Better than the Movies

By: Lynn Painter

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller

Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.

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.

©2021 Lynn Painter (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE BEST ROMCOM & UNIQUE WRITING STYLE

Reading this book felt like I was sitting in my favorite movie theater in a reclined leather seat watching the cutest romantic comedy that made you laugh, pull at your heart strings, and want to slap sense into your best friend to focus on the cut boy next door you didn’t realize you needed in your life. LOVE WINS in the end but find out who with.

So cute!!!

Loved this book. The narrator did a great job (hate when they try to do country accents but it was too bad) really cute storyline. Ending felt a tad rushed, but I feel like most YA rom coms do. Definitely worth the read/listen!

older audience than advertised.

This is a super cute room com written as a young adult book. However readers should know it had language throughout including the f word, sexual innuendo, and teenage drinking. I wouldn't let my 14 year old read it.
That being said I enjoyed the story and thought it was well written.

Slay

I loved this it was sooooooooo good and it was slaying all day I listened to it in under a day

Highly recommended

Loved the book, perfect for any rom-com junkie and the male lead will make you swoon!

Adorable

Typical young storyline with the adorable ending i will forever love; even now in my 30s.
and the playlist is perfection, its on my spoyify account.

excited to try her other books.

The perfomers voice is also wonderful. Her voice is soft, and vivid; giving an opportunity for placement of characters in the movie you create in yOur own head while listening. Thats the most important part, in my opinion.

Highly recommended

I really like the way the author hints towards Lizz falling for Wes and then kinda makes her realize she likes him slowly through out the book but the down side is that I thought it was kind of predictable but overall pretty good

Fit for a strict school library

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were well developed. I did notice some contradictions in the storyline. But it was still very good.

Better than the movies review

I thought this book was great! I finished it in one sitting and I listened to it all day long. usually i really enjoy slow burns and I loved this one. it kept me entertained while I was listening. the only thing I did not like about this book was the use of pop culture and the presence of social media, because I love the timeless approach and I believe it makes the story flow smoother and more efficient.

Outstanding

I loved this book. It was just like a John Hughes movie. You won’t regret reading this.