Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a charming and witty enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract romance that kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish. As a self-proclaimed rom-com addict, this book had all the right elements: smart banter, sizzling chemistry, and an engaging premise. The characters were well-developed, and I found it easy to connect with both the protagonists and the supporting cast.

The story kicks off with a high school reunion where Molly, a grumpy, pessimist rom-com screenwriter, and Seth, the ever-sunny "golden retriever boy" divorce attorney, cross paths once again. They share a heated one-night stand that sparks a bet—predicting the fates of five couples, including their own, over the next five years. As their story unfolds over the course of the timeline, the dual perspectives (Molly's and Seth's) add depth to the characters, making their evolving relationship feel more authentic.

Molly and Seth's dynamic is an absolute joy to read, particularly because of their opposites-attract chemistry. The story cleverly twists the classic grumpy-sunshine trope, with Molly playing the more cynical role and Seth embodying the upbeat, idealistic side of love. This dynamic, combined with their witty dialogue and undeniable attraction, creates an engaging and fun romance.

One of the standout aspects of this book is Seth's unwavering care for Molly. His sincerity and devotion to her, despite her reluctance to fully embrace love, added a heartwarming layer to the narrative. It’s clear that Seth's character is more than just a trope—he’s thoughtful and complex, which made him all the more lovable.

However, while I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and banter, the extended timeline felt a bit too long for my taste. The plot mirrors the structure of the movie The Five-Year Engagement—and much like that film, the pacing dragged at times. The story could have been tightened up if condensed to a two-year span, providing a more focused narrative and keeping the momentum going. The last third of the book, though a bit dramatic and angsty, still kept me hooked.

Molly’s character took a little longer to warm up to, as her pessimistic outlook on love and reluctance to commit initially felt off-putting. However, her growth over the course of the story was satisfying, and by the end, I found myself rooting for her just as much as I was for Seth.

Overall, Just Some Stupid Love Story is an enjoyable, well-crafted rom-com that hit all the right notes for a delightful read. While the pacing could have been improved, the chemistry between the characters, the humor, and the depth of the romance made it a satisfying experience. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Katelyn Doyle’s future works, as she has earned a spot among my favorite romance authors.

**Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

There's more depth to Just Some Stupid Love Story than I expected, and that's more than fine with me. While remaining a hopeful and humorous romance, the story addresses longing, conflict of interest, and friendships along the way.
Molly is a rom-com writer who no longer believe in such things in real life. When she's seated at a dinner next to divorce attorney Seth, who maintains that she's the love of his life since they met 10 years ago. Seth is a true romantic who believes in great loves and whose law practice focuses on helping people through hardship. The two make a bet - whoever can predict the fate of five couples, one of which is the two of them - will be declared correct in their beliefs about love. The timeline - 5 years, aka until their next high school reunion. What follows is the ebb and flow of Molly and Seth's predictions, their friendships and those friends' lives, and the development of their own relationship.
This is one of the best romance stories I've read in a long time.

This was an emotional rollercoaster -- will then won't they again and again! There were just so many third act breakups types of moments that would give you whiplash. Seth is an angel and deserved so much better. Molly hmm... I just still don't like her and don't believe she'll love him well. The relationship outcome felt unbalanced and Seth needed an intervention from his friends to just walk away haha... and Molly needs years of therapy and self-interception before she can commit to anyone.

There were aspects of it when I hope that I would like the story, that the FMC will pleasantly surprise me, when I actually really enjoyed myself to then be disappointed again.

Now, maybe that rollercoaster is an attempt to be more realistic than the feel-good rom-coms out there, and if you're looking for something like that you might actually really appreciate their relationship journey.

I really enjoyed this cute romance. Molly and Seth were high school sweethearts that had a bitter break up. Molly is the cynical one yet writes romantic comedies, while Seth is the romantic that becomes a divorce lawyer reunited after a 15 year time gap. I really enjoyed their comedic banter and back and forth over the years, when it seems like it’s never the right time for this couple.. It will frustrate you but also give you butterfly flutters. I look forward to Doyle’s next novel

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a quirky, engaging ride through the highs and lows of modern romance. Doyle’s witty and sharp prose breathes life into her characters, making them feel like old friends who you can’t help but root for. The book is peppered with humor that keeps you chuckling and turning pages, even when you can predict the next twist. It’s a delightful, feel-good read that you’ll enjoy curling up with, deserving a solid 3.5 stars for its charm and humor.

Molly is a rom com screenwriter that doesn't believe in love and marriage due to her father's example. Seth wants nothing more than to find 'the one' and live happily ever after. He thought he found that with Molly when they were in high school, but she left him and broke his heart. Now they're at their 15 year reunion and the attraction is still there. Can they easily find their way back to each other?

Oh Seth I felt so bad for him. He wears his heart on his sleeve and just wants someone to love him forever. He keeps getting his heart broken and his emotions clearly came through on the page, or in my ears rather.

Eh with Molly. I never really warmed up to her on the romance front, but she was a great friend to her bff's.

Overall, this is fine as a debut. There were enough funny bits to keep me entertained, but I just felt like so much time was wasted.

This was a fun and spicy debut novel that will appeal to fans of the enemies to lovers and opposites attract tropes. This had a great style and humor and In a unique way flips the script on the traditional grumpy sunshine trope by making her the grump and him the ray of sunshine. If you like a golden retriever style romances then you will want to check this book out.

One Sentence Review: A fun, flirty, and spicy romance that flips the script on your favorite tropes but along with the humor and spice, this book also highlights the power of love to help us better understand how our past shapes who we are and what we expect from Love.

Thank You NetGalley and Flatiron Books for ecopy that I read.

I received an ARC of this book and I am super late in reviewing but I enjoyed it! I liked the premise of a second chance romance, bet on love, jaded rom com writer versus golden retriever hopeless romantic divorce lawyer—it was super cute! The banter and chemistry was good, the hesitations and missed timings and connections, the friendship to lovers and back and forth, all of it hit home and made the end that much sweeter!

I wanted to love JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY by Katelyn Doyle, but it was just okay. Loved the premise of a grumpy screenwriter paired with a divorce attorney that still believes in love, plus a second chance. However, I think it lost me with all the time jumps - this book takes place over a five year period. There are a lot of starts and stops and re-starts. While the passage of time is good, and helps build some of the tension between the two characters, it also seems to be pointless, and leads to the end feeling rushed. As though the author realized that oh, the series is coming to an end, got to wrap this up quick.

I devoured this book in 24 hours. I lost sleep and forgot to eat 😂. Just Some Stupid Love Story is perfect for those who love second chance tropes. Molly and Seth were high school sweethearts and run into each other at their high school reunion. The characters can be annoying but that's part of what makes the story great is that they are human. There were numerous times where I yelled "ugh Molly!" and other times where I audibly gasped. My heart broke, got put back together, broke again etc etc. throughout this book. I loved it and give it 5 stars!

The blurb of this book caught my attention. I mean, a rom-com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love and a divorce attorney who does? And a second chance romance between high school sweethearts, fifteen years later?

Molly had her own baggage, and she had her reasons for being love-averse. And Seth, he was super sweet and very open about his feelings.

This was a very different second chance romance than the ones I typically read. Yes, Molly and Seth reconnect years later. But they don’t reconnect and stay together. They just have hook ups, and Seth gets into another had. Honestly, I hated that part. He went all in on being only with Molly to almost getting married to another woman? EhC it didn’t make sense to me.

Anyway, this was still an interesting story and great for a debut.

Wow! I just adored this book. It was a second to chance rom traum. The hero Seth, was yummy and loved with his whole heart. Molly was such a broken human. They have an epic love story and, and Molly has an incredible journey to become whole.

Loved the banter between Seth & Molly. Definitely felt invested in these two and wanted them to get their HEA but it was almost painful getting there. Sooo much time wasted though it was written well to keep the story going over 5 years. I struggled with the characters a little too much. Molly was too toxic in her trauma & self sabotage and I wanted to shake her many times. Seth was a little too over the top in his obsession with love that it bordered cringy and unbelievable that he hadn’t rushed into marriage many years before that class reunion. I have some criticisms but overall I really did enjoy the story and it was fun to listen to while working & driving.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Molly and Seth! They were so great together and I could not wait for them to finally give into their feelings! I was so sad every time they experienced the right person, wrong time syndrome. I could not get enough of Molly and her take charge attitude and loved her journey in this book. This was such a great read and I loved the humor between both Seth and Molly.

I really enjoyed Seth & Molly’s story. A love story that spans over twenty years and shows how sometimes it’s the right person but the wrong time. I think this portrays how relationships are tough and we bring our personal “baggage” into them. I think this is extremely relatable!

Molly and Seth were in love in high school, but she broke his heart and they haven't seen each other since. Now, after reconnecting at their 15 year reunion, they continue to move in and out of each other's lives and the timing is just never right.

I felt for Molly with her worries about not being enough and worrying she might be like her terrible father. I could also understand Seth's wish for something meaningful and how he would be all in too fast in some cases. Their, and their friends' stories, were emotional and sometimes raw. Over time, though, everything started to feel a bit repetitive and drawn out. Overall a good debut, but it was just an ok read. I would still like to try something else from the author in the future.

Seth and Molly had the odds stacked against them as adults, what with the divorce attorney and romance writer backgrounds. High school reunions ar ealways a fun backdrop for rekindling past relationships, remembering the way things used to be, and possibly changing their future.

I loved these characters. It was exactly the romance I needed! The personalities were relatable, and the story kept me engaged.

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.
It was a decent debut and entertaining. I would read the authors next book for sure.