I wanted to love it, I wanted to adore it, I wanted it to be on my favorites but unfortunately it didn’t do it for me. I went pretty blindsided when reading this because it was my very first book by Charlotte Stein. I’ve heard of her and I wanted to give her a chance. When I saw that her book was approved I ditched my current read and started this one. The cover was everything because HELLO a plus size queen. We don’t get to many book of the curvy girl getting the guy.

It makes me very sad because the dialogue was extremely lengthy for me. The book had so much potential but the chapters were too much Kept reading because i thought it was going to get better and it did but at the very last chapter and the epilogue to the honest. The story was is tender, heartwarming and it had a little bit of spice. I did love how they showed their insecurities towards themselves and the prospect of being loved by a whole other person.

The book itself was good but was simply just missing some things that would have made this better. Especially because there was only one POV which was Mabel’s. I would have loved to have Alfie’s POV as well. I found myself taking longer to get through this book because it simply was getting my attention like “I wanna know what happens next”. I would even have to reread some of the pages just to make sure I knew I wasn’t reading the same thing until I realized there was just a lot of repetition.

Overall, this book holds great potential and will find the right readers. Despite my beat efforts I would only be able to give this read three stars.

I do want to thank NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for providing me a digital review copy, and allowing me to share my honest thoughts on this book.

When I saw When Grumpy Met Sunshine was about a grumpy soccer player, I immediately requested it. The premise was cute, which I am sure you can tell since the trope is the title - a happy go-lucky ghostwriter was hired to write the memoir of a famous, albeit grumpy footballer (we are talking Brits and premiere league here). The first half was quite adorable with really witty banter and emails, blog posts, articles mixed in, epistolary style. And the soccer player was oozing Roy Kent vibes which I loved. But it went into the steamiest, way over done scenes for the second half. It was 0 to 60. Whoa. Way too fast and way too much without the normal build up. But I still thought it was cute.

This wasn't the best in my opinion, but it was a cute fun read while I was on maternity leave. I quite enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope, but it didn't hit all the needs that I needed to have met. If you want something fun and sexy and a quick read this is for you!

Something about this book just made me absolutely melt and fall in love with these characters. I really loved that we got to watch them become really great friends before any romance really came about for them, and I find I couldn't help but love them. I really wish there were more books out there like this that I felt completely drawn too and that I actually fully understand a character as much as I found myself relating to Mabel.

There is so much sadness for me that this book is not getting better reviews on Goodreads, and I have a strong feeling that is because people do not understand Mabel's POV. I see a lot of reviews saying that it is annoying to have Mabel have the same insecurity over and over again and that it comes of as whiny, but sometimes, when you have an insecurity, it can truly be all consuming in your mind. When you have an entire society of people who deem how you look as not normal or ugly, are you really not going to have those thoughts creep into your head? I just find that the fat/plus size POV is often misunderstood, which I can definitely understand if it is not something you have had to really think about.

I do think that this book will be perfect for so many people, but I also can see how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. It just makes me sad when I find myself completely relating with a character, to then see so many people thinking her thoughts are annoying...

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I truly am grateful for this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me (for now). By the 20% mark I wasn't attached to either character and didn't feel the story progressing enough for me at the time. In the future I may come back to it but for now I will be moving on.

I went into this one a bit apprehensively, since the reviews I had read for it weren't overall positive. I can definitely see why those reviews said what they said, and I was disappointed to find that I agreed. This story and idea had a lot of promise, but somehow it never quite caught its flow. I think it would have been much better served told in first person, or even first person dual POV, than the slightly awkward third person that bordered on stream of consciousness.

Mabel Willicker is is a sunny, cheerful ghost writer, who has been given the task of working with surly retired footballer (soccer to us Americans) Alfie Harding. The two have complete opposite personalities, yet somehow work well together, bonding over mutual childhood trauma. When the paparazzi sees Mabel leaving his home after an interview session, news breaks that Alfie has a new girlfriend, and the two decide to lean into the idea rather than try to correct it. Mabel starts catching real feelings, but doesn't think Alfie could possibly return them, being used to dating supermodels where she is average and curvy. They start hooking up but Mabel still just thinks it's only physical on his end, and has to push him away to protect her heart. Alfie respects her wishes and completes the project on his own, and after a year of not speaking, finally come together again at his book release party, where Mabel discovers Alfie's true feelings, all written down in black and white. I actually really liked Mabel and Alfie as characters and thought their banter was amusing, but it always felt like hovering above the surface and we never got to truly know them because of the writing style. If you like curvy FMC representation and grumpy/sunshine, which aren't my favorites as I can't relate as much, you can give this one a try.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of When Grumpy Met Sunshine in exchange for my honest review!

I had my fun and breezy time with this book, but I wish it could have been significantly better. The grumpy/sunshine trope, the fake-dating trope, the Roy Kent vibes that radiate off of Alfie Harding, the infectiously charming banter that constantly bounces back and forth between him and Mabel Willicker, their steamy sex scenes—all of these elements garner plenty of enjoyment from me. However, they arrive in such an unpolished package. It's as if this fixates so much on pumping up the banter and the chemistry that it forgets to fully flesh out the story and character arcs that are meant to support them. In regard to Mabel particularly, there are multiple moments where it feels like I'm supposed to know more about her character and her backstory, but then those facets just don't get developed more deeply. It makes it hard to completely believe in the anxieties and fears that are supposed to present obstacles in this relationship. I'm not wild about the ending, either, which goes in a somewhat jarring direction.

Overall, I'm officially rating When Grumpy Met Sunshine three out of five stars. Maybe I'm being a bit more lenient towards it than I should be, but I did have some fun with its fluffy love story, even when it isn't all that substantially written.

This book had its moments. At one point it was a 2 star, then it when to 4 stars and it ended as a 2.5 stars (rounded to a 3 stars… Goodreads please do something about your rating lol).

If you like extremely slow burn romance book, this is for you. But seriously, it was so slow, that I kept checking how much longer for it to end. This book could have been easily cut in half, or maybe in a third of what it was. The premise of this book is cute: a former football player trying to write a memoir with the help of a plus size ghostwriter. They fell in love, the end. NOPE. We read pages and pages of MC thinking that he can’t have any feeling for her because of her size and how her family treated her bad. - You would think you will get a backstory, anything, but nothing, just pages of pages of her saying the same thing.

It was a funny book - in parts - and had some steamy situations - after 75% was already read- and it could have been great if only they would have kept it shorter…

Thank you Netgalley and Griffin for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

This was ok, the connection was good and most of the dialogue was spot on but this could have done much better with a couple more chapters on both of their back stories. You just don't completely understand why they both have the past traumas they say they have and you never get to see his "grumpy" to her "sunshine". Overall still a cute read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The typos were hard to see past, and the writing felt jilted and off to me. I had to re-read many sentences to make them make sense and gel with the following sentence(s). I had to DNF.

I wanted to love this and based on the description, I really thought that I would. However, I just couldn’t get into this one at all. The narration was that, narration, and didn’t really give feelings/emotions. Both of the characters had past traumas that helped mold them into their current selves, but details or information isn’t really given. I would have liked to have understood a bit more. I honestly had a tough time getting into this one and walked away a few times to finish it. I did enjoy the ending and that is why it’s getting the second star.

Although there is a sweetness at the center of this relationship, the story starts off slow and from there develops into something that feels almost pornographic. The two characters spend almost the entire book being horny for each other. The constant extremely detailed descriptions may be entirely too graphic for some readers and unless you enjoy that kind of thing it's hard to get past it.

Heat Factor: Oh, Lord.

Character Chemistry: The banter alone sets one’s panties ablaze

Plot: Mabel signs on to be famed ex-footballer Alfie Harding’s ghostwriter, only to discover he’s actually a giant, thoughtful squish of a man she can’t really help falling in love with.

Overall: Watch out, this book will cause problems for you.

Let’s get the basic plot out of the way—Alfie is an ex-footballer who grudgingly agrees to pen a memoir, which is how Mabel meets him. She’s a talented ghostwriter who has a knack for getting people to open up, and she does—right after she tries to quit, Alfie accidentally stalks her, she pepper sprays him, and he eventually convinces her to take the job.

What Mabel discovers is that needling Alfie is actually the best way for him to open up. She just basically annoys him into revealing himself. This is Exhibit A: if you like banter that ends in moments of vulnerability and accidental warmth, this book is full of it. Chock full of it. You’ll end up getting sneaky little warm fuzzies when you’re not expecting it, leading to Exhibit B.

Exhibit B: Alfie is, in fact, a huge cinnamon roll. He likes romantic comedies and makes a killer cup of tea. He’s incredibly conscientious, and gets visibly uncomfortable if he thinks Mabel is anything but happy as a clam. He doesn’t drink, and he’s absolutely useless with technology of any kind. Oh…and he has a huge kink for turned on women. So I don’t really understand how a reader is supposed to withstand that kind of a hero.

Also, (Exhibit C) they treat their chemistry like it’s a thing to be avoided. They’ll have this absolute panty melter of a kissing scene and then they immediately break into discussing how terribly inconvenient it is and how they really shouldn’t have and meanwhile you’re just sitting there clutching your book in agony muttering “No, it’s fine! It’s fine, just…just stop talking!!” But they don’t. They keep kissing, and then bellyaching about how terrible it is to be so turned on you can’t walk. Well, listen, there’s really no need to inflict that same condition upon your readers.

If you don’t like this book, it’s probably going to be because of the banter, which I honestly ate right up. My theory is that some people love characters developing a relationship through banter, and some prefer relationship development to happen through descriptive text, and if you’re a descriptive text person you aren’t going to like this because that’s all they do for the first ⅔ of the book. Banter and make out. But I happen to LOVE banter because I think the intimacy develops in a more sneaky, stealthy way. Also, I think I THOUGHT this was going to be like Roy Kent and Keely from Ted Lasso, and if you go into this thinking you’re getting that, you’ll probably hate it. Because Alfie is nothing like Roy Kent. So, you know. Don’t read it if you can’t adjust your expectations.

Really though, I absolutely loved it. It was so easy to read and deliciously unique. What a fun voice and what a steamy buildup.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I thought this book was so cute. It had all of the right vibes, it just wasn't for me. I think that it was sweet and heartwarming and it made me feel nice and gooey. I just felt like I got lost and bored a good chunk of the book. All of the right components were available, it was just missing something that made it stand out to me. I think overall, it was cute and this is completely my opinion, but if you like grumpy x sunshine, and forced proximity then give this book a try!

DNF @ 53%.
I tried with this one, I really did. Right from the beginning, I disliked our FMC Mabel. I found her judgemental, rude, and annoying, and I didn’t like how she came in to her interactions with Alfie with such incredible bias and preconceived notions of how he should be. When he didn’t act in the way she expected, she didn’t know how to handle the situation, and she ultimately ended up handling things badly. She was quick to assume the worst and jump to conclusions about things without giving Alfie a chance to talk or explain.
In the beginning I had no idea how this was supposed to turn into a romance. I didn’t feel like there was any kind of spark or tension that would suggest eventually these characters would become lovers.
I did like Alfie’s character, and I thought he was more socially awkward and anxious than grumpy. I wish that we’d been able to get into his head with the 3rd person POV instead of just Mabel’s. I think it would have added another layer to the story and made it more interesting.
Ultimately I made it just over halfway into the book, and the fake dating had just barely begun. I haven’t touched it in 2 days, and I was half-skimming while reading it before. I peeked forwards towards the end, and discovered that there’s a third act breakup and a time jump of a year before they get back together, and this is one of my least favourite things to see in a romance.
Because I don’t feel that I will enjoy the second half of the book, I’ve decided to give up on it.
I received an eARC from the publisher for an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” presents a steamy narrative, exploring the dynamic between the grumpy retired footballer Alfie Harding and the lively ghostwriter Mabel Willicker. The story hinges on their undeniable chemistry as they navigate the challenges of revealing Alfie’s life story. While the premise is promising, my overall experience with the book left me with mixed feelings.

The novel delves into the opposites-attract trope, injecting humor and banter into the interactions between Alfie and Mabel. The narrative cleverly employs the fake dating scenario, adding an entertaining twist to the plot. Emily Spowage’s narration, with its raspy quality, contributes a raw and engaging element that complements the story’s tone.

However, my main concern lies in the execution of the romance. Despite the numerous steamy scenes, the connection between Mabel and Alfie felt somewhat underdeveloped. The focus on intimate moments seemed to overshadow the emotional depth needed to convincingly portray a romantic relationship. This imbalance gave the impression of a narrative leaning more towards a developing friendship rather than a couple in the throes of love.

The limited backstories for both characters contributed to this lack of emotional investment. A more comprehensive exploration of their pasts could have enriched the narrative, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the protagonists and enhancing the authenticity of their connection.

On a positive note, the banter between Mabel and Alfie was a highlight. Mabel’s ability to coax Alfie into revealing the necessary details for his memoir added a layer of charm to their interactions. The fake dating aspect was also enjoyable, injecting a dose of humor and intrigue into the storyline.

In conclusion, “When Grumpy Met Sunshine” offers a mix of entertaining elements, from witty banter to a cleverly implemented fake dating plot. However, the lack of a compelling romantic connection and limited character backstories left the overall impression somewhat flat. Despite these shortcomings, Emily Spowage’s narration adds a unique dimension to the audiobook, enhancing the raw and engaging quality of the story.

I received a DRC of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was everything. If you love a good slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, steamy, work romance, then this one is for you!

I have to gush over the MMC Alfie, who is a former athlete selling his memoirs (but he’s not a writer) and the FMC Mabel, who is a ghostwriter. This duo was just thoroughly enjoyable in all regards. For me, there was so much laughter and delight—absolute pure satisfaction from this story. 10/10 highly recommend!

#GrumpySunshine #Romance #OppositesAttract #SlowBurn #Spicy #CharlotteStein #WhenGrumpyMetSunshine #WorkRomance #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I love a good grumpy sunshine plus this one has fake dating sprinkled in, which I also enjoyed. I love the connection Alfie and Mabel found as she was working on ghosting writing his book. Their banter was wonderful, something happened in this book that hasn't happened in any other book. I love certain pages and then the next page I didn't love. Overall I liked it, I wish it was a dual pot but with the ending it makes sense why it wasn't written that way,

Unfortunately due to the current SMP boycott, I will not post my review until the concerns are addressed..

****3.5 stars****

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is romcom following our sunshine character Mabel Willicker, a cutesy, talkative professional ghostwriter who has been tasked with the writing of a memoir for the very famously grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding. (Aflie fucking Harding). Alfie has a reputation for being quick to anger, irritable when asked questions, and for being the best footballer. Oh and he dates posh super models. So when Mabel comes in all thick and curvy and cutesy and very much not posh or a super model, she is ready to come up against a condescending bully and not get the job. Except she does, to her surprise and she is going to find out that Alfie isn’t at all what everyone else believes, and he may just be a danger for her heart.

I generally don’t go for romances that involve sports or fame because I don’t like the premise of either of those things, however, when I saw the cute cover and the grumpy/sunshine and fake dating tropes I gave in and decided to give it a try. The fame aspect is the biggest part that comes into play in the plot of this. The “sports” romance part of this is merely a mention of the former profession that made him famous and rich. So if you are like me and are afraid there might be too much sporting involved, don’t worry. The story is told solely from Mabel’s POV, and you follow her as she gets to know Alfie, who right away, isn’t all that grumpy, not really really. Actually, Alfie is kind of weird and babbly just Mabel. Though maybe in a more grumpy way, and only because she brings it out of him. And it’s cute.

I liked both of the characters and found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of their situation and the things they got themselves into. I think Mabel can easily be the kind of character you either relate to or get annoyed by, she can be babbly, silly, ridiculous and pretty self-conscious especially being a bigger girl who is now in the public eye being criticized by fans of a famous guy. I personally related because honestly? I too would not believe for a fucking second a hot rich famous dude wanted me of all people.

The things that bring my rating down were mostly the writing of this was different than I am used to. The characters talk A LOT, and it long drawn out babbling sentences that go on for a long time. Both of them. I got used to it after a while, but it was something I noticed immediately. And the majority of this book is just talking. Lots of banter and jokes babbling to each other to get information, which in its own way is cute. It made for a weird sense of time passing though. I had no idea how much time had passed between the start of their fake relationship to the end. At some point I think it had mentioned months? But it felt like three days. Because, Mabel and Alfie barely did anything but meet up and talk and eventually meet up and get naked. I think I would have liked to see more of them going out on fake dates and having more run-ins with paparazzi and stuff like that to make it feel like they were doing stuff and give Alfie more room to show the protective and angry side of himself. Because when he is alone with Mabel, he isn’t the grump, he’s just a cinnamon roll and that’s the majority of what we see since they never get the opportunity to be in the places that bring out the grumpiness that he is supposedly known for. And the ending, to this was also not my favorite, *** not to spoil***, it wasn’t the worst, but I don’t like it when things take that long to resolve even if its off page.

Overall, I thought this was a fun book. I thought the characters were cute and if you want a silly romcom that’s pretty low stakes and has a lot of over-the-top silly conversations, this could be fun for you too.