Such a fun title for such a fun read! This one gave me all the feels and I loved the dual POV. It was great to hear both Molly’s and Seth’s perspectives and I really enjoyed their chemistry and banter. I always appreciate a good second chance story and this was really well done. Opposites attract plus some steam were added bonuses! Definitely want to read more by this author.

I absolutely adored "Just Some Stupid Love Story" by Katelyn Doyle! The reunion of high school sweethearts Molly Marks, a cynical rom-com writer, and Seth Rubinstein, a hopeless romantic divorce attorney, takes an unexpected and hilarious turn as they bet on the romantic fates of their classmates. The dual POV narration by Christine Lakin and Tim Paige brings the story to life with perfect banter, tension, and sweet moments. The five-year timeline and the “will they or won’t they” dynamic kept me hooked from start to finish. This debut rom-com is perfect for fans of opposites attract and second chance romances. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The reunion of high school sweethearts takes an unexpected turn when they find themselves caught up in a hilarious betting game on the romantic fates of their fellow classmates and they navigate their own rekindled romance.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the arc!

Narrators Christine Lakin and Tim Paige lend their voices to Molly Marks and Seth Rubinstein, our main characters in this can’t miss, dual-POV debut rom-com written by Katelyn Doyle.

Molly Marks is a rom-com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love. Seth Rubinstein is a divorce attorney who’s desperate to find his soul mate. These high school sweethearts reconnect after 15 years at their high school reunion and strike up a bet about the future of the relationships of 5 couples, including the two of them. Seth predicts that in 5 years, they’ll be back together. Molly laughs it off. Seth has 5 years to have the last laugh.

The story follows them both through the next 5 years, and it will have you wondering will they or won’t they? (While pulling for Seth to finally win her over!)

The writing is everything you want in a rom-com - great banter, tension, laughs, sweet moments, and some drama! Perfect for readers who love opposites attract and second chance lovers.

The audio was an easy and enjoyable listen. Great writing and great performances by the narrators!

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is going to be one of the top beach reads of the Summer. If you are someone who needs a smooth sailing, easy-peazy third act, this might not be for you, but it is such a great read.
Romcom screenwriter Molly Marks thinks she knows everything about romance; it's formulaic and a great money-maker, but it is not something that exists in the real world.
Divorce attorney Seth Rubinstein believes in soulmates even though his first love, Molly Marks broke his heart and never looked back as soon as high school ended.
After spending the night of their 15 year high school reunion making out in the sand and then waking up in Seth's hotel room, the former couple makes a bet. They'll pick 5 couples and whoever correctly predicts the state of the couples' relationships at their 20rh reunion wins. The terms:best out of 5 wins and the 5th couple... is the two of them. Katelyn Doyle's dual point-of-view story takes place in parts over the course of those five years.
With dual narration, Tim Paige and Christine Lakin set the pace of the audiobook for maximum "will they/won't they" dramatic effect. Overall, Katelyn Doyle's debut novel was well worth the nailbiting.

** spoiler alert ** Loved! I listened to this book in one sitting!

Although the summary of the book relates it to fans of Emily Henry.. I didn't truly expect it to be this heavy. I sometimes find Emily Henry books to be too descriptive and metaphoric. Another similarity.. LACK OF COMMUNICATION!!! I really enjoyed the writing style of this author --- descriptive but to the point most of the time. Our main character, Molly, clearly had childhood trauma from her parents divorce but it was addressed as necessary and not dwelled on unless building on the plot (AKA Seth & her). I wish we had gotten some of Molly & Seth from high school to see their dynamic then.

Overall, a frustratingly wholesome book. I was so upset half the time - they wouldn't communicate or it was the "wrong" time for one of them. The summary doesn't do the actual plot justice.. I wouldn't agree that Seth was trying to prove to Molly he was the one for five years.. more like a few days after the reunion and then once they finally got back together after their friend's wedding. Molly equally had feelings that were obviously expressive and picked up on by her friends and Seth. Molly knew right after the reunion that she had unresolved feelings for Seth. I'll give the girl this.. she did tell him and he was like "Oh, I'm actually seeing someone else." ... So, I felt the girls inability to own up to her feelings after that. I loved that at the end Seth wasn't too hard on her.

Also, let's not forget.. the COVID timelines... amazing, I have yet to read a book that implemented the pandemic into the plot. It was done very well :)

Molly is a rom-com writer who doesn't believe in romance or love. Seth is a divorce attorney who believes in love and happy endings. They were high school sweethearts until Molly ghosted to Seth. They find themselves seated together at their 15th high school reunion and after a few drinks...

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it, I felt it dragged, I was sucked in and fully invested, then I thought it would never end, etc. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrations but hoped that things would feel as if they were happening faster.

What I enjoyed was Seth's positivity, his faith in love, his vulnerability, and his outlook on life. I also enjoyed the banter between Molly and Seth. It took me some time to decide how I felt about Molly. She is a pessimist who self-sabotages a lot in this book. I do appreciate that she acknowledges her anxiety and the reason for the self-sabotage. This was a nice touch in the book. I also enjoyed getting both main character's POVs.

4.5 STARS! I absolutely loved this audiobook. Reading the description you have a good idea of what to expect. What I wasn't expecting was top tier banter and realistic problems. There were moments of frustration yet with the background I could understand their actions. I, also, appreciated that you could see that the issues were being worked on. The FMC being the grump and the MMC being the sunshine is one of my all time favorite tropes. I honestly couldn't put this down and finished it in one day. With great narrators and a fun and interesting storyline I found myself smiling throughout.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley, but this did not affect my review.

Hollywood rom-com writer Molly is cynical when it comes to true love. At her high school reunion, she hooks up with former sweetheart Seth, a hopeless romantic. They make a bet: predict the fate of five couples over the next five years, including themselves. Can Seth prove Molly wrong and rekindle their love?

What a brilliant debut! This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. Molly and Seth are wonderful—so different and yet perfect together. Molly is smart and sharp, while Seth is a darling cinnamon roll. The novel is fun and heartbreaking and incredibly satisfying.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The yearning and chemistry between Molly Marks and Seth Rubinstein is the best thing I’ve read in 2024. I’m not typically one to enjoy second chance romances. I’m especially not one to root for a couple who clearly cannot stay together after trying a few times. BUT Molly Marks and Seth are the exception. This romcom was perfect. When I read “for fans of Emily Henry” is the book blurb, I thought there’s no way, I am the number one Emily Henry fan. Turns out I am now the newest Katelyn Doyle fan. The way Katelyn wrote each scenario where these two characters ended up in the same place for a decade and had the perfect amount of angst, wanting, fighting, loving, arguing, lust, but also holding such a high respect for each other, was absolutely perfect! There definitely is some spice in here but it just makes this book even better. I loved how covid time period was also in this story line. It truly is something the whole world can relate to and it did make these characters feel that much more real. UGGHHH I loved every second of this long time coming love story. If you can’t tell by now, I can ramble on forever and highly recommend this book. It is the perfect love beach read for anyone, but specifically a young professional women who can relate to having her shit together, can stand the current dating scene, tired of going to weddings, and who is convinced they will never find there soul mate. (I may or may not be speaking from experience)…

I received the audio book from NetGalley. The dual narration by Christine Lakin and Tim Paige was great! I was literally laughing out loud!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an arc of Just Some Stupid Love Story!

I was able to read this Ebook, but the audiobook made the book even more enjoyable. I love the narrators that they chose for the characters and it really connected me with the book. I definitely can see this one being super popular!

This was okay! I usually like second-chance romances but couldn't really get into this one. I felt for Molly dealing with her absent father and could see how that played into her experience in her own relationships. Otherwise I've just been enjoying other romances more lately!

Marked as DNF on 5/3/24 @ 8% | I tried to get into this twice but I just couldn’t handle either main character. The FMC was so dead set on being miserable and the MMC was so like an actual golden retriever in human form. I get the author was trying to go grumpy x sunshine but it was wayyyyy too extreme so much so that I couldn’t handle either one.

I didn’t get the timeline and how they were at their 15th high school reunion and were making references to things that didn’t quite line up.

So I really didn’t like this at all and decided to DNF so I went to look up reviews.
1 - this takes place some years in the past and apparently has many covid references and it’s a sort of the book. Nah. Hard pass. But that’s probably why some of the references didn’t line up.
2 - reviews said it was fairly spicy and eh, not for me
3 - I just plain didn’t want these two to end up together unless they changed, which it doesn’t sound like they really did at all

Can we just stop writing books where the MCs hate love? Molly was so anti love and she write romcom movies. Har har har this has also been the plot of like 4 romcoms recently. I’ve had enough. I’m also so over enemies to lovers where they don’t believe in love and are actively angry. This worked for other people but it was definitely not gonna work for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the chance to read this one. Sorry it wasn’t for me! I actually really do love Christine Lakin and was sad not to continue her narration.

This is my first time reading Katelyn Doyle’s work and I can honestly say I really enjoyed it! The voice for the FMC was perfect and I loved the way Molly was written. I found it very easy to relate to her character especially when thinking about my younger self. The irony of a rom-com screen writer who doesn’t believe in fairytale endings was simply hilarious. It was refreshing to read a romance where the MMC was a hopeless romantic.

The baseball game scenes were cute and fun. Chapter 38 was absolutely heartbreaking, the voice actors really put their emotions into that one! “If you ever find yourself hosting an event that requires renting a white tent…” just trust me, remember this quote from the first sentence and love every bit of this 5 year ride you’re about to go on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katelyn Doyle, and Macmillan Audio books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, light, witty, and entertaining grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract Rom-Com. If those are your trope, check this book out!
Molly and Seth, high school sweethearts are thrown back together at a family reunion. She's sarcastic and guarded, he's outgoing and friendly. Turns out the flame that lit in high school never truly went out. Can they make a long-distance relationship even work? Fighting distance and trauma from Molly's childhood adds a realistic touch to this story.

Thanks to #NetGalley, and one of my faves - Macmillan Audio - for early access to the audiobook, Just Some Stupid Love Story, written by Katelyn Doyle in exchange for an honest review. The story was enjoyable, and the narrators, Christine Lakin and Tim Paige, did a great job!

I LOVED this book.

Dual POV, second (and third?) chances, a love cynic + a hopeless romantic, a 5-year timeline.

I like that the grumpy/sunshine dynamic actually had the male lead as the lighter character. Seth was really lovable and my heart broke for him multiple times throughout the story.

I also think Molly was written well and even though her daddy-issues were a bit over the top IMO I thought she was a likable character.

Even though this takes places over 5 years the pacing worked really well. This book had just the right amount of everything that you want in a rom-com!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this gifted ALC!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
This book started off strong with Molly and Seth reconnecting at their high school reunion. There was good banter, and I just saw a great second chance romance in their future. The story then went over the next 5 years and followed all of their chance meetings and reconnection. IT was emotional, funny, and had me rooting for them and frustrated at the same time. Overall I really liked the book but the journey there was a little rough at times.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
Christine Lakin and Tim Paige were great as Molly and Seth. Both portrayed the characters emotions well and really took on the role of the characters. I listened at 1.5x speed and everything was easy to understand. I definitely recommend the audio for this one!

This book just wasn't for me and that's ok - I didn't like anything about the main male character and that made it difficult for me to get into the story. I only listened to about 15% of it and didn't care to continue.

I do want to thank MacMillan Audio for an early listening copy! You guys rock!

3.5 stars

Molly spends her life writing Hollywood rom-coms, but she doesn’t actually believe in love or soulmates. Seth was her high school sweetheart and is a divorce attorney, who believes in love and grand gestures. The unlikely pair reunites at their high school reunion and makes a bet - whoever can predict the fate of five other couples has to say the other person is right about true love. Plot twist - the fifth couple is Molly and Seth!

This was a cute read overall, perfect for summer. The premise is fun and it was well written with humor and laughs sprinkled throughout. I liked Seth’s character. He was sweet and romantic, but almost desperate in his pining for love at times. Molly’s character was emotionally unavailable and harsh at times which made her less likable. I do think this one was drawn out a little too long and I wish there was a bit more chemistry between Seth and Molly. Their relationship is not a healthy one, and I feel like the reasons they broke up weren’t actually addressed. I did enjoy the banter between the pair and really enjoyed the ending.

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Christine Lakin and Tim Paige. I loved that the dual narration allowed each character to have their own distinct voice and emotions. Christine’s narration was fantastic. The way she embodied Molly’s character was great, and I think it actually made me like her character more than I would have if I had read the physical book. I didn’t feel the narration for Seth fit his character as much, but it was still well done overall.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a second-chance romance story that mostly missed the mark for me. Molly and Seth dated in high school and then had a drunken hookup at their high school reunion. At the reunion, they make a bet about couples they see and who will make it. I was intrigued initially with the story but the more we followed Molly the less I cared about the story.

To put it simply, Molly just sucks. She broke Seth's heart in high school and then just continues to do, feel, and say crappy things. For example, she bumps into Seth at a baseball game and makes Seth spend over 400 dollars on merchandise that she doesn’t even want. At another point in the story, an engagement is broken up and her first feeling is happiness. She is just a hard character to root for,

Seth on the other hand is too nice. I know opposites attract and all that cliche stuff but when someone sucks you don’t want them with someone who deserves to be happy. Throughout the entire story, Molly shows us over and over that she is just not good enough for Seth.

If you like second-chance romances then maybe this is for you but you have been warned that Molly sucks.