Unfortunately, I am DNF-ing at 25%. I found myself reading and not feeling any attachment to anyone, or any real interest in the characters. The writing started to just feel like rambling and not moving the plot forward. I also felt some of the comments about Mabel's body were already starting to feel like not the best way to describe a fat body, and since this is romance, I know her body will be discussed more. I felt it was in my best interest to end the book where I was.

DNFd at 44%. I’m afraid this one was a miss for me. I was actually quite bored. I feel this had the potential of being really cute but somehow it missed the mark. Aside from the title being a bit on the nose for the trope….it didn’t even seem fitting considering she wasn’t that sunny and he wasn’t even that grumpy. They were both just….blah. It had some kinda funny moments, but ultimately not enough to keep me going.

I really enjoyed When grumpy Met Sunshine! It was my first read from this author but won't be my last! It was something light and easy to break up all my dark reads!

Not a fan of having to leave one star reviews and I feel like a big reason is because of the narration, so I will give it two stars, but is probably a true 1.5.
This was a struggle for me to get through and I did a lot of skimming from around 40-70%. The audiobook does the story no justice. I am not sure that I have ever heard a less careless narrator. She did nothing to show the difference in who was talking, I was literally so lost that I was opening the book to follow along or just reading and leaving the narration alone. I feel that it was detrimental to a story that was already lacking for me. I just didn't like Mabel. As a big girl myself, I wanted to enjoy it, but I find that I actually prefer to not read "fluffy" main characters because too much of their inner dialogue is about how they aren't worthy and this book was that times 10 for me, especially for characters in their mid and late 30s. Alfie... ... I don't know... seriously, I was sick of hearing about how hairy he was, his unkempt beard, the severe part... just, no.
The whole having to repeat the words he said in her head in italics, "but he used blah and blah AND blah!" too too much.
The kissing with the eyes like saucers?? I just can't.
I pushed myself to finish this to not have to leave another DNF review and for some hopefully hot spice, and again I was let down.

Overall: 1.5
Audio: 0
FMC: 1
MMC: 1
Spice: 1itely questioned how he could like me and would need reassurance, when I was in my teens and early 20's NOT in my 30s. Alfie was one dimensional and it felt since we didn't get much outside of the two of them, that Mabel had nothing else but him. I had to skim some of it because it was going to be a DNF but wanted to give the

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.I really enjoyed the banter in this couple, and I appreciated the subject matter in more than one way. (There is also a content warning page on the first page so do not skip it.) My main issue and unfortunately it is a big one is, I hated the writing style. This is because there was a lot more telling than showing, and the male character is so awesome that I wanted to be in his head as well. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

I tried reading this several times, in physical and audio format. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the characters enough to finish this book. It was super cute, I liked the premise, but it didn't suck me in enough to focus on completing.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the face pased romance and both the representation and body positivity. However i do think the third act break up was a bit unnecessary and a bit irritating but overall a good book!

This was a fine quick paced read! The 3rd act breakup was a little infuriating though! I did appreciate the positive body language with the fat fmc.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a grumpy/sunshine (obvs) rom com following professional football(soccer) player Alfie and writer Mabel, who is tasked with ghost writing the former’s autobiography.

This book highlights one of the reasons I very very rarely will DNF a book. Even though this one wasn’t for me, I actually had a really good time reading it - I was able to bond with my partner over reading it (much to his dissent - there was definitely some peer pressure to get him to finish it!) and I also still find it interesting to see where a book is going to go. Maybe it’s set up a particular way in the beginning and the end will pay off. Maybe it won’t. Either way, I must know 😅

So to get to the actual meat of the review, I think my biggest problem with this book was the characters. They felt almost like caricatures of the parts they were meant to play - the overweight, cutesy, smart but also somehow oblivious girl and the standoffish, but actually soft underneath just with terrible social skills dude. Even in those roles, a lot of their actions were…odd…it was hard to follow the logic they took to get there, even with the context of anxiety and whatever else was going on. There were a lot of comments made in conversation that were unexpected, kind of cringy, and pulled me out of the story. And that made it very difficult to take them seriously. They felt very childish for their age. I will say, I did awww in some places as the two MCs were falling for each other - there were some super cute moments! It was all maybe just a little too sickly sweet with characters that were just a hair outside of the relatable and realistic for me.

If you’re a rom com girly and want to see what all the fuss is about, I say go for this one. Just be along for the ride. But unfortunately, this isn’t a book that I’ll be returning to any time soon.

My apologies for taking so long to write a review. However, the reason why is not because of bad writing but more because of bad timing. I was recently able to finish the book and my honest review is below and on Goodreads.

Like many who have read this book, I went in for the appeal of a grumpy/sunshine pairing. Ever since it appeared in the scene and before, I've loved this trope. I've also heard amazing things about the author herself and wanted to try her writing. The sad thing is that, while her writing is amazing, the plot and characters did not match her talent. Their story is cute and heartwarming, plus I'll always stan a plus size FMC, and I did appreciate she was trying to play with insecurities and fear.

However, there's also the add in of trying too hard. Trying too hard to love, to exist, to connect, and, in general, even like this novel. I do think it would have benefited from a dual POV of going back and forth between Mabel and Alfie to fully see and realize Mabel. But, yes, just too much everything and not enough of taking a step back to breathe and realize.

I'm open to trying the author's other works in the future, but this one did not work for me. 2 1/2 stars, rounding up to 3.

First, I must say that I love the Grumpy/Sunshine trope. (I also love the fake dating trope.) So even though I erroneously assumed the characters might be nicknamed "Grumpy" & "Sunshine" (or at least jokingly referred to by those names) I really liked this book in the beginning. However, it eventually became pretty much all about sex. We got less of Alfie's curmudgeonly quirks and Mabel's gentle and optimistic understanding of him, and less humor aside from the comedy that stems from awkward, embarrassing interactions.

Also, in addition to the many "and oh"s & "and okay"s in every chapter, the author inexplicably began overusing the word "inexplicably" about halfway through.

I did appreciate the epilogue-esque portion of the last chapter, and I loved the peeks into Alfie's memoir though.

Not sure if I'll read more from this author, but if I do, at least I'll be a little more prepared.

I enjoyed this story with a grumpy, awkward, and Roy Kent-esqe hero who is soft only for the heroine. It definitely is a bit silly at times with the awkward bits, but the two of them were cute together. I was a bit hesitant to read it as I didn't like Charlotte's paranormal rom-com, but this was a fun, easy read.

This was such a fun book. It was sexy, there was great banter, great emotions. In short I loved it and I'm looking forward to reading another book by this author.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I’ll admit I soft DNF’d this book once before, but then I picked it back up again and LOVED it. This was a super fun read and once you get to the spice, oh god is it spicy for a contemporary romance. I don’t love a third act breakup, and this one definitely frustrated me, but I’ll admit, it charmed me a bit. This would be a great beach read for the summer for sure.

☀️ Book Review: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein 💛

This book is pure opposites-attract perfection! When Grumpy Met Sunshine gives us the gruff, brooding former footballer and the endlessly sunny ghostwriter who’s determined to crack his tough shell—and the results are hilarious, heartfelt, and downright swoony.

Charlotte Stein delivers sharp banter, emotional depth, and steamy slow-burn romance that’ll have you smiling like Sunshine herself. It’s cozy, spicy, and surprisingly tender in all the best ways.

📚💘 Verdict: A grumpy/sunshine masterpiece that feels like a warm hug with a cheeky wink. Add it to your cuddle-up-and-swoon pile!

When Grumpy Met Sunshine was such a sweet surprise. It’s got that opposites-attract setup I love...he’s broody and a bit emotionally stunted, she’s sunshiney and kind without being over-the-top. Their banter is solid, and there’s actually some depth underneath all the flirting and fun. I didn’t expect it to get as tender or vulnerable as it did, but that made me like it even more. It’s warm and funny, with just enough emotional weight to keep it from feeling fluffy. Honestly, just a really charming, feel-good read.

A sweet, funny opposites-attract romance that balances humor and emotional vulnerability perfectly. Endearing, sexy, and full of heart.

Alfie is a famous grumpy footballer (soccer player) who is under contract to write his memoir and despite the fact that Alfie actually does enjoy writing, his publisher has assigned him a ghost writer, Mabel. I really enjoyed this one so much. I listened to the audio (that I purchased myself because, of course) and it was such a fun and quick read. Mabel is a curvy heroine and she's mostly body positive, but she still lives in a world where there isn't exactly full body positivity so to speak. There were times when that really irked me because sometimes Mabel would get really caught up in what Alfie's prior relationships looked like. That said, I really liked how this book transitioned into fake dating and then transitioned into more. Ultimately, I think back on this book really positively, but it definitely wasn't perfect. The second book though? Absolutely loved that one.

This was fun! I love a grumpy sunshine dynamic and this book embodied everything I enjoy about the trope. The plot wasn't always flowing the way I personally would like it to but it didn't get too much in the way of the romance. I'm not saying this is an autobuy author for me but I think I would be interested in continuing to pick up her books.

A fun, fast read full of amazing banter and characters you can't help but fall in love with. The MMC was so much fun to see open up and come into his own. I loved how the FMC was able to so easily draw others out and help them to see themselves for who they truly were. Can't wait to read more by Stein!