Scoring The Grump

What you need to know:
Clean, but gets steamy
Soccer romance
Coach/past player
Enemies to lovers because of ^
Part of series, can be read as standalone
Age gap (10 years)
He so big, she so small (He’s 6’2, she’s 5’4)
Themes include perseverance, weight training, achieving goals.
No swearing
No cheating
Grumpy/sunshine

This story is a cute sports romance that keeps the reader captivated all the way to the end. Rowan (Gardner) is mad enough to strangle her ex-coach who decided to drop her from the team, but what happens next surprises everyone, especially her teammates.

Sherley's Reading Corner

309 reviews4 followers

April 10, 2025

*𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.0 ⭐
*𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 🫑 Closed Door Romance

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🆀🆄🅸🅲🅺 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂
This was my second Sophie Irving read. Just like 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭, the first book in her 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 series, I really enjoyed 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩. This was a sweet, sports romance filled with funny banter and lighthearted moments.

In 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩, we meet Rowan Gardner who has just been fired from her professional soccer team. Though Rowan is an amazing person, always with a smile on her face, making sure others are happy, creating gift baskets for her teammates and coaches, she would rather help you than compete against you and in the game of soccer, that isn’t always the best thing. So after getting fired, Dean Ainsley, Rowan’s coach, the same person who fired her, lol, sees the potential in her and agrees to become her coach. These two start off as enemies, quickly become friends, and end up as lovers.

I loved that the author wrote a story about a female soccer player. Many times in sports romances, we see the girl falling in love with a sports player, but this one was different. Rowan was such a strong character. She was the type of person who, after getting fired, didn’t give up on her dreams. Instead, she worked even harder and gave 110% to honing in her skills while still continuing to be a bright light for those around her.

Dean was a true grump in the beginning of the story. But as we read, we realize that life has not always been good to him so to survive, he had to create these protective walls around himself and his siblings. Considering everything Dean went through growing up, it is beautiful to see him find someone he could finally be vulnerable with; someone he could let down his guards around and be completely free. Dean was such a sweetheart. He was so caring and motivating to Rowan, always making sure to build her up. He gave so much of himself, expecting nothing in return. What an exceptional man!

I loved Dean and Rowan’s funny banter. I laughed way too much while reading 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩. I loved how the author took her time to show the growth in their relationship. They truly became friends and built real trust with each other. Though their romance was a slow burn, the buildup of the friendship was well worth it. They had amazing chemistry.
This was an all-around great, clean romance, with a beautiful love story of two individuals who saw the best in each other and brought out the best in each other. I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it.

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🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅴🆇🅿🅴🅲🆃
🩷Sports Romance (Soccer)
⚽Soccer Player FMC
🩷Grumpy x Sunshine
⚽Coach x player
🩷Workplace Romance
⚽Forced Proximity
🩷Romantic Comedy
⚽Age Gap Romance
🩷Enemies to Lovers
⚽Slow Burn
🩷Closed Door Romance

🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴🆂/🆂🅰🆈🅸🅽🅶🆂
⚽ “Love is sweetest when it’s allowed to breath.”
🩷 “I always thought love was something to be earned and not enjoyed. And even then, there was no guarantee of reciprocity. Or honesty. Or kindness. Now, I know love is being…present. Fully present forever with someone who won’t take you for granted. It’s not about earning it. It’s living it. Forever.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

* 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 5.0 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆

Terry T

379 reviews4 followers

Is a sweet coach/player, enemies to lovers, soccer romcom with no cliffhanger.
Trigger Warning -- mentions parental neglect
Some of the lines I really like --- the best way to handle setbacks is to turn them into exciting adventures. --- "When the going gets tough, only the real ones show up. What kind of player do you want to be?” --- "Keep giving your best even when it's deemed not good enough. The most important person to impress is you," --- “People do nice things for their friends to make them feel good.We're not friends. I don't like you, so, yeah. You're right. That makes it a bribe.” --- “It's not a must-win game. It's a fun game. Did you even enjoy playing soccer?” --- “What happened to the man who doesn’t care about anyone so long as he wins? The man who rates the people in his life according to their contributions to his goals?” --- “There will always be someone better than you. Learn to appreciate and be grateful for who you are without comparing.” ---“⁵ not all friendships last forever. Some people are a fond bridge we get to cross only once, never to be revisited. --- It’s not just sports but the humans in charge of sports business that can be cruel. --- “And your world didn’t collapse. Because there’s a next game. Because there will always be another game; losing is just an option you work hard to avoid.” --- “And don’t try to box her into one of your plans. Love is sweetest when it's allowed to breathe.” -- “You were a diamond in the rough.You were always good enough; you just needed a bit more time and polish, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” --- "You’re the bright colors, bringing joy and light to everything you touch.” --- Now, I know love is being… present. Fully present forever with someone who won’t take you for granted. ---
What's Emma up to? What's Brad up to? What's Steve up to? These and other questions will all be answered.
I loved Rowan and Coach Dean Ainsley's story and I'm sure you will too. This is the first book I've read of here's and it definitely won't be the last. I'm looking forward to reading her next book.

Cindy Burrell

204 reviews5 followers

Scoring for the Grump is a story filled with the unknown, great characters, and unknown feelings and what to do when you find out about those unknown feelings. Rowan has found out through the grapevine that she’s being traded at the beginning of the season. How could her life possibly get any worse? Ro is hurt, flabbergasted, revengeful, and wondering what will happen now. She can’t imagine her life without playing on a team. She decides to break all the rules she has to follow during the season. She goes shopping for colorful hair bands, bright glittering red stick-on nails, and athletic skirts. As she walks across the practice field, she passes by her former Coach and acknowledges him with a simple “Dean.” She refuses to address him as Coach, since he’s no longer her coach. His glare lets her know he doesn’t like her attitude or what she’s wearing. As she’s in the area where she must be (since she’s being traded, she isn’t allowed to practice with the team). He tells her to go to his office. He is furious at her actions and attitude. Dean tells her, “You’re still my player, and until you leave for a new club, I expect one hundred percent obedience. No coming in a second late. I won’t stand for it.” Rowan knows he’s the best coach she’s ever had and agrees to his terms. She has never been able to impress him no matter how hard she worked.
Rowan really wants to work hard and improve her skills and her game. Will she be able to talk Dean into helping her train? If he does, will she be able to listen and follow his directions to improve her skills? Will she be chosen by another team and continue her sports journey?

Krystal

571 reviews5 followers

April 2, 2025

Gift Baskets come in all shapes and sizes

Let me start by saying - this book was amazing!!! I LOVED IT! This was book 2 of the Love Always series. Please know that I have not read book 1 of the series. With that being said - I am going to go download it asap! While the series appears to revolve around the same family which has 4 boys and 2 girls as the kids so I’m hoping we end up with AT LEAST 6 books.

So for the storyline. It was great! I loved that Dean was actually a grump! I feel like I’ve read so many books with the word grump in the title and the character actually isn’t a grump! They tend to be mildly annoyed at something all the time but not an actual grump. Let me tell you - Dean is a grump the entire book and I loved it! This book has some snark in it which made it funny and believable. It also had sweet moments, tender moments, hilarious moments, sad moments. All of it. Which made it feel more authentic than a lot of these kind of books. The characters faced some real struggle and heartbreak as well as some of the highest highs there could be!

My favorite line - when Dean called Ro his gift basket! I know I know! It sounds corny when I’m writing it out but once you read it, it will make perfect sense. Trust me.

My only complaint - is what was Steve’s problem with Ro??? I never fully understood why he did what he did.

5 brightly lit, exploding stars!

Emily Pennington

20.8k reviews361 followers

Rowan and Dean . . .

Rowan Gardner (“Ro”) sees the assistant coach, Brad McGinnis, get off the bus and she knows he has bad news for her. Has she been traded? He tells her that since she still has a year left on her contract, she is permitted to train -- but separately, not with her teammates! Why didn’t Coach Dean Ainsley tell her this the day before when he told her she was being dropped? Her roommate Emma tried to calm her down, but she was determined to have it out with the coach. But she knows Brad and Emma are right, so she turns and leaves the club facility. On a shopping spree to really make him angry, she buys items the coach will hate… a flared tennis skirt, soccer cleats, a red bow in her hair, and long pink fingernails… and she arrived late which would infuriate him, especially since she is done being meek, obedient, and smiley when he walked over to confront her. She doesn’t have to impress him anymore. She is no longer nervous near him. So she asks him to give her one-on-one coaching… and he sees no reason not to. If anyone can help her reach her goal and get her into the national soccer team of her dreams, he’s the one who could do it. She just has to give 100% to her training. He knows she is a hard worker, but it's all useless if the player isn't competitive, and he needs to bring that out in her. Will she reach her goal? Or perhaps far exceed it?

reviewed

Dara Wasalino Tremblay

385 reviews52 followers

Michaela | Reading in the Heartland

If you’re a sucker for the grumpy-sunshine trope, Sophie Irving’s Scoring the Grump is a perfect choice. With sharp banter, heartwarming moments, and just the right dose of steam, this story delivers everything you want in a feel-good romance—and then some.
The chemistry between the FMC Rowan and MMC Coach Dean practically leaps off the page. Our sunshiney, determined heroine knows exactly how to get under the skin of the broody, closed-off grump—and it’s delightful to read. Coach Dean is really an awful grouch and Rowan is so happy and LOVES playing soccer. Even though she’s being traded to another team, she is determined to stay and wears (and wears and wears) down Coach Dean.
The characters are well written and have many layers. The grump isn’t just a one-note grouch—he’s layered, guarded, and completely lovable once his walls start to come down. And the sunshine heroine? She’s the kind of fierce, funny, big-hearted character you wish you had as a best friend.
Scoring the Grump is the perfect blend of humor, heart, and heat. It’s a story about opening up, taking chances, and learning that sometimes love comes from the most unexpected places… like a grump with a secret soft side.
Highly recommend for fans of slow-burn romances, closed door romances, with great banter, lovable characters, and happy endings that leave you grinning.

3,701 reviews75 followers

2025-swoony-awards booksta-recs

This was a sweet romantic comedy set in contemporary times. Rowan is a professional soccer player which was sooo much fun to read as I played soccer for a lot of years growing up. Her former coach - Dean - is the epitome of a grumpy hero. But! He is ALL sweetness for her when she is without a club (as she’s been traded off of the team he coaches) and then becomes her personal coach. The banter and dialogue was a little rocky at the beginning and I got a little confused when she was so gushing and adoring….over his handwriting! I soon figured out that’s what she was talking about and not about the man himself. But, quirks aside, this was a captivating read. I actually found myself pausing at times to just relive and take in the sweetness of some of the scenes. As Dean grows to realize his feelings for her (and vice versa) in this slow burn romance, we see the tension heat up. I adored all of the real game and training moments on the soccer side. Sooo great. I loved all the protection and sweetness from our grump hero. Once we finally got to the kisses they were sweet with swoon and heat. This was a lovely read and my first from this series and author. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I received an eARC of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Sheri Bolinger

432 reviews2 followers

favorites received-arc-from-bookfunnel

This was such an incredible read i just couldn't put it down. It sucked me right in, took on this wonderful push and pull ride of sweat and tears, snark and sarcasm that endeared me to both Ro and Dean. Ro's snark priceless! I loved when she dropped her hero worship attitude and got real attitude with Dean! Even more than that, she had such a good heart. She found joy in playing soccer , teaching others, and working hard at it. She was so kind hearted that people just naturally lived her. Dean was called "the General" for a reason! He was hard and tough but underneath it all was a huge heart that was never allowed to let go. His transformation was breathtaking to experience. I loved everything about the journey these two went on in this book. It was hard, raw, emotional, not clean cut, messy sometimes, but so rewarding to see.

Margaret Hejmanowski

1,397 reviews16 followers

April 12, 2025

I have never read anything by Sophie Irving before, OMG this was fantastic!! If I could give this 100 stars I would. An amazing story that will grab you from the very beginning!! Rowan (RO) Gardner is on the Lionesses professional soccer team. She gets cut by the coach Dean Ainsley, everyone says he's grumpy. Dean take RO under his wing and sets up a one on one training program. They start to become "friends." Can Dean's training program turn RO into a better soccer player, to have her picked up by another professional soccer team? RO is all sunshine, and Dean the grump; who is not always grumpy. Love the plot, great setting, and strong intense interesting characters. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Sophie Irving!!!!

Chelsea

1,450 reviews17 followers

July 3, 2025

3.5 stars. This was cute. I liked how gradually they progressed in their relationship (always more realistic with grumpy/sunshine!), but the book did feel too long overall. I thought it was going to be over several times before it finally was. I liked how they trained together, and how superstitious Dean was. I did think some of their jokes were awkward though, like the remote thing and the penmanship stuff. But I liked that their families were good side characters, and Rowan coaching his niece was fun. It was cute overall, and I'd read another by this author.

Content: references to intimacy (not graphic).

I received this book free from the publisher/author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Maria Thomas

2,561 reviews46 followers

April 2, 2025

Cute romcom with some fun banter. In this grumpy/sunshine trope, the grump is truly grumpy and she is all the sunshine in the world. It was fun to read how she just enjoys playing soccer. It is all fun for her. And Mr. Grumpypants is really good at soccer and is a good coach but it is all work for him. I love how she is willing to work as hard as he does while he learns to let go to have some fun. I always love a strong heroine who is willing to stand up instead of being intimidated. And even when he is gruff, he is still caring and eventually even sweet.

Enjoyable read
Sex: a few intense kissing scenes
Language: some deity
Violence: a bit

contemporary grumpy-sunshine sports

Coffeenbooks

1,877 reviews33 followers

April 10, 2025

I always enjoy a grumpy/sunshine book and this was no exception! Dean is the new coach for the woman's professional soccer team that Rowan is on and has just been removed Rowan from playing. However, due to her contract, she will remain until she is traded.

Rowan had admired Dean when he himself was a professional player, but ever since he's been coach, he has been grumpy. Rowan, having zero filter, muses over how she was attracted to him (and his handwriting). She is very quirky and her dialogue had me giggling.

I really enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and change as they spent time together. This is a closed door romance and can be read as a standalone.

Shona

261 reviews3 followers

enemies-to-lovers five-stars found-family

This was epic. Dean and Rowan are a coach and soccer player respectively. And things don’t get off to a great start when he drops her from the team and she has to train separately. Suddenly, though, he’s helping her train, giving her guidance and getting way more involved in her life than she’s comfortable with. That is until gradually their feelings towards each other soften and they begin to see past the surface.
A truly captivating story that was so well written. Their feelings were so well described that I really lost myself in the story. I honestly wish I could give this more than 5 ⭐️!

Dina Peters

182 reviews5 followers

April 12, 2025

If you enjoy a slow burn that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you absolutely need to read this book! Rowan is such a ray of sunshine, brightening the lives of everyone around her—teammates, fans, and more. In contrast, Dean is closed off and isolated. Watching Rowan bring him out of his shell and transform his life was truly beautiful. The book was filled with sweet moments and almost-kisses that made my heart flutter!

Some things I loved about this story:

- his walled off heart
- he’s her mentor/coach
- her dad is his super fan (it’s adorable)
- the growth of their friendship
- superstitious kisses
- their banter
- he begs to coach her
- he takes care of her
- he is her fan

Allegra

189 reviews5 followers

April 15, 2025

This book flips sporty romance books on their head; she's the soccer athlete, and he's the coach. This is a dual-POV, swoony kisses only, super slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, he's a retired all-star soccer player turned coach, she's a professional soccer player with a huge family, he takes care of her, and there are lots of gift baskets involved. Superstitious kisses reward the reader with the super slow burn of this story. The depths of this story almost feel autobiographical. The emotions of both Ro and him were so deep and profound as they learned to trust each other and eventually love each other. This was the first book I've read by Sophie, but it won't be my last.

ChriseBee

132 reviews4 followers

arc favourites sports-romance

Scoring the Grump is a clean, sweet soccer romance that is full of grumpy/sunshine interactions. I received an ARC of this book from the author and I'm happy to post this review for the launch of book 2 of the Love Always series.

Rowena has all kinds of negative feelings about her mean, jerk of a coach after being dropped by her soccer club at the beginning of the season. Why does Dean hate her? Without a club, how will she achieve her dream of being selected for the women's national team? She vows not to give up, and the shenanigans begin.

This book made me smile a lot and laugh out loud when I should have been sleeping. I didn't want to put it down. It was easy to connect with the characters, several of which I loved. There is a prequel novella (Love Always, Will) which I read last year, and it was a nice bonus to see the same family matured in this story. Dean was 100% grumpy to Ro's sunshine sweetness, but he gave away little signs that he deeply cared about Ro and others despite his rough and tough exterior.

Scoring the Grump would make a great romcom movie: Witty banter. Nicknames. One on one coaching. Swoony slow burn. He takes care of her and fights for her. She supports him. Handwritten notes. Superstitious pregame routine. Grand gestures.

Thanks to Sophie Irving for the opportunity to enjoy this fun story. Now I need to read book 1, Faking the Shot.

Jess

30 reviews3 followers

April 1, 2025

I love sport romances - and this one was no different!! This book was absolute fun. If you enjoy sports romance with a grumpy x sunshine trope, this ones for you!! The banter was awesome, the chemistry well-developed and the soccer setting added an exciting element.

The grumpy mmc secretly being soft? Loved it!! A fun bubbly heroine without her being overbearing? Loved it even more! Their dynamic had me smiling the whole time and their witty banter had me kicking my feet like a little girl. It was a sweet, fluffy read with just the right amount of tension!

Suze82

1,503 reviews19 followers

March 28, 2025

backbone
I admired Rowan for her perseverance and backbone, not only mastering physical challenges but keeping true to herself, pursuing her goal. In the end she was rewarded with getting to know the softer side of Dean who proofs to be a real gem, if he allows you to look behind his walls. Their banter was entertaining and to watch their feelings for each slowly but steadily unfold was touching.

Staci

49 reviews13 followers

April 1, 2025

I loved every second I spent reading this book! It gives you so many different tropes! Grumpy sunshine, age gap, workplace romance, forbidden romance, and I’m sure even more! I loved the banter, the slow build up to friends and beyond, the family dynamics. This had me giggling and squealing! And the sweetest grand gesture!!! This is what rom coms are made of! I loved this book!!! And I loved that it was closed door with just a few kisses.

Tami Willard

2,423 reviews15 followers

April 13, 2025

Clean Standalone Rom-com Interconnected Series HEA

Can be read as a standalone but is part of an interconnected series with characters that overlap. She's upset when she learns that she won't be part of the team and will be traded. Things get worse when the new coach says she can't train with the team in the meantime. He's a famous retired player hoping to turn the team around. Why is she being traded? How does everyone handle the differences in rules and personalities? Will he be able to withstand her constantly pecking at his walls?
This was the first book I've read by this author and can't wait to read more of her work.

class-clean ending-hea genre-rom-com

Rachel Wehr

136 reviews1 follower

This is another great entry in the Love Always series. Ro & Dean are complete opposites, which makes watching them fall for one another completely enjoyable. Sophie Irving writes the sweetest, swooniest love stories, and I can't wait for more from this family!
Warning: ⚠️ it's a slow burn. Buckle in!

What to expect:
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Sweet, swoony, spice-free romance that sizzles! 🔥
🤬 no cursing!
⚽️ Coaching relationship, lots of soccer references
#️⃣ Age gap
☀️ Grumpy/sunshine

Re Clarke

26 reviews

April 12, 2025

a good read!

sunshine x grumpy age gap romance with an enemies to lovers twist follows Rowan and Dean who initially clash due to their opposing personalities. The age gap adds an intriguing layer to their relationship, emphasising how love can blossom even in the most unexpected ways. As Dean is her football coach, it’s kind of a forbidden love which makes it quite exciting!

I received this as a review copy ⭐️

Nadine Smiley

87 reviews4 followers

April 1, 2025

✨️ The baaaanterrrr ✨️
I loved this!
Dean and Rowan have a lovely dynamic, Rowan doesn't change who she is energetic and unapologetically lively.. and lives by it!
Dean won me over from the get go, grumpy on the outside but a marshmallow on the inside!
Cannot wait for the next in the Love Always Series!

Vanessa

81 reviews

April 6, 2025

Wow that book really touched my soul, it is my first female soccer read and it really got to me. Ro is determined, hard-working and a sunshine, and Dean is tough and demanding but really nurturing and caring. Their story was incredibly beautiful, I particularly enjoyed the slow pace and the lack of third act

Mary

335 reviews2 followers

This was a sweet read. I loved how Rowan balances Dean, who really is a grump, and her joy and hard work breaks through his past hurts and his focus on winning. I loved Dean's change and how he let Rowan into his closed circle. After sharing how much he thought of her I thought more would happen then and was a little let down. A very well done story.

Rick Molitor

1,052 reviews15 followers