Lynn Painter
2
Books ReviewedAsk LuvemBooks about Lynn Painter
- Where should I start?
- For those new to her work, Better Than the Movies is a solid entry point. It introduces her signature blend of romantic tension and witty dialogue set within an academic context. Given her overall 4.0/5 rating on LuvemBooks, starting with this title will give you a good sense of her style.
- What's their writing style?
- Painter's style is characterized by a conversational, highly accessible tone punctuated by sharp dialogue. She excels at showing internal emotional conflict through external interactions, making the characters feel very real and relatable to readers experiencing similar growth stages.
- Books we've reviewed
- LuvemBooks has reviewed two titles by Lynn Painter. Fake Skating offers a look at seasonal relationships and commitment, while Better Than the Movies centers on navigating emotional life through an academic lens.
- How do their books compare?
- Both Fake Skating and Better Than the Movies share a focus on young adults figuring out their emotional landscapes. If you prefer stories rooted in specific extracurricular activities or seasonal commitments, Fake Skating is excellent; if you lean toward campus life and witty banter, consider Better Than the Movies.
- What genre do they write?
- Lynn Painter is firmly situated in the Young Adult (YA) fiction category. Her work predominantly utilizes elements of Contemporary Romance, meaning the primary narrative drive comes from developing romantic relationships set against modern, everyday life experiences.
Who is Lynn Painter?
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Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
4.5/5
Fake Skating is a young adult romance novel by Lynn Painter, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on September 30, 2025, that pairs a fake-dating premise with a hockey-loving Minnesota setting, childhood-sweetheart tension, and themes of found family — earning a number one spot on the New York Times Young Adult Hardcover Best Seller list for fifteen of its first twenty-eight weeks on the chart.
Reviewed Apr 12, 2026
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
4.5/5
Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies is a young adult romance novel that follows Liz Buxbaum, a romcom-obsessed high schooler who enlists her lifelong frenemy and next-door neighbor Wes Bennett to help win her long-term crush Michael — only to find her feelings shifting in an unexpected direction. Originally published by Simon & Schuster in May 2021 and reissued in paperback in July 2022, the novel became a BookTok phenomenon and has spent 40 months on the New York Times Young Adult Paperback Best Seller List as of March 2026. Critics called it a "charming, fluffy concoction" that packs every conceivable romcom trope into one plot, while School critics praised its quippy banter and lovable characters. A sequel, Nothing Like the Movies, was released in 2024, and a Netflix film adaptation was announced in May 2026.
Reviewed Jun 2, 2026
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