Better Than Revenge is such an adorable and fun YA romance. Finley is a junior in high school, and she is auditioning for her school's podcast. Her boyfriend, Jensen, is a football player, and he sneaks in to audition for the podcast. He steals her spot, and then, he goes on air in front of the whole school and badmouths Finley. She breaks up with him, and she vows to get revenge on him. She and her friends come up with a plan with the help of Theo. Theo is her ex's nemesis. Theo sees that Finley can kick really well, and he agrees to teach Finley how to kick a football. The plan is to get Finley to take Jensen's spot on the football team.

Theo and Finley spend time together, and she starts to see that he is actually a really great guy. He likes spend time with Finley, and he even helps her with her podcast. Finley does a podcast where she interviews her grandmother. Her grandmother has Alzheimer's, and Emily wants to have a recording of her grandmother's stories.

Theo and Finley's friendship turned romance is really sweet. Their friend group is really a tight group, and I enjoyed their dynamic. This was a fun and sweet YA romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book.

What a sweet and nostalgic love story!! I loved the two plots happening throughout this story between Finley’s grandmother’s story with the surfboard and her and theo’s growth from friends to more. Perfect combo of banter and a quick enjoyable read!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the author for an early copy of the e-book! Review is my own based on my own opinions.

Star Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Spice Rating: 0/5 🌶️ (young adult / teen)
Content Warning: grandmother with Alzheimer's and active memory loss

ONE BREATH SUMMARY: When her (now ex) boyfriend swipes the coveted host position on the school podcast that Finley has been working towards for years, she enlists his enemy (football star Theo) to help her get him back, but soon discovers that the road to revenge might come with a cost.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW BELOW:

Finley's story had me invested from the very first moment and that is 100% due to West's incredible storytelling ability. Absolutely no time is wasted getting to the meat and potatoes of why we have all gathered around these pages and—especially when it comes to YA which can sometimes meander due to our teen main character's attention spans, no hate...we've all been there!—I really appreciate that.

In addition to our main revenge plot line, we also have a couple of side quests keeping us company that never feel tiring or out of place. All the pieces of the puzzle fit together seamlessly as we continue to unbox it page by page, even with some secondary story moment paralleling the primary in a exciting, but not predictable way.

Finley and Theo's easy banter had me kicking my feet with a smile the entire way through and as someone who has lost multiple family members to Alzheimer's, I found West's depiction of Finley's grandmother to be very accurate and respectful. Every moment felt very relatable and had me easily slipping back into my teenage / high school mindset, feeling just as confident yet lost as we all know it can be.

Gave me very similar vibes to Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, which is one of the best YA novels ever written, in my opinion. Love seeing young athletic female representation and encouragement!

Overall, I absolutely adored this book!

I had so much fun reading this book - Kasie West always writes the sweetest and swooniest YA Rom-coms and this one did not disappoint!

Finley has had one major high school goal - to be a podcaster for the schools senior-only podcast. There's just one catch - her boyfriend has been supporting and encouraging her, but then at the last minute he decides to also enter the competition to be a podcaster also AND he uses her ideas!

So finally, Finley decides it's time to take matters into her own hands and get revenge. Theo - the biggest rival of Jensen is more than happy to join forces with her and oh how I loved their chemistry! I smiled so much as I continued to read and must say that I really enjoyed the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review

This was such a cute book. I'm such a sucker for sports romances and revenge plots. Her ex boyfriend Jensen made me so made! He was so inconsiderate and didn't really appreciate her. Theo comes off as standoffish, but he's really a sweetheart and he and Finley have a great dynamic. I also enjoyed her grandma's story and how they were trying to find the surf board she lost from her grandma's ex-boyfriend. My grandma had Alzheimers so I could relate to that a lot. I would definitely read more from this author.

It has been a while since I last read a Kasie West book, but they are just as sweet as I remember. She definitely did a great job capturing all the emotions of the story as well as the secondary story of beginning to lose someone to the downward spiral of Alzheimer's disease and the rush to capture the memories of that person.

I really feel as if the heart of this story was learning how to embrace change especially when it comes to finding a new way to achieve your hopes and dreams or even finding a new dream. The banter between the main characters was great (I definitely burst out laughing a few times.), but the part of this story that touched me deeply was Finley's connection to her grandmother. As someone who wishes she would have had the chance to listen to more of her grandma's memories before they were lost to even her, that secondary story and Finley's quest hit especially hard.

I now want to revisit all of West's previous books because of how much I enjoyed this one.

Thanks to @netgalley, @delacorteromance and @kasiewest for the #gifted copy of this book.

Summary: Finley's only dream has been to be the host of a famous podcast. The first step in that plan is to get a hosting spot on her high school's podcast team. What was not in the plan... her boyfriend, the kicker on the football team, trying out for that spot on a whim with her idea. Now that her dreams and plans are ruined, all Finley can think about is ruining Jensen's one true love football. Enlisting Jensen's nemesis Theo, Finley decides that the best revenge is to take his starting kicking spot on the team. But what happens when you start to have feelings for the one boy you've always thought was the enemy?

My Thoughts: This one surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I don't typically enjoy high school-based YA stories anymore(mostly because I'm too far removed from that time in my life now), but this one was great! I loved that Finley's revenge plan included trying out to be the kicker on the football team and enlisting Jensen's self-proclaimed nemesis to help her. The banter and relationship that formed between Theo and Finley was so fun and exactly what I wanted in this story. My favorite part of this story was probably the podcast Finley hosted at home with her grandma telling her stories before she forgot them all with her Alzheimer's. What a beautiful gift for her family she was creating.

This is the perfect quick, cute read when you need a good laugh and a smile on your face.

Read if you love:
🔥Revenge scheme
🎤Podcasts
💕YA Romance
🏈Football-specifically the kickers
😍He falls first

Better Than Revenge was an adorable love story!! I loved the banter and great characters. I did think some of Finley’s choices were very stupid, thus the -.5, but other than that, I loved everything! I absolutely LOVED Theo. He’s being added to the book boyfriend list! I felt like I could relate to both Finley and Theo, too. Which is one of the major reasons why I rated this highly! Thank you Netgalley and Kasie West for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for providing the ARC.

Finley is absolutely crushed when her boyfriend of one year, Jensen, decides to audition to host the school's podcast - the very same one that Finley has worked towards for years and spent weeks with that very same boyfriend perfecting her pitch. Not only does Jensen secure the host position she has been vying for without any kind of experience, but he does so by stealing one of the ideas that she had pitched to him during her practice sessions. Not content to sit by the wayside and watch him live out her hosting dreams, Finley vows revenge by auditioning for his position on the football team, knowing that he has spent he last few years watching on the sidelines as second string. And who better to help than Jensen's nemesis - pretty boy Theo, who was the reason that Jensen spent time on the bench.

This was such a cute rom-com! Finley was such a dynamic character and it was hard not to root for her, even when she was doing things that were not exactly ideal. However, her revenge plot is highly believable. Who hasn't carefully and extensively mapped out what they would like to do to bring their ex down? And who hasn't acted on some of those ideas, to an extent. Jensen was portrayed as a typical high school boy concerned with only himself. Empathy is not strong with this one, and you will be fuming right along with Finley throughout the story as she navigates this new dynamic with her (ex) boyfriend. Theo is adorable, definitely the quiet, stoic hot guy with a chip on his shoulder. He and Finley have a very sarcastic type of banter that is quite funny.

There is a small subplot regarding Finley's grandmother and her Alzheimer's. While it doesn't really pertain to the overall plot, it does bring some warmth and heart to the story. You get to see Finley in her element and see how much joy podcasting brings her while simultaneously understanding just how deeply she cares for her family. It was a nice a touch to a book that really focused on Finley's anger towards Jensen and the situation he placed them in.

Overall, this was a solid YA read. I think teens will definitely resonate with the characters and the story.

This was such a cute and funny read!

Finley has one dream and that is to be on her school's podcast as a host but her boyfriend Jenson ( of course a J name) decides at the last minute to not only, audition but uses her idea to steal her spot. Needless to say, Finley is mad and out for revenge.. She decides to team up with his nemesis and try to take Jenson's spot on the football team as the kicker.

I could definitely get behind this revenge plot. Finley has a great cast of supportive friends cheering her on which I am always a sucker for. What can I say about Theo our MMC? He was exactly what I like to read about in an enemies to lovers romance. By the end, I really loved him as a YA book boyfriend.

Although the revenge plot was great, what stole the show was Finley and her own podcast with her grandmother. This unexpected adventure was so sweet and entertaining. I was eagerly reading these chapters to learn more about her grandmother.

This was a quick feel good romance that was funny and had lots of heart. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a YA romance.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

Better Than Revenge by Kasie West is about a young teen out for revenge against her ex-boyfriend with the help of his rival. Finley has one dream: to become a famous podcaster. When she tries out for her school’s podcast team, her boyfriend Jensen, who has never shown interest before, decides to try out too using one of Finley’s ideas. Hurt and betrayed, Finley and her friends concoct a revenge plot, but they need to find a way to hurt Jensen the way he’s hurt Finley: take his place on the football team as kicker.

Finley is admittedly hurt throughout most of the book. It was easy to empathize with her. This is a position she has been working toward since she was in middle school. To have it taken away from her at the last minute by someone she trusted who used her idea is unforgivable. To add insult to injury, Jensen insults her, not to her face, but through the school’s intercom not realizing it was live. Can’t say I blame her for wanting a little revenge. Then enters Theo.

Theo is a year ahead of Finley and Jensen’s rival on the football team. With Theo graduating, Jensen is a shoe-in for the starting kicker position. But Finley has a good leg on her. With a little help from Theo, she’ll be able to tryout for the team and potentially take Jensen’s spot. Theo is all for helping her, training her during the week and on the weekends. The question is why is he so invested.

While the revenge scheme is the main plot of the story, I personally loved Finley’s grandmother’s story. Finley’s grandmother has been living with her family since she accidentally burned her house down. She has dementia and is slowly losing her memory. While her day-to-day memory isn’t great, she can remember her past the best. So Finley has started a podcast at home, asking her grandmother about her past. A memory about a surfboard linked to a famous local artist leads to more questions than answers and boosts the podcast, making it go viral.

Overall, Better Than Revenge is a sweet YA romance about a young girl navigating her first heartbreak. I enjoyed Theo and Finley’s connection as well as their competitive natures. Finley’s revenge isn’t perfect, but how it plays out is pretty close to it. If you enjoy contemporary YA or are looking for a sweet read to end the year, I highly recommend it.

I have been reading Kasie West books since I was 14 (I’m 20 now) and reading made me feel like I was reading her books for the first time.

I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time.

This book is no literary masterpiece, but it is cute, fun, and an easy read. And it was exactly what I needed.

Kasie West continues to be my ultimate YA Romance Queen with this hilarious new book full of sizzling chemistry, a little bit of revenge, and a whole lot of self-discovery.

First of all, like ALL other Kasie West books, Better Than Revenge was full of the snarky humor and was just plain cute. Every book of West’s that I’ve read has instantly transported me back to high school full of those big feelings, swoony moments, and banter-filled friend groups. I can’t help but be happy and smiling while reading a Kasie West book, and this one was no exception.

I loved the growth we saw in FMC Finley. Starting out with nothing but revenge on her mind, she grew to recognize that she still didn’t want anything to do with the people who had hurt her, but she also let go of that hate for peace. I loved that the book promoted that the ultimate “revenge” is not really caring at all and allowing yourself to move past the event BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF LETTING SOMEONE WALK ALL OVER YOU! I also really liked the growth she had in putting herself out there and not worrying about making mistakes as much. She lived so much of her life not doing this and continuously trying to “edit” her life, that she wasn’t really living or experiencing life. I think these are such powerful messages and ones that young people likely reading this book will benefit from.

I loved how Finley’s opinion of Theo grew as time went on. From the beginning, she seemed to be sharing Jensen’s feelings about Theo, given that appeared to be her only real contact with him (through Jensen’s stories of him). I loved how as we got to know Theo, as Finley got to know Theo, her mind changed and she actually allowed herself to come to her own conclusions on him, even when it seemed those closest to her still wanted to steer her away from him.

Speaking of, I loved how Theo kept a bit of a closed off exterior but was quick to help and protect Finley whenever it was needed. He definitely fell for her first, which was obvious but made me giddy with each muttered comment he threw at her indicating his feelings from well before they started hanging out.

I also ADORED their meet cute (or rather their second meet cute). Him catching her red-handed in the men’s bathroom doing some vengeful stuff against Jensen was hilarious and adorable!

I absolutely loved the side quest running throughout the book about Finley’s podcast highlighting her grandmother’s life and the search for the stolen surfboard. I especially loved how Theo contributed so much to the search and his grand gesture at the end (shhhhh….I’m not telling you more than that!). I also loved how Finley’s grandmother’s Alzheimer’s was portrayed realistically. She had her good days and her bad days, and I loved that West did not shy away from some of the harder elements of what this could look like to a teenager.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance, and Kasie West for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

4.5 stars!

What a cute, fast read! After her boyfriend steals her idea and her spot as a podcast lead at school and publicly humiliates her, Finley decides to get revenge by getting his nemesis and rival Theo to teach her how to kick for the football team and take his spot. The forced proximity in this one led to the most hilarious and witty banter between the two, and I loved how quickly I was rooting for them to be together. As the two grow closer and help Finley's grandmother, who is suffering from dementia, explore the secrets of her first love on a podcast Finley is orchestrating, they both have to learn about real, healthy communication and that karma over revenge is always best.

The podcast aspect of this novel was especially charming and showed the depths of dementia--the highs and the lows. Theo was a great compliment to Finley, and I enjoyed seeing how they both challenged each other to realize their own flaws and work through them. The grand gesture at the end was so sweet, if a bit unrealistic, and the nod to Taylor Swift through title and dedication will warm any Swiftie's heart. I can't believe this is my first Kasie West. I'll be digging into her back catalogue immediately!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

I have been wanting to read a book by Kasie West and this was a great introduction to her. I definitely will read more and this is one I will purchase for our school library. I think some of my students would really enjoy it. This book had me giggling and feeling like a kid watching a great romcom. I love the witty banter sooo much! There's so much to love about this YA romance, but I have to start with the characters. Finley is such a funny and relatable protagonist! I love how unapologetic she is about what she wants, whether it's being a podcast host at her high school, stealing her ex-boyfriend's spot on the football team, or working with her ex-boyfriend's handsome rival. Theo is also so much more than that though and I really liked him, he volunteers with a youth program that helps little kids discover a love of football and goes out of his way to help Finley care for her Grandmother. Theo and Finley are really open about what they want from each other, and I am here for it. I really loved the relationship with her grandmother and the podcast in preserving the memories. It was so good and added another great layer to this book.

This will be a solid recommendation once it is in our library.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital arc to preview.

{ 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 }
by Kasie West
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: 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.

Narrator(s): Jesse Vilinsky
Length: 9h 1m
Source: ALC - PRH Audio
Release Date: December 31 , 2024

•••••••
Absolutely adorable new romance from ya superstar, Kasie West. It has all the makings of a perfect read: a strong, but wronged FMC, a misunderstood, swoon-worthy MMC, a diverse close-knit group of friends, a plot that develops naturally, and a sweet as pie romance that leaves you feeling high on endorphins.

Finley was an exceptionally flawed character, but she was also reflective and owned up to her many mistakes. Theo was such a good male character. He was steadfast and supportive, even when they had struggles. And the friend group? Goals!

The message of the story, the pacing, and the natural development of all things ya were spot on, like usual with this author. I can’t wait for the next!

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}

This book was just a delight. It was light, funny, sweet and full of great characters that were relatable and also full of complexity. I thought Finley was just so fun. I LOVED her pettiness when it came to Jensen, but I also enjoyed seeing her realize how awesome and determined she was even without revenge driving her. I liked her group of friends, but I did think there was some weirdness throughout with Deja that needed more explanation or resolving. I LOVED THEO. Oh my goodness, top tier YA book boyfriend. And I also very much enjoyed seeing Finley and her grandmother connecting over the podcast amidst the Alzheimer’s diagnosis. I thought that was done incredibly well and with such care. I will say and this is never a negative from me, but this is a VERY YA book. The teenagers are teenagering so if that’s not your thing, it might not be for you. However, if you’re like me and LOVE true YA books, I’d recommend it for a funny and sweet read.
PS. I hope that for the rest of his life when he’s in a big rush, Jensen hits every single red light possible on his drive to wherever he’s going.
CW: Alzheimer’s

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for an advanced digital readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

4.2⭐ out 5

Words to describe this book:
-warm hug
-chocolate chip cookies warm out the oven
-wholesome
-cute

I loved this book! It had me hooked from the beginning and it kept me entertained the whole way through. I really enjoyed how Finley and Theo came to be. It was just too cute. In Finley's plan to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend, after his betrayal, she ends up falling for his arch nemesis Theo. Finley slowly warms up to him and realizes that there is more to him than meets the eye. It doesn't help Theo is a gigantic teddy bear and has great ways to show he cares for Finley.

Highly recommend!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

They say that revenge is best served cold, but this friends to lovers proves otherwise.

Better than Revenge by Kasie West is a YA contemporary about two unlikely friends on a journey of self-discovery through podcast shenanigans and general football related debacles. Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one goal: 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?

What I liked most about this book was, the way West handled the topic of Dementia. Especially in the form of how it differed scene by scene instead of being this static background character. Which both in turn hit close to home and created some rather funny moments. The setting was rather dull, but the character of Theo. Overall, I will read anything and everything by Kasie West, and this title isn't one to miss.

Finley has been waiting to try out for one of the two host spots on her school's podcast since seventh grade, but on a whim and her idea, her boyfriend steals her dream right from under her. After that and some rather rude and public criticisms about her hosting abilities, they are so over. But Finley isn't happy, Jensen is living her dream and she wants to take away his. So, she decides to steal his starting spot as the football team's kicker and enlists the help of Jensen's nemesis, Theo, to help her. And what is better than revenge..?

A fun, lighthearted read! The MCs had great banter and easy chemistry! I know "revenge isn't the answer", but I do hate when someone who wrongs you seems to still have all the good karma. I loooove how all her friends encourage her to get revenge and let her feel her hurt. Sometimes, you need to take the low road for a lil and I love friends who support what their friend needs. I did lowkey think something was going on with her one friend. And hearing her learn her grandmother's story was so touching!

A cute revenge romance that gives how to lose a guy in 10 days vibes!

Rating: 4/5
Spice Level: 0.5/5