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When Grumpy Met Sunshine
A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?
10 pages, Audiobook
First published February 6, 2024
954 people are currently reading
40078 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Stein
117 books2,128 followersCharlotte Stein is the RT and DABWAHA nominated author of over fifty short stories, novellas and novels. When not writing deeply emotional and intensely sexy books, she can be found eating jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms and occasionally lusting after hunks. For more on Charlotte, visit: www.charlottestein.net
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,076 reviews
February 4, 2025
I already know you'll be as disappointed in me as I am right now because, let's be clear, even writing this feels unfair.
But can you blame me? The cover is super cute, the story is super cute, the characters are relatable in a comedian kind of way, and the side messages are all here… but it all felt wrong to me.
I get what Charlotte Stein was trying to do with When Grumpy Met Sunshine, and I was more than ready for a character that finally looks like me, but, at some point, I was tired of convincing myself about it.
Mabel and Alfie’s story is a tender, heartwarming story that fits perfectly the trope, with their insecurities towards themselves and the prospect of being loved by another person.
But the general feeling is that they’re all trying too hard - even the author.
The only aspect that Alfie Harding hasn't in common with Roy Kent is his height, but just because it works on screen it doesn't mean it works on paper. I actually imagined Brett Goldstein as the main lead, which helped, but, as I said, it's too much. Alfie is an ex-footballer with the reputation of being a pain in the ass of everyone, scary and without the ability to talk, but the moment he meets Mabel, he's in love. We then discover that he's funny, charming, clever, loving and very good at dirty talking, with the constant fear of having said something wrong and having made the other person uncomfortable. Like, all the time.
On the other hand, it's clear that Mabel was stung by some past relationship - or life in general - and she tries to protect herself, but it's only in her mind because us, THE READERS, don’t get to know what happened to her.
This leads me to say that, probably, the reason why I couldn't like it the way I thought I would, is the narration.
We see everything from Mabel’s POV, and she talks all the time about everything - there's an entire monologue even during sex -, but not a word about their feelings and traumas. Especially the latter, since they have in common a bad past with their family.
They talk about things superficially: her father used to hit her, his father was a douche that consider his son a pussy for wanting to be a writer, she doesn't speak anymore with her sister (why?), he has a sister that's just mentioned. Talking about their past relationships, he says the girls he used to date didn't like him for real but never explained what happened with them; she, on the other hand, is uncertain till the end about him actually liking her, but never - not once! - is talked about the difficulty and fear of dating as a plus-size woman.
Also, the narration gets lost in dialogues more often than not, leaving details behind: we know he buys her a vacuum cleaner, but when he goes to her place he brings clothes with him, but no signs of the vacuum; he has a chauffeur, but every time they get in the car and talk, the car never moves; and so on, because if I keep thinking about what I didn't like I'll rate it even lower.
↠ 2 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
But can you blame me? The cover is super cute, the story is super cute, the characters are relatable in a comedian kind of way, and the side messages are all here… but it all felt wrong to me.
I get what Charlotte Stein was trying to do with When Grumpy Met Sunshine, and I was more than ready for a character that finally looks like me, but, at some point, I was tired of convincing myself about it.
Mabel and Alfie’s story is a tender, heartwarming story that fits perfectly the trope, with their insecurities towards themselves and the prospect of being loved by another person.
But the general feeling is that they’re all trying too hard - even the author.
The only aspect that Alfie Harding hasn't in common with Roy Kent is his height, but just because it works on screen it doesn't mean it works on paper. I actually imagined Brett Goldstein as the main lead, which helped, but, as I said, it's too much. Alfie is an ex-footballer with the reputation of being a pain in the ass of everyone, scary and without the ability to talk, but the moment he meets Mabel, he's in love. We then discover that he's funny, charming, clever, loving and very good at dirty talking, with the constant fear of having said something wrong and having made the other person uncomfortable. Like, all the time.
On the other hand, it's clear that Mabel was stung by some past relationship - or life in general - and she tries to protect herself, but it's only in her mind because us, THE READERS, don’t get to know what happened to her.
This leads me to say that, probably, the reason why I couldn't like it the way I thought I would, is the narration.
We see everything from Mabel’s POV, and she talks all the time about everything - there's an entire monologue even during sex -, but not a word about their feelings and traumas. Especially the latter, since they have in common a bad past with their family.
They talk about things superficially: her father used to hit her, his father was a douche that consider his son a pussy for wanting to be a writer, she doesn't speak anymore with her sister (why?), he has a sister that's just mentioned. Talking about their past relationships, he says the girls he used to date didn't like him for real but never explained what happened with them; she, on the other hand, is uncertain till the end about him actually liking her, but never - not once! - is talked about the difficulty and fear of dating as a plus-size woman.
Also, the narration gets lost in dialogues more often than not, leaving details behind: we know he buys her a vacuum cleaner, but when he goes to her place he brings clothes with him, but no signs of the vacuum; he has a chauffeur, but every time they get in the car and talk, the car never moves; and so on, because if I keep thinking about what I didn't like I'll rate it even lower.
↠ 2 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
January 6, 2024
When Grumpy Met Sunshine
by Charlotte Stein is a hilarious romantic comedy featuring opposites attract romance between ghostwriter Mabel Willicker and retired footballer Alfie Harding. Mabel is hired to ghostwrite his memoir after 17 others have been rejected. Alfie doesn’t want to do this but has been badgered into doing it. After their business arrangement is mistaken for a romance, they decide to pretend to be a couple. Is their chemistry real or fake?
Mabel is curvy, bubbly, warm, kind, and cute. She also blushes easily and can get elicit thoughts and feelings from others that work well in a memoir. Alfie is known to be grumpy, blunt, and hates revealing anything about himself. He easily gets annoyed, cranky, and indignant. However, he is also perceptive, practical, and intense. Their dynamic is great, if a little over-the-top at times.
For the first 60 percent or so of this book, I was thoroughly enjoying the story line. It was funny with several laugh-out-loud moments. For the next 30 percent it was only steamy spice. I don’t dislike steamy spice in a book, but this was only that without advancing the plot. The last 8-10 percent was back to giving readers a story they could fully appreciate. My other quibble with the book was the excessive swearing that occurred.
Overall, this was a story that quickly drew me into Alfie and Mabel’s world and their journey together. It was an engaging and cute read with plenty of witty banter. The characterization was excellent and the descriptions gave readers an appreciation for their living conditions.
St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and Charlotte Stein provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 6, 2024.
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My 3.09 review rounded to 3 stars is coming soon.
Mabel is curvy, bubbly, warm, kind, and cute. She also blushes easily and can get elicit thoughts and feelings from others that work well in a memoir. Alfie is known to be grumpy, blunt, and hates revealing anything about himself. He easily gets annoyed, cranky, and indignant. However, he is also perceptive, practical, and intense. Their dynamic is great, if a little over-the-top at times.
For the first 60 percent or so of this book, I was thoroughly enjoying the story line. It was funny with several laugh-out-loud moments. For the next 30 percent it was only steamy spice. I don’t dislike steamy spice in a book, but this was only that without advancing the plot. The last 8-10 percent was back to giving readers a story they could fully appreciate. My other quibble with the book was the excessive swearing that occurred.
Overall, this was a story that quickly drew me into Alfie and Mabel’s world and their journey together. It was an engaging and cute read with plenty of witty banter. The characterization was excellent and the descriptions gave readers an appreciation for their living conditions.
St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and Charlotte Stein provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 6, 2024.
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My 3.09 review rounded to 3 stars is coming soon.
January 8, 2024
When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a banter-filled romcom following Mabel, a bubbly and bright ghostwriter, and Aflie a famous retired footballer in need of help writing his memoir. When the two get close while detailing Alfie's life, they find themselves falling for each other further when their relationship is discovered by the public and the two are forced to pretend to be a couple.
My Roy Kent loving heart is conflicted! While I enjoyed every minute of this charming romcom, the writing was so lengthy yet choppy; I couldn't follow what was being said half the time. Their banter and honest relationship kept me invested the whole time, but, I couldn't overlook the writing. While I had a great time reading this, I think it needed a whole lot more editing and proofreading. I also found issue with the one-year separation and time skip in the last 10% of the book; the ending was rushed and completely out of character with the story and plot. Despite my issues with the writing and ending, I did very much enjoy the story and will absolutely be on the lookout for more from Charlotte Stein!
~Many thanks to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
My Roy Kent loving heart is conflicted! While I enjoyed every minute of this charming romcom, the writing was so lengthy yet choppy; I couldn't follow what was being said half the time. Their banter and honest relationship kept me invested the whole time, but, I couldn't overlook the writing. While I had a great time reading this, I think it needed a whole lot more editing and proofreading. I also found issue with the one-year separation and time skip in the last 10% of the book; the ending was rushed and completely out of character with the story and plot. Despite my issues with the writing and ending, I did very much enjoy the story and will absolutely be on the lookout for more from Charlotte Stein!
~Many thanks to NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
February 11, 2024
2⭐
Genre ~ romantic comedy
Setting ~ England I think
Publication date ~ February 6, 2024
Est page Count ~ 329 (27 long titled chapters + one year later)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 17 minutes
Narrator ~ Emily Spowage
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ characters in their 30's, ex soccer player, plus size woman, fake relationship, opposites attract, slow burn, some steamage, EXCESSIVE swearing, no communication
*possible spoilers ahead*
Content warning from the author ~ brief references to parental abuse, childhood poverty, and alcoholism, and an incident that includes fat-phobia, plus brief mentions at a few points of the effects that fat-phobia can have.
Mabel & Alfie
Mable is ghostwriting Alfie's memoir, but then they find themselves in a fake relationship and obviously fall for each other.
Have you watched Ted Lasso? If not, here's your chance to meet one of the characters, Roy Kent, because I totally believe Aflie is based on him and you can't tell me otherwise. I didn't really find him to be overly grumpy though. I liked how he defended Mabel right from the start when people were talking about her weight.
But...Mabel, really? I'm kind of tired of the whole 'he'll never love me because I'm fat' crap. I could see he was genuine all the way over here in the USA, so open your eyes girl! Yeah fine you're in a fake relationship, so you think he's faking it, but for the love of all that is holy why can't grown adults communicate?! They are in their 30's for Pete's, not F's, sake!!
Okay, so listen, I've been known to swear a time or two or 16, but for the F word to be used 253 times is just overly excessive to me for a 329 page book. Over excessive even if it was a 1,329 or 3,290 page book. It just really turned me off. I did primarily listen to it, so maybe it wouldn't have been as noticeable to me if I had read it.
There were some funny bits, but even the banter got to be too much and I didn't really care for it. There was too much inner monologue and the repeating of phrases was really annoying ~ 'and she laughed, she did laugh,' 'like he had said he would, like he had told her,' 'even though he wasn't, he wasn't at all'...just to name a few.
The whole grand gesture was fine I suppose, but one year later....nah, too far in the future.
In conclusion, I wasn't a super big fan if you couldn't tell.
I had both a kindle and an audio copy to review.
Narration notes:
I guess she was okay, but again when someone is swearing in your ear a bunch you tend to get bugged with them.
Side bar ~ the cover is super cute.
*Thanks to the author, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ romantic comedy
Setting ~ England I think
Publication date ~ February 6, 2024
Est page Count ~ 329 (27 long titled chapters + one year later)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 17 minutes
Narrator ~ Emily Spowage
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ characters in their 30's, ex soccer player, plus size woman, fake relationship, opposites attract, slow burn, some steamage, EXCESSIVE swearing, no communication
*possible spoilers ahead*
Content warning from the author ~ brief references to parental abuse, childhood poverty, and alcoholism, and an incident that includes fat-phobia, plus brief mentions at a few points of the effects that fat-phobia can have.
Mabel & Alfie
Mable is ghostwriting Alfie's memoir, but then they find themselves in a fake relationship and obviously fall for each other.
Have you watched Ted Lasso? If not, here's your chance to meet one of the characters, Roy Kent, because I totally believe Aflie is based on him and you can't tell me otherwise. I didn't really find him to be overly grumpy though. I liked how he defended Mabel right from the start when people were talking about her weight.
But...Mabel, really? I'm kind of tired of the whole 'he'll never love me because I'm fat' crap. I could see he was genuine all the way over here in the USA, so open your eyes girl! Yeah fine you're in a fake relationship, so you think he's faking it, but for the love of all that is holy why can't grown adults communicate?! They are in their 30's for Pete's, not F's, sake!!
Okay, so listen, I've been known to swear a time or two or 16, but for the F word to be used 253 times is just overly excessive to me for a 329 page book. Over excessive even if it was a 1,329 or 3,290 page book. It just really turned me off. I did primarily listen to it, so maybe it wouldn't have been as noticeable to me if I had read it.
There were some funny bits, but even the banter got to be too much and I didn't really care for it. There was too much inner monologue and the repeating of phrases was really annoying ~ 'and she laughed, she did laugh,' 'like he had said he would, like he had told her,' 'even though he wasn't, he wasn't at all'...just to name a few.
The whole grand gesture was fine I suppose, but one year later....nah, too far in the future.
In conclusion, I wasn't a super big fan if you couldn't tell.
I had both a kindle and an audio copy to review.
Narration notes:
I guess she was okay, but again when someone is swearing in your ear a bunch you tend to get bugged with them.
Side bar ~ the cover is super cute.
*Thanks to the author, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
September 18, 2023
I tried my best to navigate through this book without getting caught in another never-ending banter session. Grumpy-meets-sunshine, a trope I adore, comes to life in the main character, Alfie Harding, who resembles the hottest version of Roy Kent, complete with a golden heart but plagued by social ineptness and anger management issues. Mabel Willicker, the quick-witted and observant ghostwriter, also shines without any reservations.
However, the excessive and lengthy dialogues feel reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's films, dragging on for what feels like ages. Unfortunately, they persist, causing frustration and hindering the enjoyment of the reading experience.
With repetitive dialogues and a lack of action or progress, I found myself rolling my eyes and, admittedly, skimming through some parts just to reach the conclusion.
Overall, this book holds great potential with its opposites-attract and workplace romance tropes. However, it would benefit greatly from rigorous editing to trim down the lengthy banter and inject more action to drive the plot forward. Consequently, I can only award it three stars, despite my best efforts.
Here's to hoping my next romance read will be more captivating and entertaining.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a digital review copy, allowing me to share my honest thoughts on the book.
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However, the excessive and lengthy dialogues feel reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's films, dragging on for what feels like ages. Unfortunately, they persist, causing frustration and hindering the enjoyment of the reading experience.
With repetitive dialogues and a lack of action or progress, I found myself rolling my eyes and, admittedly, skimming through some parts just to reach the conclusion.
Overall, this book holds great potential with its opposites-attract and workplace romance tropes. However, it would benefit greatly from rigorous editing to trim down the lengthy banter and inject more action to drive the plot forward. Consequently, I can only award it three stars, despite my best efforts.
Here's to hoping my next romance read will be more captivating and entertaining.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a digital review copy, allowing me to share my honest thoughts on the book.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
February 28, 2025
4,75
Jeśli potrzebujecie motyli w brzuchu, przebierania nogami i szerokiego uśmiechu, to jest to książka dla was
Jeśli potrzebujecie motyli w brzuchu, przebierania nogami i szerokiego uśmiechu, to jest to książka dla was
December 7, 2023
I'm sorry, but I just cannot physically punish myself any longer by continuing this utter nonsense. I don't think i've ever read a book with so many words that says absolutely NOTHING. This is a headache-inducing explosion of contrived banter and forced wit. It's clearly a fanfic of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso (one of the greatest characters ever) who falls in love with I think is supposed to be a plus-sized Keeley Jones. Which is an insult to Keeley, because she's an incredible character as well. It's like the author took the most basic parts of each character to craft Alfie & Mabel. For the "grumpy" character based on Roy, all Alfie does is grunt and I guess that equals grumpy. For the "sunshine" which is Mabel, a neurotic, "relatable," overthinker who doesn't think she deserves love. Yeah, I'm not sure how that equates to sunshine, either. I got to 46% in the span of two months before I could not click to another page.
In terms of trying to provide feedback that could be useful in the future for either the author, editor, or publisher, PLEASE for the love of all that is holy, remember the phrase "show don't tell." I think that would instantly take this from a 1 star DNF to possibly a 2.5 star "at least I finished it" rating. What I mean by that is this book was entirely Mabel's inner monologue going "and she knew what he was going to say next. And then he said exactly what she thought he would say. And it wasn't surprising in the slightest because she had been expecting it." I'm sorry. WHAT is that?? Just show the conversation. Don't even get me started on the sentence structure. If you're going to insist on providing just a constant stream of Mabel's chaotic self-doubt then at least make it legible. Again, I would like to provide examples: "Like it was something she could really do. And then she got out her keys. And went to put one in the lock." I literally scrolled ahead to a random page in this book and found that. I could do that with any page on this book because it was THE WHOLE BOOK. Imagine if I wrote my reviews. In that exact manner. With choppy non-sentences that somehow made it past. The first round of editing?!
The cover is cute and the concept could've been great - it's a popular trope for a reason. But wow, this book is NOT. IT.
In terms of trying to provide feedback that could be useful in the future for either the author, editor, or publisher, PLEASE for the love of all that is holy, remember the phrase "show don't tell." I think that would instantly take this from a 1 star DNF to possibly a 2.5 star "at least I finished it" rating. What I mean by that is this book was entirely Mabel's inner monologue going "and she knew what he was going to say next. And then he said exactly what she thought he would say. And it wasn't surprising in the slightest because she had been expecting it." I'm sorry. WHAT is that?? Just show the conversation. Don't even get me started on the sentence structure. If you're going to insist on providing just a constant stream of Mabel's chaotic self-doubt then at least make it legible. Again, I would like to provide examples: "Like it was something she could really do. And then she got out her keys. And went to put one in the lock." I literally scrolled ahead to a random page in this book and found that. I could do that with any page on this book because it was THE WHOLE BOOK. Imagine if I wrote my reviews. In that exact manner. With choppy non-sentences that somehow made it past. The first round of editing?!
The cover is cute and the concept could've been great - it's a popular trope for a reason. But wow, this book is NOT. IT.
February 5, 2024
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
Contemporary romantic comedy.
Grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into writing his memoir. He knows he doesn’t want to write it himself because he hates revealing anything personal about his life. So the publisher hires ghostwriter Mabel Willicker to help. Their initial meeting doesn’t go as she expected and then he turns up at a restaurant she’s at and then a coffee shop on way home. What the heck is he doing? He doesn’t want to work with her so why is he following her?
They end up working together but and he does share things with Mabel but he continually puts conditions on what she can and cannot include. Eventually their working together is noticed by the media and since the contract is confidential they end up posing as a romantic couple. Until feeling become more than a simple contract.
🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook. The narrator is Emily Spowage who does a marvelous job between the male and female voices, the emotions and the comedic timing. I essentially read this book twice because I couldn’t decide which format I liked better. The fun of the writing had me laughing out loud while listening to the audiobook and bookmarking passages I wanted to note. I believe everyone will be happy with either format. A good narrator can make an audiobook entertaining and this definitely hits the mark.
I listens to the audiobook at my usual 1.5.
I had so much fun highlighting laugh-out-loud lines! There is so much witty banter, I fell in love with the grump and the ghostwriter and while it’s not all smooth sailing, in the end I was crying the happy tears.
Excerpt:
“A mess of a million scary arguments.
Him, coming up with increasingly horrible insults.
Her, eventually tossing him into the nearest wood chipper.
And she just didn’t have easy access to machinery like that.”
Excerpt from When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio.
I’m buying a copy to revisit this wonderful comedic romance.
Contemporary romantic comedy.
Grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into writing his memoir. He knows he doesn’t want to write it himself because he hates revealing anything personal about his life. So the publisher hires ghostwriter Mabel Willicker to help. Their initial meeting doesn’t go as she expected and then he turns up at a restaurant she’s at and then a coffee shop on way home. What the heck is he doing? He doesn’t want to work with her so why is he following her?
They end up working together but and he does share things with Mabel but he continually puts conditions on what she can and cannot include. Eventually their working together is noticed by the media and since the contract is confidential they end up posing as a romantic couple. Until feeling become more than a simple contract.
🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook. The narrator is Emily Spowage who does a marvelous job between the male and female voices, the emotions and the comedic timing. I essentially read this book twice because I couldn’t decide which format I liked better. The fun of the writing had me laughing out loud while listening to the audiobook and bookmarking passages I wanted to note. I believe everyone will be happy with either format. A good narrator can make an audiobook entertaining and this definitely hits the mark.
I listens to the audiobook at my usual 1.5.
I had so much fun highlighting laugh-out-loud lines! There is so much witty banter, I fell in love with the grump and the ghostwriter and while it’s not all smooth sailing, in the end I was crying the happy tears.
Excerpt:
“A mess of a million scary arguments.
Him, coming up with increasingly horrible insults.
Her, eventually tossing him into the nearest wood chipper.
And she just didn’t have easy access to machinery like that.”
Excerpt from When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio.
I’m buying a copy to revisit this wonderful comedic romance.
November 4, 2023
Only Alfie could accidentally stalk a woman.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Mabel Willicker (33) | Alfie Harding (38)
FEATURES
∘ grumpy / sunshine (shocking, I know)
∘ fake dating
∘ retired athlete (soccer)
∘ “that can’t happen again”
REVIEW
When When Grumpy Met Sunshine was interesting, it was impossible to put down. Conversely, when When Grumpy Met Sunshine was boring, it was impossible to pick up.
Charlotte Stein put her own twist on the grumpy/shine trope in the way that Alfie was not so much a grump as he was flustered and misunderstood. He was always kind and quick to correct a misunderstanding (respectful king). The man we read about in the interviews at the end of the chapter does not match him at all. Perhaps it’s because around Mabel, he’s different and being more himself.
One thing that frustrated me was how closed-off Mabel was about her attraction to him. Alfie would be like, “I’m so sorry I know you find me ugly and fake dating me is the worst thing ever.”
And then instead of reassuring him, Mabel would be like, “I never said that.” LIKE CAN YOU PLEASE JUST TELL THIS MAN YOU CARE ABOUT HIM AND FIND HIM ATTRACTIVE?
That being said, the strongest parts of this book is definitely the tension. As always, the steam was top tier. I do wish it happened earlier in the book so there was more, but honestly, it works best that it happened in the last parts of the book.
Personally, I found the banter was hard to follow. I always felt like I was accidentally skipping a page because much of understanding what’s going on is listening to what Mabel is saying about it, which duh, but then I would forget what was actually said/what they were talking about.
I won’t lie, I did almost give up on this book. But I’m glad I didn’t. I found so many little moments of true enjoyment. Maybe the romcom genre just isn’t for me anymore. Anyway, if there’s one thing to take away from this: Alfie is babygirl. Thank you.
OW/OM DRAMA past OW — they do not make an appearance, but Mabel compares herself to Alfie’s exes frequently. He always reassures her how beautiful and attractive she is without comparing her to them (he never talks bad about his exes’ body types either—like I said: respectful king!)
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP technically yes — they’re not actually dating but there is a year of separation
ENDING HEA — no epilogue but the couple has declared their undying and ultimate love for each other
POV singular (Mabel) / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3 / 5
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for this ARC of When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein in exchange for an honest review.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Mabel Willicker (33) | Alfie Harding (38)
FEATURES
∘ grumpy / sunshine (shocking, I know)
∘ fake dating
∘ retired athlete (soccer)
∘ “that can’t happen again”
REVIEW
When When Grumpy Met Sunshine was interesting, it was impossible to put down. Conversely, when When Grumpy Met Sunshine was boring, it was impossible to pick up.
Charlotte Stein put her own twist on the grumpy/shine trope in the way that Alfie was not so much a grump as he was flustered and misunderstood. He was always kind and quick to correct a misunderstanding (respectful king). The man we read about in the interviews at the end of the chapter does not match him at all. Perhaps it’s because around Mabel, he’s different and being more himself.
One thing that frustrated me was how closed-off Mabel was about her attraction to him. Alfie would be like, “I’m so sorry I know you find me ugly and fake dating me is the worst thing ever.”
And then instead of reassuring him, Mabel would be like, “I never said that.” LIKE CAN YOU PLEASE JUST TELL THIS MAN YOU CARE ABOUT HIM AND FIND HIM ATTRACTIVE?
That being said, the strongest parts of this book is definitely the tension. As always, the steam was top tier. I do wish it happened earlier in the book so there was more, but honestly, it works best that it happened in the last parts of the book.
Personally, I found the banter was hard to follow. I always felt like I was accidentally skipping a page because much of understanding what’s going on is listening to what Mabel is saying about it, which duh, but then I would forget what was actually said/what they were talking about.
I won’t lie, I did almost give up on this book. But I’m glad I didn’t. I found so many little moments of true enjoyment. Maybe the romcom genre just isn’t for me anymore. Anyway, if there’s one thing to take away from this: Alfie is babygirl. Thank you.
OW/OM DRAMA past OW — they do not make an appearance, but Mabel compares herself to Alfie’s exes frequently. He always reassures her how beautiful and attractive she is without comparing her to them (he never talks bad about his exes’ body types either—like I said: respectful king!)
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP technically yes — they’re not actually dating but there is a year of separation
ENDING HEA — no epilogue but the couple has declared their undying and ultimate love for each other
POV singular (Mabel) / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3 / 5
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for this ARC of When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2024
You show me a cute title and some cartoony cover art and I’m 100% requesting an early copy immediately. But don’t let the cutesieness fool you . . .
If you are like and get a little squicked out with too much dirty sexy talk, multiple masturbation and dry-humping sessions and a plot that all but completely disappears once the two main (pretty much only) characters start boffing like bunnies, well, you might want to skip this one.
I’m going to give this 2.5, but round down for the aforementioned not smexy smexuals. The pacing was off a bit at the beginning as well and “grumpy” really turned his frown upside down and acted like he was “sunshine’s” B.F.F. without much interaction. But then things settled in and for a while I was loving the banter between Mable and Alfie as they got to know each other while she was ghost writing the famous footballer’s memoir. I just wish the flow would have kept going once things got steamy.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Book #4 . . . .
If you are like and get a little squicked out with too much dirty sexy talk, multiple masturbation and dry-humping sessions and a plot that all but completely disappears once the two main (pretty much only) characters start boffing like bunnies, well, you might want to skip this one.
I’m going to give this 2.5, but round down for the aforementioned not smexy smexuals. The pacing was off a bit at the beginning as well and “grumpy” really turned his frown upside down and acted like he was “sunshine’s” B.F.F. without much interaction. But then things settled in and for a while I was loving the banter between Mable and Alfie as they got to know each other while she was ghost writing the famous footballer’s memoir. I just wish the flow would have kept going once things got steamy.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Book #4 . . . .
January 15, 2024
A famous footballer (soccer player) from the UK is writing a memoir and our plus size heroine is hired as his ghostwriter under an NDA. So when people think she's the new woman in his life, things get complicated...
The reviews on this seem mixed but I really enjoyed it! I think my biggest complaint is just that the title suggests this grumpy/sunshine dynamic which wasn't adequately established at the start of the book. From the get go he's not actually all that grumpy and she is perfectly willing to stand up for herself.
That aside, I enjoyed the banter and development of their relationship. It was very sweet and then startlingly steamy. Like very sexy. And there are some hilarious moments that had me quite literally laughing out loud.
She doesn't think they make sense because he's been known to date thin models and she's fat and very much a normal person. But he's so clearly into her from the very beginning and I loved that. There seems to be some criticism of the fact that she continues to think she's not for him despite the clear attraction, but honestly in context that makes a lot of sense to me. There absolutely are people who might privately be attracted to people in larger bodies but won't publicly be in relationships with them because of the way they might be perceived in an all-too-often fatphobic world. So her wariness isn't stupid. But he is delightful and horrified at how the press has been talking about her.
While I think this book could have done with an extra chapter or two at the beginning to really set the stage for who these characters are or are perceived to be, I generally really liked it and would suggest it to fans of Olivia Dade. It does a fairly good job of showing attraction, desire, and sexual enjoyment in a way that doesn't weirdly fetishize fatness but also doesn't ignore the physicality of the characters actual bodies. The audio narration is great and you really get the Britishness of this rom-com. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
The reviews on this seem mixed but I really enjoyed it! I think my biggest complaint is just that the title suggests this grumpy/sunshine dynamic which wasn't adequately established at the start of the book. From the get go he's not actually all that grumpy and she is perfectly willing to stand up for herself.
That aside, I enjoyed the banter and development of their relationship. It was very sweet and then startlingly steamy. Like very sexy. And there are some hilarious moments that had me quite literally laughing out loud.
She doesn't think they make sense because he's been known to date thin models and she's fat and very much a normal person. But he's so clearly into her from the very beginning and I loved that. There seems to be some criticism of the fact that she continues to think she's not for him despite the clear attraction, but honestly in context that makes a lot of sense to me. There absolutely are people who might privately be attracted to people in larger bodies but won't publicly be in relationships with them because of the way they might be perceived in an all-too-often fatphobic world. So her wariness isn't stupid. But he is delightful and horrified at how the press has been talking about her.
While I think this book could have done with an extra chapter or two at the beginning to really set the stage for who these characters are or are perceived to be, I generally really liked it and would suggest it to fans of Olivia Dade. It does a fairly good job of showing attraction, desire, and sexual enjoyment in a way that doesn't weirdly fetishize fatness but also doesn't ignore the physicality of the characters actual bodies. The audio narration is great and you really get the Britishness of this rom-com. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
August 25, 2023
I enjoyed this so much! I loved that the main character was plus sized! She seemed more real and raw, insecurities and all. The male main character is suppose to be the grumpy one, but I think he's just misunderstood. The female main character had more push back and grumpy moments than he had. I loved how this was a fake relationship trope, it beautifully played out. Some bits seemed to slow roll by but keep pushing through it's a worthy read!
I received this ARC from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this ebook.
I received this ARC from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this ebook.
Read
July 2, 2023DNF @ 35% there's something I've discovered because of this book. and it's called "too much banter."
some dialogue made me laugh. i kept picturing roy from ted lasso as the mmc? but mostly it was just boring.
some dialogue made me laugh. i kept picturing roy from ted lasso as the mmc? but mostly it was just boring.
Read
January 23, 2024I should’ve known from the title that this book would be focused HEAVILY on their differences…but alas I’m just now realizing it. I got tired of her making comments about how different they were and how rich he was and how they have such different lives. I think the shining part of Roy Kent was that Keeley was also rich and famous on her own merit and could take everything he gave without flinching, while sending it right back. Keeley and Roy were grumpy/sunshine obviously, but they had friction and tension.
There was wayyyyy less buildup to him actually being a nice guy, which destroyed the tension for me. He liked the heroine from the start, was a little bumbling and misguided, and seemed like a decent person. Roy Kent was scary and yelly and unapologetic lmao. The hero apologized several times within the first few chapters! I get that he’s “different” around the heroine, but I want to work for that a little.
The book itself, for the twenty percent I read, felt repetitive and didn’t hold my attention. And frankly, the constant Roy Kent comparisons in my brain were detrimental. I’m focusing a lot on Roy Kent because this book was literally pitched in Publisher’s Weekly as Roy Kent inspired!
I liked the narrator, but she didn’t really differentiate between voices. The hero and heroine’s speaking voices sounded the same.
I DNFed because I just don’t think this book was ever going to surpass 3 stars for me and I just didn’t want to waste my time. I was listening for an hour and couldn’t even remember the heroine’s name.
Thanks so much to the publisher for an ALC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
There was wayyyyy less buildup to him actually being a nice guy, which destroyed the tension for me. He liked the heroine from the start, was a little bumbling and misguided, and seemed like a decent person. Roy Kent was scary and yelly and unapologetic lmao. The hero apologized several times within the first few chapters! I get that he’s “different” around the heroine, but I want to work for that a little.
The book itself, for the twenty percent I read, felt repetitive and didn’t hold my attention. And frankly, the constant Roy Kent comparisons in my brain were detrimental. I’m focusing a lot on Roy Kent because this book was literally pitched in Publisher’s Weekly as Roy Kent inspired!
I liked the narrator, but she didn’t really differentiate between voices. The hero and heroine’s speaking voices sounded the same.
I DNFed because I just don’t think this book was ever going to surpass 3 stars for me and I just didn’t want to waste my time. I was listening for an hour and couldn’t even remember the heroine’s name.
Thanks so much to the publisher for an ALC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
June 14, 2025
DNF, 35%.
Nie da się tego czytać.
Nie da się tego czytać.
February 29, 2024
This was a fun and light read. The banter in this book is on 10! The writing style brought me back to my teen years and was reminiscent of an older 'Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging'. Alfie and Mabel bring all the rom-com vibes with a ton of heat🥵.
April 23, 2024
4/5 🌟
3/5 ❤️🩹
4/5 🥰
3/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
2/5 😰A
3/5 🎭C
1/5 🎭T
0/5 👻
0/5 🔬
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️
Adult Situations
Sexual Content
Fatphobia
Body Shaming
Profanity
Violence
Emotional Abuse
Child Abuse
Physical Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Alcoholism
Toxic Relationship
Sexism
Classism
Addiction
Abandonment
Death of a Parent
Bullying
Stalking
Panic Attacks
Blood
Injury/Injury Detail
🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️
A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?
🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 852 REVIEWS
Moods
funny 82%
lighthearted 77%
emotional 49%
hopeful 31%
inspiring 10%
reflective 10%
relaxing 7%
sad 3%
adventurous 2%
challenging 1%
tense 1%
Pace
medium 59%
fast 23%
slow 17%
Plot- or character-driven?
Character: 60% | A mix: 29% | Plot: 8%
Strong character development?
Yes: 59% | No: 19% | It's complicated: 16% | N/A: 4%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 79% | It's complicated: 12% | No: 7%
Diverse cast of characters?
No: 62% | Yes: 21% | It's complicated: 10% | N/A: 5%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 66% | It's complicated: 16% | No: 15% | N/A: 1%
Average rating
3.49 ⭐️
🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔
This book was adorable and incredibly sweet. I love Allie and Mabel together! He was so thoughtful and kind. He treated Mabel like a Queen. I hate that Mabel had so much self doubt but we are always our own worst critic. Even the this book ended was cute. There were several times that I literally laughed out loud! I believe as more people read this the Storygraph rating will increase.
It’s a solid 4 🌟 from me!
RATING KEY:
🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy/Tragedy- based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky/Creepy -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!
🔬 bSci-Fi - based on the Science Fiction in the book as well as the Dystopian elements.
3/5 ❤️🩹
4/5 🥰
3/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
2/5 😰A
3/5 🎭C
1/5 🎭T
0/5 👻
0/5 🔬
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️
Adult Situations
Sexual Content
Fatphobia
Body Shaming
Profanity
Violence
Emotional Abuse
Child Abuse
Physical Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Alcoholism
Toxic Relationship
Sexism
Classism
Addiction
Abandonment
Death of a Parent
Bullying
Stalking
Panic Attacks
Blood
Injury/Injury Detail
🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️
A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?
🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 852 REVIEWS
Moods
funny 82%
lighthearted 77%
emotional 49%
hopeful 31%
inspiring 10%
reflective 10%
relaxing 7%
sad 3%
adventurous 2%
challenging 1%
tense 1%
Pace
medium 59%
fast 23%
slow 17%
Plot- or character-driven?
Character: 60% | A mix: 29% | Plot: 8%
Strong character development?
Yes: 59% | No: 19% | It's complicated: 16% | N/A: 4%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 79% | It's complicated: 12% | No: 7%
Diverse cast of characters?
No: 62% | Yes: 21% | It's complicated: 10% | N/A: 5%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 66% | It's complicated: 16% | No: 15% | N/A: 1%
Average rating
3.49 ⭐️
🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔
This book was adorable and incredibly sweet. I love Allie and Mabel together! He was so thoughtful and kind. He treated Mabel like a Queen. I hate that Mabel had so much self doubt but we are always our own worst critic. Even the this book ended was cute. There were several times that I literally laughed out loud! I believe as more people read this the Storygraph rating will increase.
It’s a solid 4 🌟 from me!
RATING KEY:
🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy/Tragedy- based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky/Creepy -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!
🔬 bSci-Fi - based on the Science Fiction in the book as well as the Dystopian elements.
July 11, 2023
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book. Yikes. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. All I kept thinking was who knew banter could be so annoying and over the top. I was not a fan though I had high hopes because of the cover and plot.
May 7, 2024
I like the characters. I think Miss Stein build the characters perfectly. And the hero who secretly wants to be a writer is adding the swoon effect.
What I miss is the writing. The book is full of cute banter. Somehow I can not connect with any of the banter.
3 stars
What I miss is the writing. The book is full of cute banter. Somehow I can not connect with any of the banter.
3 stars
August 3, 2023
I can't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading. This story is .... honestly, it's everything I could possibly want. Mabel is beautiful and wonderful and so good at her job and can't seem to stop making smart comments to this celebrity footballer. Alfie freaking Harding, my friends. My new favorite hero. I just...I love him. This man who has forced himself to be smaller because reasons, and he freaking lights up with Mabel. Brilliant. Also, some really great sexy scenes!! The banter is top notch. Basically this is my favorite book. Heading off to read it again now.
July 1, 2023
caitlyn and mary deserve an award for putting up with my livetexts for this one.
January 31, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
This was really fun, but it did that thing where one of the MCs couldn't fathom that the other could ever love them, all evidence to the contrary (and there was SO MUCH EVIDENCE HE LOVD HER HOLY SHIT), so I couldn't give it five stars. I understand that low self-esteem is a thing that happens IRL, but I feel like it should be more subtle than it was here, where it made the otherwise lovely MC seem kind of dumb. Other than that, this book was SO MUCH FUN. I loved that the two main characters actually talked to each other. I loved how weird Alfie was, and how gruff. I love how they kept surprising each other. This is one of those books that doesn't have much plot, and while I kind of wish it had more, the dynamic between the characters is what I love about romance, and here that was absolutely great. They were funny together.
I absolutely 100% pictured Roy Kent the entire time, as I was no doubt meant to.
This was really fun, but it did that thing where one of the MCs couldn't fathom that the other could ever love them, all evidence to the contrary (and there was SO MUCH EVIDENCE HE LOVD HER HOLY SHIT), so I couldn't give it five stars. I understand that low self-esteem is a thing that happens IRL, but I feel like it should be more subtle than it was here, where it made the otherwise lovely MC seem kind of dumb. Other than that, this book was SO MUCH FUN. I loved that the two main characters actually talked to each other. I loved how weird Alfie was, and how gruff. I love how they kept surprising each other. This is one of those books that doesn't have much plot, and while I kind of wish it had more, the dynamic between the characters is what I love about romance, and here that was absolutely great. They were funny together.
I absolutely 100% pictured Roy Kent the entire time, as I was no doubt meant to.
April 18, 2024
dnf @53% , this one just wasn’t for me. I was super bored and couldn’t get into the story.
February 10, 2024
I comsider myself very lucky to have received this audio arc of a interesting new rom com. The narrator does a good job of making rhe dialogue more understandable and relevant to each character.
The story itself will tug at the heart of the hardest non romantic. However it should come with a warning. It contains swearing and highly descripitive physical. Scenes which even when narated seem to be a tad ott and not totally sitting with the overal plot.
The characters i loved they were narrated and written true to life. I felt the ending was rushed and too emphasis was placed on the wrong parts of the story. This felt like iit just needed a bit of editing especially if you were reading as it works best as an audiobook.
I was more invested in the ending and felt not enough rmphasis was placed on it.
However I did throughly enjoy this i was taken back with the physixal descriptions and the level if swearing. I would recommended this to anyone as long as they are openminded and happy to listen as at tinesvitvfelt too long.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and narrator and author. As it is audio it is 4 star.
The story itself will tug at the heart of the hardest non romantic. However it should come with a warning. It contains swearing and highly descripitive physical. Scenes which even when narated seem to be a tad ott and not totally sitting with the overal plot.
The characters i loved they were narrated and written true to life. I felt the ending was rushed and too emphasis was placed on the wrong parts of the story. This felt like iit just needed a bit of editing especially if you were reading as it works best as an audiobook.
I was more invested in the ending and felt not enough rmphasis was placed on it.
However I did throughly enjoy this i was taken back with the physixal descriptions and the level if swearing. I would recommended this to anyone as long as they are openminded and happy to listen as at tinesvitvfelt too long.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and narrator and author. As it is audio it is 4 star.
March 4, 2024
Yep - delightful! Platinum-tier romcom. Soothing, propulsive, and emotional all at the same time.
As a Love Island viewer I chuckled about the fact that the love interest is a hot Northern lad ex-footballer - how many of these does the UK have lying around??
Leni Kauffman must be killing it from a business perspective with these cartoon covers, and although I’m usually leery I really came around to this one. And the title, too - it fit the romcom vibe. And speaking of romcoms, I think if you liked eg Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall you’ll like this too - it’s that same kind of wacky meta romcom, English edition (although I think Charlotte Stein and I have more similar taste in romcoms than me and Alexis Hall tbqh!).
And then I have to say having read two books by Stein - this and Control, which was *excellent* erotica - I realllllly appreciate how good she is at writing stories that *move*. It’s a massive talent and it’s on display here - there was never a dull moment and that’s exactly how I like it. Frankly my biggest problem while reading this book was that if it had been an ebook I would have been able to turn the pages faster!
As a Love Island viewer I chuckled about the fact that the love interest is a hot Northern lad ex-footballer - how many of these does the UK have lying around??
Leni Kauffman must be killing it from a business perspective with these cartoon covers, and although I’m usually leery I really came around to this one. And the title, too - it fit the romcom vibe. And speaking of romcoms, I think if you liked eg Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall you’ll like this too - it’s that same kind of wacky meta romcom, English edition (although I think Charlotte Stein and I have more similar taste in romcoms than me and Alexis Hall tbqh!).
And then I have to say having read two books by Stein - this and Control, which was *excellent* erotica - I realllllly appreciate how good she is at writing stories that *move*. It’s a massive talent and it’s on display here - there was never a dull moment and that’s exactly how I like it. Frankly my biggest problem while reading this book was that if it had been an ebook I would have been able to turn the pages faster!
September 12, 2023
Format Read: Ebook from Netgalley
Review: This looked so cute and that made me excited to read it. Sadly right from the start the characters annoyed me. I found it so hard after that to get into the story, so this was a bust for me. The writing was fine except for the times it felt like forced banter. This made the flow if the story super choppy. If the character and story were not trying so hard to be something they weren’t it may have worked.
Recommended For: Those who want to see if they like characters I didn’t.
Book-opoly #30
Review: This looked so cute and that made me excited to read it. Sadly right from the start the characters annoyed me. I found it so hard after that to get into the story, so this was a bust for me. The writing was fine except for the times it felt like forced banter. This made the flow if the story super choppy. If the character and story were not trying so hard to be something they weren’t it may have worked.
Recommended For: Those who want to see if they like characters I didn’t.
Book-opoly #30
February 6, 2024
I thought this book was so cute. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once Mabel & Alfie started communicating I knew it was going to be good. At first Alfie 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.
Pub Date: 2/6/24
Thank you NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: 2/6/24
June 30, 2023
This book fell a short for me. It seemed to be missing something and I think I just disliked the way the dialogue was written.
I'm all for back and forth banter in an opposites-attract situation, but not when the banter is utterly juvenile. Anyway, I didn't hate this book, but it could've been so much better.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm all for back and forth banter in an opposites-attract situation, but not when the banter is utterly juvenile. Anyway, I didn't hate this book, but it could've been so much better.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read
February 6, 2024DNF @ 29%
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
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
March 20, 2024
I ended up enjoying this a ton more than expected. My experience is: if you go in expecting a Charlotte Stein novel in the vein of previous Charlotte Stein novels, you are going to be disappointed. But if you go in expecting Very British Ted Lasso Fic with outstanding sex scenes - and that sounds like something you might like - it’s more likely to work for you. Look, it’s uneven in parts; the writing style is so ‘romcom’ that it sometimes gets tiresome; the secondary characters are so off page it starts to feel like they barely exist; and the central misunderstanding only works if you believe the MCs have the emotional capacity of toddlers. But. There is a lot of sneaky loveliness here! There’s excellent getting-to-know-each-other talking; there’s a ton of fun banter; there are half a dozen care-taking scenes; there is dirty talk; there is a wanton delight in All The Tropes; there is the most heartfelt love declaration. A tear snuck into my eye! And, did I mention the dirty talk???
I’ll definitely be carrying on the series, even though I barely know the names of the friends who are going to star in them.
I’ll definitely be carrying on the series, even though I barely know the names of the friends who are going to star in them.
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