Quick Thoughts: Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Better Than the Movies

by Lynn Painter

May 4, 2021

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

After seeing so many glowing reviews for Better Than the Movies I desperately wanted to read it. However, I was very nervous it wouldn't live up to the hype for me so I put it off. Having finally read it, I am so in love with the main characters and their enemies-to-lovers relationship~~

What I Liked:

- the warm and happy tone to the story

- Liz is adorably spunky and full of personality

- the emotional depth of Liz's feelings for her late mom and stepmother

- the natural and easy banter between Liz and Wes

- the open discussion of romance ideals and tropes

- so many delightfully hilarious moments (mostly courtesy of Liz XD)

- the playful but also thoughtful Wes

- the swoonworthy kisses

- the cutest grand gesture

- a fun and supportive cast of characters

The Not So Much:

- the sort of love triangle was a teeny bit annoying cause I wanted Liz and Wes all the time :P

"Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have." (p. 325)