Nothing Like The Movies

When I heard there was a sequel to Better Than The Movies I was excited and bought it. I enjoyed the first book's banter and pop culture references. After languishing on my bookshelf for six months, I finally read Nothing Like The Movies.

And I finished it disappointed. It felt like Liz and Wes were unrecognizable from the first book. Granted, they've each been through a lot, but they were completely different! I missed Liz's quirky personality, Wes' humour and sweetness and the easy banter between them. Instead, we got a forced break-up that was angsty and left me thinking they should be apart. Not a good sign for a RomCom.

Ok, so there were some good flirty bits in the second half, but for most of the book there is no romance and not much of a spark between them. All we see is the two of them floundering as adults, and a crap tonne of miscommunication that frustratingly kept Liz and Wes from simply talking about their break-up and moving on. 

My expectations for this book were high for this highly anticipated book. Unfortunately, I thought Nothing Like The Movies was nothing like Better Than The Movies and I was left disappointed, frustrated and can't help feeling that Better Than The Movies didn't need a sequel. 

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: Romance

Series: Better Than The Movies 2

Type and Source: Trade paperback, personal copy

Publisher: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers

First Published: October 1, 2024

Read: March 25, 31, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.

For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.

Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.

Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.

Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.