This was such a fun read! I can't wait for more by this author. I would absolutely recommend! If you are looking for a book to get you back into reading. This is it!

I tried really hard but I just couldn't get into this book. I normally love a good grumpy sunshine, opposites attract type of book, but the very first chapter put me off on Alfie with a weight comment and I just couldn't begin to like him after that (even with his more "redeemable" qualities). I also felt like there was quite a bit of dialogue which made the actual story take too long to get anywhere for my personal taste. With a little extra editing, I think this book could have the potential to be really good.
Unfortunately though, I dnf'd. Since I did not finish it, I don't feel it's fair to rate. However, I'll give it a middle of the road 3 so that my review can go through but will not post to Goodreads

I loved the premise of this book and it pretty much delivered what I was expecting. It was definitely a trope-filled book which included grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, etc. with a ton of banter. I was definitely engrossed in the story and the end was so sweet. I would have loved a little more development of the side characters since I found that outside of the two main characters, there were no other relationships of substance (for example, I would have loved to have known more about her best friend). Overall, it was a fun and engaging read but I wish there was a little more of it.

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

This was SO CUTE and also so very heartbreakingly earnest and somehow wholesome while not being wholesome. Alfie and Mabel’s banter is so great, and the way they play off each other more and more while they figure out what makes the other tick is so satisfying and hilarious. They are each other’s perfect match from the very first interaction, and both of them are equally bewildered by the other in every conceivable way. And I loved every single second of it.

Truly, I do not understand or accept any negativity about this book. It was incredible. The banter between ex-footballer, Alfie, and ghostwriter, Mabel, was perfect. The slow burn of a grumpy-sunshine, fake dating, and even one bed trope was perfect. All I wanted was these two to fall in love.
Alfie’s grumpy persona was perfect - yelling at strangers, paparazzi, and people on the internet was hilarious. Mabel was so soft and sweet and I just loved that she made Alfie more open without making him less grumpy. I adored this story from start to finish.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mabel and Alfie's banter is everything! While it took me a bit to get used to the writing style, because of the amount of banter, this book felt extremely relatable to peering through a looking glass at a developing relationship and how neither quite knows what to think of each other.

Alfie has my entire heart as he reminds me so much of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, and that is all I could picture throughout the entire book.

While, I can understand how some people can think there is to much banter, I truly enjoyed the writing style once I got used to it.

I will definitely not hesitate to read another of Charlotte's books.

This book had me laughing from the start. I loved the banter between the characters, and how Alfie started opening up nearly immediately to Mabel whether he'd planned to or not. I was rooting for them to figure it out the whole way, and I was NOT expecting it to turn out how it did. I always love a romance that keeps me on my toes and this one definitely fit the bill. I will be looking for more from this author, that is for certain!

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" explores the opposites-attract and workplace romance tropes. However, it left me feeling underwhelmed. While it had the potential for greatness, something was missing, and I couldn't help but be bothered by how the dialogue was written.
While I admired the characters and the potential of the story, I found myself skimming through certain parts.

Though it fell just short of my expectations, I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin. I eagerly anticipate Charlotte Stein's future works, as the foundation for a charming romance is undeniably present.

I tried really hard to love this book. I adore the grumpy sunshine trope and it's brought to life in this book.

However, there is an incredible amount of dialogue that's extremely repetitive and it feels like nothing ever really happens.

Oftentimes you read the same thing multiple times, just written slightly differently. It definitely could have been benefited from a little bit of editing to trim down the dialogue and boost up some action to drive the plot forward.

But at it's core, this book definitely has potential. It just didn't quite hit the mark. So sadly I can only give it three stars.

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

Do you love Ted Lasso? Because this is Roy Kent fan fiction at it’s absolute finest. My 4 instead 5 stars is only because I’m not the biggest fan of 3rd person in romance novels as I don’t feel like we get enough inside knowledge of the characters. We got more thoughts and feelings from Mabel, I would have loved to see some of Alfie’s thoughts too. We have ghostwriting, fake dating, and too many feelings through the book and it was just an absolute delight to read. Mabel is charming and bubbly to Alfie’s stoic self and the two of them really bring out the best in each other. I loved this book. And steaminess?! Out of this world. I will recommend this to literally anyone.

(Ps - there is a Ted character as well and he had me cackling)

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” by Charlotte Stein is a cute, slow-burn romantic comedy. Mabel, a plus-size ghostwriter, has been hired to help ex-footballer Alfie Harding get his memoir written, after unsuccessfully working through a slew of other writers.

After a photo of the two together lands them in the middle of a social media frenzy, a fake relationship between Mabel and Alfie ensues. It’s no surprise when the fake relationship starts generating feelings between the main characters, as the two get cozy over several dates and work sessions where Alfie begins to divulge truths about himself he hasn’t been able to admit to anyone else.

I absolutely love that this book showcases a plus-size female lead that got her HEA with a hunky football player at the end. I would have loved to see more character development on Mabel’s end; typical to other stories with similar premises, Mabel couldn’t believe that a “guy like him would like a girl like her” - mainly based on her size. Her insecurities were present throughout much of the storyline and were only diverted once she knew she had Alfie’s love. I would have loved to see a stronger, more confident FMC.

I also loved the banter between Alfie and Mabel. It was quick, witty, and even self-deprecating at times but it had me laughing out loud. You can see how the two would begin to have feelings for one another when the conversations and teasing came so easily.

Finally, I loved that Alfie’s memoir was essentially a love letter to Mabel. Readers could see that these two - who were sometimes delusional in thinking there weren’t any feelings there - were clearly falling in love with one another. It was definitely slowwwww burn but completely worth the wait when Alfie and Mabel finally came together.

If you’re looking for your next grumpy/sunshine, fake dating/workplace romance read, you’ll want to read this book. The banter between the main characters will hook you but the romance and inevitable love story between two main characters will keep you rooting for them long after the book is over.

Stein’s opposites attract debut novel is delightful!

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” follows Mabel Willicker, a sunshine-y ghostwriter hired to write grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding’s life story. But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a romantic relationship, the pair have to pretend to date to appease the public…that is, until the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begins to blur.

I love how Mabel and Alfie are more complex than their grumpy and sunshine personalities. Through Mabel’s point-of-view and her intimate conversations with Alfie, the reader learns that both feel trapped by their own personas. Mabel dons “Bubbly Girl armor” to be the person she needs to be for others instead of just being herself. She also clings to her cheeriness to avoid feeling like just a body when the world overanalyzes why Alfie would date a plus size woman. Alfie pretends to be someone he is not because of the expectations surrounding how footballers are supposed to act. With time, both come to the realization that they can be their true selves in each other’s company. Watching their love blossom and true selves flourish as they worked together on Alfie’s memoir made my heart race!

I also enjoyed how Stein ended each of her chapters with email correspondence, newspaper articles, video transcripts, tweets, and interviews connecting to the events that transpired. The change in formatting was entertaining and reveals how the public’s attitudes towards Alfie and Mabel’s Cinderella story brought them together.

The only issue I came across was not being able to understand the British pop culture references and slang, which often interrupted my flow of reading, but did not deter me from progressing through the novel.

If you're hungering for a Roy Kent-esque hero, then this book will be your jam. Alfie is a retired footballer who is working (reluctantly) with a ghostwriter to pen his autobiography. All the other ghostwriters have failed to win him over until Mabel enters the picture. These two have the banter down and it will keep you turning the page to see how this fake (real) relationship works out. Loved this book by Stein and look forward to more of her books.

A big thank you to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. When Grumpy Met Sunshine comes out February 06, 2024.

In this slow-burn, opposites-attract romcom, ghost writer Mabel is accidently mistaken as a romantic partner to her new client, famous ex-football player Alfie. Mabel and Alfie have not gotten off on the right foot, truly at one point she even pepper sprays him. The only way they are getting through writing this memoir is by bickering the facts out of Alfie. That is until they have to strike up a fake relationship that soon sparks into something real. I thought this book was a fast, cute and romantic read. I really enjoyed that once they started talking the two found out how much they had in common. I also loved that even though Alfie is a grump to really anyone, he was a super sweet cinnamon roll to Mabel. If you are looking for a quick and sweet read, you should try When Grumpy Met Sunshine.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Summary
Mabel is a ghostwriter and Alfie is a famous football (Soccer as this is set in England – but you don’t really know it) player who needs a memoir written about himself. The two work together to get his memoir written and end up sharing a lot of witty banter and falling in love. This story rides on the miscommunication trope.

Individual Character Musings
There was the typical self-doubt and disbelief that anything good could happen to Mabel due to her being plus-sized. However, like most “plus-sized” romance books, she has a large derriere and a disbelief that anyone could be attracted to her. She has minimal character growth throughout the novel and, as on par with these novels, has an awakening of her attractiveness because a man admitted his love to her. Alfie ended up being a softie and a true romantic, per on par, again, with these romance novels.

My Take
I liked the idea and the witty banter of the book in the beginning; however, it ended up being drawn out to a point that I was just like, “get on with it!”. The trope was done decently, but pretty cliché. The idea of the book was cute, and the spice level was high; I was not expecting the spice to consist of what it did. It was paced well, apart from the excessive banter, and it was entertaining.


Would I Recommend?
I would recommend to most people who like romance novels with spice. There were hints of it being British (or based in London) and that was a nice touch.

Rating: 2 stars

Great love story. Loved the chemistry between the main characters. Was a fluffy and quick read that will definitely get you in your feelings.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea, but I am sure it can be someone else's. I truly wanted to love the Alfie and Mabel. I felt like their verbal sparring matches resembled lengthy monologues. Honestly, it definitely got in the way of the entire story.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC early in exchange for an honest review!

Roy Kent lookalike Alfie Harding is writing a memoir. Well, his ghostwriter is writing his memoir. And he can't stand her. Their professional meetings are mistaken for a romantic relationship and suddenly the two have to give up on their banter and act like they're in a relationship. Can you say slow burn????

Okay, yikessss. Not a fan of this one. I wanted to love it so much but it just missed the mark. The amount of banter was just too much and it took away from the rest of the story. I think I may have mentally DNF'd this because I don't remember a lot of parts oops

I love a good grumpy sunshine trope and I immediately requested this because I was sure to love it. While I thought it was a super fun, light read, the banter made it very hard to understand at times. I felt like the way the writing was had me struggling to understand what was actually going on. I am not sure if it was just the writing style, but I had a hard time figuring out what was going on.
If you love grumpy/sunshine tropes with all the witty banter, try this one out. It definitely gave me Ted Lasso vibes.
Thank you to St. Martin's, Charlotte Stein and Netgalley for an early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for giving me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

So Charlotte Stein has been on my radar for a while now. She's friendly with some writers and reviewers I follow (Okay, semi-stalk) on Twitter and she writes romances with plus-size leads. I even remember when she announced this book and mentally adding it to my TBR.

So imagine my surprise when the stars aligned and I got an ARC for this book.

Y'all, this book. I'm not even going to tease it. It's a 5 stars for me and probably my favorite romance I've read this year. This book had me in my friend's DM yelling about it for a week. It's been a while since I've read a book that's just had me giggling and smiling like a menace as I read.

While the book wears its Ted Lasso inspiration on its sleeves, I was definitely reminded of Gilmore Girls' Luke Danes. The perpetual scruff, the terse man who lectures while he fixes whatever problem he encounters, the secret playfulness, it's there and it had me swooning.

I've seen a few reviews saying this book has "too much banter", which is a valid opinion, my response to that is "Jokes on you, I grew up on Cary Grant movies and 'Gilmore Girls'". While the banter can go on a bit, it's completely understandable that these two joke as much as they do.

When we first meet them, Mabel and Alfie seem worlds apart but we soon learn how similar they grew up and how their trauma has impacted them. Their conversations are fun and lightning-fast because this is the first time they've been able to be themselves in their full glory, These two are constantly bantering because they get to play for the first time in goodness knows how long.

The book is told entirely from Mabel's POV. I definitely missed the experience of seeing events through his eyes but Stein is so good at conveying what he's feeling. Even through Mabel's biased lens, every gesture, word, and stare is just loaded with meaning and feeling and ugh, THIS BOOK!!

(That said, if Stein ever decides to give us a snippet or epilogue through Alfie's POV, hook me up. I need it)

Admittedly, sometimes Mabel's thought process can be a little frustrating because she chalks a lot of their moments up to "Oh, he's such a good friend" and baby girl, y'all passed that a minute ago. Still, when you've spent your life surviving off crumbs, a full meal can feel frivolous and too good to be true.

The ending feels a little rushed to me and I wish we could have gotten more of our couple's Happy Ever After but I adored this book. One of my favorite reading experiences this year.


TW: Alcoholic parents, abusive parents, fatphobia, fandom culture, sexual content