Lynn Painter

Lynn Painter is an American romance novelist whose work spans young-adult and adult fiction. She is based in Nebraska and is also a regular contributor to the Omaha World-Herald. Her publisher describes her as a writer of romantic comedies who reads, writes, drinks energy drinks, and watches rom-coms. That playful self-description matches the film-conscious architecture of her books, which frequently use misunderstandings, banter, and grand romantic gestures rather than broad literary experimentation. ([simonandschuster.net](https://www.simonandschuster.net/p/Featured-Author-Lynn-Painter?utm_source=openai))

Her breakthrough came with Better Than the Movies, published by Simon & Schuster in 2021. The young-adult novel follows Liz Buxbaum, a devoted fan of romantic comedies, who wants to win back her childhood crush Michael and secure a prom date. To get close to him, she recruits her irritating next-door neighbor Wes Bennett, whose history with Liz includes frog pranks and decapitated lawn gnomes. The scheme gradually changes when Liz realizes that Wes understands her better than the idealized movie fantasy she has been chasing. The book became a USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller and gained major BookTok attention after its paperback release in 2022. ([simonandschuster.com](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Better-Than-the-Movies/Lynn-Painter/Better-Than-the-Movies/9781534467637?utm_source=openai))

Painter initially disliked sequels, but reader requests persuaded her to continue Liz and Wes’s story in Nothing Like the Movies, published in 2024. The sequel moves the characters into college and uses a breakup rather than a straightforward happily-ever-after continuation. Wes, now at UCLA, is determined to win Liz back through sweeping romantic gestures, but his plans repeatedly go wrong. Painter has said she wanted the novel to act as an antithesis to the first book: instead of effortlessly fulfilling rom-com expectations, it questions whether romance can repair grief, changed identities, and damaged trust. The novel became a 2024 Goodreads Choice Award nominee in Young Adult Fiction. ([publishersweekly.com](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/96028-q-a-with-lynn-painter.html?utm_source=openai))

Alongside her YA novels, Painter writes adult romance. Mr. Wrong Number, published in 2022, centers on Olivia Marshall, whose texting mistake leads to an anonymous exchange with a man who turns out to be connected to her life. Betting on You pairs betting and friendship with a relationship built around uncertainty. Her books have made her a notable rom-com author, and the Library of Congress identifies her as a No. 1 New York Times bestselling writer. Her later YA title Fake Skating demonstrates that her career continues to expand beyond the original Liz and Wes books. ([loc.gov](https://www.loc.gov/events/2026-national-book-festival/authors-and-speakers/item/n2020052886/lynn-painter/?utm_source=openai))