*this review may contain spoilers*

I’ve recently been in a reading slump and haven’t been able to pick up a book and genuinely enjoy it until this read! Those who have read my other posts will know I’m an avid romance reader and it’s my preferred genre and let me say this book fulfilled my little heart. :”)

This story follows Liz and Wes or Libby and Wessy. They’ve grown up being neighbors for most of their life and they were presented as enemies every since childhood to their adolescent years. Whether it be hide-and-seek or stealing each other’s parking spaces, they’ve been at it.

However, the book takes a twist when Liz’s childhood crush, Michael comes back and she gains those same feelings for him that she felt when she was a kid. She isn’t quite sure how to grab his attention and fall for her and this is when Libby makes a “genius” plan to fake date Wessy. Our rival neighbors are bounded by this fake relationship for Liz to get the guy of her dreams and Wes to obtain the parking spot right outside their houses.

With their final year of high school left, the book follows along on Liz and Wes’ friends, hangouts, etc. The very predictable ending is that they fall for one another, or rather Liz falls for Wes.

Even though this book has a great deal of predictability, the main characters are easy to become attached to because of their charisma and personalities. This book can guarantee someone out of a reading slump! (PS. I finished it in a day) This was also my first read from Lynn Painter and it has be intrigued on her other novels, which are all relatively new. I would recommend this book for anyone trying to get into romance or just want a fun read!

-Madison C.

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.