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.

Loves this book! I was so excited to read it and it dis not disappoint, i really liked the writing style and the fact that Wes was thinking about Lizz

"For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good."

SO excited to read this one. I'm not usually a romance fan but my daughter talked me into reading "Better Than the Movies" and I was so excited about the sequel! It does not disappoint! Lynn Painter writes her characters so fully and the setting is so well done. Her books are just such an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Just as cute as the first one. I am so happy the sequel lived up to the hype
The characters were just as swoon worthy and relatable as ever

2 stars

This was one of the biggest disappointments this year. Especially considering how much I loved the first book.

To start, quite simply this book did not need a sequel. At the end of BTTM the characters had significant growth and their story arcs were finished. We didn't need more of their story at least not this long. It also felt like all that the characters had gone through was for nothing because their break up shouldn't have happened after the growth they had in the first novel. This book felt a lot to me like a cash grab.

The characters. Liz felt like a new person, and yes I understand how her situation could change her, and she's older now, but the reason I loved Liz was because she believe in happily ever after, no matter how hard it gets. I loved her dresses and pastels because she was confident, but her going back on all her old beliefs didn't feel true to her whole "I was unaffected by the breakup" attitude. Wes I also just didn't love like I loved in the first book, he felt different and some lines I think I was meant to love I really just didn't.

The plot. Okay so literally nothing happened? Nothing I felt of interest at least. Reading this I just did not care, it felt like it dragged on for far too long and quite frankly I don't believe the characters are going to stay together which really sucks because I loved the first book.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC

Thank you @simonteen for the digital ARC. Lynn Painter's book Better Than the Movies is one of my all-time favorite YA books, so when I found out there was a sequel to Wes & Liz's story coming, I was so excited. When I read the synopsis and saw that this book starts with them broken up, I was a little sad. Nothing Like the Movies is so good though!! The way Wes pines for Liz...I was rooting for him so hard. I also really liked the way Wes' story of what happened in the past unfolded. Lynn Painter knows how to write swoony funny stories. NLTM had those elements plus some heart-string-pulling moments as well. If you loved Wes & Liz in book 1, you’re going to enjoy “the college years” story as well.

I absolutely loved Better Than the Movies so I went into this one expecting more of the same. But why on earth was Wes so problematic? Walking red flag. I'm super disappointed in this sequel.