📝⚽💙☀️

Thank you St. Martin Press and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fake dating slow burn and let me tell you.. The burn was SLLLOOOOOWWW. But once they finally got together, after the will they or won't they, it was worth it. I'll be honest, this book is not my favourite. I thought that there was a bit too much inner dialogue, it kind of dragged on for me. I wanted to like this book so bad but it fell short unfortunately. I'd love to read other books by Charlotte, but this one didn't; really hit for me.

Id love for others to give this book a try! If you love a grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, workplace romance book, you should check this one out!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine: ★★★☆☆ (2.5)

Pub date: Feb 6, 2024 - preorder your copy now!

DNF @ 15%

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, I think the writing/narrative style is just not for me. I love the idea of a sports star + his ghostwriter romance, but the constant side tangents in between dialgoue made this really hard for me to follow and ultimately made me not want to pick the book back up.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine starts with Alfie Harding, a retired footballer who is badgered into selling a memoir of his life. However, he is not keen on the idea and that's how we meet Mabel Willicker, his new ghostwriter. She's cute, bubbly, and sunshine personified, the exact opposite of grumpy, allergic to emotions Alfie. After they are mistaken for a new couple, they must keep up the fake dating act to not blow their cover.

After hearing from some early readers that When Grumpy Met Sunshine has some Ted Lasso / Roy Kent vibes, I couldn't wait to read it. Sadly, it did not live up to the hype for me personally. While Alfie and Roy Kent have some general similarities as "grumpy" ex-footballers who are really just misunderstood, Alfie is not fleshed out enough and therefore does not have the charm that Ted Lasso revealed Roy Kent to have over show's three season run.

In my opinion, this book was too focused on having the banter typical in grumpyxsunshine romances and failed to show the actual development of feelings between the two main characters. The conversations felt forced and unnatural, more like writing than an actual conversation between two people. Additionally, there is a lot of Mabel's inner dialogue in this book. Honestly, I think this book would've benefitted greatly from including less banter and inner dialogue and spending more time fleshing out the romance and/or some chapters from Alfie's POV.

Read if you like:
- fake dating
- workplace romance
- *lots* of banter
- grumpy x sunshine

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 rounded up.

I DNFed this at 20%. Unfortunately this book was just not for me, and I struggled to pick it back up and get into it. I’m giving it two stars liked the premise and the cover is adorable, but in the end I just couldn’t finish this. I think this story has potential but I didn’t connect with the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free read in return for my review.

#NetGalleyARC This was a fun read and a great one to start the year. I love a good grumpy-sunshine romance and this one did not disappoint. The characters were lovable and believable and the setting choice was perfect. There was a LOT of banter in the book but I didn't mind it, a good fun read.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

3.5 Stars (rounded up)

The Grumpy-Sunshine trope of romance novels is one of my favorite, so I was very excited to receive this ARC! Alfie Harding = Roy Kent. If you are a Ted Lasson fan, you will think of nothing else. I thought that this book was very sweet. I enjoyed Mabel and Alfie’s banter, but at times there was a bit too much and it made the story move a bit slow. I think that Mabel’s internal dialogue and thoughts are things that many women can relate to, especially when we compare ourselves to the celebrities and models we see online. Overall, this was a cute RomCom that I enjoyed! Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just painful. I guess I can see what the author hoped to do - they seemed inspired by Roy Kent/Keeley Jones - but it was just an unfortunate no. I DNF early on because I couldn't take the long-winded banter that didn't go anywhere, and I LOVE banter. I know it was an arc, but it needed heavy editing for the entire book - a cute idea but poorly executed.

I really liked the inversion of the opposites attract trope in that these people found themselves more alike than different, but the second half of the book felt like it didn’t quite pay off on the emotional intelligence set up in the first half

When Mabel is hired to ghostwrite former football star Alfie Harding’s memoir she is not quite sure what she’s getting involved in. Alfie is one of the grumpiest MMCs that I’ve come across in a while, but Mabel’s sunshiney personality has an impact that neither of them could imagine.
I always love forced proximity/fake dating tropes in books so I was really excited to read this one. The novel is slow burn but definitely leads to some spicy scenes.
While I enjoyed the novel overall, there were points that I had to force myself to get through in the beginning.

This book was fun and the grumpy-sunshine trope was entertaining. Alfie really reminded me of a really hot Roy Kent, and it was fun to see him open up to Mabel. But there was actually too much banter in this book, something I never thought I’d say! I love banter, but there was so much banter in their conversations that it interrupted the plot and made heartfelt conversations feel insincere. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not as fun as I expected.

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

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this book for an honest review!

So this was my first book by this author and I thought that it was overall a fun little read. Both the FMC and the MMC were equally liked by me which is always a plus! Mabel was a sweet, down to earth girl while Alfie was a serious looking guy that makes people think he’s a grump when really, if you got to know him, he was sweet and very respectable which is a great combo. The slow burn was great and I just really enjoyed this all around. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for feedback on this book. Loved this slow burn full of banter rom com.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope: Alfie Harding, the perpetually grumpy ex-footballer, and Mabel Willicker, the ray of sunshine with sass to spare.

Alfie's stuck with the daunting task of writing his memoir. After firing several ghostwriters and gaining a reputation of being impossible to work with, Mabel, the cheerful ghost writer seems like a last resort. But Mabel is different... she doesn't take any of Alfie's crap and feeds it right back to him.

When a misunderstanding turns their business arrangement into a faux romance, things get interesting. What starts as pretend soon heats up, and their slow-burn chemistry blurs the lines between what's staged and what's real.

Thank you to St Martin's Press Griffin and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my opinions.

I will be reviewing this book after a time in which Wednesday Books/St. Martins Press speaks up and addresses the three demands from the readers for accountability. Until then, I will continue to boycott free marketing and labor for SMP.

I would say my favorite romance trope is grump/sunshine so I was surprised that I did not enjoy this one.

The MMC was almost too much on the grumpy side that it wasn’t enjoyable. The writing I was not a fan of because it was really telling not showing. The banter also was not it for me, it just didn’t feel natural and was confusing- and that’s usually the best part of grumpy/sunshine.

Fun concept it just did not hit for me.

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein offers a delightful spin on the classic grumpy-meets-sunshine trope. The story revolves around Alfie Harding, a reclusive former football star with a penchant for solitude, and Mabel Willicker, the effervescent ghostwriter tasked with penning his memoir. Their initial collision is one of wit, wariness, and undeniable chemistry, setting the stage for a narrative filled with humor, heart, and a bit of heat.

From the get-go, Alfie's gruff exterior and Mabel's relentless cheer create a dynamic that's as entertaining as it is endearing. Stein masterfully crafts their dialogue, infusing each exchange with a mix of sharp banter and subtle vulnerability. As the story unfolds, their fake relationship for the press leads to genuine moments of connection, revealing layers to Alfie and Mabel that go beyond the typical romantic leads.

However, the book doesn't escape the pitfalls common to the genre. At times, the banter feels overwhelming, overshadowing the story's emotional depth and character development. The narrative flow is occasionally bogged down by an abundance of dialogue, causing some scenes to feel drawn out and repetitive. Moreover, while the novel excels in delivering spicy scenes, the lead-up to these moments sometimes lacks the tension and buildup necessary to make them truly impactful.

Despite these drawbacks, "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" remains a solid read, especially for those enamored with romantic comedies. Mabel's sunny disposition and Alfie's unexpected softness combine to create a love story that's as sweet as it is satisfying. Their journey from misunderstanding to mutual adoration is filled with laughter, a few tears, and a good dose of swooning.

In sum, I award this book 3 stars. It's a fun, if not earth-shattering, addition to the rom-com repertoire, offering a cozy escape into a world where even the grumpiest of hearts can find a ray of sunshine. A big thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to dive into this charming story.

I had to DNF this one around the 19% mark, which was unfortunate because I wanted to love it as it had everything that I like in a romance. But the characters were just rather blah--no chemistry and the writing was rather disjointed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did not finish the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to Charlotte Stein & NetGalley for providing an eARC! This is an honest review given voluntarily.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a romcom absolutely stuffed to the brim with banter. Alfie Harding is an former footballer (soccer, not American) who begins working with ghostwriter Mabel Willicker on his memoir. Of course, when pics end up on social media and in the news of them being seen together (and maybe a fist fight over someone insulting Mabel), Alfie and Mabel have no choice but to start a fake relationship instead of share the truth of having a ghostwriter.

Cue the goofy nonsense that comes with two people that are head over heels for one another but just can't see it!

The relationship between Alfie and Mabel was really great! But... That's kind of all there is. There is no significant interactions with any other characters. I could not tell you anything about the couple other characters that show up. The banter also goes on for what feels like forever sometimes, and makes it difficult to even remember what is going on.

The spice? FanTASTIC. But the communication between Alfie and Mabel is what drives the third act breakup (surprise surprise!) because they are both terrified of being more in love than the other is.

That is really relatable, but it stung. Especially going a YEAR not talking to each other at all because they got too scared of being in love. That's just pain, and Alfie summed it up well:

"They say if you love something, let it go. Like letting go is as easy as opening your hands... Instead of what it really is: sawing off your own arm... Then just standing there and watching yourself bleed, because you're too full of despair to do anything about it."

Would I still recommend this to read? Absolutely. It got me to tears with how emotional Alfie and Mabel were and what they both were dealing with. And the romance was so toe-curling at points that I may have accidentally spilled my wine.