Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. It was a great Valentine's Day read - lighthearted and fun, I read it in two days! I loved the main characters and there were some definite laugh out loud moments - I think I laughed for two pages with the hot tub scene near the end. Hope to see more contemporary romance from Katelyn Doyle!

DNF - The heroine and her unlikability is well-done and enjoyable, but the hero is a Golden Retriever on Crack who is probably manic and needs to seeing someone. Actually both of them do.

While I didn't LOVE the characters, I could have looked past it had the writing been anything beyond surface level. I've read this author's Historical Romances, so I know she has it in her - I just think this was a weak and shallow attempt at a rom com.

I was attracted to the title because of its sardonic vibe. After reading the novel in one day (I could not put it down), I realize the tone of the title reflects the prickly and skittish main female character, Molly.

Ironically, Molly is a screenplay writer of rom coms, even though she doesn’t believe in soul mates or happy ever afters. We learn why as the story progresses and so are sympathetic with some of her self sabotaging actions. When she sees her high school boyfriend again at their 15 year high school reunion, it is clear they are each other’s person. It just takes awhile to get there because of their past and his sunshine personality not meshing with her grump one.

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.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Katelyn Doyle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Molly and Seth were high school sweethearts, Molly broke up with Seth abruptly after 4yrs and completely shut him out. Fast forward 15yrs and they reconnect at their high school reunion. Still dealing with abandonment/daddy issues Molly (rom-com writer from LA) isn’t ready to embrace Seth (divorce attorney from Chicago) and all his cinnamon roll, golden retriever enthusiasm.

Molly’s slightly grumpy, realistic personality mixed with her love for her mom and friends made her endearing despite seeming prickly at times. Seth was a little over the top for me but lovable in a slightly too sweet way that gives you a bit of a toothache but you still cannot put it down.

Enjoyed the dual POV and the fact that the story took place over several years. Read this book in one day! Liked the tension and spice.

Molly Marks is a rom-com writer in Los Angeles, but she doesn’t believe in love. Her high school boyfriend, Seth, though a divorce attorney, is the number one believer in soulmates. These exes with differences in opinion get stuck together at their 15 year high school reunion and decide to place a bet about the fate of five couples after five years - the winner gets bragging rights for being correct about love.

This was a solid romantic comedy. I swooned (even with a side character!) and I laughed throughout this enjoyable book. Molly was a little prickly at times, but I loved her character growth. Her bluntness and dry humor was a hit for me and she really worked to not let her emotions get the best of her. Seth was a cinnamon roll golden retriever who just wanted someone to accept his love because he had so much to give. He was a little too happy for me at times, but he knew what he wanted.

The dual POV was another hit for me. I really enjoyed seeing what each character was thinking, especially when the other person had it all wrong. Their inner monologues were great!

I did feel like when the two of them were together, they reverted back to their high school selves. Some of their dialogue and actions didn’t seem like they were professionals in their thirties. It also made the chemistry between Seth and Molly seem a little off at times.

Even so, I had a great time reading this book and I absolutely loved the ending involving a little email mixup - it showed some great insight into the characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a laugh-out-loud, swoon-worthy read filled with perfectly executed witty banter, sexy (is it hot in here or is it just this book? 🥵) scenes and a second chance at love that’ll have you desperately rooting for a HEA!

Molly is that relatable character who’s jaded at the concept of love with significant daddy issues. The funny part is - she writes rom-com’s for a living! But opposites attract as we meet Seth, who while despite being a divorce attorney, is a complete hopeless romantic that believes in soul mates and true love. 💕 These high school sweethearts are brought back together for their 15 year reunion, and this book utilizes alternating dual
POV’s to delve into the evolution of their relationship the next five years. Love’s not always a smooth journey, but it’s a worthwhile one!

As this author’s debut in the rom-com genre, I’d say she knocked it outta the park! I was a bit hesitant at first as Molly seemed to be a total ice princess b***** and Seth was more cheese than he was actual humor, but the character development was phenomenal! Not just the main characters, but also the supporting cast - you got the perfect amount of backstory and glimpses of their personalities to enjoy them while not distracting from the main storylines. The ending did drag out a bit more than I probably would have preferred, but overall it was truly an enjoyable read. 👏

A very well-deserved 4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley & Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this charming digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I am not usually for second chance romances but this book was just beautiful, depicting Seth and Molly as real people with real feelings and real flaws, I couldn’t stop reading it! Thank you for the opportunity to read it ahead of publication. I’ll definitely be on the look out for next books from Ms Doyle.

This is very much a “your mileage may vary” type of book, but, fuck, it really worked for me. The cynical black cat FMC and eternally optimistic golden retriever MMC is my catnip, and I ate this book up. It was sweet, tender, sexy, and real, and I had a great time.

This is a fun read. No real surprises from the main characters, but I still wanted to know how they resolved their challenges. Nice pacing. Not to underestimate the intelligence of the target audience, but it's interesting to note that while the characters are relatively uncomplicated the author throws in phrases like, "I smell petrichor." Seems oddly out of place in this relatively easy read.

The banter, chemistry, and the character development was so enjoyable. Sometimes it's hard to see characters fail and repeat mistakes but it felt realistic. The characters were endearing. I was invested and I read it in one day.

Great read. Started a little slow, but loved the character development and storyline. Molly deserved her happy ending,. Which was that much stronger due to her stifles asking the way.

Did not finish @ 44%

Usually if I'm (almost) halfway through a book, I'll just tough it out and finish it. However, I reached the covid chapter and I really could not do it anymore. I don't think this book was BAD-bad, but I also don't think it was particularly well-written.

It'’s more a tell not show, and I cannot stress to you that I do not want to generalize but the male main character does not read like a straight man’s pov at all. The language and wording in his chapters were just so…glaringly obvious that a woman wrote this. This also made the two povs sound very similar even though they’re supposed to be polar opposites in personality.

Otherwise the romance itself was fine. just fine. Maybe if I kept reading I would enjoy everything more but this gave me similar vibes, writing- and character-wise as Romantic Comedy (2023), and I really did not relive that.

This a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine story with a dual POV, alternating between Molly Marks, and Seth Rubenstein. Molly and Seth were together while in high school, until Molly broke up with Seth the night of their senior prom, for reasons that were never clear to him. They meet again at their 15-year reunion: Molly writes screenplays for rom-coms and lives in LA; Seth is a divorce attorney who lives in Chicago.

Despite their history and a rocky start to the evening, after numerous cocktails, Molly and Seth find that they are still attracted to each other. They spend the night together, which Molly assumes is a one-night stand and Seth thinks is the beginning of a second chance. Molly doesn’t believe in romance after experiencing the emotional devastating consequences created for her and her mother by her parents’ divorce; she has a habit of ending relationships before someone else can hurt her. In contrast, Seth is a cinnamon roll who falls in love quickly and enthusiastically in search of his soulmate. They end up making a bet: whoever correctly predicts that status of five couples by the next reunion (in five years), will have to admit that the other person is correct about their perception of whether soulmates actually exist. Seth insists that he and Molly be included as one of the five couples.

In the beginning, both Seth and Molly seemed too extreme and over the top. Molly was abrasive and emotionally closed off while Seth was happy about everything and very emotional. Eventually, the layers of their personalities are uncovered and they become more realistic and understandable. This is a well written story, with a narrative that flows and easy to read. It’s not exactly light-hearted but the amusing banter between Molly and Seth creates many humorous moments to help balance some of the more serious sections about issues that the couple have to work through.

The supporting cast of characters is also well developed with distinctive personalities for Seth’s and Molly’s family and friends. The story takes place from 2018-2023 so the pandemic plays a part in the narrative as well. All in all, a clever concept that is well executed and does a good job of delivering on its promise.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Flatironbooks for the ARC.

This book?! This book right here?! This book has everything, and it made me feel all the feels. It has all the witty banter that will make you laugh out loud, the dirty talk and the sexy scenes will have you sweating and blushing, the pining and the heartache will have you swooning and crying. This book is top notch rom-com material and I loved every second of it. Seth is an emotionally mature king and Molly eventually gets there but the journey we get to go on with them is worth the pain and pleasure.

This was my first time reading Katelyn Doyle's work and to say I am delighted is an understatement. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Katelyn Doyle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

NetGalley ARC -
This was a very quick read - I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters, the dual POV and the gender swap for the grumpy/sunshine trope. A smart, fun rom-com

I thought the beginning of the book was promising: Katelyn Doyle is a very funny writer—I laughed out loud several times—and the two leading characters were annoying but in an entertaining, idiosyncratic way. But as the story went on, the characters didn't really grow past immature caricatures, and their respective internal conflicts felt forced and under-written. For these reasons, I did not finish the book.

Yay, Molly and Seth!! These are the characters that I love to root for. They have just enough banter to be believable and their love shines through the inevitable problems they encounter. Their friends are funny and supportive and their families are eccentric in the best way (except for dear ol' dad). I just loved this book and will shout it's praises to anyone that asks!! Fantastic job, Katelyn!

**Thank you NetGalley for offering this as a Read Now option!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the eARC.

3 Stars
Cover 3 Stars

WWTQ: What is the human male version of a my little pony like?
Answer: Manic serial killer

I gave up at the 85% mark. This just wasn't for me.

This is a grumpy/sunshine second chance romance, but the sunshine, the guy, Seth is plain manic. He's terrifying. No one that jolly isn't on tons of cocaine and pixie sticks. He gave me serial killer who plays with organs vibes. The grumpy woman, Molls is not OK. She needs her meds upped by kilos and probably enter an in patient program. There is no doubt in my mind that these two people are terrible for each other and the rest of humanity.

Outside of the cringey personalities of these characters the book also explores childhood trauma of two percenters in Florida. I'm not sure how relatable that is. I couldn't empathize with a whiny rich kid who couldn't live up to her parents' success.

That said it's well written and a relatively fast read, so the time spent with these people is minimal.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this novel. I have mixed feelings about this second-chance romance. Some of the witty banter between the two protagonists made me guffaw. And I appreciated the dual POVs. That said, sometimes the female was just so, so, so darn unlikeable and toxic. I know dealing with her fears and anxieties was large part of her arc, but she could be so awful to Seth. It was hard to watch. This isn’t the spiciest of books— when the two first hook up there’s a lot of “fade to black…” — but then oddly detailed descriptions of FaceTime sex? I’m not complaining, I was just confused as to why some things were detailed and others weren’t. That said, I did enjoy this novel and all the side characters. And I didn’t put it down even though I have work in the morning. :)

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

This was a fun read! Molly and Seth had a lot of chemistry together and their banter was enjoyable to see. I was rooting for them the whole time. Molly's cautionary approach to love balances out Seth's optimism and hope of finding love. I found Seth to be very endearing and I love how he was committed to Molly and pined for her. While I understood Molly's view on love and how these views were shaped by the trauma of her parents' divorce, I liked seeing her character grow throughout the book and how her opinions on herself and love changed. The dual POVs really helped me understand the characters on a deeper level and I feel like it helped me connect with the characters better.

Tropes:
second-chance romance
grumpy/sunshine