A review by life_full_ofbooks
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Romcoms are my favorite kind of movie and Lynn Painter did a fabulous job incorporating them into this YA romcom. 

Liz Buxbaum is a hopeless romantic. Her favorite movie is any romantic comedy and she’s trying to live her life according to an invisible script. Senior prom is quickly approaching and her old childhood crush, Michael, just moved back to town having moved away 8 years ago. She knows he’s who she is destined to be with and when she realizes that her next door neighbor and life long nemesis, Wes, is friendly with Michael, Liz bribes him to help get Michael to notice her. She knows this is who she’s meant to be with, so why is Wes suddenly taking up all of the room in her thoughts?

This romcom is so much fun! It’s filled with so many of the great (and maybe some not so great) tropes like enemies to lovers, the boy next door, and miscommunication (my least favorite). The characters are all complex and multilayered, thus making this book more deep than your typical romcom. 

I loved how each chapter started with a quote from a romcom movie and I really loved how Liz curated soundtracks for every event in her life, even the more mundane ones. This is the first book I’ve read by Lynn Painter but it certainly won’t be my last!