Better than the Movies was a Grade A, YA romance. Adding a sequel was always going to be difficult. For me, Nothing Like the Movies just didn’t hit the way I was hoping it would.

The writing itself was great. I loved the callbacks to Better Than The Movies & the actual ending was as sweet and satisfying.

Unfortunately, the storytelling and conflicts got a bit redundant. Wes and Liz’s arguments felt circular, they weren’t making any progress. At one point, I had a hard time picking the book back up to read.

Nothing Like the Movies may have a case of, “did this book really need a sequel?” It was great to be in Wes & Liz’s world again, I just don’t think we needed to go back.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The views expressed here are my own.

*note: I will post the review on social sites after publication.

Wes and Liz finally had their storybook romance, right as they were about to start college together. But then tragedy befalls Wes's family. He drops out, and she is forced to put him out of her mind. A couple of years later, Wes finds his way back to college and his dream of playing baseball. Just as much as he wants to resume his dreams of college baseball, Wes is determined to win Liz back. Liz, however, seems to have changed. Wes is not ready to give up. But as he tries the best rom-com approaches to win her back, he must confront the possibility that their romance is truly in the past.

This is a sweet and touching story. Like her other novels, the author captures the highs and lows of young adulthood and the ways that life does not, and sometimes does, resemble a rom-com.

Highly recommended!

*I pretend I do not see it*

To my utter and utmost devastation, this was NOT IT.

After suffering through this, I've relegated this uninspired sequel to non-canon fanfiction in my head. It's simply ~not~ tied to the absolute GEM and of-all-time favorite that is BETTER THAN THE MOVIES. You will not persuade me otherwise.

You cannot imagine the absolute dread that filled me as I began reading this book and uncovered the absolutely out-of-character dialogue, heartbreaking and confusing character "development," and absurd plot plots. I actually said out loud: "Who are these people?????" *insert distressed emoji*

The thing I'm learning in books and in life is just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. We all *love* the idea of sequels/continuations/reboots because we want to renter the special, familiar landscape of our favorite settings and characters, but in this and in nearly every case, a continuation isn't just disappointing, it's irresponsible. It lacks the one-of-a-kind magic of the original and leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths. It ultimately ends up doing more damage than good.

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES has a singular, romantic magic to it that simply cannot (and should not have been attempted to be) replicated. You'd have to have a REALLY good story to warrant a sequel, and this book simply did not have it. Wes and Liz should have remained in their last-page moment or kept safely in their HEA as it unfolded in the readers' heads and hearts.

NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIES -- a dual-POV story that devastatingly lets us into Wes' POV -- follows after HEA, with Liz and Wes broken up, estranged, and living wildly different lives. Wes, who previously dropped out of school to take care of his family after his father's unexpected death (poor bb), is now returning to play baseball at UCLA with a determination to win Liz back. Liz, in a completely jarring and bizarre character lobotomy, is a jaded non-love-lover who is working for the school's athletic media department, where she, obvi, starts running into her ex (and all of our book boyfriends) Wes.

First of all, they would have never broken up. Nope, didn't happen. And to put them THROUGH it just for the sake of an unnecessary book 2 is very mean and incorrect. Plus, this book has an unnatural and cringey amount of swearing and "dear god"s and what even??? Also, Wes' voice neither sounds or feels like BTTM Wes Bennett, which is torturous and heartbreaking. Lynn's voice doesn't even sound the same.

The music and pop culture references that felt natural and integral to the magic of BTTM felt SO forced and cringey in NLTM. I was deeply uncomfy.

(And do not get me started on outfit descriptions; looking at YOU, black-and-white dotted dress with red Chucks; also Wes "ate at her sweet mouth" 80% in and what???)

I love Lynn but I wish with my whole being that this book didn't exist, and not only can I not recommend it, I actually insist you DON'T read it.

https://images.app.goo.gl/XrTPW9asC7zVeo647

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I thought this was a nice follow up to the first book. It was incredibly frustrating (in a good way) to know that Liz really did love Wes but had such high walls up. I really appreciated the two points of views and thought it was the perfect length!

quite literally one of the best sequels of all time. i have no words.

i had such high expectations going into this and not a single thing let me down.

siri play in between by gracie abrams!!!!

OH MY GOSH!!! IT'S LIKE BETTER THEN THE MOVIES GREW UP ALONGSIDE THE READERS WHO READ IT WHEN IT ORIGINALLY CAME OUT! Better Than the Movies is an amazing rom-com that is set in high school with high school senior main characters BUT Nothing Like the Movies picks up with the same main characters BUT they're now 20 year old college students and I'm obsessed with the growth!🥹 As a current college student, I LOVE getting to read books with college student main characters and I loved the setting and all of the new characters that were added since BTTM!

I had to reread BTTM because it had been two years since I read it and 1) let me tell you it's still amazing as ever but also 2) when I finished it, I was like "if Lynn Painter makes Liz and Wes break up in NLTM, I'm going to be upset" AND while I was correct in some ways, I was wrong in others! 😭😂 I loved this book so much and loved getting the time jump + Liz and Wes's personal growth BUT ALSO similar themes and styles (like the rom com movie quotes at the beginning of every chapter) and let me tell you, the chemistry, the tension, the lovable Liz and Wes are all still amazing things that are in BTTM AND NLTM! 🥳

I'm obsessed with this book and read it SO quickly because it was sooo good and I cannot wait for all other BTTM lovers to get to read it! Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster's Children's for an early copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!💖

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!
I am completely obsessed with this book! Wes and Liz have my heart, and I will never get enough of them. Lynn Painter, thank you endlessly for bringing back my favorite lovebirds in this sequel. I absolutely adored exploring this new chapter in their lives. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster—I laughed, I cried, and I felt every single emotion. It was beautifully painful.
If you want to go into this book completely blind, I suggest skipping the next parts! I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I do discuss the characters a lot. Feel free to skip ahead <3
“He was the center of my world; we were my center.”
Liz Buxbaum - NLTM Liz and BTTM Liz feel like two entirely different people! Gone is the hopeless romantic from the first book, and it broke my heart to see how much light she’s lost. But I have to admit, I really like the new Liz too! She’s moodier, more realistic, and sometimes a bit frustrating, but she’s also determined and focused on achieving her goals. I also enjoyed meeting her new friends, especially Clark :)
“Clark was like my platonic soulmate. I was comfortable with him as I was with myself, and sometimes it felt like we were just extensions of each other.”
Their friendship was beyond adorable!! Clark was hilarious and such a great friend to Liz. I’m sensing some sparks between him and Sarah… Lynn Painter, I’m begging you for a book about them! I know you have the manuscript, just hand it over!
“Wes Fucking Bennett, ladies and gentlemen.”
Wes Bennett - Oh Wes… my heart broke so many times while reading about what he went through. He deserves nothing but happiness. Despite everything, he managed to pick himself up, start over, and pursue life with such determination. I loved seeing his new perspective on life, his dedication to school, baseball, and just living to the fullest. I’m so proud of him, I could cry! In this sequel, he definitely took on the role of the hopeless romantic.
“I was cherishing every fucking piece of it.”
“This is what I’ve been working toward, and I need to enjoy it.”
Wes’ friends were amazing too! AJ, Mike, Wade—they were all so supportive and hilarious. Team Wes all the way! And Clark was right there with them. I also loved seeing Michael step up as a great friend to Wes, helping him out when he needed it most <3
AND the little Bailey and Charlie cameo?! I LOVED IT! So happy to see Mr. Nothing still giving piggybacks to his Glasses :,) And the Nick Stark mention too?! Lynn Painter, you are amazing.
“Eventually, we’d find our way back to each other again.”
Wes and Liz - I don’t even know where to start with these two because so much happened and I’m struggling to put my feelings into words. They both went through so much, and it was heartbreaking to watch two people so in love be forced apart :( Wes was determined to win Liz back, while Liz was doing everything she could to keep her distance. But the universe had other plans and kept pulling them back together :) The longing, the yearning—it was everything! I must admit, I love a bit of pain in my romances, AHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

“There is no one for me but you, Lib.”
“There was never anyone else for me but you.”
Even after all the time apart, they effortlessly fell back into their old rhythm. Their banter and teasing were still spot on :)
“I am just Wes fucking Bennett, Lib, the guy who can’t remember a single day in his life when he didn’t love you.”
am on the floor, in tears! The 12:13 alarm, the way he kept count—720 days—SOMEONE HELP ME, HE LOVES HER SO MUCH! I’m completely shattered in the best possible way. These characters have my whole heart, and their love story will stay with me forever.
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Wes Bennett, I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love you.”
The ending had my heart racing—it was so intense, but absolutely perfect. I loved how everything was tied together in the end. The little Elizabeth Bennett reference was adorable, and finding out what Liz’s note from the beginning said in that final paragraph made me cry all over again. This sequel was everything I could have hoped for and more!
“It’d been better than the movies, I swear to God.”

Are you kidding?

I adore see them again. "Better than the movies" is oe of my favorite YA adult books and I can't believe I finally read about them again.

This book in particular was a good one, nothing like the first but at the same with the same magic!!

I adore this couple!

"Nothing Like the Movies" by Lynn Painter is a captivating follow-up to the first book in the series. This story picks up with the main characters no longer together, leaving readers questioning if they will ever find their way back to each other. Throughout the book, you can't help but root for their reunion, making it a super adorable and engaging read. Painter expertly weaves a tale of love, heartbreak, and second chances that will keep you turning the pages until the very end. "Nothing Like the Movies" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a heartfelt and emotional romance story.

Good way to continue the BTTM universe and it wwas fun to see Liz and Wes again. Make sure to refresh before getting into this one as I did have a hard time remembering some of the characters and how they were connected to our MCs. I think Lynn did their story justice and if you loved the first one, you will like this one.

3.5 stars! 65% and onwards of this book I absolutely adored!!! I didn't enjoy the beginning as much unfortunately. There was so much focus on their own interests (Liz and her film internship, Wes and his baseball team) and I think a lot of people will find that interesting but I just didn't care for it as much. I also feel like characters changed so much since better than the movies which isn't a good or bad thing necessarily, I think i just wasn't prepared! It makes so much sense though considering they've both been through so much. I loved that it was a bit of a slow burn because they didn't just immediately fall back into a relationship. They had a lot to work through and they did! The moments with friend groups were also so cute!!! So many great moments. As i said earlier, from around 65% - 100% of the book I loved SO MUCH!

the perfect sequel to better than the movies! such and easy and fun read — getting a second chance to return back to my favorite characters is always a treat! if you like lynn painter's writing and fun romcom essence, you'll love this.

Better than the Movies is one of my favorite romcoms of all time. I think it is hard to write a sequel after all of that time but this one delivered.

This book has:
- second chance
- sports romance
- deals with grief and loss
- fake dating

Like all of Lynn’s work this book is such an easy and fun read. It has the same banter and jokes as the first one. There is a time jump of 2 years from the previous books but I like that we get to see both Wes and Liz all grown up. I only took off a star because I wish we actually got to see Liz and Wes together as a couple.

At first I was weary if this sequel was needed but as I got into the book it definitely was a worthwhile read! I had a lot of fun reading this which is just as I've always felt with Lynn Painters books!

For me, the main idea of ​​the book was to show that love alone is sometimes not enough in a relationship, sometimes we need some time alone to understand ourselves better and that’s ok, what I really didn't like was the way it happened.

If you loved the first book (Better than the Movies) you have to read this one. It is the perfect sequel. Loved it!

I'm still pinching myself that I got to read this ARC! 🤭 There's nothing like an author delivering everything you wanted in a sequel to one of your favorite books.

Wes and Liz were all set to go to college together and have a great time, but life had other plans, and their relationship ended. Flash forward several months, and Wes is back at UCLA, determined to win Liz back. But Liz has grown; she’s made new friends and discovered new passions.

I loved how this book felt different from Better Than the Movies, yet Wes and Liz's care for each other remained unchanged. This story covers grief, self-discovery as a young adult, and giving love a second chance. It’s so much more than a rom-com, and the characters' individual growth and storylines were so special.

I haven't read many second-chance romances, but I truly can't imagine any topping this one. As an added bonus, The college setting and references to artists like Niall Horan and Lizzy McAlpine gave me ALL the fall vibes! 🍁

WesLiz, you will forever have my heart. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and Lynn Painter for the ARC. Nothing Like the Movies comes out on September 24th!

This one hurt so good. After the epic love story of Better Than the Movies, I did not expect to be reading about their breakup! Lynn Painter perfectly captures both the butterfly moments and the deep pains from a first love and translates them onto the page. I honestly didn't know if I would be able to finish it about halfway through because I just wanted them to figure it out and be together, but the payoff was worth it. This was more than just a book about a second chance romance, it was about finding yourself and being unapologetically who you are and going after what you want. As always the music choices were 10/10 and made for such a fun reading experience. I can't wait to recommend this to all the friends who read BTTM!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited to start this after book one - this sequel is dual POV so I was so ready for Wes's perspective on their story. What I was not prepared for, is the entire first half of miscommunication and pain.

This is a second chance romance after Wes faces loss, resulting in breaking up with Liz and spending 2 years apart before retuning to college together. I feel like the pacing of the storyline was a little wonky. I needed more wooing, less individual chapters apart. However, the last 30% of this made up for some of the boredom in the middle. The ties back to book one were so fun and all of the rom-com references were too cute.

I had a visceral reaction to this ending. Seriously one of the best last pages of a book I've ever read. The perfect perfect bow on their story. RIP Nora Ephron, you would have loved this duology.

2.5 stars i think… idk i need to sit on a star rating.

i am THE ultimate liz & wes fan so i was BEYOND excited for this. but also, i wondered what more their story needed, and i think i was still asking that question at the end of this :(

bttm liz and wes are a perfect couple. i could read 100 more books of their banter and their adorable thoughts about each other. i love the way they understand each other, i love their soundtracks, and i love how they’re always finding their way back to each other.

however. i really do think this sequel was a detriment to both their characters and to their story. i think they both changed a lot, and unfortunately mostly for the negative ESPECIALLY WES. idk who this wes was, but it makes me want to reread the first book to meet the real wes again. i don’t believe he would’ve done the things he did, and allowing them to exist in this semi-miscommunication for most of the book was such a bummer when i was looking forward to their romance!!

the romance honestly took a backseat here, which for wes and liz makes no sense! they’re sooooo romance! and we met all these new people and spent so much time with them, the main couple was barely on page!

overall, i was happy to see my libby and wes again but i unfortunately really don’t think this was the best way to do it. i’ll always recommend bttm, but i might have to tell people to skip this one.

This was one of two of my most anticipated books of the year. Expectations were high but I never had any doubts that Lynn Painter would create a beautiful extension to Wes and Liz's story.

Their perfect banter continues and we get to see Wes pining after Liz, which can be hilarious at times! The dual POV is a delight! Wes's POV has always added so much to the story for me, and is probably the reason why I love this series so much. We see some really raw emotions and trials for the characters which caused me to actually take it really slow because I felt like I was right there with them, going through those emotions. The new friends we meet add so much to the story and I just wish I was part of their friend group!

I loved every minute of Wes and Liz coming back to find each other again. I felt every emotion while reading this! Now I just need an entire book of them living their Happily Ever After :)


Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.