*Review will be posted on my blog on 4/19/21*

Likes:
*I grew up in the age of amazing rom-com movies so this story is nostalgic with the movie quotes and the music soundtrack/playlists. It was just a fun blend of humor and romance combined!

*Liz and Wes are neighbors and enemies that become frenemies so that Liz can get the guy she really wants, Michael. Who doesn’t love a boy-next-door, fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers trope? I can’t get enough of it! I love Liz and Wes’ banter, it made me laugh out loud and honestly as I read this I wished this WAS a movie. I love them together!

*Now Liz isn’t just romance loving girl trying to find her own happily-ever-after, she does have some issues going on. Her mom died years ago in a car accident, she has a new step-mom and with Senior year coming to a close, she misses her mom as she hits all these milestones. Keeping things to herself starts making her hurt people that she cares about, even if it’s not intentional.

*This book is funny, especially because Liz, who is unique, finds herself in the most crazy situations like getting barfed on at a party.

*The romance of Liz and Wes getting together was perfection. I loved it all from them hating each other, to pretending to be into each other and then of course, the falling in love. And it stays pretty PG rated with maybe one hot kiss but it was enough to put some sizzle into the book without going overboard.

Random Notes:
The best friend storyline was the only thing that made me want to shake Liz, that, and of course when she is mooning over Michael when Wes is perfect for her. Supposedly Joss is her best-friend but she lies to her the whole time about Wes just because she knows she’ll judge her. It would have been nice if Liz could trust her best friend and tell her stuff about missing her mom during Senior year. But I’m glad they talk it out in the end.

Final Thoughts:
Better Than the Movies would actually make a great teen movie. I love Liz and Wes’ relationship, it really did remind me of those rom-coms that were popular years ago. I’ve been missing them a lot lately! Like Liz, I love rom-coms too and I used to always have a “soundtrack” to my life also. I think that’s why I related so much to her personality. This story left me feeling giddy, happy and smiling. If you love rom-coms, I think you will definitely enjoy this one.

When her childhood crush, Alexander, moves back into town, hopeless romantic Liz will do anything to get him to notice her. Even if that means fake dating her neighbor and long term parking spot rival to get in Alex’s inner circle. Only the more time she spends with Wes, the less she hates him.

A book that starts each chapter with quotes from all the best rom com classics? Yes please. As a rom com lover, any book that regularly references my fav movies is one that I’m going to pick up. And this one did not disappoint. This teen romance was so sweet. I loved how Liz was unapologetically herself - how I wish I had that confidence as a teenager. And Wes, oh Wes, if there was a perfect “boyfriend”for a teen romance, he might take the prize for that one. I seriously LOVED this book. It made my heart happy and it made me laugh out loud a few times. And although it was happy, it beautiful handled some more serious topics such as dealing with grief and the loss of a parent, and learning to accept a step parent.

Seriously what a gem of a book. I’m ready to listen to Wes and Liz’s playlist on repeat now. I won’t be surprised if this one makes it on my top 10 of 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Better Than the Movies comes out May 4th.

This was such a great read! I read it in one sitting and was completely captivated start to finish. I loved Wes! I loved that this was a pretend dating trope-always so much fun. The little tidbits about some of my favorite rom com movies was really fun too. I loved that there was a quote at the start of each chapter.

Liz was a great main character and I enjoyed reading from her POV. Her voice was really realistic and I could relate to her. I thought that her losing her mom at such a young age was handled really well. As well, as her relationship with her dad's new wife. I loved all the relationship growth between Liz and Helena.

The friendship between Liz and Josie was the one area that I was most eh about. I felt really bad for Liz's best friend since she left her out so much and kept lying to her. I understood why but it made me sad for both girls that they couldn't talk to one another about what they were feeling.

This was a really enjoyable and heartfelt read. Def recommend.

I loved this book so much I just highlighted it among my favorite reads of 2020. It's the story of Liz Buxbaum, who loves romantic comedies and wants her own. So when her fifth grade crush moves back to town and appears to be as dreamy as ever, she's convinced he's the Mark Darcy to her Bridget Jones. She enlists the help of her infuriating next-door neighbor Wes to help her get Michael's attention, and that's when everything starts going wrong.

I loved everything about this book. It includes so many fantastic rom-com tropes--enemies to lovers, a fake relationship, an unexpected friendship growing into more. Every chapter begins with a quote from a romantic comedy, and there were even some I haven't seen and need to check out! There are also completely adorable sketches at the beginning and end of the ARC; I assume they'll also be in the printed book (which I already preordered!).

This book is hilarious, with mishaps ranging from a bloody nose to someone puking all over Liz while she's trying to impress Michael, but it also has a deeper story of Liz's unresolved grief from losing her mom years before. That also bleeds into her other relationships, especially with her best friend. Basically, this book just hit all the right notes for me--humor, a great romance, friendship, and family. Plus a bonus of mentioning almost all my favorite movies 😍. This book was just a shot of pure joy.