Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I thought it started really slow, almost didn’t want to keep going. Sometimes I find it difficult to read or listen to something that is from Europe because their language and slang is so different, but before long the story picked up and I was loving it. Listening to the narrator was wonderful and before long I was wishing I had the accent, lol. Glad for the happy little ending and now I want to visit Europe even more!

Absolute delight. Did exactly what a romcom should. Sexy, sweet, silly and fun. From the potential triggers warning in the opening, to the witty banter, to the hot sex scenes, every step went in the right direction. Even the 3rd act break made sense, lasted the right length of time, and resolved itself sensibly.

The audio narrator added a fantastic touch and did a wonderful job.

I tried and tried to love this. I've picked it up two separate times to try and read it and I just keep getting lost in the weeds and losing interest.

What I've read has great plus sized representation, but I just can't get into this one!

I'm DNFing at 50%

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
Contemporary romantic comedy.
Grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into writing his memoir. He knows he doesn’t want to write it himself because he hates revealing anything personal about his life. So the publisher hires ghostwriter Mabel Willicker to help. Their initial meeting doesn’t go as she expected and then he turns up at a restaurant she’s at and then a coffee shop on way home. What the heck is he doing? He doesn’t want to work with her so why is he following her?
They end up working together but and he does share things with Mabel but he continually puts conditions on what she can and cannot include. Eventually their working together is noticed by the media and since the contract is confidential they end up posing as a romantic couple. Until feeling become more than a simple contract.

🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook. The narrator is Emily Spowage who does a marvelous job between the male and female voices, the emotions and the comedic timing. I essentially read this book twice because I couldn’t decide which format I liked better. The fun of the writing had me laughing out loud while listening to the audiobook and bookmarking passages I wanted to note. I believe everyone will be happy with either format. A good narrator can make an audiobook entertaining and this definitely hits the mark.
I listens to the audiobook at my usual 1.5.

I had so much fun highlighting laugh-out-loud lines! There is so much witty banter, I fell in love with the grump and the ghostwriter and while it’s not all smooth sailing, in the end I was crying the happy tears.

Excerpt:
“A mess of a million scary arguments.
Him, coming up with increasingly horrible insults.
Her, eventually tossing him into the nearest wood chipper.
And she just didn’t have easy access to machinery like that.”
Excerpt from When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio.
I’m buying a copy to revisit this wonderful comedic romance.

I really wanted to like this book. There aren’t a lot of soccer romance books out there and I had high hopes for this one. Overall the book isn’t that bad, the thing that bothered me the most was we were kinda thrown in without a lot of background information. If there was more information up front it would have been easier to get into the book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for early access to the audiobook.

Pacing in the beginning was very hard to get into. Narrations from main character seem to go on and on without actually saying anything relevant to the plot. The split and 1 year gap at the end felt very strange based on how the rest of the book was going.

Cover is very cute and the plot seemed very interesting. But the writing was just off for me.

This was so funny and entertaining, I adored both MMCs and their personalities. This was supposed to be grumpy/sunshine, with the MMC, Alfie being the grump. However, as we get to know Alfie, he's not really that grumpy (just a little prickly). Mabel (FMC) is all sunshine, but she doesn't hold back and is not afraid to stand up for herself.
After getting shipped together after an online article is written about them, Alfie and Mabel decide to go with that narrative, as they do not want people to find out that Mabel is his ghostwriter, helping with his memoir.
From the beginning, there is chemistry between them and lots of banter, but they also get vulnerable with each other. Sharing the things from their past that have hurt them and helped shape who they are.
The one major gripe that I have with the story is the use of the miscommunication trope, I dislike it immensely, and it was used several times. Other than that this was a great read for me.

This is a wild romp of a rom-com. Although it does touch on a few serious topics, I spent most of the book giggling at all the banter between Alfie and Mabel.

I usually prefer romance novels that include POVs from both main characters, but I think it made sense in this case. Alfie is very secretive and doesn’t trust many people with personal information. Letting readers into his head would take away from that personality trait.

The audiobook is narrated by Emily Spowage. I enjoyed her portrayal of Mabel’s story.

A steamy fake dating that hits you in all the feels. Mabel and Alfred have to work together. One as a ghost writer, one a retired footballer that is a known grump and recluse. Their chemistry is off the charts. I loved watching their relationship go from professional and annoyed with each other to can’t leave each other alone! A bit of a slow burn but it just ups the tension!

CW/TW:swears, open door scenes, discussions about being fat shamed.

Alfie Harding is an ex-footballer who begrudgingly decides to sell his memoir, but the thing is that he knows he won’t be able to write them himself. He hates talking about himself, let alone putting his past out there for the world to read.

Mabel Willicker is a cute and curvy ghostwriter who can pull details about Alfie’s life from him even before he realizes what is happening. All too often Alfie then tells her that she can’t use that in the book. She’s not sure she’ll ever get enough content that he will actually allow her to use.

The public doesn’t realize that Mabel is a ghostwriter and mistakes her for his new girlfriend. They decide to play along as admitting anything else will alert everyone that he’s not writing his memoir himself. The problem is that there are actual sparks between them, but neither will admit it to the other. Is it possible to finish the book and ignore the “fake” relationship that is budding?

I enjoyed the book and the narrator, but it was more explicit in parts than I was expecting. Maybe if I had been reading a print version instead of listening to it, I wouldn’t have found it as explicit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this novel. #NetGalley #WhenGrumpyMetSunshine

This was delightful! I do not understand all the whining about the banter. I love banter in a romance--it shows humor and intelligence. What I loved most about When Grumpy Met Sunshine was the connection between Alfie and Mabel. It's wonderful when you meet someone completely out of your orbit but find you have a connection, a friendship, a bond. They have this playful relationship and then it gets spicy--real spicy. I understand Mabel's reluctance to understand what is right in front of her--we're all plagued with doubt. But Alfie is genuine and I adore him. The ending is unexpected but fun. This is better as an audio--the narrator was great. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC/audio format!

I am absolutely obsessed. This was so good. The banter between these characters was impeccable and the narrator was fantastic.

This was the Roy Kent romance of my dreams and I want to read 50 more books about these two.

I am absolutely obsessed. This was so good. The banter between these characters was impeccable. I did a hybrid read and the narrator was fantastic.

I loved this book so much that it’s hard to properly express my feelings about it. It was perfect! Go read it!

Thank you to the publisher
St. Martin’s for an eARC and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

CW: references to parental abuse and alcoholism, fat phobia.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

I was super excited to listen to this book as the cover is adorable and the title is one of my favorite tropes. How cute are these two on the cover?

When a sunshine ghost writer takes a gig to write a memoir for a grumpy retired footballer, it has the makings of quite the love story. However, this story was missing a certain spark and chemistry between the two characters. I loved their interactions, the premise of the story, and ultimately the ending. What didn’t work for me were the in-between moments - there was an overabundance of internal dialogue that took away from the story, and the banter which probably meant to move the story forward felt like it was repetitive and delayed the next scene. Overall it was a charming story, and has potential for you to enjoy it!

I liked the narrator though. She had a very calming presence with a British accent, however I also wonder if her reading made the story feel slow?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Charlotte Stein for a copy of this audio arc.

Read if you enjoy
💕Grumpy x Sunshine
💕Fake Dating
💕Workplace Romance
💕Opposites Attract
💕Plus Size FMC
💕Forced Proximity
💕 Sports Romance

Technically 2.5 stars but rounded up.

This was definitely more explicit than I was expecting, I contemplated dnf-ing it a couple of times because of it.
I’m more of a closed door RomCom reader, I actually skipped/skimmed a couple of chapters.
Though, I guess that’s on me as it does say “steamy” in every description given.
I enjoyed the banter at times, but then it just kept Going.
Then ending also felt odd.
One second everything was fine and the next they’d “broken up” and things were done and then it was an entire year later and everything is right as rain after a ten minute conversation.
Plus, the random tweets/emails/etc at the ends of chapters didn’t make much sense in the audio format, I was so confused the first couple of chapters.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein was smutty in the best way! This audiobook really brings the steam! It was also sweet and heartwarming. Watch out hockey romances football/soccer player romances are coming for you!

I absolutely adored this one! Grumpy, former star footballer Alfie Harding gets talked into a memoir and therefore agrees to get a ghostwriter, but he can't get along with them until he meets sunshine-in-human-form, Mabel Willicker, He bungles their initial meeting, then bungles how to apologise - first at her local Starbucks and then by following her home, but she eventually agrees to take the gig. The only trouble is paparazzi take photos of her leaving his house and immediately assume they are dating, as he is notoriously private. Due to her nondisclosure agreement as a ghost writer, he proposes they fake date while she is writing his memoirs to throw people off the scent of her true job. But what if feelings get in the way?

Emily Spowage does a fantastic job in narrating this funny, sexy, fun romance. She alternates well between the male and female voices, emoting the moments perfectly, and her comedic timing is spot on.

Highly recommend this romance in any format! I will be buying it for my Forever Faves shelf - romances I own in both paperback and ebook. I will also grab the audiobook for myself, because it is that good.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for letting me enjoy this fabulous romance in 2 different formats.

I just reviewed When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein. #NetGalley

After seeing some of the reviews for this one I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I’m so glad I stuck it out and read it! This was a super cute, fake dating story with lots of banter.

I thought the plus-size representation was realistic to the thought and feelings someone with a curvier figure has. For myself, it’s totally normal that I would compare my body to someone else’s even though I know I shouldn’t. I loved how Alfie worshipped and loved Mabel’s body. The compliments felt genuine.

This may have been a five star, but I didn’t love the third-act misunderstanding. It just didn’t feel necessary to the story.

I thought the narrator did a great job of bringing Mabel’s thoughts to life. There was a lot of inner monologue, but the narrator made it easy to follow and understand where Mabel was coming from.

Quote that made me swoon:
“You are lovely, Mabel. And not just lovely in your soul, neither. No, I mean lovely like a painting of someone important from a long time ago, reclining on some fancy thing with their thighs all soft and their shoulders all round and everything so plush it makes you ache to touch it.”

I’ll definitely be recommending this to any classic rom com lover who enjoys a hint of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Charlotte Stein. These are my honest thoughts.

dnf @ 50%

This book is simply not working for me. I feel like most of the story has been Mabel's inner monologue, and it is just taking me out of the story. I feel no connection to either of these characters and there seems to be no chemistry between them. Unfortunately, I am not invested in the outcome of the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

ALC REVIEW

My Star Rating: 2/5 ⭐

What you’ll find:
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fake Dating
- Opposites Attract
- Forced Proximity
- Witty Banter
- Slow Burn

Alfie Harding is a famous retired ex-football (soccer) player, who is not known for being a nice guy. Although he seems to be a private person, he is writing a memoir. Mabel Willicker is his ghostwriter. She is kind, sensitive, and a true ball of sunshine. Their first couple of meetings don't end well, yet Alfie is interested in Mabel but has a tough time expressing himself. As they work on Alfie's memoir, their attraction grows.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this story. The writing felt choppy and very hard to follow. The situations the characters were put in did not feel believable, and there was a lot of miscommunication. This is a slow-burn and the steamy scenes felt odd. I do like that the author included a curvy FMC and enjoyed some of the banter. I did not enjoy the audiobook. The narration was not engaging at all and honestly was quite boring. Maybe if I read the book sans audio, I will enjoy the story more.

Thank you Charlotte Stein, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of When Grumpy Met Sunshine! A plus size FMC and a Roy Kent coded MMC? Sign me up!

I will say this was a little rough to get into at first, but then it picked up and I loved Mabel and Alfie! Alfie is incredible and his tough exterior and cinnamon roll interior are so endearing. I love the inserts of emails, tweets and articles. The chapter names of romcoms and action movies combined are SO clever!

Finally, the slow burn and sexual tension are *chef’s kiss*. I normally don’t love slow burn but this was fake dating (my fave romance trope) and slow burn and it was so well done. This one was spicy and fun! The ending was everything. I adored this and I would absolutely read more by this author!