oh i had such high expectations for this read, but sadly it just felt flat. the author's writing style just wasn't for me and it was very difficult to get through this book.

I usually like the grumpy/sunshine trope but unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. I DNF'ed at 40%. Both characters were just off-putting and I didn't care much for the writing style. The pacing was a bit slow and I lost interest close to the halfway point.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.

This book was a DNF at 25%.
The insta-love was palpable and the main character was groveling over the love interest but insisting she hated him and didn't understand him from the beginning. They have known each other for a singular day and are colleagues and this is just way too much for knowing this man for 2 hours.

I love the grumpy sunshine trope as well as fake dating and this book had some great character interactions between the main couple. With such a fun, whimsical cover I was not expecting the level of steam in the pages of this book and was a bit turned away.

As a ridiculous fan of grumpy/sunshine stories, I was immediately drawn to this, and it did NOT disappoint! The character building and banter between Mabel and Alfie were amazing. If you’re a fan of grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, only one bed, or he falls first tropes, I highly recommend this! The epilogue was chef’s kiss, beautiful. Had there been no need to sleep or take care of children, I would have finished this in a day.

I think that this may be a case of my tastes not aligning with this particular book. I enjoyed the grumpy character. He reminded me a lot of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. However, I felt like the “love” story happened way too quickly. I wish there had been more of a slower development so I could become emotionally invested in the relationship.

Otherwise, the writing was solid. I did enjoy some of their banter. I just needed more connection to fully enjoy it.

I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. I felt that this may have been too British for my American self. I don’t get why the MMC was technologically illiterate. It didn’t really add anything to the plot and it’s just not believable for modern times. I picked this up to try to start it multiple times and had to push through it. I’m sure other readers will love this book, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the author Charlotte Stein, publishers St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. Stein provides trigger warnings in the front matter of the book. I love when authors do this, especially for some of the triggers herein, which includes child abuse and neglect.

2. This book has good cadence. This usually indicates smooth sentences and transitions, and well constructed paragraphs.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I am not into a lot of the tropes included in this book, including Beauty and Beast (where the mmc is significantly larger than fmc), horror genre sex games, or hair...otica? I want to like this book, but it's hard for me to get into it when I'm being asked to adjust to so many different concepts, and they show up frequently.

2. DNF at 29% unfortunately. Despite the high points of this one, and there were a few, I couldn't get along with the romance content enough to continue. This was a big enough problem for me, but also I kept losing track of the plot, which felt really flat. Most story conflict originates from the story's "odd couple" trope. The two main characters' chemistry was not pleasant to read. Even enemies should be hot together on the page!

Rating: DNF @ 29%
Recommend? If you like these tropes, maybe
Finished: Feb 4 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle
Read this book if you like:
💖 romance
🌦 sunshine / grumpy trope
🚵‍♀️ sports romance
🧌 Beauty and Beast trope

I usually love opposites attract, forced proximity, and fake dating stories. Well, this one missed the mark for me, and I’m kinda bummed about it.

Mabel, our determined heroine and the latest ghostwriter hired by Alfie, a retired footballer who’s not too keen on writing his biography. He’s always finding ways to avoid it. Their professional arrangement takes a twist when people mistakenly think they’re in a relationship, and now they have to keep up the act.

A big thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite work for me. Despite the promising premise, I just couldn’t vibe with the writing style and I found myself putting it down repeatedly for other books. I’m sad to say I didn’t finish it, but who knows? Maybe I’ll give it another shot someday.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is a captivating contemporary romance. The characters are well-developed and the plot is engaging. The author’s writing style is bantery and bubbly, making the book a delight to read. I highly recommend this!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is a delightful and engaging romance. Stein expertly crafts interactions with wit and charm, creating a narrative that is both humorous and heartfelt.

The character development is a standout, with each protagonist evolving in meaningful ways throughout the story. Stein's writing style is both accessible and captivating, drawing readers into the emotional depths of the characters while maintaining a light-hearted tone. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, making their journey from reluctant acquaintances to something deeper a joy to follow.

I’m here for the banter and it delivered! I’m a sucker for a grumpy MMC who is a golden retriever solely for the FMC. This was fun, light, and a good time.

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is a charming opposites-attract story that offers plenty of sweet and funny moments 🌞🌧️. The dynamic between the grumpy protagonist and their sunny counterpart is delightful 😂💕, but the pacing felt a bit slow at times and some plot points were predictable ⏳📖. Despite these issues, the characters' chemistry and the heartwarming ending made it an enjoyable read overall 🌟💖. A solid pick for fans of light romance with lovable characters 📚😊.

Far too sticky sweet, this will give you cavaties. I found both MCs much too like caricatures than characters you could relate to or feel invested in and the FMC especially was SO chipper, SO upbeat, SO naive, SO sweet, I frankly found her grating and a little too pathetic.

I couldn’t stomach finishing this and had to DNF halfway through.

In "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein, serial grump Alfie Harding is an ex-footballer who has been asked to write his memoirs. Ghostwriter Mabel Willicker is enlisted to help him do just that. But after getting off on the wrong foot, it proves more difficult for Mabel than she expected. Things get even more complicated when the tabloids turn their very platonic relationship into a love connection and the duo has to navigate how to fake date when they are supposed to be writing a book.

This is a super fun and easy read for anyone who loves an opposites attract romance. I loved the banter between the two and I especially loved how Mabel wasn't afraid to stand up to Alfie. The fact that she is a plus-sized character is also nice because we need diversity in romance novels. However, for readers who dislike a slow burn, this novel will not be for you. It is a slow burn to the max. BUT when you get there? WOAH, it was super spicy. I loved it. It was totally worth the wait.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine started out well, but eventually fizzled for me. The story is told solely from the point of view of the main female character, Mabel, a professional ghostwriter. We never hear directly from Alfie, the ex-footballer who she is supposed to be helping with his memoir, except for what he says to Mabel. If you’ve ever watched the Ted Lasso tv show, I imagined Alfie as the Roy Kent character on that show. Tough and gruff on the outside and soft on the inside.

I enjoyed the first 2/3 or so of this book, but the rest of it not so much. There was great banter between Mabel and Alfie while they were getting to know each other, and several laugh-out-loud moments. But once they started with the fake dating routine (forced on them by paparazzi, basically, to hide Mabel’s role as ghostwriter), things fell apart for me. They had huge sexual chemistry which devolved into a lot of dirty talk and open/graphic masturbation and other activities. The two of them just couldn’t figure out how to tell each other that their feelings were more than that. For Mabel, being “curvy” (the current word for someone who isn’t rail-thin) meant that Alfie couldn’t possibly really be into her. And there was a ton of internal monologue that got repetitive.

For those that dislike it, be forewarned that there is a LOT of swearing in this book.

I tried listening to the audiobook version but had to give it up. Between the authentic-sounding accent and all the British slang, I wound up going back to the printed word, and that was much better for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was overall super cute.
Alfie's broodiness with Mabel's sunshiney personality was perfect.
Broody man personalities that they've kept hidden are my favorite.
The banter was a little extreme in some cases. Sometimes it just seemed like too much.
Overall it was a cute grumpy sunshine slow burn with lots of pining.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is a charming and heartwarming romance novel that explores the opposites-attract trope with humor and depth. The story centers around two characters with contrasting personalities: the grumpy, reserved protagonist and the cheerful, optimistic love interest. Their dynamic is engaging, with witty banter and endearing moments that build their relationship. Stein's writing is both humorous and emotionally resonant, making it an enjoyable read for fans of contemporary romance.

Unfortunately for me, this one fell a bit flat. I was not convinced by their chemistry, it felt like there was none. Some parts were cute but others were flat and not well fleshed out. The ending was a cute gesture but again it was a bit flat. I did like the plus sized FMC character rep and it was handled fairly well but along with other hard topics, nothing dived super deep. Compared to other romances I've read, I don't think I would reach for this one again. It was mostly cute but I was wanting more.

actually picked up my own copy and was able to read it, i loved both characters and mainly the plot sadly there was not enough romance... for me loved the body positivity and the mmc loving soccer lol