“Love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it.”
Lynn Painter’s new novel, Better Than The Movies, introduces us to Liz Bauxbaum, a high school senior obsessed with rom-coms. She imagines her life playing out like one as much so that she even creates soundtracks to go with her experiences. She inherited this passion for rom-coms from her late mother with whom she used to watch all these films. What is Liz missing though? The love interest.
Her childhood crush, Michael, returns to town and she just knows he is the one. However, she can’t seem to find a way to get to him; that’s why she comes up with a plan to win his heart and get him to ask her out for prom. She asks her neighbour and childhood frenemy Wes to help her out in exchange for the good parking spot they’ve been fighting over for months. But noticing that Wes isn’t the annoying “bad boy” she had always thought he was was definitely not part of her plan. When prom is finally around the corner, Liz is very much confused as to who she really likes. Will her story become one worthy of the enemies-to-lovers trope that’s so popular in rom-coms or will she end up with her first crush? Well, you better pick this book up!
Better Than The Movies is a super cute YA contemporary novel and it’s light-hearted, fast to read, and addictive. It’s full of pop culture references (from Taylor Swift to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) as well as references to all the classic rom-coms (Bridget Jones, When Harry Met Sally, and more). It was interesting to see some of the schemes talked about in these films playing out in the book itself. That being said though, Better Than The Movies follows a typical YA romance structure and clichés are definitely there; so yes, there is nothing mind-blowing with the story but it is still a good and enjoyable read. The characters are funny, the banter they shared was well written and relatable, and the romance was sweet.
A strong point in the story is Liz’s grief, specifically her reticence to become close with her step-mother, Helena. She struggles to let her in because she does not want to replace her mum. It’s Liz’s senior year and whilst everyone is out there enjoying things for the last time with parents, she feels left out because she can’t experience those with her mother. Those conflicting feelings Liz felt were very realistic and emotional. On the other hand, Liz had a huge miscommunication problem which can be frustrating. Are teenagers like that? Yes. We’ve all probably behaved like that at some point to be honest so it’s understandable and relatable at times. It would have been great to have more background establishing the conflict between Liz and Joss, it lacks a bit of emotional impact because the reader does not get to know Joss very well. That being said, you can’t help but root for Liz and hope she finds her way and makes sense of her feelings. The love interests are also very charismatic and loveable.
All in all though, full of cute, funny, and endearing moments between the characters, Better Than The Movies is an adorable and entertaining read, so it’s perfect for rom-com lovers! Each chapter is introduced with a quote from a classic romance film and there is even a playlist at the end that goes with the story of the characters!
Better Than The Movies is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 4th, 2021.
Will you be picking up Better Than The Movies? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she 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 ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.
I’ll have to check it out! It sounds really good!