This book was very repetitive, I felt like some chapters were the exact same as ones before it made it very hard to stay engaged with the writing.I found the characters to be very annoying and the banter between the main characters to be annoying as well.
The random articles and tweets at the end of each chapter were strangely laid out and most of them added nothing to the story, those could probably all be removed and it would improve the book. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book or the writing style.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

(I know, I know, I've been a critic of the gigantic-grumpy-man/sweetheart-sunshine-woman trope in the past, but!! in my defense!! the cover was cute)

⭐️=2.25 | 😘=5 | 🤬=5 | 18+

Summary: she’s a sunshine ghost writer assigned to write the memoir of a infamously grumpy ex-footballer and then a fake dating scheme happens and oops they fall in love

Thoughts: this was weird—like, there were no other significant characters except for the two MCs?? not a singular strong established female friendship. there were no motivations (at least, not really any compelling motivations I was invested in) aside from “let’s fall in love” and SPEAKING of love the love interest says she’s the love of his life after they meet like four times?? and barely speak?? admittedly there were a few cute, swoony moments, but overall this feels like a draft that needed a lotttttt of fleshing out.

(also the love interest—dark-haired bearded ex-footballer who swears a lot—gives sooo much Roy Kent energy and convinces me that this is Ted Lasso fanfiction, so there's that.)

I really wanted to like this book. The description sounded right up my alley and (even though you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover) I'll admit I'm a sucker for a good cover and this one drew me in. But sadly, I've made it through 30% of the book and finally have to just DNF it. Even though Mabel's inner dialogue and the banter between Mabel and Alfie had me laughing I felt bored as I was reading this and couldn't connect with the main characters.

Have you ever read a romance and wished there was more time for the... romance? This book delivers a-plot payload, to the point that I almost felt guilty for getting to enjoy so much of the good stuff. Total comfort read and delightfully steamy. I look forward to re-reading the published version.

This book was wonderfully hilarious, spicy, and incredibly sweet. It made me laugh so hard at times I had to put it down, it also pulled on my heartstrings until tears emerged as well. I really enjoyed the characters of Alfie and Mabel, the absurdity of some of the interactions made me snort with laughter.

The only thing that threw me off slightly was that when the spice began, the banter and hilarity dropped off (which I was loving so much). Overall, I was highly entertained by the story and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I was so excited to read this and I went in with high hopes. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book.

I was expecting a grumpy MMC and I feel like we didn’t get that. Like he was slightly grumpy or gave off the vibe he was but he talked a lot especially in the beginning. (I thought grumpy characters were supposed to keep to themselves a lot for a good amount of the book?)
Of course, Mabel definitely exuded sunshine vibes.

There was also way too much banter, which I now know is a thing. I love some good banter as much as the next person, but I feel like there was too much in this.

Basically, it did not meet my expectations or exceed them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF. The MMC was so unlikable and weird I just couldn’t keep up with it. The storyline just didn’t keep my interest. I’m a romcom lover and love this trope but this book just didn’t work.

This book was provided to me as an ARC from NetGalley. I really wanted to love this book based on the premise, but it just fell a bit short. It felt slow and overall I did not end up caring about the characters that much. I absolutely loved the plus sized MC rep though.

I really wanted to like this, but the sentence structure (maybe intended to be British banter?) was hard to follow for me and it detracted from the story. The steamy parts were HOT; but I couldn’t come to love the characters like other books.

This was such a fun, delicious read! Grabbed me from the first chapters, the main characters were so fantastic to follow. The banter between them is delightful and witty. I laughed out loud several times, this story is reminiscent of rom-coms of old. I read this book in one sitting, it was so engaging. Do not sleep on this one!

This was definitely a solid 3 star read. Alfie and Mabel were so stupid and I loved them! Their banter was ridiculous and I had a cheesy smile throughout the book because of them. I loved how clueless but wholesome they both were and how they championed one another throughout the book. I think my favorite part, without giving too much away, is Alfie's "scripted" phone call to Mabel. Absolutely hilarious and just so adorable.

I did think the writing style was a bit confusing, it was she didn't finish a full thought before jumping into something else and I was a bit confused and had to reread things to figure out what was going on. I'll admit if I didn't like the characters of Mabel and Alfie as much I would have DNF this book because of the writing style. Luckily, I got used to the jumping around and the book made much more sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Griffin for letting me enjoy this title early in exchange for my honest review.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine: 3/5 ⭐️
💛 Grumpy/Sunshine (obvi)
💛 Fake Dating
💛 Workplace Romance
💛 Opposites Attract
💛 Sports Romance

This is a fun quirky book following a ( plus size!!! yay fmc inclusivity!! ) bubbly writer from Leeds and a grumpy ex-footballer from Manchester. While their personalities seem to clash in the beginning, a connection immediately sparks between them. If you enjoy grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and a ruthlessly sarcastic couple, this is the book for you!!

I really enjoyed the slow burn between Mabel and Alfie!! The tension that kept building up ( that hair braiding scene though ) kept me on toes and hoping for more in the next chapter. It was a pretty quick read for me, and something that I look forward to suggesting to my local book club once it releases.

As always, Please research and read TW before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the awesome opportunity!!

this was SO cute! i wanted to pick this up because of that adorable cover, and it did not disapoint. i've been obsessed with opposites-attract romances for a while now, and alfie and mabel were clearly meant for eachother. this book was funny, sweet, steamy and i wanted to speed through it but also savor it at the same time.

The beginning made me laugh, the end made me smile, but I almost quit multiple times in the middle.

I am a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, but this did not really feel like that. I realize that it’s in bedded in the title, but I think that was a little bit of artistic license. The male main character was clearly not grumpy toward the female main character! At times, the plot got a bit raunchy, which I don’t always hate, but it felt out of place in the narrative.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced copy.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a cute, banter-filled read that definitely delivers on the trope of choice here. The overall concept was fun, but I will admit that the beginning of this really confused me for a while. There was an energy I felt I couldn't wrap my head around. That aside, the male main character Alfie, was comically grumpy, almost in a Roy Kent kind of way. I love the representation we got here with Mabel and I think fans of this trope will enjoy the light vibes this provides.

Grumpy sunshine!!?? Plus size female MC!!!?? LOVE! Already had me hooked by looking at the cover and the writing and the story made it even better! I really enjoyed this! I loved the banter and the connections and the ROMANCE OF COURSE!! This story had me really invested and I overall had a great time reading this!

Mabel is a ghostwriter assigned to write an autobiography about the grumpiest footballer in Britain. Over time, he starts to peel back the layers of his grumpiness to reveal his true self to Mabel. While writing the book, Mabel and Alfie are seen in public together, and are forced to fake a relationship, but in the end, that relationship may not be so fake after all.
This book was the perfect embodiment of the grumpy/sunshine trope. It was fun, flirty and a little spicy, all while diving into harder topics of childhood poverty and fatphobia. If you are not from Britain, some of the language may be hard to understand; I had to look up some of the slang used in the book. Overall, it was such a fun read and I give it 4 stars!

ARC REVIEW: This book is 5 out of 5 stars. I will be taking no notes or criticism. The point of view and writing style is absolutely wonderful. The way that I cannot relate to anything more than I do to Mabel's stream of rambling, awkward thoughts is so refreshing and fun. Alfie is scrumptious and had me swooning at pretty much every corner. He really knows how to make a girl feel like the only person in the room. OR ALIVE EVEN. He truly had some of my all time favorite quotes. AND THE BANTER! Oh god, the banter. These two crazy kids had me snorting on more than one occasion. The dialogue is genuinely witty and funny, not just cheesy... even if it was I would eat it up, no hesitation cause I just love these two that much! I can't wait for you to read this and hopefully fall in love just as much.

Who isn't a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine tale? This will be a great comfort read for many. I think it has some good moments and potential, but could have benefited from more editing. The banter felt like it went on too long and I lost track of what was being communicated. The narration also read like stream of consciousness, which I didn't feel fit with the story.

Thanks to Stein, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I had some mixed feelings about this book. Some of it was SO good- the banter between the characters especially made me happy. You could really see the chemistry between them, even though there was a bit of a “insta-love” angle. But there were elements that felt a little disjointed to me, especially in the romance scenes. It could have benefitted from additional editing I think. I also always have a hard time when the main character is so blatantly ignoring the feelings/actions of the love interest out due to their own insecurity, particularly in the case of a fat main character. Like “he couldn’t POSSIBLY be interested in ME,” even though he’s said as much like 20x in the book. However, I loved the love interest character in the book- very quirky, loveable and definitely giving Roy Kent vibes. I would recommend it overall! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.