This book is funny and full of hijinks! The miscommunication trope plays a large role here as sweepingly incorrect assumptions were made on both sides. But it’s also soft and sweet while simultaneously being pretty hot. The way they pretty much accidentally got themselves into sexual situations was hilarious.

I ended up mostly listening to this one and even though Emily Spowage’s narration is quite good, I think I would have been better served (if my brain were more cooperative) by switching back to the ebook. The single narration made the quippy dialogue bits a little hard to follow as to who was speaking. And I think my brain needed a bit more time to process the unfamiliar British-isms than audio allows. But that just means I’ll do a full text re-read at some future date!

I was finally able to get around to reading this book, better late than never, right? Unfortunately I had to DNF at 35% as I was just not enjoying the main characters. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The grumpy sunshine trope is one of my favorites, so I requested this right away because I knew I would adore it. The banter made it difficult to grasp at times, even though I found it to be a really light and enjoyable read. Because of the writing style, I found it difficult to comprehend what was truly happening. I don't know if it was the writing style alone, but I had trouble understanding what was happening.
Try this one if you enjoy grumpy/sunshine clichés with good banter.

It was a fun one. I like this trope. Kind of like a forbidden love. It was similar to the movie Just Wright except it wasn't her besties man or like the show Ted Lasso in a way. Cute story, great characters, would recommend.

This is a banter filled rom com that that follows a bubbly ghost writer and a retired football player. While I enjoyed this romance, I do feel that the writing was not my favourite! It felt choppy at times and the book as a whole felt overly lengthy. I was invested in the relationship but not enough to give this book more than 3 stars!

4 ⭐️ This book was a slow starter, contemplated thoughts of DNFing - this has a certain writing style that took me a minute to get into. But then when the two MCs really started getting to know each other, the banter was hitting - had several laugh out loud moments - it has a dry sense of humour that I loved. The MMC really did it for me, the FMC kind of annoyed me a lot of times due to her rampant insecurities, but I mean that’s real life. If you really hate miscommunication- this is not for you.
Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this!!

This ended up being a dnf for me. I enjoyed the beginning and getting to know Mabel and Alfie, but after a while I found the story just seemed stale and I wanted the plot to move forward more. I also started to dislike Mabel. I don't know if it was the way she talked, her thinking, or I was just jealous of her with Alfie, because he is what continued to propel me through the book.

I am always really surprised when I have completely different feelings about a book than the masses and I have to say I think they got this one wrong. Charlotte Stein’s writing is so different from the majority of what’s being written in contemporary romance right now. It’s dialogue heavy and a good portion of it takes place within the FMC’s internal thoughts. as a single POV book, I think that really solidifies how Mabel sees herself as a love interest. She’s funny, quirky, curvy and quick witted. She also sometimes spirals when it comes to her feelings for Alfie, the hot football (soccer) star she’s been tasked to ghostwrite a memoir for. I think if you were to put the rapid fire dialogue of Gilmore Girls into written form, this would be close to Stein’s writing. And to be clear, I LOVED it.

This isn’t a book where a whole lot happens, but that’s okay because the reader gets a clear picture of who Mabel and Alfie are and what makes them tick. On the outside, this is a grumpy/sunshine trope, with Alfie as the Roy Kent styled bearded grump and Mabel the easy going happy-go-lucky foil. But the book really is more so a fake dating trope where Alfie and Mabel pretend for the paparazzi’s sake that they’re in a relationship (to partially hide the fact that Mabel is his ghostwriter and also because of romance reasons). It becomes apparent early on that Mabel and Alfie have a lot more in common than they anticipated and through sheer forced proximity at working together and dating, they find themselves getting intimate quickly. Charlotte Stein knows how to write a spicy scene. Things that shouldn’t be plausible seem completely normal and I loved seeing Alfie and Mabel interact one another in the lead up to intimacy and the time after.

If you are looking for a character driven romance with conversational and interaction heavy scenes, I think you will really like When Grumpy Met Sunshine. It’s a perfect palate cleanser from a heavy read and I felt joy while reading. I received a copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭

I will never think of ghostwriters in the same way ever again! She is chunky, spunky and a whole lot of fun. She likes to smile and make others smile too. She is hired to ghostwrite a memoir for a grumpy ex-football player He doesn't want to talk, she can't stop talking. This is fun rom-com that had me smiling. And who doesn't like the steamy bits! Good reading!

This book was a delightful romcom full of laugh out loud moments and lovable characters. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I was invested, it would not let me go! I absolutely loved how the MCs fell for each other and loved each other. This was a swoon-worthy romance I’m honored to have had the opportunity to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

I love the grumpy/sunshine trope, but I just could not get into this book. The premise sounded interesting, but maybe it was the writing that caused a disconnect for me? I also couldn't connect to the characters. I don't know.... I just found myself very disappointed by this and not wanting to read it.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is an absolute gem of a rom-com that perfectly captures the grumpy-meets-sunshine trope. We’ve got Mabel, the bubbly ghostwriter, tasked with getting grumpy retired footballer Alfie Harding to spill his life story. Their banter is hilarious and top-notch, with Mabel’s sunny charm clashing perfectly with Alfie’s gruff exterior.

The chemistry between these two is undeniable, and the story starts off strong with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. But I did feel like the pacing got a little uneven as it leaned more into steamy scenes later on without moving the plot forward much. Plus, some of the dialogue felt a bit lengthy and choppy, which made it hard to keep up at times.

Despite these quirks, the book is a warm, feel-good read that balances humor and heartfelt moments. If you're in the mood for a fun escape with relatable characters, When Grumpy Met Sunshine is definitely worth picking up!

This was a great story with a slow burn romance. The main character grows more confident as the story goes on - and gives confidence to the person she falls in love with. Their relationship is mutually beneficial and is a positive one.

I’m always drawn to a book about books (writers, agents, readers) but this one was not for me. I couldn’t get into the couple and the story bored me.

Characters were *so* bad. The MMC felt like rep for all the worst autism stereotypes, and the FMC was oblivious to the point of unbelievability.

The plot was lackluster, the character’s choices made no sense, and I wanted to DNF @ 10%, but finished hoping it would get better. I was disappointed.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a honest review.

I was so excited for this book, I mean look at that cute cover?? and grumpy meets sunshine?? one of my fav tropes.

I felt like this story was just so much banter, too much miscommunication, and the writing style was a bit different. I had a hard time understanding and caught myself having to re-read certain sentences the way it was structured.

I will say I LOVED the banter between characters but it definitely could have been polished a bit more.

3.5 stars!! Grumpy sunshine is one of my most favourite tropes! The book was hilarious and I loved reading about a ghostwriter!! It was so enjoyable!!!

I absolutely LOVE the grumpy sunshine dynamic in a romcom. Pair that with a sporty/nerdy duo and I’m sold. Definitely worth picking up.

It took me forever to read this book. I was given an ARC last year from Net Galley. It is SLOW. It was a cute plot but honestly I could not get into this book the way I hoped. It just was not for me. Thanks Net Galley for the copy in return for an honest review.