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Retro wooden TV, VHS tapes and old stereos surrounding it
Retro wooden TV, VHS tapes and old stereos surrounding it
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Culture > Entertainment

I BEAT MY READING SLUMP WITH THIS BOOK

Katherine Tat
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.

Since an early age, I’ve always been an avid reader. I spent hours scanning the fiction aisle during library visits, borrowing every sappy teenage romance novel and Geronimo Stilton book I could find. All that stopped, however, once I hit high school; assigned readings were the absolute bane of my existence. No hate to The Great Gatsby, but I couldn’t bear to read any books for fun after taking English in high school. I didn’t escape my reading slump until my freshman year of college when a close friend of mine sent me a TikTok about a certain book with a somewhat interesting plot. 

Since I’m going to safely assume you need a book recommendation, I’ll preface that the following book is a romantic comedy. If that’s not your cup of tea, my apologies in advance. 

The book I speak so highly of is no other than [insert dramatic pause]… Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter! It’s frenemies-to-lovers but done right — a book that pairs well with comfy PJs and a cup of matcha. The plot follows Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic & Swiftie, who’s been crushing on the same guy for years (a bit too relatable). Wes Bennett, the annoying parking spot stealer/next-door neighbor (did I mention: he’s also cute) offers his help to formulate the perfect plan and win her crush over. 

open books on a table
Photo by Patrick Tomasso from Unsplash

Like every romantic comedy novel, it contains some scenes that may prompt you to point to the page and say, “This is the most unrealistic thing ever!” That’s exactly the point: rom-coms are for readers who want a fun, romantic escape from reality.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! This book is nothing other than rom-com perfection. The small details of iconic movie quotes at the start of every new chapter make me feel like, I too, am living in a romantic comedy (also known as delusion, but a girl can dream). 

*SPOILER ALERT*

The sequel, “Nothing Like the Movies” gets released soon, and I highly recommend it if you liked the first novel. It’s a second-chance romance novel, so prepare for a crazy emotional twister as Wes plots the perfect rom-com plan to get her back.

You can find me at my nearest Barnes and Noble on October 23rd buying a copy. Hopefully, you’ll also be there to purchase one!

Katherine Tat

UC Berkeley '27

Katherine (also goes by Kat) is a student at University of California, Berkeley studying Economics. She is active as a writer for her first semester with the HerCampus Berkeley chapter. Kat has extensive experience in business, public service, and social media marketing. In her free time, she loves watching the hottest TV shows and movies. She also loves making matcha lattes, reading rom-coms novels, and trying out new local restaurants.