Alfie Harding is the known celebrity for football, and being a grumpy, ultra-private, S.O.B. However, his agent believes that a memoir is exactly what he needs to be better understood. After going through 17 ghostwriters, enter Mabel Willicker. Curvy, cheeky, cute as button, and not willing to be pushed over Mabel. She’s sunshine and sassy enough to get Alfie out of his comfort zone.

Unfortunately, things take a wide left turn when one of their meetings is misconstrued by the press as a romantic entanglement. In order to protect Alfie’s privacy and Mabel’s reputation, the duo agrees to “fake date”. Because what could possibly go wrong?

Things I liked:
Grumpy character meets a bubbly character and fake dates. Again, what could possibly go wrong?!
An ACTUAL footballer, and not a football player. If you know what I mean, then we can be friends.

Things I did not like:
The EXTREMELY LENGTHY internal dialogue.
The over-the-top bantering which bordered on making all of scenes feel forced.
The miscommunication. I mean really these people didn’t have friends or family who could assist them with interpretation.
And the fact that there seemed to only be two characters. Others were mentioned but they didn’t have much “screen time.”
The last two chapters. Not quite sure what happened. I thought at first that my e-book was broken.

Overall, I rate this novel 2 out of 5 stars.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

This book was hilarious and exactly what I was looking for. I was lucky enough to get the audio and ebook of this one, and the narrator stole the show.

Was it extremely cheesy? Yes. The situations convenient and a tad unrealistic? Absolutely. Did the steam get carried away so much in the second half so I actually missed their personalities? 100%. But most of all it was hilarious.

The banter was well scripted, and the narrator delivered it perfectly. I busted out laughing more times than I can count because of amazing wit and utter honesty. The characters held nothing back and it created a refreshingly fun story.

Highly recommend if you need a steamy easy romcom.
Thank you to @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my copies!

#netgalley #ebooks #audiobooks #audiobooknarrator #emilyspowage #whengrumpymetsunshine #reading #bookish #booksbooksbooks #booksta #read #book #book #readromance #canadianbookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookcommunity #bookreview #bookrecommendations #audiobookrecommendation

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this E-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


💗Alfie and Mabel💗

Alfie a retired footballer and notable grump seeks a ghostwriter to assist him in writing his biography. Mabel is hired to take on the job. She is a curvaceous, sweet but able to hold her own bombshell (even though she considers herself plain) who is ready to drag information out of the tight lipped Alfie to make his book a success. Somewhere along the line they began to become friends through playful banter. Shortly after paparazzi catch Mabel with Alfie and their only way to stop the drama is just to play into it and act like a couple.

This book was funny, sweet and had the perfect Roy Kent style sexy footballer MMC. I loved the curvy girl representation and the fact that Mabel was able to be sweet and fun and still get down to business.

I received When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein on NetGalley at the end of August, but finally had time to read it this week and read it today in a few hours. In this book we follow retired footballer Alfie Harding and the ghostwriter for his memoir, Mabel Wilicker as they embark on the journey of writing Alfie’s memoir. As they begin working Mabel tries to break Alfie’s cold exterior. The line about Gaza was very distasteful

This romance has some of my favorite tropes like opposites attract, fake dating, forced proximity and of course, grumpy/sunshine.

I really liked the characters; Mabel is a curvy and fun ghost writer. There’s something about her that makes people open up and tell her their darkest secrets. She’s ghostwriting a book for Alfie Hardy, a famously talented English footballer notorious for his grumpy personality. He doesn’t want to do his memoir and has rejected other writers.

They have to spend a lot of time together working on the book, and the press corps that follows Alfie around reports that he and Mabel are in a relationship. They decide to pretend they’re dating, but are they really just pretending?

I felt that the book is too long. It’s very dialog heavy and that makes reading it go slowly. The first half was all talk talk and suddenly the last half turned very steamy without a good transition.

I liked the banter between the characters but in smaller doses. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

How I adore a book that combines several of my favorite tropes. Here we have an opposites attract plus a grumpy sunshine with some fake dating thrown in. it’s so much fun to see the progression of the relationship between Alfie, the grumpy X football player, and Mabel, the very sunshiny ghost rider, who supposed to write for him. I found the chemistry between both characters to be fantastic, and I love the banter. I also really enjoyed the fact that there are steamy scenes in this book, because when sexual chemistry is off the charts, it should be shown. all in all, I found this to be a highly entertaining and satisfying book

I liked this book much more that it seemed like I would as I started to read it. The style is unique, the story feels more like you're reading the character's inner dialogue than actual dialogue. It took me a bit to get used to, but once I did, I was very invested in what was happening.

I must look up more from this author, I'm certain her work will all be enjoyable. Also, while this book was spicy, it was done in a way that makes you feel the butterflies in YOUR stomach. Well done, Charlotte Stein.

Mabel Williker is a talented ghostwriter. She’s known for getting people to share things that they usually don’t talk about. She stays true to her NDAs, not letting on about her work for the famous and influential. So when she’s asked to do a memoir for a well-known English soccer star, she seems like the perfect choice. She can disarm him with her cheery attitude and cupcakes, the colorful dresses she wears over her curves and her whimsical accessories.

But she just may have met her match in Alfie Harding.

Alfie is known for being surly. He gets into fistfights and dates models and doesn’t do well with the press. And as soon as Mabel walked her sunny, cheerful self into her editor’s office with home-baked treats, she took one look at Alfie’s glowering and knew she had made a mistake. The cupcakes were definitely not going to help. But she has signed a contract, and she was going to do what she could to get this book done.

But then things got weird. She was having lunch with her editor, and she noticed one of the large ferns moving. When she looked closer, she could see Alfie hiding behind it, or doing his best, because a man of his size can’t really hide behind a fern. And then she went to Starbucks, and Alfie was there. He just stared at her while she tried to work, and Mabel could not figure out why. And when she first went to his house to get started on the memoir, he said strange and awkward things. Mabel knew he would be resistant to the project, but she had no idea how much. However, she figured out that when she teased him, just a little, she could get through to him.

She had a way in.

And then the paparazzi caught them together. And when they were asking Alfie about it later, when they were saying rude things about Mabel, he punched one reporter and headbutted another.

Mabel didn’t know about any of that until the next morning, when her phone was flooded with texts and calls. That was when she found out Alfie had punched a reporter because of her. But then he’d gone on to make it so much worse. He’d said something too. He’d told the reporters that she was the love of his life.

Mabel didn’t know what to say to that. Alfie told her that he hadn’t meant to say it, it just slipped out. So they talked about it and decided that the best way to get them out of the situation is to pretend to date for a while and then break up. No one would be the wiser.

But what Mabel didn’t expect was that pretend dating Alfie could turn into genuine feelings for him. Or that it could generate a thousand watts of heat between them. And when it did, she didn’t know what to do about it. She was there to do a job, but how could she be expected to write about his experiences as a footballer or dating glamorous actresses while ignoring the fact that she was very much falling in love with Alfie Harding?

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a rom com with lots of heat, flirting, and some dirty talk. But it’s also a story about two damaged and awkward people who can’t have a relationship with someone else because the stories they tell themselves are too damaging to get past. It’s laugh-out-loud funny while also being self-conscious, sweet, and respectful. It’s a rom com written by someone who loves rom coms and isn’t afraid to play with the tropes we’ve seen in all those great Sandra Bullock movies (she’s my favorite actress too).

I was thrilled when I started reading this book. I was sold by the title alone, but when I found out in was about a retired footballer, I was so much more in (yes, I am a soccer nerd). If you’re a Ted Lasso fan. you will find Alfie giving off strong Roy Kent vibes (another reason to love this book), but Mabel is unique to herself. I was disappointed reading the book, as it was told from Mabel’s point of view, with random bits of social media or articles mixed in at the end of each chapter. I thought it needed more of Alfie’s voice. But the ending came, and Alfie’s voice is made loud and clear, and all was forgiven. When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a charming story about how the lies we tell ourselves can be the most damaging, and how to stand up to the voices that put up down and hold us back, whether those voices are outside of us, on social media, or in our own heads.

Egalleys for When Grumpy Met Sunshine were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book at 50%. I was really excited with the premise especially as I've been getting into UK football. However, I couldn't get past the dialogue. The writing was confusing and could have been simplified. The conversations between Alfie and Mabel came across immature and made it hard to believe their age. And Alfie not understanding technology in present day was hard to believe especially with how extreme it was.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

THIS!!!! THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A GRUMPY X SUNSHINE!!!!

I don't normally like to compare the book I'm reviewing to other books in my review, but I have to make an exception for this book. I love grumpy x sunshine romances so much, but I struggle to find good ones because the grumpy character is sometimes just rude or the sunshine character seems juvenile. "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" is not like that at all. The sunshine character (the fmc Mabel) is adorable and such an optimist. She seeks the good in the world while wearing bright cardigans. She's absolutely amazing. The same can be said for the grumpy character (mmc Alfie). He's never rude to Mabel, just awkward. He's a pessimist and keeps to himself. He's essentially Mr. Darcy but a soccer player.

If the characters don't convince you to pick up the book, then you need to keep reading this review because this book is a must read. This was my first book by Charlotte Stein, but it will not be my last. Her writing is so fun and refreshing. The plot has a great flow as well, and don't get me started on the spice.

The romance is just wonderful. I don't have the words to describe it. These characters are actually the cutest (and yes I am using that word to describe the super tall, grumpy athlete mmc). I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

I recommend this book for fans of Ali Hazelwood, Mr. Darcy, soccer/football players, and a healthy grumpy x sunshine trope.

I am so on the fence with this book. It unfortunately took me longer to finish than I expected it to. There were times when I was thoroughly confused as to what was happening but when I knew, this book was so cute! I feel like the audiobook would have been a better option for me.

I absolutely love the story itself. The cover is amazingly cute but I really feel like the writing itself needed some work. There was so much repetitiveness in the book, it definitely could have been shorter with more focus on the adorable story. I found the dialogs confusing at times because it was hidden within a paragraph. I really do think this book could have been less confusing to me if it was a dual POV. The banter and flirting were the best parts of this book - it had me laughing out loud.

Miscommunication is a tough trope to have in a book and it really had me banging my head in this one. Mabel is a fabulous FMC - strong, smart and secure in her own skin, however the constant questioning what was happening/going back and forth took away from her shine. Alfie, I loved him (I tend to love the grouchy bad boys)but I just really wish they both just talked about the important stuff…they didn't have a problem talking about the other stuff.

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℍ𝕒𝕤:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Fake Dating
Ex-Football (soccer) MMC
He Falls First
Curvy FMC
Opposites Attract
Workplace Romance
Slow Burn
One Bed
Miscommunication

Thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mabel is in the running to be a ghost-writer for the finnicky former footballer, Alfie. Despite a rough start, Alfie begins to open up to Mabel and when they are caught with compromising photos, rumors fly.

Based on the description, I thought this book was going to be different. I feel like the whole idea of being a ghost writer was quickly replaced by the fake dating and miscommunication. The characters were so honest with each other until it came time for them to just tell each other how they felt. I didn't always enjoy the banter and in some places felt like I was reading 2 different books.

As a plus size girlie myself I was extremely excited to see representation -since there isnt a lot-
Honestly I loved the synopsis for this book, because duhhh we all love the grumpy/sunshine trope,
The cover also sold me so quick, so i was so excited when i got the arc read!
truthfully this book was only ok, I think it had too much dialogue, and very immature banter, that brought me out of the story.
i am 100% sure this book will find its audience, it is just not me!
3/5 stars

You show me a cute title and some cartoony cover art and I’m 100% requesting an early copy immediately. But don’t let the cutesieness fool you. If you are like me and get a little squicked out with too much dirty sexy talk, multiple masturbation and dry-humping sessions and a plot that all but completely disappears once the two main (pretty much only) characters start boffing like bunnies, well, you might want to skip this one.

I’m going to give this 2.5, but round down for the aforementioned not smexy smexuals. The pacing was off a bit at the beginning as well and “grumpy” really turned his frown upside down and acted like he was “sunshine’s” B.F.F. without much interaction. But then things settled in and for a while I was loving the banter between Mable and Alfie as they got to know each other while she was ghost writing the famous footballer’s memoir. I just wish the flow would have kept going once things got steamy.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

I wanted to love this one. Part were excellent. The spice was incredible and I loved the setup of these two characters. There were also some laugh out loud lines.

However there was something off with the pace which felt choppy, not helped by the parts too much dialogue then parts with too much inner monologue.

I've enjoyed Charlotte Stein's past work (Never Sweeter is a fave), but this one seemed like she was trying to write more like more mainstream authors and her unique voice was lost.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕

DNFed this one. No further feedback will be provided until the Boycott of SMP is over and they comply with our easy demands .

The cover of this book is so cute which gave me hope for the insides and the book just fell a wee bit short for me.

It's one of my favorite tropes - who doesn't love grumpy/sunshine!? But the banter was long and drawn out, the humor fell flat, and the character building felt lacking. The characters could stand on their own but together they just didn't work for me, I think it was mostly due to the banter not being short and sweet but instead it was long, dull, and drawn out.

However, Mabel was one of the cutest characters - she was curvy, bubbly, kind, and sweet. She made me laugh more than a few times, and oh she blushed! She actually blushed, and it was priceless. Alfie was cranky and blunt and oh-so intense. It was engaging from the beginning and was a quick read which I appreciated. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author as I think she truly has potential!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for this digital ARC to review.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine
Genre: rom com
Rating: 3⭐️
Troupes: grumpy/sunshine, sports (MMC is a former superstar athlete)

I was provided with a review copy for the publisher for the purpose of a review of my own opinions.

The story follows Mabel, a curvy writer looking for a writing break, and Alfie, a former star football player and notorious grump. Mabel is asked to ghostwrite Alfie’s book, prompting the two to spend time together and breaking down each other’s walls.

I somehow hadn’t been familiar with this author’s work before this book and now I’m running to her backlist. The banter in this novel reminded me a bit of Alexis Hall’s “so outlandish that I’m laughing out loud but it WORKS”. That being said, there were a few minor issues I had with pacing throughout the book - at times getting frustrated with the ongoing grump that was Alfie’s character. While the banter was fun to read, it did seem to go on for pages and pages, while stalled the pace of the story (and their relationship). As the story progresses, we learn more of Alfie’s and Mabel’s backstory and their actions start to make more sense and helps bring the story fully together. Overall, a substantive (not fluffy!) rom com heavy on the banter and the fun.

This book was a cute, quick, romance read. Like the title, it is a perfect Grumpy x Sunshine read. However, there is a lot of dialogue, that seems repetitive at times and makes it difficult to follow. ⁠
⁠
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review from @netgalley

I was so excited for this one, but it just did not grab my attention. It was slow paced and I thought the descriptions were off. I love the title, but it does not match the rest of the book.