New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter released the highly anticipated sequel to the novel, “Better than the movies,” Oct. 1.
“Nothing like the movies,” once again, follows fan favorites Wes Bennett and Liz Buxbaum as they struggle with their feelings towards one another.
At the end of the first novel, the two were happily in love, planning on going to college together at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA). But plans changed when a tragic incident occurred, causing Bennet to drop out of school and break up with his dream girl in order to deal with the after shock of it all.
The breakup between the two had caused Buxbaum to close her heart off, losing her belief in love, in order to protect herself from ever feeling broken again. However, Bennett is determined to win her heart again with romantic cliches when they are thrown back together after he accepts an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team.
Even after not seeing each other for two years, Bennett still knows Buxbaum better than anyone else. In order to fight for her affection, Bennett has a plan to win her attention and love before someone else comes in and takes it away.
While many of the characters from the first novel appear in the sequel, new characters for readers to love are also introduced. Painter also uses clever dialogue to deliver conversations and banter between characters in a face pace that won’t keep the readers bored.
With a dual point of view, readers are allowed to see inside the minds of both characters as they take their own personal journeys. This novel delivers comfort when reading about two iconic characters, while also tackling important issues like grief, growing up and vulnerability.
The first novel, which was published in 2021, received a tremendous amount of success on several social media platforms, making many people hope the love story between Bennet and Buxbaum isn’t over. However, even though “Nothing like the movies” was released as a sequel, reading the 2021 novel isn’t necessary, although knowing the full backstory between the two main characters allows for readers to understand the heartache and longing they give.
Painter has gotten extremely popular on social media over the years and has released several other novels that give off the same heartwarming vibe, such as “The do-over” and “Betting on you.”
“Nothing like the movies” is a perfect young adult/romance novel for readers of any age that can enjoy a funny, romantic comedy, one that is nothing like the movies.
