Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Better Than the Movies

Lynn Painter

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers · Paperback · July 26, 2022

A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A flirty, film-savvy romance with just enough bite to keep things interesting.
Themes
romantic comedy, teen romance, self-discovery
Pacing
Steady

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genres: Romantic Comedy for Teens and Contemporary YA Romance.

  1. Today Tonight TomorrowRachel Lynn Solomon62% match
  2. Nothing Like the MoviesLynn Painter74% match
  3. The Do-overLynn Painter61% match
  4. Betting on YouLynn Painter69% match
  5. I Hope This Doesn't Find YouAnn Liang64% match
  6. See You YesterdayRachel Lynn Solomon63% match
  7. Fake SkatingLynn Painter63% match

For older readers: The American Roommate Experiment, Truly, Madly, Deeply, My Roommate Is a Vampire

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

A USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush. 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.

Continue reading

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.

Rom-Com Spark

A flirty, film-savvy romance with just enough bite to keep things interesting.

Come here for

  • rom-com energy with a self-aware edge
  • movie-loving, lightly playful banter

Expect

  • quick pacing
  • teen romance with cultural wink-and-nod

Where it sits

Romantic Comedy for Teens96%
Contemporary YA Romance56%
Dating & Sex for Teens35%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Romantic Comedy for Teens
  • Emotions & Feelings for Teens
  • Friendship for Teens
Authors
Lynn Painter
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published
July 26, 2022
Format
Paperback
Theme
romantic comedy · teen romance · self-discovery
Reading lane
Romantic Comedy for Teens