187. Try Hard Tropes--When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

This week, we tackle Charolette Stein's When Grumpy Met Sunshine, a listener request that's keeping us honest! We've reviewed this author previously and concluded then that we would like to read her again later. Listeners we did. When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a romance that pits supposed opposites against each other with mixed results. Mabel is a ghost writer with a predictable penchant for bright clothes, and Alfie is an ex-footballer from the wrong side of the tracks with a wardrobe like Johnny Cash. How couldn't these goofs fall in love or dry hump at a Beyonce concert? From shared bad dads, to some pretty funny social media mishaps we explore how this particular story’s struggle with its own self-consciousness (a trend in current romance) seems to illuminate something brittle. The weight of modern romance expectations? The translation of fanfic into fic fic? If every trope shines this brightly are we not all blind? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.