Painter is back and better than ever (at least that's what I thought in the first half of this book).

Regardless of my final thoughts, initially I was really excited and impressed with how it started straight out the gate. I enjoyed where the story picked up from and it felt really refreshing for a sequel to not begin the story with Wes and Liz being head over heels in love. The depiction of college life felt so authentic and real, this was all thanks to Painter's amazing tone and specificity throughout. The quotes at the beginning of the chapter was a nice touch to keep it connected to the first book and the world of rom coms.

It's impossible to not find Wes charming. In fact I dare you not to find this caring, romantic and wholesome golden retriever of a character charming at all. Clark's character also stood out to me, he is the perfect sidekick and is so cool and funny. I liked that he was almost the angel on Liz's shoulder but also reluctantly participated in some of her funny plans.

This book is also so effortlessly witty ('God bless the woman who'd designed baseball pants. And yes - it had to be a woman'). Some of the phrasing was really wonderfully done too ('question mark of a person'). However there were sentences that felt like kind of clunky and like they could be phrased better ('...thinking about his girlfriend 24.95 hours a day'.; 'I wanted to make her soften more than I wanted to breathe') Also the flashback to the NYE break up felt messy structure wise, it isn't a flashback with a proper timespan it is more written as a thought flashback which meant when we go back to present day, its still the same chapter which felt a bit confusing and foggy to read.

Wes and Liz's first run in after years felt unrealistic. Liz behaves like a fangirl almost but this felt like an odd reaction to have to someone who literally broke your heart and dumped you. It just felt like the intention of it being written as a romantic 'omg its him' moment weren't quite aligned with the reality of the context in which they broke up in. I'd have imagined Liz to be at least a bit annoyed rather than constantly swooning over him. I also felt like the weakest plot point was revolving around the breakup. Wes lies to Liz about something that feels unrealistic to lie about and when its revealed that he is in fact lying the stakes just drop and it doesn't feel like there's any obstacles to actually overcome for these two. Also the kiss scene was a little cringey for my taste and felt kind of odd as Liz seems unsure throughout that scene. Because the kiss felt a little one sided, and we don't get Liz's POV between the kiss and date it kind of built up this feeling that Liz just wasn't that into Wes which dampened the spark a bit. Saying that, I did enjoy the unconventional date they had when it was obvious later that they were on the same page.

The initial pacing and momentum of the book felt good but it lost its momentum in the middle for me personally. Eventhough Wes' backstory was tragic and really sad, I didn't feel particularly connected or moved by it and this aspect of the book didn't cut through as much as other elements like the romance and chemistry did for me.

Overall, a decent romance read. But compared to 'Better than the movies' I didn't get the same butterflies and actually spent some of the time reading this feeling confused which is a beige flag when reading romance.

I absolutely adored this book! I’ll never get enough of Wes and Liz. Lynn Painter brought these beloved characters back in such a fresh and emotional way. Their new journey made me laugh and cry—I felt all the feels!

Liz has changed so much from the first book, and while I missed her lightheartedness, I loved seeing her grow. Wes? My heart broke for him. His growth and determination were inspiring, and the love between them was just as intense and beautiful as ever. The tension, the pining, the yearning—it all had me hooked!

The side characters were also amazing—Clark was hilarious, and I’m begging for a book about him and Sarah. The cameos from other characters were a delightful surprise too! The ending had me on the edge of my seat, but it was the perfect way to wrap up their story.

I’m still emotionally recovering from this book, and I’ll never get over these characters!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with a sequel to Better Than the Movies. But in true Lynn Painter fashion, it was pure escapism and I couldn’t put it down. She truly is a master of the rom-com genre.

We find Wes and Liz in different paths of life when the book begins, after breaking up two years prior. Wes is back at UCLA as a first year student, while Liz is in her third year.

We find a lot of information about the split sporadically at the same time some of the characters make the discoveries, especially as there’s a lack of communication throughout.

I liked how the author portrayed the grief Wes felt following his dad’s death and the glimpses we get of his new family life. His bond with his sister was nice to read about and her quirky nature shone through the pages.

It felt realistic how Liz struggled to move on from how things ended with Wes and be friendly towards him, even once she starts to understand more about their past. I liked how she had become a tougher person and a lot more independent.

One plot point that truly stood out was how much the characters had grown individually during the split. I liked seeing Liz’s school life and the successes she was having behind the camera.

The university setting was great as well. We got to meet lots of new characters that were good for the story. Clark in particular was probably a favourite due to the antics he adds. Wes’ teammates also added a lot of humour with their silly jokes and how they teased Wes.

There’s a lot of movie and music references throughout which make the book unique and in a way, it comes to life like a movie.

Nothing Like the Movies should not be missed. It’s a lighthearted sequel with a lot of depth.

“But just know that no matter what you decide, and no matter what happens, I will feel this way about you for the rest of my life.”

Wes & Liz will forever be my favorites and I feel like I'll never get enough of them. Liz was more mature in this book but it was sad to see her be so volatile because it was so out of character for her. Wes was also very intent on baseball and I liked that his friends were so supportive. Wes & Liz were always meant to be and it was heartbreaking to see them separate for a while. But in between all this, both Wes & Liz's characters were butchered. Wes became kind of manipulative and a liar and Liz was so unromantic which was unlike herself. Still, there were so many moments of them together which I loved and I was rooting for them to find their way back to each other. Overall, while the book was enjoyable, I just couldn't get over the breakup part. I missed the old version of both Wes & Liz's characters so much. The story was complex but I absolutely loved the way Wes tried to get Liz back and the angst was also great to read. The tone of this book was quite serious but Wes & Liz always made everything feel better! So, my rating for this one would be 3.75 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

as a fan of the first book, i was super happy to receive this arc!

liz and wes are back again, although this one definitely starts more angsty than the first!

aged up and in college, we get to follow the beloved characters from the first book find their way back together!

lynn painter is great at writing love stories with heart at their core and these loveable characters keep you rooting for them throughout.

i don’t think i am the target audience however, but these two books definitely would have been favourites of mine as a teenager!

definitely recommend for ya romance fans!!

𝟯｡𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 ੈ✩‧₊˚

Did I enjoy this book as much as I ADORED Better Than The Movies? Not by a mile.
Did I still eat it up? Kinda, a bit, yeah!

“𝗜𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁｡”
“𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗕𝘂𝘅𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺｡”

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳.

Where do I even start? Firstly, the fact the author had to tamper with Liz and Wes’s relationship, to create this sequel was a bit PANTS, not gonna lie and it took a while for me to get on board with the direction the book was going in the beginning. I have such mixed emotions with this one. BTTM ended perfectly, and it’s almost like trauma was created, just so we could get a second book. You may want to check triggers with this one.

The reason the fandom wanted a sequel was because we wanted MORE LizWes. I feel like the author had the perfect opportunity here to give us maybe a dual timeline situation where we could SEE the downfall, rather than be told what went down, and equally get some happy flashbacks in there too. What we got delivered however was 90% of build up to a very underwhelming reunion of two loves that should have never been messed with.

This book was a lot deeper, we finally get Wes’s POV which I just loved, but oh this boy has been through it in the two years he’s been away from Liz. His story in this one is so very complex as we delve in to his backstory, but there is a lot of miscommunication and deceit that surrounds his story too which was a bit frustrating to read at times. It’s like barriers were out in place for the purpose of stringing out the tension, but it wasn’t entirely executed as well as it could have been for me.

Wes is on mission “get Buxbaum” back, but this part of the plot didn’t really kick off until the last 30% or so - and this was the part I ate up the most. Like, I was GUSHING. I mean it’s Wes, this boy just DOES ROMANCE - and lord he had me swooning all over again. Overall I really did enjoy the story, typical sports romance vibes.

I loved the movie and music references in the first book, but NLTM seemed to take what was good, run with it, then over do it. I’m so done with Taylor Swift references in books at this point.

Side note, I’m kind of shipping an interconnected standalone where we get a bit of Clark and Sarah because, eesh, the flanter between them was real?! Or was I the only one that got that?

Overall, this was OK. Listen, the book wasn’t bad, but as a die hard LizWes fan, I wanted more for them. Kinda wish I had stayed in my BTTM bubble in some ways.

I loved this book! Anything by Lynn Painter is a win for me. Such easy reads 🖤
The concept and writing style makes the book flow so effortlessly. I do think I preferred Better Than the Movies over this one. But still an amazing book!

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

Nothing like the movies - lynn painter
Review-
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would give this book all the stars in the world if I could so just know I actually rate this more than 5 stars! I was so unbelievably honoured to receive this arc as I absolutely love Lynn painters books every single one of them so this was a dream come true for me🥺.

Wes and liz have my whole and complete heart and I was so happy to read another book with them in they are the literal best main characters ever, I loved the changes to each of them and seeing them grown as people finally able to put the past behind them and be the most beautiful couple again, tears was definitely shed while reading happy and sad ones both of them deserve the absolute world! Reading about Wes and the things he went through was raw and emotional and hit very close to home for me so it added a level of understanding to this beautiful story for me too.

All in all I absolutely LOVED this book and I’m actually so sad it’s over and now I don’t know what to do with myself gonna miss my silly little love lovers 🥲💕

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

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

I really enjoyed this novel. I have read other books by the author and Nothing Like The Movies certainly didn't disappoint. The story was easy to follow, had good pacing and a great cast of characters. Overall a brilliant novel that I would recommend to other readers.
🩵 Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this book!

The sequel to Liz and Wes' story felt a little lackluster in comparison to the first book. The plot, frankly, felt a little forced, but it had good potential. There was so much more that could have been explored in more depth: the anxiety attacks, the trauma, Wes dropping out... Not to mention the drastic switch-up of Liz that was never explained. Plus, it was sold as a second-chance romance, and there was barely any of that. Not enough slow burn for a book supposedly only centered around romance.

Overall, it was a little disappointing of a read for me. My honest opinion? I don't feel like this book really needed a sequel. There was some good writing, but the overdose of pop song references and lack of development was not it for me.

She’s done it again… a perfect Wes and Liz sequel to Better Than The Movies!

I recently re listened to Better Than The Movies and just thought how will @lynnpainterbooks top this and I believe she has… swoony scenes, top quality tension, heartbreaking heartbreaks and of course lots of movie and music references!

I was so excited to read this book as I loved the first one. I was on an emotional rollercoaster with this one but I loved it. It was the perfect sequel to better than the movies and I absolutely devoured it.

After loving Better Than the Movies, I was so excited to read Nothing Like the Movies, and it did not disappoint! In fact, I think I enjoyed it even more. Lynn Painter has a way of writing characters that you can’t help but fall in love with, and this sequel had me hooked from the very beginning.

In this book, Liz and Wes face the realities of college life and adulthood, and it’s clear their relationship is being tested by new challenges. I really enjoyed seeing how they handled these obstacles while trying to figure out their future. Revisiting characters from the first book felt familiar and comforting, while also allowing them to grow in new directions.

One of my favourite parts of both books is the way each chapter begins with a movie quote. It adds such a fun and nostalgic touch, and for anyone who loves romantic comedies, it’s a great nod to that genre.

What I found particularly special in this book is how Painter handles the more serious topics, like grief and stepping into adulthood. She weaves these themes into the story in a way that feels natural and heartfelt without weighing it down. The balance between the lighter moments and the heavier ones made it all the more compelling to read.

I also loved the dual POV. It was great to be able to get inside both Liz and Wes’s heads, and it really helped me connect to each of them on a deeper level. It added so much to the emotional impact of the story.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours because I just couldn’t put it down. If you enjoyed Better Than the Movies, this is definitely a must-read. It’s a heart-warming, funny, and emotional story that I’d highly recommend—one of my favourite reads of 2024!

Huge appreciation to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this book!!

Lynn Painter is a genius YA author and Better than the Movies has is one of my favourites of hers. I was so excited when I heard that she was writing a sequel and instantly clicked on request when it became available on NetGalley.

The story follows Wes as he tries to earn Liz’s trust and win her back after he breaks up with her. It was so good to reunite with them again, despite them not actually being in a relationship for the most part of the story.

It did take me a while to get into initially and I did put it down and pick it back up a few times but once I’d gone past the 40% mark I got stuck in. I don’t think Better than the Movies needed a sequel, it’s great on its own, but this was a great follow on. It gives a more realistic approach to college relationships and is relatable, it’s not all sunshine and roses.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it!

I loved the first book and was nervous/excited when they announced the sequel. The first book was so good and I honestly wish we never got this book. I didn’t recognise these characters as all. I found it really hard to get my teeth into this one.

Okayyyyy, let’s go write a bad review on one of the most anticipated release of the year🥳! This book had no business being written and that’s my first issue with it. Second of all, I think it should’ve taken place either over the span of a few years, maybe having them interact in college, then as adults in the industry and then rekindle their romance. It felt like no time had passed and yet Wes, for some reason, seemed to be unable to move on. I would rather have seen them trying to move on but unable to and finally giving in after years of trying. My biggest issue with this though, was Wes. The man was being so pushy when it came to Liz, like in your eyes, she’s dating someone else, or has made it clear she doesn’t like or want you, leave her alone. He was so determined to get her back, it really wasn’t even cute, just very creepy and annoying. He just took her for granted and never tried to know her, instead he just assumed she hadn’t changed? She told him how that was an issue but nothing was done to showcase the info had registered in his head. The romance itself was extremely rushed since 65% of this novel is just them doing stuff, talking, getting mad at one another and other useless things. They had to get their sh!t together, yes, but it felt disproportionate in terms of page time compared to the actual romance, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN PART OF THIS NOVEL BY THE WAY!!! I liked that Liz was less romantic than in Better than the Movies, it made sense after their breakup, being in a totally new environment, but also just becoming an adult, that she would turn out this way. She really was the most adult of the two, when that would have been expected of Wes, given the last two years of his life. Anyway, Clark is baby girl. 1.5 stars

I apologise for calling wes Bennett a little bitch on instagram the other day.

I'm not really sure how I expected this one to play out after the first book, and I loved the way it did. I think if you have an expectation of how this will go, it won't be that.

P.s. I need another one!

‘Nothing Like The Movies’ by Lynn Painter is the sequel to 2021’s ‘Better Than The Movies’ and returns to Liz and Wes as students at UCLA, with Wes tentatively navigating his freshman season as a baseball player… two years later than expected. We find out early in this novel that the HEA as the couple drove off into the sunshine to start higher studies together didn’t last long due to a tragic event that transformed both of their lives and led to Wes withdrawing from school, and their relationship. Heartbroken Liz rebuilt her college experience and moved on, but this book asks whether the love they had for each other can be reignited.

I loved:
- Liz and Wes were still loveable characters, and the dual POV structure really let us get into both of their heads, crucial especially to understanding Wes’s actions
- The movie quotes at the start of each chapter returned, and I LOVED the ‘Gilmore Girls’ references too
- The baseball scenes that gave this a college sports romance vibe
- The way Liz had moved further towards her dream career despite heartbreak
- Multiple scenes made me SOB which shows just how connected and protective I feel of these characters
- The CHEMISTRY between Liz and Wes was as strong as ever!

Overall, this is a winning young adult romance which strikes a great balance of allowing the characters to evolve and grow up while retaining their core values. I’d definitely recommend to any and all fans of the first book (and do think you should read BTTM first before picking this one up). Giving this a warm, nostalgic, cosy 4.5 stars!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Simon & Schuster UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed Better Than The Movies so I was so looking forward to this book, but it was such a disappointment 😭 It was just impossible to get stuck into. It felt like the Wes and Liz were completely different characters compared to the first book. This was a prime example that some books are not meant to have a sequel.

I tried so hard to get back into reading this so many times but I could just not get myself excited to read it. Ended up DNFing after not picking it back up after 3 weeks.