I wanted to like this book so much - it has all of my favorite tropes:
. Fake Dating
. Grumpy x Sunshine
. He Falls First

Mabel is assigned to be the ghostwriter to the UK's favorite football star (this is a British story, so it's not American football, thank god), Alfie Harding. Mabel is sunshine and rainbows, while Alfie is the brute who only responds in grunts. She is tech-savvy, while he acts like he's never heard of the internet. When a fake news story blows up on Twitter about Alfie's "new girl" they lean into it and start fake dating. As she slowly gets to know him, she realizes that he isn't the Neanderthal that everybody expects him to behave as, and he has more depth than she would have given him credit for.

The first 75% of the book is pure torture, The romance felt forced and the story was rambling from Mabel's point of view. Mabel claims to be so secure in her image and doesn't give a s**t what people think, but she is the most fatphobic person in the whole story.
Don't get me started on Alfie... I understand not wanting to be super involved with technology, but being in his mid to late 30s, he should know how to operate phones and computers. He acts like he is time-traveling from the 1800s and is flabbergasted about modern society.

The last 25% of the story was where it got interesting. Alfie's "big gesture" was very swoon-worthy and did make me tear up. He became so in tune with his emotions and decided that he wanted to be happy, for the first time in his life - all he needed was Mable to complete the picture.

What the story was laking was a strong love connection between the two characters. It felt like they should just have been good friends who could connect over their shitty childhoods.

I thoroughly enjoyed this author's first crack at a true rom com. She has such a unique voice that I was worried it wouldn't translate into this more popular genre, but it absolutely delivered. The snark and banter were just right -- it didn't get grating or repetitive like in some other popular entries to the category. While the MMC is clearly inspired by Roy Kent of Ted Lasso fame, Alfie Harding is his own man. Yes, he's got that cynical exterior hiding a heart of gold, but he's also a secret poet/writer and pines for Mabel (FMC) in a different way than Roy does Keeley. Mabel herself is a joy, at times insecure and intimidated but also confident in her abilities and brings out the best in Alfie. And of course, because this was written by Charlotte Stein, the spice is impeccable. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein. I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and give an honest review.

I wanted SO much to love this book. I've been waiting for it and when I had the opportunity to review it through NetGalley, I squealed.

I'm beside myself because I didn't like it. The first 73% of the book felt like the author was running a marathon at top speed, spewing out words that were supposed to make sense. Alfie comes off as a smug, churly, surly, arrogant jerk. Mabel comes off as so self fat phobic as to be unlikable. Other reviewers remarked that the story was choppy. I guess that kind of describes what I'm talking about, but I felt like I had to take deep breaths as I was reading to get my second wind.

The last 25% or so, actually was mostly okay, which is why the book got 3 stars instead of the 2 I was going to give it.

This book instantly got me with the title since grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. It had the banter I was hoping for and I loved that it featured a plus size main character.

Oh how I wanted to love this. In reality, the story is good. Ghostwriter sunshine falls in love with grumpy football player while writing football players memoir. Truth be told, the second half of this book stole my heart. However I struggled through the first half where the getting to know each other phase of this romance seemed to be an endless stream of back and forth banter. Overall, this book was very good and steamy at parts if you can hang on for the ride past the first half of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mabel is a curvy ghost writer getting pulled in to help an ex-footballer (they're British, guys!) write his memoir about being a footballer. Alfie is the ex-footballer. Fake dating ensues.

I got an Advanced Reader Copy. So gain of salt here. But woof, there was a lot of distracting word choices. I'll leave it at that, because I'm REALLY hoping the book gets properly fixed.

The writing was okay. The story was pretty cute. There was a LOT of dialogue and very little exposition. That's fine, I suppose, but honestly, I feel like it could've been a little less so. The passage of time is a little weird, and not ALWAYS clear. But the random articles and Twitter posts at the end of the chapters kind of helped. A little. Ish.

I hate that every "curvy girl" story has to be talking about how big she is ALL. THE. TIME. I get it. Because I've always been that person. Does the book have to keep it up too? Why can't it just be "sure, she's not a skinny thing, but she's gorgeous" and leave it at that? Insecurity, fine. Some disbelief, fine. But constantly "no one could possibly want me because I'm not a skinny b*tch" feels lazy. And my dude legitimately tells her outright that she's everything he wants at least 4 or 5 times. Take what the man says as truth, please.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

Not that much of a fan of this book. Did not really like the characters and couldn't really get into it. It kind of felt more adult than i preferred for my books.

Looooove this!! Such an opposite attracts book! It was a fun read and kept me loving each character more and more as the chapters went on! Great great read!

This was a fun and quick & light read! Loved the banter, so clever! Loved the writing style, well done! THERE IS A LOT OF STEAM AND I AM HERE FOR IT!

3⭐️

Mabel, a bright and all around sunshine-y person works as a ghost writer and has been approached about writing retired soccer star Alfie Haring's memoir. Harding, known to be the grumpy, silent type has already turned away over 15 ghost writers so mabel doesn't have high hopes. After a disastrous first meeting where Mabel walks out, Archie tracks her down and talks her into being his ghost writer.

After tabloids post pictures of her entering Alfie's house and speculating that she's his new girlfriend, Alfie and Mabel decide to enter a fake relationship rather than come clean about Mabel being a ghost writer. Throughout their fake relationship, Mabel begins to learn that Alfie isn't the grumpy man everyone thinks he is.

Things I loved:
Mabel is a plus sized FMC and isn't fetishized for being plus sized. Alfie makes if very clear, even during their fake relationship, that he loves her body just the way it is and that it's only part of what she's bringing to the table. The way her internal monologue talks about dating while plus size was extremely accurate. Alfie is clearly Roy Kent and I'm always up for more Roy Kent. Both Mabel and Alfie have similar childhood trauma that they can bond over and they understand to an extent why the other person is the way they are. Alfie is the consent king and is respectful of what makes Mabel comfortable, even if he's awkward about it.

Things I didn't love:
There's a such a thing as too much banter. A little back and forth is charming, but when the communication between the two characters is 95% banter it leaves a lot to be desired. Speaking of communication, there really didn't feel to be too much meaningful communication. Alfie and Mabel were able to bond over similar bad childhoods and Mabel figures out what Alfie wishes he could have done instead of soccer. But the communication about their relationship is extremely lacking and could have prevented a lot of their trouble. Multiple times Alfie apologized about "forcing" her into a fake relationship and that he's hideous and Mabel always responds with something along of the lines of I never said that. Okay, great, can you maybe give him more reassurance? For being a writer, Mabel doesn't seem to be able to communicate.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC to me!

DNF at 10% because this book just was not for me. The dialogue is very British and make it hard for me to follow with long stretches of dialogue that almost felt like rambling.

Still giving three stars because the tropes were there and I think any British native would greatly enjoy this book.

This was…. Not what I was expecting.

I love the grumpy x sunshine troupe. I love a sports romance. I absolutely loved the premise of this but I struggled with this one.

First, I absolutely hated the writing style. I couldn’t keep up with the pacing (it was too fast but then so slow at the same time? I blame all the banter), I was confused a majority of the time, and I didn’t understand any of the British slang that was used (which also contributed to the confusion). I think it’s because we would skip from one scene to another with hardly any transitions, and it just didn’t flow well for me.

Second, I didn’t connect to either of the characters. There were just so many opportunities to go into more details (especially about their similar childhoods and then all of the social media backlash), but it was overlooked by all of the banter and humor. I think that these missed opportunities would have given the characters more depth and a sense of a real connection.

And finally, the miscommunication troupe is normally 50/50 for me anyways but this one was NOT it. I was so frustrated with the both of them. 😩

Overall, the story was very one-dimensional, which is super disappointing because I really wanted to love this so much.

Last but not least - thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a sweet romance book. It was a mix between Beauty and the Beast and a Cinderella story all rolled into a modern romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great romance. I absolutely adore the grumpy meets sunshine trope and it was so well done in this book. I was swooning!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine: A Lighthearted Rom-Com that Didn't Shine for Me

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" tackles the classic opposites-attract trope with a retired footballer (Grumpy) and a bubbly ghostwriter (Sunshine). While the premise seemed promising, I struggled to connect with either character. Grumpy felt like a one-dimensional grumpy stereotype, and Sunshine's overly optimistic personality never quite rang true. Their interactions, though occasionally witty, relied heavily on clichés and lacked genuineness.

The plot followed a predictable trajectory, offering few surprises or genuine emotional stakes. The writing style, while competent, didn't offer anything unique or particularly engaging. While I appreciate lighthearted romances, I craved some depth or complexity that was ultimately missing.

Overall, "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" felt like a lukewarm cup of chamomile tea – pleasant enough, but ultimately forgettable. Readers looking for a quick, lighthearted escape might find some enjoyment, but those seeking a standout rom-com with memorable characters and a more engaging narrative may want to look elsewhere.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is exactly what you'll receive when you read this book, featuring a grumpy ex-footballer and a very sunny ghostwriter. I think the setup for this book is great, the plot is good, and the banter between the two characters is entertaining. Mabel is charming to Alfie's gruff. and it also feels like a series of unfortunate events at times, but in a good way. It's also got some steam later on - almost slow-burn territory.

However, I DNF'ed this book about 38% of the way in. While I did initially love the banter, there were moments where I got lost in who was talking. It got to a point where the bantering was where it lost me and made me a little frustrated, but I liked it enough to kind of skim ahead and the rest of the content/plot is good aside from that. I'll give this book another chance later on, but my point still stands at the moment.

I really wanted to like this book but I DNF"d it after several tries. The grumpy ex-footballer is written in such a way that at first I truly believed he was a senior citizen, and it took me a couple of chapters to realize he was in fact the love interest. The banter and humor was all forced and overdone, and there were some kicky stalking/spying scenes that had me cringing. Although the premise was good, this was a miss for me.

This book. This lovely book I’m in love with. It doesn’t come out until next year, but omg I want to rave about it now.

Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is her first trad pub, and I’m just so happy for her that when I saw this on NetGalley available for request, I grabbed it immediately.

This book gives me the cozy, fuzzy feelings I want in a romance book. It’s filled with tenderness and relatability yet with a good amount of hilarity and silliness as well. I just love the balance of it in this book. The blurb does talk about ghostwriting, but it’s heavier on the fake dating trope. It’s also a book filled with conversations between our main characters, and while it’s one of the main reasons I adore the book, I understand if it’s not for everyone’s liking. But their conversations are so fun to read – it makes me giddy. The way they go back and forth to find traces of similarity to their past situations is brilliant and creates a shift in mood. It furthermore brings the characters together in a believable manner as they see the other in a different light.

I think what really sold me is both Mabel and Alfie as characters. I have a soft spot for characters like them – tender-hearted, sensitive beings afraid to get hurt due to past ordeals. They are wonderful, and I wish they weren’t fictional because I want to be their friend. They are awkward and adorable, which makes for awkward and adorable scenarios that I, as a reader, enjoy reading.

thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advance copy.

"An enchanting tale unfolds in this opposites-attract romance where the grumpy ex-footballer, Alfie Harding, finds an unexpected connection with the cheery ghostwriter, Mabel Willicker. The storyline weaves humor, banter, and a sizzling chemistry as they navigate the challenges of creating Alfie's memoirs. The faux romance adds an intriguing twist, making readers question if the sparks between them are merely for show or the start of a genuine fairytale. A delightful blend of sunshine and sass, this book promises a heartwarming journey through the complexities of love and self-discovery."

I loved the first half of this book Alfe and Mable are the perfect pair. Their back and forth flows lovely, and the characterization is amazing. Both characters really jump off the page and I truly laughed multiple times. The second half of the book lost that for me a bit. I understand this is a romance and some steam is perfectly fine. Yet it was all steam all the time. I missed the back and forth. I missed the times between the bedroom. If it had been spread out a bit more I think I would have enjoyed it personally a bit more. But this is probably just a personal preference.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.