When Grumpy Met Sunshine cover art

When Grumpy Met Sunshine

A steamy opposites-attract Cinderella-inspired rom-com

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When Grumpy Met Sunshine

By: Charlotte Stein
Narrated by: Emily Spowage
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About this listen

'A hilarious and modern Cinderella story that feels like eating warm chocolate cake' – Talia Hibbert, author of Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Finding love was not the only goal . . .

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-hell 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 to satisfy a public ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. And now they have to decide: is their fake relationship all for show, or something so real it might just give them their fairy-tale ending?

A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter. For fans of Ted Lasso and Tessa Bailey.

'Alfie’s Roy Kent-inspired voice is a triumph — and very, very funny — but sex is where Stein really shines. This, children, is how the professionals do it. Not a rote list of parts and positions, but a physical flow between two people. It’s the difference between seeing choreography laid out in footprints on the floor, and being swept away by the dance' – The New York Times

Contemporary Contemporary Romance Romance Romantic Comedy Sports Comedy

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Critic reviews

The queen of delicious pining returns! This book is a hilarious and modern Cinderella story that feels like eating warm chocolate cake (Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author of Get A Life, Chloe Brown)
I don’t think anyone has ever delivered on a slow burn quite like this (Rosie Danan, bestselling author of The Roommate)
Delivers all of the heart, humour and steam with her usual deft writing style. And romance-reading Ted Lasso fans are sure to be delighted with her take on the surliest soccer star to ever set foot on the field (Kylie Scott, New York Times bestselling author of the Stage Dive series)

Though they seem like opposites, underneath Mabel and Alfie are anguished, self-doubting weirdos. What they need — and what they’re terrified of — is liberation from the cages they’ve built for themselves.

Alfie’s Roy Kent-inspired voice is a triumph — and very, very funny — but sex is where Stein really shines. This, children, is how the professionals do it. Not a rote list of parts and positions, but a physical flow between two people. It’s the difference between seeing choreography laid out in footprints on the floor, and being swept away by the dance.

All stars
Most relevant
It's been a minute since Charlotte Stein gave us a new book, so I was thrilled when this was announced. I devoured this audiobook with great enthusiasm. I loved both protagonists and their beautiful love story.
The narrator was excellent and I will look for other books she has brought to life.
Finally, I hope Charlotte never doubts herself again and writes the stories that bring so much joy into the world.
I look forward to whatever comes next from this very talented author.💕

Gorgeously romantic

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Just a joyous, easy read, about two people who you could genuinely imagine being the way they are in the book. Brilliantly written, so fun and wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful

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Felt like a podcast which brought the characters to life, will definitely be listening to more

Brilliant and funny

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This is possibly the most perfectly lovely and spicy book I have ever had the pleasure of consuming.

The spice is simultaneously gentle and really bloody hot. The FMC is every girl who has felt they are not good enough and the MMC is an absolute dream. They are both a product of their childhood and you can feel the search for each other and themselves within the relationship. Classic emotionally stunted British humans who communicate both everything and nothing with each other.

Beautifully done.

Soft and spicy

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This entire book seems rushed and like a group of people that knew the outline wrote it, but they did not really work together, so the final editor had to make all the pieces go together. Ironic since this i a book about a ghost writer 😅
The romance is not really that great. The relationship progresses either too fast or too slow and it is not truly believable, especially since the characters don't reveal anything about their lives.

Good idea, mediocre execution

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