Molly Marks is a cynical Rom-Com screen writer that doesn't believe in love or soulmates. Seth is a golden retriever divorce lawyer who really wants to find his soulmate. They were high school sweethearts until Molly broke Seth's heart right before college. 15 years later, they find themselves seated together at their high school reunion making bets on whose love will last and whose will fizzle out.

This story follows Molly & Seth many years including 2020(isolation years). I enjoyed the pace and was glad they took a journey to find each other. Molly mirrors a lot of myself with her hiding her vulnerable heart under cynicism and snide remarks. She wasn't unlikable and I enjoyed her friendships outside of Seth. Seth is the perfect cinnamon roll with a gooey center. I enjoyed his optimism and still being able to verbally spar. The banter in this book was great!

This book made me feel things. I cried a couple times during this book which is unusual for me. The wedding vows from the side characters wedding had me in tears. Overall, I just really enjoyed the characters and their path to finding each other.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of a second-chance romance is great. The main characters had potential with good banter and spicy scenes. But there were just too many break-ups. And after the final one, well, it just seemed like there would be no real way to come back from it.

I liked the idea of a romcom about a cynic who writes romcoms. I get the meta way tropes are used here. With some editing and better pacing, this could have been spectacular. As it is, this is a fine but forgettable book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

This is a SPICY debut that was ORIGINAL and ENJOYABLE- BUT I would not call it swoon worthy!

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—despite NOT believing in love. She KNOWS that romance is a genre with its own set of beats, though different from those of thrillers and detective novels. You start at the “meet cute” and END the story when things are finally going well. You NEVER continue on to the part where he cheats on her or the kids kill their sex life.

Seth Rubinstein believes in soulmates and “once in a lifetime” love, despite his job as one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he has tried to find “the one” often rushing into relationships in his zeal to find his “happily ever after”.

But so far, no one can compare to his high school girlfriend, Molly Marks-the first girl who broke his heart.💔

Molly hates weddings, and class reunions and usually RSVPs her regrets. (My doppelgänger 🤣)
BUT this time her besties, Dez and Alysssa drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, and she finds herself seated with Seth.

After far too many “Signature Cocktails” and a drunken hookup -they find themselves making a bet to see which of them can correctly predict the fate of five couples.

Who will be together at their 20th reunion?

The catch? The fifth couple they are betting on is the two of them. Seth is confident she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him, and Molly assures him that there is no chance of that happening!

Who will end up victorious?

I loved the PREMISE but Seth was a very different LEADING man! Sure, he was REALLY, REALLY NICE, but he was also extremely GOOFY and NERDY, and I am personally NOT turned on by men who refer to body parts and sexual acts in CRUDE terms. I was not swooning over him.

Still, he doesn’t need to be MY soulmate, he needs to be Molly’s-and by the end, I was rooting for them!

⚠️ This book also includes some very descriptive open door scenes, which isn’t my thing, but will appeal to readers who like things spicy!!🌶️

Despite these two things, I did enjoy the story!

You can pick it up on June 4, 2024 just in time for beach 🏖️ bag season!

Blame your blush on sunburn!! 🤭

Thank You to FlatIron books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Just Some Stupid Love Story
By: Katelyn Doyle
Narrated by Christine Lakin and Tim Paige
Review Score: 3 Stars

Why Was This Book “Just Ok”?
I abolsutley LOVED the idea of this book. Second chance romance linked with a bet on what couples would last? I absolutely was hooked and wanted to know what would happen. Unfortunately, this book was just way too long. And the main girl, Molly, was not all that likable.

Do I still recommend it?
Yes. I think people will enjoy this story. And I probably would have liked it more if it was half as long.

———

Just Some Stupid Love Story was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Flatiron Books. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

I have a lot of conflicting feelings on this book. I loved the idea (2 ex lovers who make a bet that in 5 years, they can see what couples are still together). I loved the tropes (Grumpy Vs. Sunshine, He Falls First, Second Chance Romance).

Where I struggled the most with this book was the length. Things kept happening between the couple over and over again (Like, not one “third act breakup”, but 3), and that made it hard for me to believe they were meant to be.

I also found Molly to be a contradiction. She seems to have issues with lasting love, but she has consistent best friends, so she isn’t totally against relationships. And her issues could be better solved, but she just refuses too? I really struggled with her, and felt like Seth deserved a better match.

Regardless, I did enjoy this book. I like the evolution of the story, and the characters. This is not really a light and fluffy read, but it was still good. I liked it, I just didnt love it.

This was such an enjoyable and fun read. I just LOVED following the main characters in their 5 years of growth. It made me want to know all about their next 5 years too.

I absolutely loved this book! The witty banter was perfect and I really felt that Seth and Molly had great chemistry. I am so glad that they were able to work through their issues and get back together in the end. Yes, the ending was very predictable, but it was what I was rooting for. I will be recommending this to all my friends who love romance books!

It may have been a mistake to advertise this novel "for fans of Emily Henry." I went in with high expectations that were unfortunately not met.

I found it difficult to root for Seth and Molly when they spent literally years going back and forth that by the end I didn't even believe they were meant to be together.

This is a romance in the enemies to lovers/opposites attract/frenemies/rom-com genre. I haven't read Katelyn Doyle before, but she is known for her historical romances under the name Scarlett Peckham. I enjoyed the will they, won't they drama in this one.

Seth and Molly are both invited to their 15th class reunion. It's something that Molly would normally not attend. But something Seth lives for. Molly is a rom-com writer who doesn't believe in love. Seth is a divorce attorney who is searching for "the one" and is a hopeless romantic. Seth and Molly used to date in high school but Molly ended things when the going got serious.

So at the reunion, Seth and Molly have a hookup and end up making a bet on what couples will be together by their 20th reunion. And the final couple they bet on is themselves. Neither knows they have been harboring feelings for one another all this time. Seth bets that they will end up together (because they just hooked up and his "the one" radar is ALWAYS on) and Molly bets they won't (because love is a construct and true love isn't real).

Then they spend the next 5 years going back and forth flirting and not speaking and then flirting and having awkward conversations. I wanted to tell both of them to just be honest but that just brought the tension up and made me turn the page on this one. This book could have been a little shorter but I still liked the tension build up. The secondary characters were fun and had their own development that I enjoyed. The premise is what really drew me in and this was entertaining. This author has a very Emily Henry style of writing (think People We Meet on Vacation). This was a four star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle was one of the cutest rom-coms, dare I say, I’ve ever read. I am utterly obsessed with the characters and Katelyn’s writing and banter took it to the next level.

Just Some Stupid Love Story caught my attention because it had a few romance tropes I love: second chance romance and hollywood, but I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was excited to check out this debut. The emotions and feeling this book drew was incredible; and the spice!

I read Just Some Stupid Love Story in less than 24 hours— to say I couldn’t put it down, is an understatement. I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun rom-com this summer. I will be recommending this to anyone who will listen. I can’t wait to read what Katelyn Doyle does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the humor in all of both characters’ observations of their families, friend and environment. However, their banter with each other is so very good. The novel was so much fun to read, and I was rooting for them throughout the novel. Supporting characters and settings were also excellent.

While Just Some Stupid Love Story was quick and easy to read, I just couldn't warm up to the main characters. I found Molly Marks to be a tad annoying and Seth's optimism just grated on my nerves a bit (especially as a divorce attorney!). I thought the plot was quite interesting but I would have liked to have seen more chemistry between Molly and Seth.

Although I wasn't totally keen on the way the book evolved, I would definitely be interested in reading another book by Katelyn Doyle. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for this ARC.

DNF @ 42%

Just Some Stupid Love Story was as boring and formulaic as every trite rom-com main character Molly claims to hate. I thought the "romance" between Molly and Seth was written so that any relationship they have previous to their eventual pairing seemed doomed to fail (and pointless to read). Even after almost half the story, I still don't understand how these two were high school sweethearts in the first place, let alone into each other fifteen years later.. (You mean to tell me that these people have been pining for literal teenagers for more than a decade???)

I personally hate dual POV-written novels, especially when two people are having a conversation interrupted by both a chapter break and a POV shift, something which this novel does quite frequently. Seth as a character and a narrator was annoying, and Doyle could have written a really great romance from the sole perspective of Molly—a child of divorce, scared of commitment, begrudgingly romantic, and, IMO, the more interesting protagonist—but the frequent shifts into Seth's perspective wore me down to the point where I had no interest in finishing the novel.

This delightful read had so many things I love in a book - cinnamon roll, grumpy-sunshine, healing from trauma, banter, and so much more. Molly & Seth are overall likable characters that you want to root for, but sometimes want to smack for being obtuse. This book was entertaining, emotional, fun, and heartfelt - a great read.

Molly is a rom-com screenwriter who is quite cynical about love, and her high school ex-boyfriend, Seth, is a divorce lawyer looking for a happy ending. They reunite at their fifteen-year high school reunion and make a bet on five couples to see which one is right about love. They decide to meet again in five years and see who wins.

I'm in the minority here, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected. The premise is good, but the execution and the pacing drove me off.

The writing is good, and the banter between Molly and Seth is fun. But the plot is dragging. All the misunderstandings in the past and present were a little too much. I felt like this book was repeating itself for no reason. However, I liked the ending. My issue was with the middle.

Regarding the characters, they are not likeable, but at first, I thought that was the vibe. Even if Seth was painted as "a nice guy", he is a toxic person. I can empathize more with Molly, but at some point she became annoying.

The plot spans through years, but we never see more than a few mentions of Molly's therapist. That was a weird choice, considering her mental health is part of the conflict.

Overall, for me, this book was a little too long and lacked focus. They were wrong for each other, and even if the end keeps the fun elements from the beginning, I was rooting for Molly and Seth to not end together.

This is my personal opinion, but it is a waste that, since the initial bet was on some couples, with a single update for each one, they consider the point won or lost when they were 5 years old for that to change. I think it could have been more interesting if that subplot was better integrated.

As a side note, I feel that including COVID-19 as part of the plot takes away from the story's timelessness. It's not an issue, but in a few years, it will feel dated.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a romance that's different from a lot of romance novels that are out there but one that is definitely worth checking out. I wouldn't say that the main female character is the most likeable but I enjoyed reading this. The characters were a little infuriating because I didn't agree with some of the choices/actions that they made but I will say it made it a very interesting read. I think this will be a breath of fresh air especially to those who read a lot of romances. The writing was well done and kept me entertained.

Dated in high school, Molly breaks up with him because she’s scared, trauma from her parents’ divorce affected her too much. Seth is very eager when it comes to relationships, he wants to settle down and have a family. They see each other at their 15yr High School reunion, end up sleeping together and making a bet on which of their classmates would be together or broken up in time for their 20th reunion. Including the status of their relationship. Then we proceed months later or a year later with fate intervening on Molly and Seth reaching out or bumping into each other. Having both POVs was useful in getting to know them better individually and helped move the plot forward. I enjoyed the timeline on the how their story was told, I was delighted in rooting for them throughout their journey. The writing made it easy to feel engaged into the story

A twist on the grumpy/sunshine, second chance love story. Molly and Seth dated in high school until she suddenly broke up with him and they never spoke again. They meet at their 15 year reunion and clearly have feelings for each other. Molly does not believe in true love, while Seth does so they make a bet to predict the fates of 5 couples in 5 years including them. The book covers the next five years and them figuring out whether they're going to be together or not.

You might like this if you like all the angst, young love rekindled, second (and more) chance romances.

You might not like it if characters making the wrong decision time after time will infuriate you.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and the various other couples over 5 years even though it was a Rollercoaster ride for sure.

WOW! I LOVED this book. Not your typical romance novel and it was sooo perfect. The female main character is sarcastic and hilarious and the male main character is the biggest cinnamon roll. I can’t believe that this was a debut. When I finished, I was desperately hoping that this author had more books for me to read. Would recommend - 10/10!!

I really liked this book. I was totally on board with Molly's hangups (her relationship with her dad sounds a lot like the one I have with mine). I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends.

I was HOOKED from the beginning. I loved this book and I would gladly share this with my patrons when it is published.