A review by dramagirl2003
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

this was just as good as BTTM, if not better! i liked the university setting, which is unusual in YA books. i am a total lynn painter fan now, there’s just something about the way she writes. next up, Betting On You!
age rating — 15+

thoughts while reading

p2: the way my jaw just dropped!
wes’ dad dying
was the last thing i expected to happen! and they split up because of it?? surely the hope would be that would draw them closer together
p8: why, bennett? she was perfect for you and would’ve helped you through it. why would you push her away 💔
p15: spoiler alert, liz: you do know that guy
p17: ha! she’s gonna have to record wes
p49: dear God, you broke her wes
p51: anyone who knows the colour-coding of my (hypothetical) book annotations is my friend for life
p54: oh liz, not this again 😂
p57: yeah the line between hate and love is very thin
p64: 😧 you believed that? come on wes, this is exactly what y’all did two years ago
p68: you sound just like my brother. we are not in your business, we’re actually interested in your life, unlike you. quite frankly we’re probably keeping you alive too
p71: SEE that was a FANTASTIC suggestion! another reason why we “get in your business.” you can’t be trusted to make good decisions. at the very least, you owe liz a tremendous apology for pushing her away
p72: yeah ok you might have a point actually
p99: i’d be pissed too, talking trauma is a decision only the person themselves can make, not a marketing strategy
p141: ashley had nothing to do with it girl
p148: oh wes you idiot 😭

I had zero interest in him, but objectively speaking, he looked like baseball perfection.
just you keep telling yourself that

It'd been better than the movies, I swear to God.

She was mine first.

p216: the way i just had to immediately flick back to the prologue to find out when this happened, but it’s not on-page
p219: they are exes
p274: clark
& sarah are totally into each other
so that’s definitely another reason for the fake-dating to stop
p275: lemon cake cameo 🍋
p276: good effort sarah, appreciate the support
p313: excuse me ☝🏻 hundreds of flowers??
p318: pressure washer?? i’m cackling 🤣
p320: GUYS. this is gonna be an uno reverse where
liz sees the damage and realises
🤭

"I just hope that guy learned his lesson before someone gets hurt."
"Y'know, I don't think he gives a shit, Lib, because everyone's already been hurt. He's got nothing to lose and everything he's always wanted to gain, so you should probably brace yourself."

p344: leo did what?? fed the raccoons?? 🦝
p349: the fact that wes
found liz’s costume instantly
🤙🏻

That kiss, God help me, had been the one that lets you know the characters are finally going to end up together.
kinda messing with the fourth wall here 😏

p375: this is where you pull the “guess where i’m taking you” card and do whatever she says
p398: cue “i love you, i’m sorry” by gracie adams
Expand filter menu Content Warnings