#Charlotte Stein

[alyssalikestoreadbooks]

When Grumpy Met Sunshine - Charlotte Stein

"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 is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?"

Read Date - April 2024

Length - 336 pages

Genre - Romance, Contemporary, Sports Romance

Rating - 6/10

Stars - ★★★★☆

Notes - There was a LOT of smut in this book. At least 5 or 6 different scenes, which i’m not complaining about. It just feels, after awhile, you start to wish there was a little more to Alfie and Mabels relationship than just sex. But with the premise of this book being a “fake relationship” trope, it makes sense that the relationship part would be stunted. I love the subtle themes of abuse and trauma and how it’s woven into both characters story arcs so perfectly. It makes it so the ending of the book is believable-- that maybe they really did just miss the warning signs through passionate interactions. ON TOP of this, the main character is a plus size woman. Many other reviews will complain that they don’t like the self-hatred and fatphobia that comes with the territory, claiming that it was the “same old narrative” over and over. if you check my account, you’ll see that i haven’t read many books, so maybe this is just my problem. i haven’t SEEN any other plus size main characters who are perused by attractive and athletic men who are always seen out with models. Of course self doubt would come in with this. I felt, as a plus size AFAB myself, that this was a great representation of myself. Maybe it’s my own self hatred talking (and that would be saying a LOT, because i’m a pretty body positive, self loving person.) but i thought this book was perfect in terms of representation. I just wish it had a little bit more romance and a teeny teeny tiny bit less sex. 

[oracleofmadness]

If you're looking for a cute romcom, then this is perfect. Grumpy/Sunshine and fake-dating are just the most obvious reasons for wanting to read this. What I didn't see coming was the care the author took to portray these characters and their supposed flaws.

Mabel thinks she is prepared to spend time with the gruff, sexy and famous footballer Alfie, but is definitely not prepared for the real person beneath these characteristics. It also seems that Alfie is not at all prepared for her. This is one of the reasons this story is so cute, but another is the sweet way they have with each other. And then there's the spice!

I had a lot of fun reading this one!

Out February 6, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

[catedwrites]

Despite the clunky title and awkward first few chapters, I really enjoyed Charlotte Stein's When Grumpy Met Sunshine. Despite being obviously inspired by--if not complete fanfiction of--Ted Lasso's Roy Kent, after a few chapters, Alfie Harding comes into his own as a character. It helps that Mabel is very much her own character and a really well written one. The latter half of the book gets very steamy and that was very, very well done. Absolutely one that went on my to-buy list as soon as I finished it. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @stmartinspress-blog for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🌩️☀️Review:

Stein’s opposites attract debut novel is delightful!

“When Grumpy Met Sunshine” follows Mabel Willicker, a sunshine-y ghostwriter hired to write grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding’s life story. But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a romantic relationship, the pair have to pretend to date to appease the public…that is, until the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begins to blur.

I love how Mabel and Alfie are more complex than their grumpy and sunshine personalities. Through Mabel’s point-of-view and her intimate conversations with Alfie, the reader learns that both feel trapped by their own personas. Mabel dons “Bubbly Girl armor” to be the person she needs to be for others instead of just being herself. She also clings to her cheeriness to avoid feeling like just a body when the world overanalyzes why Alfie would date a plus size woman. Alfie pretends to be someone he is not because of the expectations surrounding how footballers are supposed to act. With time, both come to the realization that they can be their true selves in each other’s company. Watching their love blossom and true selves flourish as they worked together on Alfie’s memoir made my heart race!

I also enjoyed how Stein ended each of her chapters with email correspondence, newspaper articles, video transcripts, tweets, and interviews connecting to the events that transpired. The change in formatting was entertaining and reveals how the public’s attitudes towards Alfie and Mabel’s Cinderella story brought them together.

The only issue I came across was not being able to understand the British pop culture references and slang, which often interrupted my flow of reading, but did not deter me from progressing through the novel.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[blkgrlsread2]

Pretty much everything relies on us being able to guess what someone else is thinking, and yet we hardly get it right.

Charlotte Stein, Never Sweeter

[jolieeason]

July 2024 Wrap-Up

Here is what I read, posted, won, received, and bought in July. Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them. Books I Read: Books Reviewed: Ladykiller by Katherine Wood—review here Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn—review coming October 15th, 2024 Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore—review coming October 29th, 2024 Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller—review coming…

[dargeereads]

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

5 stars

These two were absolute magic! They had me giggling right away, I guffawed, and had burst of laughter at what they said and did. They also had ridiculous chemistry, and a slow burn that takes most of the story to ignite. Wow, make plans for some “time outs” when reading, you’ll need them once things do take off, because it is scorching hot! While all this is happening, you get to know them, you get to see beyond what they present, and you fall so deeply in love with them, they break your heart, while filling you with hope. That ending, oh, that epilogue, it was everything and the perfect ending to their love story <3

[cynicaloptimism2]

Books from November

2 Agatha Christies: The Moving Finger and Sleeping Murder. Sleeping Murder had too many coincidences for me to really enjoy it.

A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh. Mystery in the same fashion as Agatha Christie's work. This is the first in a series of like 30 books so not sure i'll do all of them but i've liked the 2 i read so far.

2 Charlotte Stein rereads: Never Sweeter and Beyond Repair. Never Sweeter is a college enemies to lovers romance, while Beyond Repair is a celebrity romance but so intense and close up. Very good.

2 Roan Parrish reads: Riven and Rend. Both music-related romances. I think i preferred Riven but both were awesome.

Haven by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Another reread. Doing that a lot recently.

My Hero Academia Team Up Missions #4. It was fine. Wish there was more Hawks as he was on the cover. The Eri story was pretty cute though.

[cinematicjourney]

Jawbreaker (1999) | dir. Darren Stein

[annafitzpatrick08]

(season 1 cat specifically, her character just got really dumbed down after that)

[misszizi]

Color wheel challenge

[lysitheatheglasscannon]

The people in the Crunchyroll comment section of Charlotte crack me up. They’re all like “tHiS IS so ConFUsInG”. Like my good people, you haven’t seen time traveling confusion until you’ve watched or done the visual novel for Steins; Gate. Or if you’ve tried to unravel the general chaos that is CLAMP’s Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles + xxxHoLiC crossovers and alternate dimensions.

You don’t KNOW what confusion is. Lol

[moviesycho]

every movie I've watched in 2023 [21/?]:

JAWBREAKER (1999) directed by Darren Stein

[disabilityshowdown]

[IDs: Frankie is a blue skinned girl with blue white and black striped hair shaved in an undercut, and mismatched blue and green eyes. She is in a very brightly coloured/patterned varsity jacket and plaid skirt combo, and her left leg is a metal prosthetic from the knee down. Her left hand and forearm also seem to be detachable, as she is holding it up with her right. Charlotte is a white woman with short red hair. She is wearing a striped rainbow skirt, and a spaghetti strap top striped with black pink yellow and blue. Her hands look to be covered in matching gloves that go up to her upper arms, and she is sitting in a wheelchair.]

Disabilities: Frankie is an amputee, Charlotte has EDS

[derangedrhythms]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from 'To Charlotte von Stein', tr. John Frederick Nims

TEXT ID: Tell me, what's our destiny preparing? Tell me, how we're bound in such a knot? From an old existence we were sharing? You're the wife, the sister I forgot?

[blkgrlsread2]

I love you like someone falling into the sun, still thrilling as I burn.

Charlotte Stein, Never Loved