Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy! I love love LOVED this book! I was hesitant in the first few chapters because the characterization of Wes and Liz was a little different than I expected, but the longer I read and the more I learned about the years between the first book and now, the more things fell into place and made sense. Wes was such an interesting character in this book, his motivations and love for both his family and Liz were so evident as I read on. This Wes and Liz weren't starry eyed teengers, but two people learning how to be adults, and their story of coming back together was beautiful.

I genuinely don’t know that I have cried so many happy tears while reading a book before. Quite literally did not stop trying the last 10% of the book.

Liz and Wes will forever be the loves of my life, the blueprint, my number one ship, and the keys to my heart. Getting to fall back into them was a dream come true and to hear it all from Wes’s POV was magical.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and to be able to enter the book already knowing what happened the first time made it even better. (Honestly I wish authors continued people’s love stories more often).

The last half of the book was 5/5 stars. No notes. Brilliant, genius, perfection. It’s because of the first half that I had to give it 4 stars. It took me almost two weeks to get through the first half of the book, and one day to get through the last half.

I think the context to the breakup and his dad’s death was SO important, but I feel like there was so much back and forth with them that felt wrong? The premise of the book is that Wes does a bunch of cheesy movie, romantic gestures to get Liz back but we really only see two of them in the last half of the book. I feel like they could have been thrown into the first half, even as he was trying to get her to be friends again, so it didn’t magically feel like after they go to Omaha a flip switches in him. Because really, the flip switches in her. While I get that he was being a generally decent person by not perusing her while he believed she had a boyfriend, I just think there could have been more.

All in all, beautiful. One of the best books I read this year, going on all my shelves, telling everyone I know. Lynn Painter you never cease to amaze me

I really enjoyed this book! I fell in love with the first book when I read it last year and highly anticipated the second. I think the characters are so well written and are very relatable and likable. I tend to gravitate more towards books where the characters feel more like regular people rather than just a person on paper, and Lynn Painter executed this well. I enjoy the plot of the story and the inspiration that’s she’s taken from so many iconic rom com movies. This feels like i’m watching one of my favorite movies on repeat! I would highly suggest this book to those that loved the first one.

I can't believe I received an ARC to one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I fell in love with Liz & Wes when reading Better Than the Movies, and I'm so excited we get to see where these two ended up.

It's rare that we get to see what happens after the "credits roll" on a story, and I felt so happy to re-enter the world of Liz & Wes and see how it really turned out. It's definitely not an easy road for them. They have to deal with all the things that come with real life after getting their "happily ever after". They suffer loss and hurt, and ok... maybe they aren't the best communicators at some really important moments, but they each take the journey they need in order to get where they need to be.

And don't even get me started on how incredible it was to have the Wes POV throughout the book! I didn't know how much I needed it until I had it. He really is the blueprint...

"There will never be anyone else for me. Hard Stop. So go have your think and do what you need to do. But Lizzie - we are worth the risk. We always will be." -Wes Bennett

If you loved the first book, you have to read this! And if you haven't read either... you're missing out! Thank you, Lynn Painter, for taking us back to Liz & Wes. But... can I please get a Lilith & Coach Ross book? Because I feel like there is definitely a story there!

3.5 stars

While this book had lots of charm and a great second chance romance at its heart, it read way too YA for me and my reading tastes. I remember loving Better Than the Movies, but that was many many books ago for me and before I really understood my tastes and preferences so my opinion on it could be different now if I chose to revisit it.

While the characters were supposed to be slightly older with a little bit more life experienced, they still read incredibly immature. The changes that were made to make the premise of this second book make sense felt forced, inauthentic, and honestly out of character for Liz and Wes. At the end of the day, I know I am not the target audience for this book, so I let my rating hang on the higher side due to it being okay for what I think it is intended to be.

Better Than the Movies was a 5 star read for me so I was so excited to get back to life with Wes and Liz.

While a lot has happened since we last saw Wes and Liz, Painter stayed true to their character. College life is in full swing for Liz and she's changed a lot so it flips her life upside down when she runs into Wes in her own apartment during an annual party.

Nothing Like the Movies took a while to take off for me. Since the last book took place 2 years prior there was a bit of backstory that needed to be covered, but by 40% I was excited to see how things would end up. Liz is still stubborn as ever trying to figure out her feelings and Wes is overcoming huge obstacles. The best part was we get glimpses of all the great side characters from Better Than the Movies (mostly Helena) and get a new cast of endearing side characters and I definitely laughed out loud a few times.

What made BTTM great was all the lead up to figuring our how Wes and Liz feel about each other through all the small moments. But in NLTM those moments and history have already been established and they're trying to figure out if they work together as the people they are now and I didn't get as many as those moments in this story. I think there was a little too much lead up for this one and it seemed to end so quickly.

This was enjoyable overall but still fell a little short for me. 4.25 stars for me.

⭐️: 3.5/5

I was absolutely, 100% for sure not the target audience of this book. However, I was also 100% not the target audience of Better Than the Movies and I LOVED that one. This sequel however was simply just contrived and unnecessary. Drama was definitely created and a breakup was forced in order for this one to exist at all, and for that reason, it was kind of obnoxious. I think it also kind of cheapens the first book too, since we find that their teenage HEA wasn’t so happy after all.

The way that Wes was acting the whole book was irritating and unnecessarily blasé, and honestly if I was Liz I’d find the way he was treating her so offensive, because it was clear he wasn’t listening to what she was saying at all. It felt clear that Wes was the one who messed up, so he should have been doing a better job at groveling, which I don’t think we got enough of. I also kind of felt like a lot of the references were like, millennial coded, but the target audience is probably more gen-z, so that was confusing as well.

I think the main issue I had with this one was that for a second chance romance, they hadn’t grown up nearly enough. In my opinion, for a second chance trope to truly hit, there has to be more than two years inbetween, and the MCs have to be in a different phase of life than when the breakup occurred. Wes is…still a freshman and Liz is…still in college. So I’m not convinced at all.

This one was just longer than it had to be, and really just didn’t have to be at all 😂 It was cute enough though, and I had to add an extra half star for the reality that I am NOT the target audience of this one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this eARC for my review!

I love love love this book. I adore Wesley so much, it’s kinda weird, frankly. I mean, he’s so ridiculously well-spoken and honest and funny. He is so clear in his feelings and he is so focused on his pitching. And I wish I knew him.

And Elizabeth? I kinda wish I was her. Or that I could have had a life more like hers. I didn’t have the confidence she has and I certainly didn’t have her drive. I also wish I had been more able to appreciate my friends like she does. It’s sort of inspiring.

Mostly, I would just like to thank Lynn Painter for her hilarious, lovely, interesting, yummy writing. These novels are so great for certain students and I really can’t wait to start recommending them! 💜💜💜📚

Another winner by Lynn Painter. Read in one day. Loved this book. Better than the movies series is a good pick for contemporary romance readers. Won’t disappoint

I'm going to read anything that Lynn Painter writes, but I think Liz and Wes could have just stayed with one book. I enjoyed their next chapter, but it lacked the hope that the first book did. In Nothing Like the Movies, Liz and Wes have broken up but it takes a long time before you understand the full reasons behind their breakup. It devastated Liz and she reinvented herself to get beyond the hurt. Now Wes has come back into the picture expecting to take off where they had stopped, not realizing just how much he hurt her. It is hard to see this couple back as an enemies to lovers trope, but that is where they are. It is a good story, but it didn't make my heart flutter the way Better Than the Movies did.

As a lover of all baking shows, this book kept me captivated! I loved being behind the scenes of the baking show. The relationship between the two main characters was expected, but extremely enjoyable.

This was VERY cute. While I don't think a sequel was necessary, this was exactly what I expected and wanted a sequel to be. Lots of swoon, lots of angst, but not too much angst, excellent cameos from high school friends, new characters <spoiler>hello we're getting a book about Clark and Sarah and their inevitable love story, right??</spoiler>, and enough will they or won't they to keep the readers hanging on.

Knowing Liz is named Buxbaum after [author:Julie Buxbaum|843820], there was a moment where Wes listed three things and my heart did a little jump (I've read that book an obscene number of times as a comfort read).

I would like liked more wrap up with Lilith and whatever was going to happen with her documentary. It seemed like she had secret plans to make it about Wes and Liz, but that never materialized.

Weird thing to notice, the term "you little shit" was used A LOT, like a lot a lot. Strange.

One thing that felt very manic pixie dream pick me girl is how Liz is suddenly into everything sports related. It felt very off brand for her, even if it was showing her growth in college.

Overall, very sweet, very fun, very full of college baseball.

Better Than The Movies is one of those rare perfect romance books that encapsulates the feeling of a 90s rom-com perfectly. It is unusual that a sequel to such a book will live up to its predecessor but somehow Lynn Painter did it again! A second chance romance, with dual pining, massive character growth, and a platonic soulmate? This book was a literal masterpiece. Wes Bennett will forever go down as a top tier book boyfriend. I loved the way that Lynn Painter gave us layers to Wes and Liz. We were able to experience their maturation and in some cases the trauma that realistically comes with growing up. Liz in particularly feels like a very different character than the Libby we got to know in BTTM but it truly felt like a realistic character growth for someone who has gone through the life experiences she has. Her friend group was a fun addition to the story and Clark was the perfect platonic soulmate. I hope we get to read more about the characters in this world! As always, Lynn drops the most perfectly timed song lyrics that are just the icing on a beautifully written scene. I could not recommend this book more!

I loved this book and getting more LizWes content! “Nothing Like the Movies” perfectly encapsulates the angst and yearning readers are meant to feel in a second chance romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and getting to know Liz and Wes as evolved and matured individuals in a different stage of life. Their initial love story and their second chance love story gave me so much excitement and love for the characters without ruining the integrity of the original story.

This was cute and humorous! Despite getting Wes’s POV I wasn’t very into humor their rekindled relationship - both characters seemed to gloss over the two years of life since they were last together. Regardless, super fun and sweet!

When I read Better Than the Movies I remember feeling so sad to say goodbye to Liz and Wes. I was thrilled when I saw on Instagram that Lynn Painter was writing more to their story. Lynn Painter never misses, so I loved the book- but I was sad I didn’t get more time with Liz and Wes together. Also, do I see a future story for Ross and Lilith? Just saying…

Lynn Painter's *Nothing Like the Movies* is an absolute gem of a sequel, blending the charm of classic rom-coms with the delightful energy of young adult fiction. The storyline is irresistibly cute, centered around characters who feel so real that it's impossible not to get invested in their journeys. From the banter to their heartfelt moments, every aspect of their lives draws you in, making you root for them from start to finish.

What makes this book stand out is how effortlessly it captures the magic of YA when it’s done right. The narrative is light-hearted yet meaningful, and it’s a reminder of how much fun young adult stories can be. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the genre or just dipping your toes in, *Nothing Like the Movies* will leave you with a smile, proving that sometimes, life—and love—can be just as sweet as the movies.

Dnf. I’m not a big fan of the writing style unfortunately. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc.

"Nothing Like the Movies" by Lynn Painter is a delightful romantic comedy that combines witty banter with heartfelt moments. The story follows a charming yet reluctant protagonist who finds herself caught between the predictable plot of her life and the unpredictable nature of true love. Painter’s engaging writing style and relatable characters make this novel a fun, feel-good read. If you enjoy contemporary romance with a touch of humor and a lot of heart, this book is a perfect choice.

This book was beautifully written but heartbreaking. As much as I enjoyed the story, I really had wished we didn’t have to go through heartbreak season with Wes & Liz. I love the pining and the banter, but the actions of Wes actually tore me up.