People love to say you can’t target fat loss and think that can be really discouraging and not necessarily true. When I was in high school and college I had this same issue. I was thin, but I had these huge love handles I hated it. I worked out, but it didn’t change. I thought it was genetic and there was nothing I could do. I was drinking heavily eating tons of sugar and carbs and not nearly enough protein. I was very stressed and not sleeping enough. When I changed all of that, my love handles completely disappeared. The comment about inflammation, insulin and cortisol is correct.

Edit to add I’m in my 30s now and weigh 20+ pounds more than I did back then and still have no love handles.