Vengeance Planning for Amateurs

Read Time: 3 Minutes

Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter is a delightfully offbeat romantic comedy that blends revenge, romance, and absurdity into a heartwarming narrative. Set in Melbourne, Australia, the story follows Olivia Roberts, a muffin baker pushed to her limits by an unfortunate series of toxic exes. The final straw? The theft of her beloved nana’s stuffed penguin. Determined to reclaim her dignity (and the penguin), Olivia posts an ad seeking a henchperson to assist in her quest for mild vengeance.

What follows is a comedy of poorly executed revenge plots wrapped around a slow-burning romance between the sweet and happy-go-lucky Olivia (owner of the Love Muffins bakery) and the aloof, hilariously deadpan Dr Margaret Blackwood (owner of the Mary Buggs Bookshop and foremost expert on Australian bushrangers). If opposites attract, then you couldn’t find two people more opposite.

Olivia is warm-hearted and sees the good in everyone, even when they absolutely don’t deserve it. She’s friendly, optimistic, and naive when it comes to spotting manipulators which her track record of unfortunate exes can attest to. But under all that sweetness is someone quietly determined to take her power back, one mildly criminal plan at a time.

Margaret, meanwhile, is all sharp edges and ice-queen energy, hiding away in her bookshop office and where her only interaction with people involves tossing out quiet, snarky comments during book club meetings. Getting to know Margaret through her nightly journal entries was an excellent move. These private moments that slowly revealed someone much more vulnerable and uncertain beneath the prickly exterior.

The revenge planning is outrageously funny. What starts as a relatively tame revenge plan quickly detours into ideas on kidnapping, sketchy surveillance, and potential manslaughter charges. Fortunately, they go for less scorched-earth tactics… although breaking and entering into a high-rise penthouse still edges firmly into “definitely illegal” territory.

The supporting cast is just as wonderfully odd. The locals from the book club all add a uniquely Aussie flavour. The dry Aussie banter is absolutely on point, and rings so true for many time I’ve sat around talking nonsense with my mates. Heaps of silly “muffin” related puns, both clean and mildly dirty as the romance side of this rom-com starts to heat up.

I went into this from the blurb alone, so had no idea it was an Australian rom-com, but that became obvious pretty quickly. If the Australian narrator didn’t give it away or Oliva driving around in an old Kombi van, the phrase “What’s that thieving mole want now?” sold it. So Aussie.

Cat Gould’s narration is a perfect match for the story and the characters. She nails the cadence and delivery and really leans into the humour and emotions without ever going over the top. No production issues, a nice clean read all the way through.

There’s a lot of heart tucked in among between the silliness. Olivia trying to become a stronger, more assertive and confident person after having her heart stomped on again and again by horrible ex-lovers. Margaret is in desperate need for the ice in her heart to melt a little and let someone in again. The found-family type vibe of the book club and the bonds they share.

Overall, if it’s not obvious by now, Vengeance Planning for Amateurs was such a fun story to listen to. It’s crazy and warm with a small dash of spice. It’s definitely in my list of audiobooks to relisten to. Perfect if you enjoy rom-coms with a chaotic criminal twist and a big spoonful of Aussie flavour. There’s a lot to love here!

---

Note: These are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you decide to sign up. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and it helps support our site! ♥