13 new YA releases that belong on your May reading list
By Lacy Baugher
May 2021 release: Better Than the Movies – Lynn Painter
A rom-com about rom-coms in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, Better Than the Movies follows the story of a hopeless romantic teen who attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.
Liz Buxbaum has always loved romantic comedies, mostly because they help her feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was a child. Liz thinks her senior year could turn into a real-life fantasy when an old crush – cuter, nicer, and generally better than ever – moves back to town, just in time to take her to senior prom. If only she can convince her annoying neighbor Wes to help her get him to ask her out.
Better Than the Movies is a charming mix of frothy tropes and plot twists, including fake dating, a makeover montage, and more, all of which lead to the inevitable happy ending you’ll find yourself rooting for the whole way through. A story that’s sugar-sweet and worth every calorie.
The official synopsis describes the story as follows.
"Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet. The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in. But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like."
Better Than the Movies is available on May 4.