I loved the premise of this one. A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter. also including fake dating and forced proximity. But this one missed the mark for me. I didn't really connect with the characters and didn't get to the point of rooting for them. The most important thing in a romance for me. The comedy was a little lacking for me also. I could see what was meant to amusing, but it didn't really make me smile. Maybe I just don't appreciate British romance humor?

I thought maybe switching to the audiobook would help, but it didn't. Emily Spowage was a good narrator, but I didn't think she had the sunshine voice for the main character.

A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.

In the beginning, I didn't like Alfie. He was a little too grumpy/bullish for me. It took a while for him to finally grow on me. As the romance starts to bud between Mabel and Alfie, it becomes very apparent that he is just reserved/flustered, and he wants to keep his personal life private. Which begs to questions...why did he agree to the memoir in the first place? That too gets answered!

Ah sweet Mabel. She really is quite lovely. Mabel is curvy with a great sense of humor. She is the epitome of sunshine with a bubbly, happy-go-lucky personality. I wish she would have believed in her self-worth more and able to accept that a strapping man like Alfie could totally obsess over her curves and all. (I have this issue as well though, so...)

Can we talk about the spice in this book? Holy Moly! The spice is off the charts. It always surprises me when the cover is cutesy/sweet, but then a MC has a dirty mouth! In this case...both of them! I freaking loved it! HA! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. If not for the audiobook, Idk if I would have finished this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publishers for giving me a digital copy and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffen, and Macmillan Audio for the eARC & ALC of this beautiful book. Available now—it released February 6th.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine
by Charlotte Stein

Narrated by Emily Spowage

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) I bump up for self-pleasuring

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 One narrator works great here with single POV. Her accent is such a treat.
🤩 Workplace type with forced proximity.
🤩 Laugh-out-loud funny from the start. And it gets funnier than I was even expecting.
🤩 Both MCs are just so quirky and cute, and I love how their conversations are so raw and honest.
🤩 The fake dating & “We’re going to have to lean into it.” Yes, please! Lean way into that fake dating.
🤩 “Oh, and I might possibly have to sometimes snog your face off on your doorstep.” I just love when the word snog shows up in my books.
🤩 It gets pretty hot and very detailed when they pleasure themselves, right next to each other, in the back of the broken-down car, with so much dirty talk—absolutely one of the best scenes I’ve ever read. These two are the best mix of real, hot, and intimate in their steamy interactions.
🤩 I love how they get to know each other, how Mabel finds a different side of Alfie than she’s read about.
🤩 Great text and email threads.
🤩 When Alfie does Mabel’s hair and she internally freaks out about his thighs touching her.
🤩 When Alfie protects Mabel by reporting publicly that they’re dating.
🤩 The beautiful bigger girl body representation.
🤩 How Alfie won’t let Mabel talk badly about herself.
🤩 Cleverly written single POV, where we still get some of Alfie’s thoughts in their amazing dialogue.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I was glad I had the ebook along with the audiobook because the epistolary components were a bit confusing at first with just the audiobook (without seeing the visual).
💫 I love fake dating trope, but I felt like I was missing the secret pining that usually comes with it.
💫 In the end, the miscommunication was frustrating and sad.

Overall, I enjoyed When Grumpy Met Sunshine despite having a few issues. The body positivity was exceptionally executed, especially during the steamy scenes. I enjoyed the banter and the romance. I thought much of the book was sweet and vulnerable. However, it was repetitive, relied too heavily on miscommunication, and the ending felt rushed.

Also, if you dislike a lot of dialogue in books, avoid this. I think 80% of the book is dialogue.

The audio was great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one - the premise was cute and it hooked me in. This book was definitely chaotic, I was confused for a good part of it, especially in the beginning. I didn’t feel like Alfie was super likeable, I’m all good with grumpy but he was gruff and just closed off for the majority of the book. Mabel was cute, sunny and I love a plus-size heroine. I do wish more of her backstory was included/that she had a bit more development in the book. I still very much enjoyed their banter - I snorted of laughter several times. They definitely have chemistry and once the fake dating came into play, I felt like the book flowed smoother. Overall, their chaos was cute and became very them to me but I definitely wish both of the main characters were more fleshed out and I wish it didn’t take quite THAT long for them to admit they had feelings.

I switched between the audiobook and ebook to read this. The narrators were enjoyable and brought the characters to life.

Thanks to St-Matin’s Press, Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the chance to read/listen to an early copy. All opinions are my own.

If you are in the market for a very steamy romantic comedy, this is it!! If you love witty banter in your rom-coms, this is it! Mabel and Alfie's relationship reads like a stream-of-consciousness sex dream, British-style. Both have great feelings for the other, but both think those feelings are not reciprocated, so they end the romance. What will it take to get them back together? Read to find out!

As I read this book I felt like nothing was happening, and it was way too long. The miscommunication trope became annoying and over done. It felt like a poor fanfiction of Ted Lasso, in that Alfie reminded me a lot of Roy Kent. But other characters fell flat, without much development or personality. This book was not up my ally at all.

The narrator, Emily Spowage, was good. She was able to Bring Alfie and Mabel to life. I would listento another of her narrations.

I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of the audiobook.

Okay, first things first, I took a break from social media because my brain just couldn’t juggle everything!!

So I am catching up on reviews and getting back into my books and blogging.

I was sent both the audio and ebook to #WhenGrumpyMetSunshine by @charlotte.stein and @netgalley !

I bounced back and forth between the audio and the ebook, because you know, life! Both versions were easy to follow!

This book had a lot of the tropes and mini tropes I look for in a book, obviously a #grumpyshunshine , but it was also: #sportsromance (MMC is a retired pro footballer ⚽️), #forcedproximity, #oppositesattract and even #fakedating. I laughed several times during the book, but the couple of lulls got me. Alfie did make up for it, he and Mabel were hilarious; they both got into some seriously hilarious and questionable positions!

When Grumpy met Sunshine has a super cuter cover. I had a hard time following along with the story in this book. It took me a long to read this story. The flow of the story just was not there. I requested an early copy as it sounded like a great read and the cover was cute.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in turn for an honest review.
#whengrumpymetsunshine, #charlottestein, #netgalley

I laughed so hard reading this book! You need to read this today!! You will not be disappointed! Pick it up today!

I laughed so many times while reading it, like most rom coms you think they won’t end up but don’t. I could tell the ending at the beginning it’s a light hearted happy go lucky book!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Charlotte Stein

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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 is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?

My Thoughts: This was a cute story that I enjoyed. It took a little bit to get into but when the story really begins to meld, it is explosive. Ex football legend gets roped into selling his story. He does not exposing his flaws for the world to see and does not believe he could do it justice so he wants to hire a ghostwriter. Enter Mabel who loves life and is the has a positive outlook on everything. When their business relationship is mistaken for a romantic relationship by a noisy paparazzi, they have to pretend to be in a relationship to keep his visibility in contact. But does it feel like a fake relationship when the chemistry is off the charts? Or is it something real that could be a fairytale ending? This follows the tropes of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, opposites attract, miscommunication, and fake dating.

This is narrated by Mabel, solely in her POV. I think the story would have evolved more if we had a dual narration. We just did not get enough of Mabel’s backstory to appreciate what she has been through; there is definitely some type of trauma there. Mabel is presented as a cheery, full of life character that exemplifies sunshine. Alfie is a grumpy exterior, but a softie once you get to know him. The characters were portrayed with witty banter, dark humor, and chemistry. The author’s writing style was complex, steamy, spicy, and intriguing. The dialogues were drawn out and often repetitive hurting the overall premise of the story. I think if we trimmed off some of the repetitiveness, and shorten some of the dialogues, even at the expense of cutting pages, it would really elevate this story to the next level. The bones are definitely there, it just needed some fat trimmed.

This sweet story between a ghostwriter and an ex-football star holds no bar with explosive steamy scenes encapsulated with sweet heartfelt moments. I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio versions. I really struggled with the digital version, but was able to listen to the audio version. The narrator(s) were awesome, had excellent voice variation with character distinction. The pitch and flow worked well and I was able to listen at 2x with no issues following along. My main issue with the book is some of the banter was a bit immature and at times, while the narrator was great, it was hard to follow the dialogue sequence. There was a fair amount of miscommunication as well, even more so than for a typical miscommunication trope. The narrators moved this from a 2.5 ⭐️ to a 3 ⭐️ read for me and I was able to push through some of the parts due to them.

I did not finish this book at 50%. I alternated between the physical and audio versions to see if I could make it through but was unable to. I considered DNF at around 20% but wanted to give the book a fair shot.

I love a grumpy/sunshine trope and was really excited about the ghost writing aspect.

There were some funny parts. I appreciated the Pretty Woman reference, and there were some tender moments, but I found myself overwhelmed by the dialogue.

Reasons I did not finish this book/couldn't get into it.
The dialogues were lengthy and dragged on.
There was a lot of internal dialogue mixed in.
It was often hard to follow the conversations, I thought switching to the E-ARC might help with this, and it made it more clear, but still dragged on.
It was hard to identify thoughts, what was out loud, what was dialogue with a single narrator.
The internal dialogue felt excessive and forced. Like the reader must know every single thought Mabel was feeling.
I recognize that this was told from Mabel's POV but would have appreciated distinction in voice for Alfie.

Since I did not finish this book I will not be reviewing it on Goodreads, and have provided a 2 star rating for the purpose of this feedback, but will not be posting this on my platforms.

I sadly could not get into this book because I couldn’t relate to the characters and there was a moment within the book that felt extremely distasteful and offensive.

2.5 ⭐️ This one was just okay to me. The writing is certainly witty, which I appreciated, but everything felt a bit over the top to the point of not being realistic/relatable. I got a little over 1/3 of the way through before deciding to DNF. I might have enjoyed this one more if I read a physical copy rather than the audiobook. While the narrator did a good job, her voice didn’t at all match the POV of the main character in my opinion, making it hard to get into it.

I think some audiences will LOVE this book; it’s a lighthearted, fluffy, easy to read romance, filled with humor and a lot of the slow burn elements of many romances, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and Macmillan Audio for the free audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love that authors are blowing the top off ghostwriters lately. This was a really cute romance. I do love curvy girl characters especially when they are sunshine. Plus she’s a writer, obviously a bombshell of a character. Add a steamy ex-football player …this one is very enjoyable.

🌀Synopsis
Alfie is somehow going to sell his memoirs. The problem? He can’t write and he doesn’t want to share any details about himself to anyone else. Only, that’s not necessarily true. He has always wanted to write but he played football instead. He still opts for a ghostwriter and that’s how Mabel enters his life. She’s curvy, she’s sassy, and she’s cute but he still doesn’t want to share his life with her.
She manages to wriggle some details out though and they are getting along until their arrangement leads to people thinking they’re in a relationship. When a fake romance turns into a real one, the personal and work lives also collide.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed both the narration and the characters in this story. Mabel and Alfie are quirky and cute together! The premise of the famous grumpy footballer and the gregarious ghost-writer fake dating plot was spot-on. I wish that Mabel hadn’t been as negative about her prospects with sporty stud but I get that it was part of her growth arc. All in all, there was some witty banter and super swoony moments. Recommend!

Content warning from the author ~ brief references to parental abuse, childhood poverty, and alcoholism, and an incident that includes fat-phobia, plus brief mentions at a few points of the effects that fat-phobia can have

Well based on the title, I bet you can guess the main romance trope here, right? I enjoy this trope, the cover of this book is really cute, it's a British rom-com, and the main character is curvy, so I had some high hopes for this one.

I've never even seen Ted Lasso, but I felt like the male lead, Alfie, was basically Roy Kent made over. The female lead, Mabel, was a little Bridget Jones-esque maybe? She had way too much inner monologue that made the spicy scenes particularly harder to get through and got rather annoying to me. FYI, those scenes are pretty explicit if that's not your thing.

Regarding the trope, the grump loses his grumpiness pretty quickly, and I feel like that could have been developed a bit more at the beginning of the book. It just felt like he went from grumpy to not almost immediately.

Some parts were really funny, and there was some entertaining banter between to the two lead (basically only) characters.

I enjoyed the narration - the narrator did a great job with comedic timing and separating out the character voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this free ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

I started out really enjoying this because I'm here for banter and thats basically 90% of what this story consists of. And it's mostly actually funny not the "banter" that falls flat. At least at first.

However, as the story progressed... or didn't progress... I felt like we really needed some substance to go with the banter. And I don't mean the rest of it should be sex, as it is here.

I just cared less and less about the characters the more focused on sex it became. And the banter stopped being funny and began to feel stale because it wasn't really evolving. Also there was way too much miscommunication and I kept getting more and more annoyed at it because it kept getting more and more ridiculous.

Alfie and Mabel both have a lot of issues holding them back that clearly stem from trauma but I wanted to see that trauma brought to light and actually talked about and dealt with not just alluded to between lusting after each other.

The audiobook narrator did a good job bringing Alfie and Mabel to life and giving them distinct voices, although it was occasionally a little difficult for me to catch what she was saying. I would recommend reading it via audio if you choose to read it because the voices she uses for them and the way she speaks the lines make them funnier.

*Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

This book was so lovely and so charming. The main characters were beautiful people who fell in a beautiful love. I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading about two emotionally scarred and slightly insecure people being vulnerable and real with each other. We need more books like this! Extra bonus points for the curvy heroine <3