Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies #1) by Lynn Painter

"It had a very, "10 Things I Hate About You" feel and parts of it were fun but honestly, Liz was one of the most painfully clueless MCs I've come across in a long time. Like, come on girl, wake up. This one was a struggle but I needed to see how it ended 🙄."

⭐⭐

Pros: Liz and Wes' banter was, of course, witty and charming.

Cons: I felt like I didn't know Liz as a character. Her childhood felt glossed over and hence her infatuation with Michael Young just seemed to come out of the blue/Liz is probably one of the most infuriatingly clueless characters I have ever come across.

Full Review

Elizabeth (Liz) Buxbaum is hitting the most memorable, movie moment time of a young girls' life. High School Graduation! Her Senior year is winding down and it's almost time for prom, so naturally Liz's head is full of day dreams of the most romantic prom-posal ever, offered by none other than Michael Young.

He's recently moved back to town and Liz just knows in her heart that it's meant to be. He's the one. Her mother, sadly killed in a car accident a year or so ago, was a hopeless romantic, raising Liz to believe in fate, true love, all the lessons from the rom-coms that they would watch together. And she just knows that she and Michael Young are going to be a thing.

The only trick is she's not really part of his social circle. The cringe-worthy fact that her next-door neighbor and nemesis, Wes Bennett, is, is something she decides to use to her advantage. Though it sickens her, she asks Wes to help get her close to Michael so she can try and get an in. Wes agrees, on the condition that if they're successful and Michael asks Liz to prom, that she give him "the spot", a convenient parking space on the street where they live.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. Michael Young is the golden boy while Wes Bennett, is the tall, mysterious annoying neighbor. But as they work together on their plan, attending a basketball game, a movie night and occasionally grabbing food, she starts to think of him as a friend. The roles quickly reverse and we plummet down a cliche rabbit hole but in 300+ pages. It was far too long and too many side plots that I just didn't care about.

The story had potential but I wanted to know Liz more as a character. Everyone and everything just seemed kind of surface level, there was nothing really deep about anyone. The subplots as well, Jocelyn and Liz's minimally mentioned social group, were completely forgettable.

This book was a struggle though. I didn't find myself eager to pick it up hence why it took me a few days to finish it. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

Comments

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone." 5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way. Cons: Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager. Full Review: It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...

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