Big huge thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book. I legit jumped for joy when my approval email came through.
I absolutely blew through the book. I am a huge Lynn Painter fan, and it all started with Better Than the Movies. There was very little chance of me not giving this book five stars, I am a little too big of a fan girl for that. If I were more objective, I would probably say this is more of like a four star book but I don't care! FIVE STARS! I loved getting Wes's perspective in this book, and hearing just how much he loves Liz. I don't agree with some of the choices he mad in the past, but he was 18 and going through A LOT so it kind of makes sense. Does he get maybe borderline stalker-y? Ehhh probably. But grand romantic gestures are always a little creepy in real life. I did also kind of miss our Liz from BTTM, she has definitely changed and grown up a lot (which is good, but I did miss our poor confused little love lover). Overall, I definitely recommend this book to any BTTM or Lynn Painter fans. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Liz and Wes sequel, but I think Lynn pulled it off really well.

When I started reading Nothing Like the Movies, I was a little put off that Liz and Wes were not together. Especially after absolutely loving their relationship in BTTM, and being so happy with their ending. I just could not fathom them apart.
However, the more I read NLTM, the more I loved it! It was more real, more mature, with more layers to each character, and real life situations. I loved having Wes’ POV, and actually ended up loving the changes in Liz… Her emotions and response to Wes seemed so real. I liked Wes in BTTM, but I loved him in NLTM! His grown-up responsible side, and his never ending love for Liz were beyond endearing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel! 4⭐️! The cute movie quotes and playlists that we loved from BTTM were still there as well! So… when this comes out in October, run, don’t walk!! Sooo good!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced readers e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I have posted a review to Goodreads and IG, and will also repost before the release date. Thank you so much!

I felt like I won the lottery getting to read this early.

Lynn Painter is the queen of YA. I adored Better Than the Movies and I wondered how their story would continue and how it would compare to the original. Well, it’s amazing.

One thing I really loved is that there’s a pretty big time gap between the two books. As a reader there is a lot of new information and character development that has occurred. Wes has faced unimaginable trials and Liz has made the best of her situation and focused on her dreams. It was fun getting to know the college versions of the characters and meet new friends (but old friends are still around too!).

True to all her YA books, this is a heavy hitter in the feels. The way the two of them approach reconnecting is based on the past and they struggle to adapt and accept to how each of them has changed. I love how no one is “right” or “wrong” it’s all grey and how to see that.

One thing I wish I had done, and will go back and do, is listen to the songs referenced in the books when they are referenced. I did look up one song, Power by Kanye, and it brought such a dynamic element to the story and I will forever associate it with Wes. I just couldn’t put the book down to take the time to do it for the first read.

I am sad that there isn’t more for me to read about Liz and Wes, but maybe there could be a crossover in NA for a story about them. Please?

I think this book was an okay read. In this book Liz and Wes have been broken up for 2 years after Wes’s dad passes away. When Wes decides to go back to college he finds himself in Liz’s orbit and the whole book is them finding their way back to each other.

I had to remind myself when reading the book that these are kids and I think the reason why they broke up was okay. I liked seeing them kinda remember why they liked each other despite what they went through. This book is such a slow burn though and i wanted more of them actually in a relationship. My biggest thing is that i do feel like the main characters changed but that could be because they grew up lol. I didn’t like this as much because it didn’t seem necessary to have this book but i know the author did write it for the readers.

Overall the first book is better but this is still good if you want an angsty, pining breakup version of the main characters. Thank you to the publisher for this arc!

I really enjoyed this book. I love seeing what happens after the high school book is over. I enjoyed diving into Wes’ POV too. I would love more books set in this world!

I feel like this book is making me eat my words (see my review for Happy Place) about hating second chance romance because this was brilliant and hit every note. Liz and Wes have such a great love story and this novel showed how truly enduring it is. I know some people are upset that the book’s premise is that Liz and Wes break up when college starts, but I think that made the book sooo realistic. Most high school couples do and I think about that every single time I read a YA romance so I’m glad this book kept it so real for that. I also enjoyed getting to watch Liz and Wes turn into more mature versions of their high school selves. Reading <i>Better than the Movies</i> felt So High School, which I think is what in part made it so brilliant- BUT what I loved about this was watching those characters grow up a little, work their trauma, and heal back together. As someone who lives in Omaha, I loved all the little Omaha references, especially all the shade to Epply Airport haha! The only thing I felt like the book missed out on was coming full circle with Liz’s internship plot- it kinda feels forgotten about. I can’t for my students to get their hands on this book (they are all huge Lynn Painter fangirls) so we can squeal about it together!

More like 4.5/5⭐️

First of all, Wes F*cking Bennett. You will forever have my entire heart 💛

ANYWAY. I loved Better Than the Movies and it’s definitely one of my top reads, so imagine how excited I was when the sequel was announced 🥹

This book was written so well😭 I loved seeing Wes and Liz reconnect after a couple years apart and their character growth. Also, the fact that it’s dual-pov and we get to see Wes’ side is EVERYTHING. The journey to get them back to where they were was wild. I also loved the side characters and kinda wish we got to see them a bit more!

I also enjoyed how we get to see them as adults and their individual goals and development. I do wish we got to see more of the their reunion and their relationship though. It’s definitely a slow burn, but Wes’ pining and jealousy was 😮‍💨🤌🏻✨ BUT the conflict that drew them apart just seemed so… odd? In a way it was understandable but it seemed so out of character that if it never happened, I don’t think there would’ve been an actual reason for them to break up.

Other than that, this book sent me on an emotional rollercoaster and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much NetGallry and Simon & Schuster for the arc!

i am the happiest person alive because i finally got to read NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIES!! this feels surreal and i still cannot believe it. this was everything i wanted to see in this sequel.
i laughed so much and i also cried but i had a smile on my face the whole time.
reading about lizwes again felt like coming home after years being away.
i loved seeing how both of them changed over the years but even after being away from each other for so long, they just went back into their own little world where only the two of them existed.
something i also loved about this book is the side characters, they added so much to the story, and i need a book about wes’s sister!! i could be so fun.
overall i will say that this book was perfect, the plot was so fun, lizwes banters are still unmatched and the tropes were absolutely amazing.

Sometimes sequels do more harm than good for their original stories, but this did NOT. I loved it. I love WesLiz so much. I went back and forth being angry with Liz for not being more understanding and being angry with Wes for what he said to her. It was just so sweet and exactly what my heart needed. Also, I NEED a Sarah and Clark story.. 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for this ARC.

and on top of the pyramid, going three for three, once again, is WES BENNETT. my god i love them so much and i will never get over it.
one thing ms lynn painter will always do is make a bomb playlist. love her 🫶🏼

honorable quotes…
- “but i trust you,” he said, turning around and walking backward. “i don’t want to discuss this with anyone, ever, but if i have to, i’d choose you over anyone else.”
- his gaze not only saw through me, but it wrapped itself around me like a pair of strong arms. his gaze was more than familiar. his gaze was home. his gaze was backyard bonfires and late-night phones calls and cross-country road trips that led to hotel rooms with soft sheets and cool, heavy comforters.
- i’d never be sure if she was my type—had i always had a fondness for redheads with green eyes?—or if she’d created my type. she was my prototype. there was only her.
- little liz can’t come to the phone right now. why? oh, cause she’s dead.
- “trust me, lib,” i said, picturing her lips. “in a crowd of a million ski masks, i’d still be able to find you.”
- “libby, i don’t know if you know this, but i am obsessed with your mouth.”

I had to force myself to stop reading this book when the clock hit 3 AM. If I didn’t have to wake up the next morning, I would have finished this whole book in a single night. I literally started chapter one and my jaw hit the floor, I was so shocked by what had changed. This book completely sucked me in and I could not escape without knowing what the hell had happened. It cannot hit shelves soon enough because I need people to freak out with. Nothing Like The Movies was the sequel that after reading some of the Wes’ bonus chapters I really wanted, but soooo much better than I ever expected! A pro tip is you should definitely read all of the bonus material on Simon Teen’s website and on Lynn Painter’s website before reading this book, especially the roadtrip one. You don’t have to read the bonus material, but I really feel it adds to the story if you have. Anyways, go and preorder your copy now and pray September gets here quick.

Never sobbed so much from a book. It was such a good books 5 stars. I love Wes and Liz so much. Need more of them!!!

I somehow liked this better than the first book! My one complaint is that there is no real resolution with the documentary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for this eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I have read all of Lynn Painter's books, and haven’t rated any of them lower than 4 stars, because I’ve loved them all.

Unfortunately, this is my least favorite one and it fell very flat for me. I’m so upset because Better Than the Movies is one of my favorite books ever, and I was SOOOO excited to read this one.

I enjoyed getting more of Wes’s POV and his feelings for Liz. I also liked the parts that dove deeper into his grief and the reasons behind him shutting down and shutting everyone out. I also love the end when he worked hard to woo her back.

What I didn’t love, was that it took me 65% for me to become very interested at all. Better Than the Movies should have remained a standalone. We spent that book waiting for Liz and Wes to get together, so to spend this entire book waiting for that again, was unnecessary.

I love Lynn Painter, and love Liz and Wes, so I am going to settle on 3 stars for this one!

This was...not what I anticipating.

I did anticipate, as the synopsis states, Liz and Wes breaking up, and Wes working to get her back. That was in fact what happened so at least there's that.

What I didn't anticipate was the obscene amount of Gilmore Girls references this book would entail. I love Gilmore Girls, and I love nerdy movie and pop culture references in contemporary fiction. Unfortunately for me, this read more like very cringey fanfic than an average teen RomCom, or comparatively to her other books.

I also didn't expect the copious amounts of internal monologuing, especially on behalf of the male POV. I either do not enjoy the creative choice to go in the direction of dual POV or I just do not enjoy the inner monologue of her MMCs. This was true of Betting on You for me too. A lot of the inner monologuing was very telly, irritatingly repetative, and felt like filler. I kinda wish she had used that filler to develope Campbell and Wade more. Missed opportunity there.

I did enjoy the baseball. I enjoyed it a lot actually. The descriptions of game play were basic, but so good, It's made me want to watch my favorite baseball movies again.

I also liked the cameo apearances of characters from her other books.

While there were some things I liked, I didn't think this story was necessary as a second chance romance. Mostly this was a flop for me.

Content is Kissing and clinging. Copious profanity.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary DRC through Netgalley. All the opinions states in this are my own.

I did a quick reread of the first so I would be totally prepared for the sequel and I’m glad I did but it isn’t necessary as it is a totally new story. This time it is told in a dual POV giving readers a much appreciated inside look into the head of one Wes Bennett. After tragedy strikes two weeks into his freshman year of school we time jump forward two years for this second novel. I enjoyed seeing how the characters of Wes and Lizzie have grown over the years, but could have done without the break up( it broke my heart). The book was funny, and sweet with new characters but old familiar friends as well. Go ahead and get ready to fall back in love with Wes and Liz.

nothing like the movies🍿⚾️
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

EEEK!! Thank you so much to Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this! This book was probably my most highly anticipated book this year and it didn’t disappoint. I forgot how much I missed Liz and Wes. I wanted MORE! 🤩

I was a little taken back at the fact that they were no longer dating at the beginning of this book. Yes it’s part of the summary but it made me so sad not seeing them together😭 Obviously time has passed and their characters have changed. I liked that Lynn Painter wrote them more maturely because they were older and had more life experiences. Liz was very stubborn in this book, more stubborn that I anticipated. When she starts to loosen up, you can see old Liz come back to life. ❤️ Wes was his typical goofy self however we see a much more deep and emotional side of him that we haven’t before. This book was a lot more depressing and sad at some parts then I was expecting. BUT…. it added so much more depth to the book and characters which I love. 🥹

I think Wes playing baseball was such a fun part of this book. After reading this, it left me wanting to read more baseball romances haha. I feel like the romance didn’t happen until way late in the book but I’m glad we got to see their fun banter again. I’m just greedy and want more and more of them.

THE SOUNDTRACK. Guys you’re not gonna wanna miss it. The music mentioned in this one is EVERYTHING🤌🏼🤌🏼

I want more and more of Liz and Wes. They are so perfect together and no one does it like Lynn Painter. This will have you kicking your feet and giggling over and over again.

MAKE SURE TO PREORDER THIS BOOK!! It comes out September 24th😍 Who has already ordered this?!

3.75 ⭐️ Wow, this was definitely a completely different tone than the first book. I enjoyed the dual POV and getting to know Wes more than we did in Better Than the Movies. I liked that we got more of his life with his family and it made me understand him and what he was going through way more. However, I do think by like the halfway point of the book it did feel like it was being a bit dragged out. Could you argue that this book wasn’t completely necessary? Yes. I can see some people maybe not enjoying it. I do appreciate the realistic part of this book that touches on unexpected things happening in your life that impact the relationships you have with others, especially in your formative college years. Overall, I did still have a good time reading more of these characters!

I loved this book so much! It was beautifully written as a second chance romance with dual POV and I loved being along for the ride of Wes and Liz. It had me so emotionally invested and I'm glad I was able to receive the ARC for this book.

Thank you to NetGallery for the complimentary digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Lynn Painter has quickly become one of my favorite authors to read. She is funny and the story always has great characters with a believable plot. This one is a sequel and fun to see where the characters, Liz and Wes are going to end up. Definitely a book to read and recommend!