Book Review: Nothing Like the Movies

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and it was everything!

I’ve said this many times before but, Better than the Movies is one of my all-time favorite books. I ate it up when I read it last year and I have read all of Lynn’s bonus chapters, short stories, Wes POVs etc. So when she announced last year that she was writing a sequel, I was ecstatic!

When Better than the Movies ended, Wes Bennett and Liz Buxbaum were towards the end of their senior year of high school and it looked like they were going to head to UCLA together. Liz wanted to study music in films and Wes was being recruited for their baseball team since he is a star pitcher.

The novel picks up 2 years later and Wes and Liz have been broken up since the fall of their freshman year in college. As a diehard Liz and Wes fan, this devastated me, but believe me the story is so good. Shortly after college starts tragedy strikes in Wes’ family and he has to head home. It’s not long before the two break up and because Liz is so heartbroken she doesn’t go home for 2 years instead having her parents visit her in California. But now, Wes is getting his life back on track and he is back at UCLA, back on the baseball team, and eager to start college for real. But, the number one thing on his list? Win back Elizabeth Buxbaum.

This book was definitely more emotional than I was expecting. The first book had a few emotional parts i.e. Liz missing her mom, working through her conflicting feelings with her stepmom, etc. but it was also full of lightheartedness and so funny. There were still funny moments in this book and it is still a romcom, but because of the nature of Wes’ tragedy and everything he goes through, it was definitely more emotional and I found myself tearing up multiple times.

If you’re a fan of this couple like I am, believe me I know it hurts to think of them being broken up when the novel begins, but the journey they go through is worth it.

I also loved the little cameos of Charlie and Bailey from Betting On You since Charlie is Wes’ cousin and the mention of Nick Stark from The Do-Over! I wish Emilie was mentioned along with him, though maybe she was and I missed it. I do hope Lynn writes a book about Wes’ sister, Sarah, one day! And I think an adult romcom about Coach Ross and Lilith would be entertaining since there seemed to be something going on there!

I loved this second chance romance YA romcom, my “little love lovers”.