I really enjoyed the romance in this book. They had such amazing chemistry and I felt like the growth in their relationship felt natural and real which is so rare for romance books. I loved the fat FMC representation. I would love to have a physical copy of this on my shelf to read again and again,.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine tells the story of a grumpy, ex-football (soccer) player and a bright/cheery ghost-writer, Mabel. Mabel is working with Alfie to write his memoir and in the process they fall in love.

I overall could not get into this story, I was not convinced about the relationship the entire time and their conversations felt very surface level. They talk about traumatic things they went through, but I don't feel like they get to the heart of the issues - they just glance over them in conversation. This was also TOO slow of a slow burn for me. We were 83% of the way through and I was still waiting for them to admit their feelings for each other.

My biggest issue with the book was a lot of the moments just felt unbelievable and cringey. I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't.

2.75 ⭐️

This book had a lot of potential, but it fizzled out halfway through.

The plot gets completely lost as soon as the main characters start getting together.

This sounds perfect for those readers that love grumpy / sunshine dynamics to their romance books and quirky characters!

This was such lovely book about a grumpy famous soccer player and a sunshine ghostwriter who’ s hired to write his memoir. They banter back and forth and she pushes him to the brink and soon a fake dating plan ensues.

This was such a cute romance book! I loved the banter between Alfie and Mabel because it was hilarious and so random at times. I also thought the idea of a romance between a ghostwriter and her client was so cute because it gave them a way to become familiar and comfortable with each other. I will say that the book is slow burn and fast burn at the same time because while I feel like they were attracted to each other from the start, they also didn’t figure that out for most of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would probably rate it a 4.25 if I could.

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Alfie is forced to write memoirs about himself and his soccer career. Unfortunately, this grumpy ex-player doesn't want to write them. Enter Mabel, his ghost writer. These two are opposites in every way, but their passionate arguments leads to sparks flying. After being mistaken for a couple, these two pretend to be the real deal.

What I 🤍:
⚽️ Sports Romance (Retired Player)
🍑 Curvy FMC
💕 Fake Dating
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🛋️ Close Proximity

I think the premise of this story is spot on. But, it fell a but flat for me. While I loved the idea of these two dating, I was disappointed in how the FMC had such low self-esteem. Like, GIRL.....before you can ever love someone else, you NEED TO LOVE YOURSELF. Additionally, the spicy scenes gave me a bit of the ick. (the dirty talk).

Overall it was a miss for me, but perfect for anyone who loves opposites attract and fake dating with SPICY scenes.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is one steamy, spicy story. The premise is super cute, the cover is adorable, but the endless chatter between the two main characters and Mable with herself kind of annoyed me at times. I did love how the story drew me in so quickly. I also really appreciated the sweetness between Mabel and Alfie and feel the author did a great job of showing their insecurities and them working through them.

I've tried but while the story set up and also the cover was super intriguing, I couldn't make it through the story which ended in a DNF for me unfortunately :(

While the first half is slow, the banter is ON POINT and once things pick up, they pick up 🥵 Mabel is a sunshiney ghost writer working on Alfie’s memoirs. Alfie is a grumpy former footballer who has his guard up, but it ends up he has a lot in common with Mabel. The two end up fake dating to hide the real reason they’re meeting, but the chemistry is unreal and it turns out Alfie is a talented writer who just needed someone to see that in him.

The first half feels slow as Mabel is very in her head, but the banter kept me going. However, that dialogue grew tiresome in the finale. While the steamy scenes and the eventual slow burn resolution are amazing, the Mabel and Alfie have pages of dialogue in the finale that sure, THEY needed to have, but contain information the reader is aware of. (Yes, y’all were idiots, now kids already!!) Definitely could’ve been shaved down.

Overall, this is a swoon-worthy, steamy, cheeky romantic read!

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is a delightful and heartwarming romantic comedy that will leave readers with a smile on their face. Stein masterfully blends humor, wit, and genuine emotion to create a story that is both charming and deeply satisfying. The dynamic between the titular characters, the grumpy and the sunshine, is irresistibly endearing, as they navigate their differences and discover a connection that transcends their initial impressions. Stein's writing is witty and engaging, drawing readers into the quirky world of her characters and keeping them entertained from beginning to end. With its lovable characters and feel-good romance, "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" is the perfect pick-me-up for anyone in need of a little sunshine in their day.

I wanted to love this one, but I struggled to get through it. I just did not connect with the style/voice. I am a huge fan of grumpy/sunshine tropes and I love the sports trope as well. I recently read a book with a ghostwriter and loved that one too, so I fully expected to love this one, but it did not hit the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
I’m so sorry to say this but I had to dnf this. I was so excited for this book, I’m obsessed with the cover, and grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes! I also love the idea of reading about a ghostwriter and a celebrity, so I had really high expectations for this. Unfortunately, I struggled so much with this - as a non-native English speaker, the British banter was really hard to understand at times, and it felt like the whole book was just that - banter that I couldn’t really understand. I lost track of the plot a lot and couldn’t really get myself to continue, so I dnf’d it at around 50%.

3 stars

Okay, okay… when I saw this book cover months ago, I immediately put it on the top of my reading list. I knew it would be a cute and comfy love story. So, when I saw it on NetGalley, I requested it right away! And here I am, writing an honest review.

So honest that I almost didn’t want to do it.

I wanted to love this book so much. Believe me when I say that I tried looking for something to like on every page. . . but I just could not. The narrative is too–narrative–if that makes sense. And although some of them were funny, some of them did not need to be there. They’re too lengthy and rambly.

Mabel is warm, cute, and the epitome of sunshine. I also find her relatable at times. However, the narration is so rambly and it’s kinda hard to look past it. In my head, Alfie is so hot. I loved how he reassured Mabel. And in a lot of ways, I felt like he was talking to me, telling me that my appearance did not matter. That I am beautiful despite–especially–because of my curves. We love a respectful king!

But again, I don’t know if I’ll recommend this. While the plot line is cute, the narration is hard to get through.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the banter in this, but hated the miscommunication. The end also felt a bit rushed.


I was first introduced to Charlotte Stein’ through her interview with Talia Hibbert (love!!!) and found her to be lovely too so I am excited to read her other books,

True to its name, This was the grumpy met sunshine trope but so so much more. It had a lot of notes of tragedy such as Romeo and Juliet (with out the death) of miscommunication and misunderstandings running rampant through out. The ending is so sweet and just perfect!

A cute title of a book starring a Roy Kent-inspired MMC - how can I resist?

Mabel’s assigned by her editor to help ghostwrote a memoir by legendary footballer, Alfie Harding. Their first meeting goes horribly, and it takes a few more stumbles for them to be comfortable enough to be able to work together.

The first few chapters had me giggling hard! Between the IRL football world references, their awkwardness, and little miscommunications, the hilarity ensued, and I was in heaven!

Problem for me is that the pacing then faltered. My preference would’ve been for their dialogue to be brisk, and less verbose. After they started working together every encounter, internal thought, conversation is overthought and drawn out. The overthinking makes sense, though because they’re class A overthinkers. And there’s some of that miscommunication trope as well. It’s just that all those elements conspire to slow down the story so much that it loses that rom com feel that was present at the beginning.

Overall I think it’s a lovely story at heart. Alfie’s that gruff-on-the-outside-teddy-bear-on-the-inside guy. Mabel’s sweet, smart, and I adored her dry, sarcastic humor. Charlotte Stein’s a new-to-me author, and I’d like to read her other books.

Read this for the:
⚽️Grumpy/sunshine duo
⚽️Single POV
⚽️Fake dating
⚽️Slow burn
⚽️Clumsy encounters
⚽️Roy Kent “don’t you dare settle for fine” vibes
⚽️Plus size rep
⚽️Spice

3.5 stars/5 srtars

My thanks to @netgalley & @smpromance for my ARC. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 is out now!

Super late to this review and this was so mediocre and not really for me that I can't really remember what my initial review would've been.

I was excited for this book, but it was honestly a bit disappointing and hard to get through. The story’s lengthy dialogue and awkward, immature banter, coupled with near constant miscommunication, made this not the book for me.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

I really just could not do this. The miscommunication was annoying and too much for me. I felt like everything could have been handled so much better.

2 stars