A great premise but I had issues staying engaged with the story.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

3.5 stars

This was cute but I didn’t really get interested until over half way and then it kind of died out for me again. Maybe I just wasn’t feeling it and need to reread, I’m not sure. It was funny at times and had me laughing out loud! And I loved the banter between the main characters. 💖

I thought this was a really fun read. I dont read a lot of romance books so I'm particular about which ones I read. This one had a lot of the classic tropes but it was fun and easy to follow.

I enjoyed the quirky narration style and the banter in this one was bar none. I really enjoyed this read

DNF’d at 50%

The premise seemed right up my alley and grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. However, this did not work for me. The writing felt choppy at times, the banter leaned more on the juvenile side, and I sadly did not like the FMC that much.

This had so much potential, but felt short of my expectations.

Apparently, Charlotte Stein knows exactly how to market a book directly to me. Plus size MC + grumpy footballer (soccer player for the Americans) = My TBR.

Although this was a cute romance, it wasn't my favorite. I'm not sure what it was that didn't work for me. Mabel is delightful and Alfie is the perfect grump - think Roy Kent from Ted Lasso (they are basically twins). There was humor (I enjoyed the banter between Mabel and Alfie), and I did feel a thawing to my cold, cold heart. And yet... there was something missing. I felt pretty invested in the first half of the book but my interest slowing began to fade. The worst part is that I can't pinpoint what it was that didn't work for me. It had the makings of a great rom com, but I just found myself fading in and out.

Look, it was cute and funny - it just wasn't my favorite and left me a little disappointed. However, if you're a romance fan then this one might work for you. I definitely won't hesitate to pick up another Charlotte Stein novel.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The grumpy sunshine trope is always a winner in my eyes! While this book didn't deliver up to my insane standards, I still think it's still a cute read. The curvy representation wins every time.

I unfortunately could not get into this story! I do see the potential but maybe it was because I was busy with school and work I couldn’t give it my full attention before the archive date was up. I do think if I take the time to try it again I would like it!

This book just didn't work for me and I love a steamy Grump Sunshine Rom Com. I liked the idea of this book and the realness of a life sized FMC who looks like so many of us. Selfie just hit the mark as a Roy Kent character and I found myself falling for him and the banter that flowed so well between him and Mabel. The dynamic between the two of them was great but the writing was a little bit unwieldy for me and I found that standing in the way of my truly falling into this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ecopy that I read.

I liked the premise, I just could not get into the writing. I like the grumpy sunshine trope, and I feel like that part was well done, but I didn’t love the characters. It wasn’t for me.

I loved this, listened to it and read it. The banter is top notch, the chemistry is great and the book is steamy, always love a moody hero and a curvy lead!

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. I was so distracted by the description of Alfie. With how he is described I saw him as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. The writing was good and flowed well. The fake dating was fun! I will definitely look for more from this author.

Oh, how I loved this book! I watched all of Ted Lasso when it was streaming and have been needing something to fill this Roy Kent-shaped hole in my heart ever since. And boy did this book fill that hole... Aflie, a retired grumpy soccer player, meets Mabel, a sunshiny writer, when they get matched up to write his memoir together. They are brutally honest from the get go and although Alfie is grumpy as can be, he soon warms up to Mabel and they find themselves in a situation where they have to pretend to be together. But are they really just pretending?

I loved this so much. It reminded me a lot of the humour I grew up with, such as Bridget Jones and the Shopaholic Series. It has plenty of spice and is still oh so sweet. 10/10 recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book,

Unfortunately, I have decided that this wasn’t the book for me and will not finish reading.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read this book and look forward to future ones.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Woo! I love a spicy book, and this one was spicy from the beginning which really helped keep my attention. Alfie and Mabel first meet in a publishing office. Alfie is a former athlete looking to sell his memoir, Mabel is the potential ghost writer for said memoir. After a slight miscommunication Mabel is forced to see that Alfie is not quite as grumpy and standoffish as she once assumed.

Overall this was a cute and very s[icy read. I will gladly read books by Charlotte Stein again

This book had so much potential, and while it hit a few highs, the overall experience left me a little underwhelmed. The witty dialogue and banter between the characters are often a highlight, but it quickly becomes too much. Mabel’s inner monologues, while insightful, often felt overly drawn out, distracting from the emotional depth of the characters’ connection.

Narratively, there’s a lot of surface-level charm, but deeper issues—family traumas, personal insecurities, and relationship fears—are either glossed over or vaguely mentioned without resolution. This lack of exploration left me disconnected from the characters’ growth and struggles. The cover is adorable, the story is sweet, and the characters are lovable—but like Alfie’s social skills, it all just needed a bit more polish.

There was so much I wanted to love about this book! And I did love a lot of things, I laughed out loud and found it quite humourous! The lead up to the smut was delicious too! But I really struggled with the third act break up, the time skip and the whole miscommunication trope being used the way it was.

Fake dating, grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers. This had all my favorite tropes! I have really been loving sports romances lately and this was so so freaking good. The writing was good, the story moved well, and I loved the characters. I loved falling in love with them as they fell in love with each other.

It was fine, but nothing super memorable. The spice was a bit much for me, and I found myself skipping through some of it. The ending didn’t fully make sense to me - I had a hard time buying the one-year-later aspect of it…

Overall, cute but it won’t stick with me.

I loved the idea of this book, but the banter unfortunately was just too difficult for me to get through. Grumpy Vs Sunshine is one of my fav romance tropes, so that was definitely a plus. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book in return for an honest review!

Honestly, This book just turned out to be not for me. I thought the dialogue was really clunky and there was just too much banter. It took me months to get through this book when I would have usually DNFd,