This story is all about how opposites attract - we follow Mabel, the ghostwriter telling Alfie’s story (he’s a retired football player). They are forced to pretend to be a couple when they’re discovered by the public, and they find themselves falling for one another. They’re polar opposites— she’s bubbly and he’s a grump.

There is a lot of back and forth banter, and spice.

I didn’t particularly click with this narrator, it felt very one dimension and I found myself to be quite bored throughout the story. I’m not sure if it would have been different if I had been reading and not just listening, but I had to make myself listen at times. I may try again with another of this author’s books in the future, but this one was slightly a miss for me as I did not really connect to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for my advanced ARC.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5

If you love Roy Kent you will love the MMC in this book! Grump, silent, surly British Footballers are definitely our cup of tea! The story is a contemporary RomCom of two unlikely people who fall in love. Alfie is a famous surly Ex-Footballer and has a bad reputation but deep down is the sweetest man ever. Mable is a spunky, plus size, gorgeous woman who works as ghost writer and was hired to write Alfie's autobiography.

We loved the story, it is your classic grumpy/sunshine, but it adds other tropes and representation that make the story great. In the mix that makes the story fun, you have fake dating, opposites attract, and forced proximity, plus size rep and some trauma rep. Alfie meets bubbly Mabel and their wildly fun and entering story begins. The banter is amazing, we love some good fun British banter, it is just different, charming and honest in our opinion.
If you are looking for a fun read, pick up this book!
If you love ROY KENT, pick up this book, because that is the vibe!

Tropes ✨
◾Fake Dating
◾Grumpy vs Sunshine
◾Opposites Attract
◾Witty Banter
◾Workplace Romance
◾Plus Size Representation
◾Forced Proximity
◾Trauma Rep
◾One Bed
◾Ex-footballer

⚽ Alfie aka Secret Cinnamon Roll aka Roy Kent
⚽ Mabel aka Ghost Writer

Thank you St. Martin Press and Netgallery for the ARC of this book!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein 2/6/24

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrator is Emily Spowage with all characters read by 1 person. I believe the voice fit the characters with standout being Alfie. His voice was the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style did bring the story to life especially in parts I found a bit boring. The pacing was great and flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was pretty good. As I said there were a few boring parts with too much banter and bickering. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Mabel is tasked with ghostwriting Alfie's memoirs. He's a famous retired footballer who doesn't show his emotions and values his privacy. They are complete opposites but learn they have more in common than they thought. When the press speculate about why Mabel is around, Alfie agrees to follow the narrative and make Mabel his fake girlfriend . Mabel is thrust into a new world of fame and constant judgement, while trying to get Alfie to open up.

Overall, the romance was cute. Grumpy Alfie really softens up to Mabel observing what she goes through.
My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

I was provided both an audio and ebook ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was supposed to be a grumpy-sunshine romcom, but I didn't find the male lead to be very grumpy or the female lead to be very sunshiny. I found them both to be very immature average people. The characters are in their 30s however they act and speak as though they are much younger than that. I don't know if the British humor missed the mark with me or what but I also didn't find it to be as hilarious as promised either.

I feel that the main characters are supposed to be a take on Ted Lasso's Roy Kent and Keeley Jones. I loved Ted Lasso, and Roy is one of my favorite grumps, he reminds me of my own husband with his gruff take no prisoners attitude. Keeley is the epitome of sunshine with her bright, fun wardrobe and wacky personality. The reason they work as a couple is at heart of it they are both kind and care about the people they really let get to know them. Mabel is our Keeley in this story, but instead of a model she is a quirky, curvy writer with self-confidence problems. She constantly worries what other people think about her and what their opinions of her are. She doesn't feel worthy of love and affection from anyone. I'm not a fan of the self-depreciation trope and the constant inner monologues she has with herself about how unworthy she is. She’s a bit of a contradiction. Our Roy is played by Alfie, who was more of a mash up of Roy and Jamie Tartt. He damaged, and is terrible with people and emotions, but he knows what he likes. What he likes isn't what the public expects of him and he's gotten pretty good at putting on a show and hiding the real Alfie. Hanging out with Mabel working on his memoir, brings him out of his shell a bit and he gets more confident about letting the world see who he really is now that he’s retired.

If you haven't seen Ted Lasso, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. It’s a great show!

Anyway...this book had so much potential, but it missed the mark for me. Both characters had such good back stories to explore that brought them a kinship when it came to their issues with emotions and affection. This topic was kind of glossed over. I think this was a missed opportunity for them to really connect on more than a superficial level. They never talk about the things they need to talk about, and good communication is something I look forward to in a romance. These two failed at good communication. The writing style felt all over the place and I often felt like I missed something. This felt like more of a stream of consciousness style of writing with much of it told from Mabel’s perspective, and I'm not the biggest fan of that style. It felt like the characters were rambling and not making much sense at times. The dialogue between them is dare I say cringey. I love good banter between characters, but I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two and I didn’t understand the humor. Again, it felt very immature to me. This has quite a few steamy scenes, which I'm no stranger to; however the dirty talk was over the top in my opinion. I was not a fan of the choice of language used, but everyone has their thresholds when it comes to those types of scenes.

Overall I think this was supposed to be whimsical and quirky, but for me it fell more into the nonsensical zone. I didn't enjoy the writing style or the characters. I feel like had I been able to connect with Mabel I would have loved this. I think this had so much potential and perhaps it will hit the mark with other readers. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I don’t think I got the humor so perhaps someone who understands British humor will absolutely love this.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine was a difficult book for me for two reasons. First, this was the audiobook and the narration by Emily Spowage was definitely lacking. There was little emotion in any of her deliveries and it made the story even harder to follow. Second, the story was just not interesting and I also had issues with the writing. These characters are supposed to be in their thirties, If this was a high school romance book I still think some of it would still be considered immature.

Alfie and Mabel are the two main characters and I didn’t like either one of them. Alfie is considered to be grumpy but let’s be honest, he is just a dick. Mabel is more likable but her entire personality is based on how unsure of herself and her body that it made me pull away from the character.

This is a book that sounds like it should be one I love but it just fails to execute. I’m sure there is an audience for this book but I am not sure who that audience is.

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I struggled with the characters, and the narrator didn’t help at all. I thought the narrator’s voice was very monotone. I had to DNF this one. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for allowing me to listen and review this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine enemies-lovers story. Although it felt a bit unorganized and chaotic at times, the banter was great and the romance was very open doors. Loved the spice and the chemistry between Alfie and Mabel. I also loved how much Alfie reminded me of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. It made the story even better. I loved how Roy took care of Mabel and really genuinely cared about her and her wellbeing. This was a good one!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this story which publishes on 2/6/24.

I had a hard time getting into this book. However, when I finally did, I fell in love with the story line! Good read.

Okay, so I read this book last year and really loved it. Totally forgot I read it already when I put in for this audio arc. While I still love the book, I could not get into the audio. I just couldn't get past the narrator. It just wasn't for me. Even sped up fast, the narration was slow.

Wasn't sure how to rate this one as I DNF, loved the book, hated the audio....but this being the audio arc, I rated based on the audio part alone.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC! When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a contemproary romance between a grumpy ex-footballer (aka soccer) and his walking sunshine ghostwriter. Mabel Willicker has been assigned to help write Alfie Harding's memoir, and while the two have many misunderstandings based on their differing personalities, they are instantly attracted to one another. Through an interesting series of events, the two start fake dating, but the feelings (and attraction) involved are anything but. This is a quick and sweet romance (with quite a bit of spice) perfect for readers looking for a romantic read this February.

This book was so darn cute! I loved every minute of it! The chemistry between these two was so apparent and electric. I found myself smiling the whole time I was reading this. Sometimes it is nice to read something that is just cute and fun and that's exactly what this book was!

I absolutely loved this book. This was one of the first audiobooks I have ever listened to and I’m glad I did. The narrator was wonderful and I enjoyed listening to her.
The story was wonderful and had me laughing out loud at certain moments. It gave me Ted Lasso vibes which I love!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is an adorable romcom centered around a ghostwriter and a football/soccer star. This is the perfect lighthearted, quick, funny read for any romcom fans. I'm looking forward to more by Charlotte Stein!

I DNF'd at 17%. I tried to listen to the audio and read the psychical book but I couldn't get into either. Might try this again at a different time.

“When Grumpy Meets Sunshine” is a lovely romcom about how sometimes two people who appeal to be totally different on the outside, really are two of a kind on the inside. Mabel is a bubbly ghost writer afraid to follow her dreams, whereas Alfie is a notoriously disagreeable soccer super star. When they are brought together to co-write Alfie’s memoir after a series of misunderstandings, they realize how well they really get along.

This book includes:
- delicious banter
- banishment of self doubt
- a laugh out loud ridiculous fake dating scheme
- curvy girl representation
- former soccer (ahem football) icon at the caliber of David Beckham (or Tom Brady if you’re American)
- one bed trope
- cute af couple
- dreams coming true
- grumpy-sunshine trope duh

I seriously loved this book. The banter was delectable, the romance was both toe curling and swoon worthy, and both of the protagonists were wonderful. I listened on audiobook and the narrator was phenomenal at conveying the perpetual intellectual ping pong in a way that never made me cringe away from awkwardness. Mabel is a lovable heroine and Alfie is the cutest and most lovely.

If you’re looking for a light hearted romance I can’t recommend this one enough, particularly to fans of Sarah Ready.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

DNFing. unfortunately this was not for me.

everything about the two mmcs felt very immature and forced. the dialogue was extremely cringey and i just cant get into it.

I really enjoyed this one! I love when books are about books.

Both characters had so much development and layers which gave them a lot of depth.

I appreciated how this book touched on sensitive subjects and how they were handled. Alfie giving Mabel all the confidence and affection she deserves. And even Alfie having so many feelings even though he's "just" a football player.

I wish there was an epilogue though. There was so much time in between chapter 30 and 31 that I wish there was a bit more wrap up. Felt like it was a little rushed there at the end.

This novel started slow, but once I got into it, I fell in love with the characters and started rooted for their happily ever after.

I really wanted to like this book. In listening just to the audio, it was hard to distinguish who was talking or what the narrarator was referring to because the same tonality of voice was used amongst all characters. I prefer when narrarators use different voices for each character, it helps listeners to better understand who is talking. I also felt like the pacing of the story was difficult to follow. The lead up to the romance took the majority of the book and then when they finally did get romantic it was short lived but somehow we were supposed to believe they fell in love with each other? It seemed like the characters only were intimate for a few days with each other only to then cut it off. And then when they did finally admit feelings for each other, it felt really cheesey. Alfie was supposed to be grumpy yet was actually a misunderstood softie and Mabel was supposed to be sunshine yet she was actually really reserved and pesimistic. I did however enjoy the writing twist at the end and the plot of falling for each other while fake dating.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is an Opposites Attract/Grump Sunshine /Fake Relationship tale and my 1st book by this author.
I absolutely adored this novel. I'll be honest, it took me a bit to get into the story as the start was a bit slow and had too much internal mind dialogue, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. It soon picked up and I was totally engrossed and captivated with these characters.

The story follows Alfie an ex footballer who needs a ghostwriter to write his memoirs. Enter the sweet, curvy, Mabel who knows just how to get details out of him. As their professional relationship gets mistaken for a personal one, what follows is a comedy of errors that had me laughing out loud, as these two now pretend to be in a relationship.

I loved the back and forth banter between Alfie and Mabel. It was witty, hilarious, swoony and heartwarming and the spicy scenes and chemistry between them was next level.

This was an enjoyable tale and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of romcoms.
Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillionaudio for the ARC.

🎧 I listened to the audiobook version which was a bit different from what I'm accustomed to. The narrator, Emily Swowage's voice, was soothing and she read in the same voice for both male and female characters, like she was reading a story out loud.
Once I got used to the narrator I enjoyed her narration style and she helped me fully enjoy this story as she really did bring it all to life.