I loved the easy, witty banter in this novel. The characters journey drew me in as it was so well written. This was my first book by Charlotte Stein but I’m eager to check out her other books!

This book was just….trying so hard!
While I loved the banter why so much dialogue?
The FMC was hard to like because of this. Turn off your brain ma’am and enjoy life!

Charlotte Stein has written a delightfully premise-driven romance strongly based on Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" offers readers an engaging opposites-attract story between Alfie, a gruff ex-footballer, and Mabel, his effervescent ghostwriter. The chemistry between the reluctant athlete and the curvy, cheerful writer crackles from their first meeting, and their forced proximity through the memoir-writing process provides plenty of opportunities for witty banter and slow-burning tension.

The fake dating aspect, triggered by public misconception about their relationship, adds another satisfying layer to their evolving dynamic. Author Charlotte Stein excels at crafting moments of genuine connection between the pair, making their gradual shift from antagonism to attraction feel earned and authentic through the first three-quarters of the book.

However, I personally found things began to falter in its final act. Despite the characters' supposed talent for reading each other and claims of excellent communication, their actions contradict these established traits. The conflict feels artificially extended past its natural resolution point, with their inability to express obvious feelings becoming increasingly frustrating in the last fifth of the book. While the journey is largely enjoyable, the prolonged emotional stalemate in the final chapters detracts from what could have been a more satisfying conclusion.

That said, fans of slow burn romance and grumpy-sunshine pairings will find plenty to enjoy here, particularly in the earlier chapters where the character dynamics shine brightest.

A biographer and Roy Kent-a-like fall in love and it is adorable. Written in Stein's signature rapid fire stream of consciousness style, this title lovingly winks at its Ted Lasso inspiration. Our male lead may fall in a little too closely with the source of his inspiration but given the likeness on the cover, that seems to be a very intentional move. Our female lead is delightful and we love to see a fat positive romance lead. The title is cute and worth your time!

Hey, bookstagram babes! I just finished When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein, and it is everything! This opposites-attract romance is full of swoon-worthy moments, witty banter, and all the feels. Think grumpy meets sunshine in the best way possible—the chemistry is off the charts, and you’ll be rooting for them from page one. It’s the perfect mix of heart and humor that’ll leave you with a big smile. If you love your romance with a little grump and a whole lot of charm, this one’s a must-read!

I loved the main couple of this book and how awkward the MMC was in the beginning, but I just couldn't get passed the author's writing. That's definitely a me thing though so I 100% believe other people will enjoy this book. This book just wasn't my cup of tea.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
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Mabel is a ghostwriter, Alfie is a retired footballer. Mabel is all sunshine, Alfie is a major grump. Alfie needs to write his memoir, and perhaps Mabel is just the ghostwriter to help him.
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This was just ok for me. I loved the characters, but their interactions fell a little flat when it came to them have feelings for each other. Their bantering was great, it just seemed really sudden that they were attracted to each other and I had a hard time believing that they fell in love.
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3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I wanted to love it. The cover was super cute too.

I'm so sad to say this, but I tried to get into this one—especially since the description and comp titles really captivated me—but I just couldn't. For some reason, this just isn't the one for me.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
When Grumpy Met Sunshine releases February 6, 2024

Mabel is a ghostwriter for Alfie Harding, an extreme grump and ex-footballer who’s known for being difficult to work with.

This was an awkward read, and not in a way that could pass as charming or quirky. The story starts rather abruptly and the writing doesn’t leave much room to provide context for the reader about literally anything. I really wish there had been a chapter or two of backstory to better introduce the characters before their initial meeting.

Alfie read like an 80-year-old stuck in a younger man’s body who hadn’t interacted with a living person in at least two decades.
While the end of chapter notes were an attempt at humanizing Alfie and a tool to learn more about him, they felt very out of place and detached from the rest of the narrative; a classic example of being told, not shown.
This story greatly suffered from not being dual pov.

For someone who’s apparently so famous, he seemed to have had no media training whatsoever, and they took the ghost in ghostwriting a little too literally as there was no writing to be seen!

I DNFed this book at 31%

I got an eARC of this book from NetGalley and unfortunately it did not work for me at all. This sounded like it would be a book I would love, and it totally would have been if we weren't in the FMC head so freaking much. I got 31% into this book and I swear I spent more than half of that in this character's head with her going off on these random tangents and it was just too much. It was annoying and really became a chore to try to keep up with the back and forth. The time we got with the 2 main characters together actually interacting with each other I liked but I couldn't force myself through all the inner monologue, so I gave up.

Books about books usually aren't my thing but I preordered this before I ever realized I had an arc on NetGalley. This was a fun mesh of sports romance and bookish romance (???)

I'm a huge long-time fan of Charlotte Stein, so when I saw she was coming out with a cartoon illustrated cover book for mainstream consumption, I could not have been more excited. That said, Stein will not be a go-to for romcoms for me. It had its funny moments, but the banter was a bit over the top and parts were very dry. This book had none of the slow, intense, character-driven drama of her previous work.

It took my a bit to get into this book, but after about 20-30% I really loved it. Getting to know Mabel and Alfie was great and I liked how Mabel connected with Alfie. He was a professional footballer (soccer) and has the personality of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, at least that's what he lets others see. Mabel gets to know him below the surface and I think the progress of their relationship was refreshing. I also loved the positive plus size representation.

I couldn't finish this one. Something about the pacing and the writing truly was so hard for me to process, and the MMC was far too much of a copy of Roy Kent for me to be able to engage in the actual story.

This has been a great year for the rom-com! Grumpy-sunshine is one of my favourite traits and Charlotte Stein has done a great job with it. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes but unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. I was interested enough in their dynamic that made me read to the end but I didn’t exactly enjoy my time doing so.

I have to say, I was really disappointed with this book, especially because the main character is a bigger girl. Despite the adorable cover and some relatable characters and side messages, I just couldn’t connect with the story the way I’d hoped. The relationship between Mabel and Alfie had potential—it’s heartwarming—but it felt like the author was trying too hard to make it work. Alfie Harding, an ex-footballer, is funny, charming, and clever, with a touch of dirty talk that adds to his appeal. He’s clearly dealing with the pain of past relationships and life experiences, which gives him depth, but somehow it all felt superficial.

Mabel’s narration didn’t help. She touched on serious topics like her father's abuse and her sister’s disapproval of her writing career, but it all came across as too surface-level. Instead of diving deep into those emotions, the story kept getting lost in dialogue and left important details behind, making it feel unfinished and, frankly, unappealing. I really think the narration could have been stronger if the focus had been on the characters’ emotions and traumas, rather than constantly circling back to their past relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The author skillfully builds tension, using witty dialogue and charming interactions to highlight the chemistry between the protagonists. As they navigate their personal struggles—be it career aspirations, family expectations, or past heartbreaks—their journey feels authentic and relatable.

I am literally living the grumpy met sunshine trope, so when I saw this book, I had to give it a chance! Looooooooved this book!!! Can’t wait to read more Charlotte Stein books!!!!