Genre: YA romance
Overall rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: 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?
Review:
Better than Revenge was a really cute YA romance novel with a unique and original idea. FMC Finley has always wanted to be a podcaster, but when she finds out her boyfriend tried out for the coveted spot on their school's podcast team on a whim and beat her to it using her own stolen idea, she immediately dumps him and starts training with football kicker Theo to take her ex's desired position on the football team.
For me, the best part of this book was the B-plot of Finley's grandma's stories. I loved how Finley's investment went beyond just practicing interviewing, how she was so genuinely interested in learning about her grandma's life and patient with her condition. It added such a fun layer to the story and makes everything so much more meaningful.
Of course, not to say that the main couple wasn't adorable. Theo and Finley have that classic Kasie West chemistry that has me hooked on anything she writes, and their dynamic was so much fun to read. The only thing that put me off a bit was the way their relationship developed so fast and kind of out of nowhere – In the first chapter before Finley's ex auditions for the podcast, she's still very much invested in him, and while I get that what he did was an absolute jerk move, it seems like it should have taken a little more time before someone like Finley would jump right into another relationship. It threw me off a bit, but I still think they're very cute together.
Finally, an honorable mention needs to go to Finley's personal character development. Her journey from her rage-fueled scheming at the start to gradually ending up in a place of realizing the importance of forgiving and doing things for the right reasons highlights her growth in a remarkable way, and made this story leave a good taste in my mouth at the end. I'm so proud of her.
Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a physical ARC of this book! This did not affect my review/rating in any way. You can click here to see the tour schedule and check out everyone else's amazing posts, and you can preorder Better Than Revenge from Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, or any other retailer of your choice. The publishing date is 1/7/25, which was two days ago, so it's currently out in the world wherever books are found! And if you happen to be on a book buying ban, I have good news: you can also add it on Goodreads and request it at your local library!
About the author: Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including Borrow My Heart, Places We've Never Been, and Sunkissed. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, JLG selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. When she's not writing, she's binge-watching television, devouring books, or road-tripping to new places. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family.
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