This was a cute book! A little drawn out and long at times, but that could have been me and my focus at the time! I have been reading it on and off for a couple of months

I love Lynn Painter. I really think YA is her wheelhouse. I don’t usually love a sequel but this was an incredible follow up to Better Than The Movies. More YA from Lynn PLEASE!

Lynn Painter is a queen. I will read anything she writes and I was just SO happy to get back to this world and these characters. This is just as cute and fun as the first one. Highly highly recommend

I loved the first book so much, but unfortunately I think it didn’t need the sequel. I really didn’t recognize Liz most of this book and what I loved about her the most from book -1 was missing. The whole book was angst and then they finally got back together in the last two pages. I just wish we got more. I’m sad I was so disappointed by this.

and yet another home run for lynn painter! there is a reason why she is the reigning queen of ya fiction. 👑 i have adored all her books in the past, but like some, i was a tad skeptical about reading the sequel to “better than the movies.”wes and liz’s story was so beautiful that it was hard to imagine them breaking up between these two books. 😭💔

to answer the question bouncing around in everyone’s head; “is the sequel worth reading?” my answer is yes, absolutely! i enjoyed nothing like the movies from the start. liz and wes both changed during their time apart but for the better. wes dedicates the entire book to winning liz back and falling more in love with her than ever before. his genuine affection for liz melted my heart. his devotion for her was evident in his actions and thoughts. i ended up looking forward to his povs the most!

also, this song + this book?? 😭🫶🏻💙
“if i could do it all again, i know i’d go back to you.” 🎶

overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
profanity: 🫢🫢🫢
fluff: ☁️☁️☁️

i’m sorry but.. just no

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ the only thing i truly enjoyed about “nothing like the movies” was me experiencing some emotions throughout my read. at some moments i was very close to crying but otherwise book had no emotions, no tension, nothing to keep me interested.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
i didn’t like liz before and i also didn’t enjoy her character now. her character had no development in the first book and i was hoping to see some in this one. but, unfortunately, her character was just forgotten about🤷🏼‍♀️ wes. i was soooo cringed when reading his chapters. i’m sorry, but some of his quotes… i was dying. if someone said that to me in real life, i’d be like, what?

there was no chemistry or tension between liz and wes. i don’t know why, but I honestly think they overgrew each other. they weren’t fitting as much as they did in high school.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷necessity
i do still believe this book was unnecessary. why creating additional drama when you can leave characters alone. in my opinion, previous story ended perfectly. BUT what i think is: this book should have been a different story with different characters. then!!! it would actually be better.

This series has me in a chokehold. Liz and Wes are absolute perfection and I would read anything Lynn writes about them.

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter was one of my favorite reads of 2023 and I was excited to know there would be a sequel this year. Of course, I had to read it and Lynn Painter did not disappoint!

The story continues that of Wes and Liz, but time has jumped a few years and many things have changed. I was hoping for an instant happy moment, but NOT what we got at all. I had an audible gasp moment in the first chapter or two where Wes’ behavior had me shaken! The character growth in this book took center stage, in my opinion, and I quite liked seeing how Wes and Liz had each grown. Wes had really matured, maybe not fully from things he would have preferred to go through, but grown none-the-less. Liz seemed to have really found herself. I loved witnessing these growths and the events that had forced that growth in flashbacks, which I don’t always love. I feel like Painter used flashbacks well so we could see little snippets about what had happen in the years we had missed.

While Better Than the Movies still remains my favorite of the set, I quite enjoyed this book. It was nice seeing Wes and Liz and all their friends as older, and mostly more mature individuals. I loved getting to know the side characters of Wes’ team and Liz’s roommates and classmates. They both had a passion they had embraced and I thought it was great to see characters we had read in book one develop more and done so well. Lynn Painter’s writing style is smooth and flawless in transitions. She knows when to slow the book down a little and let you enjoy a moment, and when to throw a curveball or shocking moment to bring up the excitement. I truly love reading her books.

If you love a great coming-of-age story and growth, check out Not Like the Movies (and make sure to pick up Better Than the Movies too if you haven’t read it)! And if you are loving it, pick up more by Lynn Painter. I haven’t found one I didn’t like yet!

Lynn Painter is queen of conversation and banter. Although this wasn’t her best plot, the banter that develops characters you can relate with.

Nothing Like the Movies - Lynn Painter

Series: Better Than the Movies
Series Number: 2
Release Date: October 1, 2024
POV: Dual POV
Genre and Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Main Location(s): UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Tropes: second chance, college, fake dating, he falls first and harder, baseball player MMC, boy next door
Micro Tropes: grand gestures, she wakes him up from his nightmare, rom-com references
TW/CWs: death of a parent and subsequent trauma, cardiac arrest (mentioned), grief and guilt, PTSD, underaged excessive drinking, mentions of cheating, depression
On KU?: No
HEA: Yes
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 0.5/5 (just kisses)

Summary:
Wes thought he had everything when he and Liz, the strong-willed girl next door, fell for each other. But a sudden tragedy derailed their plans, leaving Wes to pick up the pieces and breaking Liz’s heart in the process. Now, months later, they’re both at college, and Wes is determined to win Liz back. Armed with rom-com-worthy grand gestures and clever schemes, he tries everything to remind her of what they once had. But Liz isn’t making it easy, especially with a new guy friend in the picture. As Wes pulls out all the stops, he begins to wonder if their love story is truly over—or if he can convince Liz to believe in them again.

Review:
Nothing Like the Movies takes Liz and Wes’s story into new territory, delivering a second-chance romance filled with tension, growth, and plenty of heartfelt moments. Set two years after the events of Better Than the Movies, Liz and Wes find themselves crossing paths again, with Liz’s internship covering the baseball team where Wes is now playing. The chemistry and yearning between them are undeniable, and watching Wes try to win Liz back is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching.
This sequel feels more mature as it explores the challenges of growing individually and finding your way back to someone after life has changed you. Liz’s character felt more grounded and realistic, while Wes transformed from the sunshiny boy we loved into a responsible man navigating his own struggles. While the book isn’t as light and fun as the first, it’s full of memorable moments, from the masquerade party to the balcony scene, and it beautifully captures the ups and downs of second chances. Fans of Better Than the Movies will appreciate revisiting these characters, though the bittersweet knowledge that this is the final chapter for Liz and Wes makes it a little harder to say goodbye.

I adored Better Than The Movies, so I had high hopes going into this book. I'm not sure if it was me or the book, but I struggled with this one- for a long time. I had every intention of finishing this ARC before the release, but I could not focus on the storyline. It seemed so out of left-field (no pun intended) what happened to Wes, and the split in the relationship. It just seemed like nothing he would ever do... maybe that was the point. I also haven't wanted to strangle the FMC so much as I did in this book. Like, really? Get over yourself. This boy loves and adores you- you find out all the things that you suspected happened were never true and were only fabricated because of grief, and you still want to be mad at him. Ugh. I still adored the movie quotes at every chapter header, but I was a little disappointed overall. I have to say that I finished the book on audio, which helped me get through it, but again I didn't love it as much as the first.

In exchange for an honest review, I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity!

I really love Lynn Painter's other books, and Better than Movies was a lot of fun and enjoyable. So I was super excited to read this arc. I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. It is probably my least favorite so far.
I did not love the characters this time around as much as I had the first time around. It felt like the magic and swoon worthiness of the first book is nowhere to be found and the tone of this book is a lot more slow-paced, and lacking in all the romcom of most Lynn Painter books.
I will probably still purchase for my students, and I am anxious for their take on this one.

Thanks Netgalley for the digital Arc to review.

A deeply emotional sequel that tackles heavy themes of grief and abandonment, while also delivering on the romance in a very satisfying happily ever after.

Lynn Painter does it again with a heartfelt, emotional sequel that brings back everything we loved about Liz and Wes—while adding new layers to their story. Picking up two years after Better Than the Movies, Liz has grown into a powerhouse at UCLA, while Wes has spent those years grappling with family responsibilities that forced him to end their relationship. Now, with Wes back in Liz's orbit, the question looms: can they find their way back to each other?

The emotional depth in this book is incredible. From Liz’s evolution into a mature, goal-driven woman to Wes’s vulnerability as he fights for a second chance, their journey is as bittersweet as it is swoon-worthy. The tension, the chemistry, and even the heartbreak feel so real, making every moment between them hit hard.

New characters like Clark add levity, while returning favorites bring nostalgia and warmth. Painter masterfully balances humor, romance, and poignant moments, crafting a story that feels like revisiting old friends. This sequel may not replace the magic of the original, but it stands tall as a worthy continuation.

Highly recommended for fans who love second chances, emotional depth, and a romance that truly grows with its characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy!

Better than the movies was one of my first 5 star reads of 2024 and as exciting as it was that this book was announced I was also very hesitant.

I’m not going to lie this book was unnecessary. Better than the movies is arguable a perfect YA romance book, and it kind of felt like this one ruined a lot of things we built up in the first book. The characters didn’t really feel like themselves and I hated the conflicts that happened in this.

If you loved better than the movies you absolutely don’t need to read this one and it might ruin the first book of you do. I’m very sad about this one!

“I am just Wes f**king Bennett, Lib, the guy who can’t remember a single day in his life when he didn’t love you.”

OMG, I loved this book! It was so good to be back in Wes and Liz’s world! They were meant to be together and sometimes you need to lose something to figure out exactly what you had. This is a such a sweet YA, witty, second chance romance, with a slow burn, and I am here for all of it!

I loved Better Than the Movies and this one did not disappoint! Thank you @netgalley, @lynnpainterbooks, and @simonandschuster for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

This was such a delightful follow up to Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies (a favorite YA romance of mine). Right off the bat (no pun intended), we discover that much has changed for Wes and Liz since moving away to college; a traumatic event has not only impacted their relationship, but also altered the trajectory of their young adult lives in ways they could not have predicted. Without giving too much away about the plot, I loved that we got to see both Liz AND Wes' perspectives in this book, as opposed to just Liz's story in the first book. I think without hearing Wes' story, he may have been a less sympathetic character. Most of all, I loved watching Liz grow and evolve over the course of two books, and I'm so glad that Painter decided to give them both a second story.

Than you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I will read Lynn Painter’s grocery list!!! I could read a thousand stories about Wes and Liz 🥹🥹🥹🥹. I need more from them and this world immediately!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I can safely tell you this sequel was NOT a cash grab. I can tell that Lynn decided that if she was going to write a sequel, she was going to write a SEQUEL. This book tortured me in the very best way--the tension between the now-exes was high, the story kept me on my toes, and I was genuinely worried about when and how they would find their way back to each other. I also thought she did a great job of capturing college life including what it's like to make new friends, live off-campus, and have an internship. It made me think of when I was in college--even though I didn't go to parties the way Liz and Wes did, I still connected with lots of the college elements. And as always, this book made me feel like I was watching a film. Brava, Lynn! Another one for the books ;)

I absolutely love Lynn's latest book! Her writing is phenomenal and keeps my hooked the entire time. I loved visiting Liz and Wes again and seeing them go through some real life struggles. highly recommend!