Just Some Stupid Love Story, by Katelyn Doyle, is a second chance romance about Seth and Molly. Molly writes screenplays for romantic comedies even though she doesn’t believe in love. Seth is a divorce lawyer who believes that everyone has a soulmate. Molly and Seth were high school sweethearts until Molly broke Seth’s heart without warning and never spoke to him again. Until they are reunited at their 15 year high school reunion. Seth isn’t quite ready to let Molly walk out of his life again, so he makes a bet with her. They choose five couples from their high school reunion and bet on whether or not they’ll make it. The fifth couple is them. Seth bets that they’ll be together in five years, and Molly bets that they won’t.

This is a cute, funny, slow burn, second chance romance. Doyle has deftly created two characters with relatable relationship challenges with humor and a great insight into how people operate. Doyle’s understanding of people and relationships created several meaningful relationships throughout the book. Every couple had realistic and understandable obstacles, whether they could be overcome or ended up in heartbreak. This created a very compelling read that was also filled with humor.

Molly has an extreme aversion to commitment, and hasn’t had any serious relationships since her high school relationship with Seth. Molly is scared after her parents divorce, where her dad pretty much abandoned her. Now, Molly finds it hard to get attached to men, fearing that they will be exactly like her father. Molly’s fear of abandonment makes it difficult to voice her feelings for Seth or to take a chance on the relationship that she desires. This is an understandable plight. However, there is not a lot of growth for her character. She does come to accept this part of her, but she doesn’t really change anything. She just hopes that Seth will accept this.

Seth is obsessed with being in a relationship and finding love. He desperately is trying to find a woman to be his wife and start a family with him. Despite going into divorce law, Seth truly believes that everyone has a soulmate. He jumps into relationships head first hoping that they will end up being his true love. Most of the time he ends up heartbroken. He bets that he and Molly will end up together at the end. However, he does several things that sabotage this relationship from the start. We’re supposed to believe that he is rooting for this relationship when Molly is ready to give up on it, but his actions don’t actually match his motivations. He does several things that are baffling for a man that wants to find love with this woman.

This book is incredibly well written. Generally, romantic comedies can come across as corny or not that funny. Doyle is a pro at creating funny but believable moments. She even made me care about a baseball game (and I absolutely could not care less about baseball). Once you start to read this book it will be hard to put down. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you won’t be able to stop reading until you reach the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who like second chance romance, romantic comedies, or is just looking for a fun summer read.

This book is expected to be released on June 4, 2024.

I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.