Pub Date: September 2, 2025
Dewey: FIC
LCCN: 2024012400
Lexile Code: 0000
Features: Price on Product
Target Age Group: 14 to UP
Physical Info: 1.18" H x 8.19" L x 5.71" W ( 0.86 lbs) 464 pages
BISAC Categories:
Young Adult Fiction | Romance | Romantic Comedy | Social Themes | Friendship | Emotions and Feelings
Series: Better Than the Movies
Description: Grieving from his father's death, Wes breaks up with Liz, but is now determined to win her back with grand romantic gestures despite her resistance and the presence of a new guy friend, leading him to question if their relationship is truly over.
Brief description: Lynn Painteris the #1New York Timesbestselling author ofBetter Than the Movies, The Do-Over, Betting on You, Mr. Wrong Number, The Love Wager, Nothing Like the Movies, andFake Skating.She lives in Nebraska with her husband and pack of wild children, and when she isnt reading or writing, odds are good shes guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms. You can find her at LynnPainter.com, on Instagram @LynnPainterBooks, on X @LAPainter, and on TikTok @WesBennettsMom.
Review Quotes: In this follow-up to 2021's Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother's subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA's baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he's always loved, works for the university's athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there's no room for love, because she doesn't believe in it anymore. Or she doesn't want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters' emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn't necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white. A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18) --Kirkus Reviews "8/15/2024"