Better Than the Movies

Liz has grown up watching the rom-com movies her mother loved. Between the movies and visits to her mother’s gravesite, she stays close to her mom, even if only in spirit. When Michael, who has held her heart since she was a weird little kid, returns to town, she knows he is the stuff that rom-com movies adore, and she decides this is her chance at love just like in the movies. She enlists the help of her neighbor, Wes, whose only part in a rom-com would be the annoying boy-next-door. With his help, and a lot of inspiration from her favorite movies, Liz is going to make Michael her prom date, but she may find out that real life doesn’t follow a movie script.

Some of the best movie quotes introduce each chapter, setting the scene for what is to come. Liz is a funny introspective character trying to plod through senior year without her mother’s presence while being constantly reminded of her loss at school, the mall, her home. To counter the sadness, there are many funny episodes (Liz’s attempts at meet-cutes backfire tremendously) that make this feel like a rom-com on the TV set, and though predictable, it truly is Better than the movies.