It’s rare that a sequel is even better than the original. But that was very much the case with this book! I loved chloe’s character, and I loved her romance with Nick almost as much! Such a fun, feel-good summer read.

I couldn’t get into this book. I really loved Kerry’s first book and devoured it, but did not feel the same about this one. The characters and plot just didn’t pull me in.

*DNF*

Thank you #NetGalley and the editor for giving me this book in advance.
I expected so much from this book but ... It hasn't the right writing style for me. I didn't bound with the main character (even if her story should help a lot with this) and that made for me the book very long and boring.
I expected something very different from the plot, too.
The love story could be interesting and funny, and then in few chapters they already know their attraction is mutual and she rejected it too fast.
I don't know, maybe it wasn't the right time to read this book, but I really couldn't reach the end of it.

This was a great sequel to Waiting for Tom Hanks, following the best friend, Chloe, and her “will they or won’t they” relationship with Nick. While it’s helpful to have read the first, it’s still a pleasure on its own!

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: With the perfect balance of realness, wit, and romantic tension, this book is nothing short of rom-com perfection.

I absolutely loved NOT LIKE THE MOVIES. This book made me laugh, feel, and gave me a more real-life experience than I normally get within the pages of a romantic comedy. Winfrey has the ability to develop her characters in a way that comes across as authentic while still giving them the happily ever after they deserve. This is the “secret sauce” to a binge-worthy book, at least in my humble opinion.

From the beginning until the end, I adored Chloe. She is just read as completely identifiable and genuine to me. Her reactions, her feelings, and her inability to take a moment to ask for help all made me want to root for her to discover what is right in front of her both romantically and with here friendships. Most importantly, I wanted her to have that Hollywood rom-com ending. Getting to know Chloe, flaws, and all, make this book that much better.

There wasn’t a moment of this book I didn’t love. It made me swoon, chuckle, and just enjoy an escape into this world for a little bit. And, though the romance was not like in the movies, it was perfection.

A wonderful modern romance story. I love the relations from movie romances and real life romances. It’s funny sweet and everything you want in a book. A wonderful read!

I absolutely loved this book!! It is a perfect follow up to Waiting for Tom Hanks. This book digs into the relationship between Nick and Chloe. At first I didn’t think I would be able to relate to Chloe like I did Annie. Annie and I are kindred spirits, both being rom-com obsessed. Chloe hates those movies. As I read, though, I began to relate to her feelings of taking on all responsibility for everything and just doing it all yourself. Of course, I also love Nick. He gave off that sexy, grumpy diner owner vibe that reminded me so much of Luke from Gilmore Girls. If you loved Waiting for Tom Hanks then DEFINITELY read this one next!

What a lovely book this is! I eagerly anticipated it after devouring "Waiting on Tom Hanks" and am pleased to say that it not only met but exceeded any and all expectations I had while venturing back into this lovely world. The continuation of the story line was a delight and I found myself back with familiar characters in a lovely Rom-Com that seemed to check every satisfying box for what I wanted in a delightful reading escape! Well done, Kerry Winfrey! Your style is flawless and the ease at which the story is told not only warmed my heart but made it an extremely pleasant reading experience.

What a fun book for rom-com lovers. It was chock full of romantic movie tropes: optimistic female lead who tries to take care of everyone on her own, gruff boss with a heart of gold, workplace romance, strong female friendship, quirky side characters, etc. I was here for all of it. Was it predictable? Yes. Did I care? No! I loved it. This book was adorable and heartwarming and oh so sweet. Great read!

Everyone loves Rom-coms except when they are based on your real-life AND the love story hasn't started for you. Welcome to Chloe's life, where her BF based a movie on her maybe boss love interest. Not Like The Movies is a witty and delightful rom-com when life can be a little overwhelming. Winfrey blends real-life stressors with reluctant lovers. Chloe has too much on her shoulders but it partially her fault for not allowing others to help her. She is a realistic character reader can relate too. Having responsibilities that you may think are only yours and the difficulty of asking for help will resonate with many readers. Chloe and Nick's relationship is a slow and steady burn that will give readers anticipation to see them together. Chloe and Nick's development is slow and sometimes can be aggravating. While Chloe's growth happens all at once, it seems the reader never does get to know Nick all that well. Even though the character's development is lacking the story and banter is still highly enjoyable.

tw: Alzheimer’s

This book is a walking contradiction for me. I actively disliked our main character, but I adored the love interest (I don’t get many book boyfriends these days but he makes the list!) It was super easy to read, but I didn’t feel super motivated to pick it up. It was very self aware about it’s rom-com influences (talk of tropes like only sharing one bed or grand gestures) but in a way that overly beat you over the head with it. Some of the characters were way over the top in a way that was grating, and I would have liked to be in more than just Chloe’s head the whole time (a dual POV would have been great).

I didn’t read the first book in this series because I heard such mixed things and I can see why. This would probably have been a slightly lower rating, but Nick the love interest is so great that I bumped it up a star.

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey is the second installment of the series ‘Waiting For Tom Hanks.’ As the synopsis suggests, the story revolves around a girl named Chloe who is in her late twenties and does not believe in romantic comedies. Little did she know, her own best-friend ends up penning down a script for a romantic comedy with Chloe as her muse. Chloe who was already a little attracted to Nick, the cafe owner where she currently works but never gave it a serious thought considering her life is already complicated now can’t help but wonder how it would feel like to be with him. But due to her strong beliefs that goes against real life romance she does not believe that can ever have her own happily ever after.

“Sometimes people just argue and don’t want to make out with each other, because life isn’t a rom-com.”

The Plot of the book being a contemporary really stood out. I really liked the concept of the parallels between the movie script and the lives of the main leads. It was simple, refreshing and pretty fun to read. The pacing was well balanced and did not fail to capture my attention.

The Characters were LOVELY! I had such a great time time reading about them! Chloe was very relatable as an individual. Like everyone else, she has her own set of insecurities. She was a really well balanced character. Nick is perhaps now one of my new fictional crushes considering he is the most considerate and soft-hearted man ever! The side characters were a lot of fun to read about as well. I won’t go into much details about them but I can assure you that they will definitely bring a huge smile on your face!

“How beautiful it is that no matter how badly things are screwed up, we can always keep, keep wishing, keep hoping that things will get better.”

The writing style, without a doubt was really engaging! It does not need much words to express how good it was. I can assure you that once you start to read Kerry’s writing there is no way out until you finish the entire book!

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey was the perfect follow up to Waiting for Tom Hanks. Chloe is the main character in this book (Annie’s best friend who Coffee Girl was based on) & I feel for her! She has so many responsibilities & even though she is always the first to help others, she doesn’t feel like she can accept help from anyone & carries the weight of the world on her shoulders alone. There were times when I thought, okay girl just let someone help you!!! It was so obvious to everyone but Chloe how much Nick (her boss & friend) loved her and wanted to be there for her. She pushed him away & for a minute I was scared they really wouldn’t work out!! A lot happens & basically, you just need to read this book because I don’t want to spoil it!

Thanks to Berkley & NetGalley for this book I’m exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this book because the premise was cute and I LOVED Nick's character- he was definitely swoonworthy! The problem for me was Chloe, who just kinda irritated me from the beginning. She was super mopey and "woe is me" about everything, even when the hunkiest guy on the planet was going out of his way to be perfect to her.

Kerry Winfrey has again delivered a wittingly funny rom-com novel that brought laughter to my mouth and provided heart melting moments throughout, Not Like the Movies.

I loved how Winfrey wrote the book from Chloe’s perspective, who went from the supporting role in Waiting for Tom Hanks to the leading role in this book. I was surprised at the depth of Chloe’s character and the daily struggles she endured to keep her loved ones (and herself) afloat. With the feeling of guilt like she’s not doing enough for her ailing father, keeping up with her online schooling to get her degree in hopes of eventually having her own business, her twin brother randomly showing up out of nowhere, and dealing with her growing feelings for her boss, Nick, all adds up to an overwhelming Chloe. It was intriguing and delightful to read Chloe’s growth and realizing that she is far from perfect, which is totally okay and relatable.

What I especially loved was how the author brought in supporting characters from the previous novel, which was a nice touch as a lot of us are Team Gary!

I hope that Winfrey continues this series down the road as I’m a big fan of her tried and true rom-com writing style. I now know her books are a guaranteed fun read. I look forward to what she’ll be coming out with next year!

Thank you for Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was so much better than I could have expected! I really enjoyed Waiting for Tom Hanks but I found it to be a bit more surface. I really liked that we got to see so much of Chloe and that the characters were a bit more flushed out because that makes you more invested in the story. I also really like the will-they won't-they tropes and this book fit that bill perfectly. I can't wait to read more from Kerry Winfrey.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me an arc for an honest review!

I adored the first book in this series, but I think I liked this one even more. I just adored Chloe and Nick, and their reluctant but explosive love story. This book really has some of the best romance tropes (including grumpy cinnamon roll hero & only! one! bed!), and they are all executed to perfection. This was an especially fun one to look forward to reading during late nights pumping & feeding babies. ,

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for an ARC of this book.

Alright. I just don't think this is the right author for me.

I get the joke, these are rom-com trope filled romance novels, but it's just not funny or cute (to me).

This book had way too much going on, and while I get that the author is trying to show that Chloe is just so overwhelmed by her life etc... it felt sloppy. They also talked about how she's almost 30 and yet still acting like a child, seriously, you are almost 30 (even with growing up the way she did) you don't get a pass to stay stagnant (which she was until about the 250 page mark...🙄)

I get that she had some issues to work through, and obviously as a romance she had to figure some shit out to get the HEA but it was all just a bit much for me. It was fine. There were parts that I enjoyed which is why this is floating at the 2.5/3 star range for me rather than just the 2 star range.

Thanks Kerry, but I'm out.

Chloe wants to be the one to do everything for everyone, in this book she has to learn how to give up all that control and let others (esp Nick) take care of her.

Loved this! It's been rare recently that a book has kept me so engaged while reading. I've missed having books that completely pulled me in but this one did and I'm so excited about it! I really enjoyed the first one but I felt this one a bit deeper than the first. Chloe's struggles were emotional and they flew right off the page. It did start to feel a little bit repetitive in her convictions that she was completely alone with no one to trust when in reality, she had several close friends who wanted to help her. But her reasons for closing herself off were understandable. I also really liked Nick and the chemistry the two of them had together.
But the best part of this book is the friendship between Chloe and Annie. We met these two in Waiting for Tom Hanks but we really get to see so much more of their relationship and how friendships evolve as we grow and our lives change. But it was nice to see a friendship that was so important to the main character and overall story even in a romance.
Also, if you're looking for a romance where the characters don't want children, even after they get together, this is one for you.
I really enjoyed this one and the writing keeps me turning the pages. I'm looking forward to more from this author!