A steamy fake dating that hits you in all the feels. Mabel and Alfred have to work together. One as a ghost writer, one a retired footballer that is a known grump and recluse. Their chemistry is off the charts. I loved watching their relationship go from professional and annoyed with each other to can’t leave each other alone! A bit of a slow burn but it just ups the tension!

CW/TW:swears, open door scenes, discussions about being fat shamed.

This book was so slow and had absolutely no storyline. The beginning did have a strong story but that was lost somewhere and just turned to trash. I did not want to finish this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the earc! This is my honest review.

How can a romance book have so much banter but be paced so slowly? I don't know but this book somehow manages to do just that.

This cover lied to me. I looked and it and was like a cute romance with a rugged grumpy, ex-football player writing his memoir and the cute bubbly ghostwriter that is gonna write it. I'm probably an outlier opinion but I really wish I enjoyed this more than I had. I thought the banter was extensive, like there was so much dialogue it diluted what was happening and I forgot where we were at in the scene. And then there was the paragraphs that went on and on telling everything going on. I hope to all of you that you enjoy this book better than I have.

Unfortunately this one really wasn’t for me. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes but I wasn’t really able to root for these characters to get it together. Their banter felt over the top and forced. I found Alfie to be not a lovable kind of grump but rather one who just seemed immature and childish. Mabel was okay but also not someone I loved. The narrative style of adding in texts and social media at the end of each chapter didn’t really work for me here either. All in all a miss for me sadly.

Okay, so it’s only February—the beginning of February, no less—but this book is already a serious contender for one of my favorite books of the year. It was THAT good.

First of all, it’s clear that Alfie Harding is a delightful homage to a gruff and grumpy ex-footballer who costarred in an award winning comedy on a fruit-based streaming service. So, as a fan of the show, it is such a special treat to get a WHOLE book featuring everyone’s second favorite grouch. (After Oscar, of course).

Mabel is truly an Original, yet her quirks and mannerisms are so relatable. As the title suggests, she is an excellent Sunshine to Alfie’s Grumpy. She is sweet-tempered, but she does go into her ghostwriting experience with preconceived notions on what she expects working with Alfie (and Alfie himself) to be like. Over the course of the book, she is thoroughly disavowed—I do mean THOROUGHLY. The chemistry for those two is off the charts. Good grief! Super steamy!

Do you like tropes? Well, this book is jammed full of tropes, starting with the obvious sunshine/grump. There’s also an element of opposites attract, slow burn, only one bed, and so many more. As much as I love tropes, my favorite element of the book would have to be the little vignettes between chapters, like tweet threads and excerpts from books/interviews. They added an element of depth that would’ve been difficult to replicate with prose alone.

I would absolutely recommend When Grumpy Met Sunshine. This is definitely one of those books I want a physical copy, a digital copy, and the audiobook. It was such a wonderful validating book that’s perfect for people who wish their football had slightly less football. I hope they make this into a series because there’s a lack of football in my life right now. Well done, Charlotte Stein!

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley

I was drawn in by the cover, the synopsis, the tropes of this book. However, unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

I love a grumpy sunshine book, however, I felt like the grumpy football player in this book too early in the book turned around to liking the FMC/being more sunshiny without much context or plot being given as to the reason for his actions. I really enjoyed the banter throughout the book, however, I felt like the book was set up to be a plot > spice book, and at some point it became almost exclusively spice with very little plot development.

I definitely think of this book could be somebody else’s cup of tea, but I think I went into it expecting something different, and was therefore a little bit disappointed. However, don’t let my take on the book deter you! If you’re interested in the synopsis or the tropes, definitely give the book a try — it might be your cup of tea, even if it isn’t mine!

Thank you SMP Romance for the advance copy.

A ghost writer and a footballer fall in love in this opposite attracts / sports romance.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine started off so strong. The MCs had such amazing banter but then slowly the book lost its way. I don’t even remember half of it and I finished it less than 24 hours ago.

Teetered between 3.5 & 4 stars!

I love a good opposites attract romance and this was a delight overall! Some parts missed the mark but I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly was missing

Mabel was hilarious. Her internal dialog at times was a little over the top, but overall, she put a smile on my face with her antics. And Alfie was grumpy personified here! But somehow, the two of them work (once they get themselves together!) This was definitely a slow burn tho!

Overall, their witty banter is what I loved most about this book!

Thank you St Martins Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

DNF'd at 30%. I really didn't enjoy either of the main characters or the plot line. I'm not sure at 30% I could tell you, outside of some weird tense moments, what the plot was (like I know it's a romcom). I didn't feel like these two should be together and the "ghost writer" didn't really do her job when they were together. Also the pacing was so weird. Like they talked for so long about his lack of furniture in his house? apartment? I don't even know because the author did a terrible job describing scenery.

I guess for those that like football (soccer) sports romances and author romances you might enjoy this, but in my opinion definitely skip this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good grumpy MMC and an opposites attract - fake dating trope and I have to say for the first half of the book I found it funny and I laughed at quite a few spots. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters Alfie, an ex footballer and Mabel, a ghost writer. The chemistry between them was instant. When Alfie is standoffish with every one else he was opening up to Mabel. Then the rest of the book was just SMEXY talk. I don't mind steam in a book but it just felt overdone. oh, and a lot of swearing that I just felt like it took away from the story.

Super cute cover!!! It's what drew me to this book!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet, steamy and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley, all opinions are my own. Charlotte Steins new book When Grumpy met Sunshine is in a word delightful. It's funny and bubbly, has all the feels, is super steamy and has the most wonderful HEA. Alfie Harding is a retired ex-football player, almost as famous for being surly and grumpy as he is for his athletic excellence. Somehow he got himself talked into writing his memoirs and it really is his idea of torture because he's an extremely private person. At the point we meet him has been through ten ghostwriters. His newest ghostwriter Mabel Willicker is his opposite effervescent, charming, chatty and kind. She is no doormat though and walks out of their first meeting when he shows up as his usual surly self. Their next meeting is not much better as she ends up dousing him with pepper spray when he appears to be stalking her. Wonderful banter, fake dating, only one bed, and chemistry that leaves them both singed made this book so enjoyable to read. One of the things that I loved most about this book is that their outward personas were really reactions, camouflage if you will, to similar childhoods and that they really get each other. I love a romance where it's about finding your person, the one who will always have your back.
Steam Level: Very Steamy Publishing Date: February 6, 2024 #WhenGrumpyMetSunshine #MacMillanPublishers #ContemporaryRomance #NetGalley #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #romancereader #oppositesattract #grumpysunshine #onlyonebed #fakedating

Mabel is brought in to ghostwrite the biography of Alfie Harding, a former footballer. It was an extremely awkward arrangement at first for multiple reasons (and to divulge those reasons would be a bit of a spoiler). Suffice to say that there is a good deal of grumpy and sunshine give and take, until it’s more than a ghostwriting assignment.

The story is a delight and the ups and downs will have you along for the ride.

POV: Single FMC
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book had me at Roy Kent, and even though I was sad not to have his POV, the author did do a great job with his character as I could literally hear Roy talking whenever Alfie had something to say.

While I love some good back and forth British banter, and this book has a lot of that, it almost just got to be too much, and I would find myself having to go back and reread to try and figure out what was going on or what the character's were getting at.

I loved that this book is way spicier than I would have guessed, and there are some truly fun moments, but I couldn't come back from the communication issues and the way these two broke up, and how mad I was at what happened in the end.

This was delightful! I do not understand all the whining about the banter. I love banter in a romance--it shows humor and intelligence. What I loved most about When Grumpy Met Sunshine was the connection between Alfie and Mabel. It's wonderful when you meet someone completely out of your orbit but find you have a connection, a friendship, a bond. They have this playful relationship and then it gets spicy--real spicy. I understand Mabel's reluctance to understand what is right in front of her--we're all plagued with doubt. But Alfie is genuine and I adore him. The ending is unexpected but fun. This is better as an audio--the narrator was great. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC/audio format!

If you like straight up romance books, one with lots of banter and spicy scenes this might be a better fit for you than it was me. As the title suggests this is a grumpy meets sunshine romance with a fake dating trope mixed in.
Writing was okay and started off fun as hell. Mabel is a great character and honestly I liked her more before she got tangled up with Mr Grumpy. I like a good side plot to go along with my spice and this one lacked the side plot or any real plot at all. The ''ghostwriter'' storyline was minimal. Not a terrible read, an okay story to pass the time. I'm just not a fan of this type of romance.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

This funny, romantic book was such a lovely read.

A famous soccer player, Alfie Harding needs to write a memoir but unable to do so, he gets into a business relationship with ghost writer Mabel Willicker.

It was a joy to read this book and watch the relationship between Alfie and Mabel. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a romantic comedy.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the Roy Kent romance of my dreams and I want to read 50 more books about these two.

I am absolutely obsessed. This was so good. The banter between these characters was impeccable. I did a hybrid read and the narrator was fantastic.

I loved this book so much that it’s hard to properly express my feelings about it. It was perfect! Go read it!

Thank you to the publisher
St. Martin’s for an eARC and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

CW: references to parental abuse and alcoholism, fat phobia.

I don’t even know how to talk about this book. One of the things I loved best about it was the way Charlotte Stein used words to illuminate her characters, but I’m reading an advance reader copy so I’m not supposed to quote from it. I’m going to have to share a quote though because otherwise I’m just going to blather a bunch of dumb words at you.

She saw it happen, almost immediately. All in one big rush, like he couldn’t contain it. Her hands made contact, and that was it. Every muscle in his face just seemed to melt. The deep line between his eyebrows dissolved; his tightly pressed together lips parted. And though she could see him fighting to keep his eyes squeezed shut—like this was agony, like it was unbearable, like she was killing him with her fingertips—she could see them started to smooth out.

Alfie and Mabel are two delightful peas in a weirdo pod. They are each so used to being the biggest weirdo in the room that they can’t believe they have met someone who likes them for who they are. And yet some part of them relaxes around the other in a way they never do around others, whether Mabel is cleaning Alfie’s face after she pepper sprays him, or Alfie is braiding Mabel’s hair. Their banter is off the charts good. I cackled so many times. But what clenched this for me as a book I will return to are the deeply emotional moments that Stein gives them. Alfie’s face relaxing against his will the first time Mable touches him is such a beautiful human moment.

Alfie was inspired by Ted Lasso’s Roy Kent. I never watched the show (I stopped being able to process tv shows and movies when the pandemic started and I haven’t recovered that ability. I don’t know why, brains are weird). So I am aware of who Roy Kent is, but I have no attachment to the character.

I liked this so much I bought my own copy, I registered for a virtual author event and I bought a bunch of Charlotte Stein’s backlist.

Content Warnings: abusive alcoholic fathers, fat phobia from strangers.

I received this as an advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Firstly, I extend my thanks to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for granting me the opportunity to delve into this book in exchange for providing an honest review.

The dynamic banter between Mabel and Alfie truly captivates! Although it took me some time to acclimate to the writing style due to the abundance of banter, I found this book remarkably relatable, akin to peering into a mirror reflecting the evolution of a relationship where neither party quite comprehends the other.

Alfie has completely won me over, evoking strong resemblance to Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, a comparison that persisted throughout my reading journey.

While I acknowledge that some may find the banter excessive, I personally found myself thoroughly enjoying the writing style once I became accustomed to it.

I eagerly anticipate delving into another of Charlotte's literary works without hesitation.