This, unfortunately, did not work for me at all. I found the main character to be just plain mean - not grumpy of a grumpy sunshine trope. I also wasn't sold on the chemistry between the characters. When it comes to a second chance romance, I am a pretty hard sell because the author has to convince me that the characters are worth getting back together, and I don't think that was accomplished here. I was hoping they would become friends and then find the person that they had chemistry with, which is what I don't think should happen when I'm reading a romance. I know this book is already getting a lot of love, and I'm so glad it is. It just wasn't for me.

3.5⭐️

The writing itself is fantastic.
This was a super fast read for me and I couldn’t put it down.

However, I didn’t like Molly and I got tired of her constantly running away from Seth and breaking up with him.
Apologies are worthless if you repeat the same mistake.

Unfortunately, by the end of this book I don’t believe this is a HEA relationship.
I don’t believe that Molly healed enough to pursue Seth again.
But also Seth allowing her to come back after running away 3x also says something about him.

This book is so silly and tender and everything I wanted it to be!

It’s a second chance, grumpy (Molly) sunshine (Seth) romance novel featuring two former high school sweethearts that meet again at their 15-year reunion and decide to bet on other couples’ relationships, including their own.

Seth is one of my favorite male MCs I have read in a while. He’s goofy and so in love and not afraid to show all sides of himself while also being a good communicator (yes!). Molly has gone through some stuff, so that makes her a bit romantically guarded in a very realistic way.

I really enjoyed watching Molly and Seth’s story unfold. The friend side characters were fun, and I appreciated the honesty regarding Molly’s awful father and their rocky relationship.

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

A second (and third, and fourth, and infinity) chance romance that had me feeling all the feels every time Molly and Seth crossed paths year after year. I think we all play the "what if?" game, and this felt like it brought all of those scenarios to life, making me feel so invested in what the outcome would be.

Seth has the patience of a saint, and Molly became a tiny bit insufferable about three quarters of the way through the book but she turned it around for the ending!

Okay, I was *immediately* drawn into by the amazing cover and first chapter. It's captivating right off the bat.

JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY opens with jaded rom-com screenwriter Molly Marks visiting Florida for her fifteen high school reunion. She's immediately (and reluctantly) reunited with her high school boyfriend Seth, an in-love-with-love, charming, (now) divorce attorney who is enthusiastically searching for his soulmate. But still, he holds a candle for Molly, who ghosted him on the eve of their graduation and gave him his first heartbreak.

As the two reconnect at the reunion, their clashing beliefs in love lead them to wager a five-year bet involving the romantic fates of a handful of their close-friend couples -- and themselves. This story is funny and a right person, wrong time journey that has you aching for the love interests to finally just FIGURE IT OUT and get together. It's a sexy romp that will really be some readers' cup of tea.

It wasn't totally mine, however. While it started strong, I was a little put off by Molly's "not like other girls" energy -- it grated on me more and more as the story progressed. And while I loved the narrator for Molly, I didn't like the male narrator for Seth, and that made it hard for me to like him as a character. And in order for me to root for Molly and Seth's relationship, I needed a much stronger development of their high school romance (beyond the fact that they were physically attracted to each other). I just didn't understand how they could fall in love in the first place, given how truly opposite they were. I think more solid flashbacks to their teenage connection could have helped make the eventual romance more believable, and the struggle more worth the resolution. By the middle, I was increasing the audio speed to finish more quickly because I was losing interest and investment in the outcome.

I genuinely hope this book finds its audience, because the world needs more literary rom-coms. It just wasn't a knock-out for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC, and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC, in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY is out 6/4/24.

This was a spicy, somewhat cute and occasionally funny slow/fast burn rom com. I say slow/fast because the main characters are exes who start hooking up early on in the book but it takes them awhile to get together. That was a bit frustrating but to be expected, I guess.

I liked the characters most of the time, especially the side ones. The structure with the different time periods helped the story flow smoothly. It felt like a movie. It was kind of interesting to see how the pandemic played into things. It made the story feel more realistic in a way that was almost refreshing.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC of Just Some Stupid Love Story. This was a fun one -- I loved the story told over five years, and Seth was the ultimate cinnamon roll who you couldn't help but root for. I thought adding the premise of the pandemic was very well done. Overall, a cute story with a great ending.

Another incredible debut novel of 2024!

Just Some Stupid Love Story had me enraptured from the very first page. There is nothing I love more than a sassy, cynical heroine and Molly Marks was just that! As a reverse grumpy/sunshine, I anticipate a lot people struggling with her, but I promise if you give her the chance, she will grow on you because the character development was REAL!

The hero, Seth Rubinstein, is Molly's high school sweetheart who she ghosted on graduation night. Despite being a very successful divorce attorney, he continues to believe in soulmates. When Molly and Seth get seated next to each other at their 15 year high school reunion, things get heated after a night of booze and nostalgia and before departing, they place a bet on 5 couples for their 20 year reunion and they are couple number 5.

The story follows the next five years with plenty of heartbreak, character growth and love. Even the side characters have incredible growth. This story really shows how much we can all stand in our own way when it comes to getting what we want. That learning how to deal with our own shortcomings and flaws, learning to forgive, and communicating one's feelings can go a long way. I absolutely adored Molly and Seth's story. I can't wait to see what Ms. Doyle does next!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

I was between 3.5 and 4 stars, but ultimately landed on 3.5 stars because I just couldn’t related to any of the characters (not that I wanted to either to be honest). The story was interesting, but I wish we saw Molly truly grow over the 5 years and work on not being a bolted and I didn’t feel like that really happened. She does stay in the end but I feel like she could have done more. Molly and Seth have what I’d consider to be an unhealthy relationship, and while I enjoyed the little bit of spice and thought they had some good banter, it just doesn’t work for me.

I wouldn’t not recommend this book, but I wouldn’t recommend it either.

Well, this was definitely a bit slow going to start off, took me about five tries to actually get past the first couple chapters. The main characters eventually show their lingering chemistry, whether they want to or not. Their repartee was cute for the most part, but this was a bit too elongated for my taste. Give me a medium-slow-burn, please! I might already be biased against second-chance romances, but I also kind of didn’t want them to get together. Maybe it’s just me though! Would definitely be willing to give the author another try but this one didn’t work for me unfortunately :😕

Overall, I really liked this book, this story and the fact that it was a debut!

If I am being critical, I struggled with Molly. Molly was VERRRRRRRRRY unlikeable and if my friend had dated her and been hurt by her, I'd be feral in keeping my friend away from her in the future. Seth deserved better! Yes people are flawed and grow, but she never really showed much growth.

That being said, I loved the second chance element, Seth was an absolute delight, the friendship circles were delightful and I absolutely loved that this started with a high school reunion - something I avoid like the plague, but made for a great book backdrop!

The writing was so well done, the characters were nearly perfect, I just think Molly needed more finessing as our main character, and I loved how this both started and ended.

Molly and Seth dated in high school. Then, Molly leaves town, breaking Seth's heart in the process. Now, at their high school reunion, they begin a five year journey of seeing what they really are to each other.

I liked this one! This was a sweet romcom that had all of the moments that really tugged on my heartstrings. Here's what I loved:

Molly and Seth: These two are the ultimate black cat/golden retriever. Molly is pessimistic and guarded while Seth is optimistic and so open. But together they really worked.

The humor: I loved all of the one-liners. I found myself laughing out loud a few times!

The format: The novel is told in parts, each when Seth and Molly meet back up again one the course of five years. This really set the stage well for their romance.

This book does deal a little with Covid so if that is a trigger, be warned.

All in al, this was a good second chance romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the sarcastic FMC with a marshmallow heart, the colorful and vibrant side characters, pretty much everything. The way that the story spanned so many years made the eventual payoff all the more satisfying.

DNF @ 52%/chapter 21


This has an extremely rough beginning where I was debating quitting at 5%. The FMC is intolerable. Its meant to be a reverse grumpyxsunshine but honestly she's just cruel and not grumpy. She's a screenwriter that doesn't believe in love. (At a glance it's a reverse of The Rom-Commers, but this one goes downhill imo.)

The story spans multiple years across text/email messages/calls of highschool ex's but i dont feel the chemistry. I loved the MMC being a golden retriever, but that's it. PASS.

Just Some Stupid Love Story was such a fun read! I loved this rom-com and how each chapter changed narrators. Having the different voices really helped build the depth of both the fmc and mmc. This was engrossing and I didn't want to put it down. The perfect beach read! I was lucky enough to receive a free ARC copy of this book, but all opinions are my own!

Give me all the rom-coms- especially ones that involve a main character who writes them! Just Some Stupid Love Story is a fun, easy read with a very unique storyline. Katelyn Dole throws in just enough nostalgic references to transport me back to my high school years. Molly & Seth are both such lovable, well-written main characters in this story. This would be the perfect beach read this summer!!

Thank you NetGalley & Flatiron Books for an ARC copy of this book.

3.5⭐️for me.

Read this book if you enjoy:
>Classic rom com nostalgia
>Second chance romance
>Grumpy x sunshine
>Text/email exchanges
>Hollywood rom com writer + Midwest divorce lawyer

The premise of this book was also interesting to me - and there were elements of the story that I really enjoyed - the side bets on the relationships, the friend group that each of them had, and the fact that their high school reunions were the anchor points of the story. So much nostalgia - with lots of throwback references to when I was in high school as well - so that was definitely a lot of fun.

I think I struggled a little bit with the connection between the two MCs themselves. On their own, they're two fully developed characters with their own friends, baggage, and lives - living in separate parts of the country and doing their own thing. The ways for them to interact after the initial reconnection at the HS reunion felt almost forced at times. Random emails/phone calls, one super hot text/video exchange (whoo), and a few "happen to be in the same city" type meetings. It felt almost like the foundation for their relationship was based more on what they had in high school the first time than what they were building as adults. And the MMC's golden retriever, all in personality was a little too much for me at times.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read with lots of really fun parts to the story. Thank you to Netgalley/Macmillan for the eARC!

Molly, a romance cynic, writes rom coms for a living; Seth, a romantic, is a divorce lawyer - and the only time either was really in love was with each other in high school, until Molly abruptly ended it right before graduation and shattered Seth's heart. The next time either set eyes on each other is at their 15th reunion, stuck next to each other (and chemistry is still very much there). The two spend the night talking and after looking around the room, make bets on which 5 couples will make it or break it before the 20th, and Seth bets on them being together by their 20th. Molly has 5 years to prove to him that there is no such thing as soulmates, and Seth has 5 years to prove her wrong; except that life keeps getting in their way.

I started by listening to this one and I have to say, while it was addicting and really enjoyable (I was invested in the couple almost immediately), I preferred Seth’s character when I read his POV chapters (he just seemed annoying on audio, but really sweet when I read). I liked Molly’s character even though her decisions were often frustrating because the pathology behind them were well explained (but I was still annoyed just because). @greatlyn smartly created plot twists with both characters putting up roadblocks in their relationship and not just having the drooling boy chasing the girl. I stayed up to finish this one (the thought of going to sleep and not knowing what happened was inconceivable to me - and yes, I know it’s a rom com and it’s predictable) and it was my Sunday indulgence. This is a super fun, cute read and I’m glad I had both the audio and the book for my Sunday evening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC to review

If I could give this 3.5 stars, I would.

I think this was a very interesting take on a black cat/cinammon roll type of dynamic. Molly is a very cynical character, very affected by her traumas and notably, self-sabotages her relationships. Seth is a hopeless romantic, constantly looking for the one, even at the cost of his happiness. The book was very honest. They both had their flaws, hurt each other over and over, and even the happy ending feels like it should come with an asterisk that they will both get couple's therapy. The banter in this book is fantastic.

However, the book's honesty is also the downfall. I read romance mainly to escape. So maybe bringing in all these faults made the characters human in a way that made me uncomfortable and brought me back to reality. The angst was mainly them hurting each other. It left me feeling melancholy. Ultimately, I applaud the frankness but I can also step back and say that this wasn't for me. I recommend it to Emily Henry fans or fans of Past Lives. Similar vibes.

This second chance romance is entertaining and spicy. The banter between our two main character is witty and humorous. The chemistry and character growth is spot on. I found myself rooting for the characters the whole time, while riding on an emotional roller coaster. This is one romance not to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.