Rating: ★★★★★
Liz Buxbaum is what some might call a hopeless romantic. An avid lover of romance movies, a shared favorite between her and her late mother, Liz is not so patiently awaiting the day she will meet her perfect guy, just like she and her mother always talked about.
When Michael Young, the boy she used to have a crush on in elementary school, moves back to town, Liz knows that she and Micheal are destined to be together. The only issue is that another girl at school, Lacey, has caught his eye. Desperate to make him see her as more than just the weird girl from elementary school, Liz teams up with her neighbor/enemy, the popular yet annoying Wes, to help Micheal see her in a romantic light.
But the more time Liz spends with Wes, the more she can't help but feel a connection with him, an appreciation of his presence she never thought possible. Is Micheal really Liz's perfect ending? Or will Wes change her idea of a picture-perfect love story?
I absolutely adored this novel! Honestly, I never thought I'd be much of a YA romance fan. I read one last year, and I couldn't get over the characters' immaturity and how each conflict felt ten times more melodramatic than it needed to be. But I loved how complex the characters in Better Than the Movies were and how I genuinely felt like I understood each character's actions and reactions.
My favorite character in this novel is Wes, a common belief shared among fans of this novel. I loved how he genuinely wanted Liz to be happy, and he definitely has the most swoon-worthy lines! I think most guys (especially high school guys) in the situation Liz ended up putting him in (I won't give too much away!) would've definitely been more upset and mistreated Liz, but he didn't do that and was very mature even though she hurt him.
I really came to understand Liz and her motivations for acting the way she did, even if I didn't agree with many of her choices. Her grief and struggles going through senior year without her mom colored a lot of her actions throughout the story.
Despite the theme of parent loss and dealing with grief, overall, Better Than the Movies is a light-hearted, fun, and swoon-worthy romantic comedy. I read it on the beach and devoured it in just two days. I gave it five stars primarily due to how brilliantly it was written in terms of characters, prose, and story ARC. Lynn Painter is SO talented, and I can't wait to read more from her. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun romance novel to brighten their spirits.
---
Thanks for reading, everyone! Be sure to check out the rest of my blog for more information on new books to read, and follow my social media for more bookish content.
Comentarios