I so wanted to love this one. The synopsis had me so excited for this one and the cover is so cute. Unfortunately, I struggled with it. The audio made it a little better but the writing wasn’t great, the banter was so immature and all the miscommunication was ANNOYING. Just couldn’t get on board with this one.

The narrator is really good for this one. I think it could have had five stars just for the narrator!

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein presents an intriguing premise: the unlikely relationship between a professional soccer player and a "chubby" writer. It took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I did I found myself rooting for our main characters throughout the novel. There were some good instances of chemistry, though I felt like it took a bit to get into those moments. I loved the glimpses of what life was really like for Alfie, and the ending was unexpected but really well done.

I had a bit of a hard time connecting with this book but overall enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook version and really loved the narration but I think something was lost at times with the way it was written. There were these emails or advertisements at the end of some of the chapters that felt out of place but maybe it read better in the paperback version.

I do love a good grumpy x sunshine combo and did love both Alfie and Mabel, especially together. Their banter was delightful and funny. I found Mabel more prickly at times than previous books' sunny characters as she was more guarded from her past experiences. I appreciated the curvy girl aspect to her as well but it was a bit hard on the head at times because she was so down on herself and saw herself as unworthy of love. Although likely realistic, it was hard to read the parts where people were commenting on her body or her worthiness as well. Alfie definitely felt strongly about it too as we see in the book!

The story itself seemed to play out kind of slowly up until the end where everything happened quite quickly and without much explanation. I did enjoy the ending though and thought it the perfect way to wrap up this love story. I kind of hope we get another in the same world and get to revisit these characters in the future as I'd like to follow up with what happened next for them.

I received an early audiobook edition of this book through NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

It was cute, but not my favorite. The spice was 🤌🏻, but it just made me so sad to read this story about a chunky girl who couldn’t believe that a professional athlete would even consider liking her romantically. It took away from it. The relationship IS cute and sweet though. He was so protective of her! But it took a beat to get there and then the insecurity took me out of it.

I really want authors to have original ideas. I was so looking forward to a Roy Kent-Esq MMC but I’ve learned that no one and nothing can compare to the original. Overall I was disappointed in this story and felt like I couldn’t connect to or enjoy any of it. The audio is the only reason I was able to finish this one.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine seemed like it would be a sweet rom-com and there were elements that I really enjoyed about it. However, I'm a clean romance reader, and this had a spice level all its own!

That said, the banter was wonderful and I really enjoyed the characters who each felt unseen for different reasons. One was a famous footballer who hated the sport, and the other was the ghostwriter of his upcoming autobiography, sworn to secrecy by the very nature of her profession. While their lives seemed like polar opposites, as they started to get to know one another, they found all sorts of connections and similarities that drew them closer into each other's confidence.

Thanks to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I really love the title and the grumpy male character. Mabel is a fun bubbly character who takes the time to get to know him and realizes that there is more to his grumpy personality. He hires a ghost writer to write his memoir, but I think that the story becomes more about his feelings for her then his story. I love steamy romance and they pretend to be dating to placate the media, but the couple chapters of sex was a lot. I really liked the book and you are pulling for the characters the entire story. It was a good book and will recommend to my patron's that appeal to the steamy romance novels.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this book.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine started off so great and I was so happy and giddy while reading. My feelings were had less to do about the plot and more with the characters. Mabel is a ghost writer and has been hired to help Alfie, and ex-footballer (soccer player) with his memoir. I loved the banter between them. I also loved the plus-sized rep which made me so happy.

The book was steamy, it was fun, I was having a great time, but all this came to a stop with the last few chapters. I still don't fully understand what exactly the conflict was exactly but it felt rushed and not well developed. It also made me mad and frustrated since it seemed to take away from the story and the personal development of both characters. There was also a giant time jump that didn't feel like it added anything to the story. I would rate the trending as a 2 star on it's own.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a cute spin on the fake dating trope. Alfie fears that no one could ever love him for his true self, a professional footballer who hates the game, but would prefer to watch rom- coms and be a writer instead. While Mabel struggles with her self-image and believes that nobody could like a girl like her especially a footballer. I love the interactions with Alfie and Mabel and how they both bring out the best in one another. While they both are falling for the other both Alfie and Mable are clueless to the others true feeling even though they both keep dropping hints along the way.

Such a good rom-com! It is the perfect mix of spicy, cheesy, and funny. You can’t help but love Mabel from the first moment and Alfie’s quirky, grumpy, and compassionate personality is just adorable. Although, I will admit his lack of phone knowledge in today’s society was a bit unrealistic and had me second guessing his age. I thought the writing was funny, inclusive, and all around an easy and fun book to listen to. I will definitely be reading more of Charlotte Stein’s books in the future!

This was such a sweet book! I loved the characters, and their love story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable.

I tried this book, thought maybe I was in the wrong mood for it and paused it, and then I came back to it again. I still couldn't get into it, and it felt like it was missing... something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it did not grip me the way I would have wanted.

Not my favourite romance trope but I wanted to give this a shot. I liked the size diversity of the main character and the inclusion of the football player as her love interest which is quite popular right now so I know lots will love this!

Though I listened to the entire book, it was very close to being a DNF. To echo the sentiments of other reviews, I think the title especially is misleading as the characters aren't really your typical grumpy/sunshine trope. It seems like she wanted the MMC to be like Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, but that wasn't really captured. While the writing is okay, it is just really lacking in depth and character development. I feel like parts of the story are missing. This book was a miss for me!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

hank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute love story, a lot of quick and witty banter, however I found it to be lacking a bit. I did not feel that Alfie/Mabel truly fit Grumpy/Sunshine, and I felt there could have been a dozen other better title options.

The premise is fun, Mabel is tapped to ghost-write footballer Alfies memoir. But, I felt like we spent very little time on that actual bit of the plot and instead jumped very quickly into a fake dating scenario for reasons that didn't really make sense.

I also feel like I kept being told things about the characters via dialogue that I didn't feel matched what we were being shown in exposition, and it made the characters seem very dense.

The last 30-40% of the book is all spice. Literally, and while some of it worked for me, it was SO much of the book, and added very little into progressing the plot that it felt like it weighed it down.

The end had a bit of a time jump and ultimately was quite a lovely conclusion.

I recieved the audiobook, and did enjoy the narrator.

Ultimately, it was just an okay read, and not something I would revisit.

I regret to say I had a really hard time getting into this one. I am not sure if it would have been better as a physical copy reading it vs. audio book. I DNF' d a little less than 50% . I just was not following or making any connection :(.

As someone who is a huge grumpy/sunshine trope fan, I was instantly drawn to this book based on the name! I liked both of the MCs, even if they were infuriating to me sometimes! (but who isnt??) Overall this was a fun read and I will read more by this author in the future!

I read this in both ebook and audiobook format and liked both a lot! The audiobook narrator was great!

This book was so cute! The setting and story line was just what I wanted. The banter was top tier. I would highly recommend this book!

I’m obsessed with this cover and with the story in general. A plus size girl in a sports romance?! Sign me up! I loved this

I have been enjoying Rom-Coms lately, so I gave this book a try. Its a well written book, but it is just okay, The story is about an ex-soccer player, Alfie Harding, that is writing a memoir, and he hires a ghost writer to write his story for him. Mable is an author that is following around Alfie to get to know him. The thing about Alfie is that he is very famous and any female that is with him is assumed to be his current girlfriend. However, Mabel isn't his typical girlfriend, because she is fat. I hate that, I understand that it is a common thing but it seemed like a boring issue. I will say that the steam is strong in this book, a little awkward, but well written.

It just wasn't the best rom com I've ever read, but if you like some steam and a celebrity book that gets deep at times this is a cute read.