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

368 pages

Average rating: 7.88

396 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Kiarangelys888
May 02, 2025
6/10 stars
Cute high school rom com/ prom story. If you love this book I believe you’d love the movie the “The DUFF” they have very similar concepts. Enemies to lovers/ fake dating trope. I love that each chapter starts off with a quote from different rom com movies. “Be brave enough to be big.”
anna-reads
Apr 14, 2025
9/10 stars
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter was a popular choice for our book club this winter break with a rating of 10/10. Most members finished this in the span of 1-3 days. It is a very wholesome book that feels like a Rom Com in book form. To conclude, the title is fitting as the book truly is better than the movies.
mithula
Apr 09, 2025
8/10 stars
I like Wes Bennet. Period.
CharleyB
Mar 28, 2025
9/10 stars
his absolutely lived up to the hype. Enemies to lovers trope done in the best way. Highly recommend for our romance lovers. 9/10
Brunette
Mar 15, 2025
10/10 stars
Oh my goodness the best book I have ever read . This book will make u giggle under the bedsheet. Teenage romance and my fav part is not spicy.

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