Better than the Movies
Hello, all! I'm back with another review and this time it's a rom-com. In August I was really craving a cutesy and fun romance book. I just finished this last week. It took me quite awhile to get through, what with being busy at both work and school. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think :)
Synopsis: Michael Young is back in town and Lizzie Buxbaum, the optimist and romantic that she is, believes it's fate. But she knows that her awkward and uncool self won't be able to impress her true love, so she makes a deal with her next door neighbor to help seal the deal. She can't stand Wesley Bennet, but the more she schemes with him, the more she realizes she might be chasing after the wrong guy.
Writing: 4/5
I genuinely enjoyed the writing in this book. The author's occasional quips were humorous and well-integrated. I did enjoy some of Lizzie's inner thoughts and dorkiness. I also enjoyed the parallels to popular romantic movies as well. I was able to catch a few even though I don't usually watch any serious romantic movies, and I was very proud of myself for that. I absolutely loved the Pride & Prejudice reference (the hand flex from the movie with Keira Knightley), even though that is definitely not the best movie version made. I do want to mention that one thing I did not like was the occasional quote of how Lissie was "small" and "different". I honestly hate this trope in books, it's just not attractive for me to read. The mention of Wesley's "huge" hands on her face just made me imagine him as a giant. It did make me roll my eyes a few times. There was also a part where it said "he looked up at me with laughing eyes", which confused me. I also hated "his nostrils flared" and "his jaw clenched". It came off as cliche and made him seem like a crazy person. There were some moments described in this weird way, but otherwise the writing was entertaining and I did enjoy reading most of it.
Dialogue: 3/5
The dialogue was just fine, in my opinion. Nothing too grand and nothing too dull. The characters were teenagers attending high school, so I didn't expect anything above and beyond. I will mention that some of Lizzie's lines were kind of stupid and same with Helena's (the stepmother). She came off as a "cool mom", but the dialogue often made it sound like she was trying too hard.
Characters: 4/5
So let's start off with the main character: Lizzie. I honestly had mixed feelings about her throughout the reading. Half the time I wanted to strangle her, while the other half I just felt bad for her. Her mother died when she was young and that grief stuck with her as she went on throughout life. Her grief caused her to push a lot of people away, which is understandable. She was afraid of Helena replacing her mother, afraid of having senior year milestones without her mother, and afraid of letting anyone see just how sad she felt. So I did feel bad for her. But she also made a lot of stupid decisions. She's a bit problematic in that she's a liar and a schemer. Her character loves rom-coms and wants to be in a real life romantic movie. But she tries too hard to force it. When pursuing Michael, she makes up this whole plan to become more appealing to him. It's just kind of icky to read about, in all honesty. Her constant lying and denying just enraged me throughout the book. Also, she claims she doesn't want to change for a man, but that's all she does throughout 3/4 of the book. Also she is kind of a "I'm the victim" sort of person, and I could not stand it. When Wes confronted her she just pointed fingers back at him, and it was very irritating. However, she is a senior in high school going through shit and she's without her mom. So I can't fully become angry with her because I'm sure I've been there. High school is confusing and she was just trying to make her way through the world. Next main character: Wesley. So Wes is the next door neighbor in this "enemies-to-friends-to-lovers" romance. His character is pretty funny. He's the teasing type so he ruffles Lizzie's hair, calls her a dork, and tortures her over a parking spot they both want. While I think some of his pranks and comments are funny, it can also get a little old. I dislike the whole "teasing someone you like" trope in most stories. He's 18 for god's sake. Just be nice and ask her out. Also, I understand that he liked her from the beginning and wanted to get closer to her, but agreeing to help her date his friend is a weird way to go about it. I guess it worked in the end though. I also liked how well they got along. Yes, they did argue a lot and through insults at each other, but when they were civil, it was so nice to see them as friends. I also liked that he was very encouraging to her throughout the story. Joss was Lizzie's best friend. For being her best friend, she did not pop up a lot. I didn't have any strong feelings for her. I did feel bad that Lizzie brushed her off a lot, but I also disliked how she always put down Lizzie for being so romantic. Geez, just let her live her life. Also, I understand she was angry at not being included in the plan, but her reaction was way over the top. She called her names, said she was pathetic, and didn't even speak to her before prom. I got upset, but she really made it seem all about her. Another character, Laney, was kind of meant to be the "villain", so to speak. But I loved her throughout the book. She was just a girl who really liked Michael. Her interactions with Lizzie weren't even mean, but Lizzie twisted them into making her seem like a bitch. I loved her at the end when Lizzie meets her in the bathroom and sees that she too is just a girl with a crush. Lizzie's dad was a boring character and her stepmom was just meh. She was "cool" but in an obnoxious and loud way. She tried too hard, in my opinion. Oh, and Michael of course. His character was soooooo boring. But I think the author meant it to be that way. He was simple, had bland conversations/texts, and he honestly didn't seem to care that much. I was so caught off guard when Lizzie was bleeding and he was still dribbling his basketball. Also when he asked her to prom and then immediately left after she said yes. It just came off as so weird and unattractive.
Plot: 2/5
I'll be honest and say I had to push through the first half of the book. I was very bored by the concept and the shopping scenes. I thought the plan was stupid as well. She wanted Michael to see her as attractive and not as "little Lizzie" anymore. So she changed her clothes, straightened her hair, and acted differently in front of him. I thought it was very low of her to do that, especially after preaching about how she would never change for anyone. But having a crush makes us do silly things, I guess. After showing up with Wes on so many occasions, she starts the rumor that they're dating. This is the stupidest thing she could have done. She wanted Michael to see her as a "viable romantic option", but he gives her space because he thinks she's dating his friend (Wes) because SHE started the rumor. So dumb. I did enjoy the scenes where Wes and Lizzie became closer, but some of them were a bit unrealistic. For example, they were eating s'mores one night and I noticed that she had a completely clean face. Never in my life have I eaten a s'more without having chocolate and marshmallows smeared across my lips. I don't know why this irritated me so much, but it did. I will admit that I got a little excited and tingly during the horror movie scene where Lizzie finally admitted to herself that she liked him. I was like “fucking FINALLY”. It was one of my favorite scenes. The car crash scene was very underwhelming, even though it was an interesting addition to the story. I did, of course, like the follow up make out scene in the car while it poured rain outside. The sudden "I'm a virgin" thing was not necessary though. It was kind of out of nowhere, since sex was never a topic discussed anywhere earlier in the book. I did like the "twist" of Michael asking her to prom. I knew shit would go down, since everything was going way too well, but it still made my jaw drop. I did hate how Lizzie became angry and hurt when Wes showed interest in someone else afterwards. She accused him of using her and charming her. First off, she used him to get closer to the guy she liked. Second off, she just wanted to put the blame on someone else since she wasn't happy. It made me very frustrated with her character. I will note that I did tear up a bit when she got ready for prom all alone. Everyone was upset with her, and it made me super depressed reading it. I couldn't imagine how I would have felt without my friends, my mom, and my siblings there with me during prom. The end when Wesley confessed his love was actually very swoon-worthy. It made me smile, and I'm glad they ended up together, as I never rooted for Michael and Liz. The epilogue wasn't really necessary but it was a cute addition.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. The ending was really good and I loved reading it. But the beginning was so boring and most of the characters were either bland or annoying. I do admit that I had high hopes/expectations for this book, since a lot of the book reviewers I follow on Instagram have been raving about this story. That might be another reason why I felt a bit disappointed in the overall book. It was not a bad read, but I don't plan on reading it again.
What are your thoughts?