Better Than the Movies
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Narrated by:
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Jesse Vilinsky
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Written by:
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Lynn Painter
About this listen
In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.
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.
©2021 Lynn Painter (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.You may also enjoy...
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The Do-Over
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- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
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After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another horrendous V-Day. Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day.
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Just amazing!!!
- By Lovepreet Singh Virk on 2023-02-02
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Betting on You
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- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip. Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out.
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Cute story
- By Asim on 2024-08-12
Written by: Lynn Painter
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Mr. Wrong Number
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- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
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Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall...or maybe she's just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a "What are you wearing?" text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining - albeit anonymous - relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing.
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The FL was a total Idiot at first
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The Love Wager
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Performance
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Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.
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Excellent read
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The Upside of Falling
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It’s been years since 17-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having had a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone. Brett Wells has it all. As captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in his school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom.
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sweet first love high school romance
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The Summer of Broken Rules
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Meredith's family's annual game of assassin at Martha's Vineyard during a summer wedding is the perfect chance to honor her sister's legacy, and finally join the world again. But when she forms an alliance with a cute groomsman, she's at risk of losing both the game . . . and her heart.
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Super Cute Read!
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The Do-Over
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another horrendous V-Day. Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day.
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Just amazing!!!
- By Lovepreet Singh Virk on 2023-02-02
Written by: Lynn Painter
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Betting on You
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky, Zachary Webber
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip. Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out.
-
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Cute story
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Written by: Lynn Painter
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Mr. Wrong Number
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Callie Dalton, Andrew Eiden
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall...or maybe she's just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a "What are you wearing?" text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining - albeit anonymous - relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing.
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The FL was a total Idiot at first
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Written by: Lynn Painter
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The Love Wager
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Zachary Webber
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.
-
-
Excellent read
- By Asim on 2024-08-11
Written by: Lynn Painter
-
The Upside of Falling
- Written by: Alex Light
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly, Austin Rising
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s been years since 17-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having had a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone. Brett Wells has it all. As captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in his school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom.
-
-
sweet first love high school romance
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Written by: Alex Light
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- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Meredith's family's annual game of assassin at Martha's Vineyard during a summer wedding is the perfect chance to honor her sister's legacy, and finally join the world again. But when she forms an alliance with a cute groomsman, she's at risk of losing both the game . . . and her heart.
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Super Cute Read!
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Great Fast Read
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When in Rome
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Performance
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Really great story
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The Seven Year Slip
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it. And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment.
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DNF
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Check & Mate
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.
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It was a delight, and I will certainly listen again.
- By Catherine Pellowski-Wright on 2024-12-16
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Love, Theoretically
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down.
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least favorite from Ali
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Funny Feelings
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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highly recommend
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Just for the Summer
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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The exploration of attachment style and ptsd
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The Fine Print
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
I'm in the business of creating fairy tales. Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels. Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland. My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her. Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias. By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late. People like me don't get happy endings. Not when we're destined to ruin them.
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Ew
- By Michelle Alliston on 2023-03-05
Written by: Lauren Asher
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Accidentally Amy
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person. But when she's running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for "Amy" three times with no answer, she does the unthinkable. Izzy takes that PSL. But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she's ever seen, spilling the drink all over his GQ shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, "See you tomorrow, Amy." Uh, oh-she'll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.
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Cute
- By Shannon on 2023-04-19
Written by: Lynn Painter
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The True Love Experiment
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- Narrated by: Jonathan Cole, Cindy Kay
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached. Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work but when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution.
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Love!
- By CB on 2023-05-17
Written by: Christina Lauren
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Inheritance Games
- Written by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Narrated by: Christie Moreau
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: Survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why - or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch - and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.
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Poor narration detracts from plot
- By Melissa on 2021-01-06
Written by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
What listeners say about Better Than the Movies
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Amazon Customer
- 2022-04-17
absolutely amazing
I am a huge sucker for smut and always thought i kinda hates cheesy books but this book just make me feel so happy. A consistent smile on my face. Though pretty predictable I didn’t wanna stop listening to it. One of my top 5 favourites for sure.
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- Renee kohler
- 2023-10-17
Love
It was most definitely better then the movies
I need 7 more words lol <3
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- Emmanuelle
- 2023-03-28
Good book
Simple but good listen, not boring story line, makes you fall back to high school and first loves
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- Joyce Lacsamana
- 2024-05-26
Could not stop listening
Just like Liz.. I love rom coms and this had everything I was looking for. This book was brilliantly done and the narration was so captivating. Can’t wait for the sequel!
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- Anonymous User
- 2024-07-26
Way better than the movies
I loved this book it is the first romance romance that I’ve read and I’m officially in love
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- Emilie McDunnough
- 2024-12-31
The best book ever
The best book I have ever read I love it so much you will love it so much.
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- Anonymous User
- 2024-10-14
Good book
i loved this book and especially the narrator but the story felt like sometimes it ran on for too long but otherwise an awesome book, definitely a recommendation from me
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- Amazon Customer
- 2024-10-28
The relationship
I love this book it is so cute and it got me back into reading!
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- Honest Anonymous
- 2023-07-13
Cute, a little boring but all in all easy.
It was an easy listen, cute storyline and easy to follow. I wasn’t 100% sold. Short and sweet but wouldn’t necessarily recommend.
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