There exists in the world of romance a most delicious alchemy—the pairing of a brooding soul with one who radiates warmth like summer itself. This is the grumpy sunshine trope, and I dare say there is no finer recipe for making a reader’s heart take flight. The grump scowls and mutters, determined to remain unmoved, while the sunshine persists with such irresistible cheer that even the stoniest heart must eventually crack open like an egg.
If you have come seeking the very best grumpy sunshine romance books for 2025 and 2026, you have landed precisely where you ought to be. These tales shall make you laugh, sigh, and believe most fervently in the transformative power of love.
Falling Down Under by Errin Krystal
Here is a tale that sparkles with all the essential magic. Georgia Bailey was once a London socialite with a glamorous boyfriend and a life that glittered like champagne bubbles. Then, quite suddenly, her father dies, her wicked stepmother ensures she inherits nothing, and her boyfriend proves himself utterly unworthy. What does a woman do when she finds herself at rock bottom? She flies to Australia, naturally, to work at her grandparents’ struggling vineyard.
And who should she find there but Jared—her childhood sweetheart turned decidedly grumpy chef. He is all scowls and sharp words and refusing to discuss the past, while Georgia remains irrepressibly sunny despite her misfortunes. The tension between them crackles like electricity in a summer storm.
Readers describe this book as “the ultimate second-chance romance” and praise its “beautiful natural character growth.” The Australian setting—complete with a resident kangaroo named Boomer—provides the most charming backdrop for watching these two circle each other, fighting their undeniable connection. Georgia’s journey from broke heiress to finding her true worth is deeply satisfying, and watching Jared’s grumpy walls crumble under her persistent warmth is absolute perfection. This is a feel-good, steamy romance with a guaranteed happy ending, the first in the Seven Sisters Vineyard series of standalones.
Read a sample of Falling Down Under
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
At Stanford University, a most peculiar arrangement unfolds. Olive Smith, a determined PhD candidate, finds herself in need of proving to her friend that she is romantically attached. In a moment of absolute panic, she kisses the first man she sees—who happens to be Professor Adam Carlsen, widely regarded as the most terrifying man in academia. Yet this gruff, imposing figure agrees to be her fake boyfriend, and what follows is the most delightful slow burn imaginable.
Adam is described as “the sweetest kind of grumpy hero,” and watching his stern exterior soften for Olive is a particular joy.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two writers find themselves neighbors in adjacent beach houses, both suffering from the most inconvenient writer’s block. January Andrews writes sunny romance; Augustus Everett crafts dark literary fiction. They are opposites in every conceivable way, yet they strike a bargain: each will attempt to write in the other’s genre. As they educate each other on their respective crafts, something rather unexpected blooms between them.
Gus is the quintessential grumpy hero to January’s persistent sunshine, and their banter is positively delicious.
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
In the small town of Knockemout, Virginia, Naomi Witt arrives to help her estranged twin sister, only to be robbed and abandoned with her sister’s eleven-year-old daughter. Knox Morgan, the grumpy bar owner who won the lottery yet remains determinedly closed off from the world, becomes an unlikely ally.
With over five hundred pages, readers wished desperately that this tale would never end.
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Aurora De La Torre seeks healing after heartbreak in the mountain town of Pagosa Springs, where she rents an apartment from the formidable Tobias Rhodes—only to discover his teenage son made the arrangement without permission. Rhodes is fiercely protective, thoroughly grumpy, and initially determined to keep little miss sunshine at a considerable distance.
Over long hikes and fireside conversations, Aurora breaks through his defenses in this masterfully paced slow burn.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
When wild child socialite Piper Bellinger lands herself in jail after an out-of-control rooftop party, her stepfather banishes her to the small fishing town of Westport, Washington. There she meets Brendan, a gruff sea captain who is absolutely certain she will not survive a week outside Beverly Hills.
The contrast between glamorous Piper and the practical, bearded fisherman creates the most satisfying friction.
When in Rome by Sarah Adams
Pop princess Amelia Rose, thoroughly exhausted from fame, escapes to Rome—Rome, Kentucky, that is. Noah Walker, the grumpy pie shop owner who finds her stranded on his lawn, wants nothing whatsoever to do with celebrity nonsense. Yet he cannot seem to stop himself from showing her all the small-town magic she has been missing.
A modern homage to Roman Holiday with the most charmingly reluctant hero.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Eve Brown is chaos personified, arriving at Jacob Wayne’s meticulously ordered bed and breakfast after accidentally striking him with her car. He is control incarnate; she is a purple-haired tornado. They should be absolutely incompatible, yet something magnificent sparks between them.
Both characters are autistic, portrayed with wonderful authenticity and warmth.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman sit at desks facing each other, engaged in elaborate games of mutual antagonism. They compete for the same promotion with a ferocity that masks something neither wishes to examine too closely. When Lucy falls ill and Joshua tends to her with unexpected gentleness, their entire dynamic shifts.
This enemies-to-lovers office romance remains a beloved classic of the grumpy sunshine genre.
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Alex Volkov is ice and vengeance, haunted by a tragic past that left him incapable of feeling. Ava Chen is warmth and light, seeing beauty everywhere despite her own broken memories. When Alex is tasked with watching over his best friend’s sister, he discovers something cracking open in his frozen chest.
A darker take on the trope with intensity that will leave you breathless.
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
Maybell Parish inherits a mansion from her great-aunt, only to discover she must share it with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who has his own plans for the property. She is a hopeless romantic who lives with her head in the clouds; he struggles with social anxiety that makes connection difficult.
As they work together to clear out decades of hoarded treasures, they discover feelings worth holding onto.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Photographer Delilah returns reluctantly to her hometown for her stepsister’s wedding, determined to remain aloof and unaffected. Then she meets Claire Sutherland, and all her careful defenses begin to crumble. This sapphic romance brings the grumpy sunshine dynamic to delightful new territory.
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
In a small Alaskan town, a tourist seeking adventure finds an unexpected connection with a grumpy local who wants nothing more than to be left alone. The remote setting adds particular charm to this tale of unlikely attraction.
Always Only You by Chloe Liese
In a refreshing twist, the roles reverse here. Frankie is the grump, working for a hockey team, while Ren, the professional player, is an absolute ball of sunshine who has waited patiently for her to notice him. Seeing the woman as the grumpy one provides a wonderful change of perspective.
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
When personal assistant Georgie loses her job, she returns to her hometown and reconnects with Levi, once the town troublemaker, now a hermit with walls around his heart. As he helps her rediscover forgotten dreams, they both find something unexpected.
There you have it, dear reader—the finest grumpy sunshine romance books to carry you through 2025 and 2026 and beyond. Each of these tales proves what we romantics have always known: that sunshine, applied with sufficient persistence, can melt even the most determined grump. Now fly away and begin reading at once, for adventure awaits between these pages.
