Book Review: Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
by The Book Pup on September 3 2025
Blurb for the book (on Goodreads):
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.
My Summary:
Liz Buxbaum is a HUGE romance lover who's been crushing on a boy, Michael Young, for years. When he moves back into town, she's set her mind to finally getting his attention and being his prom date.
To make this happen, she teams up with her annoying next-door neighbor, Wes Bennett, who happens to be Michael's best friend. What starts as a fake friendship to get closer to her dream guy turns into.... something much more complicated.
If you like rom-com movie references, unexpected turn of events, and some seriously swoony moments, this book is for you.
After all, sometimes the best love stories don't go according to plan.
My Review (Non-Spoiler)
I've seen this book everywhere, and honestly? The hype is real. This book blew me away. I got a lot more than just the regular back and forth romance between characters. I was expecting a slow-burn or a second chance romance, but I loved the turn of events that Lynn Painter included in the book.
It had many underlying tones of 'Go big or go home' and 'Just be you' vibes, and that was more than I had hoped for.
Liz, the hopeless romantic and main character of the book, quotes movies constantly, and while that could've been annoying, it somehow made the book incredibly more magical. She's not perfect and makes many mistakes in the book, and that's what makes her feel so real.
Wes, the sweet and funny bad boy of the book, shows love through actions rather than grand gestures. He's cute and popular but also the sweetest boy in the book.
What I absolutely loved was how the movie references were woven into the story. Even when you don't know or you haven't watched the actual movie, it never felt exclusionary.
The only thing that bothered me was how long it took Liz to realize what was right in front of her, but that's probably realistic when she has a whole vision of her perfect crush.
This book reminded me why I fell in love with romance in the first place. It's funny, heartwarming, and had me rooting for the characters from page one.
5/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
You can find the book on Goodreads here!
Spoiler Review (⚠️ Warning: this includes spoilers to those who haven't read Better than the Movies ⚠️)
I picked this up after seeing it everywhere. On Booktok, Pinterest, YouTube, and thought I should give it a go. I was actually very satisfied with the results.
What made this book so special was watching Liz's character growth in the story. It wasn't just about the romance but also about how she dealt with the death of her mom and how it affected her so much.
After Michael finally asks her to the prom and she said yes—that had me a little stressed. It was very inconvenient that as soon as Liz noticed how much she liked Wes, Michael decides to ask her in front of half the school. I was internally screaming at her to pick Wes.
Liz's realization felt earned. The way she finally sees Wes—really sees him—near the end of the book was perfect.
What pushed this to 5 🐾s instead of 4 was how authentic everything felt. Awkward moments, the way real attraction builds slowly, the messiness of her feelings, it felt so genuine and relatable. Plus, any book that makes me want to immediately start a rom-com marathon gets full marks.
5/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
You can find the book on Goodreads here!
Cheers, and thanks for reading!
The Book Pup