As someone who isn’t usually drawn to romance novels, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed *Nothing Like the Movies*. Lynn Painter has this incredible ability to make her stories feel relatable and real, even to readers like me who don’t typically gravitate toward love stories. Her writing style is so easygoing and fresh that it feels like a conversation with a friend rather than reading a book.

One of the standout things about this book is how Painter captures life's awkward, messy, and often hilarious moments. The characters are charmingly imperfect, and the dialogue is genuinely funny without feeling forced. There's a warmth to the storytelling that kept me engaged, even if the plot leaned into classic rom-com tropes.

Overall, if you’re looking for a light, feel-good read with genuine laughs and heart, this book is a solid choice. It might not surpass the first installment, but Lynn Painter’s talent for blending humor and romance makes it worth picking up—especially if you need a break from heavier reads.

I read this book to get more of Liz and Wes from Painter's Better Than the Movies because I loved that book for myself and my YA crowd. This book was quite the ride as we find out that Wes has broken up with Izzy and left school after his father's death for reasons that take a while to get around to. When Wes returns to school, he's determined to get Izzy back, though she's found her niche with new friends, especially her producing partner and roommate, and is still feeling burned. The book is at times sad and frustrating, but overall hopeful. I have recommended both books to patrons young and old. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Young Readers and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 stars! I was so happy to revisit our main characters from Just Like the Movies. I enjoyed seeing their growth and how they had changed over the intervening years in the narrative. My students and I loved the first book and I will definitely recommend that they pick up the 2nd one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I loved Better Than the Movies so much so I was definitely looking forward to this book! And it did not disappoint. I loved being able to read about Liz and Wes again <3. The banter between them was everything and more. The flirting, the angst, the pining. It was all done so well. I didn't love the break up between Liz and Wes. It felt a little forced and didn't really feel like something Wes would do after bttm but I understand it was necessary for this book to happen. And it definitely paved the way for some groveling from Wes. Overall, it was nice to read about these characters again in an older, more mature way and their story was just as enjoyable as it was the first time around.

The story picks up in college, months after Wes broke Liz’s heart right before they were supposed to start their new chapter together. Now, he’s determined to win her back, using every over-the-top rom-com move in the book. But Liz? She’s done. Or at least, she wants to be.

Here’s the thing: I totally get that Wes and Liz are older, that tragedy and time have changed them, but it almost felt like I was reading about completely different people. The lighthearted, swoony magic from the first book is replaced with miscommunication, angst, and frustration. Instead of fun banter, we get a lot of misery, and while I love a well-done second-chance romance, I wish there had been more growth and emotional depth to balance it out.

That said, Lynn Painter’s writing is as engaging as ever. The pacing kept me hooked, and even though I struggled with the character dynamics, I still wanted to see how things played out. If you go into this expecting a more mature, emotionally heavier continuation of Liz and Wes’s story, you might enjoy it more than I did. But if you’re hoping for the same feel-good, rom-com magic as Better Than the Movies, this might not quite hit the mark.

We get to reconnect with Liz and Wes from Better Than the Movies in this sequel, but after we left them in the previous book things didn't really go as planned. Just before heading off to college together, he breaks up with her in a devastating way. Now, fast forward months later and they are attending the same college but are no longer on speaking terms. Wes wants to get back together and goes all out to win her back over, but it looks like it is too late. Especially when she seems to have moved on to someone else. This book has fake dating, second chances, grand gestures, rom-com hijinks and everything in between!

I thought Better Than the Movies was a perfect teen book and Nothing Like the Movies is a nice followup, but for older teens. It was fun to revisit the characters and see their personal growth. As always, Lynn Painter is crafts humorous banter that is fun to read.

Sigh… I really wanted to love this, because I loved Better Than the Movies and I’m a huge second chance romance lover. This unfortunately completely missed the mark for me. I felt like I was reading about completely different characters. They lost the spark that they had and I really couldn’t connect to them anymore. I know they’re older in this book and people change and grow up but this didn’t feel like that. Liz was such a sweet, hopeless romantic and that’s what I loved about her. Wes was frustrating and felt desperate. The entire book these 2 are miserable. There’s no growth, no communication, nothing. They spend 90% of the book miserable and hating each other, and then right at the end we have a resolution that felt forced and like Liz didn’t actually want it. I don’t know, this was just a huge miss for me and I’ll pretend this wasn’t the Wes and Liz we all know and love.

Lynn Painter’s writing is always a win for me, and Nothing Like Movies is no exception! The banter, humor, and swoon-worthy moments are all there, making it such a fun read. While I loved the first book in the series a bit more, this one still delivered on the romance and heart I’ve come to expect from her. Some parts felt a little predictable, but overall, it was a super enjoyable read. If you love Painter’s style, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced read copy of this book!
I was thrilled to receive a copy of Nothing Like the Movies, the sequel to Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter.  
This book continues Liz and Wes's story from Better Than the Movies and jumps you forward in their lives to their college years.  The couple finds themselves beginning college broken up after an unexpected tragedy hits Wes's family.  
In full disclosure, I really enjoyed Better than the Movies more and felt that the time gap of only a few years in Wes and Liz's severed relationship seemed to make them into completely different people within only two years.  While college and tragedy change people, it did feel very far fetched.  I could also do with a bit less profanity especially for the second book in a series geared towards high schoolers.  Regardless, the book kept me engaged throughout and could even be read as a standalone if you haven't read Better than the Movies yet.

Big fan of the 1st book, so this sequel was highly anticipated. I love the characters so I was happy to revisit their world but overall, the plot was a lot weaker than Better than the Movies. Sloooww burn and felt pretty repetitive at times. Lot’s of the miscommunication trope which is not my favorite. Audiobook was the way to go for this one! 3.5 rounded to 4 stars!

I loved this second book! I enjoyed following the love story of Wes and Liz in college. I liked how they grow up a little, they change and that’s realistic to how life really is. I enjoyed Wes more in this one than Liz but they were still both lovable.

There was no reason for a sequel and it wasn’t even good. 🥲

This book was so long for no reason. We kept going back in circles and I hated that. This was not for me. I really enjoyed BTTM so this was extremely disappointing.

I love Lynn Painter’s books! All the books I’ve read by her have been so light hearted and beautifully written. I love the characters and I’m so happy I was able to receive this arc.

This wasn't quite what I was hoping for in a sequel. I loved Wes and Liz in book 1! I think that I would have been disappointed in their story if I had only picked up this book. I enjoyed it more because I already knew their background story. It's definitely a book to read as part of the series, not standalone. This continuation of their story was just okay. I almost felt like I wish that it just ended with book 1.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lynn Painter and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book reminded me how much I loved the first book! In Better Than the Movies, I really fell in love with the love story of Wes and Liz. I liked that Painter added depth to their story with a realistic depiction of high-school relationships transitioning to college and adult ages. This book added much more depth to both characters, especially Wes. I really appreciated everything the Painter put into this book and would highly recommend!

Such a lighthearted, fun, and easy read. It's by Lynn Painter!! Need I say more??

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter!

For a second book in the series, it might be better than the first! Such a easy fun read infused with heart and emotion!! Thank you for the arc of this! Keep writing great books, Lynn Painter!!!

I was already feeling pretty indifferent toward Liz after the first book, and then hearing the synopsis for this one just made me groan. It’s the same old thing ,her being ridiculously oblivious. I don’t want to downplay her feelings about their breakup because it was rough, and Wes is a complete jerk for what he said and did. But I can’t stand when characters keep asking themselves, "Why is he saying this? Why does he look like he misses me?" Like, girl, he does. She’s just not having any complex thoughts about it. And honestly, I wasn’t all that happy with the ending and how they got back together. Even though I have my issues with Liz, she had valid concerns about getting back with him—like, will he repeat his mistakes when things get tough? That question was never really addressed or resolved, along with a few other things.