Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1) in shelf indulgence

Jun 23, 2022 elisha rated it it was amazing

that scene under the streetlight was so cute someone punch me in the face pls

Liz and Wes’s relationship is what I wish I had so idgaf how cheesy and cringey this book is! I will never stop rereading this when I need to restore my standards and hope in romance thank u very muchh

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May 05, 2023 nevaya rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was so cute and the quotes before the chapters are just my favorite things ever.

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Jan 05, 2024 Luna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Actual Rating: ⭐⭐

So, here's the thing. I've already read this book last month and rated it 1.5 star mainly because for me, Liz Buxbaum really was an unlikeable main character. She seemed like the kind who thinks that she will always be accepted and be forgiven by her friends no matter how awful she is because she's having a hard time. I tell you what, I, for one, will never be friends with someone who would easily discard me for such an absurd reason (you can fight me all you want but ditching y Actual Rating: ⭐⭐

So, here's the thing. I've already read this book last month and rated it 1.5 star mainly because for me, Liz Buxbaum really was an unlikeable main character. She seemed like the kind who thinks that she will always be accepted and be forgiven by her friends no matter how awful she is because she's having a hard time. I tell you what, I, for one, will never be friends with someone who would easily discard me for such an absurd reason (you can fight me all you want but ditching your BEST FRIEND to pursue a guy that you barely know is considered absurd for me). But because I can't understand how my brain works sometimes, I decided to try rereading my January reads again this February and see if my initial ratings and thoughts will change.

For starters, my opinions about Liz/Libby/Elizabeth were still the same except for one thing—her having a hard time letting her stepmother into her life because she's afraid that it might make her mother's memories disappear. I still think she's very much unlikeable in a lot of ways, but not in that aspect of the story. And for that, I changed my 1.5 to solid 2 stars. So that's .5 for her, .5 for Joss because she's an awesome friend for understanding Liz's situation when she finally understood what's going on with her, and 1 for Wes because he's the only character that actually made sense. I love that he wasn't afraid to tell Lib right to her face that she's being difficult because she was and he doesn't deserve that.

Plotwise, it was an absolute flop for me. The sequencing of events were way off, from (view spoiler) Transitions like that to make an effective love conflict or whatever ruins the flow just IMHO. If only the build-up of the Liz/Wes moments didn't seem forced and confusing, I think I would have liked their story a little more than I did. Unfortunately, everything were hurried and slammed together on the second half of the book just in time to give them a cute ending (which I guess was actually cute given that they are still teenagers).

Then there's the writing style. I may not be a fan of YA contemporary romance novels, but I have read enough to say that this one's a no for me. It's like reading cringey wattpad stories all over again with the addition of a very delulu main character and the words big and so (to emphasize something) being repeatedly used over and over again.

Guess I'll lay low with the genre for now. ...more

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Apr 23, 2023 michaela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, purchased

*cries in single*

guys im not even being dramatic when i cried at the end of this book because i loved wes so much and i want so badly to have someone like him cos he's exactly my type (like to a T) and i know that i will be single for LYFE thanks to him (and you lynn painter)

wes is the ultimate book boyfriend for me (like top 5 for sure) and liz is literally me as a red head, living her life through romance novels and books and hoping for that aall-consuming love she reads and watches about.

one ...more

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Feb 23, 2023 hannah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

i hate NLOG stuff but honestly it kinda worked for me this time, it’s just a cute nice read and i really enjoyed it

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Aug 19, 2022 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022

My expectations were low because it's YA and that's usually not my thing anymore, and because I read Painter's NA novel and wasn't crazy about it. However, this book had me laughing out loud and rooting for the characters. Wes is perfection.

Is it cheesy? Yes, so if you don't want that don't read it, but sometimes that's just what you need! Is the MC annoying sometimes? Yes, but weren't we all at 18? Overall, couldn't put it down and was pleasantly surprised by this one! ...more

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