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Better Than the Movies

A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller

Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.

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.

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Published Jul 26, 2022

384 pages

Average rating: 7.87

434 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Orient
Sep 07, 2025
6/10 stars
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a fun and heartwarming young adult romance. It follows LIz, a girl who loves romantic comedies and thinks she knows what love should be like. But as she tries to win back her old crush, she learns that real love can be surprising and even better than in the movies. It's funny, sweet, and great for people who like lighthearted love stories.
literarily_occupied
Aug 12, 2025
8/10 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Missopalk
Jul 05, 2025
8/10 stars
Cute rom com story. Love Wessy!
allygilkey
Jun 03, 2025
7/10 stars
3.5
AnnaStone
May 21, 2025
10/10 stars
I read the book in one sitting because it was that good!

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