How to Plot a Payback is a light as air romp about an actress and the screenwriter (who thinks) that he loathes her. It’s a perfectly nice story but the hero takes a little bit too long to accept the responsibility of his own actions, making him feel too stubborn to be believed.
Finn Masters is a suspense writer whose blood-soaked scripts for a crime procedural have gotten him attention – but what he really wants to do is write comedy. Finally, the sun shines upon him and he has the opportunity to join the writing staff at Neighbors – a huge hit sitcom. The star of said hit is Lavender Rhodes, the woman who ruined his chance at becoming an actor back when they were seventeen-year-old drama students.
The transgressions don’t stop there. Finn blames Lavender for dozens of minor infractions that have kept his comedy career from blossoming and plans to enact some massive revenge upon her with what’s at his disposal. But the more time Finn spends around Lavender, the more he realizes her sweetness isn’t an act at all – and that their relationship may lie much closer to love than hatred.
How to Plot a Payback is a warm-hearted little story but its characters are a bit stiff. Finn’s revenge plot is ridiculous and it takes him far too long to realize that it’s pointless, and it has a cascading effect – making Lavender too insipid and the two of them sometimes unbelievable as a romantic pairing.
Yet there’s real humor and tenderness and charm here, which go some way towards making up for its deficiencies and the behind the scenes Hollywood details feel very true to life. How to Plot a Payback is far from being a perfect romance, but it’s entertaining enough if you’re looking for something inoffensive and undemanding.
Sensuality: Kisses
Publication Date: 02/2024
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