tl;dr enemies to allies to lovers & fake dating. what more could you want?
Premise
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.
Rating
5/5 stars
Review
Such a cute, swoon-worthy read! I loved all of the rom-com references (especially the quotes at the beginning of each chapter; I thought those were very fitting), and I fell for all of the characters. This book reminds me of Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon and The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, both of which I really liked, so of course, I loved this book from the first page.
Better Than the Movies follows Liz, who tries to get with her childhood crush, Michael, after he moves back into town. However, the only way she can think of to get Michael to notice her is to work with Wes, the annoying boy next door. But, the more time she spends with Wes, the more Liz realizes he's not the obnoxious neighbor she thought he was.
This book has an enemies to allies to lovers romance, fake dating, the boy-next-door trope, and a little bit of a love square. I was smiling the entire time while I was reading, and I think I fell a little bit (or a lot) in love with Wes. He's your classic sarcastic, slightly dark and brooding love interest who's also thoughtful, understanding, and loyal. He's so unbelievably romantic it kind of hurts. And yes, I adore him just like I adore Neil McNair from Today Tonight Tomorrow. Currently wishing for one of my own.
I really liked Liz as a narrator because although she has that "not like other girls" quality about her, she learns to embrace her teenage years by the end of the novel and I found her very relatable. She reminds me of a combination of Rowan from Today Tonight Tomorrow and Lara Jean from To All the Boys I Loved Before, who are two of my favorite main characters. I think Liz and I deal with our emotions in a similar way, and I found it interesting to see her development, specifically regarding her grief and how that affected her relationships with the people around her. I also really enjoyed seeing her realize that even if someone is perfect on paper, they might not be right for you.
My only criticism would be that it is reminiscent of other YA contemporaries and thus kind of predictable, but I didn't mind it that much because I still connected to the characters and was engaged throughout the story.
Other Info
Standalone
14+
CW: death of loved one (in the past)
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Movies-Lynn-Painter/dp/1534467629
Would I Recommend?
Yes!
Similar Books
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
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