Better Than the Movies
By: Lynn Painter
Official Synopsis:
In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.
My Review:
Better Than the Movies is my first Lynn Painter book and I want more! This was the most adorable YA romance that I have ever read. Liz is a rom-com-obsessed girl with the best wardrobe! Since she was a child Liz has been annoyed by her next-door neighbor, Wes Bennet. He makes it his job to make her life infuriating. As they are ready to graduate high school, Liz’s childhood crush, Micheal, comes back from Texas for senior year, and she falls in love again. However, the only way she can talk to him is by making a deal with Wes. With his help, she hopes to win Micheal over and attend the prom with him.
Liz is a hopeless romantic and always compares her life to the movies. She expects everything to be sunshine and rainbows, and for her one true love to be the one everyone expects. I wasn’t a fan of her lying to her best friend and blowing her off. However, I understand where she was coming from. She is still affected by her mom’s death and needs a little bit more time to cope. In the end, you could definitely see her growth and development in her actions and words. Wes is snarky, witty, athletic, and charming. From Liz’s perspective, we see how she always viewed him in a certain way, annoying, however as she spends more time with him she sees his caring side. He is the one who sticks by her side and their banter is adorable!
Overall, I would give this book four out of five stars. It was an amazing book! I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope and the references to rom-coms as well as Taylor Swift!
Rating: 4/5
Reading Format: Paperback Book
