Better Than Expected: “Nothing Like the Movies” was a sequel that lived up to expectations and was an enjoyable read

“The dude looks at you like he knows he’s going blind in an hour and he’s trying to memorize every detail of your face.” 

This is my favorite quote from the romance novel “Nothing Like the Movies” by Lynn Painter, a sequel to “Better Than the Movies.” This is one of many cheesy, yet serious one-liners that showcases how the main characters Wes Bennett and Liz Buxbaum interact throughout the book.

The first book follows childhood neighbors Liz and Wes as they evolve from enemies to fake lovers in a pact to get Liz’s crush to ask her out to prom. As Liz learns that Wes is who she really wanted all along, the two end up together before both leaving for UCLA. Expecting the sequel to be an overview of their romance, I wasn’t ready for the book’s surprising plot.

The sequel opens with them being broken up, and after their seemingly fairy tale ending in the first book, this was a shock. Wes also dropped out of college but comes back during Liz’s sophomore year of college. Eventually, Liz runs into him on campus, stunned to see him again. As the plot carries on, bits and pieces of information are revealed to the reader as to why they broke up and why Wes is so desperate to get Liz back.

In true Lynn Painter fashion, the detail and description she infuses into every scene of the book are what kept me turning the pages.

Towards the end of the book when Wes is in the hospital after a baseball injury, Painter writes, “His hair was a mess, he was clutching his ribs with his left hand, and [he] was wearing a baby-blue hospital gown with bright yellow grippy socks on his feet.” 

This painted a picture so vivid yet ridiculous at the same time that I audibly laughed out loud while sitting in the rocking chair in my room. I then had to repeat the line out loud to fully consume the humorous line. 

Every chapter is prefaced with a rom-com movie quote relating to the plot, along with a playlist of a song for each chapter — music and movies are a big of Wes and Liz’s romance. I know that some readers will disregard these details as an overly hip gimmick, but I find it fun and think it adds a nice atmosphere if you read the quotes before each chapter and listen to the playlist while reading.

Although the book itself is not very practical because of its unrealistic perfect romance, it had some hardships and tough situations along the way that added a more lifelike element to the characters, which I appreciated. 

One of the big surprises to me was in the first bit of the book when we find out about a major loss in Wes’ family. Wes has an extremely difficult time processing and working through his grief in the book, which is what causes him to drop out of college. While details like this are heartbreaking they also break out of the rainbows and unicorns world that other romance novels I’ve read like “The Cheat Sheet” can create.

Going into this book after the first one, I thought that it wasn’t going to be as emotionally heavy as it was. However, it had even more emotional depth than the first book, as I followed Wes’s dad’s death and how his family coped with that. 

Outside of those emotional struggles, I believe if a romance reader is looking for a light and quick read, this is the book for them. I think this sequel completely met my expectations and wrapped their story up with a bow.