"This is the way the world ends, she thought. Not with a fight, but with a single word left unsaid."

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is an adorable, saccharinely sweet, romcom.

Ghostwriter Mabel finds herself working with retired footballer (ie: soccer player) Alfie on his memoir. When Mable is discovered by the press, the duo find themselves entangled in a fake relationship to keep the ghostwriting under wraps.

Mable's character is a beautiful, plus-size, ray of sunshine, and Alfie is a handsome, misunderstood grump. The humor and banter is fantastic throughout the book, although at times this American reader admittedly felt a little mixed up with some of the British terminology.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the inner dialogues were longwinded at times, which was distracting on occasion. I think with some slight tweaks, and paring down, this could easily be addressed.

Overall I really enjoyed the characters, and their story. It was a feel good read, and does exactly what a romcom should, makes you laugh about the process of falling, and being, in love.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 4)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest, and unbiased, review.

Thank you to NetGalley / St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

That being said, this did not live up to my expectations. The concept was quite intriguing - I do love a grumpy sunshine romance - but poorly executed.

For starters, I don’t actually think I would categorize Alfie as grumpy, nor would I categorize Mabel as sunshine. Both characters were awkward, weird, and downright clumsy in nature. And not in a cute quirky way - in a way that made me wonder how the heck they’ve made it this far in life.

Their backstories are touched on, but nothing really plays out and adds to the story the way you’d hope. And their chemistry is nonexistent - I literally dropped my jaw @ the declaration of love, thinking ‘where the heck did that come from?’

This just didn’t do it for me!

Mabel is a ghost writer, and she has just be handed her toughest assignment yet. She has been asked to write the infamous footballer, Alfie Harding’s, memoirs. Famous for refusing to answer any questions about his personal life, under any circumstances and being extremely hostile to anyone who presses for details Mable has her work cut out for her. After a misunderstanding with the paparazzi Mable and Alfie will pretend to be an item in order to keep the ghostwriting a secret. Unfortunately they are both struggling with finding each other extremely attractive.
I’m always a little wary of books that contain a lot of banter, especially ones that bill two main characters as opposites. I find the “banter” tends to be just mean and I don’t love it. This books banter hit a better mark and was kind and playful teasing with neither character trying to hurt the other which was extremely refreshing.
Alfie is adorable and Mable brings out his sweetest side. The book definitely flips a switch from sweet to spicy at a certain point. I only read a couple of books in this genre a year and this is definitely become one of my favourites. It’s cute, it’s fun, parts of it made me actually laugh out loud.
Thank you to @netgalley and @charlotte.stein and @stmartinspress for letting me enjoy this book early in exchange for a review. If you are looking for a copy it hits shelves Feb 6 2024.
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I haven't read a Charlotte Stein novel for a while and clearly that's been a mistake. When Grumpy Met Sunshine has all the things I love about her novels: two complete weirdos who are totally hot for each other with tons of simmering sexual tension along with a lot of laughs.

Alfie is a grumpy retired professional soccer player and Mabel is the sunshine-y ghost writer he hired to work on his memoir. As they start working together, they realize that they grew up in the same area and have a lot in common, including traumatic family histories. Alfie is clearly smitten with Mabel from the start but she can't accept it because she is a bigger woman and Alfie has dated lots of celebrity/model types in the past.

When the paparazzi take photos of Mabel leaving Alfie's house, Alfie and Mabel decide they must start a fake relationship to cover up the fact that Alfie hired a ghostwriter. Fake relationships are one of my favorite tropes and Charlotte Stein really gets this one right. Alfie and Mabel continue to become better friends while they are fake dating and Mabel also realizes that she's really attracted to him. There's a big lack of communication that causes their fake relationship to end but also leads to the most romantic ending I've read in quite some time.

This book was tons of fun and a fantastic romance. I will definitely be getting the next Charlotte Stein release!

Sometimes you read a book that just does not click for you and this is one of those books. The story line was good but the presentation did not appeal to me. I found the book to be scattered, poorly flowing and difficult to read. The profanity was excessive and did not add anything to the story. The constant use of the F word was quite offensive and over done. There was no romance to this love story, just explicit, trashy sex talk.
If I had not committed to read this book for a review I would not have read past the first half.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein offers readers a delightful and steamy opposites-attract romance with a twist. The dynamic between the grumpy ex-footballer, Alfie Harding, and the cheerful ghostwriter, Mabel Willicker, promises to be a source of both humor and chemistry.

The story appears to blend humor, banter, and romance, making it an engaging and entertaining read. Alfie's grumpy demeanor and Mabel's sunshine-y personality create a classic opposites-attract scenario that is often ripe for emotional and romantic tension. Watching them navigate their way through writing Alfie's memoirs and dealing with the mistaken public perception of their relationship should be both fun and intriguing.

The slow burn romance aspect adds depth to the story, allowing readers to savor the development of the relationship between Alfie and Mabel. The fact that they initially see their connection as a mere business arrangement, only for it to evolve into something more, adds a layer of complexity to their interactions.

The book also seems to explore themes of authenticity and public perception, which can resonate with contemporary issues in the age of social media and celebrity culture.

Overall, "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" promises to be an enjoyable read for fans of romance novels who appreciate well-drawn characters, witty banter, and a healthy dose of steamy chemistry.

I thought this book was so cute. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once Mabel & Allie started communicating I knew it was going to be good. At first Allie seemed like a real jerk but I quickly warmed up to him. Mabel was quirky and fun. Once they finally got together the spice was so good. I love their banter and dirty talk. I didn’t care for the third act “breakup” but happy in the resolution and reasoning in retrospect.

Thank you NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to read this but DNFed. It was very difficult to follow the storyline and the assumptions the female main character was making about the male main character did not seem fair.

It took me a little bit to get into the actors writing style and I almost didn't finish this book, I'm glad i stuck with it because overall I ended up enjoying this book. I was able to relate to Mabel as a fellow plus-sized women and love soccer so that's what originally drew me to this book.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️


I wanted to like this book but couldn't connect with the main characters. :( I found most of their conversation boring. It took a very long time to get through this novel. However, the sex scenes were well-written.


Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced readers copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me. It took me awhile to get through this book, which is not the norm for me. Mabel’s dialogue was hard to follow and made me lose interest. I became distracted and had to re-skim sections to understand what was going on. I wanted to read and love this as it’s a genre I usually really enjoy.

I unfortunately couldn’t finish this book. I just couldn’t connect with the writing style and so couldn’t really connect with characters. I liked the premise of the book, but it was just hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read an early copy. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Okay. So I'm not sure if the male character was somehow a nod to Roy Kent on the show Ted Lasso, but this character didn't quite hit the mark. Not a fan of descriptive intimate scenes, but I'm glad these characters were allowed to have a sex life. Cute, quick read for romance lovers.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

4.5 star rating. Touted as an opposites-attract story, I disagree with that characterization as the female MC and male MC truly aren’t as opposite when you get past their outward expressions. Mabel is sunshine & smiles all the time, but inwardly she struggles with confidence and self-acceptance just as much as Alfie does, with his struggles being outwardly gruff & serious.

Despite not agreeing on it being opposites-attract, I truly enjoyed this one for the humor and the banter between these characters. I kind of love the dry humor, sarcastic commentary and it is quite similar to my own love story in that sense - which might be part of the reason I enjoyed this so much even when I wanted to scream at these 2 to just tell each other how they felt.

Spicy dirty talk in this one more so than explicit physical scenes (although there are 2 of those which I’d describe as not super explicit honestly). Since dirty talk works for me, this only added to my enjoyment of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the e-ARC of this. All opinions are my own and I’ll definitely recommend this one to friends.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I wanted to love this book, I really did. Grumpy, disgruntled main love interest, to the happy go lucky main protagonist.

Unfortunately, just did not work for me. I had to keep restarting the book over, couldn't get into it.

If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey, you’ll love this authors’ work! The romance was so cutesy and spicy but it was a slow burn THAT KILLED ME!!!!!
The main focus of the novel is on the blooming romance. Even though we do get a glimpse of past negative experiences and childhood trauma, I believe it wasn’t given justice or explained properly.
I loved the banter, it was so smart. But at some points, it felt excessive. At the same time, it was understandable how bantering was their way of keeping things light.
The childish behavior was very cute!
If you’re looking for a romance to get you out of a reading slump, this will do it 💕

I did not enjoy this book whatsoever, im sorry to say.
I really wanted to like it but it just came across contradictory and very lackluster.

This was such a fun read. It reminded me of Keeley and Roy from Ted Lasso and all the happy vibes that go along with that. This book made me laugh out loud. Mabel was fun and quirky, she puts people at ease which is why she is so good at her job as a ghostwriter. Alfie is a grumpy, angry ex-footballer who is permanently surly and has already dismissed seventeen other ghostwriters.

This is a slow burn romance, with lots of great dialogue and witty banter. The back and forth between Mabel and Alfie is clever and enthralling and kept this book fresh and interesting. The writing makes you fall in love with these two and fills you with hope as they steam towards their HEA.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine, by Charlotte Stein @charlotte.stein
Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy of this delightful rom-com! Charlotte Stein's writing hooked me right away and I was all in on this hilarious opposites-attract romance!!
Read if you like: Ted Lasso, grumpy/sunshine (obviously!), fake dating, steam, and laugh out loud moments!
Thank you @charlotte.stein for writing this gem!
Pub date: February 6, 2024!! Mark your calendars!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I was really excited to read this book because grumpy x sunshine is a favorite trope of mine. Our female lead Mabel hit so many of the boxes: funny, sweet, witty, and did I mention funny??

And don’t get me started on Alfie, a man who couldn’t be more perfect if he tried!! The grumpy guy who is an absolute sweetheart for the girl he likes, I was kicking my feet through most of the book. He’s so thoughtful, tries his best to be open, and can we talk about him doing her hair??? She is me, I am her, and I would’ve grabbed those thighs too😮‍💨

I think the banter overall was quite fun to see, even if I didn’t fully understand the references at times🙈 Something about Mabel really opened Alfie up, and I really enjoyed seeing that progression in their relationship

As for the ending **spoiler alert** I wish we got a little more detail about what happened in the year they were apart. The time jump wasn’t that clear at first but I think it was necessary. Miscommunication isn’t a favorite trope of mine, but it wasn’t too heart breaking thankfully!

I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read it!