A cute YA read but I don’t think this sequel needed to happen.

The whole second chance love could have worked if maybe more time had passed, I personally think. Wes felt like such a walking red flag without knowing the background to what happened but even then, I’m like 😒. No one knows how they’ll deal with grief and they are still very young. But the fact he couldn’t trust Liz feels like there still needs to be growth on his end.

I love the references to music and movies in this book but overall, do still think this book was unnecessary.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

📖 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶.“

I absolutely adored 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬 and could not wait to dive into this sequel. I knew going into reading this that something happened that threw a rock into Wes & Liz’s relationship. Which broke my heart to think about but reading this story and seeing how everything played out, just broke me all over again.

This story deals with grief and life after loss. Wes struggles with his relationship with someone who passed away. He had everything going for him. He just started college with his best friend/girlfriend, he was set to play college baseball and most of all he was so happy. Unfortunately, life threw him a curve ball and he was forced to take a detour to his happy ending.

Now it’s two years later and he is determined to win back the love of his life. However, he was not expecting her to have a boyfriend.

Liz gave up on all of her hopeless romantic notions. Real life love is nothing like it is in the movies. She learned that the hard way. Now her ex is back and she doesn’t know how to deal with that. Her best idea is to fake date her friend and hope her heart doesn’t get trampled on a second time by her high school love.

Wes is still such a supreme book boyfriend. He had to go through so much to get back to college and all I wanted was for him to get his happy ending. Liz did what she could to protect her heart, but Wes was determined to find that romance loving girl he grew up with.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱.”

This is definitely a SLOW BURN but once we finally get to the heat, the steamy kisses were worth the wait!

I just want to point out that the blurb of this book makes this book seem like a love triangle romance. I know that might be a turnoff for some people, but this is definitely not a love triangle! Liz and her friend have a completely platonic relationship. 💛

If you loved 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬, you definitely have to check out 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💞 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
⚾️ 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
🫶🏼 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴
💔 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪-𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘍𝘔𝘊
✨ 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺
💋 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘺 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴
🤭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

Lynn can do not wrong! Such a cute, feel good story that will leave you smiling for sure. Excited to see what Lynn has up her sleeve next!

I couldn’t make myself finish this. Sometimes popular books don’t need sequels. This was like ruining beloved characters so I just had to dip out. Sorry Lynn, still love all your other books!

Such a perfect follow up to Wes and Liz’s story! I think sometimes in sequels to romances that may have been intended to be standalones, the conflict can be forced. I didn’t feel that way with this one. It I would take these two for 500 more books

Have you read Better than the Movies? I got it on Netgalley 3 years ago and I've been in love with Wes and Liz since. They are such a fun couple to root for and I love that they've become so popular that Lynn Painter decided to tell us more of their story.

If you like Better than the Movies, baseball, music, song lyrics, funny roommates/friends, fake dating, second chances, angst and books worth rereading, absolutely 100% check this one out.

Oh my sweet and precious Wes and Liz.

I read Better Than the Movies earlier this year and it’s one of my favorite reads of 2024. I could not wait to get back together with Wes and Liz even though I was so scared because they’re broken up! But this story was so beautiful and good.

It’s been 2ish years since the events of Bettet Than the Movies and Wes and Liz have been broken up. Wes has returned to UCLA and he’s determined to get Liz back. But Liz’s heart and love of romance were broken all those years ago and she’s got walls up big time. This one had all the angst you would expect for a second chance romance and I was here for every second of it.

Wes’s story broke me so many times. And I felt for Liz too as she grieved for him and for the things that had happened to him. I loved watching these two reconnect. Wes is the guy you just cannot help but root for. He was adorable and persistent and it was so cute to watch. The date at the baseball field - swoon.

The side characters in this are outstanding. I loved all the friends and family members. The adults in this book are top notch. I loved the fire pit scene with Liz and her dad and Helena’s calls to Wes. Lilith was a phenomenal boss and mentor. The friends were hilarious and real and I need stories about all of them. I felt completely engrossed into this group of college friends and it made me nostalgic for my own time in college.

Lynn Painter is one of my go to authors and her writing style just sucks you in. I was completely invested in this world and honestly I never want to leave it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Teen, and Lynn Painter for the ARC!

This is a closed door romance with moderate language and minimal innuendo.

Content Warnings: loss of parent (in past)

In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student. This is like rollercoaster of feelings come in and out in this novel.

I love Lynn Painter and Wes and Liz are probably my two favorite characters of hers. I was genuinely thrilled when I heard she had written a sequel. However I ended up having to put it down the first time I tried to read it because I couldn't handle reading about Wes's dad. Once I was able to get through that, I ended up really loving it. Although I did not like that Wes and Liz were broken up, I really appreciate the way they find their way back. It was a very sweet story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I definitely recommend you read Better than the Movies first because it is referenced a lot and I don't think you'll enjoy this one as much if you read it as a standalone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-arc!

I enjoyed this one! I did like BTTM better, but I liked bringing back Wes and Liz for another story!
I think that this was such a cute and sweet book that was simple to digest which I liked about it.
There were some lines that kind of cringed me out a bit.. but it’s a YA book so I wasn’t that bothered by it.

It was cool to see both of them a little more grown up and in the college setting.

If you’re looking for a short and quick YA read I would highly recommend this duo! They are cute and fun to read. However, there was a little bit more spice with this one! Nothing too crazy but more than the first.

Read This Book If…you love pining and groveling!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

Genre: YA romance
Series: Better Than the Movies # 2
Spice Level: 1/5🌶, just kisses
Setting: Los Angeles
POV: dual, 1st person, past tense
Tropes: second chance romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating (but not the normal dynamic)

My Thoughts:
As some who NEVER reads YA but enjoyed BTTM, I was excited to receive this ARC!

It is an absolute MUST to read the first book because this one takes place two years afterwards and there’s a lot of shared history and hurt in their past.

If you don’t enjoy a MMC pining and groveling for the FMC, you won’t enjoy this one, because that’s basically the entire book. And the FMC is just panicking about still having feelings for him while trying to live her new life.

I liked this one slightly better than the first, although now that they’re in a college I wish it had moved a little closer to NA. I didn’t feel like the characters grew up very much in their time apart.

Memorable Quote: “There really was a fine line between love and hate, and Libby’s rage fueled me to burn that line to the ground.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

This book was so cute and such a sweet second book for the series! Loved it, seeing all the hardships they went through on their journey through this book was sooo good. Brought me back to the college feeling.

Whew, in Lynn Painter we trust! I was supppper nervous to was this book, as we know from the synopsis that our babies break-up. But trust the process!!!!

The beginning of this book I did kind of love/hate in the sense that I wanted them back together ASAP, but I think within the breakup we get to see a side of Wes that’s deeper than his character in the first book. I also lost my father, and Lynn does a good job of portraying that grief and how your world can flip upside down.

I think the pacing of this book is good but not great. Again I just wanted them together!! I get the slow burn, but I’m selfish with wanting more Wes and Liz time. In the end it does wrap up satisfactory; I just wish they got together a little bit sooner.


All in all Lynn Painter never does me wrong and I trust her with my heart!!!

This was such a well done second-chance romance. A secondary book to what was originally a standalone, but the characters so well loved and Wes Bennett so commonly a book boyfriend for life the second book was begged for! I found the story to be a beautiful tale of grief, selflessness, trauma, resilience, and love. There were so many incredible themes throughout this book that I was not expecting and yet continued to amaze me. The first book of the series was all about the grand, romantic gestures. This one? This one was about the small things that show how much you love someone no matter what. Wes Bennett, ladies and gentlemen!!!

When Wes finally decides to go to the New Year’s Party, the last person he expects to see is Libby. And when she accepts a bet to kiss Wes, the last thing he wants to do is break her heart…again.
Things have changed since we encountered Wes and Libby last, back when the future looked so bright and rosy for a couple in love heading off to college together. Wes is back home, having dropped out of UCLA when his dad suddenly passed away from a heart attack. The couple’s breakup is the central focus of this story. It’s nothing like the movies.

I appreciate the honesty and ragged edges that frame the story. I love that both Wes and Libby have communities that they can lean into (eventually, on Wes’ side) for support. This is a book that takes a mature look at what happens to a relationship when bad things happen, how easy it is to hide behind insecurities and misapprehensions, and the pain and relief you feel when you finally come to your senses.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for access to the ARC. Opinions stated herein are my own, and I don’t receive any kind of compensation for my review.

I am so happy to be back in a world with Liz and Wes. I read Better Than the Movies in January (yes I know I was behind the times!) and fell in love with them, and I was so freaking happy to hear Lynn Painter was writing a follow up to their story. I laughed, I cried (many times), and basically just lived in my feels for a good 24 hours. When I say my heart was aching waiting for them to find their way back to each other! Don't get me wrong, Wes and Liz are both flawed characters, but I really do think that's what makes readers fall in love with them! I loved seeing them two years in the future after several hardships, and the moment when they finally see each other again after a couple of years had me grinning from ear to ear! Their journey is not without bumps (obviously- things are NOT hunky dory when we get back with them), but it feels real and complicated, just like life.

I really enjoyed the side characters in this book. We got glimpses of their old friends from back home in Omaha, but also were introduced to some new college friends and teammates that brought the laughs. And is it just me, or did I detect a couple of potential couples when I was reading?! I mean, there were def two, maybe three twosomes I would definitely be SPRINTING to B&N to grab their books if LP chose to write them!

Ok I'm done rambling now, but please please please read these books- they are perfection!!

This was everything I love about a Lynn Painter romcom! I love her writing in every way - but I think she shines best in the YA world. Add this to the top of your TBR!

Second chance romance for Wes & Liz. Lynn chose violence and broke them up their freshman year of college, but Wes is determined to win this new anti-romance Liz back.

Posted on GR & storygraph 9/26 - posting on IG release week

My favorite thing about these books has always been the mention and quotes of some of my favorite movies and songs. This book was so cute. I will always root for Wes and Lib. Not gonna lie though, I felt the sting when Wes broke Libs heart. The fact that that Lib lost the romantic side of her was so sad because it was such a big part of her in Better Than The Movies. Opposite to the last book, Wes had a lot to work through has he mourned the loss of his Dad. During the time apart Lib did a lot of growing and maturing herself, no more pastel and dresses. I loved theirs friends old and new. Gosh, the banter between the baseball team was great. Overall it was a cute book, I’m glad Lib and Wes finally got their HEA.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc in return for my honest review.

Lynn Painter knocked it out of the park with the baseball second chance YA romance. In full transparency, Better Than the Movies was a little young for me, so I was a little nervous about reading this one. The nerves were immediately put to rest in this one. I loved it from top to bottom and was able to really connect with Wes and Liz. This a must read for anyone one who likes sports romances or second chance romances.

I loved better than the movies so I was excited to read more about Liz and Wes. However,, I think this book just fell a little flat for me. I expected it to be a lot more romance focused and instead it was focused more on their personal journeys. That completely took away from it feeling like a romcom. I think overall, a sequel wasn’t really needed. I’m so sad because I really wanted this one to work for me and I hope other people love it.