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. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome’s severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange.
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.
Better Than the Movies Book Review
There’s nothing better than a hilarious young adult rom-com. Better Than the Movies is all that and more — and is definitely one of my all-time favourite books.
Better Than the Movies follows Liz, who has a constant rivalry with her neighbour Wes. When senior year roles around, her childhood crush Michael moves back to town. To get Michael to ask her to prom, she needs Wes’ help.
There are so many things I love about this book. The characters are just fantastic — they’re fun and witty on their own, but together, they’re even better. Lynn Painter is fantastic at creating hilarious banter between her characters, and especially between Liz and Wes.
The romance in this book is incredibly sweet. There’s fake dating vibes and the constant rivalry between the characters definitely gives off some fun enemies-to-lovers vibes, too. The chemistry between Liz and Wes jumps off the pages and is so satisfying!
There’s also heartwarming and tender moments in this book. Liz has lost her mother, which lead to some emotional and heartfelt moments. Lynn does such a great job at integrating this grief into a romantic comedy and bringing depth to her characters.
Overall, Better Than the Movies is one of the best young adult romantic comedies I’ve read. It will forever be a favourite and I can see Lynn Painter making her way up my list of favourite authors. If you haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend you do!
Rating: ★★★★★
About the Author
Lynn Painter writes romantic comedies for both teens and adults. She is the author of Better Than The Movies and Mr. Wrong Number, as well as a regular contributor to the Omaha World-Herald. She lives in Nebraska with her husband and pack of wild children, and when she isn’t reading or writing, odds are good she’s guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms.
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