Better Than Revenge

by E.J. Blaise

Daniela Williams is furious.

A nasty break up after being cheated on is a crappy way to start the year.

What's worse? Her ex and his new girlfriend are on Daniela's swim team.

If she wasn't so against showing she cares about anything, she'd drown him in the pool. This is what she gets for dating teammates.

But Daniela never admits defeat in anything - both in and out of the pool.

Enter Heath Belfort; a captivating and stupidly handsome local surfer. . . and her ex's biggest swimming rival. Heath smiles through her ex's jabs and beats him in every race. So, what better way to get revenge than to fake date the one person her ex hates most?

Heath's up for the challenge . . . on one Daniela agrees to tutor him so he can pass his history class.

Private lessons and staged kisses are just fine with her, but can anyone make it out of a fake relationship unscathed?

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Fake Dating, Sports, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, College Romance

454 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2026

About the author

EJ Blaise is an Irish author of all things romance. When she's not creating unrealistically perfect men, she can be found travelling, reading, and dreaming of running a bookstore café.

Reviews

[Dab · Rating 5 out of 5]

As fake-dating books go, this one was the most un-fake of them all,

and I absolutely adored it. There were no kissing rules, no touching rules, no rules whatsoever, basically. They were just dating, and she thought it was fake 🤭

I’m giving this book five stars because of all the feels, the butterflies, and the overall perfection that was Heath.

I loved every smile, every witty comeback he delivered, and every moment he “malfunctioned” and “hallucinated.” He was the most adorable cinnamon roll ever.

Dani had issues. Lots of them. Most of them caused by the fact that life hadn’t treated her well. She was prickly, slightly antisocial, and maybe a little on the spectrum. Even though that part wasn’t spelled out, it’s just my suspicion.

I always love the grumpy-sunshine dynamic. I love when the grumpy one starts to smile a little, relax a little, and realize that life doesn’t have to be all about hardship. That’s what I loved most about this book: Heath’s energy was so positive it practically radiated off the pages and made me smile too. Cinnamon roll men make the best heroes, and I’ll die on this hill.

So this book would have been perfect if it weren’t for the very unnecessary and very annoying third-act breakup… I’m so tired of unnecessary fights ruining amazing books…

However, I’ll definitely read more from this author. If there are more men like Heath hiding in her other books, I want to find them 👀

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Expected 25 Aug 26

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a fun time reading this book.

After discovering that her boyfriend cheated on her, and that their entire swim team knew about it but never told her, Daniela decides she's not interested in getting him back. She simply wants a little revenge. Her solution? Fake date his biggest swimming rival, Heath Belfort. What starts as a plan to make her ex jealous soon turns into something much, muuuuch more complicated.

Heath was easily my favorite part of this book. He has total golden retriever energy: sweet, patient, supportive and completely gone for Daniela from the very beginning. I couldn't help rooting for him and I loved seeing how much effort he put into making their fake relationship feel real.

The fake dating trope was well done, and there were some genuinely fun moments throughout the story. I especially enjoyed the banter whenever Daniela allowed herself to let her guard down, and I flew through the book in a single sitting.

Daniela, however, was a much more difficult character for me to connect with. I completely understood where many of her walls came from. Her upbringing, her father's unhealthy obsession with athletic performance and so on. I appreciated that the story didn't shy away from those lasting effects and showed her working with a nutritionist and beginning to heal.

That said, I often felt she was unnecessarily harsh toward the people around her, particularly Heath and his friends, who repeatedly welcomed, supported and included her. While I understood why she was guarded, there were moments where her behaviour felt frustrating rather than believable, and because of that, I struggled to fully invest in the romance.

On the other hand, I admired her patience throughout everything she had to deal with. Between her toxic teammates, her manipulative ex and even her coach, she was constantly surrounded by people who made her life more difficult. Watching her eventually leave that environment behind and slowly become more open was a satisfying way to end her journey.

Overall, this was an entertaining, fast-paced college sports romance with a lovable hero, enjoyable fake dating and plenty of fun moments. While I never fully connected with Daniela or the romance itself, I still enjoyed the reading experience and think readers who enjoy emotionally guarded heroines may connect with her much more than I did.

Rating: 3.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Nicola Pringle-Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This book was so binge worthy I genuinely could not put it down.

If you love an acts of service, yearning, golden retriever mmc like me. you are going to love Heath Belfort. He was perfect. The dynamic between him and our FMC Dani has me smiling like an absolute nerd in places. It was the perfect mix of black cat x golden retriever vibes.

Dani, the FMC, is navigating her way through a breakup with someone who cheated on her, with a team mate. Her and Heath plan revenge by entering a fake relationship to get back at Dani’s ex boyfriend. Heath just so happens to be said ex boyfriends rival. I loved watching this all unfold on every page and when I say Dani upgrade, SHE FULLY UPGRADED.

Dani self sabotages, she absolutely works herself into overdrive, and can’t accept love easily. This is where Heath comes in, and shows Dani her worth, and loves her so loudly like she deserves. There is something about a black cat FMC that just resonates with me, and when they’re done so well like this I just connect with the story so much more.

Overall, loved this book. I need the next one asap. Brendan and Imani’s story next please 👀♥️

[Eve Tsak]

DNF @ 33%

I really wanted to love this because the premise sounded exactly like something I’d enjoy —> fake dating, golden retriever x black cat energy, rivalry… all of that normally works so well for me. And honestly I did enjoy the beginning and liked the dynamic between the characters initially.

But somewhere along the way I just stopped connecting to it. I don’t even fully know how to explain it because I don’t think it was a bad book at all — I think it just ultimately wasn’t for me personally. I felt like the relationship progression happened very quickly and I personally prefer more slow burn and tension before the feelings fully settle in. Even if attraction is there early on, I still like that emotional build-up and yearning.

I also think at times I struggled a little with visualising certain scenes and following where everything was happening. There was quite a lot of dialogue and for me it sometimes made the pacing feel a little convoluted rather than immersive.

That being said, I can absolutely see why other people would enjoy this because the banter and character dynamics were still fun. I think this was probably just a case of wrong timing and me being a little more critical and picky with books at the moment

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for the eArc 🫶🏽🫶🏽

[Oana · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do i get revenge on my cheating ex??? Fake date his rival, who is undoubtedly the golden prince of his college and who has amazing friends that get under my skin in the best possible way and become my friends, who is the best male swimmer and praise me and takes care of me and is very likely he has been pinning after me for quite some time 👉🏼👈🏼
There are not that many words to describe how Better than revenge made me feel. It’s that kind of romance book that has everything. Developing relationships, characters that by the end of the book will make you so proud of them, the kind of friendships that will last beyond college, and a romance that will make you swoon and question whether you can make a boyfriend from scratch.
Heath and Daniela are the kind of romance that that shows you can love a flawed person, you can love their insecurities, that you can grow and learn from your mistakes and most importantly start loving and believing in yourself.
Ej Blaise continues to amazes me in a way i fear for my sanity. I love her books with all my heart and there’s no doubt in my mind that she is one of my favorite writers.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc

[Erin (erinsreadingroom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆ 4.5 stars

📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 464 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: E.J. Blaise
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: Headline Eternal
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 25 August 2026

What you can expect:
— Adult College Sports Romance
— First Person X Single POV
— Grumpy X Sunshine
— Ex-Boyfriend’s Rival
— Fake Dating
— Black Cat X Golden Retriever
— Tutoring Lessons
— Introverted FMC X Extroverted MMC
— Found Family
— Opposites Attract
— Angst & Yearning

Better Than Revenge is my first book by author E.J. Blaise after having her work on my radar for the past year and it most definitely won’t be my last. This was such an gripping story that had me feeling invested from the very first chapter in the way that it was explored with full emotional impact. The characters are blatantly flawed and complex which was a thrill to experience in its honest reflection of humanity. The college setting felt aptly utilised with the focus of the story being on young adults stumbling their way through life as they desperately try to figure it all out and make memories in the process. The searing romantic chemistry, vulnerable conversations and found family elements left me unwilling to put the book down as I devoured it from start-to-finish in less than ten hours. I love nothing more than to read about imperfect characters undergoing a deeply personal journey and that is exactly what Better Than Revenge delivered for me. I adored this book and I will absolutely be making a conscious effort to read more from this author in the near-future.

Daniela Williams is for the angry and hurt women that are constantly being told that who they are will never measure up nor be good enough. She is for the daughters of parents that place an infinite number of expectations on their shoulders no matter the cost to their wellbeing. I truly believe that Daniela will be a character that will be received with mixed responses from readers as you will either dislike her for her actions… or you will understand and resonate with her. I loved her in all of her complexities as it becomes very clear to me from the beginning that underneath a prickly exterior is a worn and battered heart that has endured too much, too early in life. I hated to see how she was treated by her team and peers despite bearing no responsibility for the outcome of her previous relationship. I raged alongside Daniela during every moment of mistreatment that she received and I was honestly rooting for her to react worse than what she did. Dani is a woman that feels her emotions deeply whilst struggling to find a healthier outlet to express them. Many of her actions are dictated by her misplaced need to punish and isolate herself from the good people in her life that regularly try to prove that they want her there. Her vulnerabilities and insecurities felt well-explored as they enabled me to better understand and connect to all of the struggles that we witness her undertake. It broke my heart to recognise how little value Daniela places within herself and the way that this reflected in the way that she approaches friendships, but at the same time it felt rewarding to see this become a source of growth for her character. She undergoes a tremendous amount of growth throughout her journey whilst still managing to stay true-to-self. I adored getting to see Daniela become more open to the people in her life as they slowly earn her trust and prove that they won’t let her push them away. Dani’s journey felt both emotionally layered and fulfilling… and I couldn’t be happier with where we, as the reader, get to leave her with by the end of her story.

Honestly… my only one complaint about this book is the way that I had wished to have seen more of Daniela’s ‘after’ in the end. Her story wraps up quite quickly so I felt like I had been missing some of the vital moments in her recovery and her connection to Heath’s family. I’m hoping that we might get the chance to receive bonus content in the future that will help fill the gap and make the ending feel all the more fulfilling.

Heath Belfort is one of the biggest green flag MMCs that I have ever read about and I cannot express how much I adored getting to know this sweet and emotionally vulnerable man. Heath is the kind of character that exudes warmth and joy to the point that everybody within his orbit cannot help but be pulled in. The love and loyalty that he displays for the people within his life is unmatched and I adored getting to see this being extended to the prickly woman that he’s yearned for over a long duration of time. Heath is a gentle and patient soul who never once attempts to push Daniela past her clearly established boundaries unless it’s something he knows that he can fully support her with. I loved that his character stayed fairly consistent throughout with little need for growth or development, and the way that he continued to prioritise open communication. I truly wish that we could have been granted the opportunity to read certain chapters within his POV as I was desperate to experience his inner thoughts during some of my favourite moments, both the good and the bad. Heath is a deeply empathetic and earnest man who is unafraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve… and there’s no denying that he’s now one of my all-time favourite book boyfriends that I’ve read.

Daniela and Heath’s romantic development was executed perfectly for me in the way that it was approached with tenderness and care. The aftermath of Dani’s breakup finds her struggling to open herself up to new people and it broke my heart to see how deeply this affected her everyday life. The fake-dating aspect was a lot of fun to explore in the way that it centres around a man that has yearned from afar for a woman that has only now began to acknowledge his existence. The banter and quick-wit that both Daniela and Heath volley back and forth left me constantly grinning in my giddiness to see what they would come up with next. I loved how settled both characters seemed in the safety of their bargain until the discussion surrounding real feelings is implemented. The natural progression to their relationship felt effortless in the mutual give and take of their dynamic with the people around them rooting to see their relationship succeed. The angst and moments of struggle felt well balanced and honest alongside the many moments of tenderness. Their relationship isn’t linear and faces many struggles, however it becomes clear just how deeply both characters feel about one another in their desperation to make what they share work. I loved getting to witness the friendship that blossomed with patience and care, and the way that this acted as the foundation for their romantic chemistry. Health and Daniela work hard to achieve their inevitable happily ever after and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome of their efforts.

I had the best time reading Better Than Revenge and I find myself greatly hoping that this isn’t our last time exploring this wonderful cast of characters. Daniela and Heath’s story may be complete… but that doesn’t mean that there is another story waiting to be told from within their friendship group. There are at least two prospective couples that I would love to see receive their own book so if you need me I’ll be trying to manifest them into existence.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know an ARC is good when you’re 30% through the book and you’re already pre-ordering it.

Better Than Revenge follows Daniela Williams, a D1 swimmer, who recently broke up with her cheating boyfriend and she asks her ex’s greatest rival, Heath, for a little help to get her ex off her back - pretend to be her boyfriend in exchange for helping him with his course - that’s right, there’s fake dating, jealousy, lots of “fake” kisses and touching and REALLY big emotions (but they’re fake, right?). They had SO MANY cute pet names, well, mostly Heath for Dani, but I am a sucker for them.

This was the ultimate black cat x golden retriever book and it had me giggling and swooning so much. Dani was an unapologetic black cat, set in her ways and routines, believing that the only thing she really needed in life was to swim as a D1 athlete and live up to her dad’s expectations. She didn’t have or “need” any friends and had a hard time with her sneering swim team (they were all a bunch of a-holes). Dani got used to seeing herself as a “witch” or “heartless viper” as her teammates called her to the point that when people really wanted to be her friend, she couldn’t believe them. It was heartbreaking to see how many walls she built around herself and how strong they were. She really kept people at a distance nearly to the very end, showing how deeply entrenched her harsh self-criticism was. The only one she didn’t manage to push away was Heath.

My boy Heath was down BAD. Like, BAD bad. I know a “he fell first” man when I see him and you could see him from a mile away. I’m talking, he’s been wanting her ever since he set eyes upon her. Naturally, Dani had no idea and every time Heath looked at her with stars in his eyes, she brushed it off as being part of the whole fake scenario. Heath was an amazing MMC and he was there for Dani more than anyone ever was. He was so charismatic and his positive energy and ease was infectious, not just to Dani but to the reader as well. I’m usually a grumpy MMC girly but I absolutely adored Heath.

I ABSOLUTELY EAT UP this type of fake dating and dynamic. The fact that it was single-POV made it even better because you couldn’t really know the depths of Heath’s infatuation with Dani until she herself was able to accept it. Even being very much a slow burn, you still get really steamy scenes that will get you all hot and bothered and make you fall even more for Heath.

I wish we spent a bit more time with them together at the end or maybe got another chapter with Heath’s POV. I just really want more of them! Is it too early to ask for a novella? 😭

Thank you so much to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

The vibes Dani and Heath bring to the function:

‘Good morning, my love.’
‘Fuck off.’
‘That’s my girl.’

"Jesus, Dani, I mourn the twenty years I didn’t know you."

"You’re an eighty-yearold woman trapped in a hot young body, you know that?"

"You bring his leash, Dani?"
Heath fucking woofs.

"You don’t wanna hear that I wanted you the fucking second I laid eyes on you. You don’t wanna know that the main reason I hate Ben is because he was your boyfriend and I wasn’t. You don’t wanna know that I love you."

"I love you. Mean and grumpy, sweet and shy, literally everything in between, I love you."

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley & publishers for this arc!!

What you can expect:
- fake dating
- he falls first & harder (!!)
- black cat x golden retriever
- found family
- banter & yearning

This was one of those books I just could not put down. The pacing was strong throughout & I was hooked right from the start. I’m a sucker for anything with a found family & this was no exception.

Dani is going through a breakup when she decides to fake date Heath to ‘get revenge’ on her cheating ex who happens to be Heaths rival. All the characters, especially Dani are written with such depth that it was easily to see and feel the full emotional impact.

I absolutely adored the dynamic between Heath & Dani. Let me just say the banter was bantering and THE YEARNING !!! The yearning in this book was next level. Heath was everything - between the yearning, the acts of service - Dani and Heath may just be the perfect black cat x golden retriever.

I absolutely loved this book & can’t wait to see what’s next for this author and this series !!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes (that I’ll devour no matter what), but I’m always craving a version that can break away from the typical formula. And Better Than Revenge managed to do exactly that for me.

There were plenty of the fun, lighter moments you’d expect from the trope, but I found myself most drawn to the emotional depth of this story, the complex, layered, and messy characters. Dani and Heath’s connection was always clear. Seeing their feelings grow and change from the very beginning led to a conclusion that felt earned and heartfelt, rather than the big declaration of feelings that can sometimes come out of nowhere with this trope.

I also need to thank EJ Blaise for bringing back the lost art of the single POV. I can’t begin to explain how much harder a romance hits when you get to witness a man yearning without having to be inside his head to do it. Five stars for that alone.

In saying that… I do wish we got a little more insight into Heath’s life and backstory outside of the relationship. The tutoring and his dyslexia were mentioned maybe twice?? He was truly the perfect boyfriend though, in a way that remained realistic, so I’m happy to overlook a few things.

The perfect read if you’re in the mood to laugh and cry and blush all at once.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Momo · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all thank you to the author and the publisher for ARC copy I am so grateful to be able to read an review this book earlier.

This is a first by the author for me but I love that’s she’s our own local 🇮🇪 Irish author and had to get her books on my list! And I can easily say I’ll be reading many more books to come!

The story here is a college romance so most characters are 20-21. There is a black cat x sunshine dynamic going on, swimming is a vital part of the story and competing. I loved the college setting, the slow burn and the fake dating aspect

I think so many people will absolutely love this sports romance. There are a lot of real life moments that added to the character development, cute and sweet romance scenes that made my heart happy 🥹 The spicy scenes were tasteful and this is a slower burn, there is a lot of attraction and “foreplay” that happens through the book that I really enjoyed.

One thing I have to have say even by the end, the book did not make me like the FMC. She was still an ahole lol I get why she is the way she is but I was hoping for more growth, more development from her. I actually think she doesn’t deserve the mc. He’s too good for her. I also just couldn’t get over how the ex kept acting I found him so cringe near the end.

But perhaps this is more to do with the fact im in my 30s now and character this young I struggle to connect with. Which is why I know may people will love this book regardless of my own little dislikes.

This is 100% a great sports romance to try especially if it’s your first book by the author.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Headline Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

A nasty break up after being cheated on is a crappy way to start the year. What's worse? Her ex and his new girlfriend are on Daniela's swim team. If she wasn't so against showing she cares about anything, she'd drown him in the pool. This is what she gets for dating teammates. But Daniela never admits defeat in anything - both in and out of the pool. Enter Heath Belfort; a captivating and stupidly handsome local surfer. . . and her ex's biggest swimming rival. Heath smiles through her ex's jabs and beats him in every race. So, what better way to get revenge than to fake date the one person her ex hates most? Heath's up for the challenge . . . on one Daniela agrees to tutor him so he can pass his history class. Private lessons and staged kisses are just fine with her, but can anyone make it out of a fake relationship unscathed?

Daniela has gone through a lot. Arguably, this would make anyone cynical and standoffish. However, she isn’t just grumpy or a bit of a loner. She’s mean and can be spiteful at times. I so wanted to root for her in this story - to get revenge on her ex, to find happiness and thrive in life doing what she wanted. Instead, I found myself growing rather frustrated and put off by her constant moods, disregard for the feelings of others, but also her constant spiral of negativity and insistence to bring others down with her. Usually, when we have a negative character, they steadily grow over the course of a story until they start to realise how they impact others and correct their behaviour. Daniela didn’t do this. Instead she was cruel and blamed her problems on those just trying to help and be her friend.
Heath is a sweetheart who does his very best to keep things upbeat, positive and bright. But even he gets bogged down by Daniela’s moods and it was honest so sad to see. He tried so hard to help her, to nurture her confidence and ensure her happiness and it was all thrown back in his face. The way he stopped everything to help is a massive green flag and good god, he is a literal saint for putting up with that ball of negativity. I definitely wanted more for Heath - he deserved it.

Fake dating stories are always a hit with me. There is something about fake feelings growing real that just gets me every time. Add in it being a sports romance too and it should be an immediate winner. So why did this fall so flat for me? The plot seemed so good but the execution was a bit lacking. It felt more like I was slogging through the story than I was enjoying it. It leant heavily into the “grumpy x sunshine” trope alongside the fake dating which is typically brilliant for me, but here is just felt like grumpy was mean and lashed out too much and poor sunshine just takes the brunt of it. Character wise, we see a lot of faces but don’t really get to know them. It’s frustrating to me when we see these characters come in and it’s clear they want to make a difference for the better. But then we get so little information about them that they may as well only exist to further the lead’s plot that enhance the story. And that’s rather what it felt like here. As with the plot, the romance felt a little stilted. It has so much promise - it’s what kept me reading instead of DNFing - and yet it just failed to hit the high note. The spicy scenes didn’t add anything for me because of the lack of spark in the romance which is such a shame. The ending was unexpected and felt incredibly rushed. I had so many questions upon reaching the finish that I feel a bit bereft. There were some major plot points in the story that just were not addressed. Perhaps deliberate to get the reader thinking? For me, it just made it feel unfinished. I would say this is more of a 2.5 rating but I have rounded up to 3.

Overall, Better Than Revenge is a story that just didn’t meet my expectations.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Headline Books for an advanced copy of this book.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

Happy release day to EJ and this beautiful book! Thank you to Headline Eternal for this ARC - EJ Blaise is one of my favourite authors so getting to read this book early is an absolute honour <3

The best way to get revenge on your cheating ex? (fake) dating his rival, of course!

When Dani finds out her boyfriend, and swim teammate, has been cheating on her she devises a plan to get back at him; recruit his biggest rival to pretend to be her new boyfriend. And Heath Belfort is all too willingly and ready to play the loving, devoted boyfriend Dani deserves.

This was fake dating done RIGHT!! The tension between and yearning between Dani and Heath was palpable, and you couldn't *not* root for these two.
This story had me hooked from the first page - these characters feel so real in their flaws and vulnerabilities, their dreams and ambitions, their complicated relationships; it all made for a beautiful, if not at times a little messy, story that felt so authentic.

Oh Dani, my beautiful angry girl, I love you so dearly. If you read and loved Chaos by EJ Blaise - more specifically, if you loved Lottie Jackson - then Daniela Williams is the girl for you! Dani is for the girls who spent their life being made to feel like no matter what goals they ticked off the list, it would never been good enough; who had too many expectations placed on them and were just expected to meet them all no matter the detriment to themselves; who are mistreated by the same people who act surprised when they are met with anger. Dani is the type of character I resonate with so deeply; she is a complicated individual, but she is so deserving of love and care.
Dani gets put through so much shit from people who are supposed to be her friends/family, and honestly she deserved to be a lot meaner to them than she was! Seeing Dani get to experience what a good romantic relationship should be like was great, but truly my favourite part was seeing her find the type of friends that treat you like family; and Heath and his friends definitely provided Dani with that <3

Heath Belfort; what else can I say except PERFECTION! Heath is such a protector, not just of Dani but of everyone in his life; He loves fiercely and cares so deeply for them all and it's so beautiful to see. The loyalty Heath has and the way he stands up for Dani is one of my favourite things about him; he never once guilted Dani when she'd lash out, or made her feel like she had to be minimise her successes for him; Heath was such a consistent character, it was a real grounding force that I think Dani needed in her life; someone whose love was not conditional to how well she did in the pool. And also he's the sweetest uncle ever and every moment we go of Uncle Heath was very precious to me !!!

One of my favourite reads of the year; Dani and Heath's love story is tender, angsty, hilarious and heartfelt. Their banter is top tier, and the back-and-forth is one of my favourite parts of their dynamic; but the sweet and soft moments are just as wonderful. Their relationship is not all smooth sailing, but it's so hard fought for; the safety they find in each other and the friendship they build during their 'fake' dating will have you rooting hard for these two!

LONG LIVE DEATH (dani and heath) !!!

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you, netgalley and headline, for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

honestly, i was so excited for this book, and i had every right to be. it met every expectation i had! i loved it sooo much! this is my first ej blaise book and it definitely won’t be my last :)

better than revenge tells the story of daniela, a prodigy swimmer who has just found out that her boyfriend cheated on her. they’re part of the same swimming team and so is the girl he cheated with. her ex also has a biiig rival, heath, our mmc

heath swims for the rival team and is also a surfer. while daniela is emotionally constipated, heath is a golden boy. he’s sunshine reincarnated, always the life of the party, always smiling

in order to get back at her ex for cheating on her, daniela asks heath to fake date her in exchange for helping him with a class he’s failing. what i liked most about their fake relationship is that they didn’t set any rules, like “no kissing”, so they really sold it to everyone. i’ve read fake dating books where everyone knew the relationship was fake, but this one felt sooo real hahaha

and the thing is, it was real for heath too. boy was down bad the entire time, even BEFORE they started fake dating. every time daniela gave him the time of day, he was having the time of his life

honestly, i loved all the effort he put into this relationship. i also loved that dani was the emotionally constipated one. usually it’s the opposite, so it was great to see something different. the latino representation was absolutely on point, and i loved how the author approached heath’s dyslexia

besides that, i’m very excited for the next books. i really want to read uncle kiki’s book hahaha

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
2🌶️

I stayed up until almost 3am finishing this book because I couldn’t put it down!

Deep End meets Please Don’t Go vibes, Better Than Revenge was fake dating, black cat x golden retriever perfection!


We follow Dani, the outcast of her D1 college swimming team. When Dani finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with one of her fellow teammates (whilst the whole team not only knew about it but encouraged it) she plans her revenge by asking the rival swim team’s golden boy and her exboyfriend’s biggest nemesis, Heath, to fake date her.

If you love an acts of service man you’re going to swoon over Heath Belfort. He was the perfect cinnamon roll MMC and the banter between him and Dani had me squealing.

Dani, our prickly, self sabotaging, rain cloud of an FMC reminded me so much of my younger self that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Complex, flawed female main characters will always be my favourite and Dani’s character portrayal felt so raw and real that her anguish pulled at my heartstrings.

seeing Heath radiate sunshine so much so that you got to witness Dani’s hard exterior crumbling brought me so much joy and seeing her find a family within Heath’s friendship group was everything I wanted and more.

This was my first book by EJ Blaise but certainly won’t be my last. If you love a fake dating trope, complex FMCs, golden retriever MMCs and found family vibes then you need to pick up Better Than Revenge in August!

I can’t wait to return to Haven Cove!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better Than Revenge was such an enjoyable read. like I picked it up and just didn’t put it back down.

this is black cat x golden retriever and it is done so well. Dani is going THROUGH it - grieving her mom, dealing with a cheating ex who got with her teammate, and then her entire swim team backing him?? yeah I’d be done with everyone too.

and then there’s Heath. rival school swimmer, goldenest of golden retrievers, and just so gone for her it’s not even subtle. he is adorable. this man is all acts of service, all the time. not scared of her walls, not put off by her avoidant tendencies, just steady and there and showing up. if he wanted to he would!

the fake dating setup is there but honestly they’re barely pretending. they start out like “yeah this is for revenge” and then immediately just start acting like a couple and catching feelings in front of everyone. when they finally realize?? i ate. it. up.

it’s super bingeable and I loved it. thank you so much Headline Eternal for the ARC!! all thoughts are my own.

[Emma Sneakybooktok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Hachette for the early copy.

I NEED HEATH IN MY LIFEEE 😍 Holy cow, I loved this read, and it was all because of Heath. Emotionally mature beyond his years, smitten, golden retriever .. UGHHH Green flags all around 😍

Fake dating
Found family
Forbidden love
Ex's competitive nemesis 👀

OOFFTTT all of my favourite tropes tied up into one goodie bag of a book. Absolutely DELICIOUS!

[Amy Longhurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ was this predictable? yes. did i still eat it up? absolutely. this was textbook black cat x golden retriever energy and was done SO well. heath is such an acts of service man, actually he is pretty much perfect at every love language. this was a fun and addictive read, i couldn’t put it down!!!

there was a solid plot, strong relationship between the fmc and mmc but sometimes i felt like other aspects were undeveloped. we were given insights into heaths friendship group but it didn’t feel fully fledged at times and was just there for plot purposes. i wish we knew more about imani and brendan, there was a few unanswered questions. there was a lot of minor characters introduced who could’ve been given more attention to, but that is just my preference in found families and side characters.

all in all this made me smile, laugh and tear up at times. dani is such a relatable fmc and made me think about what i even want from life, what am i actually doing for myself and not others? i’m glad we got to see her soften up towards the end but i wanted morrreeeeeeee!!

oh and that pool scene 🤭🤭🤭🤭 i was BLUSHING

thank you for the e-arc e.j braise and headline xxx

[Tiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew from the very first chapter that this was going to be one of those books that completely consumed my life, and I was 100% right because I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting 😬
We were thrown straight into the chaos, the drama, and Dani’s spectacular internal monologue without wasting a second, and I was obsessed immediately. Her narration was genuinely one of the funniest and most entertaining I’ve read in ages, and I don’t think I’ve ever related to a character more. Every irrational thought, every overreaction, every attempt to convince herself she absolutely had everything under control while very clearly not having anything under control… I felt so seen

One of my favourite things about this book was that it never wasted time showing us Dani and Ben’s relationship before everything fell apart. We didn’t need chapters of them being happy together just to understand why the breakup hurt, because Ben established himself as a cheating piece of shit almost instantly. I actually loved that choice because I think spending loads of time on their relationship beforehand would’ve dragged the opening down and made that first chapter so much less fun. Instead, we got thrown straight into Dani plotting revenge, and honestly, the fact that her first instinct wasn’t to make Ben jealous or win him back but to fake date his biggest nemesis purely to make his life as miserable as possible was absolutely iconic.

And then there’s Heath.

It was painfully obvious from the beginning that this man had been gone for Dani long before the fake dating arrangement ever happened. Every interaction made it feel like he’d simply been waiting for the opportunity to finally be close to her, and watching all those little moments slowly pile up absolutely destroyed me. The black cat/golden retriever dynamic had me in such a chokehold because they genuinely are the perfect match. Dani’s prickly, emotionally guarded personality bouncing off Heath’s patience, warmth and unwavering devotion just worked so ridiculously well.

Every tiny moment they shared had me grinning like an idiot. There wasn’t one massive turning point where suddenly everything changed. Instead, it happened so naturally and steadily that before Dani even realised it herself, she was enjoying spending time with him because she wanted to, not because she was keeping up appearances. Watching her slowly forget that this was all supposed to be fake was honestly one of the sweetest parts of the whole book.

The Halloween party might actually be one of my favourite romance scenes ever. Dani dressed as a siren very nearly sent Heath into cardiac arrest, and I completely understood why. The tension was already unbearable, but then they broke into the pool and basically went skinny dipping?? Yeah… that entire sequence is going to live rent free in my head for the foreseeable future.

As much as this book had me kicking my feet and squealing, it also broke my heart. Dani and Heath are such wonderfully complex characters, but Dani especially completely shattered me the more I learned about her. Every new layer peeled back another reason why she kept everyone at arm’s length, why she struggled so much to believe people could genuinely choose her, and why she constantly sabotaged herself before anyone else had the chance to. There were so many moments where all I wanted was for her to let herself be loved.

That made some of the misunderstandings genuinely painful to read. I usually cannot stand the miscommunication trope. Nine times out of ten it just feels frustrating for the sake of creating conflict, but somehow it completely worked here. The misunderstandings felt rooted in who these characters were rather than people simply refusing to have a conversation. The stakes felt high without ever becoming ridiculous, and I could genuinely feel both Dani’s and Heath’s heartbreak.

Although… Heath giving Dani the cold shoulder after overhearing Ben stirring the pot and bragging about winning her back was probably the only part of the book that didn’t completely work for me. It felt a little out of character that he wouldn’t just ask her what was going on. At the same time, though, I completely understood why he reacted the way he did. He’d spent so long quietly loving her that hearing something like that would absolutely destroy anyone’s confidence, so even though I wanted to shake him, I couldn’t really blame him either.

I also have to mention the dinner with Dani’s step mum because wow. That entire scene was genuinely horrific to sit through. It explained so much about Dani and why she carried herself the way she did, but it was incredibly difficult to read. The more I understood her, the more my heart broke for her.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about the accident towards the end. I don’t necessarily love that it took something so extreme for Dani to finally put everything into perspective, but I also didn’t hate it. It felt like the perfect storm. She’d reached a point where she couldn’t keep living her life for everyone else, and as dramatic as it was, it forced her to finally stop running away from herself and from the people who genuinely loved her.

By the time everything finally came together and Dani and Heath were honest with each other, it felt so unbelievably satisfying. Their relationship was messy, complicated, frustrating and absolutely perfect all at once. I genuinely wouldn’t change a single thing, which is saying a lot considering one of the central tropes is usually one of my least favourites.

This book has genuinely had me obsessed from start to finish. I’ve been thinking about it constantly, randomly smiling whenever certain scenes pop back into my head, and I already know Dani and Heath are going to live in my brain for a very, very long time. E.J. Blaise absolutely nailed the balance between hilarious banter, slow-burn romance, emotional depth and character growth, and this has easily become one of my favourite romances of the year, and ill be running to read whatever other books the author has written!

[mel ❀⋆.ೃ࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are SOOO back. This book is absolutely everything to me. I actually fell to my knees because this is exactly what romcom dreams are made of!! The first time I heard about this book, it was because the cover reveal showed up on my feed. After seeing the absolute most gorgeous cover ever, I went on to read what it was about and immediately added it to my want-to-read list. I requested an early copy and when I got the notification that I was accepted I literally started jumping with joy. Like I'm not even kidding—I literally started squealing.

Daniela Williams is rightfully pissed. The start of her junior year arrives after a nasty breakup—all thanks to her cheating ex. But wait, what can make it any better? The reminder that her ex and his new girlfriend are also on Dani's swim team. She's not one to give her ex the satisfaction of her fury but the man is insufferable and simply won't leave her alone. This is where Heath Belfort comes in. The captivating and stupidly handsome local surfer—oh and her ex's biggest swimming rival. The man is so dreamily hot. The perfect combination of icy blonde, tan, and tattoos all over. Heath smiles through her ex's jabs and wins in every race—without breaking a sweat. An idea sparks and Dani decides that there is no better way to get revenge against her loser ex than to fake date the one person he hates the most. While Heath helps her get revenge, Dani helps Heath by tutoring him so that he can pass his history class. With a good amount of kisses and some private tutoring lessons, what could possibly go wrong?

Guys (I say to my empty room at 6 in the morning after pulling an all nighter because I simply could not put this absolute masterpiece down), this is how you do fake dating. This is, hands down, my favorite fake dating book ever. Matter of fact, this has made it on to the list of one of my favorite books of all time. My God, the chemistry between Daniela and Heath is absolutely electric. When I tell you I was giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, putting my iPad down because I literally had to catch my breath from the simplest of scenes. I can't stress enough how absolutely amazing the chemistry is. Dani wormed her way into my heart the moment I started reading, and has become one of my favorite characters. She struggles with expressing herself in certain ways and seeing her get the chance to with Heath, with their friends, was so healing. Heath, you absolute stunning man. Guys (I say to my empty room again, and also my dog who's trying to sleep since it's now 7 in the morning), omg this man. Heath Belfort, the absolute man that you are. I literally have no words for the absolute green flag that he is. YOUR HONOR I LOVEEEE HIM. He is everything to me, everything you could want in a man. The perfect combination of sweet, funny, flirty, caring, and the perfect safe space for vulnerability. Also, the amount of sweet nicknames he calls Dani, oh my lordddd. Congratulations flirty blonde man, you've charmed me. Also, the absolute amazingness that is their friend group. I love a good found family trope and this book delivered it tenfold. Oh, and all those little breadcrumbs for future books/couples, I see youuuu. To wrap up the absolute perfection that is this book, it also has its fair share of emotional angst and yearning—two of my favorite things, I just love it when a book makes me cry😇

I kid you not, I need to be teleported into this book right nowwww. I love Better Than Revenge. I love Dani & Heath x1000. I love their friends. I love the 2000s romcom comfort vibe this book brought me. I felt so incredibly alive and exhilarated while reading this. Everything about this book was absolute perfection—infinite stars for Better Than Revenge⭐️

This is a must read, especially if you like:
🩵Fake dating
🌊Ex's rival
🫧2000s romcoms
🪼Black cat fmc x Golden retriever mmc
🐳Tutoring lessons
🫧College sports romance
🦋Found family
🩵Coastal beachy vibes

You must read it the moment it releases, there's literally no other option. I actually can't wait to get my physical copy so I can reread it!! I'm literally outside the bookstore trying to get a copy but the employees are telling me to leave and that it's not August 25th yet. Anyway, add this book to your lists because it is the perfect love letter to everything that is romance💙

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline | Headline Eternal, and EJ Blaise for this ARC of Better Than Revenge in exchange for an honest review!

Release date: August 25, 2026🫧🐳🪼

[ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75★) I’ve had my eye on a lottt of EJ Blaise’s books, so when I got the opportunity to ARC read Better than Revenge, I was ecstatic! It’s a small coastal town, college romance, with a grumpy swimmer FMC and a sunshine surfer MMC. I mean, it’s perfect for the summertime!

Dani is looking for a little bit of revenge on her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her, so what does she do? She asks his rival to fake-date her, and Heath was more than happy to help out🙂‍↕️

I really loved both Daniela and Heath. I will stand ten toes down for a grumpy, black cat FMC every. single. time!! I related to Dani a lot. The need to be good at everything, the introversion and awkwardness, the anger and annoyance at every little thing, even when it shouldn’t necessarily annoy you. Characters like Dani that I can relate to can be complicated reads because I understand her deeply, but then I start to overthink everything about myself lol. As for Heath, oh my god, don’t even get me started on this man. He is so so perfect. There were so many little moments that had me swooning.

Dani and Heath were so perfect together. I loved the easy-going banter between them, how much Heath was clearly crushing!! They had a lot of cute moments too. Something I specifically loved was that Heath never tried to change Dani; he just loved her for who she was. He didn’t always try to understand her, but he was there for her in whatever way she allowed, and I thought that was really beautiful. He was also so attuned to her; he paid so much attention to everything about her that it made me want to cry. Heath is truly the definition of a good man; he is the standard. I mean, there's a scene where Dani tells him the bar is too loud and he pulls out a pack of earplugs like hello??? Ugh, I can’t; he was just so good. I don’t even know how to describe how much I loved him.

I also have to touch on the friend group in here because I absolutely adored them and I hope this isn’t the last we see of them! Kai and Imani were standouts to me. I loved seeing Kai and Dani get closer, and Imani seemed to understand and accept her just like Heath. There were some tiny hints of possible future relationships that I'm super curious and intrigued by too!

Something I do wish we spent more time on is Dani’s struggles with her self-esteem. We get a little information about her relationship with her dad, along with her stepmom, brother, and ex, but I wish we dove a little deeper. My main reason for this is because of certain events that happen toward the end of the book. I feel like Dani needed a lot of realizations and growth that I don’t feel like we got. I love knowing everything about the characters I read, so more in-depth background on both her and Heath would’ve made this story even stronger for me.

Speaking of things toward the end, I won’t go into detail because obviously that would be spoilers; however, I do need to say that I wish this stuff happened a little earlier in the book. This partly piggybacks on what I said before: I think we needed a little more growth from Dani, but also, because Dani reacts pretty harshly to something, and I unfortunately don’t think her apology was good enough. As I said, I relate to Dani; I get her, but I was also extremely frustrated by how she treated a certain someone. I feel like me saying this makes it sound like I don't understand her reaction in this situation, and trust me, I did get it. My frustration comes more from the fact that the apology afterward was weak, and I feel that is because we didn’t have enough time left in the book for proper reflection.

That said, I did struggle with my overall feelings toward this book. It truly started off so strong; I love the characters, and I loved seeing them together and slowly figuring things out. But character depth matters a lot to me, and the exploration of both Dani and Heath felt a little lacking; on top of that, the ending felt rushed. Because of this, I’m between a 3.5 and a 4, so I think I’m gonna settle on a 3.75★ rating.

Overall, I did really enjoy this! I am looking forward to reading more from EJ Blaise, and I can’t wait to see what else she writes!

Thank you to Headline Eternal for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

[Petra]

𝐄𝐉 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄 - 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄
🎉𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖

So this is really big news if you're an EJ Blaise stan/fan/stalker like I am: Better than Revenge is her (I believe) first traditionally published book! I was lucky enough to attach myself to it early on. Which honestly wasn't a hardship on my side as I was a little dog wagging its tail every time any art, quote or juuust a little mention about the story and its main characters was popping up my feed.
And I wasn't disappointed with this story!
Erin is one of those romance authors who's yet to write something I don't devour instantly, so it wasn't a big surprise that I gelled with the characters.
Better Than Revenge's MCs were two college kids, falling into a (let's say pretend) relationship to spite the FMC's cheating ex. Add in some golden retriever energy and biiiig black cat vibes from a brokenhearted girl, viciously attached found family dynamics and swimmer drama and you've concocted more than 400 pages of sugar rush.
Let's start with my biggest take:
I loved Heath. Besides the fact that I was associating him to Heath Ledger, but I guess his willingess and fun loving persona kinda matched the MMC's in 10 Things I Hate About You, so we'll take it.
He was a top yearner, quietly adimiring Daniela from afar for years. He was vocal about his crush, so much so that all his friends knew who she was and what he felt about her. I admired his tenacity regards to securing his dream girl, even if it came with the price of faking it into existence.
Heath was attentive, caring and a soft teddy bear, with a tough outer shell. His tattoos and sheared hair made him look like a badass surfer, but his inside was all gooey and goofy.

The other part of our dynamic duo, Daniela was a strong heroine with a lot of trauma and various, explicitly not great coping mechanisms. Please, check any TWs just for this reason before picking up the book!
But boy was Dani fierce! Loyal, determined and a bit of a type-A personality. Totally the type of FMC I like reading about as their strenght is inspiring. Dani's rigid schedules and set in stone goals, both in terms of her personal and professional life ('swimming and academics are non-negotiable, must achieve the best outcome' mantra for the win!), were determined by her parents.
She feared inadequacy, seeked measurable validation from outside sources and was never just happy being second. This type of stress and strain had emotional and physiological effects, all of which Heath was actually kind of a balm to. He knew how to look past the jagged barbs and spiky scowls, knew how to teach her that there's value outside her own rigid ways.
She learned to lean on him, learned to trust a person to like her for what she is. This type of loving was so important for the storyline, and so great to read about, I might have swooned a couple of times!!
With a book about college athletes falling in love, comes a bit of silliness in terms of figuring out what they want from each other. It was the same for Better Than Revenge. A bit of misleading situation, scheming exes, getting hard done by fate etc puts the pair into a whirlwind, but honestly... I was kind of impressed how they navigated through their issues and fights, even if it wasn't my favourite part of the book.
Also, need to do a fave quotes compilation as I highlighted the everliving everything on my Kindle.
Take all of my ramblings as a sign to pick up Better Than Revenge! I don't think you'll regret it!

(P.S.: I really need a certain redheaded man and Imani's story like ASAP if it's possible! Thank you!)

[Beth’s Book Collection · Rating 5 out of 5]

"People don't like me."
"People don't get you."
"And you do?"
"God, no." He smiles crookedly. "But I like the challenge."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶.5

What you'll find in this book:
• Fake Dating for Revenge
• Black Cat x Golden Retriever
• Small Coastal Town
• An Obsessed Man Who Yearns
• Rival College Swim Teams
• Chronic Introvert
• Oblivious FMC x Obsessed MMC
• Tutoring Lessons
• Tattooed MMC
• Found Family
• Sports Romance

*Hang on, let me wipe my tears away before I begin.*

This book hit me right in the feels, how Dani, furious and feeling humiliated by her ex wants to get back at him and what better way than a fake dating agreement with his biggest rival. Little does she know that this agreement will become about more than revenge, how this journey slowly heals her, how she learns her own self-worth, finds herself and I was there for every step of the way. This book broke my heart and put me back together again, with Dani thinking that she is unlovable having been conditioned by those around her to feel that she is not good enough. I adored reading this story of unconditional love, connection and about finding your people. Combining sports romance, a small coastal, rival swim teams and fake dating this book was such a great read that is both fun, emotional an powerful.

Dani makes me feel so seen, neurodivergent and a product of her environment she doesn't think that she is worthy of love, doing her best to make others happy before she even considers herself. It hurt my heart that Dani pushes away anyone that gets close, self sabotaging and leaving her alone. I adored how those that care for her push past her steely exterior, giving her patience and love when she is insistent she doesn't want any. There is a side to Dani that is so spicy and refuses to back down, and it is this dynamic nature of her character that makes her so loveable, even in her self destructive spirals I was still rooting for her. Heath shows Dani what love truly is, how it shouldn't be conditional, how you shouldn't have to change yourself to fit someone else's mould. He shows Dani how much he cares for her with every action he takes. I am Heath's number one fan, I was cheering him on from the get go as be begins to break down Dani's barriers refusing to back down when the going gets tough. His larger than life sunshine personality contrasts perfectly with the black cat nature of Dani, making for moments of intense emotion, desperate connection and banter.

The agreement between Dani and Heath very much becomes the elephant in the room, how the pact for revenge makes their growing feelings for one another even more complicated. Making them feel like they cannot act on their desires and what everyone else can clearly see is happening between them. It was so frustrating knowing that their feelings for one another and the way they hold eachother back. The main character relationships aside, the found family unit within this book is so well written. Dani really does find her people, friends that love her unconditionally of her relationship with Heath. I adored those moments she has with the girls where she is so clearly out of her element at the beginning but begins to grow into as the story goes on. It really was painful reading Dani's story, not knowing whether the fake relationship between these two will be the beginning of something or the destruction of everything.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC to read and review early.

Author: EJ Blaise
Publisher: Headline Eternal
Release Date: August 25th, 2026
Pages: 464

[Tanya-Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars, and a formal request for Kiki’s book that I will be submitting in writing)

How I Got Here
I had my eye on this from the announcement. Never read E J Blaise before but the pitch was exactly my kind of situation and I was not waiting around about it. Huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC because waiting for the release date was not going to be an option for me personally.

The Case For Swimming
Can we talk about the fact that there are not enough swimming sport romances? Because there aren’t. We have an entire genre built around hockey and football and baseball and yet the pool is sitting there, completely underutilised, full of narrative potential and excellent shoulder-to-waist ratios, and almost nobody is doing anything about it. E J Blaise is doing something about it. I respect this decision enormously.
Both main characters are athletes, which in my opinion is not a preference but a requirement for a sports romance that actually works. Check. Slow burn. Check. He falls first — and hard, which is the only acceptable direction for that to go. Check. Fake dating. Check. We are off to an excellent start.

What This Book Did Well
The found family element landed. The emotional journey the FMC goes through is genuinely tough, heartbreaking in places, and yet you are rooting for her through all of it, even when things get complicated, even when she makes it difficult. That’s hard to pull off and this book pulls it off.
The MMC is a top tier golden retriever and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Enthusiastic. Devoted. Falls completely and somewhat helplessly. Exactly what we needed in this specific story against this specific emotional backdrop. The spice is present and calibrated correctly, enough to keep things warm without tipping into territory that starts to feel like a different book entirely.

The Honest Bit
Towards the end things escalate in a direction that I have to be real about. I loved the FMC, I understood her pain completely, I was with her the whole way. And yet. Some of what she says and does in those later chapters pushed past what I could fully excuse, even accounting for everything she’d been through.
Here’s my test for this and I apply it consistently: if the MMC had done those same things to her, we would be telling her to leave immediately and not look back. That double standard is worth naming. It didn’t ruin the book for me but it sat with me in a way I couldn’t entirely shake and you deserve to know that going in.

The Kiki Situation
If you enjoy Hannah Grace’s Maple Hill series this is a must read and I will not be taking questions about that recommendation.
This book needs to be the first in a series because I need Kiki’s story with an urgency I cannot fully explain but feel very deeply. Someone make this happen. I am asking nicely. For now.

Final Verdict
Four stars, genuinely meant. I will be rereading this, soon, and with a trophy copy because this one earned it. E J Blaise’s backlist has been added to my list and I’ll be getting to it with reasonable haste.
If sports romance and slow burn are your thing, this is your next read and I’m confident saying so without caveats.
— Tanya Jayne, formally petitioning for Kiki’s book, adding another author’s entire backlist to the pile, blaming nobody but herself for the current state of her TBR

[Ashleigh Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better Than Revenge follows Daniela Williams, who has just gone through a nasty break up after being cheated on. To make matters worse, her ex and his new girlfriend are on Daniela’s swim team. To get back at her ex, Daniela makes a deal with Heath Belfort, a stupidly handsome local surfer and her ex’s biggest swimming rival. Heath agrees to fake date Daniela, as long as she tutors him so he can pass his history class. Private lessons and staged kisses are just fine with her, but can anyone make it out of a fake relationship unscathed?

Sometimes I will read a book and feel like it was written specifically for me, and this was one of those books. This was my first book from EJ Blaise, and honestly, it had everything I look for in a romance. I’m calling it now; this will be my romance book of the summer!

I love a black cat x golden retriever couple, and god, did I adore Dani and Heath. Dani is prickly, hyper-independent, slightly antisocial, and slow to open up and let people in. And for good reason; the girl is carrying around so much hurt and grief, and believes people are only interested in her because of her swimming achievements. Seeing her find her people and realise she is worthy of love, friendship and respect was so satisfying. Her story arc and character development felt believable, and I loved that she didn’t feel like she had a personality transplant at the end of the book; she was still her glorious black cat self!

And Heath Belfort?! Who does EJ Blaise think she is, making me fall in love with a blonde man?! Heath was the perfect MMC; charming, funny, patient, supportive, and so down bad for Dani from the beginning. I loved that he liked Dani exactly how she was, and never tried to change her or make her feel “difficult” as so many have done in the past. His personality balanced Dani’s perfectly, and I adored how he constantly showed up for her.

I always eat up the fake dating trope, and I could tell straight away that neither party was *really* faking it, especially Heath! The chemistry and tension between Dani and Heath was electric and had me squealing and kicking my feet. The spicy scenes were so well written and so damn HOT. I loved that as well as being lovers, Dani and Heath also felt like friends; the banter and teasing between them was so fun.

Although I’m not always the biggest fan of books set at college, I really enjoyed the setting of this book. There were one or two scenes set within the college, but the majority of the book was spent in the small coastal town, which I appreciated. The swimming aspect was also really well done, and didn’t overwhelm the romance at all.

I won’t say too much as I don’t want to spoil anything, but this book also had such a great found family aspect which I adored!

I teared up multiple times towards the end of the book, but I was so satisfied with the ending and where the characters ended up. I loved these characters so much that I would have been more than happy reading another 300 pages about them!

Overall, I adored this book so much, and I cannot wait to read whatever EJ Blaise publishes next. I would urge any romance lover to pick this one up when it releases in August!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for providing me with an eARC. This review is being left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

[Kelsie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Headline Eternal for letting me read and review this book early. All thoughts are my own!!

EJ Blaise can do no wrong!! Her books are always so deeply layered and full of complex characters, found family, and witty banter. Better Than Revenge is no different. I never want her books to end, and I always immediately want to reread when I finish them. Sometimes when I love an author this much, I struggle to fully articulate just how deep and unending my love for their work is. This is one of those times!!

Daniela is grumpy and closed off!! People think she’s emotionless, and she hates crowds and loud noises and needs routine!!!! She’s not good at physical affection!! I love her so deeply!! I’m also head-cannoning her as autistic, even though I don’t know whether EJ meant for that interpretation or not. It’s so rewarding to watch a character like Dani start to feel safe and settled and open up to her chosen family. She doesn’t want to let herself believe that people love and care for her, so it’s really lovely when she gets to a point of finally knowing it. Her relationship to her parents and their expectations for her also play a big part in her development through this book, and it was very emotional to read.

Heath is a capital “Y” Yearner!! His love and support for Dani are never ending, and that’s exactly what she needs. He also has moments of doubt though, because he’s not perfect, and I love seeing into his personality and actions through Dani’s eyes. I love a man who sees through the grumpiness and doesn’t think she’s too much!! Physical touch and acts of service are his love languages!! What do you mean he bought travel sizes of every product Dani uses for hair care and skin care on the off chance she stays over, well before Dani admitted to herself that she liked him??

The two of them together are so precious and lovely and wonderful, and I genuinely wanted this book to never end. I also have to say that I really appreciated the part of the story that surrounded Dani’s struggles with intimacy and sex. She was reading as asexual/demisexual to me, but it doesn’t really need a label honestly. Sex can be a complicated thing for a lot of people, so it’s really nice when an author writes about that complexity and potential struggle in a romance novel, especially a college romance.

Heath’s friend group, which then became Dani’s friend group, was a highlight in this book for me. I see the threads being woven for their stories, so I’m extremely hopeful we get to see those play out in the future. It’s not an EJ Blaise book without a friend group that will literally do anything for each other!!

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention how phenomenal EJ’s writing style is. I don’t even really know how to describe her style, but it always makes me connect so hard to the character’s emotions, even when it’s not their point of view. Every part of the story is so fleshed out and developed, and I genuinely always feel like I’m in the book watching it happen in person.

I am extremely excited to see what EJ Blaise’s writes next, and I will be savoring Better Than Revenge until then!!

[marilyn silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5⭐

Tropes
🩷Fake Dating
🩷Black cat x Golden Retriever
🩷Grumpy Sunshine
🩷Opposites Attract
🩷Found Family


First and foremost i would like to thank Author E J Blaise and the publisher for giving me the ARC of the book in return for an honest review. I'm truly grateful.

While starting this book, I had a lot of skepticism because at first I genuinely didn't know how to feel about it—the characters, the story, everything. But it only took a few chapters for me to completely devour this book.

This was such a fun and entertaining read that had me hooked before I even realized it. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but I absolutely loved the ride.

The story follows Daniella Williams and Heath Belfort. Daniella is a swimmer, an athlete, and the literal definition of a black cat heroine. After her ex cheats on her, she's determined to get revenge on him, and that's where Heath—her ex's rival—comes in. Heath is a swimmer, a talented surfer, and a man who has been completely obsessed with Daniella for years while she remains entirely unaware.

When Daniella proposes a fake dating arrangement, Heath practically jumps at the chance. What starts as a revenge plan quickly develops into something much deeper, and watching their relationship evolve was one of my favorite parts of the book.

Heath Belfort was easily the standout character for me. This man was down astronomically. The way he noticed every little thing about Daniella, always showed up for her, and saw through every wall she put up made him impossible not to love. He was patient, supportive, and unwavering in his feelings from beginning to end. If there is one thing this book accomplished, it's raising my standards for fictional men.

I also really enjoyed Daniella's character. While many people viewed her as cold and distant, I saw someone who deeply cared about the people around her and simply wanted to be loved and understood. She was strong, determined, and incredibly resilient. Although she could be frustratingly oblivious at times, her emotional journey felt rewarding and believable.

the friendship dynamics in this book was everything for me. I absolutely loved the whole found family thing that was going on there

That being said, the book was a little predictable for me. Many of the plot developments were things I saw coming fairly early on. Normally that would affect my enjoyment more, but the characters and romance were strong enough that I found myself invested regardless.

My only other complaint is that I would have loved to get Heath's POV. I think being inside his head would have added even more depth to the story and made his devotion to Daniella even more impactful.

Overall, this was a fun, addictive romance that delivered on the fake dating trope and gave me a hero who fell first, fell harder, and never looked back. If you enjoy fake dating, obsessed heroes, black cat heroines, and romances filled with tension and longing, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I had a lot of thoughts about this book. There is a lot to like here. The romance has good chemistry, and there’s a sweet found family element to the book. I really liked Dani as a main character; I liked her abrasiveness and my heart broke for her. It thought Heath was a good complement to her character and I thought their dynamic was really sweet. I also thought that the angsty parts of the book were the best – I think I enjoyed this most when it leant into the angst.

But, I thought there were some issues. The pacing was disjointed; the middle part felt very longwinded, then the ending felt quite rushed. I felt like both Dani and Heath still had a lot of things to talk about by the end – there was a lot that felt very unresolved to me.

Partly I think this was because there were a lot of plot points going on here, too many repetitive scenes that could have been cut. For example, I don’t think Dani’s character development required so many controlling people in her past. It made the book feel a little overpadded.

I also found some of the tone a little juvenile. Some of this did not read much like it was set in college, or that these were college-age characters. Some of the interactions, particularly between Dani and her swim team, felt very high school to me, and that tone just didn’t work all the way through. I also felt like some of her ex’s characterisation in particular felt a bit cartoonish at points.

So, ultimately, a bit mixed feelings. On one hand, I generally liked a lot of it: I loved Dani and her relationship with Heath was very appealing. They had some really lovely moments together. But, I thought the book as a whole was too long and had too much going on. Though I do want to say I think some of this is a problem with me – I just don’t think this was the book for me, I can see it being a 4 or 5 star read for a lot of people, but for me I’m settling on 3 stars. I think this author is a very skilled and engaging writer and I’ve read other books by them I’ve really enjoyed, but this wasn’t necessarily one of them. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Fake relationship, bargains/deals/wagers, college, grumpy/sunshine, sports.

Warnings: Violence, controlling and coercive behaviour, verbal abuse, scenes of injury, hospital scenes, surgery, disordered eating (in past), death of a parent (in past), grief, self-harm (on-page).

Other: On-page sex, oral sex, fingering, semi-public sex, praise kink, references to BDSM, infidelity / cheating (not between MCs, FMC’s ex), OM drama The FMC’s ex-boyfriend interferes in their relationship a lot but the FMC isn’t interested in getting back with him. Later on the MMC misinterprets an interaction between the FMC and the ex-boyfriend, but again, you as the reader know she’s not interested..

[Ali (Taylor’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

New fav book.
I loved every single page of it
Give me all the sequels, all the spin offs! I need to know more about Kiki (pleaaaseee, I'm officially his #1 fan rn), all the side characters and this universe (!!!)

Tropes you'll find in BTTR:
-fake dating
-he falls first and harder (!!)
-black cat (FMC) x golden retriever (MMC)
-found family
-banter and yearning
-ex's rival
-sports romance (swimming)

Better than Revenge follows Daniela Williams, a college competitive swimmer who, after breaking up with her boyfriend because he cheated on her, decides to get revenge by fake dating Heath Belfort, her rival from the opposing swim team (hihihihihihiii).

LOOK, THE AMOUNT OF LOVE I HAVE FOR FAKE DATING IS ACTUALLY INSANE.

Right from the very beginning I was 100% on Dani's side. After coming out of one of the most toxic relationships I've ever read in a contemporary romance, her ex deserved that and so much more.

You can really tell how much love the author poured into Dani. She feels like a real person. She's broken, she's scared, she doubts herself, and little by little she starts trusting herself again while learning that love isn't supposed to hurt. EJ Blaise writes her in such a beautiful way that all you can do is root for her and cry with her. WHAT A CHARACTER!!!

I absolutely loved Heath.
He's officially one of my favourite romance MMCs. He's patient, funny, thoughtful and, above all, he makes Dani feel safe. He never tries to change or fix her, he's simply there for her whenever she needs him. He *jussst* loves her. Seriously, I need more men written like this.

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON KAI (i love him SO FREAKING MUCH)

I don't know what's in the ocean over there, but every single man EJ Blaise writes is so thoughtful, gorgeous and ridiculously smashable. Just gimme moreee!

The relationship between Heath and Dani develops exactly the way a normal relationship should, considering the circumstances they're in (fake datinggg, I wish!)
They start with revenge, then become friends and theeeennnn the romance finally starts to bloom. And everything feels so natural. At no point did I feel like things were moving too fast or that feelings appeared out of nowhere. Everything takes its time.

And let me tell you, the romance is the cherry on top. The banter, the yearning, the "I've always loved you"????
I CAN'T!!!!

On top of that, this isn't just a romance. It's also a story about healing. It's about learning to trust again, overcoming a relationship that completely broke you, not just romantically but also the cycle of trauma that can exist within families, and learning that you deserve better. It's emotional, sweet and incredibly real.
As someone who struggles with many of the same things Dani does, I really appreciated the way EJ Blaise handled all of it. LIKE, THANK YOU.

And then there's the ending... I was crying for at least two hours.

It makes me so sad that I won't get to see more of them and what their future looks like, but I'll be sitting here patiently waiting for those spin offs!!!!!!! KAI, I'M WAITING FOR YOU!

I can't even describe what this book made me feel. It was absolutely wonderful.
Thank you so much to Headline Eternal for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC before publication.

[Kendall {Book Crazy} · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my first read from this author! I had heard a few things about some of her other books and I had been looking to read a book from her! I was intrigued by the synopsis of this one and I’d already pre-ordered a signed paperback, so I requested an ARC! After reading, I can say that I enjoyed this book! I loved the direction the plot went in and it only took me a few sittings to read! There was a lot of romance in the plot and I loved the way it developed because it was very much opposites attract and the male character had golden retriever energy and the female character was snarky! I felt like the two of them balanced each other well and taught each other a lot! There was also a little big of action in the plot, but the romance aspect was definitely the main focus! The characters were amazing and made this book even better! Daniela “Dani” was the main character, and in this book she had just broken up with her cheating boyfriend and she wanted revenge! Dani was snarky, focused and I loved her! Did she sometimes say the wrong thing at the wrong time? Yes, but she also felt like everyone was against her and she didn't deserve to be loved! I felt like Dani came a long way in this book and she learned how to have fun and realised that swimming wasn't everything! Heath was the love interest of Dani! I loved Heath! He was very funny and straight with Dani! He also didn’t rise to her snarkiness and he taught her that she shouldn’t have to change herself to be accepted and that she deserved to be around people that genuinely cared about her! Heath was also a lovely guy and cared a lot about those around him! This book was only written from Dani’s point of view, which made sense because it was her story! The synopsis also gives the impression that it was going to be written this way! I did enjoy it only being written through Dani’s eyes, but I would have loved to have went inside Heath’s head and see Dani through his eyes because he had always had feelings for her! I was still able to connect with the other characters that I needed to and it helped me fully connect with Dani and understand her more! I can also completely understand why this book is a standalone! Everything in the plot was wrapped up and the questions answered! The ending was also left at the perfect place for the characters and showed how far they had both come! I now can’t wait to check out this author’s other books! They sound intriguing so I can't wait to give them a read soon and check out her future releases! The cover for this book is also stunning! It's what initially drew me to the book and made me check out the synopsis! I love it a lot and how well it suits the book and characters of Dani and Heath!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

I love a sports romance, so I was definitely excited to pick this one up, especially with competitive swimming at the centre of the story.

Daniela is a competitive swimmer whose year gets off to a pretty awful start when her boyfriend, Ben, cheats on her, breaks up with her and then very publicly starts dating his new girlfriend, who also happens to be on their swim team. Enter Heath, Ben's biggest swimming rival. So, what better revenge than fake dating the one person your ex absolutely hates?

It becomes very clear pretty quickly that Heath is completely obsessed with Daniela. He is the ultimate golden retriever hero, ridiculously sweet, supportive and basically willing to do anything she asks. Dani, on the other hand, is incredibly guarded. She is stubborn, competitive and very much the grumpy half of this grumpy sunshine pairing.

We get a lot of insight into why Dani is the way she is, particularly her relationship with her late father and the pressure he put on her to be the best swimmer she could possibly be. That pressure has clearly stayed with her, and I did understand why she struggled so much to let people in.

That doesn't mean she wasn't frustrating though. There were so many moments where I just wanted to grab her and say, "DANI, PLEASE. LOOK AT THE MAN STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU!" 😂 Heath is genuinely adorable and watching him repeatedly try to get through her walls while she stubbornly shuts him down was both sweet and incredibly frustrating.

One of my favourite parts was that fake dating Heath didn't just mean getting Heath. She also gained his circle of friends, and for Dani, having genuine friendships was completely new. I really enjoyed watching her slowly start to experience what having people around her actually felt like, even if she struggled to fully let them in.

I did find this a bit of a difficult read at times because Dani was so closed off, and there was quite a lot of bickering and miscommunication. I also would have loved more time seeing Dani and Heath actually being happy together. They don't really get that much time as a settled couple until very close to the end, which felt a little later than I'd usually expect in a romance.

That said, Heath absolutely made up for a lot of it. He is the kind of hero who makes you want one of your own, and honestly, everybody needs a Heath in their life. 🥹

Not a perfect read for me, but I enjoyed it, and if you love sports romance, grumpy sunshine and an utterly adorable golden retriever hero, this is definitely one to check out.