We get to reconnect with Liz and Wes from Better Than the Movies in this sequel, but after we left them in the previous book things didn't really go as planned. Just before heading off to college together, he breaks up with her in a devastating way. Now, fast forward months later and they are attending the same college but are no longer on speaking terms. Wes wants to get back together and goes all out to win her back over, but it looks like it is too late. Especially when she seems to have moved on to someone else. This book has fake dating, second chances, grand gestures, rom-com hijinks and everything in between!

I thought Better Than the Movies was a perfect teen book and Nothing Like the Movies is a nice followup, but for older teens. It was fun to revisit the characters and see their personal growth. As always, Lynn Painter is crafts humorous banter that is fun to read.

Sigh… I really wanted to love this, because I loved Better Than the Movies and I’m a huge second chance romance lover. This unfortunately completely missed the mark for me. I felt like I was reading about completely different characters. They lost the spark that they had and I really couldn’t connect to them anymore. I know they’re older in this book and people change and grow up but this didn’t feel like that. Liz was such a sweet, hopeless romantic and that’s what I loved about her. Wes was frustrating and felt desperate. The entire book these 2 are miserable. There’s no growth, no communication, nothing. They spend 90% of the book miserable and hating each other, and then right at the end we have a resolution that felt forced and like Liz didn’t actually want it. I don’t know, this was just a huge miss for me and I’ll pretend this wasn’t the Wes and Liz we all know and love.

Lynn Painter’s writing is always a win for me, and Nothing Like Movies is no exception! The banter, humor, and swoon-worthy moments are all there, making it such a fun read. While I loved the first book in the series a bit more, this one still delivered on the romance and heart I’ve come to expect from her. Some parts felt a little predictable, but overall, it was a super enjoyable read. If you love Painter’s style, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced read copy of this book!
I was thrilled to receive a copy of Nothing Like the Movies, the sequel to Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter.  
This book continues Liz and Wes's story from Better Than the Movies and jumps you forward in their lives to their college years.  The couple finds themselves beginning college broken up after an unexpected tragedy hits Wes's family.  
In full disclosure, I really enjoyed Better than the Movies more and felt that the time gap of only a few years in Wes and Liz's severed relationship seemed to make them into completely different people within only two years.  While college and tragedy change people, it did feel very far fetched.  I could also do with a bit less profanity especially for the second book in a series geared towards high schoolers.  Regardless, the book kept me engaged throughout and could even be read as a standalone if you haven't read Better than the Movies yet.

Big fan of the 1st book, so this sequel was highly anticipated. I love the characters so I was happy to revisit their world but overall, the plot was a lot weaker than Better than the Movies. Sloooww burn and felt pretty repetitive at times. Lot’s of the miscommunication trope which is not my favorite. Audiobook was the way to go for this one! 3.5 rounded to 4 stars!

I loved this second book! I enjoyed following the love story of Wes and Liz in college. I liked how they grow up a little, they change and that’s realistic to how life really is. I enjoyed Wes more in this one than Liz but they were still both lovable.

There was no reason for a sequel and it wasn’t even good. 🥲

This book was so long for no reason. We kept going back in circles and I hated that. This was not for me. I really enjoyed BTTM so this was extremely disappointing.

I love Lynn Painter’s books! All the books I’ve read by her have been so light hearted and beautifully written. I love the characters and I’m so happy I was able to receive this arc.

This wasn't quite what I was hoping for in a sequel. I loved Wes and Liz in book 1! I think that I would have been disappointed in their story if I had only picked up this book. I enjoyed it more because I already knew their background story. It's definitely a book to read as part of the series, not standalone. This continuation of their story was just okay. I almost felt like I wish that it just ended with book 1.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lynn Painter and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book reminded me how much I loved the first book! In Better Than the Movies, I really fell in love with the love story of Wes and Liz. I liked that Painter added depth to their story with a realistic depiction of high-school relationships transitioning to college and adult ages. This book added much more depth to both characters, especially Wes. I really appreciated everything the Painter put into this book and would highly recommend!

Such a lighthearted, fun, and easy read. It's by Lynn Painter!! Need I say more??

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter!

For a second book in the series, it might be better than the first! Such a easy fun read infused with heart and emotion!! Thank you for the arc of this! Keep writing great books, Lynn Painter!!!

I was already feeling pretty indifferent toward Liz after the first book, and then hearing the synopsis for this one just made me groan. It’s the same old thing ,her being ridiculously oblivious. I don’t want to downplay her feelings about their breakup because it was rough, and Wes is a complete jerk for what he said and did. But I can’t stand when characters keep asking themselves, "Why is he saying this? Why does he look like he misses me?" Like, girl, he does. She’s just not having any complex thoughts about it. And honestly, I wasn’t all that happy with the ending and how they got back together. Even though I have my issues with Liz, she had valid concerns about getting back with him—like, will he repeat his mistakes when things get tough? That question was never really addressed or resolved, along with a few other things.

This was not the sequel I was hoping for, I'm heartbroken.

These characters were so different from the Liz and Wes from "Better than the movies", it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was actually reading about the same people. But also, two years have passed and people do change a lot in two years, especially when there is tragedy involved.

This book shows you how cruel life can be and how everything can change from one moment to another, that life is not movie perfect. I was rooting for Wes so badly, but I could also understand where Liz was coming from.

Either way, I enjoyed the book but I can't help but think that their story from "Better than the movies" now is tainted by this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was everything I wanted and more!!! I absolutely adored seeing these characters grow, change and mature while managing to still be true to the characters we fell in love with. Getting to watch Wes be singularly focused on getting Liz back was glorious to witness. Also getting more of Wes’s story?? Complete heartbreaking. I’ll take 10 more!

During their senior year of high school, Wes finally got the girl next door Liz to notice that he was more than a nuisance and that they were meant to be together. For a few brief months all was right in Wes's world. However, just before they were to leave for school, Wes's world was rocked by tragedy, and the fallout cost him his relationship with Liz.
Now Wes has decided to put the poor decisions of his past behind him, and he begins a quest to remind Liz of all the reasons they fell in love to begin with and hopefully convince her that their future together could be even better than their past. But Liz is not easily convinced and after having her heart shattered once by Wes, she just doesn't know if she can ever trust him to take care of it again.
This book made me laugh at times and other moments were so heartbreaking I was almost in tears. Wes certainly didn't deal with the emotional fallout of a family tragedy well, and he did hurt Liz in the process, but I couldn't help but root for him by hoping than Liz could see his genuine regret over his past mistakes, Although not as lighthearted and "fun" as Better Than the Movies, Nothing Like the Movies was beautifully written and romantically moving.

I was so excited to get more of Wes and Liz's story. Liz is most definitely not the same girl as she was in BTTM and Wes quickly learns that. We got more of Wes's backstory which made me feel for him so much more. So much character development and a lovely update on their relationship.

Wow. What a disappointment! If you loved Better Than The Movies, it's best to leave it at that. I stopped reading due to the fact that Liz was quiet immature and almost unsufferable and Wes needs to learn to take no as an answer. I feel like this book was not necessary and left me with a bad feeling.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.