Better Than Revenge
By: Kasie West
Publication: December 31, 2024 by Delacorte Romance
320 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--A swoony new romance from the author of Sunkissed! When her football-player boyfriend and now ex lands the podcast job she’s been dreaming of, a girl takes matters into her own hands by enlisting the help of his nemesis to get revenge.Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school's podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she's left confused and betrayed.
Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost.
By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen's spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen's cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can't let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?
I have been a long-time Kasie West fan. I've read 15 books by her with 3ish left unread. When you look at someone's entire catalog of work and you've read most or all of their published books, I think you can consider yourself a fan. I haven't loved every single book by Kasie West. There are a few that I didn't enjoy as much. But overall, I find her to be a consistent author with consistent content. That said, I was a little disappointed that she joined the LGBTQ bandwagon in Better than Revenge. The main characters are straight, but there's a gay secondary couple.
Basically, Finley has dreamed of becoming one of the two podcast hosts for her school's podcast. This is for two reasons. One, she loves podcasts. Two, the podcast hosts will have an internship or scholarship, I can't remember which. The only problem is that Finley's long-term boyfriend decides last minute to try out for the position, using one of Finley's ideas. An idea that he guided her away from using. And he doesn't seem to take it seriously or realize how hurt Finley is over his choice--which proves that he isn't right for her. Heartbroken, Finley breaks up with him and vows revenge.
Enter Theo. Jensen (the traitor-ex) has always had some kind of rivalry with Theo. Theo has always played first-string kicker and Jensen wants the position. Jensen always felt like he deserved the spot. And well, Finley is determined to get Theo to teach her how to kick (now that Theo is injured and out of the running for first string) to get back to Jensen for stealing her dream position. Only, Finley didn't count on liking Theo. But can she trust that Theo isn't just using her to get revenge on Jensen, also? I really liked the relationship between Finley and Theo. Theo is just a really nice guy, and he deserves an award. I also liked the message of the story. I don't want to give too much away, but is revenge ultimately satisfying? I also liked Finley's podcast with her grandma. It was so heartwarming to see her trying to preserve her grandmother's memories while she still has them. My siblings and I did something similar with my dad a few years ago (although he doesn't have Alzheimer's).
Favorite quotes:
-"That's what Jensen said...about you." "He appreciated my peak physical condition?" I shook my head. "No. He said you were full of yourself." "Who else am I going to be full of?"
-"Am I going to hurt you?" I said through my shivering lips. "You're not going to hurt me. I have you." "I don't feel had." He reached up, took me by the waist, and lifted me up and around until both my feet were on the patio next to the steps. I gasped in a cold breath of air. Oh. I was had.
-"I hope you get to it soon," he said. "I need the kiss." His smirk was back. The little punk knew exactly what he was doing.
-"Imagine," Grandma said in an ill-timed moment of clarity, "what you could've accomplished if you spent that much time and energy doing something for yourself."
-"Can mistakes be purposeful, though?"
All in all, Better than Revenge was really good. I liked the story. I liked Finley even if her motivations were misplaced. I liked her journey and the moral of the story. I liked Finley with Theo. I just plain liked Theo. I liked Grandma. But I still felt sad over Kasie West's step into woke culture. Better than Revenge gets 4 Stars. Have you read Better than Revenge? What did you think? Let me know!
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