Review by mirandacasuga - Nothing Like the Movies (B&N Exclusive Edition)

mirandacasuga 's review for:

Nothing Like the Movies (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Lynn Painter

5.0

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

THAT BONUS CONTENT WAS CRAZY WORK. THIS WHOLE BOOK WAS CRAZY WORK. the first 100 pages had me raging but also anxious. that first night i couldn’t sleep because i was just so heartbroken that these characters had gone through so much, and that it had changed them so much. BUT I DIDNT EVEN KNOW THE HALF OF IT YET. I CRIED THREE TIMES THIS WHOLE BOOK. THATS CRAZY WORK. IT TAKES SO MUCH IN A BOOK TO MAKE ME CRY!!!! but this…was devastating. i’ll never get over it. i actually don’t think i’ll be able to reread this unless lynn gives them a happier third book. i’m petitioning for a happy holiday novella personally but, we already got december 16th or whatever date that was. ugh. this book was all the more heartbreaking because their actions are so reasonable from their perspectives, but so were their reactions to each others actions. this book made me homesick for everything, especially because i used to be such a liz, and i relate SO much to wes in a lot of these scenes. i have more thoughts but i’ll come back later. ALSO CHARLIE BUSHNELL DID A GREAT JOB ON THE AUDIOBOOK!!! the confession scene in chapters 28 and 29 which reminded me so much of that one scene in tsitp “I THOUGHT YOU KNEW!!” “FROM THAT MOMENT IN THE BEACH I THOUGHT UOU KNEW” “WHYD YOU THROW IT ALL AWAY. lynn wants me to suffer bad actually. it’s so crazy how lynn wrote perfectly how the death of wess dad impacted both of them, how liz became an antiromantic and wes isolated himself because he thought it was for the best. the emotional ruin made me feel like these characters went through war and back, yet she still made it feel like a romcom. this was such vile work. THIS BOOK IS SO PAINFUL I HATE IT BUT I LOVE IT. the way they are so mesmerized with each other makes butterflies barf in my stomach. this book had an entire playlist in my mind on loop. i found bits of them in every song i’ve ever heard. UGH AND THE BAILEY & CHARLIE MENTION????? MY BABIES!!!!! also randomly nick stark like what was bros place doing there and why was he being so elusive, like bro didn’t even show up on the page. sorry for rambling but this book just developed their characters so much, it felt so much more emotionally mature. i’m gonna cry brb. they’re so gracie abrams and noah kahan. i’m gonna cry. liz. grew. up. i wish we saw a scene where she got some of her old romantic traits back but i’m sure that those would come back in time. (but obviously less delusionally) i’d love to see her watch a romance flick or admit a daydream or wear a pastel because as much as she’s grown, little liz will ALWAYS live inside her. their changes were so real but so sad. “grief. for. the. boy. he’d. been. and. the. people. we’d. been. together.😭😭” HE. WAS. MY. BEST. FRIEND. AND. THAT. WAS. THE. WORST. PART. this book was even more depressing because i’m leaving claw marks in my life now and my life before, but liz is just pushing her past life away. i could never imagine that. OH MY GOD AND WES MOVING AWAY. HIS CHILDHOOD HOME GONE FOREVER. THE SECRET SPOT. JESUS. I PUKED. and all the 12:13s where he never turned off the alarm.😭😭😭😭😭😢😢(also i hate to say this but i hate the covers of lynn’s books😭😭😭. like i LOVE THE COLORS!! but the art style and layout..)

wes should’ve groveled more though.. tbh

Content Warnings