I will confess that, what with my recent issues with contemporary romance, I was a bit leery of starting the book; I was relieved to discover it’s narrated third person, past tense, in what Suzanne Brockmann calls deep point of view: we are immersed entirely in Mabel’s thoughts and feelings, essentially from the first page.

Mabel is an experienced ghostwriter, though she’s not necessarily in high demand; while she knows she’s good at what she does, she goes through life hiding all her insecurities behind her cheery, sunshiny personality–or, in those cases where even that won’t protect her from life’s cruelties, making herself invisible.

Which is why she’s as surprised as anyone else when she realizes that she can stand her ground with one of the angriest people she’s ever had the misfortune to meet; more than that, she can make him uncomfortable! How is that even possible?

And then, because this big angry man is also far too protective for anyone’s good, Mabel finds herself embroiled in a social and news media storm that threatens them both.

Heed thee the author’s warnings: references to parental abuse, childhood poverty, alcoholism, fatphobia; explicit sex. Also, swearing.

I have to start by saying that I really like Mabel’s voice; like, a lot–which is why after starting this book very late on Sunday, I just kept reading. The narrative voice reflects how many people, me included, think and talk, especially when they share a cultural background: sentence fragments, incomplete thoughts, half-expressed cultural references, and so on. Add Mabel’s self-deprecating style and healthy sense of the ridiculous, and there I was, giggling as I read, from very early on in the book.

I mean, how could I not when they have exchanges like this one:

“You’re sadistic, you are. Like a really evil Mary Poppins.” (Alfie) “I’m trying not to be. But you just make it so easy and fun.” (Mabel, chapter 7)

It is soon apparent that despite being opposites on the surface–the glower and black clothing against the sunshine and color–, Mabel and Alfie share more than just having grown up poor or having alcoholic parents: a slightly oddball sense of humor, a just off-kilter way to look at the world, and a deep insecurity that essentially puts them both in the same corner, outside and against the world.

Before every chapter, there’s a bit of text that comes from outside Mabel’s perspective: emails from her agent, bits of her research for writing Alfie’s biography, social media takes (hot and not so much), and so on; I like them, because they ground the characters in the world at large. Also, the chapter titles are both hilarious and bonkers, just like their banter.

Speaking of their banter, the undercurrents of pain running under so much of what they perceive about each other are huge; both Mabel and Alfie are trapped behind the masks they use to protect themselves and be able to function in the world, by deep childhood trauma, which has been compounded by how the world sees each of them.

Alfie, a deeply kind and decent man, who would rather stay home to watch a romantic comedy than mingle, but knows that a soccer player (footballer in the UK–and maybe everywhere not the U.S.?), must go drinking and brawling frequently, because that’s what macho men do, and there’s nothing more macho than a professional athlete, especially a really successful one. A good, caring soul who is convinced that any affection coming his way is put on because of his fame and his money; that he is essentially unlovable and deeply unworthy–a man who is terrified this last ditch effort to achieve a dream will backfire spectacularly.

Mabel, always and forever the sidekick in the lives of her friends, who has learned to take up as little space as possible, and who has convinced herself that’s essentially the only way she can exist; reminding herself that she is happy, not just outwardly cheery, and that she mustn’t reach beyond what comes her way. And, festering below that, the hurt of decades of being made to feel small and insignificant by those who, we are so constantly told, should have loved her unconditionally.

So a situation worthy of the frothiest of frothy romcoms (the little nobody and the wealthy celebrity having to fake a romance to fool the paparazzi in order to hide something else) turns out to have a pretty big wounded, bleeding heart at the center.

Part of the issue is how the world sees and treats Maggie, whom the blurb calls curvy in lieu of fat; it’s not only the barrage of abuse coming her way for daring to be a fat woman dating a very athletic, famous and wealthy man. What would be just a publicity stunt where she model-thin, or just thin, soon becomes part of the constant war fatphobia wages against millions of people, especially girls and women, around the world. As bad as that is–and it is bad–it is also the weight of the lie when considering the many fat teen women and girls (and, not stated, but realistically, also boys), for whom that lie is giving both hope and vindication.

Things only get more complicated when fake kissing becomes actual kissing, and fake physical attraction becomes explicit sexual attraction of epic proportions–on both sides.

Speaking of which, I really like that Alfie ensures not only that Mabel is with him every step of the way, but that she wants to be there; consent is an essential part of their relationship, and not just when it comes to sex.

The misunderstandings between them feel very plausible: people get things wrong about each other even when they know and trust each other; it’s a lot easier, given Mabel’s and Alfie’s circumstances, both individually and together, for lies to become truths that have to be maintained as lies (yes, I mean that they caught feelings when they really weren’t supposed to), and the whole house of cards to sway precariously at the slightest breeze.

Of course, since we only have Mabel’s internal dialogue, her pain and anguish over her feelings for him and what she perceives to be his, much different, for her, is more tangible to the reader; but Alfie’s is in all he does, in how much control he has learned to exert over himself, how well he can hide behind a cool face and angry persona.

Here I must say that I am not a fan of the third act separation (read that as, “I object to it on principle”) and very rarely care for a grand gesture, especially a public one. I see how both make sense here, because despite how much insight Mabel gives us into Alfie’s heart, her vision is clouded by her own trauma. I also see how time apart gives both characters space to grow and heal, and so on and so forth, and yet, I am nonetheless annoyed by it, especially because the resolution in the very last chapter then feels rushed to me.

I wanted more time with them after.

Not because I don’t believe they’ll live HEA; I was convinced they would make it well before the halfway point, to be honest, they are just fantastic together and for each other. No, what I wanted was to see them together after overcoming the obstacles between them, both real and imagined, and I feel just a bit cheated we don’t get to.

Still, this is a lovely romance, and the kind of contemporary genre romance I want more of.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine gets a 9.00 out of 10

📚 Review: When Grumpy Met Sunshine

This book!!!! I was giggling, squealing, kicking my legs. And a few honest to goodness laughs.

Alfie and Mabel are ridiculous in the best way. Alfie especially - he was completely over the top on the beginning, unhinged, erratic. But he still managed to be endearing, not annoying. That was a very fine line.

Mabel was more relatable, but then again, the story was told primarily from her POV.

As Mabel was able to relate to him, we learned more of his story, and he was able to be his true self. By the end, I really understood him, and why he was the way he was.

Mabel struggled a lot with her own self esteem and image, which did end up complicating matters. That internal voice is never kind, am I right?

Alfie is hilarious. This dry sarcastic wit, that not everyone will appreciate. And Mabel just bantered right back. The book was very banter-y. And I love banter! But I kept losing the thread and needed to go back a page or so to be able to understand sometimes. The first few instances, I just figured I was slow. But it happened often enough that I started to wonder if some of the flow between banter and internal thoughts could have been improved, so the banter wasn’t interrupted. That would be my only criticism.

Once Mabel and Alfie allowed themselves to give in to the tension that had been brewing all along - it was dirty and glorious. They both have a way with words. Of the dirty kind, and also being able to rationalize what they wanted to do so it made perfect sense.

And the grand gesture at the end…..gah. I would recommend this book to someone who wants some good laughs, hot chemistry, fat rep, and a broody misunderstood athlete hero.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing an advanced copy for review.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review. A full review that may contain spoilers will be posted on GoodReads.

Charlotte Stein is a new author to me and it brought me great joy to read an ARC of her book “When Grumpy Met Sunshine.” It was slow-moving initially, but the pace picked up about 30% into the book. I will say, that the British slang and jargon in the book were kind of hard to follow for me, but I am grateful that I read it on my Kindle app so that I could look everything up as I was going along. I think a glossary of common terms used in the book would be helpful for us USA readers!

Alfie is an impulsive, seemingly aggressive, grumpy former footballer (soccer, for us USA folks). Mabel is a quiet but bubbly, “hates attention” ghostwriter. She also provides great plus-size representation for this book, which causes a bit of a frenzy in the media (because of course, as we all know, the world will always have something to say about this…) and I love that Alfie does NOT tolerate it from anyone, including Mabel herself. There is also the breaking of stereotypes even more, in that while Alfie is a former professional athlete, he does not drink and/or party.

I do not usually love a third-act breakup, but this one led to a beautifully redemptive, sweet ending that brought happy tears to my eyes.

This book was so good and I highly recommend a read of this one!

After seeing some of the reviews for this one I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I’m so glad I stuck it out and read it! This was a super cute, fake dating story with lots of banter.

I thought the plus-size representation was realistic to the thought and feelings someone with a curvier figure has. For myself, it’s totally normal that I would compare my body to someone else’s even though I know I shouldn’t. I loved how Alfie worshipped and loved Mabel’s body. The compliments felt genuine.

This may have been a five star, but I didn’t love the third-act misunderstanding. It just didn’t feel necessary to the story.

Quote that made me swoon:
“You are lovely, Mabel. And not just lovely in your soul, neither. No, I mean lovely like a painting of someone important from a long time ago, reclining on some fancy thing with their thighs all soft and their shoulders all round and everything so plush it makes you ache to touch it.”

I’ll definitely be recommending this to any classic rom com lover who enjoys a hint of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Charlotte Stein. These are my honest thoughts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. When Grumpy Met Sunshine was a fun read. I don’t have much to say about this read but if you like banter, you will like this because it is full of it.

I got the chance to read when grumpy met sunshine early and I have to say I loved this book I even bought the audiobook it was so good. This one is going on my " having a bad week read a book that makes me feel better" list. An absolute pleasure to read I highly recommended that anyone should pick this book up.

I thought the humor the author displayed on social media was right up my alley. So, when this book, with a heroine who sounded like she could be another one of my own personalities, started showing up everywhere I was looking, I knew I had to give this book a read. And it was one hundred percent my kind of humor. It’s snarky and dry, and you really kind of have to be paying attention to catch the full impact of the zingers that just snuck by. Plus, I connected with Mabel on a fundamental level. I understood her insecurities and hangups, her fears and dreams. Even Alfie’s big gooey marshmallow heart inside that granite exterior, called to me. I loved watching this pair open up to one another and let down their defenses. And even though the sheer number of times they came so close to admitting their feelings only to back off again drove me right ‘round the bend, it also kept me hanging on to find out what would be the straw to break that particular camel’s back. When it came, I was almost in tears because that scene spoke so deeply to my heart. I adored Mabel and Alfie and I’m in no way prepared to let them go yet.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Alfie is quite possibly the grumpiest MMC I've ever read (in the beginning). He's gruff and as the book progresses of course he's completely in love with Mable and soft only for her (which I will love every single time). In the first few chapters I was concerned he was going to scare off Mable. She wasn't all soft sunshine she definitely held her own with Alfie and stood up for herself. I would have loved to see her come out with her feelings to him earlier, but it did help build the tension. There's tons of banter and plenty of spice, overall it's a fun read.

This book is a rom-com in a way only Charlotte Stein can do it. And that is to say, intimate, and deeply emotional, and HOT. Alfie (a former footballer) and Mabel (a ghostwriter) are paired professionally when Mabel is assigned to help Alfie write his memoir, but soon begin a fake relationship to mitigate a misunderstanding in the press. Alfie and Mabel both come with their flaws and insecurities, and manage to help each other heal, but not without plenty of misunderstandings and crossed wires along the way. My chief complaint about this book is that the banter between them (especially in the beginning) takes up so much of the page it was slow to get through. But this book really shines in the later half, when Alfie and Mabel let their walls down and really sink in to the attraction between them. (If you were worried this cover meant there would be less of the expected Charlotte Stein steam, never fear. This book is just as spicy.) The ending felt a little bit rushed, and a lot (too much?) of the major plot points hinge on misunderstandings, but I enjoyed this book overall, and I’ll definitely be reading whatever comes next from Charlotte Stein.

As an avid Charlotte Stein fan, I wish I could offer a review for this title. Unfortunately, St Martin’s Press has refused to engage meaningfully with any of the concerns brought up by BIPOC reviewers on the account @readersforaccountability on instagram. Until they do, I will not offer any marketing for their imprints. Speak up, SMP. Every reviewer who interacts with this publisher deserves to have a safe experience. It is literally the bare minimum to ask. Thankfully this is the only title I had requested prior to the beginning of the boycott. Obviously, I won’t request more titles from the publisher or their imprints.

This was such a cute read! Alfie and Mabel's banter had me pulled in throughout the whole book. I loved the workplace romance style trope, fake dating and opposites attract but I feel like it fell flat in the grumpy/sunshine department. The development of Alfie and Mabel was really good! At times it was slower paced but I was able to follow it. Since it was in the title, I was expecting more of the grumpy/ sunshine duo. A good rom-com read to get you started with reading!

Thank you NetGalley, Charlotte Stein and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. Thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the arc of When Grumpy Met Sunshine! A plus size FMC and a Roy Kent coded MMC? Sign me up!

I will say this was a little rough to get into at first, but then it picked up and I loved Mabel and Alfie! Alfie is incredible and his tough exterior and cinnamon roll interior are so endearing. I love the inserts of emails, tweets and articles. The chapter names of romcoms and action movies combined are SO clever!

Finally, the slow burn and sexual tension are *chef’s kiss*. I normally don’t love slow burn but this was fake dating (my fave romance trope) and slow burn and it was so well done. This one was spicy and fun! The ending was everything. I adored this and I would absolutely read more by this author!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is, as you can probably guess, a grumpy-sunshine contemporary rom-com. I was really excited to get to read this in advance, and also read my first Charlotte Stein novel!

Mabel is the sunshine half of our duo. A sweet-as-cupcakes ghostwriter, Mabel meets her match in the grumpiest of grumpies, famous ex-soccer player Alfie. Alfie seems to struggle with technology, being in the spotlight, and normal human interactions. Mabel finds herself taking up the challenge of peeling away the onion layers of Alfie to write his memoir, and maybe for her own curiosity too.

This story is perfect for lovers of the grumpy-sunshine trope, confident curvy girls, and lighthearted romantic comedies!

Unfortunately, the writing style of this rom-com was a huge struggle for me. The phrasing was quite fragmented, which I found jarring and hard to follow. While I was interested in getting to know Mabel and Alfie, the writing style paired with the ridiculous situations and misunderstandings prevented me from enjoying the story. I understanding being a romantic comedy that the comedy is going to come in the form of situational comedy and the character interactions, but I couldn't help feeling Mabel and Alfie didn't act much like adults or even real people in situations that didn't really feel funny either.

It's me. Hi. I'm the problem, clearly.

I was SO EXCITED for this one, and I'm actually really disappointed it didn't work for me. I think I'm cursing myself at this point, because how could I not love a forced-fake-relationship, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract romance??? That stuff is like my bread and butter!! Plus the cover is so cute.

However. There is a MASSIVELY fine line between fun, back-and-forth banter that makes you giggle and wish that all of your real-life interactions were like that.... and what would ultimately be paragraphs worth of just straight up dialogue. This fell on the straight up paragraphs of dialogue side. Which is also ironic because half of the point of this book is miscommunication.... when they're constantly "communicating".

I dunno. This just ultimately didn't work, and while it was cute, it's forgettable. :(

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When Grumpy Met Sunshine is set to be published on February 6, 2024. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute grumpy-sunshine fake dating romcom. I immediately liked both characters. Alfie gives me strong Roy Kent vibes and I’m all for that! Mabel has been tasked to be grumpy footballer Alfie’s ghostwriter. It does not go as planned. I loved the banter between these two. You can definitely see their chemistry. This was a cute book.

I will admit I laughed a bunch when reading this book. A lot of the dialog was very random and quirky. Unfortunately, that is also why I didn't connect with this story. There was so much great bantering, but the actual actions of Alfie and Mabel often didn't make sense. I rounded up to 3/5 stars because I was entertained, despite not liking the story plot/pacing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review When Grumpy Met Sunshine. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*2.5 stars*

I was so excited to read this book as the plot was exactly my alley. The book was cute and I did enjoy the 2 characters. Alfie gave me serious Roy Kent vibes and Mabel was cute.

However I had issues with some of the execution especially the 3rd act breakup which unfortunately soured me on the book. The 3rd act break up was truly aggravating because I can not believe that a romance book in this day would have so much time go by due to simple miscommunication! For a book about ft writers, I simply can't comprehend it.

Thank you to Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC

I wanted to love this book, but I honestly just couldn’t get into it. I ended up DNFing around 25%. I just didn’t love the characters or the story. I think it was just not for me. Be sure to check out others thoughts on it. I know others enjoyed it!

I was looking forward to reading When Grumpy Met Sunshine based on the premise and the fact that it includes some of my favourite tropes - grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract and fake dating. While I liked the premise of this one, the execution and writing style didn't work well for me personally. I found that I wasn't attached to the characters in this one and didn't feel pulled into the story and kept hoping that something was going to happen to change that for me. There was a ton of fun banter, but at times the conversations felt so long. I enjoyed seeing Mabel get to know the real Alfie after spending more time with him. Overall, I didn't love this one as much as I was hoping I would and unfortunately this won't be a memorable one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

When Grumpy Met Sunshine was my first 5 star read of 2024. This book had me SWOONING over Alfie and completely invested in his and Mabel's relationship. Alfie, a retired pro-football player is grumpy and secretive while Mabel is a sunshine-y ghostwriter with enough sass for the both of them. When Mabel is hired to be Alfie's ghostwriter, but is then seen with Alfie, the two must fake-date in order to keep Mabel's ghostwriting a secret.
This book is full of slow-burn banter with some seriously spicy scenes. With both MC's fighting their attraction while having to put up a facade for the public eye, sometimes chemistry can't be denied.
I really enjoyed this book and found myself unable to put it down and constantly looking forward to reading more. I loved Mabel and Alfie both as separate characters as well as how they are constantly making each other better. This book is perfect for anyone looking to read a grumpy x sunshine and fake dating story filled with banter and spice!