‘Better Than The Movies’ Review: A ‘Rehash of RomComs’
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
One of the funniest things about reading ‘Better Than the Movies’ was the fact that it starts with a quote from ‘Notting Hill’, which stars Hugh Grant, who was ‘oh so delicious’ level heartthrob in the film, and only a few days ago I had seen him playing a creepy murderous wacko in the horror film ‘Heretic’. It’s just the ‘handsome young charmer’ versus the ‘serial killer uncle’ image that made me laugh. Yeah, nothing to do with anything actually in the novel. Anyway….
‘Better Than the Movies’ by Lynn Painter is a bit of a rehash of the many high school “enemies to lovers” tales out there, even though the “enemy” part is mostly imaginary. Teen protagonist Liz Buxbaum is a hopeless romantic, constantly watching her late mother’s favorite movies and living as if she belongs in a fluffy ’90s romcom, ready to fall into the lap of the “love of her life” at any moment. Her neighbor Wes Bennett is a “pain in the butt,” constantly fighting her for a parking spot and giving her a hard time. But when her childhood crush Michael returns to town and seems super close with Wes, Liz is willing to make peace and strike a win-win deal with Wes if he helps her win over Michael. Which, to Wes’ credit, he does quite wholeheartedly.
The primary reasons I’m giving ‘Better Than the Movies’ 3 out of 5 stars are that Wes turned out to be a super sweet romantic lead, and I was able to finish the novel in less than three days, so it didn’t disrupt my reading pace. Liz Buxbaum, on the other hand, is the typical teen high school lead: she schemes, lies, and treats her close friends poorly for the sake of a guy. Also, for a romance book, the romance was thin, and the comedy was middle-school level, relying mostly on Liz falling, tripping, over having someone puke on her. Ugh.
Also, for foreign readers or those who aren’t movie buffs, the constant stream of film references might feel alienating. ‘Better Than the Movies’ is a YA romance published in 2021, and it seems to target teen readers or early twenty-somethings, many of whom are unlikely to connect with the 1990s and early 2000s rom-com references the book leans heavily on.
Thankfully, Lynn Painter keeps the drama minimal, doesn’t cram in too many twists, and ends the story on a cute, happy note. But I will not be reading the sequel.
Rating: 3 on 5 stars.
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