Lynn Painter is a genius. This was an unexpected sequel, but masterfully done. It has heart, depth, Painter’s signature banter, and an amazing cast of supporting characters. I was thrilled to reunite with Liz and Wes.

I will forever be a Lynn Painter mega fan. She’s never done me wrong. BUT I will say that it took me a lot of convincing to finally read this book. I was so giddy to receive an early copy, but then hesitated because Liz and Wes’s story is the one that feels closest to my own and going into this book knowing they weren’t together seemed like setting myself up for disappointment. After re-reading everything that has been written about them, listening to the first soundtrack on repeat, and being convinced by Lynn’s Omaha bestie, I finally dove in. At first I was so sad to see how much both of them had changed but I started to understand the growth and maturity that had taken place while they were apart and I was a big fan. Wes’ dedication is swoon-worthy. Liz’s self-confidence was admirable. And the ending? Man I loved it. Fingers crossed for a lot of short stories to come because I have not gotten enough of these two!

Sequels can be so tricky to live up to its predecessor but Lynn Painter knocked it out of the park with this one. I loved the dual POV between Liz & Wes in addition to seeing their stories collide at UCLA. It was so much fun to read and follow their journey as they struggled to find their way back to each other..

A great sequel to the first book! Quick read but still gave all the feels. The lack of communication between the characters frustrated me and I found myself wanting to scream at them for not talking to each other!

I loved this book! Lynn Painter is a great author and her books make me so happy. :) I'll read anything that she writes and this one was so cute!

Thank you NetGalley and Lynn Painter!

I didn’t realize I needed a sequel to the story of Wes and Liz, but I absolutely did. This story of love and loss shows the power of perseverance and first love. Painter slowly peels back the layers of the complicated story beginning with the New Year’s Eve party with a devastating bet all the way to UCLA where Wes is given a second chance at baseball. Is their relationship worth a second chance as well? What would that look like?

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and Lynn Painter for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own

Tropes;
· Second chance romance
· MC real down bad
· Sports Romance
· College Romance
· Pop-culture references

This book continues Wes and Liz's romance from high school through college, until a tragedy forces Wes to return home and pick up the pieces. Now, two years later, Wes is back as a freshman at UCLA, ready to chase his baseball dreams and win back the love of his life. This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2024! Better than the Movies has always been my ultimate comfort read, so I was thrilled to see their story continue. To top it off, Lynn Painter blessed us with Wes's point of view, which had me literally screaming with excitement.

I loved the college setting, and the dynamic between Wes and Liz never failed to deliver. Even though the romance is a slow burn, their moments together still made me giddy! There were so many heart-wrenching scenes, especially with Wes, that had me sobbing in the middle of the night. I just wanted to give him the BIGGEST hug because of how tough life was for him, but his journey of healing and perseverance was beautifully portrayed. The pop-culture references were a bit overplayed which made the story a bit clunky but still a happy ending regardless.

Thank you to Lynn Painter, Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster for the e-arc!

I love Lynn Painter and love her books but I don’t know if this book was needed. I enjoyed reading it but I also think Better Than the Movies could have stayed a standalone and been fine.

4/5

This was a cute book about second chances.

I will admit it sometimes that I felt like the MMC was trying way too hard and doing too much. It was a little slow in parts, but overall it was a great read.

So many cute moments and also moments where I laughed out loud

Cute second book to continue Wes and Liz’s love story. I felt like it was kinda slow in the middle. Love the movie quotes to start each chapter and the music playlist to accompany the story.

Lynn Painter can do no wrong!!
This was the perfect sequel to Liz and Wes’ story! I was a little nervous when I heard it was a sequel to them breaking up but this was just so good!!
The yearning, the angst, the tension! This was so much fun! Plus a Spotify playlist to go along?! Love Love Love!
I am not the biggest fan of second chance romance (I’m bitter like that) is the only reason for not a 5 star but really such a great book!!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster publishing for an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun book about second chances and making choices for others doesn’t always work how you want to. I do wish the book gave a bit more of the backstory since it had been awhile since I read the first book. Like how did she get the nickname Libby because that was something I did not remember. However the book was a great sequel and it will be joining the shelf when it comes out.

I plan to share this book on my Instagram page on Sept 30th.

Here’s how you do a second chance romance right!

Fans of “Better Than the Movies” might have felt a little sad when they learned that the sequel, “Nothing Like the Movie,” begins with Wes and Liz separated (no spoiler here, it’s on the back of the book!). But trust me, this book will not disappoint! This almost feels like a Wes redemption story – it’s just so good!

Even though I’m not usually a huge fan of second chance romances, Lynn Painter’s take on the genre completely won me over. “Better Than the Movies” captured Wes and Liz’s high school romance, but as anyone who’s been through college knows, life changes—and so do people. Wes and Liz face new challenges and growth, making their journey incredibly compelling. Getting to know the adult version of them was so fun!

I also adored the supporting characters in this story. A lot of times, side plots and secondary characters can be overlooked, but in this book, they really shine. They add depth and charm, making me hopeful for potential spin-offs (fingers crossed, though I might be dreaming).

I love how Lynn Painter incorporates movie quotes throughout this book (and the first one)! I don’t want to post any spoilers so I’ll just share this movie quote to sum it up!

“I will never stop trying. Because when you find the one, you never give up.” – Crazy, Stupid, Love

Mark your calendars for October 1st to dive into their story and see how it unfolds. And if you loved high school Wes, just wait until you meet college Wes!

Thank you to NetGalley, SimonTeens and Lynn Painter for the chance to read this book early!!

I’m going to be honest. I did not enjoy this one nearly as much as Better than the Movies. While I still did LIKE this book, it didn’t live up to my expectations after my complete obsession with the first book. This one didn’t feel as nostalgic to me nor did it give me all the feels. I did still enjoy the Wes and Liz banter and seeing how they developed as characters 2 years after BTTM. I'm also happy this book had a happy ending, but it seemed to take many random turns to get there.

I still do recommend this book, and it was still a SOLID sequel. Just not as great as I was hoping!

Wes and Lizzies romance was better than the movies but that only lasted for a couple of months. Right after they went to start their freshman year at UCLA together tragedy struck. Wes had no choice but to return home and deal with the fallout which ultimately meant losing the love of his life. Two years later Wes has gotten back on his feet and returns to UCLA hoping to make Liz to fall back in love with him only to find a changed Liz with a new guy friend. Wes isn’t ready to let her go quite yet, he wont give up easily.

Better than the movies ended on such a high so I thought the sequel would be all about them starting a new chapter together. It’s safe to say this wasn’t what I’d expected, in a good way. I wasn’t ready for the emotional roller coaster that brought us this wonderful second chance romance but I must say I prefer this version of Wes and Liz.

My heart cant take it. Wes and Liz are the cutest and I just want to give them a big hug after reading about everything they’ve been thru. The character growth and development is better than I’d hoped for. Liz has grown up and after the bad breakup she doesn’t believe in love anymore despite that she’s flourishing in LA. She has a large friend group and has found a way to make a career out of her hobbies. Wes life got uprooted but he still managed to come out of the other side a better man. I don’t want to give too many spoilers but here are the trigger warnings - loss of a parent, mental health struggles, PTSD and cheating.

This exceeded my expectations, Painter truly outdid herself. I’m so glad we got another book with all these amazing characters we got to know and love. If you enjoyed Better than the movies you’re going to LOVE this one.

Read this if you like
💜 Romcoms
🫶🏼YA
⚾️ Baseball
✨ Second chance romance
📷 Forced proximity

This book was the perfect sequel to Better Than the Movies, which still remains one of my all-time favorite YA books.
Lynn Painter knows exactly how to write those. I've read many books by this author, and, honestly, she never disappoints with her stories. Getting to read about Wes and Liz again and being back in that universe was such a treat.
While this book brought me so much pain because of the fact that they had to separate, it also brought me so much happiness. I absolutely loved seeing characters from other stories make an appearance in this one; they were all so cute and lovable, and I'm already looking forward to her next book.
Overall, this book was the conclusion that these characters truly deserved and I really liked how it all wrapped up.

Rating: 4.5 since I can’t do half stars.

Honestly I really loved this book. I loved Better Than the Movies and felt like this was the perfect continuation to their story. There were parts that made me laugh, parts that tugged on my heartstrings, and parts where I could feel the grief the characters were experiencing. I got the email I was accepted to read this book and had finished it 6 hours later if that’s any indication of how good it was 😂

I really enjoyed this one! I really enjoyed how this started with a change in Liz and Wes' relationship from the last book. This book was deep and Wes had so much trauma that he had to work through. I enjoyed how the two were forced together and slowly had to face their unresolved feelings. This one had me hooked from the start and kept me entertained to the end.

4⭐️

Tropes:
Second chance romance
College romance
Sports romance

Liz and Wes’s relationship after Better than The Movies was just that- until tragedy hit, causing Wes to step up with his family and his relationship suffering in the process. 2 years later, Wes joins Liz in UCLA healed from his trauma but quickly learns that you just can’t pick up where you left off.

LISTEN. I was terrified of this book. Second chance romance?! Sometimes, a sequel isn’t needed! But guys, this book DELIVERED. It was nice to see how the 2 years changed them both. Despite her trauma, Liz didn’t let that impede her college life and it was nice to see an FMC who continued her life despite the hurt. 🥰

In this book, you will find more song and movie references like the first (I see you, Twilight baseball scene) and if you enjoy a feel good college and sports romance with witty banter, this book is for YOU! 💗

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book for my honest review.

I loved Better Than the Movies, so I was so excited to revisit these characters. It took me some time to get into this one, and the first half was a little slow for me, but once I got to the second half, I was very invested. I enjoyed getting a dual pov for this book and seeing both old and new characters. I didn't love book one as much as the first one, and I wish there had been a little more romance between them throughout the story, but I will always love Liz and Wes and enjoy reading anything about them! Thank you Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the arc!