Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

Nothing Like the Movies

Lynn Painter

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers · Paperback · September 2, 2025

#1 New York Times Bestseller In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student in a “worthy second-chance romance” (Kirkus Reviews).

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Who it’s for
A breezy, teen-angled romance with movie-world sparkle and easy immersion.
Themes
second-chance romance, college life, romantic comedy
Pacing
Mixed

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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. Fake SkatingLynn Painter57% match
  2. Better Than the MoviesLynn Painter74% match
  3. Betting on YouLynn Painter61% match
  4. The Way I Am NowAmber Smith61% match
  5. When You Come Back to MeEmma Scott, Eric London59% match
  6. All the Bright PlacesJennifer Niven55% match
  7. The Upside of FallingAlex Light60% match

For older readers: One True Loves, The American Roommate Experiment, Seven Days in June

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About this book

#1 New York Times Bestseller In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better Than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student in a “worthy second-chance romance” (Kirkus Reviews). For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck.

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Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process. Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him. Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend. Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

Rom-Com Glow

A breezy, teen-angled romance with movie-world sparkle and easy immersion.

Come here for

  • rom-com energy
  • movie-loving romance

Expect

  • contemporary YA cadence
  • sustained, feel-good reading

Where it sits

College & Uni YA72%
Romantic Comedy for Teens60%
Contemporary YA Romance46%

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
September 2, 2025
Format
Paperback
Theme
second-chance romance · college life · romantic comedy
Reading lane
Romantic Comedy for Teens