“Love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it.”

Lynn Painter’s new novel, Better Than The Movies, introduces us to Liz Bauxbaum, a high school senior obsessed with rom-coms. She imagines her life playing out like one as much so that she even creates soundtracks to go with her experiences. She inherited this passion for rom-coms from her late mother with whom she used to watch all these films. What is Liz missing though? The love interest.

Her childhood crush, Michael, returns to town and she just knows he is the one. However, she can’t seem to find a way to get to him; that’s why she comes up with a plan to win his heart and get him to ask her out for prom. She asks her neighbour and childhood frenemy Wes to help her out in exchange for the good parking spot they’ve been fighting over for months. But noticing that Wes isn’t the annoying “bad boy” she had always thought he was was definitely not part of her plan. When prom is finally around the corner, Liz is very much confused as to who she really likes. Will her story become one worthy of the enemies-to-lovers trope that’s so popular in rom-coms or will she end up with her first crush? Well, you better pick this book up!

Better Than The Movies is a super cute YA contemporary novel and it’s light-hearted, fast to read, and addictive. It’s full of pop culture references (from Taylor Swift to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) as well as references to all the classic rom-coms (Bridget Jones, When Harry Met Sally, and more). It was interesting to see some of the schemes talked about in these films playing out in the book itself. That being said though, Better Than The Movies follows a typical YA romance structure and clichés are definitely there; so yes, there is nothing mind-blowing with the story but it is still a good and enjoyable read. The characters are funny, the banter they shared was well written and relatable, and the romance was sweet.

A strong point in the story is Liz’s grief, specifically her reticence to become close with her step-mother, Helena. She struggles to let her in because she does not want to replace her mum. It’s Liz’s senior year and whilst everyone is out there enjoying things for the last time with parents, she feels left out because she can’t experience those with her mother. Those conflicting feelings Liz felt were very realistic and emotional. On the other hand, Liz had a huge miscommunication problem which can be frustrating. Are teenagers like that? Yes. We’ve all probably behaved like that at some point to be honest so it’s understandable and relatable at times. It would have been great to have more background establishing the conflict between Liz and Joss, it lacks a bit of emotional impact because the reader does not get to know Joss very well. That being said, you can’t help but root for Liz and hope she finds her way and makes sense of her feelings. The love interests are also very charismatic and loveable.

All in all though, full of cute, funny, and endearing moments between the characters, Better Than The Movies is an adorable and entertaining read, so it’s perfect for rom-com lovers! Each chapter is introduced with a quote from a classic romance film and there is even a playlist at the end that goes with the story of the characters!

This was a lighthearted, cute and fun book for a quick read. There was nothing spectacular about the storyline and enemies to lovers isn’t usually my favorite trope. But this one was enjoyable and easy to read. I especially loved the rom com movie references as well as a rom com quote at the beginning of each chapter. Iiii

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This was a fantastic romance that didn't feel forced or even cheesy. The dialogue is witty and the characters are fun to follow.

Not only was this books adorably cute, it was full of easter eggs of my favorite movies. I enjoyed the story and the fact that there was actually a playlist at then end!

Better Than the Movies is a blockbuster romantic comedy of a book! Much like the character in one of Liz's favorite movies I found myself hoping for the ending my heart wanted not the picture perfect prom that she scripted.

This delightful book makes the most of the "enemies to lovers" trope. Liz is a rom-com fangirl who's figured out how her life can be like one her favorite flicks: Michael, the guy she crushed on as a kid and never got over, is back in town. So, she enlists Michael's buddy Wes, the irritating boy next door, to play a starring role in her scheme to get Michael to ask her to the prom. But the script flips when Mr. Irritating turns out to be maddeningly sweet and surprisingly hot. The witty banter between Liz and Wes is so much fun, I laughed out loud in spots. I love all the references to rom-coms (and can't believe I haven't seen every single one, a situation I'll remedy asap) and the way Lynn Painter shows how Liz's childhood loss of her mom affects her relationships as a teen. The one thing I didn't love: that Liz gets so caught up in Michael-quest that she slights her best friend-- not cool. Way not cool, but probably realistic.

My bottom line: Breathing fresh life into familiar tropes, this light, witty rom-com is a keeper!

Super fun concept that sometimes lacked a bit of punch in its execution but was still a sweet, fun read. Definitely going to appeal to fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and similar YA romance books.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I received this novel as an e-book ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liz wants to live her own romantic comedy movie, just like all the ones she grew up watching with her mother before her death. She finally gets the chance when her childhood crush and heartthrob Michael moves back to town. The only problem? She doesn't know how to win him over. That's when Liz enlists in long time neighbor and rival Wesley Bennett to help her score the man of her dreams before prom. But what if her visions and dreams of who she wants gets twisted along the way?

This book is everything cheesy and cliché that you can expect out of a teen rom com. And oh my god was I obsessed.

I honestly was obsessed with Liz as a character! The obsession with romantic comedies and how she extended it to parts of her personality, even to the way she dressed, was something I haven't really seen portrayed in stories. Liz also has a passion for music as she loves organizing playlists, and as a music lover and performer, I completely understood where she came from. Apparently the author also made this playlist for her and Wes (which is included in the back of the book and also incorporated into the story) and I related to it more than I can express as a writer myself. There was a depth to her as well as in some ways, she holds on to her mother through these movies and playlists, but still loves them herself without the attachment to her mother, which I appreciated. I did think Liz could be somewhat brash and annoying at times, but I grew to love her.

Speaking of characters I loved, WESLEY BENNETT! He was the absolute star of the show. The banter between him and Liz was some of the best banter I have ever seen put to page. It made me fall in love with him just as much as Liz did, and I sometimes wanted to steal him from her. He was complicated and bold, but also unnecessarily charming and sweet and made for a much more interesting story.

There were times where I wasn't really a huge fan of Michael (too much of the typical nice guy persona) and Laney I didn't like, but she grew on me in the last 20% of the novel. Otherwise, I did like everyone else.

One thing that really helped the story was how fast-paced it moved. You were constantly following things that helped push the plot along, with only one or two filler scenes in-between, which is exactly what this book needed. If I didn't have to sleep or go to classes, I probably would have finished this book in a day. Because of how fast it moved, it also helped in getting you attached to the characters quickly and kept you on the edge of your seat.

Contemporaries, specifically romances, aren't my immediate go-to when it comes to picking up a book. I find them pretty cliché and boring as a result unless there are some really good twists the author includes. Better Than the Movies was something you could expect straight from any romance novel or movie, but I think that made me love it more? You know stuff is going to go wrong, but you don't know how. You know that she'll fall for Wes, but how Liz gets to that point is the best part of the journey.

One minor fault I did have with the book was that Liz always seemed to conveniently not remember stuff from her childhood at so many points throughout the novel as a way to help build the plot. Apparently she doesn't remember a lot of her time as a kid, which is a little weird considering how many times it involved people who she grew up with and became friends with. It might be just me, but I think that could have been stuff she would have remembered.

Better Than The Movies are perfect for any fans of romance and contemporaries with a small twist that will have you thrown back into your favorite rom coms like Pretty in Pink. It's a fast read and will help you get out of a reading slump for sure! I ended up tearing up (which never happens for books in this genre), and I'm sure you will, too.

THIS WAS SO CUTE!! I'm in for an enemies to lovers swoony YA, and this one delivered. Plus add in a sprinkling of pop culture knowledge for the teens to learn about. I really loved the character dynamics and the side characters.

The title and the description drew me right into this book. I am one of those girls that is a romcom junkie, much like Liz and her mom. I grappled with the rating for this book. Back and forth and back and forth because the title says "Better Than the Movies" and with the promise of all of these romcoms,. I was expecting an ending that was over the top, but I didn't get that. Instead, I got an ending that was just as sweet but without over the top sentimentallity.
Liz used to watch romcoms with her mom before she passed away at an early age. It is something that she can do and it always makes her feel close to her mother. She dresses a little different than the other girls and isn't the most popular girl at school, but she is liked by everyone. Everyone but her neighbor and childhood friend Wes. Wes lives to torture Liz. The reader can see pretty early on it is because he likes her, but she is blind to it because her crush that moved away in fifth grade is back and she has only eyes for him. She hatches a plan to try to get Michael to notice her and while doing so, she realizes that maybe she isn't looking for the flashy guy in her romcom, but the boy next door.
Wes literally captured my heart from page one. His witty banter and selflessness when it came to Liz had me swooning all over the place. YA books are hard for me, there is always some drama that triggers me from my less than stellar high school experience, but this one also had my stomach filled with butterflies by the end. I initially gave this a 4 star rating because I wanted a grand gesture, but I am bumping it up to 4.5 stars because after I finished it, I sat in bed for another hour and a half thinking about it. I loved these two and wanted more.
Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for an early copy.

Okay, this was SO FUN. I laughed aloud so many times and I don't think I've been as delighted by a teen romance like this since To All The Boys I've Loved Before.

I personally love to read ya romance novels during the spring and this was perfect timing! I haven’t read a rom-com in a while and I think a pause from my fantasy binge was just what I needed.

There were so many pop culture references that it was a bit difficult to keep track of at times, however, I loved how it was incorporated into the book, especially the Taylor Swift references. The dialogue was also a bit difficult to understand but that may have been an issue with the formatting on my kindle.

I loved the childhood friends(ish)-to enemies-to lovers trope. There was also a bit of fake dating thrown in there and I absolutely loved that. The banter between Liz and Wes just felt so natural and I loved it. The slow-burn of the relationship had me antsy, on one hand, I wanted them to just confess their feelings to each other but on the other hand, I wanted to experience more of their enemies to lovers arc (specifically the enemies part).

This book is a nice and quick read (I finished it in one day) and perfect for the upcoming springtime!!

Why yes, I have (finally) decided to delve more into romance books! Better late than never.

A book for the lover of romantic comedies, Better than the Movies is a cute and fun story of romantic expectations, chasing your dream love interest, and falling for the one who was there all along. Yes friends, this books is enemies-to-lovers fake dating.

"Neighborhood friends were like that. You grew up with them, running over hot sidewalks and yelling to each other over fresh-cut lawns, but once you got older, you became acquaintances born of proximity with nothing but a surface level of basic knowledge."

The book is told in the first person perspective of Liz Buxbaum, a head-in-the-clouds romantic daydreamer who's childhood crush has moved back into town a few weeks before senior prom. Trouble is he still thinks of her as "Little Liz" the neighborhood weirdo, and he's been getting close to another girl Laney. But that's no matter to Liz! (Ugh, don't do this.) I appreciate that Liz's best friend Joss calls her out on her shitty plans instead of just going along with it.

"'Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have."

This is a book where the first person POV didn't work for me, unfortunately. I found the narrative to be a little repetitive at times due to its inner monologue style, and being inside the head of an unlikable (to me) character is always a little painful. That being said, I really enjoyed Liz's character growth and development and it felt earned. I just was more interested in Wes as a character and would have loved to have some chapters from his point of view!

While I wasn't a fan of Liz, I really appreciate how much of the book focuses on the complicated grief from a loss of her mother in the fifth grade and how milestones are tinged with sadness because you can't share them with loved ones who've passed. Watching her open up and share with Wes, who shows Liz time and again how thoughtful he truly is, was a joy. Love is truly what happens when you aren't looking.

Content warnings: bullying, car accident, depictions of grief, loss of a parent, smoking, underage drinking, vomit

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley for my honest review. This has not affected my opinions of the book nor the content of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and are subject to change upon final publication.

This was so cute!!! I absolutely adored it. For some reason, I wasn't crazy about Liz in the very beginning. But that changed quickly, and I loved the way she blossomed with Wes. We got to see this amazing, fun side of her personality that had me rooting for her to spend literally every minute with him. And speaking of Wes, he's THE BEST. I couldn't get enough of their witty interactions. Long story short, this was a total 5-star read for me! I can't wait to read what this author writes next.

This book was a freakin' DELIGHT.

Enemies-to-lovers, boy-next-door, a lil' fake-dating action, and ridiculous but swoony teenage shenanigans MAKE FOR MY FAVORITE KIND OF YA. I seriously couldn't put it down once I started. The characters were well-developed and I thoroughly enjoyed the ups and downs of the plot. I felt very much seventeen again and I loved every minute of it. So so good.

Gosh, I just want to read it all over again. This one definitely made my "Favorite Ever YAs" list. LONG LIVE THE ROM COM!

A big, fat thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. Watch @longhandpencils for a special post and review coming closer to pub day!

Light and fun until it rips your heart out, Better Than the Movies checked all the best rom-com boxes. This one’s easy to recommend.

This is a sweet book that you won't want to put down because you just find yourself smiling so much. I loved the flow of the book, and how quickly and easily I got wrapped up in the characters. They're likable and relatable - and I wish I had been friends with them when I was in school. Sometimes because I wanted to be there with Liz to laugh and smile but other times because she kind of got on my nerves (as real friends do sometimes) and I wanted to tell her she was being obnoxious or petty. It's a breeze of a read with a feel good feeling that most anyone could devour in an afternoon. A perfect beach read with a lightness that I appreciated in our current climate. I'd have loved more info on why Liz and Wes didn't get along because it felt like they should have always been friends, but overall, it was an enjoyable book.

A sweet high school romance, childhood-friends to lovers, with an ending that melts your heart.

Liz lives and breaths romcoms. After her moms death, Liz finds comfort in her moms collection of movies let behind. Liz images herself living out the scenes of her own romance. When Michael, her childhood crush, moves back to town Liz is sure that they’re destined for a great love like the movies. Michael needs some convincing that Liz is not the same little girl he once ran around with.
In a plan to show Michael how much she’s grown up, Liz bribes Wes to help with her scheme. Wes, her next door neighbor, is infuriating and annoying with his constant pranks. That is until Liz sees another side of Wes; the sweet kind and thoughtful Wesley.

I read this one in 24 hours!! But that’s probably because I was on a 6 hour flight with not much to distract me. I will say that I was hooked on Liz and her romance journey. I fell in love with Wesley’s character. He proved Liz wrong with how caring and understanding he was instead of some jerk jock. All the movie and music references were so fun. They all varied from different decades and I loved how a romcom movie quote started each chapter. If you are a fan of cheesy romcoms or heartfelt love stories, I would DEFINITELY recommend this read. The ending was my favorite. I just love a happy ending! This was an easy 5-star read for me!

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES was a rom-com about rom-coms and it was really well done. It’s about a girl, needing the help from her bad boy neighbour to get noticed by a childhood crush. Of course this plot is nothing new and has been done before. But I couldn’t have cared less about that, because it was such an adorable and fun YA rom-com. Light hearted, entertaining, and sure a bit predictable too. But that didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment.

I LOVED the couple. Really loved them. I loved their enemies to lovers neighbour vibe. And I loved their banter, especially their banter. They had such a great connection. Both just knew how to push the other’s buttons. And Wes was one of the swooniest YA heroes I had the luck to come across.

The entire novel was delightful. From the rom-com quotes at the beginning of each chapter, to the many rom-com references. This is such a great book for any rom-com fan. Also the writing was just so on point. It was fun, flirty, and smart. The novel was an easy read, that was enjoyable from beginning to end. I had fun with it. And from the cast to the plot it’s been one great read. It’s a book I can only recommend, especially if YA contemporary is your kind of jam.

Books with music are always tricky; the author always seems to choose songs from their own teenaged days instead of current teen bops. This author chose a great mix of popular new songs that modern readers will actually know; not sure how long that modernity will last though. I've definitely seem romcom books about girls obsessed with romcoms before; they tend to be too specific with their references so you can't enjoy the plot of the book unless you also are obsessed with romcoms. This book uses epigraphs to keep the romcom reference consistent throughout the book without them having too much sway over the ability to understand the plot.