Lynn Painter does is again! The highly anticipated sequel to "Better than the Movies" did not dissapoint!
This book was dual POV!!!! I loved getting to learn more about Wes and his inner monologue was *chefs kiss.*
This book was still YA vibes but a little more PG-13 than the first book as far as language and dialog went. The parallels between Wes's and Liz's trauma was beautiful in the sense that they could easily understand one another, and they I'm so happy they got their HEA.

4.25 Stars!

I liked Better Than the Movies better than this one, but it was still an enjoyable read. The story alternates between Liz and Wes's points of view, which I enjoyed. It was nice to get some more of Wes's story, and the interactions between him and Helena were entertaining and heartwarming. The Rom Com quotes at the start of each chapter are a cute touch!

I want to start by saying that I LOVEEEED Better than the Movies. That was an instant 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, because the original was so good, this sequel fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Wes and Liz. But that’s what made some of their actions in this book so unrealistic. The book was good. But it just did not live up to the original. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

As a reader who fell hard for Wes and Libby in Just Like the Movies, the sequel didn’t disappoint! Both favorite characters and new ones made this story fun, engaging, and had me rooting—once again—for them to find their happily ever after.

I am so thankful that I was chosen to read the ARC of Nothing Like the Movies! This was truly my most anticipated read of the year. It was SO much fun to see Wes and Liz all grown up. Without giving too many spoilers, I would have loved to see more of the two of them getting to know the new and older versions of themselves! While they obviously have a ton of history, I think it would have been really nice to see them acknowledge that a lot can change over a few years and that it's okay to grow and change. There was a bit of this but I thought it could be pushed even further! Overall, it was really sweet. I love second-chance romances and this one was done pretty well! I felt like the conclusion wrapped up rather fast but overall, I really liked this novel. It doesn't come close to the first one in my opinion, but it was a fun bonus read.

For a few months, Liz and Wes had it all. They went from enemy neighbors to deliriously in love and were so happy together. But as the pair left to start at UCLA, Wes's life came crumbling down. Left to sort out the fallout, Wes had no choice but to let Liz go or risk pulling her down with him. Now, a few years later, Wes is in a good place and is ready to start over. He's back at UCLA, back on the baseball team, but more importantly, he's ready to win back his girl. Wes knows he broke Liz's heart, so he's prepared to take a page out of the romance movies Liz loves so much and win her back with a grand gesture. But Liz is having none of it, and worse yet, she seems to be dating another guy. Wes has come too far to get deterred, but Liz rebuffs all of his advances, leaving Wes to wonder if he's missed his chance with his dream girl for good.

Honestly, I was very conflicted when I heard about this one. On one hand, I was so excited to revisit these characters because I loved BTTM so much. But on the other, the first book worked so well that I didn't think it needed a sequel. Unfortunately, I stand by my latter thoughts. Admittedly, it was fun to see these characters again, but they were missing the spark that made me fall in love with them in the first place. Both Wes and Liz felt like different characters to me. I guess you can chalk that up to them growing up and maturing, but I missed the lighthearted playfulness they had. Whereas the first book felt bubbly and bright, this was heavy and dealt with tough topics, such as grief and anxiety. Despite not meeting my expectations, I'm still glad I read it, but I wish the first book stayed a standalone.

This is my first Lynn Painter book that I have read and not listened to the audiobook. I love her sense of humor and characters. This book missed the 5 stars mark for me because it was stretched out and could have been shorter. I like that Lizzie and Wes evolved as young adults in this story , but Lizzie’s stubbornness really ruined the connection in this story. The ending was predictable but rushed. I may just love the audiobooks more than reading.

A GIGANTIC THANK YOU to the author, Lynn Painter, and the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, for giving me the greatest opportunity to read and honestly review this ARC.

I expected nothing less! This cooked, just like the previous books from Lynn Painter. It's always such an honor and grace to be able to read such a masterpiece of a writing. The way the whole book played out and the way it wasn't boring in the least. I bet all of us would want to see Liz and Wes again! They truly have become the trademark faces of BookTok and the book community altogether.

Set on UCLA campus, the author gives us a deep-dive insight of the separate (then conjoined) lives of freshman Wesley Bennet and junior Elizabeth Buxbaum as she tries to navigate from him and he tries to navigate toward getting her back, for good. It's wonderful and cozy. Just read it. For the plot. aka Wes Bennet :)

Wow, what can I say! This went into a totally different direction than I expected but I loved it! I love both of these characters and their individual personalities. The heartbreak and redemption mixed with comedy is so perfect, it is like the best kind of romcom.

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.