This story delves deeply into the complexities of love and relationships through our main characters - Molly and Seth. Molly doesn’t believe in love; but Seth is a full blown romantic. We get to see how both of these characters deal with their feelings, past experiences, and the challenges that life throws their way. The characters were well developed, and I found myself rooting for Molly and Seth as people - as well as rooting for them as a couple. This story stands out to me because of its realistic portrayal of romance. Doyle didn’t shy away from the hardships that life can bring, and this novel doesn’t feel unrealistic. The story is compelling from start to finish.

The audio narrator was very good for this novel, and it was a pleasure to listen to the whole way through.

If you appreciate realistic, character-driven love stories; then this book is for you. Its exploration of love and relationships, combined with its well-crafted narrative and memorable characters, makes it a standout in the realm of contemporary fiction. Whether you're a fan of romance, drama, or simply well-told stories, this book is sure to delight.

This was a 4 star book for me, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katelyn Doyle for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC REVIEW
Already out!
Pub date: June 4th
Book: Just Some Stupid Love Story
Author: Katelyn Doyle
Format: audio book 🎧
My rating: 4 ⭐️


Trope: 2nd chance, Rom-Com, Dual POV, Romcom, adult romance.

🌶️: chapter 7, 8 only parts. 22-end 28-end

TW: Covid talk

I really enjoyed this book even though I had to skip some spicy parts. The banter was so fun and the story was so good. There’s definitely more plot than spice. I recommend this book if you enjoy romcoms.🩷

The narrator for this MMC was different than most because he was SO enthusiastic and sunshiney, at first it was a bit off putting but then I really started to enjoy it and it added a lot more to the listening experience. Very fun read!

Molly Marks and Seth Rubinstein are high school sweethearts who rekindle at their 15th school reunion. Molly broke Seth's heart in high school and he never quite got over her. Molly, a pessimist, now writes rom-com screenplays while Seth, a romantic, is a divorce lawyer. Molly and Seth make a bet on who will still be together at their next high school reunion in 5 years. After their one night fling at the reunion both Molly and Seth can't stop thinking about each other. Over the next few years they reconnect. 

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Molly is very witty and sarcastic while Seth is funny in a romantic way. I couldn't help but smile while reading their dialogue. There were definitely some cringe worthy moments between them but there were more sweet moments. I also enjoyed the friendships in this story and the relationships with their family. 

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The only part of the audiobook I didn't like was when there were email and text exchanges. It was tedious to listen to the dates, times and subject lines.

I felt like this book was excessively long, it didn't need to be that long. About half way through I was getting tired of the will they won't they. I also thought the third act break up was unnecessary. They have already broken up multiple times and it was hard to keep rooting for them after that. 

I’m surprised that Katelyn Doyle is a debut author. I’ll definitely be reading her future books and am excited to see how she grows as a writer.

Just Some Stupid Love Story grabbed my attention because of the words “for fans of Emily Henry”
My first thought was, wow I really hate the male main character. But I gave it a shot and ended up loving him. He comes off really annoying at the beginning, just give it time. This was my first book by Katelyn Doyle and I really enjoyed it, no scratch that, I loved it. I ended up loving both main characters and really all the side characters too. 100% recommend.

It was my first audiobook by both Christine Lakin and Tim Paige, I feel they both did a great job and brought the story to life

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Flatiron books for the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook. This adorable story is of Molly and Seth. Its a proven trope of high-school sweethearts who reunite along with enemies to lovers. Seth is the romantic, looking for his soul mate. Molly is the pragmatic type does not believe in soul mates. She has trust issues from her parents relationship/divorce.. As he is a divorce lawyer, this causes issue with Molly and Seth. The story does stretch out over several years including the pandemic, which I usually don't like, but it works here. The banter is quickly and lively, the story does lag a bit in the middle, but overall it was an entertaining listen. I would recommend it! It's not going to set the world on fire, but it certainly entertained me during a few long morning walks.

This book was much longer than it needed to be, so while I liked it, it just wasn't the right pacing for my taste.

Seth and Molly were high school sweethearts until Molly broke his heart. Since then, commitment-phobe and love-weary Molly has become a rom com screenwriter in Hollywood and Seth is a love-hopeful divorce attorney in Chicago. They reunite at their high school reunion, drunkenly hook-up, and decide to make a bet on the fate of five couples to determine who is right about true love. The book follows Seth and Molly, their many ups and downs as they navigate whether they want to give their own relationship a shot, and, yes, the fates of the couples they made bets on at their reunion. The book -- and the five year timeline -- was too long to keep a cohesive story in my opinion, By the end, the bet was not the focal point but the story was still one that kept me engaged. While I appreciate the reverse grumpy/sunshine tropes, I have to say that I really didn't like Molly or Seth. Seth was too soft (except during the intimate scenes, which was honestly just confusing and off putting) and Molly was indecisive to the point where I almost stopped reading her chapters but I love Christine Lakin's narration so I stayed the course.

Overall I liked the story, but found myself liking the supporting characters stories a bit more. I would pick up a book by this author again, especially if a have a long road trip. :)

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm not the kind of person that needs to be attracted to any of the main characters to enjoy a romance, but Seth really tested me on this one. The book and the romance were enjoyable enough to get through.

I really wanted to like this book and thought it started out strong. The premise was creative and not one I'd encountered before. I liked the idea of the main couple bumping into one another over the years, and the on-again, off-again. But I felt like this story was very bogged down by external storylines, and character relationships that were not fully fleshed out. I also became very uninvested in the future of this couple when they continued to self-sabotage.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. While audio books are not typically my medium of choice, I found the narrators engaging and made me want to listen. The story line was engaging and I kept wondering when things would finally settle for them. I also really enjoyed the dual narrators.... Its nice to hear from the men's perspective as well.

This story follows high school friends and specifically Molly and Seth, old high school sweet hearts. The group comes together at their 15 year class reunion and then follows what happens after Molly and Seth make a bet about 5 couples.
So much angst for 30 year olds. Thought this would be a fun, cute beach read, and it is but has more teen type drama than I prefer.

There was a lot that just didn’t land for me in Katelyn Doyle’s <i>Just Some Stupid Love Story</i>. I think most of it boils down to the fact that the main characters are both awful and devoid of any genuine growth through the entire course of the novel. Sure, they finally end up together, but none of it actually feels earned considering the only thing they really overcame was this nonsense of being on and off again.

And I don’t know…the whole premise of their relationship was hinged on a cavalierly rude bet about whether or not five couples would stay together. What an incredibly lovely origin story to tell the children…

With novels like this, I often feel as though the only thing keeping it just above one star is the fact that it wasn’t inherently problematic—though, my word, Molly’s maltreatment of Seth did come very close—and the writing wasn’t so terrible I wanted to tear my eyes out. But that doesn’t make it a good story and that doesn’t make the characters likable. Even worse, this was a slog to get through and I had to restart numerous chapters because I just couldn’t stay focused on the book.

This book is not the worst thing in the universe, but it is a waste of time and not a read I would recommend.

I think the narrators were fine, though. They didn’t stand out or anything, but I could easily see them narrating other romantic comedy books and doing well.

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

A tale of right person, wrong time that spans five years. This story starts with a bet and ends with a happily ever after. The perfect mix of humor and heartfelt interaction between a sunshine divorce lawyer and a grumpy rom-com screenwriter — you’ll be rooting for them from the beginning and loving them more with every turn. I highly recommend the audio — our narrators were captivating and will leave you wanting to listen in one sitting.

Read this book if you like:
-reverse grumpy x sunshine
-second chances
-time jumps
-self discovery

Just Some Stupid Love Story is OUT NOW and if it’s not already on your tbr, it should be! Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

DNF 52%

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for sending me an ALC to read and review.

I gave this book way to long to be honest. I normally if I am not vibing with a book will dnf within the first 25% but I wanted to like this one so badly. I did enjoy the spice but I hate the two main characters and I don't believe they would have a good relationship. They had made no progress in character development to even give me hope that this would change before the end of the book. It just didn't work for me or feel realistic in how little progression we have seen as it felt like they would take one step forward and then ten backwards every few pages.

I tried really hard to enjoy this one but I just didn't love it. I liked the fmc, but the mmc was not for me. I actually found him quite cringy and immature - like a teenager who just wants to get married and have babies. Was a weird combo. I also kept forgetting they dated for YEARS in high school - alot of the time they felt like they didn't know each other at all.

Overall it was fine, just never won me over.

YES! YES! YES!
There is a reason this book is on the most anticipated romance list. Everything about this is just pure perfection. I loved it from begining to end.

Just Some Stupid Love Story- Katelyn Doyle
Narrated by Tim Paige and Christine Lakin

I’ll be honest…I did not connect with the FMC, Molly, like at all. I don’t know what it is. I’ve read other grumpy/sunshine books where the FMC is a perpetual grump and she did have childhood trauma but it was getting to the point in the books where I just wanted to skip the Molly’s pov and only read the MMC, Seth’s pov. I don’t know, there were funny parts here and there but I wasn’t blown away.

I want to make it clear that me wanting to skip Molly’s pov has nothing to do with Christine’s performance. I think both Christine and Tim both did great doing this narration. I was just not feeling this book.

I loved this book so much that I decided to try the audiobook, and it didn’t fail me. It took me a bit to warm up to the male narrator, but I instantly loved the female narrator's voice. The audiobook added an extra something to the experience, and I absolutely loved it.

In this debut novel, perfect for fans of Emily Henry, we meet Molly Marks, a Hollywood rom-com screenwriter who's skeptical about love. She reunites with her high school sweetheart, Seth Rubenstein, a Chicago divorce attorney and hopeless romantic, fifteen years after their breakup. Molly, a West Coast writer with a strong disbelief in romance, had ghosted Seth on graduation night and avoided high school reunions until her friends persuaded her to attend their 15th.

Molly, known for bolting and ghosting when relationships get "too good," considers romance a racket. Seth, still haunted by Molly's breakup, excels in his career but tends to get serious too soon in relationships, always comparing others to Molly.

Their 15th reunion sparks a change. Molly and Seth make a bet, predicting the fate of five couples before their 20th reunion to settle their differing views on love. Katelyn Doyle skillfully weaves the plot, offering an enjoyable and revealing experience through the alternating perspectives of Molly and Seth. "Just Some Stupid Love Story" isn't just another love story—it's a captivating exploration. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this opportunity.

I tried very hard to get into this book. The description of this book was more interesting than the book itself. Unfortunately, I could not root for either of the characters. Molly was mean to the point of it being questionable. Seth was too sunshine where he became an airhead. The narrator for Seth did not help matters. He seemed to inflect in weird places. I did really enjoy the narrator for Molly. She made me much more engaged with her story, even though she was still dislikable. I didn't feel satisfied with the ending and actually ended up thinking that Molly and Seth wouldn't last more than a year. Might be right for some people, but not for me.

3.5 stars

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a fun summer read! Seth and Molly were high school sweethearts who experienced a challenging break up. After reconnecting at their 15th high school reunion, the two make a bet about the existence of soulmates, with the winner cashing in on the bet at their 20-year reunion.

I really did enjoy the book and connected to both of the main characters. Personally, I thought Seth was the perfect boyfriend and, at times, I wanted to shake Molly and tell her to open her eyes. The banter between the two was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the story line. My only complaint was the book dragged on a bit in the last half as Seth and Molly dealt with one complication after the next.

The audiobook narrators really brought the characters to life.