Better Than The Movies

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a sweet, witty young adult romantic comedy that playfully subverts classic movie tropes. High school senior Liz Buxbaum is a hopeless romantic, deeply obsessed with cinematic love stories. When her childhood crush, Michael, moves back to town, she is determined to secure her perfect “happily ever after” prom date with him. The problem? Michael doesn’t really notice her. To get on his radar, Liz is forced to strike a deal with her next-door neighbor and lifelong nemesis, Wes Bennett. Wes happens to be hitting it off with Michael, making him Liz’s perfect “in.” Together, Liz and Wes launch a fake-dating scheme to make Michael jealous and get Liz noticed. But as they pull off their elaborate ruses and share genuine moments, the bickering neighbors grow closer, and Liz is shocked to find herself actually liking Wes. She is forced to reexamine everything she thought she knew about love and realize that real life doesn’t always follow a Hollywood script sometimes, it’s even better.