Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter is a heartfelt sequel in the Better than the Movies series, centering on Wes and Liz's journey of rekindling their relationship after a painful breakup. Painter captures the emotional rollercoaster of young love with charm and humor, as Wes goes all-in with rom-com-style gestures to win Liz back. Despite his best efforts, Wes faces the real challenge of whether love can truly be restored after heartbreak. The book shines through its relatable characters and the perfect balance of sweetness and tension. Wes and Liz’s relationship feels both tender and authentic, making it a delightful, feel-good read. A must-read for those who enjoy second-chance love stories wprinkith a sle of movie magic.

I honestly don't know what to make of this sequel.

"Better than the Movies" was one of the first novels I read by Lynn Painter and I loved Wes and Lizzy's story! Of course I was curious about what the two of them would do in college, how they fared and what their relationship held in store.

I didn't expect them to no longer be a couple.

Lynn Painter's writing style was, as always, very nice and easy to read. I flew through the pages again.
However, I was very disappointed with the plot.

Unfortunately, I missed a common thread in the story. And what I also didn't like was the lack of depth, which was missing in some of the first and sad topics. For me, this was unfortunately not really addressed at all. And at the end of the book, I didn't know where the story was actually going. I simply couldn't fully understand the actual reason for the break-up until the end and it felt pretty odd to me.

We got to know Lizzy as a romantic teenager who has definitely grown up. Nevertheless, I was a bit sad that this part of Lizzy was buried. I still really liked Lizzy though.

Although we were allowed to read Wes's POV, I had the feeling that we didn't get much of his actual thoughts. Especially at the beginning of the story or his behavior in the flashbacks, I sometimes just couldn't understand.

For me, "Nothing but the Movies" unfortunately doesn't even come close to its predecessor and therefore only gets 2.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

*3.5*

Did I need this book? No I don't. Was it better than what I thought? Yes, it was. I have to say I didn't have high expectations for this one, since I loved the first one so much and it was almost a five star read for me. This one wasn't. And that's okay.

There are so many things I think didn't really meet my taste in this one, first and foremost the completely change of personalities the characters undertake. I get that some years passed from the first one and people change, but one thing is change one thing is completely revisit one's personality. It didn't really sit right with me for some reasons, and I wasn't completely a fan of it. Second of all, I get that the break-up happened because it was used as the catalyst for this novel, but it did not seem coherent to me, and kind of faint in its dynamic. And the last thing, I think this book really touches on many plot points, but it never really come to conclude any of them. I don't know, I think the ending was overdue but also kind of flashed out.

On the other end, while I didn't like some things, others really catched my interest, first and foremost the romance between Liz and Wes: I still think it was there, under layers of miscommunication and buried feelings. I liked the slow burn (maybe even too slow sometimes) and the rekindling of their feelings. I also really liked the new characters introduced in this story, in particular Clark, and they added something nice to the story. I think what really saved this book for me, and made me quite enjoyed it was that I could still see the characters I loved underneath it all.

So yeah, if you liked the first book, don't expect to be blown away, but also this could be something you might want to check out

This sequel was unnecessary and actually made the characters really unlikeable and tbh I really struggled to get through the book as the writing was not very good.

4.5 stars! Hearing there would be a second book to an already perfect first book had me nervous but I LOVED this. Book 1 was all about Liz and book 2 was all about Wes. It felt so real it even made me cry. A beautiful story and conclusion to WesLiz. Thank you Lynn Painter!!

Right as Wes and Liz 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. Only, Liz will have none of it. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend. Still, Wes won’t give up. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, he’s is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

Liz really gave Wes a run for his money with this one. A lot had changed in two years and the things he thought would work on her ended up repulsing her instead as she tried to forget that time in her life. He was relentless though, and I loved that when met with hostility he continued to be his charming self.

I also loved that we got his POV, especially as much of the focus on this book was on him moving on from the tragedy he faced two years before. He was such a lovesick puppy where Liz was concerned 😂 I could feel his devotion leaking from the pages.

The baseball aspect of the book was spectacularly written. I'm not a fan by any means but there's just something about the way Painter described Wes playing baseball that had me feeling like I was right there with Liz.

The painful declarations of love, the tears, the mixed feelings, it was all so bittersweet to read and I was rooting for them to get through to the other side. When they finally did, I was smiling at the beauty of the experience.

What an ending to Wes and Liz's story! Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It's out now!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

Nothing Like the Movies is a cute sequel to Better Than the Movies, following Wes and Liz two years later, on college.
I enjoyed the sequel even more than the first book! I remember enjoying Better Than the Movies but I got much more invested in Nothing Like the Movies. I like the fact that Wes went through something hard and it did effect him and we had to work through that. I really enjoyed the fact that there was that time jump and we saw how Liz and Wes changed.
It had all the cutesy moments I expect from Lynn Painter but felt more real somehow.
I would highly recommend if you enjoyed Better Than the Movies!

4/5 stars
6 October 2024
Mixed feelings about this second chance love story.

Wes went from being kind of the perfect boyfriend to being shitty in an unexpected way. I couldn't really get past the whole I'm going to do this for your own good behaviour but it was still cute to see Liz and his relationship cause he's got such major golden retriever energy.

Also she's way less annoyingly manic pixie dream girl in this, thankfully.

I'm thankful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC.

oh my poor, hopeless romantic, second chance romance loving heart, BE STILL! 🥺
i am such a sucker for second chance romances, something about them will just do it for me every. single. time!! give me second chance romances all day, every day!! 💖

it was so heartwarming to see wes & liz a couple of years later but god did my heart BREAK learning about wes & the effect his trauma had on both himself & his relationship with liz. his life since BTTM absolutely crushed my soul in the worst way possible, my heart ached for him🥺

the pining, the fierce want to reclaim his love, the jealousy!! all of it had me SWOONING and melting into a puddle. we all need to find someone that loves just as deeply as wes loves liz! his sheer determination to win her back was enough make me literally fan girl over him!! 🥹

liz.. god, liz. reading her pov made my heart hurt because realising just how much the breakup impacted her to the point where she changed WHO she was made me so sad. i missed the hopeless romantic version of her from BTTM who would’ve swooned and giggled over wes’ determination and romantic gestures but it was so important to realise that pain can change people🥺

i absolutely love the way lynn handled the sensitive topics in the book; the raw, guttural emotions that come with the grief of losing someone close to your heart, the aching pain that lives within you when you lose a part of your heart..

"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 of you. i know those feelings are probably too big and too scary and put way too much pressure on you, and i'm sorry for that. truly. but it's the way i feel. the way i've always felt." ❤️‍🩹

(a huge thank you to netgalley & simon&schuster for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! 💜)

The sequel to Better Than the Movies is upon us and I'm left feeling like I've been forced to watch Ghost on repeat.

Take that as you wish, but if Lynn Painter can bring in quotes from movies throughout the decades; I can mention the one that broke me. Because that's exactly what happened to me when I was reading Nothing Like the Movies. I knew from the synopsis this was going to be a lot harder on my heart but Oh My God, I was hurting so much.

We're in LA for book two, as Wes and Liz have made it to UCLA and we've jumped forward a couple of years which did throw me at first but it does make sense for what will unfold - namely Liz and Wes have broken up (I promise it's not a spoiler.) I like seeing how Liz especially, has grown as a person over our absence from her life and we witness how there's a conflict between the lover of love Little Liz and the realities of growing up. Something we all go through if we've found ourselves swept away by the romance of the movies.

Wes too has changed dramatically - but I'm sworn to secrecy because I'm not confessing spoilers to you. Just be warned, our sunshine isn't so bright and carefree anymore.

For the lover of tropes, Painter has given us many in Nothing Like the Movies, with fake dating, second chance romance, and miscommunication so be warned lover of love that you may be? You're going for be screaming at the page just like you did when watching Notting Hill and you wanted Hugh Grant to open his bloody eyes when Julia Roberts uttered those wonderful lines of being Just A Girl…

I devoured this book, and cried several times, as well as laughed along the way. Liz and Wes are adorable, they don't deserve Painter's playing with their happiness in book two, however it does bring the drama every movie from Hallmark to MGM brings us.

I do need to raise one thing that lets this book down for me - there's an incredible lack of insight into the need for support for someone struggling with their mental health and addiction. Yes, this gets a lot darker than BTTM, and this needs highlighting.. I got extremely frustrated that you see a teen really struggle with no one there to just listen for starters. Painter had an opportunity for highlighting the necessity of healing with help and recognising that mental health is an issue for men as well as other genders as it is still frowned upon to ask for help if you're a guy.

(Also ouch to how bright the cover is - I love purple but Lordy that's as blinding as the yellow of book one.)

This book was everything I hoped it would be! I can't put into words how excited I was to jump back into Liz and Wes's lives, or how much I enjoyed discovering these two as adults now that they're at college and have been through some hard times. I loved to see how their characters changed, and how they'd reacted to different events in their lives. Seeing Liz as a cynic with a bold attitude and an aversion to romance, and Wes so thoroughly obsessed with her whilst also having the college experience he deserved this time round. With a good dose of forced proximity, this second chance romance unfolds really authentically and I fell in love with Liz and Wes's relationship all over again. It's certainly a slow burn, and covers some tough subjects and complex emotions, but it also brings fuzzy feelings and chemistry. I did feel as though Wes didn't have enough respect for how much his actions had hurt Liz and I would have liked to see them delve into that a little more than they did but otherwise I just couldn't get enough of this book, the characters, and the romance. Plus I adore pop culture references and so many of the movie quotes were ones where I could picture the exact scene unfolding in my mind as I read, which made me feel like I was cool (lol) so bonus points.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Lynn Painter has once again written a true love letter to all Rom-Com lovers. Whilst paving her way forward as a great in the romance genre, she never fails to acknowledge all of the greats that have come before. Better Than the Movies is such a universally loved book and this sequel certainly goes above and beyond.

Nothing Like the Movies holds a slight maturity to it that better than the movies didn’t necessarily hold, only feeling natural as wes and liz have both grown greatly since we last saw them a few years ago. yet the palpable connection established between these two lovable characters remains true.

The moment this book came into my email i was jumping around with glee ! Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon & Schuster <3

And of course, huge thanks to Lynn Painter for writing a book that brought me such pure joy !!

As each chapter begins with a different quote from a different Rom-com, I’ll finish this review with my favourite Rom-com quote:
"The truth is I now don't travel back at all, not even for the day. I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life." -About Time (although I think this being a Rom-Com should be revised- it’s so sad!)

Out now!! Don’t forget your very important trip to the book shop to purchase a very important book :)

p.s. Once you finish this book you are going to want to skip down the road listening to unwritten...

* Started with Wes' POV (sucker for MMC's POVs)
* So when I read Better Than The Movies I really really like Liz, like you know being a highschool kid you can see how her POVs are but now that she was in college idk maybe her POVs kinda look immature for her? (not saying I'm mature but yeah) also there were some "Gaaaaaah" and I was like "Is it necessary?"
* I also said that I am a sucker for MMC's POVs, at first I thought this was gonna be like focusing on Wes' POVs but it was a dual POV and idk maybe it'll be better if this book was all Wes' POV then we got Liz' POV on the latter part of the book.
* In all fairness, this book was an easy read - not dragging or boring.
* Their date was cute but why is Liz so hard to get? I mean, our boy Wes told his feelings and all and she did ignore him. I just don't like that part. I am literally hating Liz on this book tbh.
* Conclusion : Some books are better left standalone.

First of all, thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so unbelievably excited for this book that I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the email. However, because of that, I'm so incredibly torn about it.
I absolutely loved BTTM, and Wes and Liz were everything to me, but with it being so long since I read it and how different the characters felt, it was hard to remember why. Don't get me wrong! There were still moments between them that had me smiling like an idiot and the book did make me feel all the feels throughout (literally during the first chapter I both cried with happiness/ how cute they were and then cried out of anger/ hurt. It was a rollercoaster, lol). Because of that, it is only fair that I give the book a three star or higher, and I did enjoy it for the most part, but it just felt a little unnecessary.🤷‍♀️
Also, not to spoil or anything, but she never told him that that thing she said, that happened for literally half of the book, was a lie???? Like, did I miss that? Or did she never tell him? Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it was a plot hole. Maybe it doesn't matter. It's just something I kept wondering when he was going to find out.
That being said, there were some cute/funny moments, the ending was okay, and I do love the characters and the writing, so all in all, it was a good read. Unnecessary, but good. Thanks again to the publisher.

I’m so sad that this was not for me. I enjoyed the first one but found myself trudging through this one. I definitely would just read the first one. I felt it didn’t really need this book.

I didn’t think BTTM needed a continuation, but I loved how Nothing Like the Movies was executed. It captures a different vibe, showing Liz and Wes growing and evolving as they navigate university life and personal challenges. The dual POV lets you connect deeply with both characters, and the portrayal of grief felt authentic.. I couldn’t put this book down, because of how much I missed Wes & Liz! It was great to see more of Wes’ family and the dynamics with both new and returning side characters. While I loved their journey, I do wish there had been a bit more of their happy moments together. Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

If Better Than the Movies was a cheesy teenage drama full of angst, Nothing Like the Movies was a more grown up (but still cheesy and YA) version. The characters were more mature but still retained the banter that was so enjoyable in book one.

Liz still annoyed me at times and Wes was giving off stalker vibes on occasion but as far as YA second chance romances go, it was an entertaining read. If nothing else, it was worth reading for the Wes/flowers/balcony scene alone which had me laughing out loud!

Nothing Like the Movies was a fun read with plenty of rom-com film and soundtrack references that made me laugh and kept me entertained, how can I not be happy with that!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster UK Children’s, for my early copy.

Silly little love lover

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter is a solid 4-star sequel, and honestly, it’s so good to be back with Wes and Liz!

Wes is out here trying to win back his girl, Liz, after totally blowing it. He’s got this full-on rom-com plan—grand gestures, movie moments, all the clichés she loves. But the catch? Liz is not having it. She’s moved on, or at least she’s trying, and Wes has to fight for every second of her attention. And oh, there’s a new guy friend in the mix, too, which only cranks up the tension.

What I loved: Wes is totally relatable here. He’s a mess, trying way too hard, but you can tell his heart is in the right place. His schemes are adorable, even when they don’t work out, and the whole second-chance romance is done really well. There’s definitely angst—Wes knows he messed up and spends most of the book trying to fix it, while Liz is protecting herself from getting hurt again. Painter gives us all the feels with their emotional journey.

Now, the miscommunication trope usually drives me nuts, but here it worked because it’s what the story needed. Without it, we wouldn’t get Wes’s growth or Liz’s journey toward figuring out what she truly wants. But still, I spent half the book like, “Come on, just talk to each other!” That being said, the payoff is worth it.

The only reason it’s not a 5-star for me is that I wanted more moments where they really connected, so their happily ever after could have been a bit longer. Still, their chemistry? On point. I was rooting for them the whole time.

If you loved Better Than the Movies, you’ll enjoy this sequel. It’s got the same charm, humour, and swoon-worthy moments, with a little extra heartache thrown in. Plus, Wes is giving serious rom-com hero energy, even when his plans go hilariously wrong.

thank you to Netgalley and Simon&Schuster for the ARC of my dreams

BTTM is one of my comfort books so I was over the moon when Lynn Painter announced the sequel and now I can’t believe I’ve read it???

I loved having both Wes and Liz POVs in this book, it definitely worked well with the more angsty vibes. The quote choices were excellent (two Hunger Games quotes in there which I LOVED) and the playlist is chefs kiss

2 stars

I didn't love BTTM, but I thought it was a very sweet coming of age read with an absolutely adorable romance... this? This wasn't it.
What's up with Wes becoming an absolute trash and Liz after everything she grew in the previous book, became a whiny immature girl? These two can't possibly be the same characters?
I don't know what happened, but these felt like totally different characters, and I wasn't happy reading this. This is a shame because I was truly excited about going back to see how much they grew up.
I'm very disappointed.