I had a near constant grin on my face as I was listening to the audiobook! If I could go back in time, I’d give a copy of Better than the Movies to my 14 year old self, who would have devoured the book, and plastered her bedroom walls with the iconic rom-com film quotations that each chapter begins with. But since I can’t, I got to pretend I was a high school girl while I listened to the audiobook. And soon enough I realized that while the setting of being in high school and falling in love is unique, what is universal is the roller coaster of emotions and thoughts that accompanies falling in love at any stage in life. Painter captures the essence of that beautifully and intelligently in this wholesome coming of age story that also doubles as a darling romantic comedy.
Better than the Movies explores several popular tropes including enemies-to-lovers, second-chance-romance, the big makeover, fake dating, and even a love triangle. The presence of so many tropes doesn’t feel out of place or unnatural. The narrative is just complex and nuanced enough that the characters, friendships, and relationships have depth and feel convincing.
I have to mention the cover art which is just so adorable. Whether you’re a professional or casual rom-com movie watcher as soon as you lay eyes on the little couples on the cover it might remind you of the iconic scenes in the movies. This rom-com discusses and references a ton of other rom-coms and lyrics in songs. And of course, all the Taylor Swift references earn bonus points from me- specifically the exact lyric in the song New Year’s Day that I assigned to a special someone way back when. Goodness I’ll be gushing about this book for a long time!
Here are some of my highlights.
- “Enemies-to-lovers—it’s our trope, Buxbaum.”
- “I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn you cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you.”
- “Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind. —27 Dresses”
- I wanted to skip down the hall yell-singing “Paper Rings”.
- “I just smiled and shrugged as ‘New Year’s Day’ by Taylor Swift came on. I stared at them, the picture-perfect couple, as Taylor Swift made my soul ache. Please don’t ever become a stranger Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere—”