Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter: Book Review

Better Than the Movies is the debut YA rom-com by Lynn Painter. Released in May 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Better Than the Movies introduces us to Liz and Wes. Liz is a die-hard rom-com fan. Wes is the boy-next-door but in a jerk kind of way. But she needs his help getting the guy she’s had a crush on since kindergarten. What could go wrong?

Synopsis from Goodreads

Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little.

Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It’s Liz’s senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes’s help. See, Liz’s forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he’s hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He’s her in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.

Positives

This book lives up to the rom-com formula. If you watch rom-com movies, you understand what I am trying to say.

This book is set in Nebraska, where the author lives, and it is not the usual place for books to be set. It seems that so many are set in California or NYC. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s great to see a new place get some attention.

Negatives

A few times, I found myself having trouble believing that Liz could be so oblivious to the fact she was living a rom-com. If you are a self-professed expert, shouldn’t you be able to tell when you’re living one? I guess that’s part of what helped move the story along.

Michael is such a patronizing character, at least where Liz is concerned. I’m not sure why she was crushing on him so hard, other than his looks.

My Opinions

I added this book to my TBR when I first learned about it on Goodreads. Why? Because I love rom-coms, and I was curious how it would work in a YA.

This book is an easy read and one that got easier as I went along. I read the last 100 or so pages in only a couple of hours. The first 100 or so pages took a bit more time, but that could be because I was also busy doing other things. Any way you look at it, this is an easy read. One that could be a beach or vacation read, y’know if you don’t go to the beach on vacation.

And can we talk about the cover for a moment? It references some of the greatest rom-coms of all time. Though I will admit, I didn’t get one and haven’t seen at least one.

Not only does this book talk about classic rom-coms, but it also discusses music. Liz has a fascination with creating soundtracks for various situations. She creates one during a basketball game, and throughout the story, creates one for her and Wes. Actually, their soundtrack is listed at the end of the book.

Better Than the Movies is the book you’ll read time and again, much like you watch the same rom-com time and again. It’s all about the comfort it offers!

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.