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A review by profpetitfours
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
3.0
Mabel Willicker is sunshine personified, with bright fashion and a brighter personality. Former footballer, Alfie Harding, is as grumpy as it gets. In fact, aside from his stellar skills on the pitch, that's about all he's known for. When the pair teams up to write Harding's memoir, however, we learn that Alfie has a much better, funnier, and charming personality than one would ever expect. When pictures of the two make the tabloids, they decide fake dating is better than bursting Willicker's ghostwriting contract. But, could it be that there's nothing fake in what the two are feeling for each other?
I'll be honest, this was a challenging book to review because I feel like there is a lot to like and a lot to dislike. I'm a sucker for a grump who's a secret softie, and that's definitely Alfie. There is some great banter, though the book is aggressively British in its dialogue (at least for this American reader). The ending is very sweet, as well!
However, I feel like the rest of the book is a bit all over the place. The memoir/writing plot is important in both the first and third acts, but it all but disappears in the second, which means that you sort of forget why the two of them are spending time together. Second, the miscommunication is really popping here and it's just...frustrating. The older I get, the less patience I have for not talking to each other. And these characters are not in their 20s, they are solidly in their 30s! There are also these touches of going deeper into both characters' pasts (they share a history of alcoholic fathers and growing up poor, Mabel struggles with thinking anyone would want her because she's fat), but they aren't fully fleshed out or really explored. I think that's what I ultimately came down on with this book, I was frustrated for most of it. There are flashes of a really lovely story throughout, but it just doesn't come together for me.
* Thank you to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! *
I'll be honest, this was a challenging book to review because I feel like there is a lot to like and a lot to dislike. I'm a sucker for a grump who's a secret softie, and that's definitely Alfie. There is some great banter, though the book is aggressively British in its dialogue (at least for this American reader). The ending is very sweet, as well!
However, I feel like the rest of the book is a bit all over the place. The memoir/writing plot is important in both the first and third acts, but it all but disappears in the second, which means that you sort of forget why the two of them are spending time together. Second, the miscommunication is really popping here and it's just...frustrating. The older I get, the less patience I have for not talking to each other. And these characters are not in their 20s, they are solidly in their 30s! There are also these touches of going deeper into both characters' pasts (they share a history of alcoholic fathers and growing up poor, Mabel struggles with thinking anyone would want her because she's fat), but they aren't fully fleshed out or really explored. I think that's what I ultimately came down on with this book, I was frustrated for most of it. There are flashes of a really lovely story throughout, but it just doesn't come together for me.
* Thank you to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! *