A review by ishu_u
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

you know how some books absolutely do NOT need sequels? this was one of them. where am i supposed to start expressing my disappointment. better than the movies is one of my favorite romance books ever and this lowkey ruined it for me. i am going to pretend this book doesn't exist tbh 😭 bc it was literally so unnecessary. before it even came out, when i heard it was a "second-chance romance" i was already iffy about it. like, the wes ik would never break up with liz.
that boy was too madly in love with her to throw it all away over his own issues and then go as far as to say he cheated just so she'd leave him alone. he was actually the biggest dick in this book and it's casually brushed off like 'oh, i'm such a dick but i'm crazily obsessed and in love w liz so it's forgivable' no it's NOT. i love wes bennett w all my heart but reading this book actually made me dislike him. like, first of all, YOU were the one to mess things up and then you come back into her life and borderline harass her into getting back together with u. he didn't even respect that she had a new bf (nevermind that she was fake-dating clark, it's not like he knew).
and the 'new liz' shit honestly pissed me tf off 😭 do not talk to me about it being 'realistic' i don't care. i didn't come here for realistic. i literally read books to escape reality. i love liz buxbaum and wes bennett from better than the movies but them in this book? literally WHO are they. the only thing i liked was that there were some cute moments and obviously i think it's nice that wes is so obsessed with her
still, i really don't find what he did forgivable. and it just seems so out of character for wes. i tried to be sympathetic, but i just couldn't be.
and really, it didn't feel like anything was happening. this book is literally just if the miscommunication trope was a book 😭 kill me now. at least it lives up to it's title. "nothing like the movies" fuck yeah it isn't. for my sanity and bc i love better than the movies sm, i'm gonna pretend this book doesn't exist. oh, and the writing really sucked. it felt like i was reading fanfiction, not a published book.