YES! This YA delivers. I was rooting for Liz and Wes throughout this entire story! Told through alternating perspectives of Liz and Wes, the story picks up 2 years after "Better than the Movies" left off. And much has changed in the lives of the lovebirds as they navigate college and life overall. Wes essentially has to win Liz back after a personal fallout where everything came crashing down and he lost it all. Now, 2 years later, he's ready to face his demons, pick up a baseball again, and win back the girl of his dreams. As the story unfolds, what happened is described by both character's perspective and then there is what really happened. However, as time has gone by, Liz has grown and changed--little Liz is no longer--and she does not want to pick up where they left off. Can Wes get back the girl of his dreams...and what really happened to our star crossed lovers?
5 stars

Lynn Painter does it again! this book is incredible and I can not wait for everyone to read it. She has a way of reading to make sure you read her books in one setting!

What a perfect sequel! I’m always worried about contemporary follow-ups because they just mean creating more conflict between the characters - but this worked SO well! It was lovely being back with Liz and Wes and watching them find a way back to each other. I’m docking a star simply because I felt like there was perhaps one too many things keeping them a part and the break up plot could’ve been simplified, but I loved it regardless.

such an amazing book. although I was skeptical of the second chance in this book lynn painter did a fantastic job writing it. i love wes and liz so so much. i enjoyed reading nothing like the movies. 10/10 recommend it

This book was absolutely wonderful. A sequel like this can be tricky to make feel natural, but Lynn Painter nailed it. My heart hurt for the characters as we saw flashbacks of their breakup and the heartache that came after. Wes is such a golden retriever character, but the depth that the heartache gave him was just right. This book had me hurting, laughing, and loving right along with the characters.

Earlier this week, I finished a digital ARC of Nothing Like the Movies! @lynnpainterbooks , true relatable icon, always has her finger on the pulse of the best music and legendary rom-com quotes. I absolutely love this new installment’s curation of songs and quotes. My friends and I read Better Than the Movies during our senior year of high school and it became one of our all-time favorite books. Fast-forward: We are now going to be juniors in college (crazy!!), just like our aspiring music supervisor protagonist Liz Buxbaum. It was interesting to see two of my favorite characters against a college backdrop, although my favorite part of the book takes place in a more nostalgic setting. (🤐)That could just be me needing an escape from reading about the realistic stress of college while being in college though! Nonetheless, it’s just that: realistic. While I know it’s hard to picture the characters you know and love in a different setting and stage of their life, I highly recommend putting on your favorite soundtrack and going in with an open heart. Because who can resist more WesLiz content?! Thank you to @netgalley for the digital ARC! Nothing Like the Movies is out October 1st!

"Nothing Like the Movies" is the second book in Lynn Painter's "Better Than the Movies" series. This book is centered around college students Wes and Liz. Wes, dealing with the traumatic death of his father, breaks up with Liz right before college starts and completely blindsides Liz and derails their plans. Liz tries to move on but is completely heartbroken. After dealing with his own issues, Wes is determined to win Liz back. Knowing Liz is a rom-com fan, Wes implements some of the swoonworthy moments from Liz's favorite movies.

I enjoyed reading about the popular rom-com moments Wes was recreating in an attempt to win Liz back and thought that was a really cute idea. However, I found it hard to keep up with all the characters in the book as they were so many side characters. I also wasn't quite sure if I was actually invested in Wes and Liz's happily ever after. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

this was such a good second book in the series! i almost loved it more than the first since wes and liz were in college! very relatable and adorable! perfect story line and ending! definitely recommend for anyone who loves a cute romance novel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was BTTM perfect and could’ve been a standalone? Yes.
Did I still eat NLTM up? YES.

WesLiz banter is always perfection 🩷

- fake dating
- second chance
- forced proximity
- slow burn

Thank you, NetGalley x Simon & Schuster for this ARC 🥰

Romantic, funny, and honest sequel to Better Than the Movies. The characters are both likable and quite three dimensional. The chemistry and anticipation between the main characters is palpable and it will leave you cheering for more.

I loved the first book and this was such a sweet extension of their story. I couldn’t put this book down. I love these characters and I was rooting for them all along. This book has great tension and a lot of funny moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The title may be Nothing Like the Movies, but this book is EVERYTHING!

From the title alone I figured not all was well with WesLiz, but was I expecting that curveball?? Absolutely not. Cue being crushed and VERY tempted to throw my phone across the room and curse our beloved Lynn Painter’s very name.

However, nothing safe is worth the drive, and I deeply appreciate how palpable and tangible every moment turned out to be. Wes is everything. Every. Single. Thing.

This book was a great follow-up to the first book. It was full of emotion and heartbreak, and it was so entertaining to read. The reason why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was because the author brought up too much about Liz’s mixed feelings and it clogged up the book. Other then that, the book was great to read and was one that I couldn’t put down.

I am... underwhelmed? I was REALLY excited for this because I LOVED Better Than the Movies.

Wes and Liz head to college! And shortly after... break up. A few weeks into their first year, Wes finds out that his dad passed away. After the funeral, he chooses to stay back in Nebraska to help his sister and mom. Liz stays at school. Out of nowhere, Wes breaks up with Liz. Fast forward 2 years, Wes decides its time he goes back to UCLA, if his coaches let him play again. Liz is crushing life and has an amazing internship with a documentarian. Her job is to create a "Hard Knocks" style documentary about the UCLA baseball team. Wes gets to UCLA and is waiting for an organic moment to run into Liz, which comes in a way he wasn't expecting. What will Liz do when she knows he's back on campus?

Like I said, I was underwhelmed and just feeling meh about it. There were some scenes and some lines that I really enjoyed, but the back and forth of Liz and Wes was not my favorite. It was honestly darker than I was expecting. Painter had talked about losing a parent young in BTTM, but this talked more about the trauma of it all. IDK I just wanted to finish it and get it over with.

I also feel like his sister was NEVER mentioned in BTTM??? I didn't even realize he had one?? Also she kept saying they were driving "cross country" and IDK I think of cross country as completely across the country to the west coast lol.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Again, this was so good! I am glad that Lynn Painter gave us more Wes and Liz. I cant say too much or I will spoil the story, so Ill leave it simple. This is a must when it is released.

This was a wonderful close to their story. It was interesting to see their lives into college. It was sad to see Wes go through hard times, but I was glad that he overcame those struggles (don't want to give any spoilers).

Liz is depicted as a strong determined woman who knows what she wants and I love that. I am glad that she has a dream and goal to aspire to.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this beautifully written story!

Nothing Like the Movies is the follow up novel to author, Lynn Painter's, Better Than the Movies. This sequel follows Wes and and Liz who are now in college. I was super excited to receive the advanced copy of this book, so thank you Net Galley for the opportunity! I really enjoyed the first book in this series and being introduced to Liz and Wes and their sweet friendship, turned romance. However, Nothing Like the Movies has a lot of angst. It is not a light rom/com as expected but an almost heavy novel about family hardships, heartbreak and hurt. I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn't what I expected. As a high school librarian I always search for books that I think will be hook our students on reading. This one is a bit heavy and the language will definitely prevent me from being able to add it to our collection. For those that want to try out the novel, I highly recommend reading the series in order to keep up with the characters and their development.

Nothing Like the Movies wasn't quite as magical as Better Than the Movies, but it was definitely an enjoyable experience. It was great to see our two love lovers have grown up and dealt with some tough stuff. I especially liked that we got to know more about Wes. I will happily suggest this to students who are looking for another rom-com along with the first in the series.

I can’t believe Liz and Wes are not together in the beginning. I wanted to cry. Needless to say, it fell short for me and I normally eat all of Painters books! It was still such a good read though.

I was so incredibly disappointed by this book. Despite my reservations about sequels to romances (we already got the HEA, what more could we need?), I went into this book with excitement and optimism. After all, RLS just wrote a sequel to *her* incredibly popular YA romcom, and it was amazing! So what could go wrong with Painter's capitalization on her book's extreme popularity?

For starters, I really don't think Painter can successfully write in a teenage voice. This was a gripe I had with "Better Than the Movies," all of the characters talk really disjointedly and a bit like what I imagine teenagers in the 1950s attempting to employ gen-z slang would talk like; but, it really comes across terribly in this book. Where "Better Than the Movies" redeemed itself with occasional moments of cute banter and a swoony male lead, "Nothing Like the Movies" has really no redeeming qualities. The book is pitched as Wes doing everything possible to win Liz back, but all he does is whine and pine wishing he hadn't broken her heart so that he could still be with her. DO SOMETHING, MAN! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! Painter says the Wes is mastermind-ing a la Taylor Swift, so I went into this novel expecting hijinks and grand gestures––not depression and a stagnant plot.

Honestly nothing really happens in this book. By the half-way point I really wanted to just give up. I was bored, and I could already sense that the climax of the third act would be a tearful declaration of love (we already know these characters love each other, that was the whole point of the first book) and cue the HEA (which again feels unnecessary, given that was the whole point of the first book). You might be thinking, okay maybe the book was falsely advertised, but at least we're going to get angst. Well, reader, you would be wrong. There is absolutely zero tension or true conflict in this novel Everything could have been solved with a conversation on page one. Yes, the entire novel hinges on a miscommunication that ISN'T EVEN THAT DEEP.

The most interesting part of this book is Liz's growth as a character, and Painter hardly even focuses on it! In fact, she treats it like a temporary mask that is immediately removed once Wes and her are reunited. One point I will give in her favor is that Painter exemplifies the ways in which we can grow apart and maybe grow back together. Wes and Liz got together at a major turning point in their lives, it stands to reason that they are not the same people at 20/21 as they were at 18; but that doesn't mean they can't love the new versions of themselves.

This is a generous 3/5 stars because I hold love for the characters I met in "Better Than the Movies," but honestly it feels like Painter could have done better with this one.

⭐️ 4.5/5

I absolutely ADORED this book. When I initially read Better Than the Movies, I fell in love with Wes and Liz's story and was absolutely ecstatic to be able to delve more into their journey. Romance books (especially sequels) don't always have to be happy all the time. They can be about acceptance, growth, anger, forgiveness, and everything in between and how long can be shown through each of these phases. That is exactly what this book delves into. How two people can come together, fall apart, and come back together once again.

This entire plot felt so believable and that is exactly what I love about Lynn Painter's books. The characters interact with each other with real emotion, which helps to really understand the actions of each person the book follows.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing this in exchange for my honest review!