A review by b0r3d_2710_
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 "Enemies-to-lovers—it’s our trope, Buxbaum.”
Alright, first of all, I'm not a romance reader and I usually end up disliking or loathing all the popular romance books that everyone on the internet hypes so much but this one was different and I'm so glad that I picked it up.
 
I was in a reading slump for weeks tbh, I started a lot of books but just couldn't finish them so I looked up about books that would pull me out of the slump and this one was recommended quite a few times. Well, I did finish this one in a day so I must say that it worked.
 
This book is about Elizabeth (Liz) Buxbaum who's a senior in high school and a typical delusional teenager, trying to make her childhood crush fall in love with her to experience her dreamy fanatasized prom that was around the corner. For this mission, she takes the help of her next-door-nemesis (puh-leaze) Wesley Bennett, who's been her enemy ever since she learned how to walk, at the cost of giving him the Spot .
 
The writing style was simple and the plot was fast-paced. The story itself was quite simple with highschool dramas. It had the cliché love story of teenagers including prom, miscommunications and drama that you would find in every other highschool romance but I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was really cute and light-hearted and had a good time reading it as it pulled me out of my reading slump but there wasn't anything that special in there for it to be my favourite book ever. 
I really liked all the cute rom-com references and quotes from the movies at the beginning of every chapter even though I haven't seen most of them but now I'm willing to watch them for fun. Also the fact that Liz was such a melophile resonated with me.
 
I slowly set down the phone on my nightstand. Um… I was pretty sure I was excited. But what did it mean? Was I back in the game? I wasn’t sure, but he’d cared enough to get my number—I was guessing from Wes—and to personally text and see how I was feeling. So even though it’d been awkward, it was still a good sign, right?
God, this girl is so delusional.
 
Talking about the characters, Liz is a hopeless romantic and wants the high school love experience inspired by all those rom-coms that she used to watch with her mother and of course that experience happened not in the way that she had expected. She had romanticised her life a lot as a result of watching all those iconic rom-coms. She was fantasizing about the Mr Right and having movie moments with songs playing in the background and haha that's how a typical teenage girl behaves. Inspite of all that, I could not relate with her and had moments where I just couldn't understand how exactly did her mind work. It did feel like she was an actual person who was dealing with the grief of her mother, boy problems and well life in general but I found her trying to be too quirky or "not like other girls" at times. I have nothing against such characters but in my opinion, we can write about these characters and their 'uniqueness' without comparing them to the typical girly girls characters in the story at every possible moment.
 
Another thing that put me off in this novel was how convenient and easy it was for Liz to lie. I get lying about certain small things but why lie about the party and stuff? Also ditching your friend's idea of shopping while going out with another guy for shopping? If I was in Joss's shoes, I would not have let her go that easily.
 
Now, Wesley Bennett, THE guy!
 
“No, it doesn’t; don’t listen to them.” Wes lifted my chin in his thumb and forefinger, and his eyes dropped down to my covered nose. “Your nose is just a tiny bit swollen.”
My god, he's so cute and considerate, ahhh.
 
He didn’t answer, and when I opened my eyes, he was watching me. He swallowed and said, “Juxtaposition for sure.”
These small details!!
 
Wes Bennett fits the female gaze perfectly. He is the standard. Tbh, he's a lot closer to my type irl. He's a real gentleman who knows chivalry. There are a lot of small things thrown here and there that just shows how caring and gentle of a person he is. He's so attentive, warming, funny and charming, a green flag for real. His attention to all the little things about her, supporting Liz at every point, letting her know when she was at fault and always cheering her up when she's having a bad day, that sounds like a ideal book boyfriend for me to swoon over. He's like the ideal guy that you want, even as a friend, like he makes fun of you, pulls pranks on you and annoys you but when the situation is serious for you to count on him, you know that he's a ride or die. 
 
“She’s not you.”
“What?”
“She. Isn’t. You.”
Yeah, just get me someone like him asap.
 
Michael was a good character that served as a nice angle in the supposed love triangle which wasn't quite the love triangle from the very start. Joss seemed one dimensional especially since she forgave Liz so easily when that girl had literally lied to her several times. I liked Helena a lot, poor lady had to bear the hate for something that wasn't even her fault. She seemed more like a friend rather than a motherly figure, I would love to have a friend like her IRL.
 
And then, as if struck by lightning, Wes inhaled and his hands tightened on the sides of my face. He was kissing me back. I was kissing Wes Bennett, and he was kissing me. It went from breathily timid to scalding hot in an instant. He angled his head and kissed me the way Wes was supposed to kiss, wild and sweet and entirely overconfident all at the same time. He knew exactly what he was doing as his big hands slid into my hair, but it was the shudder in his breath and the slight tremor in his touch that I drew on. The fact that he felt as out of control as I felt.
I SQUEALED SO FUCKING HARD!
 
The romance was so cute, I was rooting for the main characters to get together since the very start. The cute sarcastic banters, Wes being obsessed with her all along, the care and comfort, the late night phone calls, the protectiveness, the Secret Area, the almost kiss during the movie, the realisation, the confession and THE FIRST KISS! I was swooning all along these scenes.
 
“She is gorgeous.” He flicked ash off the end of his cigar and gave me the kind of eye contact that forced you to listen. “But, like, what does that mean, really? Unless my goal is just to sit and stare at her like someone would stare at an ocean or a mountain range, pretty is just a visual.”
I like that this book actually shows that being hot is just not everything, for example, we see how Wes was just an usual annoying neighbour for Liz but with time when she started to find out how nice and caring of a person Wes was, she started sensing his attractiveness, his scent, his muscles, his face, etc. and suddenly he became the hottest person ever for her. Personality makes the physical attractiveness and I live by that.
 
And yeah, I wasn't a fan of the smoking scene for obvious reasons, but it's just my problem and I know that everyone has different opinions and icks.
 
If you're someone who loves rom-coms and music and a cute YA highschool love story that I'd say that this book would be perfect for you. And, of course I'll be reading all the other bonus chapters as well.