#also another thing but Liz referenced Harye Styles and Gilmore Girls back to back at one point and that was ROUGH

[hazellevessque]

Ok I want to start this off by saying that I don’t usually like romance books. And by that I mean it’s my least favorite genre, so this book is already outside of my comfort zone. However, in the romance books I HAVE read, I am able to look at it and go “Okay. This was a good book. It’s not my thing but it was pretty well-done. I can se why other people would be compelled by it.” There are also some romance books that I have actually liked. This was not either of those.

1. The book was just so…unoriginal. I feel like I’ve seen this story laid out hundreds of times. Everything was so predictable and bland. And I understand to an extent that that’s the point—the book is called Better Than The Movies after all, so it should show some resemblance to movies, but there was nothing that made the story its own. Literally everything—the best friend getting mad at the fmc, the guy who she doesn’t like anymore asking her out, the random mean girl—you could replace the characters with literally anyone with no monumental impact because they’re not written as characters, they’re written as roles. Where is the flavor?? I just feel like I’ve read this story before.

2. Adding onto that, Liz’s entire personality is that she likes romcoms and misses her mom. And I GET that, losing a parent is tragic, especially at such a young age, so it make sense on why she would latch on to the thing that connected her with her mother. But other than that…what is there? And then in the second book, there is a full 180. Suddenly she hates romcoms and would rather watch football, and people call her “one of the guys” multiple times. It doesn’t feel like there is a real concrete basis of who she is.

3. This is a personal thing but Wes is Just A Guy. What is so special about him. I genuinely do not get it. He plays basketball. And baseball. Wow. I’m so intrigued. This is so unique. Fascinating. (Picture me with that Gilmore Girls clip “he’s just a man, Lorelai” lmao)

4. Why was Wes’s dad suddenly so important in the second book?? (Granted, I never finished the second book and just dropped it after Liz fucking BROKE INTO Wes’s house in the middle of the night so I could be missing some context) But. I think the closet you get to seeing him in the first book is he is in his car. And then it the second book he is suddenly dead?? And his whole personality just comes out of nowhere?? I mean. At least his mother appeared in the first book, and his sister was mentioned at least a few times. Why should the reader care about Wes’s father? Who is he to us? From a writer/author standpoint, it was just a bad move.

5. Adding on to point 4, let’s bffr, the author pulled the plot of the second book out of her ass. It’s only there to make money. It was so unnecessary and even my irl friend who likes the book didn’t like the sequel.

6. This is a small thing (no it’s not) but why is EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER WHITE. The only character who wasn’t was Joss, and would you look at that, she’s the Best Friend. How many romcoms have the main character’s best friend be the only colored character. I can name 10 off the top of my head. And I was hoping in the second book that would change, as we are now in college, with a chance to add more diverse characters, but NO. Still all White. Not even one colored character. (This is extra bizarre considering the university they’re at is literally UCLA, which is VERY diverse). It’s just fucking annoying.

7. Why was Wes so fucking WEIRDDDD in the second book. I’ve seen some of the low reviews say he describes Liz as a “mythological sex goddess” in the second book and that’s…get a job and stay away from her. Also according to some of the other reviews the way he confesses again in the second book is “I’m fucking obsessed with your mouth, Bauxbam” (is that how you spell her last name? Idk I listened to the audiobooks) WHAT IS THIS DIALOGUEEE. He’s just so…ugh in the second book.

8. Apparently in the second book they try to push a romance between Liz’s friend Clark (college junior, so 20-21) and Wes’s little sister Sarah (explicitly stated by Wes to not be 18 yet). He also needs to GET A JOB AND STAY AWAY FROM HERRR. Unfortunately, his job requires her to be near her. At least by friend told me that don’t end up together. God bless for that.

9. Just me hating but why is Conan Gray referenced. Free that man from this mess by favorite singer is NOT being dragged in.

This is all I have for now. Perhaps I will come with more later but uh. Yeah. I really don’t like this book and I don’t understand why it gets so much hype.

(However the audiobook narrators ATE DOWN so hard. They were amazing but I still can’t believe they pulled Charlie Bushnell into this shitshow)

The annoyance I feel whenever somebody mentioned Better Than The Movies needs to be studied in a lab