
Member Reviews

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.

Loved following Wes and Liz's love story unfold. Laughed, smiled and read this one in one sitting. Super cute story and definitely a worthy sequel to Better than the Movies!

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Wes & Liz when they went to college, here it is. Unfortunately for them, their college start wasn’t as smooth as we’d hoped. After some major life experiences and changes, Wes & Liz part ways for some time. Nothing Like The Movies starts where they reunite at UCLA and we get to experience Wes desperately trying to win back Liz.
I think BTTM is the YA gold standard, but this book moves them into their new adult life and it was a sweet and emotional journey.
Favorite parts:
•texting
•their friend group & college found family
•Wes’s sister (I want a spinoff)
•Helena (I was a fan in BTTM too)
•Wes is obsessed - like good-guy-Justin from JFTS obsessed

and the Wes and Liz enemies-to-lovers rom com of our young hearts, get ready for this roller coaster of emotion. We (the @lynnpainterbooks fan club) asked and she delivered on telling us the extended love(ish) story of a post high school Liz and Wes, and this time from Wes’ pov! My heart you guys. I refuse to reveal any huge plot points but once you start and get your heart a little bruised - you won’t stop until you finish this book in one sitting like I did. Second chance romance anyone?

I’m a huge Lynn Painter fan! I’ve read her entire back list! I loved Better Than the Movies, so I was excited to see there was a sequel coming out. This book was a bit different than her typical writing style, but still made me laugh and cry like usual.
Wes and Liz were so sweet together in BTTM! It was a little hard for me to see what they went through transitioning from high school to college, though it did feel very realistic. It brought back memories of my own relationship trials transitioning from high school to college. Those are hard years and Wes had personal trauma to add to it. Wes will always be a favorite character of mine. Liz is a bit annoying and her communication isn’t the best, but they are so cute together! I loved all of their new college friends, especially Clark!
If Lynn Painter writes it, I will read it! I definitely recommend checking this sequel out, but make sure you read Better Than the Movies first! Now I’m going to go rock out to the soundtrack list included in the book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
This was everything I wanted out of this book and more!!! Still to this day <i> Better Than the Movies </i> is one of my favorite books and is cemented as one of my comfort reads, so, I was a little hesitant to see if this sequel lived up to that, and it absolutely did.
<i> For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. Wes is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good </i>
I am gonna say trigger warning for this book, there are mentions of grief and death. I feel like this was portrayed realistically and what they had to go through is the reality and norm for a lot of people in their lives after such an event.
If you love the “Guy falls first” trope, you’ll loveeeee this book!! It was a bit of a slow burn but Wes is undoubtedly head over heels in love with Liz and the things he says and thinks about her…their love continues to be inspirational no matter the circumstance they’re in.
It was so fun going from reading about Liz and Wes in High School to them now in College and seeing how much they’ve grown up, which is apparent throughout the book, but also seeing glimpses of the things that made me fall in love with them. I’m also currently in College so reading about my fav characters in the same time of their life as me was so full circle!!
I did think the truth behind some things were a little dragged out and could’ve been revealed earlier, it felt forgotten throughout the book and then like remembered it was a thing and so she dropped it and revealed things at the end. But it overall tied together and it had me hooked to keep going!!
Overall, I think everyone should 100% read this at anytime of the year! I had such a great time reading this, it was so easy to read and all the rom-com-y vibes you could ever want.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for an E-Copy ARC in exchange for my review