Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter Book Summary

Check out Lynn Painter’s new novel, Better Than the Movies, which is such an enjoyable read if you like classic rom-coms and sweet romances. Liz’s next-door neighbor Wes helps her get the attention of Li’z childhood crush, Michael, just like in her favorite rom-coms. But in her pursuit of Michael, Liz’s relationship (fake relationship) with Wes starts to get confusing. 

This summary is to remind you of the main points of the book and what happens at the end of the book before reading my book review. If you haven’t read the whole book yet, I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of a sweet romantic comedy with fake dating, witty banter, and happy endings. 

Prologue-Chapter 1

High school senior and perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum grew up watching romantic comedies with her mom before her mom passed away when Liz was in fifth grade. During her senior year of high school, Liz finds out her long time childhood crush and old neighbor, Michael Young, has moved back prompting her to like him again because she thinks he’s the perfect man that her mother would pick out for her. But then she hears that he’s basically dating a girl from school she’s never liked, Laney. Liz’s best friend, Jocelyn, tries to convince her not to think about Michael, but finding dresses for prom instead. 

Chapters 2-3

As her last resort, Liz makes a deal with her bad boy next door neighbor and nemesis since childhood, Wes, to bring her to a party Michael will be at in exchange for him getting the only available parking spot outside their houses that they constantly fight over. Wes agrees even though he makes fun of Liz for her optimistic view of love that’s messed up from all the romantic movies. The next night, Wes brings Liz to the party, and Liz is surprised to find Wes funny and somewhat enjoyable to be around.

When Liz finally gets to talk to Michael at the party, a drunk girl ends up puking on her, and Wes helps her to the bathroom to clean up. He even gives her his extra baseball clothes from his car to change in to, but suggests they leave when the sweatpants almost fall off from being too big. 

Chapters 4-5

When Wes brings Liz home, he tells her that Michael made comments about her being the same kinda weird but nice girl as when she was littler and make them all put on plays. Liz asks Wes to help Michael see her as someone datable, and Wes agrees to pretend to like her and talk her up in front of Michael. The next day, Wes shows up at her work inviting her to the school basketball game that Michael is also going to, but Wes makes her go shopping with him for clothes that aren’t vintage like Liz’s normal outfits. 

Liz actually enjoys shopping with Wes, and they agree on an outfit they both like. Wes even buys Liz a new pair of Chuck Taylor’s to go with it. On the drive back, Liz admits one of her favorite things to do is make soundtracks for everything like she used to with her mom, and Wes insists that she make a soundtrack for the two of them.

Chapter 6

When Jocelyn finds out about the party and basketball game, she tries to convince Liz that Wes likes her, but Liz won’t admit the truth about Michael. Liz rides to the basketball game with Wes and his friends, and gets to sit next to and talk with Michael. When the friends are messing around at halftime, Liz gets hit in the face with a basketball resulting in a bloody nose, and Wes gives her his shirt to help. 

Wes insists on taking her to the hospital, and she’s a little annoyed that Michael doesn’t seem as concerned. Michael does text her that night to check on her, but Liz finds it a little awkward to text him. Then, she ends up calling Wes about something, and they talk on the phone for a while because Liz finds it easy to be herself since she’s not trying to impress. 

Chapters 7-8

The next morning, Michael comes into the book store Liz works at to get a romance book, and he tries to convince Liz to give Wes a chance since Michael thinks Wes likes her. After work, Liz does her daily run to the cemetery to talk to her mom at her headstone, but she’s interrupted by Wes who saw her on his run and didn’t know why she came into the cemetery. Liz feels like she doesn’t want anyone else in her special place she feels closest to her mom, so she lashes out at an apologetic Wes and then runs home. 

At home, her dad wants Liz to ask her stepmom to go prom dress shopping, but Liz doesn’t know how to tell anyone that she doesn’t want to do it at all because her moms not here to do it with her. Later that night, Wes texts to apologize again and invite her to the small bonfire he’s having by himself in the woods behind his house. Liz sneaks out and apologizes for lashing out at him, and after talking awhile, admits everything about missing her mom because of all the big stuff happening which she’s never told anyone else. 

Chapters 9-10

Liz decides to invite her stepmom dress shopping, and Jocelyn picks out white dress with flowers on it that Liz actually likes. After she sends a picture to Wes, who tells her to get it, she starts feeling sad about her mom and ends up leaving early after paying for the dress. That night she goes out for another bonfire with Wes, and she tells us about her plans to go to UCLA to study music.

Then Wes tells her he doesn’t know where he’s going to college yet because it depends on where he can play baseball. The next day, Wes picks her up and they get dinner together before going to a movie night at Michael’s. While talking over dinner, Liz thanks she really enjoys being around Wes, but then Wes makes a comment that he’ll be gone once Liz gets with Michael tonight, and it makes Liz feel sad.

Chapters 11-12

At Michael’s movie night, Liz ends up next to Wes who keeps whispering funny things about the movie in the dark, and suddenly Liz realizes she wants to be with Wes instead of Michael. Wes suggests to Michael that Liz would like to see the piano upstairs with him, and while it’s Liz and Michael up there he admits he’s not sure about Laney cause she recently broke up with someone else. Liz encourages Michael to go after Laney, and tries to get back down to Wes who was talking to another girl, Alex, that Liz heard likes him. 

Soon, Wes starts driving Liz home in the pouring rain, and Wes has to swerve off the road to avoiding getting into a car accident. His truck is stuck, so, while they wait for his dad to come get them, Liz ends up kissing Wes. The kissing turns into making out as Wes clearly wants to also until his dad’s headlights show up. 

Chapters 13-14

The next day at school, Michael asks Liz to prom with a big promposal on his car, and when Liz sees Wes in the crowd, Wes puts his arm around Alex then giving Liz a thumbs up. Liz thinks this means Wes was never really into her, so she agrees to go to prom with Michael. At home later, Liz snaps at her stepmom when she asks Liz what’s wrong, and it turns into a fight with Liz telling her to stop trying to replace her mom. 

Then, Liz runs into Wes on the front lawn, and they get into a fight because Wes ends up telling Liz she should live her life the way she wants, not the way she thinks her mom would have envisioned it. Jocelyn also finds out that Liz ditched her to hang out with Wes and Michael and also lied about Michael, so Jocelyn stops talking to her, too. 

Chapter 15

Liz avoids her friends, Wes, and her stepmom leading up to prom, and gets ready alone when the day finally comes. Michael takes her to a nice restaurant for dinner where Liz admits that Wes was trying to talk her up to him, and they both come to the conclusion that they’re just friends. Liz runs into Laney in the bathroom who’s super nice to Liz, and Liz encourages her to tell Michael she’s interested in him. 

To get away from seeing Wes with his prom date, Liz tries to hide in a stairwell for all of prom night, but finds Jocelyn already hiding from her awful date there. Liz apologizes for lying and admits to Jocelyn everything with her feelings about her mom lately. They end up making up, and Jocelyn drives Liz home early.

Chapters 16-17

At home, Liz apologizes to her stepmom after explaining how it’s been hard lately with Liz’s senior year, Liz’s grief, and her mother’s death, and they make up. Then, she tells both her stepmom and her dad what happened with Michael and Wes, and they tell her that Wes has liked her since they were little kids. As kids he used to sit beneath their window and listen to Liz play the piano. 

Liz decides to put together a grand gesture to tell Wes her feelings, so she makes him a CD of their soundtrack and leaves him a note to meet her by their bonfire spot. But Liz hears Wes coming back with Alex, and leaves. 

Chapters 18-Epilogue

When Wes comes to find Liz, he asks about the CD he found, and eventually Liz admits that she realized she wanted him but it was too late. Wes admits that he’s been in love with her since they were little kids, and has always looked for excuses to be with her. He didn’t stop Michael’s promposal because he thought that’s what Liz had always dreamed of, so he took Alex as a friend. 

They finally agree to be together, and both end up going to UCLA together in the fall.

Read My Full Review

Now that you’re reminded what happens in the book, read my full review of the book. I also have more recommendations if you like contemporary romance or the enemies-to-lovers trope. This is the first book of a duo, so you can also move on to the next one if you liked this on.