I felt that while the story was good and a decent ending to Better Than the Movies, I felt that it wasn't totally a needed sequel because the ending of the first book was satisfying enough.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

Nothing Like The Movies gives us Liz and Wes in college, but this time they are no longer a couple. Liz is coming back from a heart break but is in a healthier place. Wes has gone through a tragedy and Liz isn't the romance lover she once was. In this movie, Wes will do anything to get the old them back.

This book was super cute but it was hard to rate it next to Better Than The Movies, which I loved so much. Was a fun and enjoyable read and if you loved Wes and Liz, then you got to see how their story continues post high school.

“When I’m near you, the way I feel steals the breath from my body. It’s like I breathe for you, like I exist to exist alongside of you.”

this was one of my most anticipated reads and unfortunately it was okay. I honestly feel like better than the movies should’ve stayed a standalone. this book has miscommunication and it’s one of my least favorite tropes.

Liz was getting on my nerves!! The whole fake dating with Clarke was out of the blue and didn’t really do anything for the story.

Wes is my baby and deserves the world. He’s the reason I gave this a 3 star and chose to push through because I wanted to dnf since 29% in.

Even though this book wasn’t my favorite, I’ll still buy a physical copy just because I love Wes and his love for Liz.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIES by Lynn Painter

At a Glance:

✏️ Dual POV
💕 Second Chance
🏫 College
⚾ Baseball
👩‍❤️‍👨 Fake Dating
💔 Grief

I'll admit that I was skeptical as soon as I saw this title announced. I was even more suspicious when the blurb dropped and I'm normally a huge fan of second chance romance. (It's the pining for me.) Sequels so rarely live up to the original work, but I found this so utterly charming and tender that I am ready to safely say that we can continue our Lynn Painter fanship in peace and there is no need to riot. This is an exceptional follow up.

If you're already a WesLiz fan, this book is going to break your heart a bit. Admittedly, I teared up quite a few times. The sadness in the book is palpable, but so is the hope and the laughter. Lynn Painter remains the reigning queen of dialogue. I am happy to say that she did these book babies justice and I really hope they can now remain at peace forevermore. The only time it would be acceptable to see these two again is in a cameo in a Clark/Sarah story which I highly, highly suggest. (Wink wink, nudge nudge LP.)

My heart palpitations are now officially settled and I am proud to say that I was happy to see WesLiz again. Don't worry, readers. We're all going to make it through this one. And I think most of us are going to come out smiling.

This is the highly anticipated sequel to Better than the Movies. This one ended up being not quite what I expected. I assumed it was going to be Wes trying to get Liz back, and though it was, but it was also a lot more. The trying to win Liz back was only a small portion of the story. This book does have a sadder undertone than Painter's other books, one reason being because we all just love Wes and Liz and want them to be together. I do think this book makes their relationship deeper and it was really beautiful.

Four stars for this sequel. I think that this book has everything you could possibly want from a romance book. Interesting story with awesome characters and enemies to lovers style.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers publishing for the advanced reader copy of this fantastic rom-com.

Lynn Painter's Nothing Like the Movies is a sequel to Better Than the Movies, delving into the complexities of love and growing up. In this much anticipated follow up, Wes and Liz's story continues as they navigate the challenges of college life and the aftermath of a heartbreaking breakup. The author portrays the emotional journey of Wes, who is determined to win back Liz after a tragedy forced them apart just before starting college. Wes's romantic gestures, inspired by Liz's love for rom coms, add a charming and humorous touch to the story. This novel captures the essence of young love, heartache, and the struggle to balance personal growth with maintaining a relationship.

i absolutely loved better than the movies. and not gonna lie when the sequal was announced, i was lowkey doubting the author's decision to extend wes and liz's story. but alas! this book is a reminder to never doubt my queen lynn painter 👑✨

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

PERFECTION. In the sequel to the beloved Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz get to live out the second chance romance trope and the angst and romance is top notch. Wes and Liz were enjoying their romance while at college together when tragedy strikes. This leads to Wes having to move home and losing Liz. Now, he is back and more determined than ever to win Liz back. However, his romantic plans go up in smoke when this new Liz is having none of his grand gestures. Will these two crazy kids work it out?

I was OBSESSED. This was the perfect follow-up to one of my all-time favorites. I loved getting to see an older Wes and Liz and watching(reading) as they fall in love all over again. The swooning that took place. I demand another sequel of adult Wes and Liz. Or at least a novella every single year about a random day in their lives. I demand it.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is pure perfection. I'm not a huge fan of second chance but this book made me love it. Liz & Wes are perfect. The Taylor Swift references and the romance are my favorite things about this book. I literally cried a few times but it was worth it so you should totally read it.

I absolutely loved this book!! Every single book I’ve read of Lynn Painter’s has never been below 3 stars. Nothing Like the Movies showcases Wes and Liz’s growth over the years between Better Than the Movies and currently. I loved all of the Taylor Swift references, and mentions to some of my favorite songs. I laughed a lot, I came close to tears a lot, which in my opinion, is a thing a great book can do to you. Readers who haven’t read Better Than the Movies in a while, I would suggest that you read it before Nothing Like the Movies comes out on October 1st because at some points I was struggling to remember characters that were in BTTM, but that’s definitely not Lynn Painter’s fault! Nothing Like the Movies is probably going to make my top 5 books of 2024 list. Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book. 🤍

I absolutely loved this book. It was a perfect continuation of better than the movies.! Wes and Liz’s story was wonderful! I also love the little blur from the movies at the beginning of each chapter. The quotes were on point. They were amazing! One thing I really enjoyed about this book was watching the characters grow and develop. It was a slow pace story but it was so good. Lynn Painter might have just become a buy all author for me! I was so excited to receive this copy and I was so excited to read it. This is a five out of five stars.

Second chance romance is profoundly NOT my thing because breakups happen for a reason, but I actually didn’t mind the plot here. The first book is a 6 star YA for me, and this one was fun too. I love a pop culture reference, especially when a critical plot point revolves around a party at Jack Antonoff’s house. Overall, I think the characters are likable and the banter is cute.

Some of this book is big cringe. I can get behind a pining man, but Wes pushed me over the edge especially in the last quarter.

A forehead kiss to Simon & Schuster, Edelweiss, and NetGalley for the ARC 😘

This book was actually a great sequel to Better Than The Movies! I LOVED the dual pov and I thought that it was a great second part to Wes and Liz's story! It was really fun to see them grow up between the two books!

I was utterly thrilled when I got this ARC! I’m a huge fan of the author and couldn’t wait to read this book. Anytime there’s a sequel I have a worry that it’s not going to measure up to the previous book, but alas I had to read this book because it’s a sequel to one my all time favorite books! And let me tell you this book did not disappoint! It was an emotional roller coaster throughout the entire book! I cried and teared up multiple times, the writing is perfection, the emotional turmoil this book caused was incredible, and all I want to do is go and reread the first book again so I can go and read the second one again(what a glorious circle)! The descriptions, the characters, the storyline, plus the character growth are what every sequel needs to have! Honestly, this book was just wonderful from start to finish! From the characters to the storyline this book was so much fun to read and enjoy. I absolute loved it! I don't know how the author captures your interest and pulls you right into the story from the very first page, but I couldn’t put this book down. It's amazing and beautiful. Definitely recommend, love the story, love the characters, just an overall outstanding read! If you like a good book, you’ll love this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

THIS. This is what I want from a New Adult book. The romance, the longing, the passion of being a young 20-something who is just learning about life and love! This was a wonderful follow-up to the first book and I loved everything about their story. LP was on it with this one.

I don’t know if I can fully put into words how much I loved this book. This was a perfect sequel to an already amazing book. Lynn Painter doesn’t know how to miss.

This book was so heartbreaking in the beginning. I was not expecting to cry, but oh how found myself having tears running down my face. Reading how heartbroken Liz and Wes were after everything that happened hurt me. I was rooting for them the entire time. I wanted so badly for them to get back together.

Liz had so much growth from the last book. She showed real maturity that wasn’t fully present in the first book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. She was more relatable in my eyes in this book. I thought I saw a lot of myself in her in the first book, but I realized now how wrong I was and related to her more in this one.

Wes freaking Bennet. He done messed up, but he owned up to his mistakes and his initial stupidity. Another example of growth. He had so many moments that made my heart soar because of his love for Liz. It was just flat out beautiful.

This was probably one of my top 10 reads so far this year. I know I will be recommending this book to everyone. This book will be out October 1st.

Having a really hard time seeing through my tears. I love them so much, this book was everything to me.

Wes and Liz have the kind of love I will never stop looking for!!!!!! I both never ever want to forget a single thing and also banish this book from my brain so I don’t have to live with the knowledge that I am not liz and I do not have a Wes. I love them so much. I am so proud of them. Their love is truly my favorite love in the whole world.

Being back with Wes & Liz feels like coming home❤️

📖 Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter
Release Date - October 1, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

I have never documented more quotes from one character than Wesley Bennett. If you adored him before, you will only fall harder for him. And the most beautiful thing, you will get Wes' POV.✨️ This sequel is dual point of view.

Don't fear the second chance. It's real, it's raw, it's beautifully done. Will your heart break a little? very possibly. Will you still love these characters endlessly? ABSOLUTELY.

All the movie quotes, song references, and our beloved Wessy & Libby are back for a beautiful sequel, along with some new friends you will adore. (Clark, I'm definitely looking at you.)

I will love these two forever.

Thank you so much @netgalley and Simon and Schuster Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

And @lynnpainterbooks for gifting us the most beautiful young characters, emotional and witty dialogue, and a love story of our dreams.❤️

Get this on your list now (but read Better Than the Movies first).

I was super scared of reading this book because I knew the Liz-Wes breakup would be hard, and you know what, I was right, the pain had me sobbing.

I do think Lynn has done an amazing and beautiful job with this book though. I always got the feeling in BTTM that Wes wasn't completely transparent with Liz about his feelings for things *apart* from his love for her, and it is precisely that which exacerbated the tragic event that occurred to him and caused their breakup. Does my "silly little love lover" heart prefer that Liz-Wes work through this issue without the breakup and the second chance? Well, YES. But I cannot deny how good this book was, and how much the space apart helped them grow and get back together stronger.

So yeah, Lynn has done a phenomenal job with the writing and the emotions in this book, and aside from grievances about the manner of the breakup itself (there is no actual cheating, but the breakup is definitely betty by Taylor Swift) I think people will love this book.

Also the third act was the perfect amount of dramatic okay, it was the equivalent of the cliched running to the airport, and it was fucking perfect.

Also also, Wes's sister Sarah was one of the highlights of this book! One of the best side characters ever.

TWs - death of parent, survival guilt/ptsd, teenager forced to take a parental role, mental abandonment by a parent, mentions of cheating (again I have to stress that there is no actual cheating, that's all I can say without spoilers), moderately serious sports injury

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

A spectacular follow-up up Painter's beloved Better than the Movies! Although I didn't think or expect another book about Wes and Liz, I think this was a great way to continue their story as they tackled more mature issues as they enter college and deal with personal challenges that are thrown their way. Painter has an incredible ability to delve deeply into the relationship between these two characters, and though there were times that I was frustrated by Liz's actions or lack of actions, the ending was great!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!