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.

I was unable to listen to this one before it expired. Once I read the book I will come back and give my review.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a cute romance with excellent narration. Molly writes romcom movies for a living, which is how she knows love isn’t real. She fell in love once with her high school sweetheart only to ghost him on the eve of their graduation. When the two run into each other again, Seth believes it’s fate. Molly does not. Will the two fall in love again?

An entertaining and easy listen that is great for fans of romcom movies and books!

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun listen. Second (third, fourth, fifth…)chance romance, friends to lovers, miscommunication enemies to lovers to friends to lovers to friends? I don’t know - lots of tropes and it was crazy fun. Be aware of the spice level if you listen all over the place lest you blush at the dentist office or panic when the audio automatically connects to the car when hopping in for carpool. Master class in side characters, too. Perfect beach read.

In this novel, we have some fun tropes, grumpy sunshine where we have the FMC as the grumpy one, and a second chance romance. It is a nice change of pace from the grumpy sunshine trope where we follow Molly Marks, a rom-com writer who hates love, is a known pessimist, and sabotages any romantic relationship, lest she end up like her mother when her dad left, sad, alone, and humiliated. She spends her adolescent and adult life seeking the approval of her father while running from any other male who may love her. THEN we have our MMC, Seth Rubinstein, an overly optimistic divorce lawyer who is Molly's mirror copy. He loves love he jumps into things so hard and fast that women leave him because he wants too much too quickly. These two reunite at their 15-year high school reunion and place a bet on who knows more about love, the cynical rom-com writer or the optimistic divorce lawyer. They bet on the future of 5 couples, including themselves, and plan to reconvene at the 20-year reunion.
I was expecting a happy-go-lucky romp through the romance world, but this one is a little sad, with a lot of self-sabotage on everyone's part, and a few surprising spicy scenes. Though the story takes place over five years and sees the ebb and flow of the world of our two MCs it seems like the growth of the characters is a bit one-sided. Yes, we know that Seth is the one who's gungho on love, but he is the one who does most of the growth and changing, even taking time for himself to reflect. Molly doesn't really reflect on her insecurities and why she is the way she is. Everyone just says what's up to Molly and she's like ok let me change course randomly all of a sudden.
At the end of the day, the story is fun, the romance is still sweet and heartbreaking. The narrators did an amazing job bringing the story to life and this is well worth the read.

Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the characters in this one. While I hate not finishing a book, I DNF at 30%.

This title is accurate...

It wasn't bad - it wasn't great. It was just kind of a silly (I won't say stupid) love story. I listened to the audio last week and already forgot what it was about.

Again, not horrible - but there are so many romcoms out there that I would check those out instead of this one!

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion (sorry!)

Just Some Stupid Love Story is the debut romcom by Katelyn Doyle. Due to the childhood trauma of her father leaving the family when she was 13, Molly Marks has sworn off romantic relationships while being a screen writer for romcoms. As her best friend/boyfriend throughout middle and high school, Seth Rubinstein became a family law attorney hoping to be able to protect others from the trauma suffered by Molly and her mother.

Having stood up Seth for their planned rendezvous after prom, Molly hasn’t had contact with him since. That is until their 15th reunion where they enter into a bet as to who knew more about relationships and who could predict the status at their 20th reunion of five different couples, including themselves.

Following Molly and Seth through this five year span is a very interesting journey into personal relationships, overcoming trauma, and answering the question as to whether or not people can actually have soul mates. This is a well plotted story that isn’t afraid to address difficult topics. Told with humor and heart, Ms.Doyle’s tale is touching and refreshingly original. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it

Molly and Seth were sweethearts in high school but went their own ways after a surprising and brutal break up. Now meeting at their 15th class reunion, Molly, who is very jaded by love yet is a rom-com screenwriter, re meets Seth, who still believes in love and romance though working as a prominent divorce lawyer. They make a bet about their classmates' love lives that will continue to have them crossing paths in the funniest and heartbreaking, goofy and coincidental ways.

#arc
#netgalley
#justsomestupidlovestory

"Just Some Stupid Love Story" by Katelyn Doyle was a mixed bag for me. The premise—an unlikely romance blossoming between two very different individuals—had promise, but the execution left me wanting more. The characters felt a bit flat and predictable, and I struggled to connect with their journey. While there were moments of charm and humor that made me smile, the story often relied on clichés and lacked the depth I crave in a good love story.

The plot progressed at a decent pace, but it was marred by a series of contrived conflicts and overly convenient resolutions. It felt like I had read this story many times before, just with different names and settings. I appreciated the lighthearted tone and the occasional witty dialogue, but overall, it felt more like a quick, forgettable read rather than a captivating romance. It's an okay book if you're in the mood for something breezy, but don't expect to be blown away.

Thanks, Flatiron Books, for the early review copy via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook. #MacAudio24 (Available now)

Molly, a Rom-Com screenwriter, is a bitter cynic who doesn’t believe in lasting love. Her high school ex-boyfriend, Seth, is a successful divorce lawyer who all but sings about soulmates while twirling around in the Swiss Alps. They meet up (and hook up) at a high school reunion and bet on the 5-year success rate of five couples from their class, one of whom is Molly and Seth.

I thought to myself, “This book is five years long? I hope it doesn’t feel like it.” Actually, it felt longer. This was a rocky but promising premise for me, bogged down by uneven pacing and emotion after 30%. (Even the steamy scenes were uneven. Two were “fade to black,” and one included explicit details we didn’t need for the story.) Not only was I not invested in the characters, I didn’t think they were right for each other!

The audiobook narrators were excellent. I like having two narrators who each take a POV, and each delivers a masterful performance. The writing was okay, and as a debut, I’d be willing to pick up the author’s next book.

I throughly enjoyed Just Some Stupid Love Story. It was a light, fun, read (listen), and I look forward to more novels by Katelyn Doyle in the future! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook.

I really wanted to like this, but listening to this book was painful. I had to force myself to finish it.
He is a hopeless romantic, to the point of being delusional.
She is emotionally distant and self sabotaging.
The whole premise of betting on couples relationships seems crass and tactless, I kept waiting for their friends to find out that they were bet on and get hurt and angry.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Second chances, enemies to lovers, bets, spicy

I loved this. The narration was perfect. This was sweet, swoony, and sexy. Enemies to lovers is my favorite. In this they are exes. Their banter is to die for. The story and pacing are done so well. I highly recommend this! I couldn't stop listening to it.