I will always read a revenge story. There’s something cathartic about stories of revenge. Yet at the same time, they’re also stories about hope and self-discovery. Better Than Revenge is no exception. Keep reading this book review of Better Than Revenge for my full thoughts.
Summary
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
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We love revenge and we love a Taylor Swift lyric. And we also hate Jensen because that betrayal made me almost want to rage throw the book. I’m totally team Finley. I am one to hold a grudge and you know I was fuming. Better Than Revenge is a story about revenge and taking back our sense of power. But, like many other revenge stories, it’s also realizing that it’s not about them, it’s about us. We need to assert our own voice, our own agency, our own power. To realize that the best revenge is moving on.
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Better Than Revenge is a story focused on Finley. It’s focused on her realizing that she needs to speak up. We can be so scared of going down a different path, of failure, of messy mistakes. We can also feel so stupid for wasting our time, energy, and love on someone. But Better Than Revenge is about realizing that it’s their loss, that it’s never a mistake to care about someone, to follow our dreams. That we should focus on ourselves, on our own journey, our own talents. It’s a swoony entertaining story which reminds us that at the root of our revenge is ourselves.
Find Better Than Revenge on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.