, and ever so delightfully fun.

This was such a cute read!! If you’re looking for a lighthearted, clean and witty romance, you will love this one.

- Quick Read
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Enemies to lovers
- Clean read (zero spice or language)
- Hollywood vibes (reminded me of Friends)

This was a listen for me, and the narrators were perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh, this rom-com was absolutely delightful! From start to finish, I was laughing out loud at the hilarious hijinks and clever quips exchanged between the totally charming leads. The plot was so original - I've never come across anything quite like it before. As a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes, my heart was so full. This story was an absolute blast from beginning to end. I devoured every word and didn't want it to end! It was such a feel-good, lighthearted read - just what you need for summer. I can't recommend it enough if you're looking for something fun, romantic and sure to put a smile on your face!

I thought this was going to be a cute enemies to lovers romcom that I was super in for. And I actually really enjoyed the first few chapters and found them pretty funny. But it took entirely too long to get to the point. Finn spends basically the entire front half of the book complaining about how he hates Lavender because he is a petty, small man who can't get over something that happened when they were CHILDREN and is now doing better than he is in their 30s. Talk about being overly focused on someone else's life. It's a concept that's better suited to a stalker thriller. There's even a scene where he sits down to write a list of all the ways she's done wrong that he misses a date, and this is somehow Lavender's fault. And then after taking half the book to decide he wants payback, that lasts all of 5 minutes before it backfires and then he decides that he feels bad. And then...all of a sudden they're on a fake date. No slow burn or starting to like each other -just bam. From there things just start to move really fast, going to liking each other, to problem, to resolved in a matter of a couple hours of listening.
That being said, I thought the reading of the audiobook by the voice actors was so great! It is literally the reason I stuck around long enough to finish the book.

Melissa Ferguson is amazing and how she comes up with the dreamiest plots, I'll never know. I loved the book and the audio was fantastic. A must for anyone looking for a summer book to escape into.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook

Enemies to lovers except only one person knows they're enemies and the other has just being trying to do good in a way that has caused pure chaos in the other's life. A dream set up honestly, more than a few laughs and an adorable finish. Both the narrators were amazing and I loved listening to this on my roadtrip!

The premise of this book is super cute. The execution faltered, however. The pacing was a bit off and there was a lack of character depth. I liked the characters ok--but they were bland overall. In addition, the audio version did nothing to add to the character connection. There was no warmth or vivacity whatsoever.