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.

I really liked this book. The one thing I didn't like was how much of a SLOWWWWW burn it was. I was almost going to stop reading it but then I got to the real meat and potatoes and that was great!! I just wish we got there a little quicker.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Such a good debut from this author; doesn’t hurt that it’s one of my favorite tropes and it’s executed sooooo well!! Can’t wait for more from this author!

If you're looking for a fun and uplifting read, this is it.

On the outside, they couldn't be more opposite, but where it counts, they are more similar than either of them could ever believe.

Alfie is a football star who has appeared in a movie or two. Mabel is the ghostwriter who is hired to help him write his memoirs. He's a Roy Kent type of fellow, surly with a heart of gold. He is known for long silences and grunted words. Mabel is all sunshine, Hello Kitty, and pink.

Her cheeriness should annoy him, but it doesn't. His surliness should make her dislike him immensely, but that doesn't happen either. Instead, she digs into his head while he figures out everything about what makes her tick. She's a bigger woman who is completely accepting of her body, but she worries that others won't be as accepting as she is. It's all about perceptions, rather than her own opinion of herself. She doesn't want Alfie to be judged harshly for choosing a woman that doesn't really fit him. But when the photogs catch them together, they have to make it look real.

I loved every word of this book.

While it took me a bit to get into this book, it was an enjoyable read. I was first confused and had a hard time with Alfie in the beginning, but it ended up being fun (and funny). A quick read, that would be great for something easy and fun to read or also to get you out of a reading slump.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book! It was cute! It wasn't entirely clear what was happening in the beginning (early chapters), but I was still interested enough to keep going & find out. I love a gruff main character and strong female! This book was thoughtfully & accurately written, and a solid, cute summer read.

At first, I thought this one was a little slow, but it got better throughout the course of the book, and I really enjoyed it by the end! Charlotte Stein writes charming, well-rounded characters and witty dialogue.

Retired football player Alfie is talked into writing his memoirs but he is just constitutionally incapable of sharing about himself. And it makes him even more grumpy. He is described as having a PhD in Being Really Annoyed. Mabel is eternally cheerful and is just downright sunshiney. She uses her cheerful sassy self to try to pull stories out of Alfie. But then the paparazzi news breaks that they are ’together’ and they have to pretend for a little while. And then it isn’t much of a pretend. Now what?

This is a fun but real read. Both are struggling with their own self image issues. But they are charmingly written. And the sex scenes are hot!

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

Okay, I read this book in one day!
This was sexy, silly, and most of all: COMPELLING. The spice level was high, and there were multiple points at which I laughed out loud. I’m a big fan of a MMC insta-love trope, and Alfie definitely won my heart right away. Big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read this one before it comes out!

I really enjoyed this one! It was witty, and I really loved the grumpy/sunshine vibes. Alfie wasn't my favorite at first, but really grew on MD. Mabel was super duper charming and so uplifting. I may have shed a few tears while reading this 🤣 definitely pick up a copy of this one! I'll be buying it for my shelf

This book was like reading about a senile five year old. I’m all for grumpy and sunshine, but this was not that. The amount of miscommunication in this book felt like child’s play. Which makes sense considering like I said before. Both characters read like toddlers. I’m going to go off on a limb here and assume that I am not the target audience for the book as I had to DNF it halfway through.

If I were to choose two quotes from the book to sum it up, these would be them:

“Just imagine you are talking to a serious five year old”

“Like somebody’s grandad from a mining town where everybody was miserable”

I have no qualms with the author, however, I just don’t think this book fit up my alley.

oh my heart, this was such a sweet and soft book. this was so funny, endearing and soft in all the best ways. it was a true grumpy/ sunshine book and the title is so perfect for it. alfie was such a closed off male character and his growth throughout the book was so beautiful to see. i love how mabel's love for him encouraged him to be honest and love every part of himself. i also adored mabel, she felt so relatable and she was so fun to read about. the ending of this book was so gorgeous too and nearly made me cry.
thank you to st martin's press and netgalley for this arc.

Overall I really enjoyed this! But I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Alfie - because his personality in the public vs in private was SO drastically different. At times it didn't feel fully believable, especially it showing so quickly with Mabel. I also felt like during the middle of the story, them working on his memoir gets completely lost. It's hardly mentioned and it gets forgotten that was why they were meeting all the time to begin with. On the other hand i did really enjoy Mabel as a character. She felt very relatable. Overall I still enjoyed it. It's very light-hearted and I am always a sucker for a fake dating trope!