3 stars
TW: death of a parent and subsequent trauma, grief and guilt, PTSD, underaged excessive drinking, mentioning of cheating

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

This is one of the times where a series was unnecessary, and Better than the Movies should have remained as a standalone. Wes and Liz's story was complete in that first book, and I feel this sequel has only disrupted the flow and the beauty of this world.

Whilst there were moments during this read that I connected with what was happening, it took a very long time to get to that point. I found there was a certain level of destruction to the characters that I truly adored in book one, and watching both Wes and Liz assume and treat each other as they did was painful at times. I loved Liz in the first book, but came to barely tolerate her by the end of this, and found Wes extremely intense at times, to the point of getting uncomfortable on Liz's behalf. I also disliked the choice Liz made with her roommate Clark to push the boundaries with Wes, even though I could understand it stemmed from hurt. I felt like the pair just really needed to communicate maturely with each other, and their immature responses truly detracted from any growth they claimed to have navigating life as young adults.

Overall, I wish I had left this world alone at the five star place it was for me with the first book. Painter's YA stories normally engage me, but this one just wasn't for me. I did however cry at a couple of scenes, and get more engrossed with the read in the second third before it sadly dropped again for me, which is why I'm giving this three stars.

Painter excels with another YA romcom, following on from the events of Better than the Movies, but two years after high school finishes. We rejoin Wes and Liz, after a breakup and the loss of Wes's father.

Wes and Liz have matured, but their banter and ability to find each other again after a period of separation was truly kick-my-feet lovely. Wes's exploration of grief after losing his father was heartbreaking. It was definitely a fun and entertaining read!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Australia for an e-arc, all opinions are my own.

When I first read Better than the movies by Lynn painter, I falled in love with both Elizabeth Buxbaum and Wes Bennett and how their relationship came to folurish.

Now that a sequel is coming out I was a bit nervous cause I don't know what to expect.

Imagine two years after high school ends and supposedly in your second year of college, studying and trying to be the best and learning new things..

That wasn't the case for Wes Bennett until now.

After going through a rough break up with Liz after highschool and complications at home, Wes is starting fresh again at college and trying his best to win Liz's love back but it comes with a price.

With the storyline, I was intrigued how grown up and mature both Wes and Liz were throughout the book but still having that amazing banter they had in better than the movies. I felt like giving wes a big hug and keeping him protected after everything his been through and screaming at Liz to figure it out and forgive him.

I loved how every chapter started off with a quote from either a TV show/movie which involved around romance and the taylor swift references.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has read Better than the movies as it's a good sequel to it.

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster and netgalley for letting me read this digital arc

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed Better Than The Movies when I read it a couple years ago - it’s a very sweet and fun YA rom com, that reminded me sooo much of the DUFF movie. While the main character did annoy me at points (all YA romance characters do 🤣) I really loved it and understood why it’s so many people’s favourite book!

I was a bit skeptical about a sequel coming out, but I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected! 💜

We’re following Wes and Liz roughly 2-3 years after Better Than The Movies ends, where they’re in college and are meeting again after a rough breakup a couple years ago 😭. So basically, this is a second chance romance as Wes tries to win Liz back ❤️. I actually thought this made sense for the characters since they’re in High School in the first book and I think it’s reasonable to assume not every high school couple will stay together, especially as they grow and change and major life events happen.

This book felt like a more mature version of the first one, where our characters have grown and changed as people (as we do throughout university), had some pretty major life events happen and life isn’t necessarily as fun and easy going as it feels in high school. I really liked seeing this side of Wes and Liz 🥹. They also still had such good banter throughout the book which I loved.

The book fell a bit flat for me in the last 10%. It felt like there was pointless conflict thrown in for the sake of it, and Liz started to really annoy me 😤. I also didn’t like the ‘resolution’ that solved the conflict, it felt a bit like a cop out to me.

Overall though, I really really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed Better Than The Movies. However, I’d just say go in expecting a different tone/vibe to the first book! 💖

Tropes:
second chance romance
humour and banter
fake relationship
dual pov
overs to strangers, to friends to lovers

After falling head over heels for Lynn Painter's “Better than the Movies” last year, I was thrilled yet apprehensive when “Nothing Like the Movies” was announced. Could the sequel possibly live up to the charm and perfection of its predecessor? Painter not only met but exceeded my expectations with this flawless rom-com continuation.

In Nothing Like the Movies, we rejoin Wes and Liz as they navigate the aftermath of their breakup, spurred by Wes’s heart-wrenching loss of his father. Painter effortlessly pulls readers back into their world, preserving the sharp, witty banter that fans adore while allowing the characters to grow and evolve. The novel sparkles with clever movie quotes and nostalgic music references, making it an irresistible treat for rom-com enthusiasts.

Painter’s talent for crafting a cinematic experience through her writing shines brightly in this sequel. If you’re a fan of feel-good romantic comedies, Nothing Like the Movies is a must-read. Having had the privilege of an early read, I can assure you that this book will not disappoint. Prepare to be swept off your feet and cheering for Wes and Liz as they find their way back to each other.

I was very conflicted about this. On one side, I loved it, but at the same time I was a bit disappointed.

Good things first:
I loved Liz in this book. I kind of hated her in the other book. She was so annoying and she behaved like a kid. But she grew up, you can see she is more mature now. And I like this anti-romance person she has become, even though she still loves romance deep down. She is more relatable now, and this time I can really agree with her doubts and reasons to be cautious.

Wes is as sweet as always, but he also had moments where he wasn't at his best. That made him more real and flawed, less perfect. And seeing him trying everything to be the person Liz deserved was fantastic 😍

But Clark is my favourite character, he is such a good friend! And he likes Wes. And he calls Liz out when she is being unreasonable. They're friedship is inspiring. I'm so sad we didn't get more of him at the end. I hope we'll have a Clark-Sarah book soon!

But the story is not exactly what the plot makes it to be. And it sometimes feels less YA than I would have expected. I kind of understand that, since the characters are older now, but it still felt strange.

And several things were left unexplained or without a proper ending. Some characters just disappeared after they weren't needed anymore. Like Clark. I loved him! What happened to him? I would have loved seeing Wes's reaction to knowing that everything between Liz and Clark was fake. And I would have loved seeing Clark finally being able to really be friends with Wes. But nothing like that was mentioned at all. Not even at the end.
Even the other characters in the books felt quite flat and only there for small cameos here and there. We got nothing from them after Liz and Wes "solved" things.

Speaking of that, I was hoping Liz would still talk to Wes about not doing what he did before ever again (i.e. shutting her out as soon he had problems), but that was also never addressed, even though it was something Liz was quite worried about .

All in all, it was a good read, Lynn Painter's writing flows easily and makes me feel like I'm right there with the characters. But I was expecting more from this, to be honest.


Rating: 3.5/5

“It’d been better than the movies, I swear to God.”

Wes has his dream girl and then he lost her when tragedy strut and their lives changed.

Fast forward and the pair are at the same college together. Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart and comes up with a full proof plan to somehow win her back. Using Rom-Com like gestures isn’t cutting it Liz makes it clear she’s not interested and has a man in her life.

Wes won’t go down without a fight and winning Liz back is his number one goal. The age old miscommunication trope rears its head and they begin to wonder what could have been if only things were different.

Thank you @netgalley @simonschusterau for this advance copy of Nothing Like the Movies. I love Painters work and how each chapter is loaded with romcom recs, this was a cute and fluffy grumpy sunshine with some fake dating and second chance romance. In stores October 2nd.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the eARc. All opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the banter between Wes and Liz, and really enjoyed seeing Wes's POV—his inner thoughts made it clear how much he loved her. The exploration of Wes's grief was heartbreaking but beautifully done. However, the miscommunication between them dragged on for so long that I started to lose interest. There was just too much unnecessary drama, and seriously, why is Wes growling? The pop culture references to songs and artists also felt overdone. I'm on the fence about this one. Yes, we learned more about Wes and Liz as individuals and their relationship, but was this book really necessary for their development? Probably not.

-

“I’d deleted all previous messages after the breakup, mostly because I knew I’d never stop rereading them like a favourite book.”

“Did I have five minutes? For Liz? My entire life, the answer to that had been something along the lines of hell f*cking yes.”

“I’d choose you over anyone else”

I adore Lyn Painters books. Each book has been fun and well written, each book gets better! I adore this series! And Lyn painters books!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Lynn Painter for the opportunity to read this book!

Nothing Like the Movies is a dual, POV romance novel that follows the second chance romance of Wes and Liz. Nothing Like the Movies starts with Wes and Liz navigating life after breaking up due to the unexpected loss of Wes' father. Liz is now at college and settling in better compared to how Wes settled into college.

This book deals with friendship, second chances, dealing with grief, loss, banter and fighting for what you want!!

Nothing Like the Movies is well worth the read!!

In a world of bad sequels this does not apply. Lovers of the original "Better than the movies" are going to love this extension of Liz and Wes' story! The pacing, timing and development of the story and the characters all work well and it's hard to fault this book. Although the book deals with serious and confronting issues and plotlines, it is palatable and appropriate for the target audience whilst staying impactful and raw.

as a previous reader of Lynn Painter’s books I was so excited to have been approved for an arc of Nothing like the Movies!

A sequel to Better than the Movies, this book continues the story featured in the first book. This book features Wes and Liz navigating their relationship while attending college.

This book is not all happiness. I’m afraid with me needing to grab a box of tissues halfway through this book. Nonetheless the relationship building the heartbreak and the working towards a compromise made me enjoy this book even more.

I love Love Lynn’s writing. Can’t wait to read more from her.

This one was middle of the road for me, didn’t LOVE it, didn’t hate it. It was a good read, but too many pop culture references. Overall was left feeling underwhelmed by it.

Listen, this was hard to get into, I have found YA and clean romances cute, but I honestly didn’t feel that invested in the characters and that this was overhyped. I’m sorry.

“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.”

Wes and Liz had an amazing few months together before starting college at UCLA, but something terrible happened and Wes ended up losing her. Now, they’re both back at UCLA and in a better place, but Wes is set on winning Liz back. He’s pulling out all the stops with big romantic gestures, hoping to get her to fall for him again. The catch? Liz isn’t interested, especially since she’s hanging out with a new guy friend. Despite his best efforts, Wes is starting to wonder if their relationship is really over for good.

I had some mixed feelings about this book. Right from the start, I was thrown off when the story jumped ahead 2 years just 2 chapters in. It was a pretty jarring shift for me. I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t really love it either. It took me a while to figure out my rating because I was pretty confused. I had low expectations going in since the ending of "Better than the Movies" seemed perfect. I couldn’t see why Liz and Wes would break up, and I was worried there’d be some annoying miscommunication drama. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. At first, it was really annoying to read about their 2 year silence without knowing what happened, other than the fact they broke up. It made it hard to enjoy the book at the beginning. On the plus side, even though they were broken up, the moments Liz and Wes shared were really sweet. They were still kind to each other, which was nice to see.

I did really like Liz’s character in this book. I felt a strong connection to her, just as I did in BTTM especially during the breakup when she was left completely in the dark about why Wes ended things. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and although she was understandably upset, I appreciated her maturity and how she handled everything. Despite the difficult situation, she remained kind towards Wes. That being said, I did miss some aspects of her previous character. Her passion for rom-coms seemed to be missing, and her usual charisma was toned down. Perhaps Lynn intended to show a more mature side of Liz since this book is set during their college years, but I missed her charming personality from before. In BTTM, the rom-com quotes that reflected Liz and Wes’s relationship were such a delightful touch, and their absence here was noticeable. The quotes in this book didn’t have the same impact and sometimes felt a bit cringy, which was disappointing. On the bright side, Liz’s relationship with her parents was absolutely heartwarming. Seeing her bond with Helena grow from the previous book was lovely, and her parents’ support throughout her challenges was truly wonderful.

Wes was incredibly romantic and sweet in this book! One of the main reasons I was excited to read this was to get to know Wes better, and the dual POV really worked for me. Learning about his struggles was heartbreaking; I cried so many times. He truly deserves the world after everything he went through. I won’t spoil anything, but the way Wes handled his struggles was really moving, and I felt so sorry for him. Even after everything, I loved seeing him transform, get back on his feet, and chase his dreams. His resilience was inspiring. I was surprised by how deep and complex Wes’s story turned out to be. I didn’t expect it, but I appreciated Lynn exploring these layers. However, I was pretty frustrated during the first half of the book because we didn’t get a clear reason for why Wes decided to break up with Liz. It felt like he could have just talked things through with her and continued their great relationship. While I get why he needed to withdraw because of what he was going through, it was still pretty frustrating to read about. It also felt a bit odd that after two years, Wes suddenly decided he wanted to win Liz back, especially since I strongly believe the perfect book boyfriend Wes from "Better Than the Movies" would have opened up to Liz and kept working on their relationship despite his struggles.

This book definitely leaned more into Liz and Wes’s personal lives and college experiences rather than just focusing on their romance. But the romance that was there was really good! Wes puts in so much effort to win Liz back, and he’s even respectful about it, especially when he believes that she’s with someone else (it was a fake relationship btw). It’s like he’s the perfect guy. His efforts to win her back were spot on, and I loved the playful banter between them—it was still there and made me happy. Even though Liz kept her distance at the beginning, fate just kept on bringing them back together. Wes’s pining in this book was great to see. So, even though the book wasn’t all about the romance, it was still handled really well.

Overall, I’m still on the fence about whether this book was really needed. I think it would have been great if Lynn had just wrapped things up with the last book instead of starting this one. It felt like Liz and Wes already had their perfect happy ending. This book does dive into some more mature and serious themes, which was a nice surprise and made it better than I expected. It’s a solid read, but I still would’ve been okay not reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

This was a bittersweet concept, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story, revolving around Wes and Liz in college, after two years of no contact started out with potential for an engaging second chance romance, but quickly becomes a dragged out plot that relies heavily on miscommunication. The characters, while endearing at times, felt very different from the ones we fell in love with in the first book.. The dialogue, meant to be charming and witty, sometimes came off as forced. That being said, it’s a light and easy read, and if you want to see where Wes and Liz end up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lynn Painter has done it againnnnnn !! WES BENNET is everything I swear.

THE DUAL POV!! dual pov kept me obsessed through out this whole book

I was so sceptical of better than the movies getting a sequel cause huhhh they broke up???? but, this book surprised me. At the start, it really did feel like a major mischaracterisation of characters I thought I knew really well, especially the new years flashback. But it quickly changed into a story about growing up and taking on, or being forced into, new responsibilities while trying to manage relationships.

It was such a fun story in a new setting for the first part, especially getting Wes perspective into his love for Liz. I think the story lost me a little in the middle, mostly cause it derailed everywhere I thought the story was going. But I was so HOOKED reading this book. These characters are soo interesting to readd and it was soo painful but worth it

If you loved the first book, this is absolutely a book worth your time!

Thankyou NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Aus) for providing me with the opportunity to read this book to provide an honest review!

3.25 ✨ ARC REVIEW

Thanks to #netgalley

- College Baseball Romance
- Second Chance, Childhood Friends to Lovers Breakup
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity

Loved the movie references, felt the 1st books presence immediately, the quotes will always have my heart!
Love how Lynn knows how to incorporate references that my generation totally can relate to and get giddy to read.

Liz was totally redeemed in this book for me, I really struggled with her in the first book but loved Wes. This time she was fierce and strong - She has direction and fought to make her presence known, building solid friendships and working hard at her internship.

Wes however, was suddenly thrust into a redemption story that I just wasn’t ready for… dealing with loss, and what it meant for him to make choices for the people in his life including Liz.

I really struggled with wanting more from this sequel, I wanted to love it as much as I loved the first - The book that made me fall for Lynn’s writing and YA romance. However, there was just so much missing and so many loose ends from the side characters; they all had a fade to black which left me wanting more - Will Clark fall in love?? Is this another book??? (I kind of hope not though after this book) What happened with Lilith and where is Liz going next in her career??

I felt like I missed a lot of the hard hitting points because it waffles to them, or I just lacked the concentration or interest in following through with investing in the story line… it definitely was nothing like the movies.

I did love the scene and setting - being a big fan of LA I felt like I was right there with them in College and that was amazing!

If you need to know how Wes and Liz end up and you can’t sleep until you read this then this is for you… but you might feel like you wish you did sleep through it.

NO ONE TALK TO ME BCOS I NEED TO CRY UGLY TEARS

omg omg omg

THIS BOOK IS THE LITERAL CUTEST I SPENT THE WHOLE TIME KICKING MY FEET & GRINNING LIKE AN IDIOT

IT’S 6:05AM AND I AM WIDE AWAKE OMG

and i am LOVING the second chance romance of it all?? was i surprised when i read the blurb? oh 100%, and i was WORRIED seeing the initial reviews

but you are so right bcos it MAKES SENSE??! most college sequels tackle relationship drama so it’s like, all life-y and not-at-fun anymore but this one is just pure feels & winning her back and ALL THE GLITTER PEN VIBES

my lil’ heart cannot handle all that fluff

and i need to stop reading all the doubtful reviews bcos IDK WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT SO MUCH

like fanfic vibes in the best way?? COLLEGE AU VIBES? IDK BUT I LOVE IT

THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THAT IT’S FAR FAR TOO SHORT (i know i’m *the* person that says romances shouldn’t be more than 300-400 pages but if you wrote an entire 7 book series on these two i will eat each and every one of them up)

(i need more clark too 👀 OR A SPIN-OFF BCOS ALL THE SIDE CHARACTERS ARE >>>)

THANK YOUUUU S&S 😭😭

I didn’t read the first book, but was gifted this one to review. I think this book on its own would have been fine and I didn’t need to read the first book to read this. But in saying that, this book wasn’t needed (book one could’ve stayed as book one with no sequel).
I didn’t like the characters and found them immature. But I didn’t mind reading more.