Molly Marks is a rom-com screen writer who does not believe in love. Her relationship with her father is strained as he has not been there for her and seems generally unsupportive. He left her and her mom pretty traumatically when Molly was younger. Molly's mom did not handle the divorce well, and struggled to be a functioning adult to care for and support Molly. From what I gathered Molly has not really seen love work out in her life.

Seth is a divorce attorney, but despite his job he is a strong believer in love. He constantly is looking for "the one" and cannot wait to find his happy ever after.

Molly and Seth dated in high school, one would say there were even in love, but Molly ghosted him before graduation. They have not seen each other in 15 years before they cross paths at a reunion. They reconnect and end up hooking up that night after they are assigned to sit next to each other. During there time together they make a bet that whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion wins on if true love exists. The last couple they predict is actually themselves.

Just like the previous decade Seth continues to look for the one, even getting engaged in the process, but no one seems to compare to Molly. During this time Molly is working to figure some of her own shit out with work, life, and her family, more specifically her father. Through twists and turns Seth and Molly find themselves in contact during this time, and eventually love blooms.

I was really vibing with the book and loving it until the last 3 hours or so (If I am remembering correctly). In the end I could not stand the FMC. I am all about realizing when you need to grow and when you need support and thought that story line was going to be a great contribution to the book, but she is not doing anything with that realization. She literally said something yeah I am a child; I am emotionally stunted. Like wtf? I really wish that part of the story line would have been handled differently because I think then I would have really loved the book as a whole. With the way it worked out in the book it makes it harder for me to love the overall story as much.

Also, that assistant knew what she was doing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy pub week to Katelyn Doyle and Just Some Stupid Love Story! Thank you to Katelyn Doyle, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen 🎧 to this book for an honest review.

A high school reunion romance…swoon. Molly Marks and her high school boyfriend Seth have not been in contact since…well since she embarrassingly left him after prom. Molly is not one for high school reunions but her best friends talk her into going for old times sake. Seth can’t believe his eyes. *wipes them and looks again* Molly Marks is at their high school reunion. Although Molly put out the flame when she left Seth, he hasn’t quite been able to do the same…he’s been carrying a torch for her all these years.

Several series of texts, witty banter, and flirting keep bringing Molly and Seth together after the reunion but for one reason or another…the timing is never right. Will they meet again under the right circumstances and create a life together? Read it and find out!

The reader can’t help themselves from falling in love with Seth and pull for him to have his dreams come true!

I unfortunately did not finish the audiobook of this. I loved the narration and the perspectives of both main characters, but I feel as though the plot went on longer than necessary. I also thought some of the material in the book was just a little too much for me.

So I would have given this charming romance a 5 star review if Id read the book instead of listening to the audio book, I'm certain.
I was so put off by the theatricality of the male narrator that it took me out of the story time and time again.
The female narrator on the other hand, was perfect for the character of Molly. The Seth narrator? Not so much.

The storyline and the way the love story unfolds from past to present was done well. I was a little disappointed that after all the mentions of Molly and what her therapist told her that we never see them interact. I would have liked to but it didn't deter from the overall story. I did feel that the father character ( Mollys) was little too much to be believable. He was more a caricature than character, but perhaps that is what the author was going for.
This second chance at love story was well done.
4 stars.

This book would be a great beach read/listen! The main character is Molly Marks, a rom-com screenwriter (who doesn't trust the concept of love) runs into her old boyfriend at a high school reunion. He is now a divorce lawyer who, in spite of his profession, does believe in love and still thinks he loves Molly. The story follows the two of them through the next five years as they go back and forth on the concept of soulmates. It's funny, heart-wrenching, and romantic, all in a package! I enjoyed listening to this book and it would be a great beach read (and also could be a great film, IMO).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

Seth will always love Molly and not much will get in his way.... well years apart and Molly not believing in love might. Such a good twist on the reunited loves troup. Believable characters and a well paced story kept me hooked the whole time. I will be on the lookout for more books by Katelyn Doyle in the future.

Audiobooks have become a recent obsession of mine, and this one was no exception. I was really excited to listen to this one since it checked all the boxes for me: rom com? ✅ Dual points of view? ✅ Interesting premise that brings the main characters together? ✅ And let’s not forget, is there spice? ✅

This one, overall, a great listen. I thought the impetus that brought the two main leads, Molly and Seth, together was an interesting one: a 15 year high school reunion. I enjoyed that their history was complicated and, while they clearly had chemistry, they also had a ton a baggage that made them complicated characters. I will say the back and forth went a little long for my tastes; Molly and Seth were clearly meant to be and their road was quite bumpy. Miscommunication isn’t my favorite, and there were parts where the two had trouble speaking their truths to each other. However, the pay off in the end was well done, and I still enjoyed the book overall. Shoutout to the narrators, both of them, as they did well at making the characters distinct but cohesive when transitioning the points of view!

🏫 High School Sweethearts
2️⃣ Second Chances (and third and fourths)
🌴 Florida Fun
🌶️ Nice Spice Levels
🎰 Betting on Friend’s Fate
🎥 Movie Setting

This was a fun romantic comedy much like the main character, Molly, writes for a living. The story is about former high school sweethearts who reconnect at their 15th high school reunion. Molly, the rom-com screenwriter from LA and Seth, the divorce attorney from Chicago are seated together at the reunion and quickly realize the attraction they shared in high school still exists.

Molly, despite her career, doesn't believe in soul mates or romance, and Seth, despite his career does. They choose five couples at the reunion and make a bet about who will be together at their next reunion in five years. I loved the premise of this book and it was fun to listen to. I know that it's the genre that has a dramatic negative moment near the end that has to be resolved, but honestly the main character Molly, despite her worldliness, seems to be very immature in her emotional development.

I did enjoy the story and the narration. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good beach read.

Dare I say this is a PERFECT rom com??? All of the tropes somehow hit just right. I especially love this take on a second chance romance that doesn’t keep the reader in the dark the entire book on why the couple originally broke up, acknowledging it early and letting the couple move past it as the people they are now.

I also love the way Molly is the grump to Seth’s sunshine. I just adore them forever. They have excellent banter and the book is so funny, but despite the trope-i-ness, it still feels surprisingly real and hopeful. Even some things that normally frustrate me in romance books just worked in this!

Here and there were some phrases that sounded just a bit awkward to me, but overall I just loved this! I can’t wait for more from this author!

While I thought the male narrator sound somewhat robotic (not in a monotone way, but in an android character who doesn’t quite grasp human communication way), but his voice grew on me and worked for his character, and I loved this as an audiobook (I am so sorry, I know that makes no sense, hopefully you get it when you hear it).

Just Some Stupid Love Story
By: Katelyn Doyle
Narrated by: Christine Lakin; Tim Paige
Macmillan Audio
Pub date: June 4, 2024
Romance, Women's Fiction

This book is a romance, and I feel the narrators both used good expression and emotion in reading the story and portraying the characters. Unfortunately, I could not connect to the plot or characters. The content of explicit language and intimate scenes was not to my personal taste or comfort level at all.

I received an advance reader's copy from Macmillan Audio and Net Galley. My review is my own.

This is the rom com you didn't know you needed! She's the grump who doesn't believe in soul mates and somehow manages to write rom com movies and scripts. He's the sunshine divorce lawyer that believes in soul mates and true love. She broke his and her own heart once, but will they let it happen again? Sarcastic wit, fantastic dialogue, wonderful characters and a plot that has you laughing, crying and laughing again. There are so many relatable characters and moments in this story that I can't even begin to get into them. The narration is fantastic as the dual narration allows for the POV of both characters to come shining through! I absolutely couldn't stop listening to this book and can't wait to dig into another story by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.
Just Some Stupid Love Story was so much better than I thought it would be. If you like Rom-Coms you will like this. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters as well as their sparring. I enjoy that they met up at a reunion years after school and rekindled their friendship and more. The story was fun, quick moving and will have you intrigued shortly after the beginning.

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a debut romance novel that was much spicier than I expected, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly!

Molly Marks is the daughter of a film producer who, despite being highly cynical about everlasting love, has a job as a rom-com writer for Hollywood. The novel begins with her reuniting with her high school boyfriend, Seth Rubinstein, at their 15th high school reunion. Molly dumped Seth due to her fear of commitment, while Seth believes in true love and is still searching for his soulmate.

After a tipsy hookup following the reunion, Seth and Molly place a long-term bet about whether they can predict the fate of five couples from high school. Which ones will still be together at their 20th reunion? In a plot twist, Molly and Seth are the fifth couple, with Seth betting that Molly will be in love with him within five years.

While this was a bit of a cliched premise with lots of typical romance tropes, including my least favorite (miscommunication), it was redeemed by the fact that Doyle delved deeper into the childhood trauma experienced by Molly, and outlined how this impacted her behavior as an adult within her interpersonal and romantic relationships.

Read this one if you want a fresh take on:
*Second chance romance
*Opposites attract
*Grumpy x sunshine
*Unrequited love
*Dual POV

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a spicy debut novel that I couldn't put down. This novel brings two people back together at their 15 year high school reunion. They make a bet on who will (or won't) be together on their 20th... Such a fun and witty book.

When the expectation of being similar to Emily Henry is touted, it's an immediate draw for me! And while the tropes that exist in this book were utterly delicious, and the spice scenes were very intricate and out of the box (hello sexting!) I will say that a huge problem I had was with understanding Molly on a base level that didn't make me feel like she was incredibly toxic. Despite her reasons and traumas, I found her back and forth on either loving and not loving someone to be grating at times. The couple itself is a key second chance romance, but I definitely feel they both would have benefited from forms of deep therapy. I also wasn't too crazy being put into the world of Covid even in the form of fiction. I get the reasoning due to the time period but that portion completely sullied some of the plot points for me, almost as if it were a throwaway. I truly wanted to be in love with this love story, and there are bits and pieces that definitely shine, but the other parts made me feel less connected.

A cute romcom beach read!

I’m always skeptical of a second chance romance because 1) they’re so predictable and 2) I don’t love the back and forth of it all. This book was in fact predictable but I was OK with it. My only issue with the timeline, which spanned several years, was the inclusion of Covid. I’ve decided I don’t need mention of Covid in books. Can we just pretend it didn’t happen?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Quick, easy and fun.

3.8 rounded up to 4.

Happy Publication Day! I wasn’t expecting a ton from this romance novel, but HOLY COW was it great… 4.5 stars! Just Some Stupid Love Story is Katelyn Doyle’s debut novel and I can’t wait to read the next book she puts out.
Molly Marks is a rom-com screen play writer attending her 15th high school reunion in Florida when she runs into her ex-boyfriend Seth, who is one of Chicago’s top divorce lawyers. Contrary to their jobs, he is the hopeful romantic, while she is cynical about soul-mates. They make a bet predicting which 5 couples will be together or won’t at their 20th reunion. The last couple in the bet is them. Over the course of 5 years, Molly and Seth have run-ins and terrible timing, and it seems like they will never get together until they do. The question is, once they’re together, will the relationship last until the 20 year reunion, or will Molly bolt like she’s done in so many relationships before?
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Molly Marks shows up at her 15th high school anniversary, a writer of romantic comedy screenplays, but not really believing in love. She wants to drink and roll her eyes at her former classmates and be cynical about life in general. And then she runs into her ex-boyfriend from high school, Seth Rubinstein. Seth is now a divorce attorney living in Chicago and aching to find his soulmate. He wants nothing more than to get married and start a family.

They talk about their individual opinions on soulmates and love and make a bet. They choose 5 couples between them and make a bet on whether they will be together in five years or not. And while they both insist that they are right and will win that bet, neither can guess at just how much their flirting would ignite their old feelings for each other.

But Molly doesn’t want to believe in love or marriage. She was just a teenager when her parents’ marriage imploded, with her father walking out and not looking back. She had been left behind to help her mother pick up the pieces of a nasty financial battle, and without a second parent to give her any of the emotional support she needed.

Seth, on the other hand, was so eager to start his new family that he would rush into relationships and ends up putting too much pressure on them too quickly. But things are easier with Molly. They can fall back into flirting and making out without a lot of pressure or expectations, just enjoying the moments they get.

In the months after the reunion, they run into each other a few times. There is a wedding of mutual friends, a baseball game, a baby shower. Each time they bump into each other, there is chemistry, but the time is never right for more than that. There are other relationships, there is heartbreak, there is distance, there is a pandemic.

Eventually, they get past all those obstacles and finally meet back up, admitting to each other that their feelings for each other are real and not going away. But is that enough for Molly to get past her fears and for Seth to get past his urgency to jump into a marriage?

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a debut rom com from Katelyn Doyle. It’s smart and funny, with an understanding of story and a level of snark that I personally find lots of fun. There is actually a lot going on in this story, so it’s not just all about the love story. The subplots are strong, and the supporting characters add a lot of interest to the story.

I listened to this on audio, with narrators Christine Lakin and Tim Paige alternating the reading, their voices bringing Molly and Seth to life. I thought they did an excellent job with the storytelling, adding emotions and humor in the right amounts to these characters and smoothing out some of the moments the writing was less successful (there were some strange metaphors, like when Seth hugged Molly like a squid? But the moments were rare and over quickly, so they felt more like quirkiness than problems).

Overall, I thought Just Some Stupid Love Story was a fun summer read. The cynical rom com writer and the effervescent divorce attorney made a great combination, and their flirty conversations added a lot of smiles to my day. This is a more significant rom com, not a quick, fluffy read, but a substantial emotional journey for a week of hanging by the beach or pool. Just lots of fun!

An early copy of the audio book for Just Some Stupid Love Story was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I absolutely love second-chance romances but this story had my feelings going all over the place. Molly broke Seth's heart in high school, only for them to reconnect at their high school reunion and getting the timing wrong.

I liked Molly and it was easy to follow how different life events and people formed her view of love. However, it was frustrating seeing her repeat the same patterns with Seth. I wish she would've done a little more work on herself before her reunion or after reconnecting with Seth. It took a while for Seth to grow on me. I wanted him to better communicate his feelings and address Molly's concerns. However, I did enjoy seeing Molly and Seth's interactions and conversations throughout the years. Their connection kept me rooting for them! The supporting characters were also lovely! Molly and Seth’s bet at the start and how their friends’ stories intertwined were fun (and sad at times) to follow!

Although the email mix up at the end and outcome was hilarious, it kinda leaves the reader wondering how things would've turned out if it hadn't happened.

This was so enjoyable! I love a second chance romance and Seth & Molly’s story was perfect. We see them over the course of five years. It’s kind of a right person, wrong time type of thing. I was feeling all the emotions while reading. So happy I went the audio route. It was great!