STUDENT WRITER RUBY HUDON RECOMMENDS BETTER THAN THE MOVIES BY LYNN PAINTER
Liz Buxbaum is the definition of a hopeless romantic, an avid daydreamer, and perpetually awkward. Growing up watching countless rom coms alongside her late mother, Liz has romanticized everything in her life from an early age. Especially when it comes to her dashing childhood friend and long-term crush, Michael. When Michael returned to town for their senior year of high school, Liz feels she needs to prove to him that she is so much more than just the little Liz he grew up with, aiming to score a date to prom. But there’s no way Liz can do that on her own. So, she turns to her archenemy (and infuriating neighbor), Wes Bennett, for help. Through a risky bet for the dream parking spot outside their houses, Wes uses his friendship with Michael to help Liz get closer to having her own rom-com moment. Their friendly bet causes them to spend more and more time together, getting a closer glimpse into each other’s lives. Liz had always pictured Michael as the boy in her life’s romance movie, but her time spent with Wes has her second guessing what her “Happily Ever After” could look like.
Personally, I absolutely adored this book. It’s the perfect cute and fluffy romance, and the characters are each so special in their own unique ways. There is never a dull moment when reading this book. Lynn Painter has made Liz’s life so unpredictable, and it does an astounding job of keeping the audience engaged and on their toes. It is a YA (young – adult) novel, and I would say it is a perfect read for anyone 13 and up. The romantic aspects are kept light, short, and sweet. It’s a quick and easy read since the concepts are not hard to follow, and I think a lot of teens could relate to or see parts of themselves in this book. It’s full of more recent pop-culture references, which I found very entertaining, and I especially enjoyed how each chapter began with a quote from all of Liz’s favorite classic rom-com movies, which also happen to be some of mine. This is definitely a book I’ll see myself reaching for time and time again.
Ruby Hudon, if anything, is a bit of an emotional wreck. That is well shown through her writing pieces. She enjoys writing anything from short fiction stories to long, powerful letters that, lord knows, she will never mail. Ruby believes writing is a keyway to express emotions and let go of anything on your mind. Other than rage writing, Ruby likes reading cheesy romance novels, spending time with friends, road trips, and re-watching 2000’s rom coms a million times over. She was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her parents and sister, where she still lives. There, she spends much time overthinking quite literally everything, which makes for some remarkable stories. In the not too far away future, Ruby aspires to move as far away as possible from her small hometown and explore as much of the world as she can, because she dreams to someday be able to write about her lifetime of amazing stories.