There has recently been a trend with romcom books that have characters in the books that are somehow tied to romcoms, and I have so much enjoyed how meta this is! In this book the main female character Molly is a romcom screenplay writer. Naturally, however, she doesn't believe in love. Seth, her high school boyfriend that she breaks it off with just after graduation, is the hopeless romantic. Of course, they come back into contact at their high school reunion and emotions run high, and old flames are reignited. It all culminates into a bet being made regarding five different relationships in their high school class- betting on who would still be together romantically and who would be divorced by the next reunion. The final couple, according to Seth, is going to be him and Molly married at their 20 year reunion.

I really liked this story! I thought it was a quick and easy read, and I could not put it down because I wanted to know how these two seemingly opposite characters fit together. I enjoyed that it was a book that took us over five years. Seth is just such a cinnamon roll of a main male character. All he wants is to have a wife and kids, and he yearns for this. Molly is a bit too grumpy at times, but I still did enjoy her softening and development over the course of the book. I think one of the best parts of the books was seeing how each character is growing when they were not together. I was rooting for this couple the entire time, and I enjoyed the ending. Ironically, I could easily see this turning into the plot of a romcom movie. Overall, this was a great beach read that kept me entertained with the characters banter and gave me butterflies when it ended.

Loved the narration of the audiobook. I thought the narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life and I enjoyed how well it brought the story together.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

What a fun book! This is a laugh-out-loud, sometimes cry-a-little, rom-com about Molly Marks and Seth Rubinstein and their on-again, off-again romance that began in high school. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was right on target with both voices.

Seth is the romantic one; Molly has abandonment by daddy issues, and she tends to run when things get intense. She’s done that to Seth multiple times. At first I wondered why he put up with her shenanigans, since he’s a darling—-so thoughtful, kind, and a real catch. He’s a family law (read:divorce) attorney in Chicago, and she’s a romantic-com screenwriter in Los Angeles.

The book begins when they are at their 15-year high school reunion. Their banter is engaging, and they gave a one-night fling then, which leads to their betting on the fate of 5 couples at the reunion, including themselves. The rest of the book takes us through the ensuing five years, with Seth and Molly flirting with being a couple. There are moments of joy and happiness as well as such heartbreak.

I really liked the book! I did think it dragged a little getting through the five-year timeline, but after about 60 percent it picked up, and I was wondering how it would all be wrapped up.

Definitely recommend it! I’ll also look forward to another read from this author.

I didn't partiularly like either of these lead characters to be honest but I liked the banter between them.

‘Just Some Stupid Love Story’ is a fun, entertaining second chance rom-com. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was lovely! I loved the chemistry between the two characters as well. Looking forward to more books by Katelyn Doyle!

Many thanks to Katelyn Doyle, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing me with an ALC of this book.

I am a fan of the slow burn romance and the chase, so this one was right up my alley. It’s a little bit of a clever premise. High school sweethearts reconnect at their reunion and place a bet on which couples will be together at their next reunion. This gives the couple a second chance at a happy ending if they can overcome their differences and her anxiety.

Over the next five years they float in and out of each other’s lives as they are never quite in the same place in life to restart their relationship. I really did fall in love with Seth and Molly right from the start. I just recently heard of two from my class that didn’t date back then and just married. So it can happen.

I rooted for the two from the start both in their relationship and in their lives. The grumpy sunshine trope is always good for a little fun when done right and this one was. And to throw in a twist, it was Molly as the grump and Seth as the pollyanna.

I know I mentioned their relationship is a bit of a slow burn, but they did find time to have the sparks fly. There were spicy scenes to keep me entertained while their chase played out.

Christine Lakin and Tim Paige bring Seth and Molly to life. I love that there was dual narration for this love story. Christine does a great job of narrating Molly’s anxiety and mental health issues while Tim really nails Seth’s golden retriever like optimism. I think the audiobook helped bridge the long span of the book and keep me interested.

If you love the chase as much as the relationship, you should pick this one up.

What I enjoyed: A main character who shares a name with my daughter ;) and Seth's character was so sweet and caring. The final grand gesture was very sweet too. The "bet" was fun and kept the story moving. What I didn't enjoy: I just felt like Molly was way too mean! It felt unrealistic that they would keep coming back to each other based on her behaviour even if it was authentic and rooted in childhood difficulties. 
I would recommend if you can really get behind an angsty love story that flip flops a lot!

This book wasn't bad, but didn't give me a spark. I think some people who like this troupe will enjoy it.

4.5/5

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the copy. This is one rom-com I will recommend.

✨ Genre: Romance
💜Steamy rating: Moderate
⚡️ Profanity: High

“You should text him with your thoughts and prayers and boobs.”

Molly and Seth are high school sweethearts, but Molly dumps Seth the night of high school graduation and completely ghosts him. Fifteen years later they’re both back in town for their high school reunion and are seated at the same table. Molly writes romcoms for a living, and Seth is a divorce attorney. Based on their expertise, they make a bet on who can predict which couples will be together at their 20th reunion.

This was a really good romcom. It’s told in first person rotating between Seth and Molly and even flashing back to their high school years. I liked the grumpy vs sunshine dynamic. Surprisingly Molly is the grump. I found the plot engaging and the characters lovely… besides Molly’s dad and Robbie. This one showcased Molly’s grief and fear of abandonment from her own father, which made her character easy to cheer for even when she pushes others away. The narrator, Christine Latin was new to me, but she did amazing.

🎧 Method: Macmillan Audiobook
📙 2024 book count: 88

Triggers: Abandonment, infidelity, and infertility struggles

#justsomestupidlovestory #katelyndoyle #fiction #romance #romcom #macaudio2024 #macmillonaudio

I enjoyed this romcom. I mean the characters almost drove me crazy because they made it harder than it needed to be, but overall it was such a fun one. The audio was very good!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to the ALC of Just Some Stupid Love Story.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable little listen - major credit given to the narrators (Christine Lakin is always a star).

I did struggle with the pacing, even listening at my normal 2x speed. I think that was in part because their periods of not speaking, etc. were drawn out over five years. Collapsing the timeline even by just a year (or two?) would have tightened the narrative and made for a quicker, more uptempo story.

It was nice to see the grumpy x sunshine flipped a little, with the FMC as the grump (and boy was she). Molly Marks does not want to end up like her mother after her father left - sad, alone, and a little bitter, so instead of seeing those circumstances and avoiding the pitfalls herself she just bulldozes and sabotages any chance of romance she has in her life. Seth Rubinstein, the sunshine in our equation, is the opposite - a (surprise!) divorce lawyer who loves love and jumps in with both feet. Their dynamic was interesting, but I wish we had seen more growth from Molly. It just seemed like most people around her told her what was going on/how she should act and she just...did it. We saw Seth grow a lot more than Molly over the course of the story, and this is another instance where I think collapsing the timeline would have really helped.

Overall, a cute listen.

Such a great debut! A fun second chance romance that starts at a high school reunion and spans years with lots of fun emails and texting. Seth was whatever is more than a golden retriever hero - maybe a golden doodle??? He was SO SWEET!! Well narrated and perfectly paced!

For me, the book felt like it dragged somewhat and was a little too long. I think part of that may have been because their bouts of friendship/not speaking/attempts at reconciliation are drawn out over five years. At some point it just became tiresome. While the banter between the two main characters can be entertaining at times, it’s clear they don’t have a healthy connection with each other (romantic or otherwise).
This is the first book I’ve read from Katelyn Doyle, and while this one wasn’t really for me, I would give another book by her a try.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC! I found the premise of this book so dreamy and couldn’t wait to start it. Unfortunately, I DNF’d at 70%. I wanted to give a fair amount of time to see if the book and characters would grow on me but I continued to struggle and was unable to root for the relationship. I found the male main character especially cringey and I felt the audio narration brought that out even more. Also, I want to note that a portion of this book takes place during COVID for those that find that time period triggering.

My latest read/audiobook was JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY by Katelyn Doyle narrated by Christine Lakin and Tim Paige. I couldn’t decide what to listen to after finishing the last audiobook and this is what my daughter picked for me. I really enjoyed this one. It has all of the components of a great rom-com~ fun, witty banter, some steam, and makes you smile. I liked that there were two narrators for both POVs of Molly and Seth. I don’t think you can go wrong with the audiobook or the physical book.

It’s a delightful story with lovable characters, and I was happy to keep coming back to it. This will make a great summer read for anyone that loves Emily Henry and Katherine Center! Available now!

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio for this copy!

This book was so good!!! If it just so happens to make it to the big screen I could definitely see Amy Schumer playing the role of Molly. I love how the book begins with Molly and Seth reuniting at their class reunion and he’s all optimistic and swooning over her and Molly is just being Molly.

They hook up before the night is over and in Molly’s mind this is just a one night stand. But we have optimistic Seth who felt otherwise so they make a bet. Their bet was whoever could predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple was the two of them.

Typically it’s always the guy chasing the girl then she falls for him etc. But I liked the twist with Molly being the one who ends up doing the chasing. Which technically only happened because Seth finally gave up as he should’ve cause her negativity towards love and finding a soul mate was killing me.

Her biggest reason for not believing in true love was seeing her mother go through a nasty divorce and her father basically abandoning her afterwards. Although Seth gave her every reason to believe in love I mean his actions clearly showed that. Molly was not letting up she even said no to Seth’s romantic marriage proposal.

But the chemistry and connection between them was undeniable. My only downsides were Seth referring to her as Molly Mollz hated that, the emails accidentally being sent to them both wasn’t buying it, and the way they reconciled falling into the jacuzzi it felt so cliche.

Overall, I still loved the book and would recommend. We get a dual POV depicting Molly and Seth’s perspective in vivid detail. The premise, unexpected twists, and the awesome character development kept the story fresh and engaging. I also loved how the author teased the reader a bit making you feel like okay this is it she’s falling for him then boom Molly somehow ruins it. Special thanks to the author, @flatiron_books for my gifted copy, and @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 for my advanced listening copy!!!

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️

I struggled with this one! The back and forth was killing me. And the FMC drove me nuts. I just wanted them to quit their crap and be together. I felt like this book lasted a bit toooo long. I did love that the MMC was the sunshine and FMC was grumpy!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great. The book itself was a good idea but the execution felt a little off. Parts of it were cute and funny but it started to drag and went downhill for me. It felt like it would have made a perfect novella. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

I think this one failed to grab me because it was so spread out over "years" and I didn't think the characters really had that much chemistry.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Forced DNF as unfortunately my file was corrupt and I wasn't able to listen to it as it kept restarting the audiobook (losing my place) and then it expired I obviously lost my access.
The concept seems really good and the cover art is superb. Very sad to have not gotten the chance to listen to it, I hope to pick it up now that it is out on the shelves!

I'm raring it 3 stars as the little I was able to listen to was well narrated and well written and I don't think it fair to give higher or lower.

3.5 stars - Cute romcom with sunshine guy and grumpy gal who have a second chance at romance. The high school reunion meet cute was fun as were the places they'd see each other over time. I enjoyed the dual POVs. There were a couple of steamy scenes but not overly spicy. Overall enjoyable audio.