Once Upon a Bibliophile

BOOK- Better than the Movies

AUTHOR- Lynn Painter

GENRE- romance, contemporary

RATING- 5/5

As with all books that get a lot of hype online, Better than the Movies has been popping up on my social media streams since…well forever really. As I pride myself as a reader who doesn’t choose books simply because they get attention online, I steadfastly ignored any online recs I got.

However, as easy as it is to ignore the opinions of strangers, I couldn’t ignore the excitement of a close friend.

So I read it.

And…I liked it.

PLOT

The boy next door is not movie romance material.

Wes has been irritating Liz since they were kids. But now it’s senior year and he’s made friends with Michael, her forever crush. Her annoying neighbour is her ticket to scoring the prom date of her dreams.

Scheming together to win Liz her magical moment, they discover they actually like spending time together. As they grow closer, will Liz need to rethink her Happily Ever After?

…

I guess that, when I read the blurb online, I assumed that this would be just another grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance. And, though that is exactly what Better than the Movies is, I think I overlooked the fact that sometimes you need a grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-lovers in your life.

I really, really enjoyed reading Better than the Movies. It’s the first time in a while that I read an entire book in one day (though that may be my fault for deciding to read 875-page Hilary Mantel novels). And while I lament the fact that I didn’t notice that this book has a playlist that I could have listened to while reading, I wouldn’t change one thing about it.

I’m not a huge rom-com fan. If I do choose to watch a film (I’m more of a series person. Or a book person), I tend to go for a fantasy, or a Marvel with my brother. Because of this, a lot of the references that made this book what it is where wasted on me, but then again, I spend too much time under a rock reading fantasy to get many references in contemporary novels so that’s nothing new.

However, I didn’t need to like the same films to be able to relate to Liz’s desperation to find her HEA. I’ve been waiting for my Prince Charming to arrive since I started reading romance books. Which is a long time for a teenage girl to be waiting , I can tell you. If you see him, tell him to hurry up for me, will you? Thanks.

Anyway. We can discuss my pathetic love life another time.

What I’m trying to say is that I found it really easy to get invested in Liz’s story, and this, combined with the simple writing style, made it a really nice read, and a welcome change from the heavy books I’ve been reading recently.

Lynn’s writing style was pretty average and not something that can be classed as ‘original’, but I found I didn’t mind. The plot was so perfect that the very simple prose writing worked fine. Because it’s set in present-day Nebraska, there was nothing the author could stumble over, and once again, simplicity worked hand in hand with the familiar setting.

…

In addition to being a romance novel, Better than the Movies also explored themes of grief- Liz’s mum died off page before the book is set- and I think that Lynn handled the balance between the story of Liz moving on from her grief and making her own way in the world and the story of her and Wes really well. I never got overwhelmed by Liz’s grief, but neither did I think that the author wasn’t giving it enough attention.

Because of this more emotional sub-plot, Lynn also had to find the balance between the joyful, uplifting, romantic tone used and the more serious one, and this was achieved to perfection as well. In fact, there was nothing in Better than the Movies that wasn’t achieved to perfection. I know this seems unrealistic- I normally find at least one thing to complain about in a review- but it’s true. There is nothing I would change about Better than the Movies, not one word.

It had everything you would expect from a contemporary romance:

1. romance
2. fails
3. cringe worthy moments
4. swoon worthy moments
5. why-doesn’t-that-happen-in-real-life moments
6. drama
7. kissing
8. going out with someone even though they’re in love with someone else

And so. What makes it different to any of the others? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself as I write this post, and I think I’ve got the answer.

It’s not different from any others.

I’d just forgotten how much I love books like this: the swoon, the laughs, the tears, the joy, the ultimate happily ever after.

And there’s not much else to say, because the review part of the brain has ditched and I’m left with the happily ever after-obssesed part that loved Better than the Movies simply because it was cute and cozy and funny and the people who supposed to get together at the end did get together at the end.

I am utterly satisfied.

CHARACTERS

Just like with the plot of Better than the Movies, the characters weren’t anything groundbreaking. I would never say they were on the level, of, say, Murtagh or Elizabeth Bennet. However, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t find a place in my heart.

LIZ

Like I said earlier, I could relate to Liz because of her desperation to find HEA, but also because of her grandma soul. I guess I just found it nice to encounter a character who would rather spend her Friday nights at home watching TV than at a party. Which I can totally relate to.

I also liked how Liz was a bit of a flawed character at the start- it was nice to see a new take on the grumpy/sunshine trope where it was the sunshine who was flawed, and it was the role of the grumpy to help fix her. Seeing Liz change and grow over the course of the book was a really uplifting experience, and I’m super super glad that she was the POV.

WES

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

MICHEAL

I hate Micheal, that fake, stuck up little happily ever after thief. I get the feeling that we were supposed to hate him though, so I guess that that worked out.

…

It absolutely loved the relationship between Wes and Liz, and I could not get enough of their banter. Their fight over a parking spot was hilarious and a great way to add some depth to the relationship, as well as reinforce the enemies-to-lovers dynamic. I though I would be sick of enemies-to-lovers by now, as it seems to be the only trope that romance-fantasy authors use nowadays, but Better than the Movies has proven that its timeless enough to never get old.

There were some really interesting relationships between the protagonists and the side characters as well (which is almost the definition of making a book feel ‘real’¹). I loved how Lynn wrote the relationship between Wes and his friends compared to Liz and her friends, their relationships with each other families, each others friends, and especially between Liz and her stepmum, Helena.

I think that last one was especially important to building Liz’s character arc, and it added interest to the story to see how Liz’s relationship with Wes changed things about her life we never expected- like her home life, or her grief for her mum.

I think that being able to pack that much relationship development into what definitely isn’t a long novel was Lynn’s greatest strength in this book.

And, once again, I found myself at loss for what to say next, because there really isn’t much more to say. The reviewer in me wasn’t switched on for Better than the Movies, so all you’ll have to go on for this rec is the word of a romance-obsessed reader.

I think it’s best to take Better than the Movies as what it is: not a literary masterpiece, simply a cute and cozy novel that completely satisfied my romantic soul.

1. check out my post on Lady’s Knight by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman if you want to know what I mean by this ↩︎