Sweet and Swoony!

This book was nice but ultimately fell flat for me. The writing style felt frenetic and got in the way of the main relationship. It kept me from being engaged or even caring about them.

Kind of disappointing because I was so excited about the plot/blurb but it was still a decent read.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

I read this because I was interested in what I expected to be some Roy Kent fan fiction. I am picky about romance books though and need more fleshed out characters and details of their past and deeper struggles (this was only surface level addressed in this book). These two characters felt very stereotypical and we’re told he’s grumpy, but there wasn’t a lot of evidence that this was so. The banter was awkward and the book is mostly the two characters alone (no friends/family/etc represented) lusting after each other, but not communicating their interest in a deeper relationship beyond that (though we’re later told she’s his “true love.”) It’s very open door for those who prefer not to read explicit sex scenes. I wanted more of their friendship blossoming while she writes his memoir, but instead it was mostly smutty thoughts and unnecessary angst. I prefer characters who have more than just sexual chemistry.

2.5 Stars I was really excited to get an ARC of this book because the cover is SO CUTE, but sadly, it just didn't do it for me. It's definitely a slow burn and takes a while for the attraction between the MCs to grow, so that made it kinda hard to get into. Also, it's only one POV and there's so much internal monologue from the FMC. I found myself skipping some pages because there was too much internal monologue between action or dialogue.

This was a cute, fun read. I always appreciate a book with a curvy main character and this was no different. The banter was wonderful and the steam was even better!

Ex-footballer Alfie Harding is talked into selling his memoirs, but he's certainly not happy about it. Meeting ghostwriter Mabel Willicker for the first time, he makes, shall we say, not the best first impression. But while they are out working, they are spotted and their business deal turns into a fake relationship in order to deal with the press.

3.5 ⭐ This slow burn is witty and hilarious. It took a little bit for me to get used to the oddball humor, but by the end, I couldn't stop laughing. Mabel is sweet, hilarious and adorable, and Alfie has so many more layers than you see on first impression!

I love the fake dating and the grumpy/sunshine tropes, and this one lived up to my expectations. It started off slow for me, but I'm glad I pushed through the first part and got used to the witty humor. Definitely recommend this if you enjoy these tropes and weirdo humor!

[Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Mabel is a ghostwriter, and Alfie, a retired footballer, has hired her to help him with his memoir. They pretend to date, and fall in love.

I want more stories about fat women in their thirties, so I hesitate to give this one was 2 star review, but I agree with other reviewers that it seemed disjointed, and like it was missing something. The constant banter was just SO much and I couldn’t get past how juvenile so much of it felt. That being said, the story does have a happy ending, but I wouldn’t recommend it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that the grumpy character is named ALFIE. I gather that’s a common name across the pond, but the only Alfie I know and love is Alfie Bell from “Pansies.” And honestly at first I kept seeing *this* Alfie as *that* Alfie, but once I got past that I grew to appreciate the character. And then we have sunshiney Mabel, hired to ghostwrite Alfie’s memoir about his career in football.

I’m a fan of Charlotte Stein, and I thought her voice comes through quite clearly, even though this is unlike anything else I’ve read by her.

There are some difficult underlying topics (cw for alcoholism, parental abuse, fatphobia), but there are also many moments that made me laugh and swoon. It’s a very sweet story at heart (and a steamy one—Stein writes very sexy sex).

I appreciated how a number of gendered stereotypes are undermined in subtle ways (I loved Alfie’s horrified reaction when he discovers that Mabel doesn’t own a vacuum, his deep love for rom coms and how he helps Mabel style her hair). There’s also a lot here about connecting over a common upbringing, the perils of life in the spotlight and the ways toxic masculinity, gender expectations and unrealistic beauty standards screw everyone up. And I’m not sure anyone is better than Stein at telling a story where the love interests are mostly on their own with each other for the entire book.

A few things that didn’t work as well for me—I didn’t adore the ending, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. And this is the second book in a row I’ve read with news articles, emails, tweets etc. about the celebrity character interspersed between chapters and I just can’t get into it for some reason. It pulls me out of the story and I end up wanting to skip past it. But this must just be a me thing, because it seems pretty common.

Overall, Alfie and Mabel are a refreshing couple—and I think this book will appeal to readers who are familiar with Charlotte Stein as well as new ones.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Omg I loved these 2 idiots so much!

Writing style took a bit for me to get used to and the first 20% I honestly didn’t know what was going on. I was so excited for this ARC I didnt bother reading the blurb which would have clued me in a little better.

Book kind of reminded me The Wall of Winnipeg and Me & Funny you Should Ask except very British. Book claimed to be opposites attract but to me, Alphie and Mabel were sooo much alike. Their conversations so were so bizarre and hysterical. Like why does Alphie have a fax machine worth 15k?

Spicy scenes were pretty hot even though we were edged for a good chunk of the book. When they proclaim their feelings for eachother 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.

So glad to see Ms. Stein back at what she does best!

I wish I enjoyed this book more than I did. Don't get me wrong - it has really fun banter and the easy chats between the two leads were my favourite parts. However, the balance between dialogue, media and internal thoughts just felt a bit off. I found myself switching out of my e-reader often because of the pacing. The first 'official' time spent between the character spanned almost 3 chapters and was mostly dialogue. It just felt hard to keep up with after a chapter. This book is mostly between the Mabel and Alfie and the two of them getting to know each other. It's a slow burn as well which is usually my cup of tea. I just didn't see it working for this couple.

Just because this book didn't work for me doesn't take away from the fact that this is a very well written book. The writing is engaging overall and the author writes great chemistry and dialogue.

A lot of the dialogue and internal thoughts made me laugh! I also kept picturing Roy from Ted Lasso as the male lead which was fun. Mostly, I was just bored with this story and I wish that wasn't the case. However, I think this is perfect for fans of:
- Slow burn romance
- Fake dating
- Plus sized fmc
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Celebrity romance

Thank you to SMP for the eARC!

Alfie is looking for a ghost writer and is failing to find one until he meets Mabel. After, a bad first impression they are able to move forward. The chemistry between the two is present and they're banter is fun to read. However, I was unable to truly be hooked and found myself having a hard time finishing the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

This book was just a fun time all around and left me wanting more, which I’m starting to think all of Stein’s books will do to me. I loved the main characters; Mabel was equal parts adorable, kind and capable which is my favorite kind of gal and watching her and Alfie slowly come together was both torturous and thrilling for me. I loved their love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for letting me enjoy this title early in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book. I couldn’t put it down! This story had all the feels. From seriously laugh out loud moments (there were many) to heartbreaking angst. I even learned something about myself and how my insecurities sabotaged my relationships. Self doubt is explored here from both MCs. There were a couple of triggers that could impact some readers. Past parental abuse and alcoholism. Both of which brought flashbacks for me. Even though the mention of these were anecdotal and provided a deeper understanding about each of the MCs backgrounds, they still raised unresolved feelings for me. But I’m so happy I read this book. One of my favorites so far this year. So well written. So much fun. With a slow burn that culminates in face fanning steam. Do yourself a favor pick this one up and enjoy!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley for an honest opinion.

Mabel was absolute sunshine I just loved her. I think she and Alfie made a sweet pairing and I loved seeing the arc of Alfie. I will say, some dialogue felt a bit wooden and not all characters felt as fleshed out as Mabel and Alfie, but still enjoyable.

This book really warmed my heart. It is truly a grumpy/sunshine story to the core.

This book isn’t for everyone but I feel like the characters are mostly relatable. I love how Mable really brought out the true Alfie.

Give this book a chance if you are looking for a sweet light hearted romance you can read again and again.

Sigh, this was a very sweet book. I loved the hero’s growth and the heroine’s kind nature. I definitely shed a few tears. Highly recommend.

Felt like a mashup between Ted Lasso and Funny You Should Ask. I couldn't really connect to the characters or romance. It felt too forced for me and fell flat.

As soon as I saw the title, I knew I needed to read this book, because grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. It took me a bit to get into this one, but once I did I really enjoyed it. First, the story is focused around one of my other favorite tropes - fake dating - between an ex-football player and the ghostwriter writing his memoir. Second, it's got a plus-sized heroine, which I love to see! And third, a grumpy with a heart of gold hero that falls first. To top it all off, it's got a nice slow burn with spice and a swoony HEA. Pub date is february 6th 2024, so marl your calendars so you don't miss it! Thank you to St-Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

It is rare that I read a romance novel and want to read it again. I read hundreds of novels every year. I can count on one hand the number of books that I’ve ever wanted to re-read immediately. When Grumpy Met Sunshine is one of those books.

It’s the banter between the FL and ML and the refreshing way they don’t bottle everything up like so many novel characters. It’s the plot that, while using an obvious trope, still manages to feel unexpected. It’s the delicious, intense scenes between the characters that kept me up half the night reading because I couldn’t tear myself away.

Don’t get me wrong — it’s not perfect. I had to re-read some of the dialogue 2-3-4 times because I would lose track of who was saying which line in a back-and-forth scene. And sometimes the scenes felt like they picked up speed and I had to consciously slow down my reading. But perhaps that tumbling-down-a-hill feeling was part of what I loved.

I love fat-positive romance novels and actively look for books with fat FLs. I appreciated that Mabel’s body wasn’t fetishized. But I found it utterly unbelievable that someone who was “too fat” to date the ML would be able to have someone go into a haute couture or even high end prêt-à-porter establishment and pick things up for her. There is also a lot of reliance on the ML being a large person so anywhere he goes, she should fit, too. That’s deeply unrealistic.

All that said, these are minor quibbles in the overall. This is one of my top 10 romance reads this year and probably top 25 of all time. Can’t wait to read it again!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for the ARC! Unfortunately, I really struggled with this one. I felt like the pacing was really off, and I wanted more character development. I did really like how the two characters were able to connect over their shared pasts, and I thought the social media element was really fun.

3.75 stars - Mabel is hired to ghostwrite a memoir for retired footballer, Alfie. Because she needs to meet up with him, the paparazzi catch them together and assume they are dating. From this, they decide to fake date.

The book was okay but it really was not for me. From reading this, it seems like it is a slow burn but it was not as antsy as other slow burns I have read.

Thanks to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.