Liz Buxbaum has spent her life believing that her true love would be just like the guys in classic romantic comedies- polite, charming and perfect, – but life has other plans.

A “New York Times” bestselling author, Lynn Painter depicts Buxbaum’s reality in her young adult romance novel, “Better Than the Movies.”

When Liz’s childhood crush, Micheal, moves back into town, Liz takes that opportunity to have her perfect love story and secure a prom date with him. In order to get closer with Micheal, Liz teams up with her annoying neighbor, Wes. As the story unfolds, Liz realizes that love doesn’t always follow a script. At the same time, she navigates her grief over her late mother and adjusts to a stepmom who is the opposite of her late mom.

When I read “Better Than the Movies,” I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a life changing book for me. I do appreciate how the characters have depth. For instance, Liz loses her mom and tries to stay at arms length from her stepmom, so throughout the book, Liz grows not only with her romantic relationship mindset, but she also grieves for her mom while opening up and making room for her stepmom. On the other hand, the plot was very predictable for a young adult romance book.

Freshman Katherine Masafu appreciates the details put into creating complex characters.

“I loved the characters, and I loved how dramatic Liz was and how she wasn’t afraid to be herself,” Masafu said. “She put herself before other people but depending on the person…she was scared to just go up and talk to them which I feel like in real life, it’s relatable.”

Building on this, freshman Lexie Akridge enjoys how the book kept her hooked.

“I think it was pretty engaging,” Akridge said. “I enjoyed their banter, and I was wondering what would happen next.”

Along with good character development, I also liked how the book was paced and easy to read. Nothing was too fast paced, but it had good slow burn. There is nothing hard to memorize to keep up with, which makes it a good book to read without thinking too hard. While there are many aspects of the book that drew me in, the plot and character’s inner thoughts tended to get repetitive and predictable, especially because of the classic enemies-to-lovers trope.

Freshman Audrey Keeney reflects on the book, noting that some overused elements weaken the impact.

“It was cliche when I thought back on it,” Keeney said.

“Better Than the Movies” is a sweet, light, classic romance. It will be enjoyed most by young adult readers that appreciate romance, humor, and banter.

Overall, I give this book a 3.5/5 feather rating.