Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc of this one, in exchange for an honest review.

I am a bit conflicted on my final thoughts/rating of this book.

Nothing like the Movies is the sequel to one of my all time favourite romance books, Better than the Movies. I was very excited for this release so when I received an ARC I was over the moon.

This felt like a normal Lynn Painter book which I loved. It was super easy to read, it was fun but also had a lot of cute romantic moments.

I liked the College setting and all of the characters, however I still don’t think I can get past the fact that this book just wasn’t necessary. This book felt like it was written to please the fans, and dare I say it, a “money grabbing” book (similar to “It Starts with us”

While I flew through this one, and I had a good time with some of my favourite characters, im not sure I can overlook the fact that this book probably shouldn’t exist.

For now I think I’ll give it a 4⭐️ but let’s see if my rating changes the more I think about it

A big thankyou to Netgally, publisher and author Lynn Painter for allowing me to read an ARC.

This was an amazing read.
I flew through it as it was easy to read.

I loved how it continued with the same characters from the 1st book.

The storyline was wonderful and I greatly thought all the movie quotes and links were brilliant. So talented to incorporate them. I also loved the music song links too.

The development of the characters was well written and I loved both of them.

Very entertaining and I highly recommend this to all readers.

Thanks again Netgally, publisher and author I greatly appreciate the ARC read.

This might just be my favourite Lynn Painter book yet.
How could you not love Liz and Wes! I quickly became his number one fan and wanted him to smash both his baseball and love life goals. A great YA read that I think can be read both stand alone or as part of the series. Great characters and plot development. Definitely recommend for YA and sports romance fans!

wow I loved this book so so so much. I think the plot was perfect and Wes and Liz have my heart ❤️ The book was so perfect with ifs Wes-and-Liz coded references!! Personally i do like this one better than the first book just because i think liz was less annoying. I thought the writing was so easy and fun to read ( i genuinely couldn’t put it down!!). but saying that i did find the first half of the book a bit slow but the second half definitely made up for it!
ALSO WHY WASNT AFTERGLOW NOT IN THE PLAYLIST FOR LIZ AND WES?!??? IT IS LITERALLY THEIR SONG 🎶

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and Lynn Painter for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC ❤️

“I, on the other hand, was a 20-year old freshman with a lot to prove. Because two years ago, I’d had everything. Then lost it all”

📚 second chance romance
📚 dual timeline
📚 dual POV
📚 fake dating
📚 forced proximity

🚫 clean romance

|Thoughts|
For those who loved Better Than The Movies, you may find it difficult to recognise the characters in this book, especially Liz.

“In your dreams, Bennett”
“Every damn night, Buxbaum”

I really wanted to love this one and regretfully found this to be a bit of a frustrating read. To break characters up after the book 1 was a love letter to falling in love and then to join up with the characters battling grief and the aftermath of a breakup just felt a bit forced. Felt this would have worked better as Clark & Sarah’s story (did enjoy the cast of College characters).

“If we were ever going to have a second chance, I needed to convince her to become my friend first. To let me in again”

It had its sweet moments, which were reminiscent of book 1 and classic romcoms, but just felt like it was fairly light on plot. Mixed feeling about seeing characters that already had to jump through hoops to get together the first time, not be together anymore. Or be communicating!

“I am…the guy who can’t remember a single day in his life when he didn’t love you”

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an eARC in exchange for this honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, I feel so incredibly lucky that I got the chance to read this book before its release date.

Second of all, nothing can prepare you for this story. I think I cycled through the five stages of grief the whole time. I was not expecting to feel SO much. This book was
heartbreakingly beautiful, but also extremely relatable if you have ever experienced a break up that changed your life. I was honestly enraptured and mesmorised. There's no other words for this experience. I can't wait for people to get their hands on Nothing Like the Movies!!!

Lastly, Lynn Painter... ma'am... I need to talk to you because that hurt. HOWEVER, I'll forgive you this time because you incorporated some of the most beautifully written quotes and emotionally driven scenes. I'm so glad that we got to see both Wes and Liz's perspectives because it just gave this book the added depth that it needed!

This book is like the boppiest pop song that made song of the summer. It hits all the marks and leaves a lasting impression, like a really long last song syndrome.

Lynn Painter did it again. She is queen of romance YA.

Nothing like the Movies is 🤌🏼.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My other favourites about this book.

✅ When the banter is bantering.
✅ The Taylor Swift references are 🫶🏼
✅ The songs featured and playlist is ❤️‍🔥🎧

I enjoyed this book because it was a perfect balance of a boppy romcom with a touch of reality.

I loved how Lynn Painter added in hard life truths that Wes (and eventually Liz) had to face. It definitely added depth to their characters which we only see in this book. It gives their love story more flavour and it makes you root for them more.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Lynn Painter novel if you didn’t have the cute moments. There were so much funny scenes. I DEVOURED this book. I finished it in a freakin day!! 🙊

I adore Lynn Painter's writing and characters and Nothing Like the Movies did not disappoint.

Wes, oh my, you remain one of the best book boyfriends ever. Everyone deserves a Wes in their lives.

I love that I can confidently recommend these to students as romance novels with kind, strong characters.

The story discussed Wes' heartbreak and love for his family as he navigates the loss of his father and being the provider. Liz is left heartbroken and begins to build her own career. The additional side characters provide support, love, and comic relief.

I could write my own novel on how much I love and adore this book and characters.

Life has not prepared me for the events in this book. I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading it.
I was concerned about the relationship between Wes and Liz. How could they get back what they had before?
You can understand both sides of the story, but you still feel the hurt they caused each other. Wes is a great guy, and you can't help but like him.
And Liz has grown up since then.
This book is a slow-burn romance.
We see the protagonists reconnect after a two-year separation and gradually rebuild their relationship, forgiveness, and love.
They navigate the lingering tensions between them, including the attic scene. Lynn's writing brings the emotional journey to life, making every interaction between Wes and Liz authentic and moving.
The supporting characters add depth to the story without overshadowing the main romance.
I can definitely say that I was very excited to read this book. I was happy to be reunited with my favorite characters.
These books have a special atmosphere that makes you love them and enjoy reading them.

4.25⭐️ When i first found out that this book was coming out i couldn’t have been more excited because better than the movies is one of my favourite books of all time and i was so excited to see what was going to happen in this book. Let me tell you this book DID NOT disappoint i absolutely LOVEDDD this book. I thought it was written so beautifully and the pacing of the book was done perfectly. I also loved how they found their way back to each other, they are soulmates, and the way that Wes was pining after liz was the sweetest thing ever.
I didn’t want this book to end and that’s when you just know how amazing the book is.
Thank you so much for the arc to this book!!!

BE STILL MY HEART!

Wow, I adored this book. This book picks up two years after Better than the Movies, and follows Wes and Liz in college together.

I enjoyed Better than the movies, it was a 4 star read for me, but this one- easily five stars. It was funny, lighthearted, and engaging. I loved the stories of friendship, second chances, navigating grief and fighting for what you want. I can’t wait to have it on my shelves!

Ahhhh Wes Bennett, so glad you came back into my life.

“Trust me, Lib,” I said, picturing her lips. “In a crowd of a million ski masks, I’d still be able to find you.”

“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.”

“Because our good moments were the crumbs that fed me for seven hundred and twenty 12:13s when I was alone.”

Uugghh 🥹🥹🥹

The first half of the book I felt a little slow but necessary to Wes and Liz’s story. Even though they went through two years of heartbreak and pain, they were still our sweet Wes and Liz when they reunited 💛

The grief and mental health aspect was handled really well and boy did I hurt for our sweet boy Wes, he went through some shit. Now the second half of the book had me hooked! The angst between them that was building and Wes trying to get his girl back was just so good.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

4.5 ⭐️

“Elizabeth Fucking Bennett” 😭🫶🏼⚾️🎥

This book was EVERYTHING we needed for Wes & Liz.
After two years of tragedy and heartbreak the love story continues with a very mature and engaging story line which honestly will make your heart MELT. There was the lowest of the lows and the highest of the high feelings jumping all over the shop right up until the last 50 pages. Let’s just say I couldn’t put this book down at all and absolutely loved it.

(and thank you for bringing the LOLs with the constant “-while wanting to throat punch him” 🤣🤭)

Thank you so much NetGalley for this incredible ARC and of course Lyn Painter for blessing our lives with more of Wesley Bennett 🥹❤️

I was lucky enough to read this book as an ARC with thanks to Simon and Schuster and Lynn Painter

This book is written as a dual POV and follows Wes and Liz as they embark on their second chance at romance together

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel being on a college campus and loved seeing the contrast of Liz's well settled college life compared to Wes' life as he began (well recommenced) his college journey. I loved where Liz was at in her life and thought the addition of Lillith was amazing as it brought themes of career planning and progression to the story.

I thought the themes of trauma and healing were really well handled and explained. I enjoyed hearing about both Wes' ups and downs of grieving for his father and how he overcame his demons (well his father's voice in his head) as the story progressed.

The first 50% of this book was a lot slower than the second half and honestly my rating improved SOOOOO much towards the end of the book because OMG it was good! Whilst slower at the start I think this was really important for context and character building and enabled a faster paced second half of the book.

Overall a great read! Definitely get your hands on this one!

✨ ARC REVIEW - Nothing Like The Movies - @lynnpainterbooks ✨

Release date - October 2nd
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What to expect
⚾️ second chance romance
🎧 humour and banter
⚾️ fake relationship
🎧 taylor swift references
⚾️dual pov
🎧lovers to strangers, to friends to lovers

Having fallen in love with “Better than the Movies” last year, it instantly became one of my favorite books. Naturally, when “Nothing Like the Movies” was announced, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness about revisiting Wes and Liz’s world. I feared their story might change and disrupt the perfection it already held. But Lynn Painter delivered the perfect rom-com sequel.

“Nothing Like the Movies” picks up with Wes and Liz navigating life after breaking up following Wes’ unexpected loss of his father. Lynn Painter flawlessly continues their journey, seamlessly drawing readers back into the world she masterfully created. The banter remains as sharp as ever, and while the characters have evolved, their core essence remains unchanged. The novel is adorned with delightful movie quotes and music references, and I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for Wes and Liz to find their way back to each other.

If you adore rom-coms, these books are an absolute must-read. Lynn Painter excels at whisking readers away into the perfect rom-com movie experience through her writing.

I’m incredibly grateful to have had the chance to read this early, and without spoiling too much for those eagerly awaiting it, I can confidently say you won’t be disappointed. 💜💛🩵