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A review by abookishmagpie
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I had all the hopes this was going to be such a fun little rom-com for me to devour, and they crashed down around me by the end of the book. I had an inkling around page 50 that maybe I should just DNF and save myself the wasted time, but it was a fast read and some bits really stuck out and hit me as memorable and well-written, so I decided to just keep going. Sadly, it never really got any better and by the last 2o or so pages I was dramatically sighing each time I turned a page and saw it was full of text and not just the last bit of the book. I think there is so much potential here and that's why it really sucks to have to say this was a big let down for me, the idea of a fat, bubble ghostwriter being matched up with a surly ex-athlete who she has to coax to get to open up to her to write this memoir of his, and oh by the way when she is seen leaving his house and gossip runs rampant they also have to pretend to date till the book is out? Sounds like a slam dunk of a plot if written well and with good pacing, which sadly this lacked for me. Mabel and Alfie as our leads were just developed enough that we could connect with them, but they had so little other people in their lives that we actually got to know that it felt so flat. Some friends and relatives are mentioned, but hardly ever actually talked too or seen and so their lives don't feel well and rounded out, making it hard to care for our main characters and their journey in this book.
Not to mention the pacing and plotting is weak, if barely there at all. The chapters are so quick and so choppy that one scene can take place over three or more chapters and it felt a lot like "and then this happened. And then this. and next this." so time became a little hard to follow. Then there is the third act conflict that most all romances have, but this one is truly third-act in the sense it happens with less than 50 or so pages to the end (I think) and then is so quickly wrapped up by a time jump and a little bit of fluff and confessions of miscommunication that the stakes are so low for the resolution.
I don't know. I probably sound so cranky and mean about this, but I was really let down and then just mad at myself for not DNF'ing it and wasting my time. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there this works for, it just most definitely was not me.
Not to mention the pacing and plotting is weak, if barely there at all. The chapters are so quick and so choppy that one scene can take place over three or more chapters and it felt a lot like "and then this happened. And then this. and next this." so time became a little hard to follow. Then there is the third act conflict that most all romances have, but this one is truly third-act in the sense it happens with less than 50 or so pages to the end (I think) and then is so quickly wrapped up by a time jump and a little bit of fluff and confessions of miscommunication that the stakes are so low for the resolution.
I don't know. I probably sound so cranky and mean about this, but I was really let down and then just mad at myself for not DNF'ing it and wasting my time. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there this works for, it just most definitely was not me.