Better Than the Movies
- 368 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Michael, to whom Liz Buxbaum gave her heart long ago, has returned but to get his attention and, perhaps, a prom date she must scheme with her nemesis Wes, her next-door neighbor.






Michael, to whom Liz Buxbaum gave her heart long ago, has returned but to get his attention and, perhaps, a prom date she must scheme with her nemesis Wes, her next-door neighbor.
When Zoey finds out before her wedding that her fiancé cheated again, she desperately employs the mysterious Max to yell 'I object' at the alter. On the big day, Zoey sees a gorgeous stranger stand up and tell the entire congregation the truth about the cheating groom, blowing the ceremony apart. Enjoying the thrill from the aftermath of being saved from her own wedding, Zoey agrees to work together with Max as a love-cynic duo. When they're both hired for a wedding by a groom, who happens to be marrying the woman that broke Max's heart many years ago, Zoey sees Max wrestle with his feelings and is struck by her own jealousy. This can only mean one thing . . . Her love cynicism may be wearing off.
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip. Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong. Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!Emilie has the worst Valentine's Day ever-only to relive it over and over again. Perfect riotous romantic YA fiction where 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day. After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine's Day, Emilie escapes to her grandmother's house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry's. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she's back home in her own bed-and it's Valentine's Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day. Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can't wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. Not only that but Emilie can't get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into-sometimes literally-in unfortunate ways. How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?Pre-order Nothing Like the Movies, the swoony sequel to Better than the Movies and don't miss out on Betting on You from Lynn Painter!
Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number. Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of. After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward. Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together. Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.
Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into an anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com by Lynn Painter. Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall...or maybe she's just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a "What are you wearing?" text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing.... Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend's annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she's turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He's sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she's the irresistible Miss Misdial he's been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.
Isabella Shay, late for her first day at a dream job, mistakenly takes a coffee meant for someone else, leading to a charming encounter with a handsome man. However, when she discovers he’s her new boss, Blake Phillips, their dynamic shifts from sparks to tension, setting the stage for a grumpy/sunshine romance.
A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Better Than the Movies comes a romantic, heartfelt sequel that will sweep you off of your feet! Wes had his dream girl but then he lost her - and the only way to get her back is to scheme like a rom-com hero... For a few beautiful months, Wes and girl-next-door Liz were together. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA together, tragedy struck and their relationship ended. Flash forward and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz's heart, but is determined to make her fall back in love with him. And he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only ... Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend...a guy friend. Still, Wes won't give up and is determined to win back Liz's affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, he's is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good. Nothing Like the Movies is perfect for hopeless romantics, lovers of grumpy x sunshine energy and for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood! Don't miss The Do-Over, Betting on You and where it all started in Better Than the Movies from Lynn Painter!
Olive Moore has been avoiding her hometown for three years now. But a phone call with her mom has her agreeing to spend the holidays back home with her family, she lets it slip she will be bringing a boyfriend with her. The only problem with that is she has no boyfriend. That is until she meets a handsome—albeit annoying—stranger on the plane who makes her an offer she can’t refuse.Finn Beckett has always had good luck, as demonstrated by the gorgeous blonde he’s seated next to on a flight to Aspen. One drink too many leads to Olive spilling her problems in his lap, and he feels compelled to help. So he makes her an he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her family off her back and make this the best Christmas ever.Olive and Finn spend the next two weeks going on spirit-filled Christmas dates with her family. Their ruse is working perfectly, but Finn can’t help but notice Olive is holding something back. Something that could ruin everything.Their relationship may have taken off smoothly, but with all this turbulence, will they ever make it to baggage claim?