Title: Nothing Like the Movies
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 442
My Rating:
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Nothing Like the Movies
Wes and Liz had been dating for a few months when their lives were upended by tragedy. Both were in Los Angeles for their first year of college when Wes’s father passed away unexpectedly. Overwhelmed with guilt, Wes blamed himself for the loss.
After the funeral, he made the difficult decision to drop out of college to care for his mother and younger sister. In the process, he also ended things with Liz, believing it was the only right choice.
Now, two years later, Wes is in a much better place mentally and deeply regrets how he handled the breakup. He wants Liz back, but there’s one problem—he has no idea if she feels the same. For all he knows, she may have moved on. Still, Wes is determined. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win her back and prove that their love deserves a second chance.
Review
This book is the sequel to Better Than the Movies, a book I absolutely adored. I remember being completely hooked—it was one of those can’t-put-it-down reads. It also happened to be the first Lynn Painter book I ever read, and since then, I’ve read several of her other books. I loved everything about it, from the romance to the endless references to rom-coms. Naturally, I was excited to dive into the sequel… though I’ll admit I was a little cautious after hearing from others that it didn’t quite live up to expectations.
Now that I’ve read it, I have to agree—while it wasn’t the worst book, it didn’t capture the magic of the first one. I found myself constantly comparing the two, and since I loved the original so much, this one felt like a letdown.
Let’s start with the characters. Liz didn’t feel like the same person I came to love in the first book. Back then, she was a rom-com fanatic, but now, all her friends are calling her anti-romance. Was it because of the breakup? Maybe I missed something, but I didn’t feel like the book gave a clear explanation for her sudden change. On top of that, Liz came across as frustrating. One moment she seemed like she had feelings, the next she didn’t want him back, then suddenly she wanted to kiss him—only to flip again and start another fight.
Then there’s Wes. Unfortunately, he turned into a type of character I really dislike—the guy who doesn’t take “no” for an answer. He asked Liz out repeatedly, despite her saying “no” multiple times, and it felt like he kept pushing until she gave in. Honestly, it seemed like Liz agreed to go out with him because she was too tired to argue anymore. Let’s not forget, Wes was the one who broke her heart in the first place.
Another big issue for me was the lack of chemistry between Liz and Wes. In fact, the side characters, Clark and Sarah, had way more chemistry than the main couple, which was disappointing. The whole vibe of this book was just… off. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon with sequels. Sometimes the first book is so good that the follow-up can’t help but feel average in comparison.
Overall, I’d say it was an okay book, but it had a lot of moments that annoyed me. If you loved Better Than the Movies, just be prepared—you might not feel the same way about this one.