This book was exhausting, and despite my best efforts, I could not finish it.

The basics? Alfie, a gruff ex-footballer (think Roy Kent with the body of a linebacker), is paired with twee ghostwriter Mabel to draft his memoirs. Seems basic enough, plot-wise. Only it's not. Just to get to the part where she agrees to partner with him, we have to endure an aborted business meeting, a strange phone call, accidental stalking in a restaurant and coffee shop, and then a pepper spraying. Never has "well, that escalated quickly" felt more appropriate.

And if it wasn't enough that the plot wasn't making a whole lot of sense, the dialogue was <i>bad</i>, both because it felt it was banter from two different conversations spliced together and because the banter was regularly interrupted by Mabel's convoluted thoughts. Her internal logic didn't make a lot of sense and he didn't sound like a real human. Instead of being as clever and snappy as the author might have intended them to be, their exchanges were laborious.

I gave it the ol' college try, but when I remembered that romance novels are supposed to be fun and not such hard work, I called it a day. This author's style is just not for me.

I recently finished reading "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein, and overall, it was a mixed experience for me. The premise of opposites attracting is always a hook, and Stein does a commendable job of creating characters that are both relatable and unique.

The story follows the classic pattern of a grumpy character meeting someone bubbly and full of sunshine. The dynamic between the two main characters, their banter, and the slow-burn romance were definitely highlights of the book. Stein's writing style is engaging and easy to get lost in, making it a quick and enjoyable read.

However, there were moments when the plot felt a bit predictable, and the character development seemed a tad rushed at times. While I appreciated the chemistry between the protagonists, I wished for a bit more depth in their individual backstories.

On the bright side, the book had its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments and heartwarming scenes that kept me invested. Stein's ability to infuse humor into the story is definitely a plus point.

Overall, "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" is a decent read if you're looking for a light-hearted romance with entertaining characters. It may not be groundbreaking, but it certainly has its charming moments that make it worth picking up if you're a fan of romantic comedies!

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy of “When Grumpy Met Sunshine” in return for an honest review.

Alfie, a retired footballer, of giant stature and surly attitude meets Maybel, a ghostwriter, when he is set to write some memoir. He is “grumpy” from the get go and she is purported to be sunshine in a bottle. So this would be something akin to enemies to lovers romance.

Pros:
Main female character is “larger than a size 0”
Both characters have childhoods less than perfect that continue to affect them into adulthood
Some of the banter is witty

Cons:
The plot seems to get lost amid the banter
I didn’t feel that it propelled the story forward
I felt the reactions of the main character were way over the top and I was unable to suspect reality and enjoy the story

This story may appeal to a younger crowd than a middle aged one. The author has talent and I see what she is trying to do with the banter between the main characters, but there was far to much tell than show. Much of the story occurs in the main female character’s head. I feel this could have been edited into a much tighter story. I look forward to reading the next story by this writer.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a classic romance trope and this story is the epitome of it. Alfie is a retired footballer who is a certified grump. The last thing he wants to do is write his memoirs, yet here he is. Mabel is a sassy and sweet ghostwriter who seems to bring sunshine with her when she enters the room. They immediately clash, with Alfie accidentally insulting Mabel. But to Mabel’s shock, Alfie has taken a liking to her and wants Mabel to be the one to write his story. As they get to know each other, they also get roped into a fake dating scheme. But once the memoir is over, will their relationship continue?

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a hilarious, slow-burn romance. Mabel and Alfie have excellent chemistry and they are simply a fun couple. The fake dating scheme adds some delightful forced proximity that leads to only-one-bed shenanigans. When the romance hits, there are some scorching steamy scenes. I enjoyed how Mabel manages to reveal a side of Alfie that he’s never shown to anyone. When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a sweet romance that I devoured. I would recommend it if you enjoy grump/sunshine, fake dating, and forced proximity. If you like witty banter and wish romances had more of it, you need to read this book!

Thank you to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I didn’t realize there was such a thing as too much witty banter - but apparently there is, and it was in this book. It was just excessive and became ridiculous instead of humorous.

It also felt like the story got a little lost in the spice. The characters talked at length (very descriptively) of what they “would do” and then we got that full description again when they “did”. There was a moment when I thought “where did the story go?” and wanted to remind the author that there was an actual story that was being neglected.

I think this could have been really good - curvy ghostwriter falling for her client who also is a hot ex-footballer. (soccer for us North Americans) but it just became a web of banter and not communicating true feelings.

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

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is out February 6, 2024.

I struggled to get into this book. I really thought it would be cute but I just could not connect to either main character
I made it to about 40%

I never thought there could be too much talk in a romance book, but there can! This book proves that. I could not connect with the FMC and I was just overall not into this book.

This one was unfortunately a DNF. The main characters were awkward and I just couldn’t connect with them. At 25% the story was slow moving and was not capturing my attention. Just wasn’t for me.

Grumpy Sunshine.

Alfie is a retired footballer who is writing a memoir and needs a ghostwriter, enter Mabel. They end up fake dating to get the press off their backs for mistaking their time together as more than a job opportunity for Mabel. As the story goes on the lines of fake dating become blurred into what is real and what isn’t leaving them to wonder if there is more to this than just pretending.

I do love a relatable female character who is smart mouthed and is a bigger female lead who is unsure of herself due to not fitting in the box society has made for you… WHICH IS ALWAYS UNREALISTIC. Then add in a brute of an athlete who ends up falling for the girl who’s not the size of a Victoria Secret model. It’s a win for us girls who have meat on their bones and love a spicy romcom.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this eArc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this. Loved the cover, loved the premise. But is it possible to have TOO MUCH dialogue? Apparently so. It annoyed me so much I had to DNF pretty early on.

I had high hopes for this book because grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. Thrown in a little fake dating and a sports element and it should be a total win for me. Unfortunately I failed to connect with this one.

Alfie is a retired footballer who Mabel has been hired to ghostwrite an autobiography for. Photos taken out of context by the public lead to them giving the people what they want by pretending their business relationship has developed into more. The game starts being less play, more reality as things heat up between them.

Alfie was a (maybe a little too on the nose) Roy Kent vibe. I honestly found myself interchanging his name with Roy in my head. Mabel was a pleasant character, and I like seeing plus size representation in the romance genre. However, I just didn’t really feel the depth with the two of them. Even when they were discussing serious things, it all felt too surface level to me. I wanted to care more but simply didn’t. There were some funny moments and the banter was cute for a while but ultimately became more distracting than anything.

Overall, there was lot of potential here, it just didn’t deliver on much of it for me.

An engaging and funny story. The writing is fun and different as you delve into the minds of the characters. It is captivating to read the exchanges between Alfie and Mabel. The flow is sometimes confusing but always delightful.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, so I was excited to read this story about a plus size ghostwriter working with a hot ex-footballer. The story started out sort of all over the place for me. I felt that I might have missed a few chapters. I eventually got into it, though, and was completely rooting for Mabel and Alfie to get together. There were many generally funny moments throughout.

Things were going well and then all of a sudden, a pretty sizeable amount of time went by without contact between them. Huh? I didn’t understand how that could happen. Then a good, but somewhat rushed ending.

Final feelings: Good cover art. I’m glad I stuck with it. I didn’t feel I had to slog through, it kept me reading. Laughed out loud several times. I was mildly disappointed for a while and then a good ending. 3⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charolette Stein

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Grumpy Met Sunshine features Mabel, a plus size ghost writer and Alfie, an ex footballer. Alfie reminds me of Roy, Kent from the Ted Lasso show. The man he shows the world is a grumpy, hard character, but he is really a marshmallow underneath. They meet when she is hired to write his autobiography. When their interactions are mistaken for a romance and the media swarms, they decide to fake date.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I was excited to receive an arc, as it sounded like my type of read. However, it was a very slow read for me. The interactions between Alfie and Mabel just seemed awkward, and there was too much miscommunication. I gave it 4 stars because I like the premise of the story, the banter, the characters them selves, but it just didn’t come together for me.

Ok, I usually roll my eyes with the grumpy and sunshine trope, but I enjoyed this! I loved the plus size rep here and really liked Mabel! She may have been a little too sunshine for me, but it worked. Also, loved the grumpy athlete Alfie. The steam parts were... fine. I'm not too big into steamy because it's very cringe for me. They did have quite the chemistry though.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Laugh out loud funny yet very deep & introspective at the same time. Alfie and Mabel’s banter is hilarious! And sometimes a little (or a lot) awkward. But through it all you can’t but help wish they’d start telling themselves and each other the truth! A delightful and worthwhile read!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me access to the E-arc. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this arc. The two main characters were unique and funny. Mabel Willicker was quirky, perky, curvy, and smart. I felt like her dealing with trying to understand that someone could want her for her felt realistic. Alfie Harding was romantic, awkward, and grumpy. I liked the way the banter was written. The steamy places were also well done. The grumpy and sunshine was done well.

There were a few things that I had a problem with in this arc. I personally would have liked more emotions in the book. I wanted to know more about the character's past. Allowing for more emotional conversations. I really liked the humor in this book but I felt like there was too much in places.

I still would recommend this to anyone who loves comedy with some spice.

I really wanted “When Grumpy met Sunshine”’ to work for me. I tried on three separate occasions, picked it up and put it down, simply getting bogged down in the banter. I think I might also be over the Roy Kent vibes? Chloe Liese and Tessa Bailey already used this inspo, and did it better. I always want to support a book with a curvy heroine, because representation (especially in romance) matters, but the slow burn here was a little too slow for me. Thanks to St Martin’s and #Netgalley for my gifted ARC.

Alfie Harding, our grumpy guy (it's giving Roy Kent from Ted Lasso), brings the brooding charm mixed with a heart of gold. Mabel Willicker, the sharp ghostwriter, is a fun plus-size leading lady forced to help the ex-footballer write his book.

But, here's the kicker—the dialogues. They dragged on forever. Seriously, they go on and on. I love witty banter as much as the next gal, but this just felt really repetitive after the 50% mark. I may have sped through some parts just to finish this one up. This had some good spicy scenes, but the book needs some serious trimming. Cut the banter and add some action to get the plot rolling a bit more!

Shoutout to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Griffin Publishing Company. This story line has drama, comedy, romance and maybe a little mystery. Character Mabel is different and she knows it and she is ok with it until Twitter happens. Alfie is a football star but he is different about his fame. He knows paparazzi is there doesn't like it can't do anything about it. In his world it's all black and white and old school. When these two come together because of a book. Can they figure it out or because of the differences between them stand in the way.