A fantastic, swoony, moving sequel that is somehow magically impossible to put down yet makes you not want it to end.

The age progression and new scenario absolutely make sense, making getting to know these older versions of the main characters (and supporting cast) both familiar and engaging.

The way grief is handled is gracious and relatable.

The way familial, romantic and friendship love are portrayed makes it a safe place to land.

I love love loved this book.

All. The. Stars.

Thank you Netgallery for this opportunity to review Nothing Like the Movies. It took me a while to get into the book because like everyone else, I was scared it wouldn’t live up to Better than the Movies. Wes and Elizabeth are everything. In this book, Wes is getting his life together after unforeseen circumstances and lied to Liz about it. Liz hates Wes for breaking her heart after attending UCLA. Wes wants to make amends and get Liz back? Will he be able too? Will Liz forgive him? Will Wes forgive himself?

This was the best and I enjoyed every second of it! The perfect sequel to Better than the Movies.

This was definitely written with a little more depth. There were more mature emotions and feelings involved; where Better Than the Movies felt more like a true Young Adult novel, Nothing Like the Movies didn't really fall in that category for me. The characters are still completely loveable and there are tons of laughable moments along with heartbreaking moments.

Wes and Liz are both at more stable points in their lives at the time this story takes place. Wes desperately wants Liz back to where they were before tragedy struck his life and Liz is keeping her distance, she can't get over the heartbreak and has no intentions of experiencing it again. She isn't the same "Little Liz" she once was. It may be that she has changed to the point where Wes really doesn't know her anymore. Will all his romantic scheming and big gestures pay off or will they both realize maybe they really weren't meant for each other after all?

I have always loved Lynn Painter's writing, and this book is no exception! It kept me engaged, entertained and cheering on Wes because he is a great book boyfriend! Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Lynn Painter for allowing me early access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I was a big fan of Better Than the Movies, so I was very excited to read the next installment in the story of Liz and Wes. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me early access! This book mostly takes place two years after the first one. Readers may be surprised to learn that they broke up shortly after beginning their freshman year, when Wes had to unexpectedly move back home. Liz is now a junior at UCLA and is busy pursuing her dreams… then Wes shows up to play on the baseball team where she is interning. Since they didn’t end on good terms, there’s a lot of leftover baggage to navigate as they are thrown back into each other’s lives.

I didn’t dislike this book, but I didn’t like it as much as the first one. I’m wavering between 3 and 4 stars for a few reasons. First, while baseball is obviously an important part of this book, I lost interest a bit during the parts that were super sports heavy. Second, I fell in love with Liz and Wes during the first book, but the changes in their personalities were pretty jarring in this one. However, I do understand why the characters evolved because of all they had been through during the years between each book. Overall, this is a sweet, emotional, and mostly feel-good romance that can appeal to both teens and adults who enjoy a little nostalgia for their younger years.

When I read Just Like the Movies I fell madly in love with the characters, and loved watching them grow throughout the book - and of course fall in love! So when I found out there would be another book, I knew I HAD to read it as soon as possible. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to read an ARC of Nothing Like the Movies.

As soon as I started the book, it was so easy to fall back into the world of Wes and Libby. This book made me feel *all* of the emotions. I found myself reading as fast as possible to learn about what happened. I had a great time falling in love with Wes and Libby and the continuation of their story together but also enjoyed seeing both characters be their own people and grow over the course of their years apart.

I will say - I wish we got a little more time with them at the ending of the book. But who knows, maybe Lynn will bless us with another book.

Overall, this little series holds a special place in my heart and I love it so dearly much.

read if you like:
🥰 romcoms
👩‍❤️‍👨 exes-turned-lovers
🍿movie tropes
🧑‍🎓 college romances

summary:
I needed a good end of summer read and this one didn’t disappoint! It tells the story of Wes and Liz, whose passionate high school romance was ruined by tragedy years ago, and who find themselves both at UCLA for college. Since they split, Liz has grown confidence and passion, and is determined to focus on school and her career. Meanwhile, Wes, a college baseball player, is determined to get her back. When Liz is assigned to do a social media assignment for Wes’s team, they find themselves thrown together more often than they’d like. Will they get back together?

This book is a cute spin on normal romcom. As music lover, I loved that each chapter started with a quote from a famous romance movie. I love a slow burn buildup, and this book provides exactly that. We watch them deal with their complicated feelings for each other, thinking back fondly on their history together. Both Wes and Liz are lovable, believable and relatable, and you cant help but root for their relationship to overcome the grief and trauma they’ve both faced. The book does move a little slow, and since there isn’t a ton of change in scenery, it can drag in a few places. While the ending itself isn’t surprising or shocking in any way, the predictability makes for a nice happy ending regardless.

This book actually a sequel to BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, but you definitely don’t need to read that first! Thank you to Simon and Schuster Books for the advanced copy, and check this out when it releases on September 30!

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

TLDR: Still enjoyable in its own right, but is it necessary? I'm not so sure 🥲

I read Better than the Movies last year and LOVED it. I proceeded to read every possible extended epilogue out there, and when I found out there's going to be a sequel I was SO excited. You can probably guess how ecstatic I was to be approved an ARC. Thank you @netgalley, @simonteen, and the author!

I enjoyed Nothing Like the Movies. The story took place two years after the ending of BTTM, and started with Liz and Wes having broken up. This one definitely felt more grown up - the characters and the writing both. All those love confessions and Wes one liners still got me feeling like a lovestruck teenager - yes the giddiness was still there! But now coupled with pain and sadness for the struggles they had to go through.

While I appreciate and love that we got character growth and development - with Wes working so hard to get back everything he lost the first time around, and Liz getting confident and finding her footing in college - I would have liked more concentration on how Wes wooed Liz and how they TALKED and worked out their complicated past rather than taking too long keeping us all in the dark on what really happened with Wes.

Don't come for me but I feel like this kind of lost the charm I loved so much in BTTM 😭💔

‼️ SPOILER ‼️
I REALLY HATE NOBLE IDIOCY and appreciate Liz for chewing Wes out when he did this! I am all for open communication, PLEASE.

***Trigger Warning: death of a parent***

Nothing Like the Movies is the sequel to Better than the Movies. It follows Wes and Liz as they navigate college. But right when they were about to start freshmen year tragedy happens. This leads to Wes and Liz breaking up. Flash forward years later Wes and Liz find themselves at the same college again. Wes is determined to win Liz back. Liz seems to have a new man in her life. But Wes will not stop until he gets her back.

I am a big fan of Lynn Painter. I have read all of her books. This was my most anticipated one because I really loved Better Than the Movies. I actually liked this one better. It had a bit of a sports romance vibe which I love. It also deals with grape and such a raw and real way. It had some pretty cute moments through out also. I really really liked this one. I highly suggest this series.

Thank you so much Lynn Painter, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I LOVED being back with Liz and Wes wow. I am obsessed with getting to see them fall back into love with each other. I loved the deeper conversations that were held in this book with romantic comedy along side. I already want to reread this and I definitely pre-ordered a paperback. LOVE ANYTHING LYNN WRITES! Highly recommends.

4.5 stars

This is a fantastic sequel that will leave readers feeling like they are getting both new information and some solid wrap-ups for past situations.

While this book can be reasonably read and enjoyed on its own, that would be a nearly criminal act. Prospective readers should absolutely take the time to read the first installment to get the most out of this relationship. It's also a great book in its own right, which helps even more.

Wes and Liz are in a completely different place than where readers left them at the end of the first book, and, well, it's complicated. I loved learning about their journeys and especially how they managed them, so I'm omitting those details, but the main point is that they both (Wes especially) really struggle, break up, and finally reconnect at the same school. Kismet puts them in each other's orbit again, and the results are like something a little more out of reality than a movie. That doesn't make their story any less magical.

Fans of the first book will find themselves fulfilled and charmed by the way the tale of Liz and Wes evolves. It's not a sappy, straightforward journey, which made me enjoy it even more, but it is extremely heartwarming.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6297548009
2.5⭐️
this was very unnecessary… it truly had potential but it was just not liz and wes. This could of been good as an adult romance because the themes are a little bit darker then most YA. I wish we got more depth of some of the darker topics. Also some moments were just very cringe and liz annoyed me ALOT. My last straw was a ski mask masquerade dance… like WHAT😭😭😭
Sadly very disappointed

It's not everyday that what I thought was a one-and-done romance gets a sequel. Better than the Movies ended on a perfect note, equal parts sweet and saccharine. Nothing Like the Movies picks up a few years into the future where the landscape of their lives has shifted dramatically, but Lynn Painter has a way of setting the scene perfectly. Their college life, with or without each other, is new and nostalgic and full of characters I fell in love with easily. I will never not root for Liz and Wes, nor will I ever turn down an opportunity to read a continuation of their story.

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.