This book turned out to be one of my favorites, I can't believe it took me so long to post a review. I believe everyone knows what this book is about by now but if not, just believe me when I say this is a gem and will definitely leave you smiling. It's that good.

Back in March of 2021, I saw Kerry Winfrey posted about this gem of a book, and on a wild whim, I sent Lynn Painter a message and begged for an early copy—-aka, PICK ME UP—-and much to my delight, she engineered a gift of this book landing in my lap. The is Ya Rom Com at its best. The main character loves curating perfect playlists to accompany her life. Each chapter begins with an 80’s song and Lynn even included the perfect playlist at the end. It set the scene for the narrative to unfold with the perfect soundtrack backdrop. I absolutely loved this book especially for the way the characters came to life, felt like people I actually knew (and this mourned when the book ended!!!). I wrote to Lynn and begged a movie be created—pronto. It begs to be on the screen next. Better Than the Movies deserves all the stars possible and then some.

4.5 stars

*Thank you Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for this eARC via netgalley.

Liz and Wes have never seen eye to eye. These neighbours are not quite neighbourly at all. Between battling for the coveted parking spot close to home, schemes, and outright snark these two aren’t a fit. However, Liz needs Wes’ help securing the crush of her dreams. Wes agrees to help her out and Liz soon realizes that maybe Wes is not as bad as she thought.

This was an unexpected delight! I enjoyed this book much more than I ever anticipated. I love the great chemistry and friendship between Liz and Wes that grows over time. I really enjoyed this author’s writing and concept for this book. I feel like this was a very fun and well-written young adult book.

I also enjoyed the discussion between romance in fiction versus real life. I love how the characters change much throughout the book as they grow closer together. Overall I found this book to be very enjoyable and entertaining. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I really loved this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter. All opinions are my own.

I can't even find the words to explain how much I loved this book. I fell in love with every character I encountered and truly felt like I knew them y the end of the book.

Such a cute, quick read.. A Rom Com.. based on a love for Rom Com’s. Liz Buxbaum’s mother passed away & she has such wonderful memories and a love for Rom Com’s. Liz is so proud of herself for know all the lines and best store idea in the genre. She is almost obsessed with these movies and their perfect outcomes. They have a formula and Liz is waiting for this type of life, this type of love. And a old neighbor moves back and she thinks this is her shot at the best kind of ending.. But while working to date Michael, Liz finds herself closer to her other neighbor Wes. She depends on him to help her make the right impression on Michael.. Liz’s friends and dad and step mom try to help her find her way.. But half way through the plan.. Liz starts to lose control of her plan.. Can she set things right? Can she fix her friendship and her relationship with her step mom? Who will she end up with? This story reminded me of my 80’s brat pack movies. It was funny, sensitive and well written. I even knew most of the quotes from greatest Rom Com movies of all time.. .. This is a great, fun read.. enjoy..

This book is just what the title suggest - better than the movies! Looking for a romance that is better than what is portrayed in the movies makes this a truly fun YA read! It is quick, enjoyable and highly recommended!

This one was just adorable. I will admit that the series of misfortunate events and the picture perfectness of this one was cringy at times, but in the best way. If you need a feel good, cliche young adult romance novel, pick this one up! Liz is the girl next door who dresses in vintage dresses and dreams of her perfect 80s romantic happily ever after on the daily. So when the boy who used to live near by moves make, she knows in her bones that he's the one to make her pretty in pink dreams come true. She hatches a plan to win him over; however, fate seems to be against her. So Liz makes a deal with Wes, the devilishly handsome boy next store: his help as wingman in return for exclusive parking in the spot they fight over daily. What could go wrong? I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I cringed. I predicted the ending, but can't say I would have wanted it to end any other way.
My favorite part: the secret forest retreat that Wes built in his backyard. It's an adorable idea. And I laughed so much when Liz happened to be looking for her lost penny there after prom.
If you need a novel to make your heart happy and to make you smile, this rom com is it.

There was a lot to like in Better Than the Movies and it was an addicting and fun read, especially for those who love RomCom or Romance movies - I do!

I loved that each chapter opened with a quote from a famous romcom movie, which set the tone for the chapter. It played so well on the theme and the nostalgia that many readers of this book will love. I also liked how prominently the theme of loss and grief featured in this book. Liz is crippled and constantly jarred by reminders of her mother’s death, and I liked that there wasn’t a clean, simple, easy ‘solution’ or closure to this.

Wes (my darling Wessy) played a perfect counterpart to Liz’s neuroticism and dramatics with his easy charm and companionship. Their banter and “non-dates” were my favorite moments. Especially when we see him actively root her on in her quest to land Michael. Their parking spot fights at the beginning were my favorite!

However, for all that I loved about this that made it charming at times, there was an overall feeling of it not being really fully fleshed out. Liz’s grief and feelings over the loss of her mother are constantly brought to the surface but little is done about them. I found it hard to believe her dad or stepmom wouldn’t have noticed how this her senior year of high school might especially hit on that grief nerve ending more. Especially the prom dress shopping! So it was frustrating to see that apparently NO ONE could intuit or see Liz struggling.

Next, as charming as Wes is, we don’t ever really know anything about him. He definitely embodies the ideal best friend to love interest and is relentlessly generous and giving to Liz, but in terms of his own personality & background….we get none. He makes several romcom jokes or quotes one-liners but explains his knowledge away as them being favorites of his mom. But this off-hand explanation isn’t used as a thread to make him and Liz even closer, or revealed as a ruse with Wes being an actual big romcom at heart! We also find out he’s a rockstar baseball player, but that never plays in to any of their dates or adventures.

The remaining characters were even less developed - Liz’s best friend is more of an afterthought, Michael is never really convincing or appealing as THE guy to land, and Liz’s dad never has a moment with Liz about their loss, about how her mother would see Liz now and love her, nothing. Again, its her SENIOR year of high school and she’s moving across the country for college but we never get a one-on-one heartfelt moment between father and daughter to acknowledge their family and loss.

Overall, whileI enjoyed this, it did leave me wanting. While this isn’t the You’ve Got Mail of books, it’s a quick read so I would still recommend it for someone looking for something fun and sweet, just don’t expect too much depth out of this.

This is a very cute young adult romcom. Liz Buxbaum dreams of a swooning romance like in the movies, and is ready to take matters into her own hands. When Liz sets her sight on Michael who happens to be friends with Wes, her neighbor and nemesis, she sets a plan in motion to conquer Michael’s heart by enlisting Wes’s help. One disaster after another, Liz finds more than she bargained for.

Liz is a very interesting character. Though she annoyed me a bit at the beginning with her unrealistic expectations and all the lying, her character development is well done. She goes through grief in her own way and her loss makes it easy to love her despite her flaws. I absolutely love the moments when she was more herself.

The banter and chemistry with her love interest is amazing and the romance doesn’t feel forced. It flows naturally and it makes it quickly a page turner. There are quite a few hilarious moments in the book as well. I did shed a few tears at the end of the book and absolutely love the story.

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES is a rom-com about rom-coms and was lovely! I loved the characters so much. Wes had my heart from the beginning. It is silly, funny, ridiculous (but good ridiculous) and overall delicious.

I cannot wait for the next adventures of Liz and Wes....

Liz lives as if she's the character in a rom com movie, down to the quirky clothes and the constant creation of soundtracks. When her childhood crush moves back to town, Liz is convinced he's her romantic lead, although he still sees her as the "little weirdo" from elementary school. In a move straight out of the movies, she enlists her nemesis, Wes, into helping her win Michael over, in a fake dating scheme. Anyone that knows me knows that rom coms are my absolute favorite thing and fake dating/enemies to lovers tropes are my sweet spot. Better than the Movies absolutely nails it in this debut YA novel. It was fun and filled with nods and epigraphs to all the great rom com movies and I could not put it down (and, even though I know the main characters are teenagers, I couldn't help but picture them as Nick and Jess from New Girl and I'm not even sorry). I will definitely be looking for more from Lynn Painter in the future!

This was a great YA romance, with characters you really like! And I loved the playlist at the end of the book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I read way longer than I should last night because I loved this book so much. The main characters reminded me of my favorite rom-coms. There was definitely a Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox dynamic going on with a bit of 90s teen rom-com vibe underlaying it. Fake relationships and enemies to lovers are my two favorite romance tropes, so this was a win win for me!

I wanted to like this book! I really did! The premise was one that I thought I would enjoy, it was everything I wanted in a Rom-Com. I just could not get into it at this moment, maybe I will try again at another time.

This coming of age book is endearing and engaging. The love story between the two childhood best friends is both anticipated and exciting. Liz and Wes's years of friendship turned rivalry doesn't disappoint. Joining Liz on her road to self discovery and grieving keeps the page turning.

If you like Rom-Com's you will love this book. It is predictable, full of quirky moments, and a bunch of ill-timed actions.
This book delivers exactly what it promised. It is a quick, fun romp of a heterosexual romance.
Enjoy!

I simply don't even know where to begin with this book. This book was such a fun read for my hopeless romantic being. I love basically every single thing that Lynn painter did in this book. I thought the characters were funny and interesting. I loved the way that she incorporated so many of my favorite rom-com tropes. She also as did a phenomenal job with references and quotes from movies throughout the whole book. I started reading this book and finished it in less than two days. By the time that I got to reading Better Than the Movies, the book had just been published so I immediately drove to my local Barnes and Noble to use a gift card for my host teacher to buy this book. Liz Buxbaum and Wes put such a fun spin on the fake dating trope. I love the fact that authors like Lynn are really pushing for YA books that have healthier models of relationships and the communication within them.

Better than the Movies introduces Liz Buxbaum, who loves romantic comedies. After losing her mother, who was a rom/com screenwriter, Liz draws comfort from the soundtracks, the happy endings and the connection she feels to her mom when she watches them. Her senior year is ripe for rom/com moments, but she finds herself missing her mom more than ever. When Michael, her childhood crush, moves back to town, she decides going to prom with him with be the perfect happy ending. She enlists the help of her arch nemesis Wes Bennett, her next-door neighbor, who has driven her crazy since they were kids. He agrees to help her attract Michael, in exchange for her giving him the prize neighborhood parking spot for the rest of senior year. Like the best rom/coms the story is filled with witty dialogue and there are twists and turn in the path to true love. Each chapter starts with a quote from a classic rom/com and they are peppered throughout the text, as well.

This is a cute romantic comedy with some drama in it as well. It was a fun, light young adult read with an enemies to lovers trope. Great for rom-com lovers.

This book was everything I needed at the moment. I have to admit I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Such a light and easy read and I absolutely loved the MC's. Definitely recommend this one.