Review: Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle

I received this book via the publisher Flatiron Books. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle
Published by Flatiron Books on 2024-06-04
Length: 318 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Flatiron Books
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind

“A flirty, sexy read...Fresh and fun as hell—Katelyn Doyle is absolutely an author to watch.” —People Magazine

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn't believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can 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 is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.

I adored this book! Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is a rom-com about ex-high school sweethearts who rekindle their relationship at their high school reunion. Molly Marks is a rom-com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love. Seth Rubinstein is a divorce lawyer looking for his soul mate. The two couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. Still a little bitter over getting his heart broken by Molly fifteen years earlier, Seth makes a bet with her at their reunion about the fate of five couples and the winner will have to admit that soul mates exist, or don’t exist if Molly wins, at their 20th reunion. They each take turns picking couples, but the fifth couple Seth chooses is them.

Molly is not an easy character to like. If not for her point of view, I may have seen her as just an awful person who stomps on hearts and has no emotions. BUT her point of view adds SO much to her character. I identified with her in many ways. She’s introverted, parties make her both anxious but also give her the social stimuli she needs. She enjoys her secluded life and clings to the friends that she truly loves. Everyone else gets the surly Molly.

Seth is like an energetic puppy. He’s all sunshine and rainbows, not much throws off his optimism. The only person who seems to be able to get under his skin is Molly, and even with her he is the optimist. His choice to be a divorce lawyer was inspired by Molly and her mother and what her father put them through. Seth was there for the aftermath. He sees Molly and all her bravado for what it is: a shield to prevent getting hurt. But now it’s his turn to finally push Molly to see what they can have together if she’ll just open herself up.

Told in alternating points of view, the romance unfolds. I’m not sure I would personally classify this as a rom-com, though it definitely follows the tropes. Molly is the grumpy to Seth’s sunshine. They are exes who still have a thing for each other, neither quite ready to admit it. I loved how the story unfolds over the course of five years from their 15th high school reunion to the 20th. Each section is broken up into parts telling a mini story about their lives at that point in time and how they keep missing each other. It reminds me a lot of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry’s books, a heartfelt story filled with all the feels.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Just Some Stupid Love Story. I was fully invested from the first words to the last. Molly and Seth’s story is beautiful and fun in its own way. I love all the little moments that add up over the course of the story, not to mention the character growth of both love interests. If you are looking for an addition to your summer reading, I highly recommend this one.

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