This unfortunately ended up being a DNF for me, but I can see why other readers have enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻

I feel like I'm in the minority with this one as I loved it but I'm a sucker for a second chance romance and watching two people who are meant to be learn from their mistakes. I love Wes and Liv and seeing how they reconnected and fit back together so easily was joyous. This was well written keeping me gripped and not wanting to put it down. I loved the characters and the friendships and this was a great ya romance.

How could I ever give a book that made me kick my feet and giggle at stupid hours (that probably made my neighbours believe I had company) anything less than 4 stars?
That's right, I can't.
And I am very much okay with it.

"She rolled her eyes, raised her chin, and I wanted to drop to my knees."

I was late to the party, okay? I was late because I read Better than the Movies only in October. I was late because I did not understand the hype until halfway through. I was late because I did not immediately devour Nothing like the Movies as I should have.

"I looked into the eyes that I saw every night when I closed my own and said, 'Okay, I will do it.'"

Maybe I did not deserve to get the advanced readers copy. But you know what? It does not matter, because this book, yes book number two, made me feel like BTTM only managed to in the second half. The POV's of Wes? The love confessions in his mind? The chaos? The drama? The fun? The lovable friend group? The REALISTIC reason for them to break up in the first place? The grief, the hurt, the angst, the stress, the anxiety, the everything. I loved it! I laughed, I giggled, I kicked my feet, and I teared up and cried numerous times during my read.

"Fucking yes, tease me, Buxbaum"

And what I would not give to have a man like Wes Bennet in my life who does not take himself too seriously, puts other people first, and speaks poetry...

"I am just Wes fucking Bennet, Lib, the guy who can't remember a single day in his life when he didn't love you."

I don't understand why so many people are this unhappy about the book. I had a great time, because I love to torture myself, and this one had the perfect balance of heartache in every way possible. It showed the reality of life but mixed with movie worthy romance.

I loved that it moved slow and the only reason that I did not give the full five stars is
1. that is always very hard to reach and
2. that the very ending felt rushed after everything else moved at a perfect speed.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Simon & Schuster Children's UK and Lynn Painter for the advanced readers copy!

This was amazing!! I loved book 1 and was so pleased to start this one. I loved the ‘fake dating to intentionally (or not) make Wes jealous’ part, and Liz will forever remain the best character in this series! I loved seeing both characters (and their friends) succeed at their dreams and seeing Wes trying to win Liz back was beautiful. I really enjoyed this and would recommend this to anyone looking for a cute romcom, especially any fans of the author and the first book in this series!

I was so nervous to read this as I LOVED Better than the movies so so much and was worried that I wouldn’t love this one as much… but I did!

I did a re-read of BTTM before I read this and I’m so glad I did because for me this felt like just a continuation of the first book rather than a standalone, it felt that it was written just for us, the readers!

I think it was definitely more ‘real life’ than the first but for me it was done in still such a fun and beautiful way. It really did feel like this is what would have happened to them as people and as a couple and I’m so happy with how the ending went!

I really really enjoyed it and I’m so happy that @lynnpainterbooks gave us a little bit more of Liz and Wes’s world!

From the blurb -
For a few beautiful months, Wes and girl-next-door Liz were together. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA together, tragedy struck and their relationship ended.

Flash forward and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart, but is determined to make her fall back in love with him. 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 and is determined to win back Liz’s affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, he’s is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

ARC from NetGalley

This book was so cute !!! I loved that we got a follow up to Liz and Wes and we really got to see how much Wes loved her. Second chance romance done right !! Loved it

There were so many things I loved about this book: the banter, the baseball, based in LA, movie and song quotes throughout, references to Taylor Swift, loveable side characters, happily ever after

It was though a second chance romance
WITH miscommunication and I think this is the bit that I didn't like. It's not that it didn't work for the storyline because it totally did it's just that those tropes are not for me

Overall, I highly recommend for light easy reading and you love a bit of YA romance

"Nothing Like the Movies' is the second book by Lynn Painter about Liz and Wes's epic love story. While the end of the first book gave hope for a happy ever after, at the beginning of the sequel we are immediately informed that Wes is back at home (Nebraska) while Liz is still studying at UCLA. Even though they are no longer together Wes cannot stop thinking about Liz, especially now that after a 2-year break he is coming back to UCLA. Liz on the other hand, feels hurt and tries to avoid Wes at any cost, which is no longer possible since one of her internship tasks is to record the baseball team with their new sports star' Wes Bennett.

Feel warned that this book once started needs to be read to the very last page. I couldn't help myself, I just had to read it all at one go. There's so much tension between two main characters that you will be engrossed in the story immediately. The banter and swoon-worthy moments are the best parts of the book,- I can asure you that there are more of them than you would have ever expected. Flesh and blood characters, an epic love story and fast-paced plot make the book a great read! I wholeheartedly recommend it!

This was ok, took me a bit to get into it. I think sis mostly me and lynn Ya books. But definitely fun for a teen. Got a copy for my niece she would love it 100% . Great follow up to the first one.

lynn painter hooked me in with book 1 and i was pretty nervous regarding book 2. but once again, she knocked it out of the park and left me wanting more!!

So freaking cute!!
I loved Better Than The Movies. It felt like a warm caress, and I couldn't help but smile while reading it. When I heard about the sequel, I was both scared and excited, but Lynn Painter did not disappoint. Nothing Like The Movies is a perfect reflection of life: sometimes it throws obstacles your way, ones you aren't ready form, and it can feel overwhelming. But just like in life, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Wes thought he had it all with Liz, the girl next door he loved, until tragedy messed everything up right before college. Now they’re both at the same school, and Wes is pulling out every rom-com move he can think of to win her back—but Liz isn’t having it. Is their story really over or can they have their happy ever after?

I loved this one and I couldn't stop reading it! I'm going to miss these characters so much! They've become so dear to me, and it's hard to say goodbye!
If you love YA books, you should def pick up this duology and if you have read the first one, don't be scared and pick this up!

Tropes:
- Second chance romance
- Dual pov
- Dual timeline
- College setting

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DArFDj...

Arc received by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit too over sweet for my taste and quite repetitive as it took longer to get going than hoped.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Nothing Like The Movies - Lynn Painter
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to @simonkidsuk for sending me a copy of this very exciting release in exchange for an honest review! 💜

LIKES
☀️ It had the perfect balance of fun moments and emotional ones.
☀️ Every single movie and song reference.
☀️ How the story matured along with its characters. The fact that both Liz and Wes kept their core traits whilst shedding their more teen-like qualities made everything more true to life.
☀️ All the exploration around the idea that you can love someone as you remember them in the past without knowing their current self.
☀️ Their chemistry, especially towards the end was incredible.
☀️ The date 🥺

DISLIKES
🌙 Although it wasn’t explicitly labelled, there were strong indications that Wes was suffering from PTSD. Unfortunately, it’s only mentioned once and then completely forgotten about which implies that ‘getting the girl’ was enough to make all his problem magically go away. Disappointing given the focus the story had on his grief journey.

Will you be picking this sequel up? ☁️

I really enjoyed Better Than the Movies so I’ve been looking forward to this book and I had so much fun reading it.

I love second chance romances and I think this was such a good one. It was great to see that even though some things had changed, Liz and Wes’s feelings for each other remained there and I loved seeing him fight to win her back. Once I got into this book, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down - I just couldn’t wait to see what Wes was going to do next and how Liz would react.

There were a couple of things that I felt were left a little bit in the air, like whether Liz really wasn’t a romantic anymore after all (or if it was just a defence mechanism to deal with her own heartbreak) or whether Wes ever found out about what really happened between Liz and Michael, but that didn’t really hurt the plot, it’s just a couple of things I personally would have liked to have seen explained a bit further.

Overall, a really solid sequel. I think I even enjoyed this more than the first book.

anything lynn painter writes, i will eat it up. brilliant yet again - i cant get enough of liz and wes

I really enjoyed the first book and this was something I was looking forward to reading, but felt very disappointed by it. DNF’d it for a while, but had to struggle through it to mark it completed.
I found this quite boring, and the older versions of the characters were not as exciting and were a let down.

Book one should have been a standalone.

I LOVED the first book and the hype and build up for this sequel was too great for me to resist delving into it the first opportunity I got.
Wes’s reasoning for breaking with Liz is heartbreaking and their slow will they / won’t they is woven through the pages for this and whilst I may have felt disappointed with the choices Wes made, we love these characters right so all can be overcome and they can have a HEA!?
I think this book follows the rule of sequels but I’m not sure book one can be beat anyway but this is an excellent runner up.

I received this book as an ARC and provide my honest review

The book we’ve all been waiting for. This book made be feel every single emotion. I laughed, I cried, it was everything we needed the continuation of Liz and Wes’s story to be.

I can’t even think about Wes without tearing up. I was so heartbroken to read about everything went through, and even after everything he experienced, he was able to come out the other side and start over which I felt so proud of as a reader.

Liz in this book and Liz in BTTM were COMPLETELY different characters and it was so emotional to read. She’s no longer the hopeless romantic she once was, and it made me so sad to read about how she’d lost her light. I really loved her in BTTM and felt so emotional when reading. However, she’s a driven woman and is determined to achieve all of her goals which we LOVE!

So many things happened in this book, it’s hard to put it all into words. Both characters went through so much in this book and it was heartbreaking to see two people that were so clearly in love with each other having to separate. The pining though!!!!! The yearning!!!!!! This is what Lynn Painter always does so well.

Despite being apart for so long, I loved how easily they managed to fall back into their relationship and the place they were once in. The teasing was still there which is always fun t read, and their banter is honestly elite.

The ending had me feeling EVERYTHING. I loved how everything tied together, it was a very satisfying ending which we always appreciate! I truly don’t think I could have asked for a better sequel to Better Than The Movies!!!!

A great 'will they, won't they' get back together romance, set between UCLA and a small town. Liz's new internship is going great until her boss decides that her next project is to document the college baseball team, a team that her ex has just joined, resulting in them spending a lot more time together than she is comfortable with. Wes and Liz's history is deep and painful, can he persuade her that all is not lost and that he has never stopped loving her?

Absolutely loved following this couple's love story all over again!

Gorgeous dual POV with really distinct voices. Absolutely loved the quotes!

I would read all future romances by this author as it felt so messy in a good way! I love romances with characters who mess up and make amends and aren't so perfect!

Brilliant book! ❤️