Kumar Ramakrishnan

Wait! I had no idea there were chapters in between Better Than the Movies and Nothing Like the Movies! I read Better Than the Movies a few weeks ago as part of my book club, and honestly, none of us liked the ending. The whole drama between Wes and Alex was so suspicious that we all thought something was actually going on between them. Even after Wes confessed to Liz that he and Alex were "just friends", we weren’t convinced! I mean, why did he bring Alex to his secret spot at midnight after prom? That situation left us all so disappointed. And Liz just accepting his simple “we’re just friends” explanation felt so pathetic! If a guy brings his prom date to his house at midnight—alone—we all know what that usually means. It seemed like Liz was so blindsided by her feelings for Wes that she couldn’t even entertain the idea that something more might have been happening between him and Alex. There was nothing in the book to back up Wes’s claim that he and Alex were just friends. We had no idea what really happened between Wes and Alex at prom. Maybe they did kiss, and maybe he brought her to his place for something more, but when he saw Liz, he quickly made up the “we’re just friends” excuse. God, so much confusion and complication! No one in our group even wanted to read the sequel, even though we had the book on hand. We all assumed the second book would just add more twisted, complicated plots that would make us hate Wes even more. And, of course, we imagined Liz would forgive him no matter what, with his excuse being as simple as “we’re just friends.” There also wasn’t much development for Alex in the book. She came across as someone desperate to date Wes, and that was it. But after reading online about these in-between chapters, I now understand that Wes sees Alex as a sister, and she actually has a crush on one of Wes’s friends! I felt so stupid when I realized this after reading the bonus content. Why didn’t the author include these details in the original book? That omission felt cruel, almost like the author wanted readers to misunderstand Wes and Alex’s relationship. Our whole book club thought Alex was just a girl crushing on Wes and willing to do anything to get him. When I shared what I’d read about the bonus chapters, my book club members felt cheated. They were upset that the author left out such crucial details from the original book. We even tried looking for a deluxe or exclusive edition that includes these bonus chapters where it’s made clear that Wes and Alex are just friends, Wes sees Alex as a sister, and Alex has a crush on Wes’s friend. Unfortunately, as long as no such edition exists, our book club has decided to stick with the original version of the story, where we can only assume there’s something happening between Wes and Alex—and that they might have slept together on prom night if Liz hadn’t shown up. That interpretation is so frustrating, and it’s the reason no one wants to read the sequel. I’ve tried my best to convince my friends to include the sequel in our reading list, but as long as there’s no extended edition clarifying things, no one is willing to risk another heartbreak with the second book.

I recently had the opportunity to read this book for my book club, and I must admit that I am quite displeased with the choice made by the friend who recommended it for this month. Normally, I don’t write reviews for books or movies that I don’t like, but this one has pushed me to do so.. Everything started off fine - the romance, the annual meetings, the breakups - it all felt like there was some love in the air. It seemed like a decent romantic novel until the moment Fallon discovered that Ben was involved with his dead brother’s wife! That was the turning point for me; I just couldn’t handle it. That’s something no one should have to swallow. I continued reading for the sake of my book club, only to realize that Ben isn’t the hero he’s made out to be. No matter how hard the author tries to paint him as a good guy, he really isn’t. If he truly loved Fallon, he wouldn’t have pursued a relationship with his dead brother’s wife. That’s clear evidence that he doesn’t genuinely care for Fallon. The author tries to wrap it up as a happy ending, but let’s be real—while his dead brother’s wife is still around and he’s involved in their lives, this is far from a happy ending. I have a strong suspicion that if any challenges arise in Ben and Fallon’s relationship, he may very well turn to his brother’s widow again. That’s my take on it.