I love it when an author really loves their characters and has a great time writing about them together. However when the writer cannot edit it down, even the best banter becomes stale and stalls the pacing of the story. Unfortunately it feels as if that is what happened here.. I went from charmed and chuckling to skimming to see if anything would ever happen. There is a cute story in here but the telling of it didn’t work for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I loved so much about this book. I could relate so much to Mabel's feelings of inadequacy. Alfie was one of my favorite male characters in a long time. The only things I didn't like were 1) translating English into American. I'm pretty fluent in English, but there were some slang and pop culture references that left me stumped. 2) The spice level was a little more than I like. Still, I loved the story, although sometimes the whole miscommunication trope gets on my nerves! "Just say what you're thinking!"

Anyhow, thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Grumpy-sunshine is probably one of my all-time favorite tropes. Alfie and Mabel are opposites in that regard, but discover they have way more in common than you would think for a famous footballer and a shy writer.

Absolutely loved their banter! There were moments I actually laughed out loud during this book. So funny. Also, pretty steamy, if you are looking for a sexy read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for When Grumpy Met Sunshine to come out February 6, 2024.

I freaking loved this book. I could not stop laughing and raving about it. The scenarios that these characters get into is absolutely relatable and yet completely ridiculous at the same time. This book has it all smut wise.....👀 and yet it just makes this book even better. Definitely going on my top reads of the year.
 
Tropes: grumpy-sunshine, fake dating, banter, one bed, Rom-Com, plus size FMC

I liked the funny moments. I struggled a bit because most of it came off a bit jumbled and confusing.

*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC*

This was such a fun and steamy read. I devoured it in one sitting. I loved the grumpy/sunshine characters but at points the dialogue was a bit too much for me.

I really wanted to LOVE this book, it had so much potential to me. And while I enjoyed it well enough, I didn’t love it. Mabel came off irritating to me and I just wanted to smack her through like 80% of the book.

This is a slow-burn, super steamy, heartfelt novel about two good people who’ve been hurt by others finding the love and acceptance they desperately seek. It has brilliant character development. Charlotte Stein absolutely nails the characters of Mabel and Alfie (so much voice!) and they are perfect for each other! Heck, Alfie is the perfect book boyfriend with some hilarious lines. But this is not a novel for those who like action because it is just the two of them talking to each other for the majority of the book. For me, I like a little more action and plot development, but I still enjoyed hanging out with Mabel and Alfie.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I will always give a book with a plus size character a shot and this did not disappoint. It had me laughing, giggling, and kicking my feet. I loved everything about Mabel because she was so cute. Alfie gave very much Roy from Ted lasso vibes and I was completely here for it. So happy that I was able to read this book!

3.75/5
I found this book to be an okay read. The characters were good and I did enjoy some of the banters and their playful arguments but at times I felt like it was all too much. Loved the ending and character development and twists. Thank you for giving me a chance to read this! :)

As a Ted Lasso fan, I had high hopes for this light hearted romcom about Mabel the memoir ghostwriter for retired famous footballer Alfie. While this book ate up the grumpy/ sunshine, fake dating, and one bed tropes, I just couldn't connect with the two main characters as I had hoped. Their story is full of comedic banter and teasing, but I just wanted more depth and a little less insta-love. I also could not stop picturing Alfie as Roy Kent from Ted Lasso - and come to think of it, Beck (editor) as Ted himself. These truly are not issues, just personal preferences. Nonetheless, there were quite a few things I liked about this book:
• A curvy girl as our FMC. Yes we need more of this!
Self discovery and pursing your dreams theme. Despite the romance as the main focus of the story, there is some appetizing character development
The general mood and ending was uplifting. I love a good happy ending
This book releases Feb 6th 2024, and I totally recommend you check it out for a fun, uplifting read!
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC in exchange for this honest review

I don't have any words at this moment to talk about how good this book is. I cackled so much and also cried towards the end.

Mabel is my precious angel. She literally was so funny. She had some lines that were GOLDEN. Normally, I hate the third person narration, but it worked really well for this book. I still felt like I was in her head. And what a fun place to be. She was so sure of herself and knew what she wanted, even if she didn't follow through. I just love her. SO MUCH.

Their banter was SO GOOD. They literally clicked so fast, and their chemistry was other worldly. I genuinely gasped so many times throughout this book.

Alfie made me want to cry multiple times. He's definitely making the list of top-tier book boyfriends, but not for just the popular reasons. He was so attentive and patient, and he knew Mabel so well. His whole plot and story were entertaining and moving, and sweet. I loved watching him find himself and be okay with who he was.

Overall, I loved how fun this book was. There weren't many side characters, but the ones we did have were so good. I was immensely entertained. I will be absolutely recommending this to literally everyone.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I was so intrigued by the premise. I enjoy a grumpy vs sunshine trope, as well as forced proximity and only one bed tropes too.

This was an opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance with a HEA. Alfie is a superstar footballer with a reputation as a total brute and Mabel is the writer who's picked to ghost write his memoirs. They don't hit it off at first sight.

I enjoyed the start of the book. Alfie is definitely grumpy and also a bit of a knob, but his character arc and what he slowly reveals to Mabel about himself was great. He's funny and vulnerable, caring and observant, clever and quite lyrical when he chooses to actually speak. I loved getting to slowly see this other side of him, the one he's had to keep hidden for so long.

Mabel is the sunshine, which is a bit of a cover for her own back story and vulnerable nature as well.

Their initial interactions were a bit the worst of both of them and Alfie certainly didn't come off looking so great but as the layers peel back we see a lot more depth to both of them. Their banter is enjoyable and funny. The progression as they start getting to know each other and work on the book to the progressive flirting and ratcheting sexual tension worked well.

I've seen some reviews be a bit negative about the banter. Yes, there's a lot of it, but I found it entertaining and fun.

The smut scenes to me were the weakest part of the book. They were explicit (and I do read explicit romances, so this was not a first for me) but they were somewhat cringe inducing and felt somewhat out of place in the story. I don't know what else to say other than they didn't work for me. They may well work for others.

I thought the ending was sweet and the big reveal was as well.

It was great to see physical representation that is outside the typical--a huge, hairy, grumpy MMC and a curvy, short, happily-dressing-in-fun-ways FMC.

Overall I'd say I enjoyed the idea of the story and the banter and progressive intimacy and vulnerability the two characters exhibited but I could have done with less as far as the sex scenes.

(2.5★)

In Charlotte Stein's opposites attract novel When Grumpy Met Sunshine, former football star Alfie Harding and ghostwriter Mabel Willicker are the main characters.

A grumpy hero and a hero who’s a dick are completely different things, and Alfie was definitely a dick, at least in the beginning. Although his character arc was amazing, such as the fact that he called Mable "love" or how funny he actually was. I also really admired Mabel's independence and her refusal to accept crap from anyone.

Also, he LITERALLY WROTE A BOOK PROCLAIMING HIS LOVE FOR HER!!!! Instead of writing his memoir, Alfie wrote a book about her.

The smut scenes, however, were a bit awkward, but only because of the description. The dirty talk was a lot better to the actual smut. Since it is a romance book, please simply be crude, unless of course you want a closed-door romance.

Overall, I have a love-hate relationship with this book since the first half was filled with the characters being a dick or nothing happening, while the second half was AMAZING and incredibly wholesome.

*Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to the author, Charlotte Stein, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

When I picked up this book, I figured by the title it was going to be just that, a grumpy/sunshine romance. I was pleasantly surprised to laugh out loud in the first few chapters several times due to the antics of the grumpy Alfie and the reaction of bubbly Mabel. I had no trouble tearing through this book due to the easy going read and sparks between the characters. It’s nice to read about characters that aren’t cookie cutter skinny or handsome. Having a curvy ingenue and a big hairy bear of a man was refreshing, as they look like your average person. My biggest criticism would be that while we got to see Alphie’s perspective and thoughts from the clips at the end of chapters through old interviews and other mediums, I would much rather to have had whole chapters from his perspective so that we could have seen the whole of Alphie’s character flushed out more completely. Even without it, the story was still a fun rom-com. This book was full of a lot of the tropes rom-coms use often, but they work for a reason and in this book, were used nicely. I would recommend taking this book for a spin, I know I plan a re-read and looking forward to see what else that Charlotte Stein has to offer.

Thank you NetGalley for an Advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 ⭐
I enjoyed this book, and while there were a lot of complaints about the amount of banter, I really love banter! I'll admit that it was a bit overdone for me personally, but the book wasn't bad. The writing style was good, the character development was nice and the overall theme were all good and I LOVE the cover of this book!
I just reviewed When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein. #NetGalley

Mabel is hired to write grumpy Alfie's memoir. I enjoyed the story, very different from what I usually read, but overall a good story,

Thank You NetGalley for an advance copy of When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein in exchange of an honest review.
I recently read the book 'When Grumpy Met Sunshine' by Charlotte Stein and I was so impressed by it! It is a heartwarming story about two people who are complete opposites, but somehow manage to find a way to make things work between them. The main character, Grumpy, is an introverted man with a dark past that has left him scarred and jaded. He meets Sunshine, a lively and optimistic woman with a bright future ahead of her. Despite their differences, they are drawn to each other and learn to accept and even love each other.

The story is told in an engaging way, with alternating perspectives from both characters. It is easy to sympathize with both Grumpy and Sunshine and the journey they take together. The characters and their relationships are believable and realistic. The plot moves along at a steady pace, and the ending is satisfying and believable.

Overall, I was very impressed with the book. It was a pleasure to read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet and enjoyable romance story.

I could not get through this. I loved the premise, of sunshine-y Mabel working to write grumpy Alfie's memoir, but, to me, the execution was lacking. Overall, I think this was just poorly written and could be salvaged with a lot of editing, as most of it was boring or repetitive or both. It was also too long, which works for some books, but this story was just filled with a lot of useless info dumping or attempts at character building that just fell flat.

This is probably my new favorite rom-com! The banter was super funny, and the characters were easy to relate to. Both Alfie and Mabel had a lot of character development, and I enjoyed reading about how they both got more confident in themselves. I also liked the articles, text messages, etc. at the end of each chapter. The reason this book is not a five star is because I personally felt like some of the conversations between Alfie and Mabel were too long sometimes.

Overall, this was a fun book. I would definitely recommend it!