I loved everything about this, from the start I was hooked and laughing out loud. Alfie and Mable are just the cutest ever! I really liked how raw and real this felt, it was like a fairytale but with real life moments. As much as I love to read romance fiction, I also like to read realistic romance in fiction books, this was full of second guessing, emotions that are hard to handle for both main characters and so much doubt which is so real in life.

This was such a fun, fluffy romance that had me laughing, crying, hoping and dreaming. I loved the so much.

I felt like these characters were kind of chaotic, which made reading this very difficult for me. I actually DNF’d this!

This book wasn't my favorite but I really enjoyed the audio! The narrator made the book fun and enjoyable!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy.

An opposites attract romcom between a retired soccer player "footballer" and his ghostwriter. Lots of banter, spice, and the use of the F word.

I really wanted to like this one, but honestly it was just okay for me. I don't really know what else to say. I loved the plus size rep, but the whole book is from the FMC POV and it gets to be a lot. I do think this author has potential, but this book just wasn't great.

This book had me along the roller coaster of emotions as I laughed, cried and got just as hot and bothered while I too fell in love with both Mabel and Alfie as they discovered their similarities hiding behind personas that they didn’t particularly like. I envisioned Mabel being played by Nicola Coughlin of Derry Girls and Bridgerton fame. She just like Mabel are adorable and funny, like a cupcake as Allie had once described Mabel. I’m not sure who would make a great version of Alfie but he reminds me of a bear, a big teddy bear, who looks scary at first but really a softy at heart. The author’s writing pulls you right in with Mabel’s doubt and fears and inner turmoil, I felt like I was Mabel. I absolutely adored this book and look forward to seeing what else the author has written.

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” is exactly what you’d expect, a grumpy character meets a sunshine character.

Between fake dating and accidental unrequited feelings, this book has everything. There is also plenty of spice, much more than I expected from the cutesy cover.

If you are a fan of banter and fake dating, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. I enjoyed it.

I love the fake dating trope, but felt like this one was all over the place while also moving really slow. The first half of the book focused on them creating a working relationship and learning about each other, while the second half seemed to only focus on the sexual part of the relationship. You don’t hear anything else about the book once they agree to the fake relationship, until the final chapter and the epilogue. It felt like the second half of the novel lost al character development that they were moving through and turned more into a miscommunication trope than a fake dating trope.

I loved this book! Mabel is hired to ghostwrite for ex-footballer Alfie. He’s always grumpy and she’s one of the bubbliest people to ever grace the book world. They have a large series of miscommunications that are the driving force of the book. It was a nice read with a plus size MFC.

Hired to ghostwrite notoriously cranky Alfie’s football (soccer) memoir, Mabel stands her ground every chance she gets. As they work together, she starts to discover that the character they play up in the media is not the most accurate picture of Alfie.

Those unfamiliar with Charlotte Stein’s writing style may find it a bit jarring, but once you get comfortable with it, you can appreciate the spitfire dialogue and emotional connection between the characters. Filled with heart and humor and heat, When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a fun contemporary romance.

Ugh I have never been so disappointed to write a review before. I really thought this was going to be a new favorite. I absolutely loved this for the first 60% or so but then it took such a weird turn???

Unfortunately the spice in this one just did not do it for me. It was not at all what I’m looking for in a spicy book? If they would’ve just ~got it on already, I would’ve loved this and also been so grateful but, unfortunately, that is not what happened.

Aside from that, this also had some weird stylistic choices? It had a lot of great banter but it was so interspersed with Mabel’s inner monologue that I often got lost in who said what or what they were even talking about.

So sadly this wasn’t the cute and easy read I was expecting. And I also didn’t realize this is basically Ted Lasso fanfiction, ie: a show I still have not seen? Not that that matters a ton, since I was enjoying it before the weird turn.

But overall, this just did not do it for me. Which is so disappointing. I was loving this so much and then it just… did not deliver. Oh well. I have other cute romcoms on the horizon and hopefully they will serve me better *fingers crossed*

Anyway, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Grumpy x Sunshine is my top top romance trope and a plus size MFC? Sign me up now!
Loads of banter and lengthy dialogues that didn't hit the mark for me. It felt more immature than anything. Sadly I'm not a fan of miscommunication trope and for that reason alone I wasn't excited to finish this.

For sure up for another installment from Charlotte to see where this can go!

Ex footballer, and perpetual grump Alfie Harding is writing his memoir, after turning away ghost writer after ghost writer, he finally sets his eye on Mable Willicker, a ray of sunshine in a sundress. 
Can Mable and Alfie work together to get this book done?

When this book started I loved, LOVED the banter between Alfie and Mable. I was chuckling, and rereading lines, I was all for it.
But after the sexual tension between them boils over, the dialogue, Took. A. Turn.
It was ... not good.
Mabel went from funny and spunky to, whiney and often immature.
I had secondary embarrassment when reading some of their dialogue, and it was such a let down because for me this book started off so strong!

The first half was a four star and the second half was a two, so I will meet in the middle at three.

What I like about this story you have Mable and Alfie is both of them had a similar childhood and they can relate to each other. They also connected right away after meeting a few times. They have so many cute and funny moments together. I like the fact that Alfie character is a non-social media person, and likes to be by himself. I like his attitude because he doesn’t care what people think about him. The thing that I also like about his attitude is when somebody is insulted someone he cares about he will go after them. Mable character is bright woman that loves to write and keep to herself. She has grown up a lot since beginning of the book until the end. She has gained so much confidence in herself and I like that about her. The thing that I didn’t like about this book was, it had so much going on and I wish it was not too wordy to the point where it became rambling. Other than that, these two are great together and a cute couple.

Mabel is currently a ghost writer who is looking to advance her career. She is assigned to be a ghost writer for Alfie Harding, who is a famous former footballer. He is contractually bound to write his memoir but has no interest or ability to take on the project. They are both forced into this and must make it successful. As the ghostwriting is a secret and Alfie is very private, they have to take precautions to avoid being seen together. Unfortunately, they are seen together and must now pretend to be in a relationship. Given their opposite personalities, this is not easy. It’s a classic opposite attracts love story, but I really enjoyed these characters.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

Really cute romance but all lot of the focus was on the physical traits of both MCs which got tiring quick.

This was a really hilarious, cute and spicy book. I love any kind of grumpy and sunshine trope. I found my self laughing at different parts. It was a good engaging story with fun and witty banter. This was the first book I read by Charlotte Stein and I plan to read more.

2.5 rounded up! I struggled a little with this one. It felt a little tell-not-showy. I wanted to love it more but near the end it lost me a little. I do like the banter though!

Absolutely loved. I’m a sucker for a grumpy X Sunshine and this hit the spot. This was my first Charlotte Stein novel and I really liked it. I enjoyed all the characters and can’t wait for more. I can’t recommend this book enough!

First, thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book through NetGalley, and to my local library system to access to the audio of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fake dating is usually up there in my top tropes, but this one just didn’t quite do it for me. Usually in fake dating tropes it’s an enemies to lovers or grump to sunshine, which I get this was, but again, it didn’t quite fit.

Everyone kept saying how rude/awful, etc Allie was, but from the get he seemed pretty amazing, so calling him the grump character didn’t quite jive for me. Maybe I’m jaded because I like my men a little more morally grey….

Mable was sweet, but nothing to write home about. While she was upbeat and positive, I just couldn’t connect with her.

I loved the concept and the premise behind the two of them interacting. There was some witty banter and some heartfelt moments. I do think if we had a little more of a backstory we may see why Mable had such a hard time trusting her feelings.

One thing I wish was that this was dual POV. We got A LOT of Mable’s inner monologue (even in the bedroom!). While I can appreciate some bedroom talk, I wanted her to shut it at that moment and enjoy the ride!

Lastly, I struggled with the audio. The narrator did not do a good job on changing the tone or pitch when Alfie or Mable spoke, so sometimes I got lost in their banter as to who was saying what. I was able to defer to the physical copy then, which was helpful, but still.

All in all, it was just okay.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my all.time favorites. However, I struggled to get into this. I did not care for the female main character. The way she was written made it very hard for me to focus and connect with the story.