Member Reviews

I love a good second chance romance, and this “right place, wrong time” love story had my heart in a vise!

Molly doesn’t believe in soulmates, but her entire romcom screenwriting career is based on the premise of a creating a story about finding your “one true love”. Molly is deeply jaded and emotionally stunted following her parents’ messy divorce, and dumps her high school boyfriend Seth after four years of dating without any explanation. Fifteen years later, Molly reunites with Seth at their high school reunion and sparks fly, resulting in a bet to see if they can predict whether other couples will stand the test of time, and confirm whether soulmates truly exist.

I loved the dual POV here, especially when it overlapped and we got both perspectives for the same scene. I thought Molly was hilarious, and loved her wit and one liners. My absolute favorite part of this book was Seth’s loyalty and unconditional devotion to Molly, even though it felt like he deserved better at a few points in the book.

The last 15% was a total rollercoaster, but in the way you want to simultaneously scream and barf. This was not necessarily my cup of tea, but there was a HEA, so I was sated at the end of the day.

Overall, an enjoyable romcom, a little heavy on the “will they, or won’t they” drama but a solid read!

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

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Molly and Seth’s romance in Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a total rollercoaster. Molly, this screenwriter who’s all jaded about love thanks to her dad’s bad example, and Seth, this guy who’s totally open about his feelings and just wants a solid, lasting relationship, bump into each other at their high school reunion after 15 years. Sparks fly, but getting back together isn’t exactly smooth sailing.

Seth comes off as genuine and emotionally open right from the start, which makes it easy to root for him even though he keeps getting his heart stomped on. He’s all about finding a real connection, which is pretty much the opposite of Molly. She’s guarded and struggles to open up romantically, despite being a great friend. But when it comes to committing or talking about her feelings, she’s frustratingly wishy-washy.

Let’s be real, Molly kinda sucks. She’s emotionally tough and closed-off, and she keeps hurting Seth without really growing herself. It’s ironic since she writes rom-coms for a living but doesn’t buy into love, which some folks find annoying. The book digs into messy relationships and characters who aren’t exactly role models, which sparks debate—some readers like the realness, while others struggle to root for characters who can be kinda manipulative or self-destructive. Despite all the drama, Doyle’s writing is witty and brings out laughs and deep feelings. Plus, the friendships in the story add warmth and camaraderie, which many readers appreciate.

In the end, Just Some Stupid Love Story shows us these flawed characters trying to figure out love and relationships. It might not click with everyone because of its slower pace and complicated main characters, but as Doyle’s debut, it shows promise in exploring the messy side of human connections.

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Such a fun debut novel! I've actually read this before I've read any Emily Henry (I know, I'm in the minority), but I was glad to not have any kind of preconceived notions of what to expect style-wise. Can't wait to read more from Katelyn Doyle in the future!
Special thank you to Katelyn Doyle, Flatiron Books & NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Just Some Stupid Love Story grabbed my attention because of the words “for fans of Emily Henry”
My first thought was, wow I really hate the male main character. But I gave it a shot and ended up loving him. He comes off really annoying at the beginning, just give it time. This was my first book by Katelyn Doyle and I really enjoyed it, no scratch that, I loved it. I ended up loving both main characters and really all the side characters too. 100% recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This book was so great. I couldn’t believe it was a debut novel. This is perfect read for Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry fans.

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There was a lot I liked about this book, and a few things I really didn’t.

I’ll start with the positives:
- I actually really liked the banter between Seth and Molly. I liked the little quips, the snark, the sarcasm.
- I liked the slow burn and build up, the missed connections throughout time.
- I liked Seth. He seemed like such a sweetheart and I wanted nothing but good things for him.

Now for the negatives…
- Molly. She was annoying as a character and somewhat unlikeable. I got more frustrated by her as the book went on.
- the lengthy timeline. I wish instead of it being over the course of 5 years, it was shortened. Or even if it wasn’t the 15th to the 20th reunion. The way these people act (…Molly…) seems a bit immature to be in your 30s.

There was a lot more that I liked in this book and I overall really enjoyed it. A great debut by Katelyn Doyle!

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I’m not a fan of second chance romances (you broke up for a reason) and I thought they didn’t really work together. Their banter was cute but the overall book seemed poorly paced – they fall in love almost instantly and it then seems to drag and is predictable. Still, there’s a happy ending so it’s cute enough. This is just not my favorite trope so I always hope for something different; it was not to be.

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I am a sucker for a great love story, so I was "all in" for wanting to love this one. The story, overall, was a little too cynical for my taste in romance, but it does have a HEA. The character build was really good but it wrapped up and issues were resolved too quickly for me. Gah, Seth Rubinstein is just the teddy bear I needed for this journey.

Thank you for the audio file, this is my honest opinion.

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This is not just some stupid love story, it's a witty look at a friendship that wants to be so much more, but life keeps getting in the way. Molly is such a fun, unique, snarky character and the banter between her and Seth is some of the best I've read. You can feel the yearning to be together and the frustration of the timing being off. The chemistry explodes when it finally does head to the next level and I was so ready for it. The pacing in this book is on point and the audiobook narrators, Christine Lakin and Tim Paige, captured the tension and heat perfectly. A new favorite for my favorites shelf and it's so pretty!!

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I have mixed feelings about this one. It's one where the first person present didn't work for me. I found moments to be very funny and then there were so many that were cringeworthy. I absolutely hated Seth calling Molly "Kid" it's just so condescending. I also found Molly to be rather Childish. I don't know, it just didn't fully work for me.

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My experience reading this book was an unusual one — I started it one morning, read 20% in one sitting, didn’t pick it up again for two weeks (because of life craziness), and then flew through the rest in a day. Typically, for me, that long of a gap between starting and finishing a book would be a bad sign. In this case, it’s a testament to just how good this book is that my enjoyment wasn’t lessened one bit by reading it in such a disjointed fashion.

I’m not a big fan of second-chance romance, but it worked so well in this one. I loved that it inverted “typical” romance roles — the hero is the one obsessed with finding love and settling down and the heroine is the cynical, closed-off one who runs at the first sign of feelings. I ate it up! Both had their own baggage, and I loved seeing them work through it over the course of the book. It was sometimes frustrating, especially the on-off nature of their relationship, but it’s mostly because I was so deeply invested in them working it out.

The banter was fantastic, but there were some very moving moments in the writing, too. It wasn’t all laughs! I really enjoyed the friendships, the complicated family relationships, and the personal growth for both characters. I loved getting a dual POV, and I was rooting for these two to figure everything out. It was just such a delightful read, and I’m so glad I gave it a shot!

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This was a decent debut novel. The story line was original and writing was done well with a dual POV. The story also progressed over several years…that’s not my favorite, but was still enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books . ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

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So cute and fun! This was a nice quick rom-com read. Wish there weren't mentions of the pandemic, but I am aware that that's entirely a personal idiosyncracy of mine and doesn't at all reflect on the quality of the book 😂 I generally am partial to books about writers, and books that get a little meta, and books with good banter, so all of that balanced the COVID-ness out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

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I too am a "Class B*tch" but me and Molly are not the same.

I love second chance romances and had high hopes for this one, especially bc reverse grumpyxsunshine and I love when the FMC doesn't believe in love and then gets hit with it in the face, but it was hard to like when the FMC is idk... hard to like?

The writing itself was well done and easy to read, but the characters were just not it for me. There's headstrong and independent, and then there's Molly who is just mean. I get self-sabotaging sometimes, trust me, but enough is enoughhhhhhh. It was just too much and dragged on for so much of the plot that I was over her character like 50% in. Also, Molly is a grown woman and her entire personality gave immature pick me. Seth deserved better!! I loved him and he gave golden retriever vibes, but also too much doormat vibes.

The spice was good but the characters just made me want to bang my head against a wall.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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✅ Molly, romance screenwriter & Seth, divorce lawyer: high school sweethearts who see each other again at the 15 year reunion
✅ dual POV
✅ one night stand turned second chance romance
🌶️: yes

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Okay I did like this book but we have to talk about the ending because I'm confused why nobody acknowledges that it was batshit crazy of Seth to propose to his girlfriend after five months, which would be crazy regardless, but is only more confusing given the fact that his girlfriend has terrible commitment issues around the concept of marriage and quite literally never said in the book that she wanted to get married and was barely managing not to bolt from her relationship. Molly took a lot of accountability for her reaction, but why would Seth ask that soon??? Especially when he had a very well known habit of rushing into making relationships very serious and he proposed previously to somebody after only like six months of dating??? So Molly has to work on herself and Seth's flaws are chill??? I kept waiting for Seth to take accountability for him asking a question way too soon that he knew would freak Molly out and then the book ended.

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This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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I need people to stop comparing their books to well-known authors. I know it gets us many times, but it sets high expectations. I struggled with this book so much! I almost DNF’d it around 75%. I’m so sad because this sounded like it would be great. I love a good second-chance romance! Let me get into it…

My biggest problem with this book was the two main characters. Their relationship was toxic, and I had a hard time getting behind that. I was honestly rooting for the other side characters more. I was on Seth’s brother’s side all the way. In this book, Molly is the grump, and Seth is the sunshine. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and the author took it too far for both characters. I was not too fond of Molly’s character from the beginning. Seth came off so desperate and in love that I was constantly rolling my eyes. He had so much work to do on himself, but he wanted to be married so badly that he didn’t care. At least Seth did have some growth by the end. He realized his issues and was working on them. I can’t say the same for Molly.

The romance was lacking because I didn’t buy it. In my opinion, they were not meant for each other. They would have been better as friends. It made it even harder to connect with the story by the end. Even when they talked about their relationship from the past, it didn’t feel right. I also didn’t love that they bet on their friend’s relationships.

Overall, I was not a fan of this one. There was a lot of potential, but sadly too many issues. There are so many romances out there, and I cannot recommend this one. If you are looking for something like Emily Henry’s writing, this isn’t the one.

Thanks to Flatiron Books & Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Molly Marks… my god. The way you broke my heart over and over. YOU DESERVED LOVE GIRL!

This book was so incredibly well written. It wasn’t slow, it didn’t drag, I was laughing and crying. Genuinely so much fun. Except the times that Molly was self sabotaging and I wanted to scream at her.

Was Seth intense? Yes. But, they all had a ton of history together. So, it wasn’t creepy intense. He was such a Labrador tbh and I was living for it.

I also love that the main characters weren’t hot messes. I love that both were accomplished on their own even if they had some growing up to do. I love that we saw them grow and become better versions of themselves.

I also really enjoyed the side stories between her bffs and her dad. Trigger warning for shitty parents but it could have been worse for sure.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It really is in my top 5 of the year so far. Definitely an excellent read.

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Just Some Stupid Love Story was the endearing story of high school sweethearts who get reunited at their 15 year reunion - Molly writes romcom screenplays and Seth is a divorce lawyer - and they made a bet as to who will still be together at their 20 year reunion. True opposites attract who find themselves all grown up and still attracted to each other. This book gave me all the feels. I loved their witty banter and their chemistry. And Seth was so lovable. I giggled out loud and I swooned. A perfect beach read.

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