A review by considerthelily
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.0

Such a sweet book! The main couple have a lot of chemistry that goes far beyond “we hate each other but he’s hot.” I also felt that the main character had a really satisfying arc of dealing with her grief and realizing how she had been in the wrong. Funny, and I *love* the dialogue. Super enjoyable. 

Small critique: I find some of the more recent pop filter references, specifically the addition of song lyrics, was kind of off-putting. 

Bigger critique, which is why I didn’t rate the book higher: I feel the story really loses a lot of steam after
the first kiss. The scene in the living room at the movie night had so much tension, but the final 30% of the book moves a lot more slowly because the conflicts feel contrived. I mostly stuck around because I was so invested in Wes and Liz


I will also note that if you hate the
miscommunication
trope, this is not going to be the book for you. It ends up driving some plot elements at the end. It’s not a trope I mind too terribly, but if you hate this trope with your whole heart this book is probably not going to be a good fit.

I also recommend this for people who want no-spice/closed door romance rec (I heard it recommended in a Hailey Pham video on no-spice romance books). There’s one kissing scene and a little bit of innuendo, but it’s a clean book on the whole 
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