Cute, funny, light, and happy, Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter is everything a romantic comedy should be, and more. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough with this book, every chapter bringing a grin to my face.

Liz Buxbaum’s most prized possession just might be the stack of rom-coms left behind from her mother’s passing. She seems to have inherited the same extreme love and passion for rom-coms as her mom, which might be why she assumes she can create her own when the nearly perfect Michael Young moves back to town. In order to execute her perfect movie ending, she must team forces with her annoying neighbor, Wes Bennet, a torture to her since second grade. But as time goes on, she realizes that her picture of Wes might be entirely wrong. How had she missed the funny, cute, and kind boy just across the street? Struggling with her newfound feelings for the boy next door and the absence of her mother at the most important milestones, her life doesn’t feel like a rom-come at all.

I’ll give Lynn Painter props for knowing exactly how to write a good rom-com. The storyline itself, albeit a classic, is fun and full of interesting twists and turns. The characters are easily loveable and swoon worthy, the dialogue between them often hilarious and squeal-worthy. The “boy-next-door” and “enemy to lover” tropes are often overused, but Painter has managed to put her own twist on it to create a really good read.

This is definitely a book I’d read again when searching for an adorable romance or in need of a little fun. I’d recommend to anyone who loves romantic comedies, and even those who don’t! – Kira Kaplan