Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

I unfortunately will not be reading or reviewing this book under the Boycott. Until SMP takes accountability for their lack of action regarding hateful words spoken by one of their employees, I will be withholding my reviews.

I would love to revisit this title when action has been taken.

This book had great potential. I thought the mcs did exactly display the grumpy x sunshine trope. However, the banter was too much. And I got lost while reading it... to the point where I had to reread parts and even then it didn't always make sense and I felt like I was missing something.

There was too much telling without showing. I just really disliked the writing style and that kept me from liking anything else.

Charlotte Stein goes for the ultimate opposites-attract/grump-sunshine romance in When Grumpy Met Sunshine. Grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding has been badgered into writing his memoir, only he needs a ghostwriter to do it. And so he meets cherry ghostwriter Mabel, and the more the public sees them together, the more speculation they’re dating until the two decide to fake date until the book is done so their cover isn’t blown. I have some mixed feelings about this one. Mabel is cheery and bright and the two have strong banter. But I wish Alfie had had some of his POV throughout and that they communicated more. Alfie was so gentle and sweet to her. But I think the grump part of him went a little too far and he was so closed off and churlish for a long time. And they both kept saying they didn’t like each other, even while they clearly were falling, so I just feel like having both POVs would’ve felt more fleshed out. It was also super dialogue heavy mixed with a lot of inner monologues, so it felt a little two dimensional. Still, it’s a quick, steamy romance that has a lot of heart and some fun laughs.

DNF: Let me start by saying that I love the cover - I'm a big fan of the illustrator. The book? Not so much. I saw quite a few reviews mentioning "too much banter," and that almost made me more excited to read it, because I love some good banter. But once I started reading, I got what they were saying - it's got the sort of frenetic pacing of The Bear, which is intentionally stress-inducing. Since this is a rom com with outlandish scenarios and the writing is VERY British - and in third person, which is definitely not my favorite - it was a lot to handle. Plus, I really just didn't like the heroine. The book is basically a stream of consciousness from her perspective, and I can tell that she's got some internalized feelings about her weight, which make her jump to some conclusions during their first interaction. I didn't understand her over-the-top reactions, and then the scenes that followed were.... a lot. The hero ended up feeling like a caricature of Roy Kent, and I liked the intent behind it but not the execution. I ended up doing some serious skimming to see if things would improve later on, until I had to admit that this one just wasn't going to work for me. The concepts are good and there's some potential here, but it could use some work.

I felt like this book had a lot of potential. I love grumpy x sunshine tropes but I didn't like the writing on this one. I just couldn't stay engaged in the story. I did try to give this book over the 50% mark before DNF'ing.
Fake dating is a trope that is usually on the fence for me depending the conditions of the "fake dating", but this one also fell onto the side that it just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Alfie and Mabel! What a fun story. This had me laughing out loud and I truly enjoyed the whole book. If you are looking for a rom-com-ish story to dive into, I highly recommend it!

this was a cute lighthearted read. enjoyed the banter and the writing styles. this was my first read from the author but i would definitely read her again

This was such a cute read, Alfie has my heart god he was so sweet, i loved that the fmc was plus sized but god i hated how self doubting Mabel was. Granted it was very real and relatable but i just wanted to see her happy and loving herself and to believe someone could love her it was a bit painful to read her being so down on herself. However it was so sweet to see Alfie lift her up, overall this was the cutest book and I’m so glad i had the chance to read it.

Thank you SMP for an e-arc all opinions are my own.

This was good story. Not great, but good. I struggled a bit and I know this is a classic case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” since everyone I know that read it, liked it.

I love the trope and the premise, but the delivery was just off. It was almost like the author is trying to fill it with super fun banter, but then it got cluttered. Thanks for letting me try!

Loved the goofy grumpy/sunshine banter in the first 30-40% of the book, but I couldn't really connect with the story after they started fake dating

I was excited for this one but I feel like it was executed poorly. There was something off about the pacing and the writing. I couldn't could attached to the characters or the story. Such a bummer since we need more books with different body types.

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” was both funny and sweet. There are numerous humorous moments between surly ex-footballer Alfie Harding and the latest choice for ghostwriter of his memoir, Mabel Willicker, who is sweetness and sunshine personified. The Alfie that the “public” thinks it knows should not be compatible with Mabel on either a personal or professional level. However, Mabel and Alfie have similar childhood backgrounds and come from the same area of northern England. Mabel is able to connect with Alfie through a combination of kindness, humor and snark, and he recognizes that he can be more open and honest with her because she will respect him for who he is, even if she is amused by how different he is from his public persona.

Social media speculation and a major public overreaction by Alfie will lead to a fake relationship. And efforts to maintain the facade will result in Alfie and Mabel exploring things more intimately. However, Mabel is a curvy woman who makes a living as a ghostwriter; nothing like the women that Alfie normally dates. She is convinced that he cannot be romantically interested in her — sure, in situations where they are “horny”, he can find her appealing — and she repeatedly lets him know he is not her type. One of the funniest things about this story is how “filthy” the dialogue is at times between Mabel and Alfie, especially as Alfie cannot believe that Mabel is okay with that language, and repeatedly apologies for the language, even though the behavior that accompanies the language is certainly fitting for the situation, and Mabel is okay with even filthier language and behavior.

This steamy story is voiced from the perspective of the two major characters of Mabel and Alfie. Mabel is a ghostwriter and Alfie is a retired football player. They embark on a flirtation filled with a dialogue that is scorching hot. The author uses letters, notes, and social media posts to guide the plot as it unfolds. Alfie and Mabel silence the critics when they achieve their happily ever after.

as st Martin’s press remain silent on the blatant racism allegations they have been under for months now and as myself a woman of color, I will not review and promote this book until accountability is taken, even if I nicely received an advanced copy. books are political no matter what has been said

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I didn’t love this book. The premise was good, but there was little to no character development. The reader wasn’t given anything about the main character to connect with before they had their “meet”. It was hard to root for the main characters when we didn’t really know them. The male character seemed like a Roy Kent knock-off from Ted Lasso. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but had it been any longer I would have not finished it. Character development and connection to those characters are vital to any story that I truly enjoy and this book just didn’t have that for me.

Not for me! It tried to much. The conversations didn't make any sense. It has potential, I was interested in the ghost writer plot and the plus size representation, but the execution didn't pay off

I wanted to like this book so much - it has all of my favorite tropes:
. Fake Dating
. Grumpy x Sunshine
. He Falls First

Mabel is assigned to be the ghostwriter to the UK's favorite football star (this is a British story, so it's not American football, thank god), Alfie Harding. Mabel is sunshine and rainbows, while Alfie is the brute who only responds in grunts. She is tech-savvy, while he acts like he's never heard of the internet. When a fake news story blows up on Twitter about Alfie's "new girl" they lean into it and start fake dating. As she slowly gets to know him, she realizes that he isn't the Neanderthal that everybody expects him to behave as, and he has more depth than she would have given him credit for.

The first 75% of the book is pure torture, The romance felt forced and the story was rambling from Mabel's point of view. Mabel claims to be so secure in her image and doesn't give a s**t what people think, but she is the most fatphobic person in the whole story.
Don't get me started on Alfie... I understand not wanting to be super involved with technology, but being in his mid to late 30s, he should know how to operate phones and computers. He acts like he is time-traveling from the 1800s and is flabbergasted about modern society.

The last 25% of the story was where it got interesting. Alfie's "big gesture" was very swoon-worthy and did make me tear up. He became so in tune with his emotions and decided that he wanted to be happy, for the first time in his life - all he needed was Mable to complete the picture.

What the story was laking was a strong love connection between the two characters. It felt like they should just have been good friends who could connect over their shitty childhoods.

I thoroughly enjoyed this author's first crack at a true rom com. She has such a unique voice that I was worried it wouldn't translate into this more popular genre, but it absolutely delivered. The snark and banter were just right -- it didn't get grating or repetitive like in some other popular entries to the category. While the MMC is clearly inspired by Roy Kent of Ted Lasso fame, Alfie Harding is his own man. Yes, he's got that cynical exterior hiding a heart of gold, but he's also a secret poet/writer and pines for Mabel (FMC) in a different way than Roy does Keeley. Mabel herself is a joy, at times insecure and intimidated but also confident in her abilities and brings out the best in Alfie. And of course, because this was written by Charlotte Stein, the spice is impeccable. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family.