4.5 ⭐️! Did this book have to exist? No. Did i love it anyways? Yes. My heart literally felt like it had been squeezed by the end of this book. I do think this book makes their relationship deeper and it was really beautiful.

I read this book about a full month ago, and I've been letting it marinate in my head to really figure out my thoughts, and I will say, it's gotten a little better with time for me.

I think my major problem with this book was my expectations going in. I loved the romance and meant-to-be-ness of Better Than the Movies, and so I was expecting much different things from this book, especially in that I was expecting to go into this story quickly, I thought it would take place maybe a couple of months after the events of Better Than, and that is not the case. This takes place four years later, and in those four years, a lot of resentment and anger has built up between these characters.

I didn't reread Better Than the Movies in preparation for this book, and that was a good decision on my part. Going from the happy ending to the devastation of Nothing Like the Movies would have made me instantly DNF. In my mind, for the first half of this book it's the opposite of a love story. And I had a pretty big issue with that.

Besides that being a major issue for me, I also had some mild issues with the pacing. From the first page, Wes wants to win Liz back, but he doesn't actually do anything to try and accomplish that goal until a good 70% through the book. It's not even that he's attempting and gets shot down until that one scene about 50% in where they finally connect emotionally, it's that he literally stares at her and pines for her from a distance whining about how he wants to get her back, and then 3/4 through the book he finally starts to try to reach her with things that he knows about her. (To very varying success) I know that he was being "respectful" because he thought she had a boyfriend, but I'm sorry, as a woman, having an ex show up, and just be kind of weird around you to the point when you fake a relationship because you don't want to deal with it... that's a problem for me.

It ends with forgiveness and a rekindled romance, which I understand, but with the amount of resentment that Liz had built up over 4 years, it happened way too easily.

Now that I've complained, let me speak about the things that I did like about this book.

Firstly, Liz is still amazing. From the head in the clouds 18 year old to the kind of cynical 22 year old, she is still just amazing. I loved seeing how she has grown and seeing her really succeed in her life. She deserves nothing less.

And, by far, the best thing about this book, were the side character friendships! The baseball team rallying around Wes and Liz equally. The support in the hijinks that Wes pulls. Their friendship is just so wholesome and so fun and i just love them. Same thing with Liz's roommates. Including the fake boyfriend who was so down for anything, so observant and just ready to step back the moment that he felt it was in Liz's best interests.

Finally, I'll leave with a comparison. Earlier this year I read Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon, which similarly to Nothing Like the Movies, follows a couple established in a previous book as the happy ever after is not a clear as it was at the end of the first book. I rated it similarly to Nothing Like the Movies for really different reasons, but I will say if you enjoyed Better Than, and Nothing Like the Movies, I would go and read Today, Tonight, Tomorrow and Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon, because they are similar and different.

Interesting plot, good character development, great romantic buildup and a happy ending. Lovely read. Thank you, Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for giving me the ARC in exchange for my honest review

- thank you Simon and Schuster/ netgalley for providing me with a digital arc for this book -

WOW

LYNN PAINTER YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN

I will say that I loved the first one more but I am a sucker for happy endings and people finding their way back to eachother so this one hit that soft spot of mine.

I peronsally loved seeing them in a different setting, they're now in college - living completely different lives and they have to navigate "re-meeting" eachother because of that but I will never get over all the sweet little moments between Liz and Wes, I could truly never get enough it's just written so beautifully.

AND HOW DAAARE YOU LYNN, GIVE US A SCARE WITH THAT ENDING.

"Trust me, Lib," I said, picturing her lips. "In a crowd of million ski masks, I'd still be able to find you."

4 stars all around!!

--- netgalley comments---

personally I love lynn's writing so I think the formatting, the storylines and everything were perfect. I will absolutely recommend this book to anyone that listens

-- goodreads review link > https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6811043287

So so so good!!! These books always get me out of a reading slump!! Thank you again for the ARC I finally got my hard copy this week from target 😍

Our favorites from Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz, are three years older, in college, and *gasp* broken up. We soon learn that Wes's father died shortly after their freshman year began and he left UCLA and headed back home to help his family, only to break up with Liz over the phone a few months later. But now, Wes is back at UCLA, as a 20-year-old freshman and a rising star pitcher on the baseball team. And he and Liz can't help but continue to cross paths, as Liz is the team's videographer, which Wes is ecstatic about because he is determined to win her back. Meanwhile, she's less than thrilled about their forced proximity.

Better Than the Movies was one of my top reads the year it came out and continues to be a favorite. Indeed, everything Lynn Painter puts out--be it her adult or YA novels--always manages to make my top ten lists for the year. This book is no exception. I was baffled out she could break up our lovelies and bring them back together without tearing out my heart, and, well, she didn't--I was tearing up as I read. Wes and Liz are endgame, though, and anyone can see that, including all of Wes' teammates, Liz's roommates, and even Liz's fake boyfriend. The history and connection and chemistry between these two is off the charts and I'm hoping there's some NSFW new adult fanfiction out there on the internet somewhere... or Lynn, if you're listening, maybe a newsletter subscriber perk or preorder incentive? I will read anything Lynn Painter writes and was so happy to finally see this novel come to fruition.

Thanks to Simon Teen for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

Who is this Wes? Certainly not the thoughtful, quieter, emotionally tuned in man from the first book. This one is angry and demanding of attention and pushy when he doesn’t get his way. 3/4 the way through the book and both characters are still wondering how their second chance is going to work. there are MAJOR red flags in their relationship and I wish we had spent time addressing the mental health growth that had to have happened in the two years since the end of BTTM. We get it, Liz is different and a cool girl™️ now. she likes ~sports~ and is so ~chill~. The number of times that was repeated was painful. And Wes is a completely different person through his grief and struggles, but instead of a patient and grown up different, he’s worse different somehow. Honestly pretty disappointing and filled with tropes after the depth (YA depth but still) we saw in BTTM. I was also waiting for them to bond over or even TALK about the fact that they both lost parents very young. I don’t think Liz’s late mother is mentioned beyond one scene in the cemetery. They kept acting like it had been YEARS since they last talked and dated, but two years is not that long at all. It still feels like 2022 to me.

Whatever, the least we deserve after this is a Clark and Sarah spinoff.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this book lived up to its predecessor for me. The first book had so much depth and that really fell short in this one. It wasn’t a bad read at all, but I almost feel as though this didn’t need a duology because it muddied up how beautifully the first one wrapped up.

I devoured the first book in one sitting. This book took more time because I couldn't connect with the character as much. It was still a solid read, and I liked the overall story line.

Lynn Painter is one of my favorite Romance authors. Her characters in this book does not disappoint, Wes and Liz are amazing and cute and everything that I wanted for them.

This one has fake dating, second chance romance, minor touch on substance abuse, loss/grief, PTSD, second chance at life goals, and more.

Quick read and easy to fall in love with the characters.

Thank you NEtGalley for the ARC

After the heartfelt and engaging first installment, Nothing Like the Movies sadly doesn’t quite measure up. The story picks up with Wes and Liz navigating their Junior year at UCLA, but the emotional depth and charm that made the first book shine seem to have faded in this sequel.

Lynn has done it again! Such a cute, heartfelt book. I loved the first book, but this one took the cake!

"Nothing Like the Movies" by Lynn Painter is a fantastic read! The story is engaging and filled with humor, making it hard to put down. The characters are well-developed and relatable, which adds depth to the romantic plot. Painter's writing style is easy to follow, and the witty dialogue keeps things entertaining. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a lighthearted romance with a touch of fun. Highly recommended for a cozy reading session!

A worthy, sweet, and engaging sequel that captures the spirit of "second time around" that so many of us would love to find with a former flame.

Nothing Like The Movies is the sequel to "Better Than The Movies" and the relationship between Wes and Liz continues, which is great, because they were really cute in the first book. This one took a while to get going and there were life problems for maybe the first half of the book, but then the story picked up and it was just as sweet as the first. Definitely recommended for fans of the first book. This is another must-read for Painter fans.

Wes and Liz from Better Than the Movies are one of my all time favorite enemies-to-lovers couples so I was excited to come back and visit this world in the follow up Nothing Like the Movies to see what this duo has been up to since graduating from high school.

After all of the good times in that first book, let me just say that I was not at all prepared for how much of an emotional read Nothing Like the Movies is. Instead of being off at UCLA having the time of their lives together, tragedy stuck and Wes had to drop out. Not only that, but he also broke up with Liz! It takes Wes two years to finally be ready to come back to college and he is not only on a mission to get his college plans back on track, but he’s also determined to win Liz back.

I had a love/hate relationship with Wes in this book. I wanted to thump him on the head for the way he broke Liz’s heart. I understand that his heart was in the right place, but how dare he hurt her like that. That said, my heart also absolutely broke for Wes because of all that he went through from the moment tragedy crushed him and his dreams. No one that young should have to deal with everything he had to deal with. I’m used to reading pure comedy from Lynn Painter in all of her books, so as painful as some of Wes’ journey was, I loved seeing this more dramatic and emotional side to Painter’s writing.

Even though the story had some emotional weight to it, there were still a lot of fun moments and definitely rom-com worthy moments. Liz has really come into her own at school, finding some wonderful & hilarious friends, as well as an amazing internship. While Wes’ journey resonated with me more, I still loved seeing so much growth in Liz’s character as well.

If you enjoy books about second chance romances, books about finding your way after experiencing grief and loss, and books that feature lovable characters who experience tremendous character growth, you’ll want to check this one out (and Better Than the Movies if you haven’t read it!)

Better Than The Movies is THE book that made me fall in love with reading romcoms and with Lynn Painter’s writing in particular. Many books later, I was so excited to get my hands on this ARC. I have had so much trouble getting through it though and I’m left harboring complicated feelings.

I felt so deeply for Wes and his love for Liz. He seemd to have matured through what he had gone through and still desperately loves Liz. However, I could not relate to Liz in anyway. She was borderline childish in all of her behavior but especially towards Wes. Like, I genuinely didn’t even understand why Wes was breaking his back to get back with her. It was so disappointing. Overall the story left me feeling good in the end but it was an extraordinarily painful road to get there.

We really didn't need a sequel to the first book, and they could have ended it on there! However, it was a quick fast read!

Short synopsis: Wes and Liz were inseparable as kids, then Wes breaks her heart out of nowhere. Now, thrown back into college together Liz is tasked with filming the UCLA Baseball team, and Wes is their new pitcher.

My thoughts: So I actually haven’t read the first book in this series, but now I need to! I adored Wes and Liz, as they navigated their past trauma and found forgiveness in their new growth.

I thought Wes’s grand gestures were equally over the top silly and completely sweet. I liked that he wanted to learn the “New Liz.” And I also liked that Liz made him work for her forgiveness, he hurt her and she deserved to be angry with him.

Overall, a fun story with great pop culture references, big feelings, and character growth. I especially loved the movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter. My Rom-Com loving heart now wants to go re-watch all the movies mentioned. And…. There is a playlist. I love a book with a playlist!

There are a couple triggers including loss of a parent and big parental expectations.

Read if you love:
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Second chance romance
- Sports romance (baseball)
- College life
- Grand gestures

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

As someone who really really liked the first book (BTTM), I had high hopes for this one. I loved Wes in the first book but this one just disappointed me. He was a gem in the first book and soooo unlikable in this one. And the miscommunication trope needs to be stopped. There is nothing more infuriating for readers, I swear. Not to mention the cheating trope sike out is also just so exhausting to read about. Can we have a second chance romance that doesn’t involve red flag characters who don’t know how to communicate like actual adults?

I love love loved the first book though so I really do think Lynn is a great author. This one just wasn’t it for me.