The Best Lynn Painter Books to Read in Order

1. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a sweet, nostalgic YA rom-com about Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic determined to finally win over her longtime crush when he moves back to town. Her plan involves teaming up with her annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor, Wes Bennet, who has been driving her mad since childhood.

But as fake schemes turn into real feelings, Liz is forced to rethink everything she believes about love, happy endings, and whether the best romance might be the one she never planned for.

My Rating: ★★★★★

This had been on my Kindle for a while, and I remembered enjoying a previous Lynn Painter book that I’d read (The Do-Over) so thought it would be a nice rom-com book to read going into the Christmas period.

I think I finished it in less than 48 hours, I read it so quick. I was quickly obsessed with Wes in particular and the banter between the two main characters.

There were parts that had me smiling like an idiot and I’m so glad there’s a second book in this little series so I can continue on with Wes and Libby.

2. Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter picks up with Wes and Liz navigating college life after a painful breakup that left both of them changed.

Determined to win Liz back, Wes leans into the grand, rom-com gestures she once loved, but Liz isn’t interested in reliving the past, especially with someone new in her life.

As old feelings resurface and second chances are put to the test, Wes must face the possibility that love doesn’t always follow the script.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Lynn Painter is definitely a new-found favourite author of mine. I have a few more of her books lined up on my TBR to be read immediately because I can’t get enough.

I was rooting for Wes and Liz throughout this entire second book and even though this is YA fiction, there’s a lot more chemistry and banter between these two than a lot of the characters I read in my adult fiction romances.

I’m so glad we got a second book to Wes and Liz’s love story and hope this turns into a movie soon!

3. The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter follows Hallie and Jack, two accidental almost-hookups who agree they are definitely not interested in each other. Instead, they become wing-people in their separate quests for love.

As they swap dating disasters, share post-date tacos, and place a wager on who will fall in love first, their “just friends” arrangement starts to crack.

When a fake-date weekend wedding throws them together, it becomes clear the real bet might be on each other all along.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Hook Lynn Painter’s writing to my veins at this point, honestly. No one writes romantic comedies like her and I don’t think I’ve come across an author who writes genuine banter and great chemistry consistently across all of her books.

If Lynn Painter has no fans then I am deceased because I will read anything she writes at this point and will happily continue making my way through her entire catalogue.

4. The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed, and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again.

And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.

Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into in unfortunate ways.

How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames?

My Rating: ★★★★

A book I’d seen across BookTube, Lynn Painter is a popular rom-com author that I hadn’t yet gotten around to reading.

Although this was a groundhog day type of book, I found it quite enjoyable. It was predictable towards the end, but the main character and love interest had great chemistry which made the book an easy to read romance.

5. Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter

A sudden building-wide infestation leaves professional cleaner Abi Mariano scrambling for a place to stay, and the solution feels almost too convenient: the empty penthouse she cleans while its owner is away. The arrangement is smooth until she wakes up to find two strangers in the kitchen who believe she’s not the maid, but their son’s girlfriend. Caught off guard, Abi is swept into a misunderstanding she never agreed to.

That son, career-driven Declan Powell, is equally stunned to discover his fictional girlfriend has somehow become very real. To save face with his parents, he proposes a mutually beneficial deal: pretend to date him, and he’ll take care of her living situation. It’s meant to be strictly practical, no emotions involved, but as their fake relationship unfolds, lines blur, sparks fly, and both Abi and Declan begin to question whether this arrangement is more real than either of them planned.

My Rating: ★★★★

I needed some more Lynn Painter start off my 2026 and I don’t know how she does it, but she’s incredible at writing love interests.

The two main characters in this book had incredible banter and chemistry and I found myself laughing out loud and smiling throughout.

I’m going to go through Lynn Painter’s entire catalogue this year if I can and I’m so glad I started reading her work last year.

6. First and Forever by Lynn Painter

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him.

My Rating: ★★★

Lynn Painter’s most recent release and one of her rare adult novels, as most of her books lean towards Young Adult. This was a sports romance, quite like any of the other sports romances out there, I’ll be honest with just a little bit less smut (looking at Tessa Bailey here for reference).

I really liked the story and it was a fast-paced book, but there were a few important topics within the book that could have been better developed. Things like dealing with family members who have dementia, grief, a sick father etc. I felt we only skimmed the surface of these issues and it had the potential to be a five-star if the book had been longer and went deeper.

7. Mr Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing…

Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.

My Rating: ★★★

I may have read these Lynn Painter books in the wrong order (I read The Love Wager beforehand which is actually part two), but I’m glad I did because I actually preferred The Love Wager more than Mr Wrong Number.

However, the banter was as good as I expected, laugh-out-loud funny in parts and I was constantly rooting for the two main characters. I’d recommend reading it, but know that you’re in for an even better treat when you read the second book in the series.

8. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter follows Dani and Alec, once inseparable childhood best friends who drifted apart after Dani moved away.

When she returns to Minnesota for her senior year, Dani finds Alec transformed into the town’s hockey golden boy, worlds away from the soft, nerdy kid she remembers.

An unexpected fake-dating situation forces them back together, uncovering old hurts, family secrets, and feelings neither of them ever truly left behind.

My Rating: ★★★

I usually love Lynn Painter and the chemistry she creates between characters, but unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. I’m not usually a fan of fake dating tropes but she always writes them so incredibly well that I overlook that fact just to read her romance novels.

Fake Skating read a lot younger than her other work, falling firmly into the Young Adult category but I simply couldn’t get over the amount of italics used throughout the book. Every other paragraph had an italicised word which made the writing come across a lot younger and less enjoyable.

9. Betting on You by Lynn Painter

Betting on You by Lynn Painter follows Bailey and Charlie, former travel companions turned coworkers at a chaotic hotel waterpark.

What starts as constant bickering turns into easy friendship, inside jokes, and a wager about whether men and women can truly be just friends.

As fake dating, family drama, and unexpected feelings blur the lines between them, Bailey and Charlie must decide if their growing connection is worth risking everything, especially when a hidden bet threatens to undo it all.

My Rating: ★★★

I’ve read almost all of Lynn Painter’s books now and love them, but Betting On You unfortunately fell flat for me. I still remember being obsessed with the Better Than the Movies series and go into all of her books now expecting the same feeling.

Betting On You did come across more juvenile than her other work, and I know this is technically a YA novel, but I was hopeful to feel a little more of the chemistry between the main characters.

1. Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”

During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.

2. Trust Fall by Lynn Painter

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

Publishing Date: 29th September 2026