A review by cclift1114
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It took me a while to warm up to this book. At the beginning, I was starting to convince myself that maybe I had grown out of young adult romances (and that may still be the case). Having the FMC be so obsessed with finding romance was a bit too much to stomach at first. But as the book went on, it started to grow on me, mostly as the plot developed beyond just the romance. I also started to like the side characters more and more, and especially to like Wes. I also appreciated how well the author dealt with grief, especially the loss of a parent at a young age. Having lost my mom, all of the things that Liz goes through hit very close to home. By the end, I was enjoying the book much more, however, there were still two things that I didn’t care for as much. For one, I don’t appreciate the narrative that picking on someone is away to show romantic interest in them. And secondly, the very nasty way in which Liz tears down Wes when she is upset near the end, it seemed to take it too far for me, and I don’t know that there was enough reconciliation with respect to this.