Review: Better than the Movies

Ah, nothing like a book about teenagers to remind you that it has been a long, long, long time since you were a teenager yourself. But I kind of enjoyed that feeling as I read Lynn Painter's Better than the Movies. I felt everything as deeply as if I was 18 again and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Here's the book's description:

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.

This is the kind of novel Teenage Kaley would have devoured. As it was, Adult Kaley didn't want to put it down either. Painter hit all the right notes of cringey teenage drama, confusing feelings about relationships and growing up, and the sweetness of first loves. I don't know how we made it out of teenagerhood, to be honest. 

I don't love comparing novels but sometimes it's necessary. Liz gave me some Lara Jean (To All the Boys I've Loved Before) and Pippa (Leading Lines) vibes - which I was so here for. There's a bit of a sweetness and innocence to all three that I like for a couple of reasons. First, I was like that too as a teenager. Second, senior year of high school is the last time you really get to be a kid and that's super powerful and full of strong emotions, which is why we love these high school stories so much. So many of us wanted to grow up quickly but, now that we have, there's sometimes a wish that we could go back to when we just had to worry about school and who was crushing on us. As I said, I could see bits of myself in Liz but I was definitely in awe of how she embraced her personality. 

It was hard to read as Liz tried to navigate her senior year of high school without her mom. This is important and I wish the description had mentioned it: Liz's mom died in a car accident when she was in the fifth grade. She's having a really hard time with all of the "last" moments that high school has to offer and can't find a way to talk about it with her dad or best friend. (Side note: Liz is not innocent in the issues that come up with her BFF but I was not impressed with Joss as a best friend but I may have been expecting too much of a teenager.) I can't imagine how hard it would have been to have all these intense feelings as a teen and not know what to do with them.

I absolutely loved all the references to rom coms throughout the book. Did I think Liz was leaning too hard on these movies that her mom left for her? Yes. But grief works in different ways for different people. Each chapter begins with a quote from all sorts of romantic comedies which was too fun. I love the genre (quelle surprise) so understood why Liz was so obsessed but I also understood Wes and Liz's stepmom's feelings on the genre. Some are wildly unrealistic and you just can't suspend your beliefs to make it work. But others? They leave you with all the warm and fuzzies when the credits roll. And that's the kind of feeling Better than the Movies left me with as I closed the book. 

Better than the Movies is a must read for YA readers who love contemporary stories. It's funny and sweet and an absolute delight. Lynn Painter has created a heroine who readers will love and want to root for as she finds her way in the world and discovers that your first love might not be exactly what you expected.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*