Some really cute YA banter/ love story and a great palette cleanser! I loved the side cast of characters and the supportive friend group! Will definitely read more books by this author!

I thought this was adorble romance and had a nice balance of high school drama and also just fun vibes. I also liked how this book tackled harder topics like demtia and also just unique intreasts like podcasting. I also was fond of the romacne and really loved all the side characters!!

5 Stars

I did an internal happy dance when I received an early copy of Better Than Revenge! I was thrilled because I have been a long time stan of Kasie West and have read all of her books. Better Than Revenge has got to be one of my favorites & definitely in my top three!

Finley is a junior in high school who has dreamed of being a host on her school’s podcast for as long as she can remember. She’s finally reached try-outs after preparing for years when the coveted spot is stolen from her not only by someone she trusts but someone who also stole her idea to win! She decides the only way forward is to exact revenge and teams up with an unlikely source to help her plan succeed.

Better Than Revenge was funny, swoony & very reminiscent of your favorite teen comedy you grew up watching over and over. I think Kasie writes the perfect YA romantic comedies! I truly can’t wait to share them with my daughter one day. They’re funny &
sweet while also not being juvenile or explicit. If you’re not a teenager anymore (like me) then I would say if you still enjoy watching your favorite teen movies you grew up with like Ten Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, Mean Girls or She’s The Man then you might really love Kasie West! My favorites off the top of my head are this one, Borrow My Heart & P.S. I Like You!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who’s an avid reader of young adult books, when I read the synopsis of Better Than Revenge, I couldn’t wait to dive into the story.

We meet our main character, Finley, as she’s getting ready to try out for her schools podcast. Things don’t go as planned when her boyfriend, Jensen, decides to try out as well and ends up landing the role.

Upset, Finley’s determination to get him back leads to her trying out for the for schools football team. With the help of her handsome but cocky enemy, Theo, Finely will have no problem at tryouts.

But when complicated feelings and a thirst for revenge mix together, is it possible for things to work out?

From the start of the story, West doesn’t waste time diving into the thick of things. Seeing all the characters different personalities unfold truly made them stick out beyond the page.

Finely as our main protagonist was enjoyable, but I wish we would’ve gotten more depth from her. At times, she did fall a bit flat for me. Other than that, I loved seeing her relationship with her grandmother. Their podcast episodes together had to be one of my favorite parts of the story.

Theo was such a witty and charming love interest. The banter between the two main characters was cute and swoon worthy. The last few scenes could only be described as the perfect romcom ending.

Overall, Better Than Revenge is a sweet treat of a book that I’ll most definitely be recommending to anyone looking for an adorable young adult romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kasie West for sending me this arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Kasie West and NetGalley for this eARC.

If you are looking for one of the cutest YA romances to cleanse the pallet, you have found it here.
All Finley has dreamed of since starting high school is hosting the school podcast. When her football player boyfriend decides to try out for the podcast with no warning and gets it... cue revenge time with the help of her (ex) boyfriend's rival, Theo.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the relationship Finely had with her friend group. I wish we would have seen more of Theo's relationships in the book. I also loved loved loved Finley's relationship with her grandma. As a grandma's girl, it hit close to my heart.

Trigger warning for caregivers of a family member with memory impairments/dementia.

Super cute read. 4/5 stars

When it comes to YA contemporary books, I always have to remind myself that the characters are supposed to be stupid, immature, and cringy. I enjoyed the fact that Finley and Theo seem to be aware of their actions and own up to them, but a lot of it I still said “yikes” to. Also, I need to know whose parents don’t ask questions about where their child is going at all random times of the day or do not check in after a breakup. They ask her about their parenting, and sometimes as amazing as it would be to not have your parents grill you about everything, Finley is still a child and needs support. Baffled me a little there. I also was more invested in her grandma’s story the whole time and wish we got to know more.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

title: Better than Revenge

author: Kasie West

publisher: Delacorte Romance

publication date: December 31, 2024

pages: 320

peppers: 1 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: When Finley's boyfriend thoughtlessly auditions for and gets the podcast spot Finley has wanted for a long time, she enlists the help of her now ex-boyfriend's nemesis to teach her how to kick a football, a skill she will use to take the thing he most wants away from him.

tropes:

getting revenge
secret training sessions
friends-to-couple
cocky kid who turns out to be shy
interesting family history

what I liked:

sweet characters
good lesson

what I didn’t like: nothing, though reading YA for the first time in a long time hit different.

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

I had a lot of fun reading Better Than Revenge. Kasie West always writes sweet YA rom-coms, and I’m always here for that.

Finley has one major goal she’s been working toward throughout her high school career: to be on her school’s podcast. She’s worked hard, and her boyfriend, Jensen, knows just how hard. He also decides to try out at the last second and uses one of her ideas. How rude…

Finely decides she needs some revenge. Who better to help her than Jensen’s rival, Theo. Theo and Finley were amazing, and I loved them together. I also really loved the side story with her grandma and learning her story through Finley’s personal podcast. This book made me smile throughout and I truly enjoyed reading it.

What’s the best way to heal a broken heart? Revenge.

Get ready to swoon when you read Better Than Revenge by Kasie West because you like…

🌹 sweet, slow burns
🌹 everything going wrong
🌹 high school antics
🌹 enemies to lovers
🌹 witty banter
🌹 relatable everything

This love story is wholesome and heartwarming.

🩷HER🩷
Finley has a single-minded focus and determination to get things done, whether those things are a podcast job or revenge. She feels betrayed, confused, angry and she’s feisty enough to take matters into her own hands.

💙HIM💙
Theo is gorgeous and he knows it. Rich and athletic, he travels with an air of superiority that makes him seem unreachable. But he’s not above a little revenge.

📖 THEIR STORY 📖
When Finley’s football player boyfriend steals the thing she wants most from her, she decides to get even. Teaming up with her now ex-boyfriend’s gorgeous nemesis, Theo, seems like icing on the cake of her revenge plan. He’s the cocky, injured star kicker of the football team, and the perfect person to help Finley steal the thing her ex wants most right out from under his nose - the now open starting kicker spot on the team. But as Finley discovers things are not what they seem, she’ll have to choose the something (or someone) she wants most now.

Coming 12/31/24. Reserve your copy now!

Thank you to @kasiewest and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Better Than Revenge.

If you like swoonworthy, relatable, authentic love stories you just can’t put down, read Better Than Revenge.

The hangover is worth it.

4.5 stars – Better Than Revenge by Kasie West is about Finley and her dreams of becoming a podcaster. Her boyfriend, Jensen, decides to try out for the same podcaster role that Finely has been prepping for. Jensen steals her idea, tries out, and gets the role she wanted. After they break up, she plots her revenge. As Finley follows through with her revenge ideas, she discovers that revenge isn’t always sweet. Finley grows and learns important lessons about herself and others. This book is a little light in the romance department, but Theo is a top-notch book boyfriend. There is a wonderful second plot line running through involving Finley’s sassy grandmother and her young adult life. I enjoyed this book so much! I would love to see a follow-on story about Finley’s friend Deja.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for allowing me to read an advance copy. This independent, honest review is happily shared.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of this book. This was a cute YA enemies to lovers story with a side of revenge. I finished it in one evening and thought it was great!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I discovered Kasie West several years ago with P.S I like you (which I often think about) but I hadn’t followed up with any of her recent work until I saw Better than Revenge available on NetGalley. I was pretty excited to be selected to review this arc. This YA book had all of the elements I love: witty banter, strong female protagonist and of course, romance. I will definitely have to go back and check out more recent publications from West because this was a touchdown for me (see what I did there 😏).

Kasie West's books are always entertaining and quick reads. This enemies to lovers/dating story is another great example of this.

I just love books like this. Finley's boyfriend is a typical highschool boy who can't see past his own face, but he has really hurt Finley and she is out for revenge. His nemesis Theo also wants to get under his skin so working with Finley to best him seems like a perfect idea. You can tell that Theo likes Finley more than she realizes and as it becomes more, this relationship built on revenge seems a little sour.
When Finley gets everything she's wanted, it doesn't seem so sweet, but Theo is there cheering her on no matter what.
I loved the aspect of this book with Finley and her grandma and the side storylines here. There was so much depth to this story other than just a high school romance about revenge. It is about growth and growing up and learning from mistakes.
Thanks to Random House, Negalley and Kasie West for an early copy.

This book was pretty cute. I found the story about Grandma very uniquely told. I really wanted a little more at the end to tie up her future. There were some things left underdeveloped. But overall I really enjoyed this one.

I read 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 a few years ago and remember really enjoying it, so when I saw 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 on NetGalley to request, I did just that. Immediately. Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for my e-arc. ⁣
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I thought this book was so fun. I love how it wasn’t just about a path to revenge but also a love story. It’s a story about drive. ⁣
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At this point, I will read anything that Kasie West writes. I have really enjoyed both the books I have read by her so far.⁣
⁣
Guess what? The pub date got pushed up and now, 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 is coming out December 31st.

Let me introduce you to a book that has all the right ingredients for a perfect YA novel. It just has it all! You have a strong female lead, planning for her future while dealing with the day to day drama of high school and boys. You have a solid friend group, loyal besties that have our lead’s back. You have stereotypes and high school hijinks; jocks and pranks and parties. And best of all you have a friends/enemies to lovers romance that is truly swoon worthy. It honestly was such a fun, sweet enjoyable ride with no spice and made for the perfect Young Adult novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm always so excited to read Kasie West's newest young adult novels, and Better Than Revenge was even better than I hoped!
The banter between Finley and Theo was fantastic, and their budding feelings about each other developed at just the right pace. The short chapters kept me reading well past time to get to other responsibilities. Everything about this story just felt right. My romance readers will love this one! I can't wait to share it with them!

Better Than Revenge was a cute YA high school romance. The concept of the plot felt unique and refreshing. The main character Finely wants to be a podcaster and then pivots to try to steal her ex-boyfriend’s spot as the kicker on the football team as revenge when he gets her podcasting spot. I also loved the side story where she interviews her grandmother with Alzheimer's throughout the book. Overall, it’s the perfect, fluffy, quick read if you want a clean romance. Gave 4 stars instead of 5 because some of the side character development felt like it was missing, but not enough to take away from the story too much.

I thought this was the cutest book and I even loved West's little Taylor Swift love note. Finley was a good main character and I liked her self-doubt because I think it's very relatable to girls. I didn't . . . like the message. I mean, I liked that Finley learned you can't feel better by taking something from someone that you don't even want in the first place. I get that. But I mean, why not? Isn't that what auditions and tryouts are? I don't know. I don't like books for girls that send the message that even when someone does you dirty, the girl ALWAYS needs to be the bigger person. Humanity is bad. It's just played out.
I did like the love story and, even as a grown woman, I was smitten with Theo. He was so genuine and really kind. But you know . . . he was forgiven for being human. He got to make a mistake. Yes, he had consequences, but we weren't subjected to pages and pages of shame. It was kind of a bummer.
The only other thing I will say is that the pacing on this was rough. Nothing really happens until about 70% and the conflict between the leads doesn't start until like 90. There wasn't enough of the good and the challenge was too fast to create much tension,