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!

Ouch! After falling in love with Wes and Liz in Better Than the Movies, it was painful to see them broken up and heartbroken two years after their freshman year. Despite the grief and heartbreak that makes Nothing Like the Movies more serious than its predecessor, Wes and Liz's love and humor shine through. Second chance romances sometimes run the risk of alienating one partner or both through choices that are hard to forgive, but I found myself sympathetic to both Wes and Liz, who never stopped loving each other. This book was everything I wanted.

2.5/5 Stars

Short summary:
This story is a continuation of the Liz and Wes love story that we all fell in love with in the appropriately hyped Better Than The Movies book. Liz and Wes are both off to collage and are starting off in this story broken up and with lots of baggage to go along with it.

My thoughts:
Sadly, I can’t say I loved this one like I did the first.
I know it may be an unpopular opinion but sadly I just didn’t think this beautiful story needed a sequel. I feel it tainted the sweetness and innocence that was Wes and Liz’s beautiful story. While I know real life happens and this is realistic, I feel it truly took away from both of their personalities and what we fell in love with about them. Liz isn’t who we all knew and loved anymore, and quite frankly she got on my nerves. There is so much miscommunication (my least favorite trope), and there is so much stubbornness in this that drove me nuts. I’m still a Lynn Painter fan but sadly this story just didn’t need a follow up.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nothing Like the Movies was a satisfying sequel! Although I was sad that Wes and Liz were no longer together, I liked what Painter did with this book. In the first book, Better than the Movies, readers were only privy to Liz's POV. In this book, Wes has his own POV chapters. Wes's chapters added such a fun and emotional layer to the story. I felt like I knew his character way better this time! Painter did an incredible job with his character, especially the circumstances with his family. I felt like Liz's chapters weren't as strong this time around. After dealing with the fallout with Wes, Liz was understandably guarded. I felt like Liz's usual charm was missing. I liked watching her come out of her shell towards the end of the book. The book really picked up at the last 30% with Liz and Wes. Their chemistry was just as adorable to read this time around. The Batman and Batgirl chapter was my favorite! Like usual, Painter added in fun and comedic bits. The balcony and Homies scenes had me laughing out loud. I liked all of the side characters, especially Sarah! I hope Painter creates a Sarah book. She was a hoot! Overall, this was a charming and fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

LYNN PAINTER DO YOU WANT TO PAY FOR MY THERAPY? Nothing Like The Movies broke my little LizWes heart into teeny tiny pieces and stitched it back together. Sometimes you see yourself in a character and it was like I was looking through Wes’ eyes. Being a 20 year old college freshman is hard (I assume I don’t know yet… I will next fall though) and trying to pick your life back up after it fell apart is so hard. Wes’ characterization was incredible and his determination was something to be in awe of. Is it weird to say i’m proud of people that are fictional? Nothing Like The Movies is an incredible final ribbon on top of the gift that is LizWes.