Mabel’s first encounter with Alfie Harding includes him calling her a cupcake in front of her editor. If the man wants her to be his ghostwriter, that’s not the way to do it. They start over after an unfortunate incident that involves her pepper spraying him.
When she is mistakenly identified as this brooding footballer’s new girlfriend, they lean into everyone’s impression and begin a fake relationship (my gosh this is like, my favorite trope GAH!).
Their relationship may be fake, but the friendship and feelings that develop definitely aren’t.

☀️My first impression of these two complete opposites was that they were going to be a lot of fun right from the get go. Alfie is the most awkward man I have ever read but it’s completely endearing and adorable. The man still uses a fax machine and a flip phone because he can’t figure out technology 😆
She’s bubbly, he’s grumpy. Her clothes are loud, he wears suits and cufflinks. He’s famous, she has a handful of friends.
And while he may not be the alpha type man around her, he is not afraid to get spicy 🌶️ I love this for her.

DNF @ 36% - I just could not buy into this story or these characters at all. I usually like banter but this was just all banter and not much else? I don't think this writing style is for me.

🌿WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE BY CHARLOTTE STEIN

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/St Martin’s Griffin for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Alfie Harding, a 30 year old ex football player, who is private, blunt, and grumpy. And Mabel Willicker, a ghostwriter, who is bubbly, sweet, and cute. Their lives collide when Alfie has been tasked with publishing a memoir by his management and downright rejects 17 other writers, but then he’s introduced to another writer, Mabel, who might just be up to the task. When people mistake their business relationship for something more, they decide to fake date.

The cute cartoon cover is what originally intrigued me, and the premise sounded interesting with so many great tropes in it but unfortunately I felt that it all fell a little flat.

It is a cute fast paced romcom and while I generally love these types of books, this one was not really for me. The beginning felt all over the place and could have been better executed, and I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style. I considered dnfing but pushed through and this book definitely got a bit more interesting at like 80% in.

The characters were fun and interesting but I didn’t really feel a connection to them. They did have a great dynamic and some really great banter which I enjoyed reading but I just found it got a little over the top at some points.

Also, the dirty talk in this was so good which just made their steamy scenes more interesting to read. I just wish there were more of those scenes and less of the lengthy dialogues.

Overall, this was an okay read. It was cute and fun, and definitely has some really great tropes but it just wasn’t a favourite of mine.

The grumpy sunshine trope is literally in the title! Definitely something that made me sit up and notice. The main character is a ghostwriter? Oooh, even more literacy inside a book!
But as soon as I started reading it, my excitement fizzled out... really fast.
Sometimes I don't read much about a book before starting it. I like to find out things for myself. But with this one, if you haven't read the start of the book, you'll be so lost and confused. There is not much explanation and then nothing is really explained. As I continued to read chapter after chapter at the start of the book, I had two big thoughts. When was the plot going to be introduced? And when would I understand what was happening? Two questions you usually do not want to come up when starting a book.
As I continued to read, I found myself turned off by the descriptions. They were cringy and embarrassing.
Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I couldn't get past the first quarter of the book and even if it did redeem itself, I was already too far lost.

Loved the storyline, opposites attract. You will enjoy this book from beginning to end!! :)

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is a hilarious romantic comedy featuring opposites attract romance between ghostwriter Mabel Willicker and retired footballer Alfie Harding. The Characters are Mabel, a bubbly and bright ghostwriter, and Aflie a famous retired footballer in need of help writing his memoir when the two get close while detailing Alfie's life.

This book was so cute, had me laughing out loud. First time reading from this author and enjoyed her writing.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is everything you could want from a grumpy sunshine romance. The Banter between these two was everything. And the sexual tension was out of this world. The spice was so spicy. I do wish the ending was a bit longer. It felt a bit rushed into a happy ever after. I wanted more of them being honest and in love. But that’s just me being picky. Overall I really enjoyed this book.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Yep there it is ! Another adorable romance with an adorable cover. I flew through this one and think it's a perfect Valentine's book!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine really ticked all of my boxes when it comes to a good wholesome romance. A lot of the time, romance is just smut. But I do read for the pure connection of people too. There was bonding over troubled childhoods, parents, and self confidence. I gave it the five stars cause I truly did love it. The banter between Alfie and Mabel made laugh numerous times. When they were bonding over their childhoods, it really sucked me in. Overall a great romance read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was such a cute, funny, and heartwarming read!

Alfie is a retired football player and needs help writing his memoir. He hires Mabel to be his ghostwriter. After she is seen leaving his house by the paparazzi, they decide to be in a fake relationship in order to protect the book.

I loved their banter and thought it was hilarious! Also the sexual tension between these two was 🔥 Alfie and Mabel were wonderfully written characters that you couldn’t help but fall in love with. The writing was great and this was hard to put down! I adored this book and can’t wait to read what’s next from Charlotte Stein! If you’re looking for a hilarious, feel good read, then I definitely recommend reading this book!


📘: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
🗓️: February 6, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

When grumpy met sunshine is an adorable romance with bits of billionaire hero, fake relationship, and forced proximity. Mable was resigned to be ghost in her own life, a ghostwriter by trade, and just a side character in her own life. Alfie was thrust into fame, success, and wealth almost without his consent that made him hesitant to trust, love, or be vulnerable to anyone. Slowly their walls come down and a lonely romance blooms.

🎧/📱ARC from NetGalley and SMP

I went back and forth between audio & ebook on this, but ended up stopping the ebook altogether because the writing was awful. It was definitely easier to ignore with the audio, but still not great. 90% of this book is inner dialogue, and the audio did not do a great job of distinguishing between the FMC, MMC, and inner dialogue of the FMC. There was an insane amount of vulgar language for this being marketed as a romcom. There was maybe 10% plot, but I think that may be a little high. I would have DNF’d this if I didn’t have it in 2 formats that would have tanked my feedback percentage on NetGalley.

I will not be posting this on my Instagram or Amazon.

I went into this book dreading it after reading some of the reviews. As happens often, I just don't agree with most of the other readers. The author almost lost me with the extended dialogue in parts of the first half of the book. But then I realized it really was a very clever move on the part of Ms. Stein. With the extensive dialogue, she drives home the fact that Alfie and Mabel care about each other enough that they talk sex to death instead of doing it. Each is so insecure in the other's feelings that they aren't about to share what they actually feel for fear of pushing the other into something they don't really want.

Now, let's talk about the humor and heat in the book. They kind of go hand in hand. Can you imagine a conversation in which you are trying to talk yourself or your date out of having sex? Especially when you want it desperately (I mean DESPERATELY!)? Some of the scenes are hysterical and hot at the same time when it just becomes too much for them to handle--when everything said is meant to kill the arousal, but only makes it that much more unbearable.

I really enjoyed the book, but some of the dialogue was super stretched out. I'm glad I stuck with it and went more into it with an open mind.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the original premise of this book, plus size woman and famous footballer (English football) meet and fall in love after numerous miscommunications. It took a bit to really get going, and I didn't enjoy all the inner dialogue. There were many times that they misunderstood each other and I felt that it drug on a bit too long. It also got very spicy around the last 25%. I am not opposed to spice, I was just surprised that it escalated so quickly and that it was as graphic as it was. If you like spicy you will like this.

This was such a sweet romance - Mabel and Alfie had such an excellent, immediate connection and I loved seeing their chemistry blossom into something fake that turned out to never be fake at all. I won't spoil anything, but the ended of this book was such a swoon! I loved getting to see how soft Alfie was under his gruff soccer exterior - his love of romcoms and writing was the sweetest. The book has plenty of charm, plenty of funny moments, plenty of silliness to keep you engaged and absolutely on pins and needles waiting for these two to FINALLY talk about their feelings! If you loved On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe or just want all of your romantic heroes to be a little bit Roy Kent coded, this is definitely the book for you!

Oh, I so wish this was funnier. I really was hoping for a diversion with this book. Part of the problem was format and the back-and-forth of the characters’ dialog and part may well have been the British references that didn’t quite click for me. WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE is a fast-paced romance with a lot going on all at once. Most advance readers just loved it and I am in the minority. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

First, a huge thanks to NetGalley for an e-Arc of When Grumpy Met Sunshine.

This was okay. It was short, funny and full of banter. Unfortunately it had a lot of miscommunication which I hate, and the writing was a bit clunky at times. Alfie & Mabel got on my nerves a lot and the inner dialogue was tiresome and repetitive.

I wanted to like this more than I did sadly but still a fun book.

I tried to get into this book but it was hard. The characters had no personality to them except the main female character immediately hating the main male character. I’ve read many fun Romances as this one but it was hard to get into so I had to DNF.

I really went into this book thinking it would easily be one of my favorites and then I was greatly disappointed when I realized only a few chapters in it wouldn't be for me. I had this book on my radar for quite a long time and as soon as I heard that the MMC was named Alfie and had the same level of grumpiness as Roy Kent I was sold. The first few chapters were very slow for me and pretty much stayed the same pace throughout the book. I'm sure the story will work for some who enjoy grumpy x sunshine trope. Normally it's one of my fav tropes in romance books but something was missing for me in this story. Mabel is super sweet and the banter between the two was good but not enough to keep me well invested like I normally am. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

A fun story with unique and lovable characters! I found this book extremely entertaining. The dialogue between Alfie and Mabel was fantastic. I did have to read a number of lines more than once to make sure I caught what it really said but it was a lot of fun. The two characters were perfect for each other, and I wanted to shake them both a few times to get over their fears. I had several laugh out loud moments. It was really a fun rom-com. I've not read anything from this author previously but will keep an eye out for other books by this author. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A steamy opposites-attract romance between a grumpy retired footballer and his sunshine-y ghostwriter.

Read If You Love:
-lots of witty banter
-grumpy x sunshine (duh!)
-fake dating
-plus size/curvy rep
-opposites attract

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advance copy of this book! Happy pub day to When Grumpy Met Sunshine!