Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Better Than the Movies

Unfortunately, this book was not for me, but I'm rating it slightly higher than I would otherwise because the references to all my favorite rom-coms was such catnip for me. That and the authentic portrayal of grief were the real bright spots of this book. On the other hand, I felt the characterizations were flat, with no real evidence for traits that were claimed but never shown.

For example, nearing the end of the book, Liz tells Joss that she didn't tell her the truth because Joss is "judgmental," despite no examples of this in the prior 80% of the book. Bothersome.

The plot and particular plot points were also eerily similar to The Duff. I've only seen the movie adaptation, not read the book, but I was distracted the whole way through by similarities that I didn't feel comfortable just ascribing to the genre as a whole ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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maggiestraveledbookshelf's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“And when she died, my mother bequeathed to me her unwavering belief in happily ever after. My inheritance was the knowledge that love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🫑 (Kissing-Only)

This was such a sweet YA romance!

𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:

🤍 High School Romance

🏠 Boy Next Door

❤️‍🩹 Dealing with Grief (loss of parent)

🎬 Ode to Rom-Com Movies

🫶🏼 Fake Dating

This reminded me of some other high school fictional stories that I love - To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and One Tree Hill (specifically Peyton Sawyer).

There were so many sweet scenes, and the MMC (Wes) was insanely charming and lovable. I absolutely loved him!

I got pretty frustrated with the FMC (Liz) and how she acted towards certain people. However, it’s forgivable because I know it was grief-driven.

Also, I loved the rom-com quote chapter openers and all of the music references!

Overall, if you’re in the mood for a sweet YA romance, I recommend this book!

✨ Read via Libby ✨

Content Warnings

karalyndawn's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I’ll start off with saying I wasn’t the right audience for this one. It was too cheesy and YA for me. I almost DNF’d but the reviews kept me going and in the end I just didn’t get what the hype was about. Michael gave me the ick and Wes was portrayed as too perfect for a high school boy. Liz was whiny and I just couldn’t relate at all. And it was sooooo predictable. Yawn. I choose this book solely on the cover and it steered me wrong lol.

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jlothian's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bookgirlieee's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It took me a little while to get into but after a few chapters, I was hooked and invested! Although predictable as the quintessential rom com, the predictability was part of the charm as a romantic novel. I can't wait for the sequel!

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nyxeira's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

my_personal_escape's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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