Better Than the Movies

Written by Lynn Painter

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797127958

Lynn Painter

Lynn Painter writes romantic comedies for both teens and adults. She is the author of Better Than the Movies, Mr. Wrong Number, The Do-Over, Betting on You, and Nothing Like the Movies, as well as being a regular contributor to the Omaha World-Herald. She lives in Nebraska with her husband and pack of wild children, and when she isn’t reading or writing, odds are good she’s guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms. You can find her at LynnPainter.com, on Instagram @LynnPainterKirkle, or on Twitter @LAPainter.

Reviews for Better Than the Movies

[Esita Banik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautiful story. The only thing that I did not like is that it got over.
Such nicely narrated as well. Beautiful!

Loved it! ❤️

[vidhi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

omg omg omg omg omggg ! This was sooo cute and adorable. And I absolutely devoured it. Yes, I have definitely read books like these before. But, the thing is, this was done so so so so well. I was just gushing all through out. A must read for all rom-com fans!!

[Leigh-ann Walter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the book , I cried and laughed so much , thank you so much for taking your time to write this book for everyone to enjoy reading

[Angela Roquero Solitarios · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cute story. I really liked it ? Im on chapter 8 right now

[Ayana Ilkeyeva · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 stars because, the main character sometimes frustrated me. She's too lovesick and was really trashy to everyone and played with Michael, Jocelyn and Wes.

[Chrystal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I Loved this book!
It made me laugh made me cry and made me Want More!
This is more YA then my latest reading material but I loved every chapter. The characters were well written and I felt emotionally attached to each and everyone. There was no massive dramas and between relationship and family the love was present right throughout the book.

[Tammy Subia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Omg this is absolutely the cutest sweetest swooniest romcom! ❤️❤️❤️

[T. Rosado · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4+ Stars!
The whole rom-com loving heroine who wants or thinks she needs to experience all of the tropey cliches in order to find "the one" has been done before. Yet, this author nails the delightful banter along with a super swoony hero and delivers a refreshingly witty and occasionally poignant enemies-to-love YA romantic comedy. The heroine could be a bit histrionic at times and her snowballing deceit had me groaning "No!" out loud on occasion, but overall, this was one of the better YA rom-coms that I've read in awhile. Honestly, I can see myself reading it again at some point simply for some of the amusing banter.

[Briley killian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a cute story! I loved it! It’s well worth the time!

[kath frah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i love it so much! highly recommend it guysss! its a lovely story

[Josh Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really sweet and really fun. A slow burn with just enough twist and a enough predictability to be ab easy read!

[michelle rex · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny story and great narration. Entertaining listen. No heavy subjects.

[Kaya Barnetson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing. If you’re debating starting this, just do it. Thank me later.

Incredible voice actor!

[Karla Petrova · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference

[leorebecca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love it! Plot and narrator are both amazing. Haven't encountered such sweet book in a long long time

[brooke katz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could not get enough of this book. I fell instantly in love with the characters and the story line. I found myself laughing out loud, raising my eyebrows and even throwing my hands up in annoyance lol. Our girl Liz is a hopeless romantic living her life like she lives in a romantic comedy. The problem is real life isn't anything like the movies and she is about to find that out when she strikes a deal with her enemy neighbor Wes. I loved every single character they came alive for me in this story. Also I'm a huge rom com fan and it was like being immersed in a Nora Ephron film. I loved this book so much I didn't want it to end and was so sad when I got to the last page and almost started it over just to relive it again. I highly recommend.

[Whitney Sivill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slow to start, once it picked up steam, it was an adorable ride of" will they, won't they?" I got frustrated with Liz at times, but all the characters are believable and endearing. I'm so glad that the author didn't fall into the boy the MC wants is really a jerk trope. And I loved the real emotions that come with grieving. The MC didn't get over her mom's death a few months after she died. Too many authors fall into that trap of unintentionally trivializing the true depths of losing someone close and the havoc it can wreak even years later.

[cn6hfb9gdx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Adorable! Nothing but giggling and kicking my feet ? I love a good rom com.

[Helen · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Over done a million times, just all the rom coms she mentions

[Kimberly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book Highly recommend. The narration was spot on!

[jessmettaa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

pure escapism, and it’s well-narrated. really enjoyed listening to the audiobook that enhanced the experience, the narrator really expressed the characters really well!

[Akash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gonna read more from the author. I had to relax before writing my thesis. It worked.

[Ariel De La Mora · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

i thoroughly enjoyed this book. the author does a great job of really making you feel the way Liz does throughout the story. predictable in a cozy and very cute way.

[Ramune VL · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Funny, romantic story ?✨?? I had a nice time with this story?

[hayleyhaydz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a cute and ridiculous story! Loving it so far. Have only started this book and it has me hooked.

The uniform confusion was so funny haha

She is a massive cheeseball living in her own world and I’m such a fan of this storyline.
Absolute la la land and so typical of highschoolers haha

I’ve been trying to find a fun breezy story and this is it!!

(The lying is BS though - absolute pet peeve - but it makes sense (the fear/ embarrassment))

The narrator is amazing and has me cracking up playing all the parts.

Will update again once I finish.

[nicole. · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

not my cup of tea.
i liked the references tho.

[SerendipityReads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Look, I'm a 55 year old woman, teen romances aren't my thing.

But after seeing this so highly recommended, I gave it a shot.

And it is, indeed, a sweet little romantic story that called out to high school cliches (but not in a bad way) and rom com movies (but not in a bad way) and teen angst (but not in a bad way).

Predictable enough to feel like slipping into a comfy robe, while original enough to keep you engaged and invested, strong writing and well-done narration make this a great read/listen even if this ISN'T your usual genre.

[Ellery Allen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! It is the perfect book for someone who is a hopless romantic and loves RomComs!!! It's perfect!

[megan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I LOVE THIS BOOK .This book was so cute and a great read. The banter was funny and quick and the characters were super lovable. I’ve listened to it more then once and it’s pretty clean besides some swearing

[Jade Campion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a cool story. Really sweet. Definitely Rom-com. Sometimes you don't appreciate what's under your nose but in the right time it will all become apparent