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A review by delllannney
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Oh, I am so conflicted here. I absolutely adored certain things in this book, but really did not enjoy others.
I felt like this was a story that was written with tons of emotion: the characters were written with passion and care, the sensitive topics in this book were addressed in a meaningful way, and there was good payoff at the end. The little news clips/tweets/texts that were included at the end of every chapter were such a fun additions too! I loved Mabel and Alfie, and I loved the premise of learning about both of them in the capacity of ghostwriting Alfie’s memoir. The tension and pining in this book were top notch and it was a rollercoaster watching them try to navigate crazy fans and paparazzi lol.
But, I felt like the fake dating execution was lacking. The entire story was one huge miscommunication trope combined with the friends-with-benefits “let’s just get it out of our system” thing that always creates such a mess. I also wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It was choppy and repetitive, (which I will admit did succeed in conveying super strong emotions from Mabel specifically) and really irked me by about 40% in. A lot of the side characters felt especially frivolous, Mabel and Alfie both felt a bit immature at times, and I would have loved to see more development between them emotionally. It felt like a very quick progression from strangers > slight enemies > friends > lust > even more lust > love. I felt like I didn’t get to see them really fall in love.
Either way, this was a fun and quick read. If you’re looking for scalding hot tension and an adorable ending, this could be for you! And as a bonus: I always love curvy gal representation!
I felt like this was a story that was written with tons of emotion: the characters were written with passion and care, the sensitive topics in this book were addressed in a meaningful way, and there was good payoff at the end. The little news clips/tweets/texts that were included at the end of every chapter were such a fun additions too! I loved Mabel and Alfie, and I loved the premise of learning about both of them in the capacity of ghostwriting Alfie’s memoir. The tension and pining in this book were top notch and it was a rollercoaster watching them try to navigate crazy fans and paparazzi lol.
But, I felt like the fake dating execution was lacking. The entire story was one huge miscommunication trope combined with the friends-with-benefits “let’s just get it out of our system” thing that always creates such a mess. I also wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It was choppy and repetitive, (which I will admit did succeed in conveying super strong emotions from Mabel specifically) and really irked me by about 40% in. A lot of the side characters felt especially frivolous, Mabel and Alfie both felt a bit immature at times, and I would have loved to see more development between them emotionally. It felt like a very quick progression from strangers > slight enemies > friends > lust > even more lust > love. I felt like I didn’t get to see them really fall in love.
Either way, this was a fun and quick read. If you’re looking for scalding hot tension and an adorable ending, this could be for you! And as a bonus: I always love curvy gal representation!