Better Than Revenge by E.J. Blaise
Author: E.J. Blaise
Genre: Contemporary Romance | College Romance | Sports Romance | Fake Dating
Publisher: Headline Eternal
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ⭐ 3.5/5
Synopsis
Daniela Williams isn't interested in winning back the boyfriend who cheated on her. After discovering that not only was he seeing someone else, but that members of their swim team knew and never bothered to tell her, Daniela has something considerably more satisfying in mind.
Revenge.
Her plan involves Heath Belfort, a ridiculously handsome local surfer who also happens to be her ex's biggest swimming rival. Heath consistently beats him in the pool, refuses to rise to his taunts and is basically the perfect person for Daniela to fake date if she wants to make her ex miserable.
Heath agrees, with one condition. Daniela has to tutor him so he can pass his history class.
A few staged kisses and public appearances should be easy enough.
Except fake relationships have an unfortunate habit of developing very real feelings.
My Thoughts
I had a fun time reading Better Than Revenge.
The premise immediately gave me the kind of petty revenge setup I can appreciate. Daniela discovers that her boyfriend cheated on her and, even worse, that their entire swim team apparently knew about it and nobody thought she deserved a heads-up.
Does she want him back?
Absolutely not.
Does she want a little revenge?
Well...
Enter Heath Belfort.
Heath was easily my favorite part of this book. This man has total golden retriever energy: sweet, patient, supportive and completely gone for Daniela practically from the beginning.
I couldn't help rooting for him.
The fake-dating arrangement was also a lot of fun, particularly as Heath kept putting genuine effort into making their supposedly fake relationship convincing. There were some great moments between them, and I especially enjoyed their banter whenever Daniela allowed herself to lower her defenses and actually enjoy being around him.
The book itself was incredibly easy to read, too. Despite being over 400 pages, I flew through it in a single sitting.
Daniela, however, was considerably more difficult for me to connect with.
I understood where many of her walls came from. Her upbringing and particularly her father's unhealthy obsession with athletic performance have left lasting effects, and I appreciated that the story actually addressed those issues rather than magically fixing everything once Daniela found a nice guy.
Her work with a nutritionist and the gradual process of beginning to heal were especially important parts of her character development.
At the same time, understanding why a character behaves a certain way doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy watching them do it.
Daniela could be unnecessarily harsh toward the people around her, and I particularly struggled with how she sometimes treated Heath and his friends. These were people who repeatedly welcomed her, included her and supported her, so there were moments when her reactions became more frustrating than sympathetic for me.
And poor Heath...
Sir was out there radiating golden retriever energy while occasionally getting emotionally smacked with a rolled-up newspaper.
Because of that dynamic, I never became quite as invested in their romance as I wanted to be.
On the other hand, Daniela had the patience of a saint when it came to some of the OTHER people surrounding her.
Between toxic teammates, her manipulative ex and even her coach, the environment around her was exhausting. There were several occasions when I wondered how she hadn't simply thrown everyone into the swimming pool and walked away.
Watching her finally begin separating herself from that toxicity and becoming more open by the end of the story was satisfying. Even though I didn't always connect with her personality, I appreciated the growth she experienced and where her journey ultimately took her.
Final Thoughts
Better Than Revenge was an entertaining and fast-paced college sports romance with a lovable golden-retriever hero, fake dating, swimming, tutoring, revenge and plenty of fun moments.
Heath was unquestionably the highlight for me, and the fake-dating setup delivered exactly the kind of entertainment I wanted from it.
Daniela was a more challenging character for me personally, and my difficulty connecting with some of her behavior prevented me from becoming completely invested in the romance. However, readers who particularly enjoy prickly or emotionally guarded heroines may have a very different experience with her.
It didn't completely win me over as a romance, but I still had a genuinely fun time reading it.
⭐ 3.5/5
ARC Disclaimer
I received an advance reader copy of Better Than Revenge through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.
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