Grace Henderson and Phoebe Matthews are polar opposites, the only thing they seem to have in common is soccer. Grace is the star of the US Women’s National Team and Phoebe is an up and coming newbie making her debut. When Grace has been sidelined in order to recover from an injury, the two spend more time together on and off the field causing the tension between hem to grow into something neither one of them expected. As the world cup approaches, their feelings intensify threatening their agreement on a strictly “friends with benefits” situation. With Grace still recovering from her injury and Phoebe vying for a permanent spot on the team, the two must choose between the love for each other or the love of the game.

As someone who used to play soccer and is a huge soccer fan, this one caught my eye immediately. I really enjoyed the setting of this one and how different Grace and Phoebe are and the dynamic of their relationship. Soccer wasn’t really the conflict of their relationship, it was more so miscommunication and them opening up to each other. I did enjoy how the author shed light on ADHD and the struggles some may face coming to terms with it and the overall acceptance of being diagnosed. There was a lot of inner monologuing in this one coming from Grace and Phoebe which personally for me, made it a little harder to get through and is not really my cup of tea. However, I did enjoy the characters and this was a fun romance packed with all the spice. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is now available for purchase!

•Soccer, but make it sapphic.

•We love when a “fun” book delicately handles mental health.

•My favorite romance tropes in rapid succession.

Complex characters but still fun to read, understandable conflicts, and such good mental health rep!

I was lucky enough to read the uncorrected netgalley arc so maybe some of my issues are fixed in the release copies. With that said, I love Meryl Wilsner. I have read and enjoyed two of their previous releases; Something to Talk About and Mistakes Were Made. I did enjoy Cleat Cute but it kinda fell short for me. The second half felt rushed to me everything escalated way too quickly. and although there were hints throughout the book, the ADHD/possible autism felt like last minute add-ins instead of a main plot point that would've worked beautifully with the character arcs. That said however, there's still so much to enjoy and you should definitely check it out if you've been thinking about it, if you're a queer book fiend or if you're just looking for your next read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Meryl Wilsner for being kind enough to let me read and review Cleat Cute. This review is totally my opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun getting to see two different perspectives, especially from two totally different people. I also think this book is an excellent representation of “she fell first, but she fell harder”, which is super cute. Wilsner has such a way of writing complex characters, and they’re always interesting.

Phoebe and Grace did inner monologue a lot, which was a bit tedious at times, but I also understood near the end why they did. I still think Mistakes Were Made is my favorite Wilsner so far, but this one was very sweet. Also, soccer! 3.5/5 stars

I wanna start this off by saying just how much I loved Phobe. She was pure sunshine and sweetness and also a domme and that combination is absolutely magical. The way that she immediately recognized and understood Grace and wanted to take care of her? Amazing. The steam in this was also so so good. The locker room scene. Like a dream, for real. I'm usually disappointed when they have s*x too early in the book but the tension!!! The praise. Phoebe's absolute confidence. The s*x in this was filthy but also so pure and reverent.
This book is such a beautiful love letter to New Orleans. It was so cool to see the city through Grace and Phoebe's eyes, and now I have so many new things to do next time I visit!
I love romance novels with all my heart but often because of the nature of the genre and the publishing industry in general, there are some problematic things I have to sorta ignore or excuse to be able to enjoy the rest of the story. I didn’t have to do that here. Everything was written so thoughtfully and with so much sensitivity, and it was so refreshing to be able to trust that I'd be taken care of. I'm really grateful for that.

I think this might be my favorite Wilsner so far! I really liked Mistakes Were Made but I felt we lost some of the romance in the smut.
This book feels more balanced and we see the relationship evolve more organically. I mean there's definitely still smut, don't worry there.
I particularly liked seeing how the MCs' neurodivergences contributed to their miscommunications. Also no third act breakup if that's your thing!

Cleat Cute is a fun sapphic soccer romance with great neurodivergent representation! It was extremely introspective, which is something that I really enjoy in books. The journey to Grace and Phoebe figuring out that they loved each other was both cute and very spicy. I’m not a huge fan of soccer (I’ve never watched Ted Lasso) but I still really enjoyed this. Some of the soccer content did fly right over my head because, as I mentioned, I literally know nothing about soccer. I don’t feel like it really took away from the story because it was such a huge part of these two women’s lives.

I really liked Grace and Phoebe for completely separate reasons because they are the opposites attract trope in every way. Their common love for soccer and both of them having such big hearts made me fall for them. But as a couple, I thought they were the absolute cutest. The New Orleans dates and small favors were romantic and swoon worthy! There is so much hesitancy from both sides on them being together. I feel like it made it so that they could get to know each other so well and also so that they could learn more about each other in the most organic way. The friendship between the main characters, though reluctant on Grace’s side, flourished well before the romantic aspect of their relationship could. Grace is not really grumpy as much as she is reserved and sparing with her attention after events from her past. There are layers to the captain but there is one person who was not deterred whatsoever in trying to peel back those layers. Phoebe was under her skin before she could help it. Phoebe is a ray of sunshine and her happiness is kind of infectious. You can’t help but love her!

I enjoyed the team’s interactions, and I also really enjoyed the queerness of this story. That’s something that I’ve come to really expect and also appreciate in Meryl Wilsner‘s writing. There’s so much diversity outside of just the fact that the main two characters are queer. The found family aspects of this romance really made me happy because there was so much love in this book that wasn’t romantic. All the friendships were beautiful!

I recommend Cleat Cute if you like sports romance and opposites attract. Thank you so much to the author for an advance copy of this book for review.

Cleat Cute is my favorite romance book of 2023 and is in my top romances of all time! I find it hard to put into words how much I loved this book.
Grace and Phoebe are both such amazing characters. Grace is learning what she really wants to do for her life and is having a midlife crisis at 26. Phoebe is on the journey of finally reaching her dreams. Meryl Wilsner writes such real and authentic queer characters that I'm now been spoiled for WLW romance. Phoebe as a character was also especially important to me, as a fellow female adult who went undiagnosed with ADHD.
There are so many good things I can say about this book. If you love accidentally messy sporty lesbian drama, with spice then this is the book for you. I hate having to compare books to one another but a romance book hasn't ingrained itself in my brain like this since Red, White & Royal Blue.
Thanks so much to the author and publisher for providing a free ARC copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review <3.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
✵FINAL RATINGS: ★★★/5
✵GENRE: ⚔ Romance
✵SERIES: No
✵CHARACTERS: ★★★/5
✵WRITING: ★★★/5
✵PLOT: ★★★/5
✵SMUT: Yes
✵SMUT LEVEL: 🌶🌶🌶/5
✵ROMANCE: ♡ Yes
✵ROMANCE TYPE: F/F

First and foremost, the sex is good. Like, if you’re looking for a lesbian smut book you have found i which is always a positive. Phoebe and Grace always touched base on making sure their partner was comfortable, consent was clear and loud, and it was fun. That being said, the smut is maybe 50-60% of the book in my opinion. Again, that’s not a negative thing if you go into it expecting this.

Personally, I wish I liked this book more but there are some things I just couldn’t overlook. For one, I shouldn’t want more soccer in a soccer romance book… right? Like I know soccer was not really the focus, romance was, but it felt like they went to practice twice the whole book. I know realistically they mentioned going to practice significantly more, but it was always in passing and a lot of the scenes didn’t happen near/on the field which almost defeats the purpose of a soccer romance? It was just a romance and they happened to be soccer players.

Phoebe. I don’t know how to feel about her. One on hand, I love the portrayal of ADHD and I loved how hardworking she was. On the other hand, I’m sorry to say it but she was so annoying. Not only did she cross like every boundary presented to her, but then she goes on to be annoying about them! People are allowed to be upset at your actions girl! Take some responsibility! I also really hated how she tried to veer every serious conversation toward sex. Please take a break FOR FIVE SECONDS.

That being said, I loved Grace. I think she’s a great character and really shows the inner dialogue of introverts. My only issue is there was so much inner dialogue with her that it was kind of boring to read through. I wish she acted more than she thought.

It was a very entertaining book and I read it pretty quickly. I like the team members, how diversity did not feel forced, and how you got to see the relationship between Phoebe and Grace advance. I definitely liked Grace enough to even out my annoyance with Phoebe. Aside from communication issues, I really enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Meryl Wilsner, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to check out an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

Meryl did it again! I absolutely loved Mistakes Were Made so I was so excited to get the chance to read Cleat Cute! I was a bit hesitant only because I'm not a huge sports fan, but I was quickly proven wrong! I love a sapphic book that is just fun. You know when it has all my favorite tropes, rivals to lovers, friends with benefits, and the best forced proximity I am going to eat it up!

Something to keep in mind is it written in 3rd person so if that's not for you just be warned!

We deserve more sapphic books like this! And also am I a soccer fan now??

What can I say except… ✨WOMEN✨

Cleat Cute made me feel SO MANY different things!

The relationships in this book shined so bright and each character felt like they were all one-of-a-kind and were super easy to tell apart, which can sometimes be tough for me.

All the moments of tension between Phoebe and Grace as well as the growth that came from those moments WORK, from beginning to end.

Overall, Cleat Cute was an absolute joy to read. It was fun, sexy, and it brought me to tears in the best ways possible.

This was a really good sapphic romance. I’m pretty sure I’m the target audience, seeing as it features two neurodivergent women who play soccer, and I’m a neurodivergent woman who played soccer when I was younger (never professionally, but still, the interest is there).
I’m going to talk a lot about the autism and ADHD rep in this book, because I have both autism and ADHD, so I had a lot of thoughts. Before I do that, I just want to say: this book has some good spice, and if that’s what you’re looking for after Meryl Wilsner’s previous book, this one won’t disappoint. Also, you don’t really have to know anything about soccer to enjoy the book, but it does add a fun element. I gave this book 4 stars because I did enjoy (most) of it, and I will definitely be returning for a reread. 

Okay. So in regards to the representation: I was really happy with the first half of this book, and then things started to get a little uncomfortable for me by the end. 


What I liked:
-The author obviously did their research (and I suspect drew from personal experience) and showed how ADHD and autism impacted the main characters’ lives WITHOUT turning it into the “oh woe is me I wish I could be normal” thing that usually happens when neurotypical people write disability rep. I related to a lot of it, and it felt true to my own experience. 
-They are both understanding and accommodating of each other, again, WITHOUT making it a big thing. They just treat each other with basic human decency. It actually made me want to cry because I never get treated with that kind of understanding when I let my “mask” slip.

The things I didn’t like:
-Some of Grace’s autism symptoms felt a little plot device-y to me. For example, when she gets upset about something and suddenly hates the texture of her clothes. Sensory issues don’t just pop up when you’re upset. They’re always there (a never ending hell) and are usually something that contributes to a bad mood, rather than something that gets worse BECAUSE of a bad mood.
-The way Grace pushes for Phoebe to get ADHD meds at the end made me really uncomfortable. Especially when Grace had proven that she was capable of accommodating Pheobe’s ADHD. And especially when Phoebe seemed to be really comfortable with herself? I would never tell someone to get off ADHD meds if it works for them, but why would you push someone to get on them if they don’t want or need them? 
-My last and biggest gripe, that almost made me throw the book across the room: pushing Tiktok as a reputable source for learning about ADHD. No one should be learning ANYTHING about their mental health from Tiktok. This is how everyone starts throwing around words like “hyperfixation” and “intrusive thoughts” until they lose all meaning and no one takes neurodivergent people seriously when they talk about those things anymore. 

Soooo. In terms of being a romance novel, this book was good. I’m a little salty about some things at the end, but not enough to ruin how much I enjoyed the rest of it. And obviously, my feelings about the representation are my own, and someone else with ADHD/autism may completely disagree! But I just wanted to put my thoughts out there. And frankly, this IS some of the best rep I’ve seen in a book. It’s just that the bar is, uh, very low. But I do appreciate the things that the author did right.

Women's soccer was a major hyperfixation of mine when I was going through the coming out process in 2014 / 2015 & this book satisfied a craving I didn't even realize I had!

I absolutely love Meryl Wilsner's writing style & I was so interested to see if this one was going to be more of a slow burn or not. I was so happy to find that we got the spice pretty early on! I really appreciated the dichotomy of Grace's character vs. Phoebe's character but how well they actually work together, both as friends & more than friends.

This book had me constantly giggling & kicking my feet like a little school girl. I can't wait to see where Meryl takes us next!

This was such a fun read & I fell in love with the characters. I’m not a huge sports person, but the way the author brought you inside the game using the story, especially the romance was so fun! :)

I need more sapphic sports romances now :)

This book was sexy and spicy while also being heartfelt. I loved the chemistry between the two love interests and Grace's journey as she starts doing things for herself rather than what she should do. Love how the author handled undiagnosed behavior as well as some class privileges commentary sprinkled in.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the arc! I have read the other two books by Wilsner (I didn't like Something to Talk About and I loved Mistakes Were Made). Some things I liked about this book, and others not so much. I felt that most of Phoebe and Grace's inner monologues were telling me things instead of showing me. Telling me over and over again that a certain character is good at something is tiring - show me how good that character is. Plus Phoebe was annoying.

I think Meryl Wilsner is getting better with every release! I loved Cleat Cute. I enjoyed the professional women's soccer setting. I loved all of the characters - I wouldn't say no to a spin off from some of the side characters! The main relationship was well-built and convincing. The sex scenes were great too. A very, very enjoyable romance.

I was so excited to read this new sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.
I played soccer for years growing up and 4 years of division 1 in college. I couldn’t wait to see how this book related. It was such a fun and entertaining read! The soccer portions were written by someone who clearly understands soccer at a higher level and knows the game and player tactics.
Cleat Cute is a steamy romance between professional soccer teammates, Grace Henderson, and rookie, Phoebe Matthews. Both characters had personalities that were quite different from each other. Grace was very serious and took her career in soccer as if it were her life and Phoebe was new to the professional world of soccer.
This book had me laughing and rooting for both characters. They didn't quite understand each other at first but quickly discovered that they enjoyed each others company. The third person present POV was initially off-putting to me and I had a hard time getting into the book because of it. I will say that I ended up getting used to it by about 20% and was no longer noticing it the longer I read. Overall, such a fun book that also touches on some sensitive and serious topics.

4.5 stars, rounded down
This is such a lovely rom-com! I am a massive women's soccer fan, so when I saw this pop up on NetGalley I knew I had to read it. And Meryl Wilsner did not disappoint. The characters were interesting and unique, from the protagonists to the side characters. Each one was distinctive and full of personality and charm. I loved Pheobe's optimism and love of the sport and her confidence both on the field and in her personal life. I loved Grace's steadfast determination and loyalty. They're polar opposites, but they fit together like the most perfect of puzzle pieces. I loved how much casual representation there was! So many races, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities were on these pages without it ever coming across as a checklist of diversity points to try and achieve. I can't even count how many different types of people there are.
Beyond the characters, this plot is lovely. As a big fan of the Women's World Cup with many very strong opinions on how players are treated by coaches and themselves, the fact that the story surrounded a woman learning to speak up for herself and her friends in the face of public scrutiny was super cool to read about. Too often women in sports are made to push themselves until they are too injured or exhausted to go on, and it does infinitely more harm than good to both players and the reputation of the sport as a whole. (Shoutout to the USWNT coach, who finally got fired.) And, in a twist that was beyond shocking to me, the miscommunication in this wasn't obnoxious and drawn out but something that added charm and levity to the story and the characters.
The only thing that keeps this from being a perfect 5 stars is that I wish there had been more of a decrescendo from conflict to end. The story wrapped up so fast and I found myself wanting just 20 more pages to give everything a more satisfying and well-paced conclusion. Not a turn-off of the book as a whole, but I am a sucker for a sugary sweet ending to my rom-coms and this didn't quite deliver.

Two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

Opposites attract and sparks fly from the moment Grace and Phoebe first meet. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the grumpy veteran Grace go from being leery of the enthusiastic, cocky rookie Phoebe to giving in to her attraction. Their journey from friends with benefits to a committed relationship is filled with funny, steamy, heartwarming moments and a few challenges. I also appreciated the focus on these characters' growth as well as their success on and off the field.

This rivals-to-lovers rom-com is a must for sports romance fans, especially those who enjoy having the sports aspects integral to the main story.