Author Lynn Painter discusses her publishing journey and the creation of her YA romance novels on Simon Teen's Off Book podcast.
Uploaded by Simon Teen, 2025 · Watch on YouTube
Painter shares details about her hockey romance about childhood friends Danni and Alec, where the protagonist returns to town and reunites with her former best friend who is now a tall hockey player. The setting and neighborhood dynamics were inspired by visiting her family's hockey community in Minnesota.
Painter reveals that Wes was partly inspired by her husband, whom she met at work. She explains that Wes's teasing and banter reflect her husband's sarcastic sense of humor.
Painter says she did not write stories in childhood and only began writing fiction as a married mother when her sister watched an author interview on television and encouraged her to try writing a book.
Painter admits that she strongly prefers happy stories over angst, noting that writing a difficult scene where Liz wakes Wes up from a nightmare made her cry.
Painter reveals that Better Than the Movies has been optioned, meaning an adaptation could happen even though it is not a guarantee.
Painter says her first pitch for the sequel involved Liz suffering transient global amnesia and forgetting her relationship with Wes, but her agent quickly rejected the premise.
Painter explains that she struggles with titles and initially used a far more literal working title for Better Than the Movies.
Painter promises she will never write another book that breaks Wes and Liz apart, though she would consider writing a spin-off focused on a side character where the couple could make an appearance.
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4.5/5
reader rating · 5,874 ratingsFake 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
4.5/5
reader rating · 28,774 ratingsLynn 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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