Book Club Questions for Better Than The Movies
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.
Quick Review of Better Than The Movies
This YA romance is so stinking adorable, I can’t even. It got me out of a months-long romance slump with its witty banter and memorable characters. What I love most is how earnestly and single-mindedly Liz pursues her goal for the perfect prom night. That’s not exactly a new premise, and most books today would scoff at prom just to make sure the reader knows they know it’s not that important, but gosh if I’m not rooting for that “poor, confused little love lover” to get her happy ending.
Alert! Intriguing Discussion Ahead
I encourage book clubs to move beyond questions like, “What did you like/dislike about the book?” and “Who was your favorite character and why?” My discussion questions typically focus on ethical and moral dilemmas, book scenarios applied to real life, and character motivations.
Book Club Questions
When Liz is frustrated that Michael still sees her as “Little Liz,” Wes points out that it makes sense that his perception of her hasn’t changed when he hasn’t seen her in years. Have you ever reconnected with someone who knew you when you were younger? Did you return to old dynamics or create new ones? Have you had to change your perception of someone you’ve reconnected with?
Liz especially misses her mother during the senior year milestones (college applications, senior prank, prom). Who do you most want present during your life milestones? What would be missing if they weren’t there? If they weren’t, how did you handle it?
Early on, Wes encourages Liz to change aspects of her appearance to get Michael’s attention, and she does so on the condition that she also like the changes. Do you think this was reasonable advice from Wes and/or a reasonable decision on Liz’s part? Should you ever change something about yourself based on someone else’s advice?
For years, Liz resists getting close to Helena because she’s afraid it will make her mother’s memory disappear (as it seems to have done for her father). Toward the book’s end, Helena tells Liz that she doesn’t want to replace her mother; she just wants to be there for her. When you lose a loved one, how can you keep their memory close while also letting new relationships into your life?
If Liz had felt like she could share her grief over her mother’s death, how might her relationships with Helena, Joss, and even Laney have played out differently? What do you feel stopped her?
Liz bases her references for romantic relationships on her mother’s romcoms. What downfalls are there to this? Given that Liz’s story is a book romance, there’s meta humor to her learning that real life doesn’t need to be like a romcom. What about Liz’s story feels true to life vs romcom-unrealistic?
Liz feels comfortable around Wes and notes their growing chemistry but chalks it up to friendship. By contrast, she feels awkward around Michael but keeps trying to get him to ask her to prom. As Helena says, “Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.” Why do you think people do this? Have you ever been in a situation where there were clear signs (or red flags) you ignored?
Helena and Liz’s mother are foils of each other, each embodying a different romantic trope. Why do you think the author wrote them this way?
Reexamine Laney’s actions throughout the book, using the lens of how Liz sees her by the end. Is there someone you’ve unfairly attributed poor motives to, like Liz did to Laney? Why is it easy to assume that others are out to get us?
Wes tells Liz that her mother won’t be disappointed if she doesn’t live like a character from her romcoms. He encourages Liz to be the person she wants to be because her mom will love her anyway. What does fixing this flaw in her thinking empower Liz to do? If you struggle with this type of thinking, what might it empower you to do?
Below, you can download a PDF of the Better Than The Movies discussion questions to print out and bring to your book club. I hope you have an intriguing discussion!
If you enjoyed these book club questions for Better Than The Movies, have a look at the discussion guide for The Prince and The Apocalypse, an apocalyptic YA romance in which an American girl coerces a British prince into helping her get home before a comet hits earth. It might be your book club's ideal next read!
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