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The Sweetest Revenge
He's my dead best friend's older brother, who still blames me for her death, and now my mother gave him something new to hate me for... destroying his family.
This book is a dark, unconventional romance that is not suitable or enjoyed by all readers. Please check the author's website for content warnings before reading.
This book is a dark, unconventional romance that is not suitable or enjoyed by all readers. Please check the author's website for content warnings before reading.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2025
201 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
dnf
May 2, 2025DNF@8% - the hero POV is unfortunate, making him seem like a tool - he’s a melodramatic moron - bully books are better when we don’t get in heros head until well into the book (if at all), IMO 🤷🏼♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
Could have been so good but was just the usual. I did like the characters, but all the threat of revenge was just that; nothing was really followed through on these threats. Zaiden played the bad boy but was really crazy about and protective of Ariella. Sure, he bullied her a bit, but was really just staking his claim on her.
None of the dark themes, the triggers, were really realized. A blow job and you’re getting wet? That’s not non con. They hadn’t even had sex by 50% of the book. A lot of teasing — kisses, touching, but no follow through, and certainly no force.
I would consider this vanilla and entertaining for those new to bully romance, or those who like light bully with safe themes. It didn’t live up to the dark triggers or spice level for me, but it is not a bad book.
None of the dark themes, the triggers, were really realized. A blow job and you’re getting wet? That’s not non con. They hadn’t even had sex by 50% of the book. A lot of teasing — kisses, touching, but no follow through, and certainly no force.
I would consider this vanilla and entertaining for those new to bully romance, or those who like light bully with safe themes. It didn’t live up to the dark triggers or spice level for me, but it is not a bad book.
February 12, 2026
lol! This whole book was absolutely wild asf and very OTT. I wrote notes along the way because H kept pissing me off, and I had to take breaks. 🤪 This will be a long rant/spoilers/recap. I rage-read most of this book.
This book is a stepsilbings bully romance (but that’s not important to this story. Nobody ever mentions them being step-siblings)
The bullying is definitely a big part of the story.
Ari (h) is BFF with Zaiden's (H) sister, Kacie. Kacie was killed, and not long after that, Zaiden's dad divorced his wife, then married Ari's mom (the two moms happened to be BFF), so..complicated.
Zaiden hates Ari and blames Ari for his sister's death. He promises to make her pay. Ari doesn't understand why Zaiden blames her.
Zaiden is a major arse hole.
Some of his bullying
🚩Calls her w*hore among other names
🚩Ties or handcuffs her multiple times, naked, and leaves her. Once he released his fluids all over her. He plans on leaving her there, and she’s like “what if the coach finds me like this” and he’s all like “then I hope he fks your throat like the good w*ore you are” - and he LEAVES her there tied up.
(This is after KNOWING that the coach is forcing his dance team to do unthinkable things with him to keep their scholarships)
🚩Throws her into an open grave and leaves her.
🚩Records her dry humping him, then plays it to all their friends
🚩Blackmails her with the video of her doing oral on her coach
🚩Blackmails her with the video of her friends doing oral on the coach
🚩Gives her oral while her parents are in the room
🚩Makes h give him oral in front of everybody at a party
🚩h gets kicked off the dance team and faces expulsion because of H's videos he has recorded
What’s even worse about all this is that we will get tiny bits where H remembers when they were kids, and they were very close. Like…when they were 7 and had a sleepover. She got scared, and he held her. 😭 It’s clear he has feelings for her. We slowly find out that as they got older, Kacie made him promise that he would leave h alone. He promised, but his feelings kept growing.
This is where I almost DNF. h is an absolute moron because she decides to go to a party one night EVEN though she knew Zaiden would be there. (This is after he threw her in the open grave.)
Even her bff was like “maybe we shouldn’t go to that party tonight” 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
As if this whole mess isn’t already f’ed up enough, there’s some stupid rule that the dancers belong to the football team. Idk, it’s so dumb.
Ari starts investigating why H thinks she killed his sister. *Olivia Benson is the house* 🙄🙄
h gets drugged at a party. H rescues her in time, but now it’s “war” between the hockey team and the football players. I’m seriously laughing at the absurd plotline of this book
H’s whole POV during this is “should have just left her and let the whole football team plow her.”
Swoon: HUSBAND MATERIAL ❤️🔥❤️🔥
h was picked by the coach (he picked a girl all the time to have smex with), but H saved her before it went anywhere……..then we had some random school shooting. The creepy coach was ☠️ (the shooter was a character I’ve never heard of)
Finally, we start to get a little backstory on what happened that night Kacie died. H and h were in a secret relationship, and h was not going to be his dirty little secret. H promised to talk to his sister.
Supposedly, Kacie showed up to the party angry, and she left. H assumed she found out about h and him. OW told H that Kacie was mad at h. h keeps telling H she didn’t even see his sister that night.
Both MCs are immature morons. This whole mess could be cleared up if they had an actual 5-minute discussion.
What do you think all these morons decide to do after a school shooting?
Party 🎉 Yep! Another party.
Ohhhhh nice! We are 46% in, and Zaiden shows up at the party. He decides h should give him a BJ in front of EVERYONE (he blackmailed and threatened to release the videos of her friends giving the coach oral)
Like OMFG, this m’fer literally forced/blackmailed her into this. Yuck yuck yuck. The whole next chapter is h at home, being so turned on she does self-care. 🥴 girrrrrl. You need therapy.
About 3 days later, these two dummies *FINALLY* talk at 53%.
The backstory: Kacie actually saw Zaiden kissing h that night. So technically, it was HIS fault his sister took off in a huff. She felt betrayed. 🤷♀️🤷♀️ She had a car accident, and she wasn’t drunk. Her brakes were not working
(I just DO NOT UNDERSTAND this whole motive/plot. It's so goofy.)
Btw- h is a V. 🤪
⛔️For those who want to know when they actually have smex- 63% at a party. Hey, I was actually surprised he put a condom on first. 😂 (about 80% in, he does away with the condoms)
One quote from H “If I lick it, it’s MINE.”
What? The? fk?
A few days later, they are all back at school. h gets called into the Dean’s office. She’s kicked off the dance team because the video of her “being forced” to give H a BJ is going around. Ofc, nothing happens to the hockey god. This idiot H justifies his treatment of h as “it had to happen” because that’s the only way he could claim her from the football team. H goes to talk to the coach/dean, and he happens to catch them boinking. For some asinine reason, we get H’s POV about how hot the dean is and how she came on to him the previous year. He almost took her up on the offer.
H threatened the dean. Ahhh, now h is no longer suspended.
h’s friends overheard the football team talking about graping h. (This plot goes nowhere)
Then somebody ran H and h off the road while they were on a motorcycle. 🤪
So the grovel…..h tells H he needs to get on his knees and apologize. 🙃🙃🙃 He does…and she thinks “this powerful man is on his knees for only me. FORGIVEN”
H and h are now the couple of the year. True Love! H guards her like a German shepherd UNTIL the one day he doesn’t, and H’s mom tries to kill h. 😱 Come to find out, H’s mom killed her daughter and was behind everything- even the school shooting. Why? Because Kacie was not actually her daughter. H’s dad had an affair, and the woman dropped the baby off. She raised her as hers. So H’s mom was sleeping with the coach. Kacie found out and was going to expose her. If she were exposed as cheating, she wouldn’t get any money.
Anyway, H makes it in time to save h. Mom is arrested.
2 years later, H is in the NHL. h is still in college. They are still in a relationship. He proposed and she said yes. 🙌
Mom is serving life.
What a wild and very bizarre ride. I’m rating it 3 stars because it definitely kept me entertained. There are a few plot holes.
Welp 🤪
This book is a stepsilbings bully romance (but that’s not important to this story. Nobody ever mentions them being step-siblings)
The bullying is definitely a big part of the story.
Ari (h) is BFF with Zaiden's (H) sister, Kacie. Kacie was killed, and not long after that, Zaiden's dad divorced his wife, then married Ari's mom (the two moms happened to be BFF), so..complicated.
Zaiden hates Ari and blames Ari for his sister's death. He promises to make her pay. Ari doesn't understand why Zaiden blames her.
Zaiden is a major arse hole.
Some of his bullying
🚩Calls her w*hore among other names
🚩Ties or handcuffs her multiple times, naked, and leaves her. Once he released his fluids all over her. He plans on leaving her there, and she’s like “what if the coach finds me like this” and he’s all like “then I hope he fks your throat like the good w*ore you are” - and he LEAVES her there tied up.
(This is after KNOWING that the coach is forcing his dance team to do unthinkable things with him to keep their scholarships)
🚩Throws her into an open grave and leaves her.
🚩Records her dry humping him, then plays it to all their friends
🚩Blackmails her with the video of her doing oral on her coach
🚩Blackmails her with the video of her friends doing oral on the coach
🚩Gives her oral while her parents are in the room
🚩Makes h give him oral in front of everybody at a party
🚩h gets kicked off the dance team and faces expulsion because of H's videos he has recorded
What’s even worse about all this is that we will get tiny bits where H remembers when they were kids, and they were very close. Like…when they were 7 and had a sleepover. She got scared, and he held her. 😭 It’s clear he has feelings for her. We slowly find out that as they got older, Kacie made him promise that he would leave h alone. He promised, but his feelings kept growing.
This is where I almost DNF. h is an absolute moron because she decides to go to a party one night EVEN though she knew Zaiden would be there. (This is after he threw her in the open grave.)
Even her bff was like “maybe we shouldn’t go to that party tonight” 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
As if this whole mess isn’t already f’ed up enough, there’s some stupid rule that the dancers belong to the football team. Idk, it’s so dumb.
Ari starts investigating why H thinks she killed his sister. *Olivia Benson is the house* 🙄🙄
h gets drugged at a party. H rescues her in time, but now it’s “war” between the hockey team and the football players. I’m seriously laughing at the absurd plotline of this book
H’s whole POV during this is “should have just left her and let the whole football team plow her.”
Swoon: HUSBAND MATERIAL ❤️🔥❤️🔥
h was picked by the coach (he picked a girl all the time to have smex with), but H saved her before it went anywhere……..then we had some random school shooting. The creepy coach was ☠️ (the shooter was a character I’ve never heard of)
Finally, we start to get a little backstory on what happened that night Kacie died. H and h were in a secret relationship, and h was not going to be his dirty little secret. H promised to talk to his sister.
Supposedly, Kacie showed up to the party angry, and she left. H assumed she found out about h and him. OW told H that Kacie was mad at h. h keeps telling H she didn’t even see his sister that night.
Both MCs are immature morons. This whole mess could be cleared up if they had an actual 5-minute discussion.
What do you think all these morons decide to do after a school shooting?
Party 🎉 Yep! Another party.
Ohhhhh nice! We are 46% in, and Zaiden shows up at the party. He decides h should give him a BJ in front of EVERYONE (he blackmailed and threatened to release the videos of her friends giving the coach oral)
Like OMFG, this m’fer literally forced/blackmailed her into this. Yuck yuck yuck. The whole next chapter is h at home, being so turned on she does self-care. 🥴 girrrrrl. You need therapy.
About 3 days later, these two dummies *FINALLY* talk at 53%.
The backstory: Kacie actually saw Zaiden kissing h that night. So technically, it was HIS fault his sister took off in a huff. She felt betrayed. 🤷♀️🤷♀️ She had a car accident, and she wasn’t drunk. Her brakes were not working
(I just DO NOT UNDERSTAND this whole motive/plot. It's so goofy.)
Btw- h is a V. 🤪
⛔️For those who want to know when they actually have smex- 63% at a party. Hey, I was actually surprised he put a condom on first. 😂 (about 80% in, he does away with the condoms)
One quote from H “If I lick it, it’s MINE.”
What? The? fk?
A few days later, they are all back at school. h gets called into the Dean’s office. She’s kicked off the dance team because the video of her “being forced” to give H a BJ is going around. Ofc, nothing happens to the hockey god. This idiot H justifies his treatment of h as “it had to happen” because that’s the only way he could claim her from the football team. H goes to talk to the coach/dean, and he happens to catch them boinking. For some asinine reason, we get H’s POV about how hot the dean is and how she came on to him the previous year. He almost took her up on the offer.
H threatened the dean. Ahhh, now h is no longer suspended.
h’s friends overheard the football team talking about graping h. (This plot goes nowhere)
Then somebody ran H and h off the road while they were on a motorcycle. 🤪
So the grovel…..h tells H he needs to get on his knees and apologize. 🙃🙃🙃 He does…and she thinks “this powerful man is on his knees for only me. FORGIVEN”
H and h are now the couple of the year. True Love! H guards her like a German shepherd UNTIL the one day he doesn’t, and H’s mom tries to kill h. 😱 Come to find out, H’s mom killed her daughter and was behind everything- even the school shooting. Why? Because Kacie was not actually her daughter. H’s dad had an affair, and the woman dropped the baby off. She raised her as hers. So H’s mom was sleeping with the coach. Kacie found out and was going to expose her. If she were exposed as cheating, she wouldn’t get any money.
Anyway, H makes it in time to save h. Mom is arrested.
2 years later, H is in the NHL. h is still in college. They are still in a relationship. He proposed and she said yes. 🙌
Mom is serving life.
What a wild and very bizarre ride. I’m rating it 3 stars because it definitely kept me entertained. There are a few plot holes.
Welp 🤪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2025
Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Zaiden was honestly so icky to me. The blowjob scene was so gross and they played it off the next chapter like it’s okay because it turned her on, like babe, no. I know it said bully romance and maybe that’s why I’m just not into it but if a man ever did that to me I would never even look at him again. The whodoneit was actually pretty good though. I guessed it was Ari’s mom at first so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t and was actually Zaiden’s mom. It was a twist I didn’t see coming. Also it’s definitely great writing because I missed Kacie and she wasn’t even a character we met in this book! They made her so likable and miss-able.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2025
Not a revenge romance, misleading
This book was not a revenge romance. The blurb was completely misleading. There was revenge but that only accounted for part of the book. Zaiden was so disgustingly awful to her. He never actually redeemed himself, nor did he care to. And Ari, what a disappointment.
This book was a mish mash of genres. I'm not quite sure what her intentions were for this but it was a miss.
I have enjoyed other books by this author but, wish I passed on this one.
This book was not a revenge romance. The blurb was completely misleading. There was revenge but that only accounted for part of the book. Zaiden was so disgustingly awful to her. He never actually redeemed himself, nor did he care to. And Ari, what a disappointment.
This book was a mish mash of genres. I'm not quite sure what her intentions were for this but it was a miss.
I have enjoyed other books by this author but, wish I passed on this one.
October 29, 2025
Bully Stepbrother
I don't mind the whole stepbrother trope since these two weren't raised together. Parents marrying when the characters are adults is completely different from being raised together. So that didn't bother me.
MMC doesn't grovel. His anger is misdirected and he doesn't properly apologize in my opinion. The FMC suffers from BBS multiple times. A lot of their choices and decisions are downright childish and aggravating. As is the overuse of TTDLAGG during spicy scenes.
The greatest transgression is the poor editing. So many issues. 3 Stars.
I don't mind the whole stepbrother trope since these two weren't raised together. Parents marrying when the characters are adults is completely different from being raised together. So that didn't bother me.
MMC doesn't grovel. His anger is misdirected and he doesn't properly apologize in my opinion. The FMC suffers from BBS multiple times. A lot of their choices and decisions are downright childish and aggravating. As is the overuse of TTDLAGG during spicy scenes.
The greatest transgression is the poor editing. So many issues. 3 Stars.
May 21, 2025
3 star review for me- several typos and errors in punctuation. For me as an author, this is really distracting and all I think about is fixing the typos. Could use another round of edits.
Kaiden isn't likeable. Like at all. The whole party scene where he forces her on her knees doesn't make any sense. I don't know. Maybe I just need a break from bully books. If the football team really had a claim on the girls, a fight would have stopped it.
Kaiden isn't likeable. Like at all. The whole party scene where he forces her on her knees doesn't make any sense. I don't know. Maybe I just need a break from bully books. If the football team really had a claim on the girls, a fight would have stopped it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2025
This was a pretty decent book. I almost DNF’d it because it wasn’t drawing me in. I’m glad I stuck with it and finished the book. It definitely was a few surprises in it that I wasn’t expecting. Zaiden, he didn’t care he knew what he wanted and went and got it. Ari had some spunk but she was a sucker for her man. This was the first book I have read by this author and I would read another.
December 5, 2025
dnf at 28%. I just got the ick. I recently finished an amazing Revenge book and this one is just kind of lacking unfortunately. The speech feels like it was written rather than spoken so it takes the immersion out. I didnt like any of the characters and it all felt flat to me. I just couldn't get into it.
February 23, 2026
oh the twists and turns
The twists and turns on this dark romance were amazing. These two depth this book had was just great. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but boy was I wrong. A great dark romance with tons of heat and lot of secrets to be discovered. Mysterious and tragic. I loved it
The twists and turns on this dark romance were amazing. These two depth this book had was just great. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but boy was I wrong. A great dark romance with tons of heat and lot of secrets to be discovered. Mysterious and tragic. I loved it
May 2, 2025
loved this book
I couldn’t put this book down. I’ll definitely read it again. Loved the suspense and chemistry. Zaiden’s need to protect Arielle even when he hated her, he protected her and loved her. Lots of twist and turns to find Kaci’s killer. This book is a Must read.
I couldn’t put this book down. I’ll definitely read it again. Loved the suspense and chemistry. Zaiden’s need to protect Arielle even when he hated her, he protected her and loved her. Lots of twist and turns to find Kaci’s killer. This book is a Must read.
May 2, 2025
suspense and spice
This was a spicy dark romance with lots of suspense. The characters were well developed and the storyline was full of surprises. The bullying was just enough as the MMC was too in love to push too far.
This was a spicy dark romance with lots of suspense. The characters were well developed and the storyline was full of surprises. The bullying was just enough as the MMC was too in love to push too far.
May 7, 2025
great story
Honestly this was a great book. The plot was engaging and the twist at the end was what really made me love the book. I love dark romance thrillers and this was right about my alley.
Honestly this was a great book. The plot was engaging and the twist at the end was what really made me love the book. I love dark romance thrillers and this was right about my alley.
May 18, 2025
All That I Wished For
Loved this story and all the characters! It was full of surprises and smokin hot too. The main characters were mesmerizing and the story was thrilling. This book is crazy good and I want to read more from Michaela Sawyer!!!
Loved this story and all the characters! It was full of surprises and smokin hot too. The main characters were mesmerizing and the story was thrilling. This book is crazy good and I want to read more from Michaela Sawyer!!!
May 20, 2025
I was so excited for this but I have been forcing myself to try and keep reading it but I just don’t like Zaiden at all 😫. I want to know the why for his anger against Ari but just can’t read anymore to find out. I’m almost halfway through
July 10, 2025
Great book. Was drawn in by the cover.
The characters were well developed and the storyline was full of twists and turns. The bullying side of things was done well so as not to put you off the MMC.
Would recommend!
The characters were well developed and the storyline was full of twists and turns. The bullying side of things was done well so as not to put you off the MMC.
Would recommend!
July 30, 2025
I liked it at first but it really bothered me how casually they all went with rape stuff. Bullying and rape are very different things. The blowjob scene just went too far also mostly because it didn't need to be in front of everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
I absolutely loved the suspense! Easy read and couldn’t put down. Another great book by Michaela!
May 11, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶 🌶 🌶
🌶 🌶 🌶
May 28, 2025
amazing book!
I loved this book so much! The plot & spice were amazing and the twist at the end knocked me off my feet! I’m definitely a Michaela fan for life!
I loved this book so much! The plot & spice were amazing and the twist at the end knocked me off my feet! I’m definitely a Michaela fan for life!
May 30, 2025
Well, wasn't that quite the ride. All kinds of little twists and turns, and I loved it.
Spice 🌶🌶🌶
Spice 🌶🌶🌶
June 4, 2025
Incredible book!
This book is incredible ! Lots of twists and turns. This book will keep you on the edge and trying to figure out who did it.
This book is incredible ! Lots of twists and turns. This book will keep you on the edge and trying to figure out who did it.
August 10, 2025
A lot of likeable elements but all the auxiliary elements ruined it and made it unbelievable and, too often, unbearable.
October 23, 2025
Absolutely loved it!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews