A review by laraty_
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
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