Reviews with content warning for Blood - Lepiej niż w filmach

I've been curious about this author for quite some time now, but I wasn't quite sure if her books would be for me. I've been warned that her adult books are probably too steamy and to stick with her YA books, and I'm having the feeling this advice hits the nail on the head. I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I can totally understand why Better Than The Movies is so popular. This is such a cute fake dating romance and basically an ode to romcoms, and I really enjoyed my time with this story. I loved the many romcom quotes at the beginning of the chapters as well as the references to movies and music in the story itself. They worked so well with the plot as well, and I liked the little something extra it added. I loved the whole enemies to lovers, childhood friends to lovers and fake dating elements this story had, although the love triangle vibe was a tad too strong for me. I like quirky and adorable characters, and both Wes and Liz fit the bill. I do have to say that I was a bit annoyed by Liz at times, and especially when it comes to how she treats the people close to her. I understand that she is still grieving her mother, but that doesn't really excuse just how bad she treats them at times. There were some other minor niggles that prevented me from giving it the full five stars, but I still very much enjoyed reading Better Than The Movies. I will be looking forward to the sequel coming out next year!

Content Warnings

poppyharv's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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brooklyntaylor's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

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katierosecrane's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s predictable but it’s adorable.

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serendipity421's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.0

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cepbreed's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

I couldn’t put this down. I put some Taylor Swift on my speakers and tucked in for the long haul. As cringey as it gets Liz and Wes are so overwhelmingly adorable. I absolutely loved their dynamic. Don’t even get me taking about THAT car scene. Please. I was holding my breath so hard I nearly suffocated to death all by myself. I seriously need to get a grip on myself because at my grown age I shouldn’t be kicking my feet when two fictional people as much as talk to one another. I can watch a horror movie in an empty house without blinking but set a rom com in front of me and suddenly I have to take breaks because it’s too much. AH I just love love.

At the same time Liz as a character annoyed me. She constantly emphasizes how different she is from the “popular” crowd in order to seem unique and relatable. I’m tired of this type of female lead but it happens so often it’s disheartening. It makes sense that authors infuse bits of themselves into their characters but from what I’ve seen that means all authors are unpopular weirdos and I really hope that’s not the case. Plus there’s no reason for all leads to be bookish introverts. Liz is embarrassing, she lies for no reason and acts in ways no normal human being would. I literally had to close the book and take a second because the cringe was too much.

Random coincidence but the two short stories she mentioned on page 176 were also assigned to me senior year and I had to choose from those plus a couple others to write a paper on. Of course I went with my girl Kate Chopin.

Songs: (they’re just so Taylor Swift coded, specifically Lover)

Movies - Conan Gray
Daylight - Taylor Swift (“I once believed love would be black and white / But it’s golden”)
Afterglow - Taylor Swift (after Prom)
Satellite - Harry Styles (this is so Wessy)
Rear View - LANKS (this to the rain scene omfg, it embodies Liz’s perspective)

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rylin_marie's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this book is so good!!! i looove wes and the whole soundtrack thing is so fun! i absolutely loved this book

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mematilda's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Very very cute. The main character was only sometimes slightly annoying in her inner dialogue, but the romance was both adorable and earnest, which made me kick me feet a little

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