gcoulsxn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident
lexie_edmunds's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent
velsbooknook's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
5.0
This book was so stinkin cute, I had the best time reading it! I had some trouble concentrating on sitting down and reading recently so I listened to the audiobook and I devoured this book.
The story is about Liz who has been in love with Michael for a very long time. He did not really notice her before but now that he moved back to Liz's town she is determined to win his heart. She even asks her annoying neighbour Wes for help.
Following Liz on her journey to win her crush's heart was so fun! I also really enjoyed all the romantic comedy references and the importance and comfort they had on Liz.
Liz and Wes had such a beautiful dynamic and I loved their deep talks about their lives and feelings.
Helena probably was my favourite character and I was so sad at one moment in the book I just wanted to hug her. She was such a sweet person!
Better Than The Movies definitely is better than all the romcoms I've seen so far and I had a blast reading it. A very comforting and beautiful book.
Perfect for everyone who enjoys a highschool setting, enemies to lovers, movie references and a clean and sweet teenage love.
The story is about Liz who has been in love with Michael for a very long time. He did not really notice her before but now that he moved back to Liz's town she is determined to win his heart. She even asks her annoying neighbour Wes for help.
Following Liz on her journey to win her crush's heart was so fun! I also really enjoyed all the romantic comedy references and the importance and comfort they had on Liz.
Liz and Wes had such a beautiful dynamic and I loved their deep talks about their lives and feelings.
Helena probably was my favourite character and I was so sad at one moment in the book I just wanted to hug her. She was such a sweet person!
Better Than The Movies definitely is better than all the romcoms I've seen so far and I had a blast reading it. A very comforting and beautiful book.
Perfect for everyone who enjoys a highschool setting, enemies to lovers, movie references and a clean and sweet teenage love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Vomit, and Grief
ellielot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Wes is so swoony I need him in my life
Sometimes I didn’t agree with Liz but we had similar traits
Sometimes I didn’t agree with Liz but we had similar traits
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity
writeradricarolynn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Car accident
Minor: Death of parent
laraty_'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2☆
I had my expectations too high when I saw all the good reviews and the hype around this book. It was a nice read, but nothing special like I was expecting.
~not spoiler-free~
My main problem was with Liz, the main character, who annoyed me throughout the whole book. The way she chased after Micheal senselessly, without even actually liking him, pissed me off. And the way she acted like a 12 year old having her first crush around Micheal, especially at the beginning of the book… God, I had to stop reading and take a break because I wanted to gauge my eyes out while reading some of those scenes. Also the plan she made to make him fall for her… Who would look at the girl their close friend is into and think “I want to date her.”? It made no sense to me. It felt like the author wanted to involve the fake-dating trope in the book, but it didn’t really work out.
One of the other things that put me off the most was her miscommunication towards everyone around her. She lies about anything, be it small or big, and it’s infuriating. Especially how she treats Joss like half the book. If she is her best friend maybe they should be able to talk about things they feel bad about, right? But no, of course not. Liz just ignores her, continuously puts off their plans, and lies to her about everything instead of just talking to her about what’s going on. I really wanted her to sit down and talk to people about her problems instead of just bottling them up. I know the reason for her actions is that she is just a teenager who is grieving her mom, but I feel like she desperately needed a therapist, because at the end when she actually opened up about her mom and her feelings, she started to get a lot more tolerable.
Well, despite everything, Wes became the sole reason I didn’t drop this book halfway. Because even though I hated Liz, I loved her chemistry with Wes. Their banter was very fun to read with cute inside jokes and a comfortable vibe. I loved how Liz could be herself around him without being very awkward like she was with Micheal. She didn’t have to try too hard to change anything nor do anything different because Wes loved everything about her.
“You look best when you’re you.”
That line was everything. I loved the way Wes treated her, I loved the way he talked to her, I loved the way he knew her so well despite them not getting along at all until a few months ago, I loved that the parking war started just because he needed an excuse to talk to her. However, I hated how Liz treated Wes like he was still the kid that bullied her years ago, and did not try to get to know who he had become, despite her being annoyed at Micheal for doing the same to her.
Everything Wes did really made me root for them, but after a while, I started to feel like Wes deserved better. I probably would not think this way, I probably would even raise my rating if they started dating after their first kiss, but no! It had to get dragged on and on, and Liz just couldn’t make up her mind. I was wishing for a fluffy romance between Liz and Wes, but until towards the end, she just couldn’t let go of Michael.
The premise of the book was so fun, the enemies to lovers trope was well-written, and I deeply enjoyed Liz's hobby of making soundtracks. It was very cute. I adored Liz and Wes's scenes together, but unfortunately Liz alone was insufferable to me. So, I enjoyed some parts, hated the others. In the end, I really wanted to like this book, but Liz made it quite hard.
I had my expectations too high when I saw all the good reviews and the hype around this book. It was a nice read, but nothing special like I was expecting.
~not spoiler-free~
My main problem was with Liz, the main character, who annoyed me throughout the whole book. The way she chased after Micheal senselessly, without even actually liking him, pissed me off. And the way she acted like a 12 year old having her first crush around Micheal, especially at the beginning of the book… God, I had to stop reading and take a break because I wanted to gauge my eyes out while reading some of those scenes. Also the plan she made to make him fall for her… Who would look at the girl their close friend is into and think “I want to date her.”? It made no sense to me. It felt like the author wanted to involve the fake-dating trope in the book, but it didn’t really work out.
One of the other things that put me off the most was her miscommunication towards everyone around her. She lies about anything, be it small or big, and it’s infuriating. Especially how she treats Joss like half the book. If she is her best friend maybe they should be able to talk about things they feel bad about, right? But no, of course not. Liz just ignores her, continuously puts off their plans, and lies to her about everything instead of just talking to her about what’s going on. I really wanted her to sit down and talk to people about her problems instead of just bottling them up. I know the reason for her actions is that she is just a teenager who is grieving her mom, but I feel like she desperately needed a therapist, because at the end when she actually opened up about her mom and her feelings, she started to get a lot more tolerable.
Well, despite everything, Wes became the sole reason I didn’t drop this book halfway. Because even though I hated Liz, I loved her chemistry with Wes. Their banter was very fun to read with cute inside jokes and a comfortable vibe. I loved how Liz could be herself around him without being very awkward like she was with Micheal. She didn’t have to try too hard to change anything nor do anything different because Wes loved everything about her.
“You look best when you’re you.”
That line was everything. I loved the way Wes treated her, I loved the way he talked to her, I loved the way he knew her so well despite them not getting along at all until a few months ago, I loved that the parking war started just because he needed an excuse to talk to her. However, I hated how Liz treated Wes like he was still the kid that bullied her years ago, and did not try to get to know who he had become, despite her being annoyed at Micheal for doing the same to her.
Everything Wes did really made me root for them, but after a while, I started to feel like Wes deserved better. I probably would not think this way, I probably would even raise my rating if they started dating after their first kiss, but no! It had to get dragged on and on, and Liz just couldn’t make up her mind. I was wishing for a fluffy romance between Liz and Wes, but until towards the end, she just couldn’t let go of Michael.
The premise of the book was so fun, the enemies to lovers trope was well-written, and I deeply enjoyed Liz's hobby of making soundtracks. It was very cute. I adored Liz and Wes's scenes together, but unfortunately Liz alone was insufferable to me. So, I enjoyed some parts, hated the others. In the end, I really wanted to like this book, but Liz made it quite hard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
fairyinpages's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
this is such a comfort read. i just really wish liz would have figured out earlier that she was supposed to be with wes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Car accident
danaegg's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
at first i thought liz was really annoying and because i thought the same about the do-over, i was kinda just ready to accept that lynn painter's books aren't for me (or that i've aged out of this kind of book) but then as she started not caring so much about living her life a certain way, the book and character got easier to digest. and then it was super cute!!! even though i thought she was annoying, it was believable how all of her worries had effects all of the issues in her life, it felt believable and made me sympathetic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol
babsi_222's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spoilers!!!
I‘m so glad that I finally read this book because lynn painter really made this book captivating and I read it SOO fast. (I mean I did read it on a flight too)
The plot lines (with the love interest and the conflict with her best friend) were very predictable but I still liked the love ending/plot
I live Wes he’s so amazing in all of the situations!! He also was soooo right about Liz’s mom.
There were some small plot lines or situations that were confusing and kind of plot holes
For example: did Liz ever tell her dad & stepmom about the car accident??????? If she did why isn’t that in the book?? I would’ve put that in the book because of her dads reaction (bc of her moms death!) and him maybe blaming Wes and forbidding Liz to see him? Also did she tell her bff? I think you would put that in the book
I don’t believe that liz suddenly ‘likes’ Laney and wants her and Michael together.
But Liz: I can’t with all the lying. That’s the only thing I can say because Maditales said everything i want to say in her Goodreads review
I‘m so glad that I finally read this book because lynn painter really made this book captivating and I read it SOO fast. (I mean I did read it on a flight too)
The plot lines (with the love interest and the conflict with her best friend) were very predictable but I still liked the love ending/plot
I live Wes he’s so amazing in all of the situations!! He also was soooo right about Liz’s mom.
There were some small plot lines or situations that were confusing and kind of plot holes
For example: did Liz ever tell her dad & stepmom about the car accident??????? If she did why isn’t that in the book?? I would’ve put that in the book because of her dads reaction (bc of her moms death!) and him maybe blaming Wes and forbidding Liz to see him? Also did she tell her bff? I think you would put that in the book
I don’t believe that liz suddenly ‘likes’ Laney and wants her and Michael together.
But Liz: I can’t with all the lying. That’s the only thing I can say because Maditales said everything i want to say in her Goodreads review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Car accident