Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Griffin for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, rivals to lovers, steamy 🔥

I really liked this one. It was a fun, cozy feeling, and spicy read. It was very predictable, but most romances are. I love the representation. I highly recommend it!

Very cute! I thoroughly enjoyed the romance. The banter and communication between the two main characters was everything. I always love a good sapphic novel and this was no different.

This one wasn't it for me but largely because of my own preferences and not necessarily a failing of the book. I couldn't get over the inappropriate workplace romance of it all (I am just NOT a workplace romance girlie and I need to accept it). Also the age gap wasn't working for me here either -- I can't get over the idea that Phoebe had Grace's poster on her wall as a kid and now is banging her (this is on me, not the book). Plus, Phoebe annoyed me from the start. Meryl is a great writer, the steam is A+, but this one wasn't my fave.

3 stars.

I was really looking forward to reading this because I really enjoyed Mistakes Were Made, but this one was just okay to me. I appreciated Phoebe's inner monologue.

I'm not much of a soccer girl so I don't know if that had something to do with me not liking the book. I found Grace to be a little gruff and not quite my favorite character.

There were moments that I really enjoyed, like when they were kicking the ball around and just hanging out or when they went for breakfast but other moments just kind of put me off like Grace's reaction to Phoebe flirting.

Overall it was just an ok book for me but I am looking forward to reading other books by her.

This gets all the stars! It was the absolute cutest sapphic sports romance and I am obsessed. I literally read this book in under 24 hours.

I am also totally biased as I am an ADHD, queer, ex soccer player who is currently dating a queer autustic ex soccer player. There were a lot of parallels in terms of relationship progression.

I truly did enjoy all the queer and mental health representation. And to see it done through the lens of my favorite sports was just *chefs kiss*.

i enjoyed this book! i found phoebe to be super relatable as a late diagnosed ADHDer myself, i also have alarms for everything and write down little notes to not forget things (except i sometimes forget i wrote the notes).
i’m not a huge fan of miscommunication, but i was pleasantly surprised by how grace and phoebe worked it out. they definitely didn’t communicate enough, but they understood the other had good intentions and kept trying.
i don’t understand much about soccer, the positions and numbers go over my head, but i loved that my lack of knowledge didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

Cleat Cute
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Meryl Wilsner

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.

As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?

My Thoughts: This was a very cute story. Phoebe Matthews has idolized Grace Henderson since she was young. Phoebe makes it into the women’s soccer league with her eye on National League. Phoebe is starstruck with Grace, then an injury takes Grace out for a few games and Phoebe steps in. What Grace did not expect was Phoebe, they are complete opposites but a friendship sparks with benefits. Can they play together or will Phoebe replace Grace? This follows the tropes of enemies to lovers, women’s professional sports, opposites attract, and forced proximity.

The story is narrated in a dual narration by both Phoebe and Grace, in their respective perspectives. The narration was in third person, however, there was a lot of internal monologue going on, which I really appreciated as it gives you an inside to the characters. Phoebe and Grace could not be more opposite of each other but have this immediate attraction towards one another. Phoebe is outgoing, loud, loves to joke, especially to break the ice, chaotic, and just starting her professional athletic career. Grace is an introvert, reserved, serious, follows the rules, and loves soccer, it has encompassed her life for the last decade. Together their opposites work to fit the whole picture. The characters were well fleshed out with depth, witty banter, mad chemistry, creatively built up, and were intriguing. The supporting characters really enhanced the storyline, especially Fish. The author’s writing style was complex, humorous, spicy, steamy, and beautiful. I loved the author’s representation of mental health and believe it was done with grace and integrity. I admit that I do not know much about soccer and some of the terms went over my head, that would be my con for the book. When encompassing sports in a book, a little background is helpful.

This romance read has all of the feels between two professional athletes, and really is a beautiful love story. While soccer is not a sport I watch, I have a lot of admiration for the sport. Any sport is hard and being a woman makes it even harder to achieve success in a man’s world. I had both the digital and audio versions of the ARC and leaned towards more of the audio. The narrators were amazing in this story, they did a great job with voice variation across the different characters, and really brought the characters from the page to my heart. I loved Wilsner’s prior work, Mistakes Were Made, and this one was just as good. I absolutely loved this book. I highly recommend picking up this book.

3.5 stars

Grace Henderson has been on the American women’s national soccer team for 10 years, since she was 16. Phoebe Matthews is drafted to Grace’s NWSL team with the expectation that she will fill in while Grace is at the national team games, but when Grace ends up injured, Phoebe ends up taking her place on the national team, too. Grace and Phoebe are complete opposites when it comes to personality and rivals on the field, yet they can’t find the attraction between them. Will they be able to make it work both on and off the pitch?

I liked watching the relationship between Grace and Phoebe progress; they were good for each other! The blurb says this book is for fans of Ted Lasso, but other than soccer/football, I don’t think the two have that much in common. If you like a lot of steam in your romances, you will enjoy this book! Phoebe calling Grace “baby girl” did make me feel a little icky. Knowing a little about soccer will probably help with reading this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Another good title from Meryl Wilsner.
Phoebe and Grace start out as adorable rookie and seasoned veteran soccer players who quickly fall into a friends with benefits arrangement before finding out they're meant to be.
This story is everything I've come to expect from Ms. Wilsner-well rounded and complex characters who instantly make you fall for them in the opening pages. I shipped these two so hard that I found myself frustrated that neither could see that the other had strong feelings that matched their own. It ultimately makes for a great HEA that has you forgiving their behavior.
As always I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC copy of this novel. I give this honest review voluntarily.

This is now my second book by this author. Her writing has improved since her last novel. I liked 'Mistakes were Made' but I do like this story even more. This novel takes us into the world of Women's Professional Soccer. I'm not a big soccer fan but I don't hate the sport either. I learned some things about the sport that I previously did not know and Ms. Wilsner wrote some exciting scenes taking place in the middle of a few matches. Grace Henderson, one of the main characters has been playing professional soccer for ten years. She began at the early age of 16. She's has gained accolades, fame, and some wealth. She's also been weighed down by responsibility on the field as captain and off the field as the face of women's soccer. With all that some of the joy of the game has lost it's shine. Enter rookie Phoebe Matthews who is pretty much the opposite of Grace. Grace is introverted and serious. Phoebe is an extrovert. She's loud, friendly and loves playing soccer. She plays with a joy that Grace hasn't felt in a few years. These are great characters who would seem to not fit together but their differences complement each other and they really do shine together. This novel was a delight to read. I definitely recommend. **This is a pet peeve of mine and the reason I'm giving this book a 4 star rating instead of 4 ½ . The author uses the word c*nt in both of her novels and even though it's not used in a derogatory way it is still an offensive word to me. Also, and I don't know why but when a character calls their partner “baby” I find it sexy, but the author has Phoebe calling Grace “baby girl” and that just is a turn off for me.

I received this ARC from Netgalley. This review is my own thoughts and honest opinions about the story and authors writing.

This is a sapphic romcom with rivals to lovers. It follows two professional soccer players who are competitive rivals. Grace has been playing for 10 years, when a injury sidelines her. Which introduces a new soccer player, phoebe, who takes her spot. With miscommunication, it confuses what their relationship is.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the author giving us the internal dialog which Showa the internal struggles of phoebe trying to focus on her career, while having the intrusive thoughts about her liking her teammate. I really think the characters where well written and they pulled you into wanting to cheer them on within their relationship. I also had so much fun laughing at all the humorous moments within the book.

It was Extremely enjoyable to read. What I also like is that Grace and phoebe may have been rivals at first, but with their relationship blooming, they found out that they are a better team playing together on the field as well as off. I liked how the author made them more than just rivals and the personal struggle to find this out only strengthens the characters relationship.

Thank you to the publisher. I really appreciate receiving this arc.

However, I have decided to dnf this book. It is really not the book's issue but my own. I do not like characters; who hide certain things from their love interest. Especially if they know that their partner would have an issue, anyway, I may pick up this book in the future.

Women's soccer version of Check Please with the banter and sexiness of an Ali Hazelwood workplace romance with neurodivergent and queer rep! So I mean, everything you could want, right? If you grew up loving Mia Hamm or are currently shipping Tobin Heath and Christen Press, this is a must read. The novel was fast-paced and excelled at covering a large supporting cast focused on both National Team and US League play (two different teams and rosters could be real confusing, but is easy to follow.). I loved the detail of New Orleans in addition to soccer play. I appreciated the small details that further the author's knowledge women's soccer (a male couch who's an asshole and not as knowledgeable as the players, ahem Portland Thorns ahem). And as always, love seeing healthy communication and boundaries in a romance!

This book was just an utter delight! Meryl Wilsner has found the perfect recipe for a fantastic romance. They're writing is just devourable ( yes, that's a real word) and keeps you glued to the page. I love the phenomenal characters that Wilsner writes that are so relatable and people you would hang out with. I have zero sports experience so my frame of reference could be off - but the team they wrote was just so engaging and fun. The steam factor was definitely there (the locker room was *chefs kiss*) and the chemistry between these characters was fantastic! I just adored Phoebe and Grace. The miscommunication in this was frustrating at times but that shows my emotional attachment to the characters and my love for them soooo... I can't hate it. Such a great read! Highly recommend.

This sapphic, rivals to lovers, romcom is a lovely fall treat for any soccer lover. Meryl Wilsner's writing has a charm and ease that quickly brings the reader into her story and keeps them engaged. Wilsner weaves together comedy and sportsmanship competition perfectly to bring to life this love story between a new teammate and seasoned player. This novel has humor, heart and heat. Cleat Cute is a charming romance between teammates and a lovely fall read.

I adored the dynamic between Phoebe and Grace. The tension between someone who has history with the game, but is sidelined due to injury and the young new player who idolizes her taking her place is so fun. Wilsner deliciously builds this tension into the perfect chemistry. I also found a nice layer of humor as their relationship grows and both of them are on slightly different pages when it comes to the "label" of their relationship. This novel is sexy and sensual, the characters definitely grow their trust and understanding with each other through the exploration of their physical relationship. Wilsner easily balances the chemistry and emotions to give this relationship a nice layer of depth as they fall in love.

I would highly recommend this read. If you love Meryl Wilsner's writing you will delight in this. If the plot and characters intrigue you, then you are sure to be romanced.

I really enjoyed Meryl Wilsner’s Mistakes Were Made, so when I Cleat Cute I knew I needed to request it immediately. Unfortunately, there were little and big things throughout the first half that happened and I just couldn’t push through to the end.

The bones of the book had me excited to read. I mean, who doesn’t love a budding teammate romance, age gap, and solid female main characters? I know those are some of my favorite themes to read! The characters themselves were amazing, I love the way they were built, they had so many layers, and the portrayal of what was going on internally and externally was fantastic. If there were to be a book with these characters in a different write-up, I’d read it immediately.

Where this book lost me were the trivial additions that were there, kind of added detail, but were unnecessary to the storyline. I found the events and conversation to be monotonous - it felt like in showing her New Orleans we were just getting similar actions and events, whilst in a new place. It didn’t feel like it was driving the plot forward. The last thing that was bothersome, and really drove me to DNF, was the continued joking around about one main character being obsessed (and stalker-esque) with the other. That just rubbed me the wrong way because I don’t think that was the intention but it made it creepy instead of something that should have been an honor.

Whoa! This novel was definitely a SPICY STEAMY sapphic romance. I love a good sports romance but the internal monologue took a few things away from the overall book. I would recommend to anyone that likes Delilah Green Doesn't Care.

I really enjoyed Cleat Cute! This was a steamy sapphic romance that I flew through. I loved how Phoebe and Grace's relationship progressed as they were soooo different. They had some great banter that made me smile while reading. I also loved how this centered around them both being pro women's soccer players. We don't often get romances where the girls are the pro athletes! I did feel like Phoebe's backstory could have been explored a bit more, but overall I found this to be engaging. I will definitely read more by Meryl Wilsner in the future.

I have been all over sports romances and this one was so cute! I loved the characters and how the story built as I read more!

"Cleat Cute" by Meryl Wilsner is a delightful blend of sports, romance, and humor that hits all the right notes. Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, women's soccer, and the World Cup, Grace Henderson, a ten-year veteran of the US Women’s National Team at just 26, finds herself sidelined by injury. In her place steps Phoebe Matthews, a 22-year-old with an infectious enthusiasm about making the pro team. The playful banter and electric connection from teammates to lovers are a joy to read. What sets this book apart is its perfect balance of heartwarming moments and steamy encounters as well as the realization that they are both neurodivergent A must-read for fans of romantic comedies, sports enthusiasts, and those seeking neurodivergent representation in literature.