A Love Letter to Rom-Coms and Hopeless Romantics
I feel a little silly admitting this, but Better Than the Movies is my very first Lynn Painter book. After seeing the internet collectively swoon over her work for years, I finally get the hype. This wasn’t just a “guilty pleasure” read—it was a delightful, top-tier rom-com that I will happily shout about from the rooftops.
This story is the ultimate celebration of being in love with love. Painter leans into every trope imaginable, creating a witty commentary on romantic aesthetics while simultaneously subverting and embracing them. The result is a YA story that feels like a warm hug. The plot follows a hopeless romantic plotting her “perfect” prom, only to find her romantic chemistry going completely off-script. It’s an endearing lesson in how happy endings usually show up where you least expect them. The mix of romantic tension and charming characters is almost unbearably cute—it hits maximum adorability.
The tropes feel tongue-in-cheek, acting as both a joke and a sincere tribute to the rom-coms that came before. The character chemistry really “pops off,” and you’ll find yourself falling for Wes long before Liz does. As the book says, “For someone super into love… you’re kind of clueless.” It was exactly what I needed to shake off the last of the winter blues and get into a brighter headspace.
My only minor gripe is that the characters are almost too perfect; at times, the disputes felt a bit forced because everyone is so fluffy and sweet, leaving Liz to carry the heavy burden of being the only one with visible flaws. However, the “enemies-to-lovers” execution was so fun that it hardly mattered.
I’m actually a little sad I only picked this up to tick off a “prom theme” prompt for a reading challenge! While this was my first foray into Lynn Painter’s world, it certainly won’t be my last. If her other books are this charming, she is officially my new go-to author for getting out of a reading slump.
