Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me this ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. As I usually listen to audiobooks with narrations in the 'general American accent', I had a hard time adapting to the narrator. She did a great job, her voice is very soothing, and the pace and inflexion were also great, I just had to concentrate more than usual, which meant I wasn't looking forward to picking the audiobook back up and I'm afraid this might have also weakened my overall opinion of the book.

The general premise of a 35-year-old being so 'anti-technology' to only have a flip phone seems ridiculous to me. In this day and age, it just doesn't make any sense and I don't think it makes the statement the author wanted to go for. Rather than making him 'grumpy' or 'old souled', this makes Alfi seem out of touch with reality and incapable of taking care of basic needs and also lacks basic communication skills, which makes him seem like a child. I mean the heroin sets up his first email address for him - how did he communicate in professional terms like with his agent or do any form of adulting beforehand? He could have been against social media or something, but this just goes too far to be believable for me. Alfi does a lot of other things that don't make any sense as well - he doesn't own any furniture, even though he hired an interior designer that he paid a lot of money for and he seems to go out of his way to make himself as uncomfortable as possible. Most of Alfie's choices on how to act and what to say in a situation also don't adhere to any normal code of conduct. This also didn't make him seem like a grump to me, but rather like a big hilarious goof. Don't get me wrong I don't mind this, it actually endeared me to him, I just think either it's not what the author was going for or the book was mismarketed.
Something I liked about this book was that the characters were 'real' (apart from the mentioned grumpiness) and three-dimensional. They had more than one interest, background stories and their characters showed through their banter realistically. They went through the actual experience of bonding with each other over their memories, tried to understand each other’s problems and relate to each other, so you could see the deepening of their relationship in a realistic way.

There were some inconsistencies in the story that I would attribute more to an oversight on the author's/editor's side rather than a conscious choice to show some character flaws.
For example, Alfie spent a lot of money on an interior designer, but then in another dialogue, he says he still calculates his shopping with a calculator because growing up poor made him money-conscious. Why be so money-conscious on the one hand and then don't care about money at all on the other?

The pacing of the book was strange to me. It takes 35% to get to the fake dating aspect of the book that was promised in the description. Everything is moving very slowly, and the dialogues and random thoughts of the MC (although hilarious) take up a lot of the story. The beginning dragged a bit for me and when we finally got to the good bits, the fake dating was hardly explored. And then suddenly at the end of the book, the story jumps one year. why? I understand that it takes some time to edit a manuscript and get it to publishing, but there surely could have been a situation beforehand where the MC looked at the manuscript. The characters spent a year apart without contact but then only got like 5 sentences each to resolve and explain the situation. The HEA seemed kind of chopped off in this way.

The entire book is just one miscommunication trope - I think this might be one of the most hated tropes ever and for good reason. It's a very easy way to stir up some trouble, but it's also very empty. The reason they didn't get together is that they didn't realize they were into each other - that's it, that's the whole story. I think most people would agree that that's not very imaginative.

All that being said, I think I would still be looking out for the next book by Charlotte Stein if the pacing was adapted a bit and a different trope was used. The banter and especially the media excerpts in between the chapters were just hilarious to me.

DNF at 30%. The audiobook was very well done and I really liked the voice of the narrator, but this story just isn’t for me. The banter felt forced and I just wasn’t invested in their relationship.

3.5 ONLY because i cant stand a long time gap.
The tension was great! The slow burn was irritating! Just do it!!! 🤣
Alfie & Mabel are so cute! but both of them are so dense. 🙄

*Publisher's summary
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine
By: Charlotte Stein
Narrated by: Emily Spowage
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release date: 02-06-24

Thank you so much to @netgalley for the chance to review When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein. Mabel is a ghost writer who is totally taken aback by Alfie, a former pro football (soccer) player who is an absolute curmudgeon. As they spend time together, though, the paparazzi take notice. They decide to fake date to keep the ghost writing under wraps. The spice is so good, and the HEA is sooo worth it. I fell in love with Alfie, too!

Mabel is an awesome FMC - and the body positivity is just wonderful. Narration by Emily Spowage was pure perfection.

3.75
I loved these two characters together! Their playfulness and banter were perfection! Def 🔥 together.

I am a sucker for angst. Not a huge fan of the break up and the amount of time that took to work out. Along with how down on herself the FMC is. Especially because she is so likable.

The narration is fire!!!!!

I do not think I would have given this book the chance it deserved without the audio book version. I was lucky enough to get both versions from NetGalley to read(or listen) and review and the first few chapters of the book were hard to get through. The writing and plot building felt very disjointed and I was having a hard time connecting to the story.

The audio book however was narrated perfectly and I felt engaged however the trigger warnings in the beginning are highly necessary and should not be missed. I am glad the audio included it. It was very hard for me to read for very similar things I went through as a kid/teen and still suffer because of now.

I think the plot was good but over all not "great" and it went between tough life scenarios to raunchy sex scenes and it did seem to fit most of the time. The ending was wrapped up fairly well and like I said I did not hate it but I felt overwhelmingly meh or triggered by a lot of the book.

I enjoyed this book very much! As you can see I finished it pretty fast. Anyway, the story is relatable to us curvy girls and the writer did well showing the truth. It’s also kind of spicy! This book is what edging feels like in book form IYKYK LOL.
The characters were well developed. Mabel was secure in who she was and what she wanted for her life and for her career.
Alfie is a stone on the outside but a teddy bear under it. They were both so open and honest with each other even if the other person didn’t know they were being honest.

The narrator did a great job being each character to life. However, at certain times it was hard for me to tell who was speaking. But that might be because of the accent.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more books by this author.

This was a fun audio if not a little predictable. The storyline was sweet however it was a little repetitive and at times I did find myself wondering why it was dragging on. It did involve some of my favourite tropes though so I'll give it that. I'd be keen to try another book by this author.

This book wasn't for me. Honestly, rom-coms are a toss-up for me. About half of them will be too immature, and this one fell in that category, unfortunately.

The dialogues were long and boring. I just couldn't get into it. I liked the idea of the story and the cute cover, especially since the main female character is plus-size. However, the book was too focused on dialogue, both spoken and inner thoughts, and it got overwhelming.

On the bright side, the characters Mabel and Alfie had a good dynamic. Mabel's humor and charm worked well with Alfie's grumpy attitude.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Slow burn readers this is for you!

Slow burn and took me about half the book to really get into but it wraps up heartwarming & happy. I loved the relevant media references as well.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet and (almost unexpectedly) steamy read 🥰🥵. The audio narration was also really well done. Alfie and Mabel had some of the best banter I've read, so much so that I caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times.

I always feel a little hesitant with books that feature plus size or curvy women because that often become an over-the-top focus of conversation in a way that feels unnatural and too forceful. Fortunately, that wasn't the case with Mabel and Alfie, and I thought both characters had really likable qualities in their relationship development!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein was an enjoyable listen.

When I started the audio book, I had to slow down the speed and actually had to start the book over after listening to a few chapters. It took me a few chapters to get the hang of the narrators voice. Once I crossed this bridge, I found the audio book enjoyable.

Grumpy (Alfie) in an ex-footballer while Sunshine (Mabel) is a writer. A ghost-writer hired to write Alfie’s memoir.

Their writing relationship is mistaken for a romantic relationship. Instead of setting the paparazzi straight, they start pretending to be in a relationship.

There are definitely some Richard Gere/Julia Roberts moments, like when Alfie’s assistant provides Mabel with new clothing and lingerie.

And, there is a lot 😳 of steam 🔥 when these two realize they have a whole lotta pent up sexual tension that they cannot do anything about. I may have been a little bit embarrassed…. For them and for anyone that may have happened to hear this particular part of the audio book.

I enjoyed Alfie and felt like he may have been somewhere on the spectrum, which made me have empathy for him.

Cute listen. Glad I didn’t give up in the first few chapters and gave it another try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m not sure how to fully explain how I feel about Alfie and Maggie let me start by saying the narrator of this audiobook really put me into the feels I needed! Truthfully, the cursing the banter and even the dirty talk, felt 10 times better with this narrator for some reason the laughing, the giggling the humor in her voice, really added to the characters! Alfie is a retired football player, and Maggie is a ghost writer. He is strong, buff and good looking, and she beautiful and stunning doesn’t think the same for herself because she’s a very thick, curvy woman I truthfully feel so connected to Maggie because I feel that I am thick and curvy in many ways, and I have always felt that whenever I gained any form of weight that I was less than even though I know, that’s not true Alfie tried to make that so clear to Maggie throughout the book that he was low-key obsessed with her, but she truthfully did not believe him the entire story, she and him constantly are meeting up so she can get information on him for his memoir but things take a turn when he is forced to say during protecting her that they are dating this book has fake dating troop. It has a one bed trope and very much so much sexual tension that I was obsessed with the characters. if you want a book to get you out of a reading slump if you want a good book to make you giggle, laugh or smile, I highly recommend this book about it was so well done finally a book where a woman isn’t portrayed to be perfect thin or calm a book where a woman is funny energetic comes back with comebacks that are top 10 a woman that is quick with her words a woman that knows how she’s feeling and wants to deny how she’s feeling, but admits it Anyway I highly recommend this book

This book reminded me so much of Roy Kent and Keeley Jones's relationship from Ted Lasso! This book was so cute and spicy! I enjoyed Alfie's and Mabel's relationship and just how loving, patient and caring they were for each other. I liked the idea of Mabel being Alfie's ghost writer for his much anticipated memoir about his famous soccer career and how while learning about his past Mabel realizes just how similar they are.

While this book was from Mabel's point of view I really wish we could have gotten Alfie's. I also felt that the miscommunication regarding their feelings for each other was somewhat annoying.

I listened to the audiobook and Emily Spowage gave a good performance but I would have preferred to also have a male narrator do Alfie.

When perky plus-size ghostwriter Mabel Williker is contracted on the downlow to help cantankerous footballer Alfie Harding with his memoir, their relationship is assumed to be some sort of mismatched romance, and they deflect by agreeing to pretend to date while Mable helps Alfie with his writing. He has many wonderful stories to relay, but doesn’t want her to actually put any of them into a book; and joke’s on her, it turns out he can write, has the soul of poet, and probably doesn’t need her help. They find common ground in the past trauma of their childhoods, and share many common interests.

Stein builds intimacy through her character’s vulnerability–Alfie and Mabel find commonality in their childhood experiences of alcoholic parents and not having enough money to go around. The author handles consent and desire very naturally and believably. They have chemistry, respect, and also have fun together. The story is interspersed with tongue-in-cheek commentary on social media, fame, fashion, wealth, and more, and the narrative expands with Twitterverse commentary, articles, text messaging, emails, and other ephemera to enhance the narrative.

The writing is superb-fresh and funny with snappy but gentle teasing between the two. Their banter never punches down and their desire the take the piss but never harm is wonderful. Stein has a full and inventive vocabulary (let’s bring back “romantical”) and produces clever turns of phrase. The chapter titles are clever and rich in allusion. Alfie is the sweetest cinnamon roll under his gruff “we are not amused” exterior.

The story is told exclusively in Mabel’s voice, and her every thought (and internal monologue) on those thoughts is immediate, candid and funny. She’s delightfully awkward, vulnerable and mortified at being so. My single criticism is that the reader is sometimes told how the characters are feeling by the naming the expression on their face instead of showing through description; it mostly works, because often it’s Mabel interpreting Alfie’s emotion.

I listened to the audio and narrator Spowage had pitch-perfect tone, and I found her voicing for the irrepressible Mabel fit the character really well. The back and forth dialogue between the protagonists lent itself particularly well to the audio format, as did Alfie’s proclivity to be a talker during sex. Spowage varied the British accent to account for regional variation, did a credible American accent, and delivered many laugh-out-loud moments in the text flawlessly.

I received a free advance readers (and listener’s!) review copy of #WhenGrumpyMetSunshine via #NetGalley; thanks also to #MacMillan and #StMartinsPress.

Thank you Net Galley for the Audiobook ARC.
-DNF 70% through due to spiciness.
-This book was so fun. Their banter and the character's personalities were so refreshing and needed more of. The only reason I am DNF is due to the spice level. This is open door explicit. If that doesn't bother you I would highly recommend as what I listened to was amazing.

This romantic comedy is about a retired English footballer who hires a ghost writer to compile his memoir and put pen to paper. From the ratings, it seems like many people were disappointed by the book. I really had fun listening to it. I liked the characters and their enjoyable back and forth banter. The story was pretty predictable, but I liked how the author handled it. The characters were well-developed and the plot was well-paced.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Think Roy Kent meets the bubbly, body positive, plus size average girl that happens to be a ghost writer for Roy Kent's new football memoir.

I was skeptical the first few pages of how well I'd warm up to Alfie, he's a character you just want to stand off from, but author Charlotte Stein had me rolling laughing in no time.

Hilarious, romantic, and steamy, this fake dating trope is everything I was looking for in a happily ever after!

🅐🅡🅒 🅑🅞🅞🅚 🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦

when grumpy met sunshine by charlotte stein
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

fake dating is my Roman Empire. I love it more than anything, and this book had such a fun take on it. I love the mix of all my favorite tropes. I will say the miscommunication at times was killing me. It’s all Mabel’s pov so we never know really what Alfie is thinking, but I think it’s so clear he’s into her! Mabel just can’t see it and it was killing me! Even when they got together she didn’t believe he could want her 😭

I loved that it was a slow burn but once the steam starting it was PIPING HOT and a lot of it. I also love the curvy girl representation!! And the narrators voice was amazing, she had such a great accent.

I loved the semi sports romance aspect too! alfie is a retired football(soccer) player and Mabel is a ghost writer helping him write his book, and when paparazzi photos come out of the two of them together (with backlash about how he could never date a fat girl) Alfie starts a fight and basically announces they are dating. I mean honestly how Mabel didn’t immediately think this was was head over heels in love with her I’ll never know. SUCH a good book. It’s a quick read but so so fun.

*I received an advanced copy of the audiobook through Netgalley in return for an honest review.*

Let’s start with the good. I really enjoyed the narration of this book. Once I started it kept my attention. I actually enjoyed some of Alvie and Mabel’s conversations and that they talked things through. I also appreciated the plus size representation.
I’m not sure much of anything happened during this book other than Mabel and Alfie talking. I didn’t really understand how they went from her just being his ghostwriter to “fake” dating. This book was very steamy but there didn’t seem to be much plot. There was also a lot of miscommunication for people who talk about other things. A whole year apart seemed a little much. Then he wrote the whole book basically? It was a little strange to do that, but he never tried to reach out in over a year?