Thank you, Relay Publishing, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
“The Grump I Got Stuck With” is a book by Leslie North and
was released on September 3, 2026, via Relay Publishing. It tells the story of
Madison, who is traveling through Scotland around Christmas. She gets caught in
a snowstorm, and her van ends up in a ditch on Christmas Eve. She stumbles upon
Alistair’s estate, where he lives with his daughter, Kenna. Alistair and
Madison navigate moving in together and a relationship in the midst of a prior
scandal.
The book is written in the first-person and switches
perspectives. Usually, each chapter gets a perspective, but there was one
chapter when there is a perspective shift within the chapter. If the characters
were written in the third person, they would have been completely unbearable.
With the first-person perspective, readers can get into their thought
processes, which helps readers empathize with them and see why they are doing
what they are doing.
Things start out slow as readers get to know the characters
and find out what all is going on. While it may be frustrating to not know
everything about the characters right from the start, finding out nuggets of
information as the plot progresses and the information becomes relevant is
satisfying. At the beginning of the book, the characters both felt annoying,
but this was because we were still learning about the characters and their
mindsets.
There are several aspects of the plot that are predictable.
This may frustrate some people, but for me, it is fun to try to guess what will
happen next and then be right about the prediction. The ending felt a little too
safe and happy, especially with everything that happened in the last 30% of the
book.
The scene that stands out to me the most was when Kenna and
Madison met. They connected so quickly, and I knew that Madison would be
sticking around for a while (or longer). She was so good with Kenna, and Kenna
really looked up to her.
Throughout the book, I was able to feel what the characters
felt, mostly due to the point of view the book was written in. I felt anxious during
the paparazzi scenes, and I was sad during the heartbreaking moments. The
writing style really lent itself to capturing the emotions of everything going
on and bringing readers into these feelings as well. I did feel some frustration
when I felt one character was more in the right (which happened at the beginning
and then throughout the book).
Overall, this book was enjoyable. The world of the book was
fun once readers had enough information to be immersed in it. There are a few
sex scenes and some cursing throughout the book, so the book is geared for an adult
audience. Personally, I am glad I stuck through the beginning because the rest
of the book was immersive and fun.
Rating: 3.5/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Grumpy Sunshine; Single Dad
Romance; Forced Proximity; Age Gap
Potential Triggers: Toxic
ex/relationship; Adoption; Parental Death; Parental Expectations; Cursing