Walking down the aisles of a bookstore, smelling all the pages of fresh books is the best way to start the day. Especially when what you have been waiting for has finally hit the shelves.

Fans of Lynn Painter were counting down the days until her latest book, “Nothing Like the Movies,” was released on Oct. 23. This book is the sequel to her well-loved book “Better Than the Movies,” which was released in 2021.

Audiences immediately fell in love with Painter’s first book. It had everything a rom-com fan could dream of. It follows Liz Buxbaum as she goes through the hardships of her senior year without her mother and tries to get the cute boy from her past to fall in love with her.

The first book featured grand gestures, a fake dating plot, and several musical references. Liz was unwilling to give up on her dream of living the romantic life she believed her mother would have wanted for her. This dream somehow led her into the arms of her next-door neighbor, and fan-favorite character, Wes Bennett.

When explaining a little bit about the sequel before its release, Painter announced it would take place two years after the first one, and after the seemingly smitten couple broke up. On the outside, it gives a more realistic take on the rom-com scene.

“Better Than the Movies,” much like most other romantic books, creates unrealistic scenarios of how people get together. “Nothing Like the Movies” appeared to feature scenarios that could feasibly happen in real life.

By showing these characters going through a breakup for several realistic reasons, the sequel allows people to still see real-world events while also being able to stay in their fantasies.

University of Iowa Counseling Service therapist Léi Sun, however, said romance novels do not present the complications that would be found in a real-world relationship.

“I think a lot of romance fiction books, they don’t tell people how to be transparent and communicate. Like those moments where they’re not super happy and communicate negative emotions without causing a big conflict, so to speak,” Sun said.

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This can specifically apply to Painter’s second novel, where it is revealed a major piece of the couple’s break up is due to Wes’ father passing away. He quickly stops communicating properly with Liz as they try long-distance. This miscommunication leads to them breaking up just a few months after the loss.

The story picks up again two years later when Wes feels he is ready to go back to college and win Liz back. It portrays both realistic and unrealistic approaches to this situation, him simply trying to bump into her naturally and prepping big acts to show how he still loves her.

“Just think about how likely it’s going to happen in real life. When people have tons of work and a lot of responsibilities, they probably wouldn’t prioritize those grand gestures and those dramatic gestures for love,” said Sun.

While the newer book does portray more of a practical approach to romance in a fictitious way, it still stays true to its roots of being a rom-com. The novel allows readers to see the overcoming of the death of a parent, the aftermath of a difficult breakup, and so much more which are problems people deal with in their daily lives.

In the end, “Nothing Like the Movies” still manages to keep feelings of hope that bring readers to the genre in the first place.