"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

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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! ❤️

I was excited to read more about Liz and wes as they've grown up and I loved their first storyline. The roscommon and cheesiness throughout this book was nice to read but I feel a but disconnected to Liz because she feels so different to her previous book. I'm glad everything worked out in the end though.

This was a just a great read. I was just all in the story.
Loved the MCs. Lovely written book. i enjoyed more than I expected I would

Liz and Wes are back! I loved following theirs enemies to friends to lovers story in 'Better Than the Movies'. The romantic comedy film references, the scheming, the gradual inevitability of the central relationship... I was very excited for a follow up with our central couple at college. The story, as others have commented on, was a little different to what I was expecting, especially given we have an early parent death, a break up and a two year time jump. This, however, did not hurt my enjoyment of this heart-warming sequel.

The novel alternates between Wes and Liz's viewpoint as he starts his baseball career at college and she ends up documenting it for her internship. Cue l;ots of close quarters and the fiery enemies banter we saw in the first book (before the book weaves its way satisfyingly to the inevitable conclusion). I particularly enjoyed the sections of the novel where Wes and Liz revisited their past and returned home, uncovering an unfortunate trail of miscommunication and lost time.

The most throwaway plotline is Liz's fake relationship with her flatmate to make Wes jealous. It certainly creates those feelings for Wes but there is no real consequence for the plot. It is conveniently brushed to the side as easily as it appears. Other than that, I enjoyed the twists and turns and enjoyed following Wes and Liz in the next phase of their lives. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Better than the movies is one of my favourite books and so I was so excited to receive and read this book. However, I am unsure how I really feel about it. I feel like it was not really needed and did not provide much but some of it felt very rushed such as them getting back together.

Follow on book for Better than the Movies, if you liked that you are in for a great ride. This book follows the story and is very enjoyable. Great to catch up with the characters again and a thoroughly amazing read. Recommend

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster!

"I was excited about that as we drove toward the field, and when “Supermassive Black Hole”came up on Clark’s playlist, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

I loved Muse—especially the Resistance album—but it was impossible for me not to picture the Twilight baseball scene when that song was playing."

Wes doesn't have an easy time after parting ways with Liz, he has to rebuild his relationship from scratch with the girl who once lived next door and loved him. But the Liz that Wes knew was long gone. No matter what you try, it won't work. Oh, I was so nervous, wondering how it would end... My favorite scene was definitely the part with the balcony :D I laughed out loud there!

I really liked Clark, and he even went so far as to be her fake boyfriend for Liz, just to make Wes think Liz was over their relationship long ago.

The book gave me exactly what I expected. Sometimes you have to read stories about second chances.

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I loved this. I loved being back with Wes and Liz after what felt like forever. After finishing Better Than The movies 2 years (?) ago, I went on a bit of a Lynn Painter journey and can say I have found immense enjoyment in all her books. The writing in NLTM was once again excellent, as I have come to expect.
Being back with Wes and Liz years later in college was great to read. When you I read YA romance, I often think it’s unrealistic to imagine these young people settling down with a HEA. Life is not that kind unfortunately. And seeing these beloved characters experience life yet still come through it was truly heartwarming.

I also really liked the side characters who show lots of potential for further stories to be told. Wade and Campbell! AJ, Clark and pretty sure there’s a Ross and Lilith story to be told there too! Just give me more please Lynn!