Loved the story line, when grumpy met sunshine, but this definitely fell short for me. Too much banter and drawn out explanations of EVERYTHING. Just too much. I found myself skimming the story at times, but laughing at Alfie and Mabel at other times. It had great potential, but definitely needs to get to the point faster.

Opposites Attract/Forced Proximity/Grumpy+Sunshine- usually some of my favorite tropes!

The banter has been a real hit OR miss for people. It is A LOT. Is it corny? Is it cute? You decide.

10/10 Cover though <3

Lots of banter that was just repetitive. Did not like the fmc. I actually liked Alfie more than Mabel and I think I would've liked this book more if it was dual POV. I couldn't really even finish it because it was just too much. She went from hating Alfie to then when he explained why he did everything liking him immediately. I just didn't enjoy. Wish I could've though. Maybe when it actually comes out, I'll try to reread it again.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ff86b24f-a352-4f2b-87ed-d47aa1035dbd

I loved this book felt it was fluffy and I could perfectly see myself as the main character especially since I identified myself with her. I did have a couple of places that felt the jump between chapters felt there were chapters missing.

Loved Roy Kent. I mean, Alfie. Had a really hard time following the prose a lot of the time. Thanks for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book. Who doesn’t like the akward curvy girl with self esteem issues get together with the handsome ex footballer. I just felt like their lines of communication were off. They seemed like their thought process of how they felt about one another was more of a teenage love than two 30+ year olds.Alfie was great opening up to Mabel about his past and his thoughts of his past life but was stoic when it came to their relationship. Mabel with her self esteem issues questioned herself about his feelings for her but never directed them at him. It’ was a fast love affair but when push came to shove miscommunication got in their way. When something was said by Mable … crickets. Fast forward to their long overdue reunion that led to them exchanging their true feelings felt like too much time had passed when they could’ve been together, one or the other should’ve reached out and not let a year go by if they truly loved one another. The premise was catchy but it was a miss for me personally.I just reviewed When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

There was so much potential for me in this book. I love the premise of it, but I just couldn’t get into it. There were too many different things going on…grumpy hero, sunshine heroine, takes them awhile to get together, mistaken to be a couple…just a lot going on. This was a well-written book, but I did not “get lost” in it. It was just a cute book.

I wanted to love this book... I really did! Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes - but this one just missed the mark. The dialogue was confusing and I found myself reading, the re-reading just to clarify who said what... or did they think it? There was too much confusion. And the slow burn was non-existent in my opinion. This was a DNF for me - which I hate to do! But I just couldn't get into this story or find any love for the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one and was very hopeful. I love the cover and the title. I also love the premise of the story overall. I have not read anything else by Charlotte Stein, but had seen that she is an author who writes spicy/steamy books, and I am all for those!

Unfortunately, this just fell very flat for me. I was confused for a lot of the book. It was not always clear where the story was going and what was going on. I felt like it jumped around quite a bit and the story just didn't flow well. I also kept waiting for this steamy romance, but it didn't come until towards the end. It wasn't even what I would consider a slow-burn. I really wanted to DNF this, but I made myself finish just to see if it would get better. I will say it did have a sweet, happy ending, so there's that.

I really loved the characters of this book- their banter during dialogue was great, but there was something off for me in the writing - mostly too much telling and not enough showing. I also really wanted something other than the miscommunication trope to be an issue, but truly the entire problem was both Mabel and Alfie were in their heads. I do like that the author gave a warning at the beginning about the fatphobicness, but I was sad so much of Mabel was her thinking people (Alfie) couldn’t love her. I also wanted a bit more from her friends - it seems like a good support system would have helped Mabel out quite a bit.

While the title leads you to believe you know exactly what you're getting, of course the layers upon layers of each character make the story so much more than a single trope. The banter between these two was outstanding - though somewhat of a soft warning for my fellow Americans that the slang is very authentically British. This is written solely from the FMC's perspective, but I was mostly fine with it and it was necessary for the conflict to play out organically. The only thing stopping it from being a no-questions 5-star for me was the ending/resolution ** SPOILERS ** the length of the time jump and how quickly all the misunderstandings were wrapped up and it was over was a little unsatisfying to me ** END SPOILERS **

Obviously this a grumpy x sunshine trope with fake dating and slow burn romance. I love them all! Alfie is the grumpy ex-footballer and Mable is the sunshine ghostwriter assigned to help Alfie write his memoir.

I love a book with good banter and the rom-com type feel I got from this book. It’s pretty clear early on how Alfie feels, but Mabel is constantly putting herself down for not being a size zero and thinking he wouldn’t want to be with someone who isn’t. On the surface, they are total opposites but later realize they share similar upbringings; however, Mabel lets her size get in her head a lot.

This author is British and a lot of the colloquialism is British; so at times it was a little difficult to understand the banter. But I adored the way he called her love. It’s giving me Alfie vibes from Emily in Paris! And the ending nearly had my heart broken, but we definitely get the HEA. I must have the happy ending!
All in all, this was a quick and easy read. The plot was good, I liked both characters, the steamy romance was top tier. The back of the car and kitchen scene – HOT!

I received a digital version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential but was a disappointment for me. I like the grumpy/sunshine trope, it was steamy, and there was a good amount of character development and backstory. Unfortunately, the writing style made it difficult to enjoy. I had to concentrate way too hard and reread way too much to follow along.

The sentences were short.
And then long.
And then a summary of what was just said but in the form of a question?
And then restated but using slightly different words.

It was tough. I think there was banter but it wasn’t witty or light. I haven’t read anything else by this author but based on this book I wouldn’t, nor would I recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited about this book when I first read the blurb and saw the cover. This is about a ghostwriter, Mabel, who is hired to write a biography on all time grumpy footballer Alfie Harding. Due to a misunderstanding with paparazzi, the world now thinks that Mabel and Alfie are together - which seems impossible to Mabel, since she is not his typical type of girlfriend. Through some convincing, they end up in a fake dating scenario that turns into more.

I never do this - and I hate to not finish a book - but I was not able to get past Chapter 17. I think the way it is written is very different and I kept getting confused on who was saying what. It was supposed to come out as quirky banter and clever side observations and inner dialogue, but it was hard to follow and I would lose who the narrator was.

I really, really wanted to love it. I think the premise is great and the characters in themselves are great, I just wish it would be easier for me to follow the storyline.

Mabel Willicker, ghostwriter, has been assigned to help footballer Alfie Harding write his story. Alfie is known as the grumpiest man to ever live, so she doesn't think it will work out, especially after he calls her a cupcake (which she takes as a dig about her weight). He persists, though, saying that Mabel is the only one who can really get him to talk, and the more they work together, the more they begin to understand each other. I loved the main characters; Mabel was equal parts adorable, kind and capable which is my favorite kind of gal and Alfie was a “more than meets the eye” guy who was respectful, sweet and willing to listen and learn. They both felt very layered and well developed, watching her and Alfie slowly come together was both torturous and thrilling. I loved their love story. Spicy scenes were pretty hot even though we were edged for a good chunk of the book. When they proclaim their feelings for each other at the end I was literally in tears they were both so stupid and so sweet. Wish there had been an intimate scene between them after they’re reunited where they could have both let their walls down. Really enjoyed this one and how the relationship developed - took a bit to understand the clips from social media spliced in but overall a good one.

Thank you, St Martin's Griffin, theh author and NetGalley

I truly enjoyed this book-mostly because the main characters where great! Mabel was relatable clueless, and Alfie was an adorable mix of gruff and sweet. And they were both so funny—I was laughing a good chunk of the book! The story was mostly character driven, which worked fine for me. This is one of those books that you race through because it’s so good but then slow down because you don’t want it to end. The small issue I had that knocked it down from a five star review was this: The book was set in England, and there was a ton of confusing British slang I had to look up. (I’m American.)

Alfie is a retired soccer player (clearly inspired by Roy Kent from Ted Lasso) and Mabel is the woman hired to ghost write his memoirs. Wanting to hid Mabel’s real role in Alfie’s life, they begin fake dating. Given her past, Mabel has a hard time believing when it looks like Alfie’s feelings for her might be real.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a wonderful book. Stein nails the tone of Ted Lasso in the banter between Mabel and Alfie. The book was written from Mabel’s point of view and while that makes sense given how the book was plotted, there were certain scenes where I would have loved to be in Alfie’s head. Maybe Ms. Stein will give us a peek as a newsletter extra or as a pre-order bonus? I also found that the book dragged a bit when the focus was on Mabel’s innermost thoughts. I would have liked more action or dialogue to move the story forward in those parts. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and it has one of the most romantic endings that I have seen recently in a romance. 4.5 stars!

This book started off as a 5 star read I was so into the grumpy football player and the sunshine ghostwriter love story that was so clearly unfolding but It went downhill fast I made it 78% through the book before I Dnf it .

The scene in the car after the concert really didn't me in I was actually mad that instead of them actually just having sex they did some super awkward masterbation session beside each other and then dry humped the next morning.


I really wish the story had stayed being about the book they were writing while they pretend to date instead of just being about them pretending they don't want to bang each others brains out

When I was offered the chance to read this one, I was really excited! I mean who doesn’t love a good grumpy/sunshine romance? Or fake dating romance? But this one fell flat for me.

I felt like nothing really happened for most of this book and I don’t really know much about the characters? The way the inner monologue/what was happening was written got very confusing for me. And when there’s a long break for no reason before they get back together? Not my favorite.

I will say the ending was super sweet, I just wanted it to happen earlier and I wanted more out of the connection between them.

As always, take my review with a grain of salt and try this one for yourself if it interests you! I received an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

3 stars for this one! I was very excited to read this book based on the synopsis! We have Aflie, a surly ex-footballer, who has hired Mabel to be the ghostwriter for his memoir. This book did deliver on the title with a grumpy/sunshine romance!

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. I was expecting this to be a slow-burn as Mabel to draws out Alfie during their ghostwriting sessions and they get to know each other more. Instead, Mabel and Alfie start to fake date to explain why they're spending so much time together! No problem, I love the fake dating trope! However, the ghostwriting part of the plot got dropped once the fake dating started. This is explained away later, but there was a shift in focus to their fake relationship. There were some funny lines throughtout.

I liked the switch between Mabel's POV and magazine articles/tweets/texts/reddit. I didn't like the ending. In my mind, everything should be wrapped up before the epilogue. However, in this book, everything was reconciled in epilogue one year later. On another note, it took me until about 40% into the book to get comfortable with the writing style. Almost every sentence started with because, so, like, etc and it became distracting for me. I understand it was Mabel's internal dialogue, but it just didn't work for me.

Even though this wasn't for me, I do think a lot of people will like it. I would recommend it if you like:
-spicy scenes
-grumpy x sunshine trope
-fake dating trope
-slight age gap (5 years)
-funny romantic comedy

Also shout out to the author for including a trigger/content warning at the front! Love that!

Thank you to the author, netgallery, and St. Martin's for the eARC for an honest review!