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!

Wes and Liz are college freshmen. Wes is pulling out all the stops to try and win Liz back, but Liz can’t be persuaded. This book continues from where Better Than the Movies ended, that was such a cute book, and this was just ok. It felt like the story should not have been drug out as a sequel and should have just been left alone.

YES! This YA delivers. I was rooting for Liz and Wes throughout this entire story! Told through alternating perspectives of Liz and Wes, the story picks up 2 years after "Better than the Movies" left off. And much has changed in the lives of the lovebirds as they navigate college and life overall. Wes essentially has to win Liz back after a personal fallout where everything came crashing down and he lost it all. Now, 2 years later, he's ready to face his demons, pick up a baseball again, and win back the girl of his dreams. As the story unfolds, what happened is described by both character's perspective and then there is what really happened. However, as time has gone by, Liz has grown and changed--little Liz is no longer--and she does not want to pick up where they left off. Can Wes get back the girl of his dreams...and what really happened to our star crossed lovers?
5 stars

Lynn Painter does it again! this book is incredible and I can not wait for everyone to read it. She has a way of reading to make sure you read her books in one setting!

What a perfect sequel! I’m always worried about contemporary follow-ups because they just mean creating more conflict between the characters - but this worked SO well! It was lovely being back with Liz and Wes and watching them find a way back to each other. I’m docking a star simply because I felt like there was perhaps one too many things keeping them a part and the break up plot could’ve been simplified, but I loved it regardless.

such an amazing book. although I was skeptical of the second chance in this book lynn painter did a fantastic job writing it. i love wes and liz so so much. i enjoyed reading nothing like the movies. 10/10 recommend it

This book was absolutely wonderful. A sequel like this can be tricky to make feel natural, but Lynn Painter nailed it. My heart hurt for the characters as we saw flashbacks of their breakup and the heartache that came after. Wes is such a golden retriever character, but the depth that the heartache gave him was just right. This book had me hurting, laughing, and loving right along with the characters.

Earlier this week, I finished a digital ARC of Nothing Like the Movies! @lynnpainterbooks , true relatable icon, always has her finger on the pulse of the best music and legendary rom-com quotes. I absolutely love this new installment’s curation of songs and quotes. My friends and I read Better Than the Movies during our senior year of high school and it became one of our all-time favorite books. Fast-forward: We are now going to be juniors in college (crazy!!), just like our aspiring music supervisor protagonist Liz Buxbaum. It was interesting to see two of my favorite characters against a college backdrop, although my favorite part of the book takes place in a more nostalgic setting. (🤐)That could just be me needing an escape from reading about the realistic stress of college while being in college though! Nonetheless, it’s just that: realistic. While I know it’s hard to picture the characters you know and love in a different setting and stage of their life, I highly recommend putting on your favorite soundtrack and going in with an open heart. Because who can resist more WesLiz content?! Thank you to @netgalley for the digital ARC! Nothing Like the Movies is out October 1st!

"Nothing Like the Movies" is the second book in Lynn Painter's "Better Than the Movies" series. This book is centered around college students Wes and Liz. Wes, dealing with the traumatic death of his father, breaks up with Liz right before college starts and completely blindsides Liz and derails their plans. Liz tries to move on but is completely heartbroken. After dealing with his own issues, Wes is determined to win Liz back. Knowing Liz is a rom-com fan, Wes implements some of the swoonworthy moments from Liz's favorite movies.

I enjoyed reading about the popular rom-com moments Wes was recreating in an attempt to win Liz back and thought that was a really cute idea. However, I found it hard to keep up with all the characters in the book as they were so many side characters. I also wasn't quite sure if I was actually invested in Wes and Liz's happily ever after. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

this was such a good second book in the series! i almost loved it more than the first since wes and liz were in college! very relatable and adorable! perfect story line and ending! definitely recommend for anyone who loves a cute romance novel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was BTTM perfect and could’ve been a standalone? Yes.
Did I still eat NLTM up? YES.

WesLiz banter is always perfection 🩷

- fake dating
- second chance
- forced proximity
- slow burn

Thank you, NetGalley x Simon & Schuster for this ARC 🥰

Romantic, funny, and honest sequel to Better Than the Movies. The characters are both likable and quite three dimensional. The chemistry and anticipation between the main characters is palpable and it will leave you cheering for more.