Wes and Lizzies romance was better than the movies but that only lasted for a couple of months. Right after they went to start their freshman year at UCLA together tragedy struck. Wes had no choice but to return home and deal with the fallout which ultimately meant losing the love of his life. Two years later Wes has gotten back on his feet and returns to UCLA hoping to make Liz to fall back in love with him only to find a changed Liz with a new guy friend. Wes isn’t ready to let her go quite yet, he wont give up easily.

Better than the movies ended on such a high so I thought the sequel would be all about them starting a new chapter together. It’s safe to say this wasn’t what I’d expected, in a good way. I wasn’t ready for the emotional roller coaster that brought us this wonderful second chance romance but I must say I prefer this version of Wes and Liz.

My heart cant take it. Wes and Liz are the cutest and I just want to give them a big hug after reading about everything they’ve been thru. The character growth and development is better than I’d hoped for. Liz has grown up and after the bad breakup she doesn’t believe in love anymore despite that she’s flourishing in LA. She has a large friend group and has found a way to make a career out of her hobbies. Wes life got uprooted but he still managed to come out of the other side a better man. I don’t want to give too many spoilers but here are the trigger warnings - loss of a parent, mental health struggles, PTSD and cheating.

This exceeded my expectations, Painter truly outdid herself. I’m so glad we got another book with all these amazing characters we got to know and love. If you enjoyed Better than the movies you’re going to LOVE this one.

Read this if you like
💜 Romcoms
🫶🏼YA
⚾️ Baseball
✨ Second chance romance
📷 Forced proximity

This book was the perfect sequel to Better Than the Movies, which still remains one of my all-time favorite YA books.
Lynn Painter knows exactly how to write those. I've read many books by this author, and, honestly, she never disappoints with her stories. Getting to read about Wes and Liz again and being back in that universe was such a treat.
While this book brought me so much pain because of the fact that they had to separate, it also brought me so much happiness. I absolutely loved seeing characters from other stories make an appearance in this one; they were all so cute and lovable, and I'm already looking forward to her next book.
Overall, this book was the conclusion that these characters truly deserved and I really liked how it all wrapped up.

Rating: 4.5 since I can’t do half stars.

Honestly I really loved this book. I loved Better Than the Movies and felt like this was the perfect continuation to their story. There were parts that made me laugh, parts that tugged on my heartstrings, and parts where I could feel the grief the characters were experiencing. I got the email I was accepted to read this book and had finished it 6 hours later if that’s any indication of how good it was 😂

I really enjoyed this one! I really enjoyed how this started with a change in Liz and Wes' relationship from the last book. This book was deep and Wes had so much trauma that he had to work through. I enjoyed how the two were forced together and slowly had to face their unresolved feelings. This one had me hooked from the start and kept me entertained to the end.

4⭐️

Tropes:
Second chance romance
College romance
Sports romance

Liz and Wes’s relationship after Better than The Movies was just that- until tragedy hit, causing Wes to step up with his family and his relationship suffering in the process. 2 years later, Wes joins Liz in UCLA healed from his trauma but quickly learns that you just can’t pick up where you left off.

LISTEN. I was terrified of this book. Second chance romance?! Sometimes, a sequel isn’t needed! But guys, this book DELIVERED. It was nice to see how the 2 years changed them both. Despite her trauma, Liz didn’t let that impede her college life and it was nice to see an FMC who continued her life despite the hurt. 🥰

In this book, you will find more song and movie references like the first (I see you, Twilight baseball scene) and if you enjoy a feel good college and sports romance with witty banter, this book is for YOU! 💗

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book for my honest review.

I loved Better Than the Movies, so I was so excited to revisit these characters. It took me some time to get into this one, and the first half was a little slow for me, but once I got to the second half, I was very invested. I enjoyed getting a dual pov for this book and seeing both old and new characters. I didn't love book one as much as the first one, and I wish there had been a little more romance between them throughout the story, but I will always love Liz and Wes and enjoy reading anything about them! Thank you Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the arc!

Ouch! After falling in love with Wes and Liz in Better Than the Movies, it was painful to see them broken up and heartbroken two years after their freshman year. Despite the grief and heartbreak that makes Nothing Like the Movies more serious than its predecessor, Wes and Liz's love and humor shine through. Second chance romances sometimes run the risk of alienating one partner or both through choices that are hard to forgive, but I found myself sympathetic to both Wes and Liz, who never stopped loving each other. This book was everything I wanted.

2.5/5 Stars

Short summary:
This story is a continuation of the Liz and Wes love story that we all fell in love with in the appropriately hyped Better Than The Movies book. Liz and Wes are both off to collage and are starting off in this story broken up and with lots of baggage to go along with it.

My thoughts:
Sadly, I can’t say I loved this one like I did the first.
I know it may be an unpopular opinion but sadly I just didn’t think this beautiful story needed a sequel. I feel it tainted the sweetness and innocence that was Wes and Liz’s beautiful story. While I know real life happens and this is realistic, I feel it truly took away from both of their personalities and what we fell in love with about them. Liz isn’t who we all knew and loved anymore, and quite frankly she got on my nerves. There is so much miscommunication (my least favorite trope), and there is so much stubbornness in this that drove me nuts. I’m still a Lynn Painter fan but sadly this story just didn’t need a follow up.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nothing Like the Movies was a satisfying sequel! Although I was sad that Wes and Liz were no longer together, I liked what Painter did with this book. In the first book, Better than the Movies, readers were only privy to Liz's POV. In this book, Wes has his own POV chapters. Wes's chapters added such a fun and emotional layer to the story. I felt like I knew his character way better this time! Painter did an incredible job with his character, especially the circumstances with his family. I felt like Liz's chapters weren't as strong this time around. After dealing with the fallout with Wes, Liz was understandably guarded. I felt like Liz's usual charm was missing. I liked watching her come out of her shell towards the end of the book. The book really picked up at the last 30% with Liz and Wes. Their chemistry was just as adorable to read this time around. The Batman and Batgirl chapter was my favorite! Like usual, Painter added in fun and comedic bits. The balcony and Homies scenes had me laughing out loud. I liked all of the side characters, especially Sarah! I hope Painter creates a Sarah book. She was a hoot! Overall, this was a charming and fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

LYNN PAINTER DO YOU WANT TO PAY FOR MY THERAPY? Nothing Like The Movies broke my little LizWes heart into teeny tiny pieces and stitched it back together. Sometimes you see yourself in a character and it was like I was looking through Wes’ eyes. Being a 20 year old college freshman is hard (I assume I don’t know yet… I will next fall though) and trying to pick your life back up after it fell apart is so hard. Wes’ characterization was incredible and his determination was something to be in awe of. Is it weird to say i’m proud of people that are fictional? Nothing Like The Movies is an incredible final ribbon on top of the gift that is LizWes.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
Lynn Painter has quickly become an auto read author for me. She knows how to get me to feel all the feels so early on and holds me captive until I finish the book. This was such a highly anticipated read for me. “Better Than The Movies” was one of my favorite romcoms I read last year because the story of Wes and Liz stuck with me. If you loved that book then you will definitely not be disappointed by this sequel. This book had so much heart and humor while also tackling the difficult topic of recovering from grief and dealing with the loss of a loved one. All the characters in this book were so perfect and the friendships took me straight back to my own college days. I loved that this story took place mostly at UCLA because it’s so close to where I live. And I’ll be honest…this was a five star book for me at that first mention of Noah Kahan and his music. I just loved it so much!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Second chance romance
🏫College romance
💡Self-discovery
🥰Swoon worthy
🗣️Witty banter
🚪Closed door
⚾️Baseball
🍿Pop-culture references
📖Sequel
✌🏽Dual POV

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: mentioned death of a parent.

⚾️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾 ⚾️
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝐵𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝓎 𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝐼 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒢𝑜𝒹, 𝓈𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝒹𝒾𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝓊𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇. 𝒮𝑜. 𝑀𝓊𝒸𝒽. 𝒮𝓂𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒾𝓉."

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster / simonteen, and Lynn Painter for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I absolutely adored the first book and was stoked for the second. This book was cute but didn't leave me with the gut-wrenching feelings the first did.

I love Wes. I think he is an amazing character, and I want to just give him a hug and shake Liz into realizing what is right in front of her. Liz is so guarded this go round, which makes sense, but her grudge just doesn't loosen up until the waay end.

Also, shout out to Michael for being a great recurring character ... and Helena. She was always a favorite.

Overall, highly recommend.

Well hello, Lynn Painter can do no wrong!!! I absolutely adored being back with Wes and Liz in this beautiful abs banter filled Second Chance romance. Easily 5 stars

I loved this sequel to Lynn Painter’s Better than the Movies! I also think this book could be read as a stand alone. The love story of Wes and Liz continues as we follow them to college at UCLA but not without some hurdles. Lynn Painter has given us all the elements we loved in the first book with her great music references and ultimate playlists along with all the rom com quotes.
The author wins us over with her great characters and this book is full of them! Wes’s baseball teammates and Liz’s college roommates are the best addition to this sequel all with all our favorites from the first book.
A fun must read!!

In the sequel to Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz are now at UCLA and no longer together. Wes suffered great personal loss and was forced to leave baseball and school behind. He worked hard to get his scholarship back and now is determined to win Liz’s heart back too.

I love Lynn Painter’s writing style, and BTTM was such a well done book. I typically don’t enjoy YA books but I loved that one and this one too! I really loved the dual perspective and getting a peek inside Wes’s head. It was fun to see these beloved characters mature a bit and experience college milestones and life lessons. I felt for Wes so much, and though I don’t enjoy the miscommunication trope, I felt like I could understand how someone in pain could make the choices he did. I think fans of the first book will love this continuation of their story!

Thank you so much to Lynn Painter and Simon and Schuster for Young Readers for the arc and opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this sequel! I loved getting to learn more about Wes and Liz's background and see their characters develop. It made me like them so much more! However, I believe that it was a bit too long and could have been cut down a bit. I really love this series and Painter's YA books for any of my teens that love romance books.

I feel like this fell into the trap of not needing a sequel. I feel if there was more of a spinoff with different characters it would have been better. This book felt very repetitive. Liz was very back and forth but it was a lot of thinking in her head rather than the plot moving forward. I still love Lynn Painters writing and always recommend her books.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND. HOW WAS THIS EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE?
There are so many mixed opinions on this being a sequel, and yes, at first glance, Liz and Wes breaking up seemed like a cheap way to create conflict so there could be a second book. But I would be lying if I didn't say that I ATE THAT UP. These childlike, starry-eyed characters have become adults, and they are both going through some real life crap. Lynn Painter did an amazing job maturing her YA book characters to believable college students while still making it SO CLEAR they're meant to be together. I absolutely loved the dual POV--seeing Wes' thoughts added so much depth to the story. And the mutual pining? The will-they-won't they? Wes' thoughts when he found Liz at the costume party and the scene on the roof? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife!

I rarely include quotes, but this one made me cry:
"Because our good moments were the crumbs that fed me for seven hundred and twenty 12:13s when I was alone." <3



Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Lynn Painter for the complementary digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💐

DNF’d @ 18%.
YA is so hit or miss for me. I felt like the set up in the beginning was so rushed & I just couldn’t get hooked at all.

I didn’t think this book needed a sequel but wow was I wrong. Going back into this world was like a cozy hug and captures your heart immediately.

Here are a few of my favorite things…
- dual pov!! Getting Wes’s perspective makes this book so much more impactful
- New friends at college made the perfect found family moments. I love their teasing and support of each other
- The music references are everything we wanted

I loved Better than the Movies and I loved Nothing like the Movies maybe even more. Seeing them a little more grown up, finding themselves then finding each other again gives them an even stronger foundation and made me love their relationship even more.

The epilogue at his baseball game is SUCH A TEASE and now I insist that we get another novella or .5 book (make sure you read Better than the Prom for Wes’s pov of prom and then Secret Spot moment!) of another moment we all need. PLEASE.

Would I recommend? Yes!!