in the past. was it always as obvious that people basically graft a character from a show or movie into their book. or is that recent. bc here’s roy kent with none of the charm. not good beloveds

Rating: DNF

I was really excited about this novel. I love stories with a plus sized main character and I recently read a ghostwriting story that made me super excited for this one.

However, I felt like the story was moving rather quickly. In the 30 pages I read, the main character met with the soccer star, got stalked by him (which was rather creepy), and then started feeling as if she liked him despite his gruff manner.

I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am always happy to help support small authors, so I am going to decline posting about this on my pages so as to not deter people from picking this up if this is the novel they would love and be interested in.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is an electrifying opposites-attract romance that sizzles with undeniable chemistry. Alfie Harding, a grumpy retired footballer, reluctantly agrees to have his memoirs written, but his aversion to emotions and self-disclosure leaves him in a bind. Enter Mabel Willicker, a curvy and sunny ghostwriter who charms her way into Alfie's life, sparking banter and a connection neither expected.

Stein's storytelling grips you from the outset, with the dynamic between Alfie and Mabel shining brightly. Their witty exchanges and playful bickering make for an engaging and delightful read, reminiscent of classic rom-coms. The story's pace is entrancing, with a Cinderella-like twist that leads Alfie and Mabel to pretend to be a couple. As their fake relationship ignites genuine sparks, readers are treated to a slow burn romance that's both heartwarming and steamy.

I devoured "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" in one sitting, laughing out loud and rooting for Alfie and Mabel's unconventional love story. This book is an absolute must-read, capturing the essence of rom-com charm while delivering a thoroughly engaging and deliciously entertaining experience. Don't miss out on this delightful romance that will leave you with a smile on your face.

This is a romcom that's actually funny! I really enjoyed this book with almost every trope known to romancekind. It focuses on a sunshine ghostwriter who's asked to write the memoires of a grumpy former football (soccer) player. Alfie is actually more (socially) awkward than grumpy and Mabel uses her sunshine-side as a shield. This makes it for very interesting dynamics between the two. I loved their interactions. The text messages etc were fab too, especially the message board posts from Alfie's female fans. It seemed very on point with the hockey player discourse this week.

The book is written entirely from Mabel's POV. She's a plus-sized woman and can't believe a hot, famous guy like Alfie could be attracted to her. This is also the conflict. For me it was perfectly clear that Alfie absolutely adored her from the start, but Mabel didn't see it. This made it for me a little hard to suspend my disbelief when we got the third act break-up. I didn't quite get Mabel's motivations here. And ultimately, all issues were resolved very easily. So for me the book had a great start but then fizzled out a little towards the end. Having said that, it was still a fun and entertaining read.

The book was definitely a cozy cute read. There was a lot of pacing issues that I felt was off at the first 50% of the book. I am bias about instant love and this very much felt like that. I got the vibes of enemies to lovers while reading the synopsis and it’s definitely more friends to lovers with miscommunication trope.
If you want a Roy Kent from Ted Lasso love interest then this is the perfect book for you. Very much guy meets random girl and for no reason decides to open up to only her. Very heavily falls into miscommunication trope with both being afraid to say the other loves each other. The main character Mabel is “curvy” and has self esteem issues with her size. It becomes part of the reason she won’t admit her feelings to the handsome sensitive athlete who constantly talks about how attractive she is. For characters who are suppose to be in their thirties they read more like early twenties.
The sexual tension was good and dirty talk was next level. I just wish the level of detail that was brought in the tension was the same for developing the beginning of their relationship. It is a light novel with a cute standard story that leaves you with the HEA at the end.

This one was wayyyy too spicy for me and while. I can usually skip/overlook it; this time it took away from the plot.

This had great characters with a quirky, sunny heroine and her grumpy hero that anyone that watched Ted Lasso and enjoyed Roy Kent will love. Charlotte Stein writes great character depth and steamy times and this is no different. Truly funny and a great read!

Gosh, this is one of the most fun, delightful books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read! I didn’t mean to read it 6 months early, but here we are. Suffice to say, I adored this book!

Mabel is a ghostwriter and when she gets roped into writing for famous footballer (soccer player to us silly Americans) Alfie Harding, she isn’t prepared for the chemistry that boils between them. There is so much delightful banter that I laughed aloud many times. Also, the chemistry between Mabel and Alfie is absolute Fire - the scene in the backseat of the car is going to live rent free in my head!

I do have some conflicted feelings on the ending because a year no contact to huge epic confessions feels like not enough time to buy in that they will make things work, though at the same time I do think it works for Mabel and Alfie because, again, the chemistry between them is so obvious and the ways they have fun with each other go a long way, for me, in showing that they have something that’s going to last.

I really had such a blast reading this and I cannot wait for others to get the pleasure!!

This was such a fun read! I can't wait for more by this author. I would absolutely recommend! If you are looking for a book to get you back into reading. This is it!

I tried really hard but I just couldn't get into this book. I normally love a good grumpy sunshine, opposites attract type of book, but the very first chapter put me off on Alfie with a weight comment and I just couldn't begin to like him after that (even with his more "redeemable" qualities). I also felt like there was quite a bit of dialogue which made the actual story take too long to get anywhere for my personal taste. With a little extra editing, I think this book could have the potential to be really good.
Unfortunately though, I dnf'd. Since I did not finish it, I don't feel it's fair to rate. However, I'll give it a middle of the road 3 so that my review can go through but will not post to Goodreads

I loved the premise of this book and it pretty much delivered what I was expecting. It was definitely a trope-filled book which included grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, etc. with a ton of banter. I was definitely engrossed in the story and the end was so sweet. I would have loved a little more development of the side characters since I found that outside of the two main characters, there were no other relationships of substance (for example, I would have loved to have known more about her best friend). Overall, it was a fun and engaging read but I wish there was a little more of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was SO CUTE and also so very heartbreakingly earnest and somehow wholesome while not being wholesome. Alfie and Mabel’s banter is so great, and the way they play off each other more and more while they figure out what makes the other tick is so satisfying and hilarious. They are each other’s perfect match from the very first interaction, and both of them are equally bewildered by the other in every conceivable way. And I loved every single second of it.

Truly, I do not understand or accept any negativity about this book. It was incredible. The banter between ex-footballer, Alfie, and ghostwriter, Mabel, was perfect. The slow burn of a grumpy-sunshine, fake dating, and even one bed trope was perfect. All I wanted was these two to fall in love.
Alfie’s grumpy persona was perfect - yelling at strangers, paparazzi, and people on the internet was hilarious. Mabel was so soft and sweet and I just loved that she made Alfie more open without making him less grumpy. I adored this story from start to finish.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mabel and Alfie's banter is everything! While it took me a bit to get used to the writing style, because of the amount of banter, this book felt extremely relatable to peering through a looking glass at a developing relationship and how neither quite knows what to think of each other.

Alfie has my entire heart as he reminds me so much of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, and that is all I could picture throughout the entire book.

While, I can understand how some people can think there is to much banter, I truly enjoyed the writing style once I got used to it.

I will definitely not hesitate to read another of Charlotte's books.

This book had me laughing from the start. I loved the banter between the characters, and how Alfie started opening up nearly immediately to Mabel whether he'd planned to or not. I was rooting for them to figure it out the whole way, and I was NOT expecting it to turn out how it did. I always love a romance that keeps me on my toes and this one definitely fit the bill. I will be looking for more from this author, that is for certain!

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" explores the opposites-attract and workplace romance tropes. However, it left me feeling underwhelmed. While it had the potential for greatness, something was missing, and I couldn't help but be bothered by how the dialogue was written.
While I admired the characters and the potential of the story, I found myself skimming through certain parts.

Though it fell just short of my expectations, I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin. I eagerly anticipate Charlotte Stein's future works, as the foundation for a charming romance is undeniably present.

I tried really hard to love this book. I adore the grumpy sunshine trope and it's brought to life in this book.

However, there is an incredible amount of dialogue that's extremely repetitive and it feels like nothing ever really happens.

Oftentimes you read the same thing multiple times, just written slightly differently. It definitely could have been benefited from a little bit of editing to trim down the dialogue and boost up some action to drive the plot forward.

But at it's core, this book definitely has potential. It just didn't quite hit the mark. So sadly I can only give it three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Do you love Ted Lasso? Because this is Roy Kent fan fiction at it’s absolute finest. My 4 instead 5 stars is only because I’m not the biggest fan of 3rd person in romance novels as I don’t feel like we get enough inside knowledge of the characters. We got more thoughts and feelings from Mabel, I would have loved to see some of Alfie’s thoughts too. We have ghostwriting, fake dating, and too many feelings through the book and it was just an absolute delight to read. Mabel is charming and bubbly to Alfie’s stoic self and the two of them really bring out the best in each other. I loved this book. And steaminess?! Out of this world. I will recommend this to literally anyone.

(Ps - there is a Ted character as well and he had me cackling)

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” by Charlotte Stein is a cute, slow-burn romantic comedy. Mabel, a plus-size ghostwriter, has been hired to help ex-footballer Alfie Harding get his memoir written, after unsuccessfully working through a slew of other writers.

After a photo of the two together lands them in the middle of a social media frenzy, a fake relationship between Mabel and Alfie ensues. It’s no surprise when the fake relationship starts generating feelings between the main characters, as the two get cozy over several dates and work sessions where Alfie begins to divulge truths about himself he hasn’t been able to admit to anyone else.

I absolutely love that this book showcases a plus-size female lead that got her HEA with a hunky football player at the end. I would have loved to see more character development on Mabel’s end; typical to other stories with similar premises, Mabel couldn’t believe that a “guy like him would like a girl like her” - mainly based on her size. Her insecurities were present throughout much of the storyline and were only diverted once she knew she had Alfie’s love. I would have loved to see a stronger, more confident FMC.

I also loved the banter between Alfie and Mabel. It was quick, witty, and even self-deprecating at times but it had me laughing out loud. You can see how the two would begin to have feelings for one another when the conversations and teasing came so easily.

Finally, I loved that Alfie’s memoir was essentially a love letter to Mabel. Readers could see that these two - who were sometimes delusional in thinking there weren’t any feelings there - were clearly falling in love with one another. It was definitely slowwwww burn but completely worth the wait when Alfie and Mabel finally came together.

If you’re looking for your next grumpy/sunshine, fake dating/workplace romance read, you’ll want to read this book. The banter between the main characters will hook you but the romance and inevitable love story between two main characters will keep you rooting for them long after the book is over.

Stein’s opposites attract debut novel is delightful!

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” follows Mabel Willicker, a sunshine-y ghostwriter hired to write grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding’s life story. But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a romantic relationship, the pair have to pretend to date to appease the public…that is, until the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begins to blur.

I love how Mabel and Alfie are more complex than their grumpy and sunshine personalities. Through Mabel’s point-of-view and her intimate conversations with Alfie, the reader learns that both feel trapped by their own personas. Mabel dons “Bubbly Girl armor” to be the person she needs to be for others instead of just being herself. She also clings to her cheeriness to avoid feeling like just a body when the world overanalyzes why Alfie would date a plus size woman. Alfie pretends to be someone he is not because of the expectations surrounding how footballers are supposed to act. With time, both come to the realization that they can be their true selves in each other’s company. Watching their love blossom and true selves flourish as they worked together on Alfie’s memoir made my heart race!

I also enjoyed how Stein ended each of her chapters with email correspondence, newspaper articles, video transcripts, tweets, and interviews connecting to the events that transpired. The change in formatting was entertaining and reveals how the public’s attitudes towards Alfie and Mabel’s Cinderella story brought them together.

The only issue I came across was not being able to understand the British pop culture references and slang, which often interrupted my flow of reading, but did not deter me from progressing through the novel.