Better Than The Movie by Lynn Painter

Better Than the Movies is the book equivalent to your favorite RomCom movie, maybe because those movies are the main character, Liz’s favorites too. Liz’s mother, who wrote RomComs, died when Liz was young, leaving Liz to navigate life without her. Now that Liz is a senior, she is finding the loss of her mother particularly hard and vows to find her HEA when her childhood crush, Michael moves back to town. Liz recruits nemesis and bad boy-next-door, Wes, to help her in securing Michael’s promposal, but every attempt at getting close to Michael is thwarted by fate and Wes to the rescue.

This book is adorbs. Every chapter opens with a famous RomCom movie line, and I was smitten. Liz’s passion is also movie music and she underscores her life and because of that, I now know who Bazzi is. Thank you for that, Lynn Painter!

I read an arc, so I hope this got adjusted, but early on, Wes is shopping with Liz and she points out her dream dress in a store. They talk about it and make a bet where she could win the rest of the money needed to buy the dress. Then she DOESN’T buy it. Not for prom, not ever. That little dangling thread could use a tie-up! Also, Liz recruits Wes in the first place by offering him the prime parking space they fight over, and we get the resolution to that debate, but I would have loved just a little bit of conversation about it from the characters to tie that up as well.

Lastly, there is this moment where Liz is telling Wes about how Michael adjusted her stance to shoot a basketball and she described it as “fingertippy” and though the scene is un-sexual, man, my mind made it WAY sexual. Fingertippy may be one of the sexiest words ever. Fingertippy.

Say it slower now: Fingertippy.

Now in a whisper: Fingertippy.

Finger. Tippy.

See? I know you do. This has been my TEDtalk. -Ford