When Liz Buxbaum was just a kid, she gave her heart to Michael Young, who never really paid attention to her until he moved away. But now that he’s back in town, Liz plans to do whatever she has to to get his attention and go to the senior prom with him–even if it means becoming friends with Wes Bennet. Lynn Painter’s “Better Than the Movies” is exactly what us hopeless romantics and daydreamers want to read.

You would think that the attractive boy-next-door neighbor would be the perfect candidate for Liz’s rom-com fantasies, but Wes has been an absolute pain to Liz since they were little kids. But of course—unfortunately for Liz—Wes and Michael are great friends, making Wes her only way to Michael’s heart. 

With its enemies-to-lovers plot and fake dating trope, this book quickly became one of my top five favorite books. The characters were all so real and felt like people that I would see around school (and not in a cheesy teenager way). Liz especially captured my attention and held it throughout the book because I have never related to a book character’s personality more. How she constantly daydreamed, talked about love, and obsessed over rom-coms reminded me so much of myself. (There was even a part in the book where her best friend called her delusional, and that is so real.) 

And don’t get me started on Liz and Wes’s love story. Like most readers, I love enemies-to-lovers; however I find it hard to read outside of the fantasy genre because it always felt forced and exaggerated to me. But Painter executed that trope so amazingly in this book. The banter between Liz and Wes as they scheme to create her magical prom night moment with Michael is hilarious. Their chemistry as they grow closer and Liz realizes that Wes isn’t the guy she thought he was had me glued to each page waiting for their moments together. I loved how Wes made Liz question everything she knows about love and happily ever after from just a few interactions.

Another thing I loved about the book was the rom-com aspects about it. Like I said before, this book frequently talks about famous rom-coms because of the main character’s obsession with them, like “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” But what I particularly liked was how every chapter begins with a famous line from these movies. I also liked how the book has its own official soundtrack (referring to a plot point in the book) that includes the songs mentioned in the book in order and more. Typically when I read a book I compare scenes or the overall aesthetic of the book to songs that I listen to so this playlist was amazing for me. 

My final verdict, this book was a 5/5 read for me across all categories. The plot was amazing, the characters were fun, and the romance was so cute it just made me feel happy when reading it. I definitely found a new author to read from in the future–because the last thing I need is a longer To-Be-Read list. Go read this book if you are a fan of classic romance tropes and cute rom-com references.