Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Hi, I’m Advik. I’m a rising junior and I love to read and watch TV in my free time.
Better Than the Movies is a YA romantic comedy written by Lynn Painter. The novel revolves around the life of Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic who has been longing for her perfect love story ever since she started watching rom-coms. Liz believes she already knows what her perfect romance will look like and is convinced she can make it happen.
The story starts when Liz tries to win over her longtime crush, Michael, who has returned to their town. To get closer to him, she reluctantly teams up with her next-door neighbor, Wes Bennett. Wes’ teasing and careless attitude often gets on her nerves, but since he is friends with Michael, she has to tolerate him. The more Liz gets used to Wes, the more she begins to realize that real life doesn’t always follow the perfect script she fantasized about. In my opinion, this book explores friendship, family, and first love while keeping readers invested in Liz’s journey from beginning to end.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The witty dialogue, likeable characters, and the light-hearted comedy made it an amazing reading experience. The friendly-fire banter between Liz and Wes was my absolute favorite, and I think it’s the strongest part of the book. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of romance and contemporary fiction, as well as those looking for a feel-good read. Readers who enjoy the romance genre and rom-coms would find this book impossible to put down.
