Cleat Cute is a sapphic soccer romance between 2 rivals on the Krewe, New Orleans soccer team.

When I initially heard about this book, I knew I had to sign up for the ARC! I did like the concept and a lot of different aspects of the book, but in the end, it didn't work out for me.

There were times in the book were the monolog dragged on a lot. That could be due to what we find out in the last 20% of the book.

Which by the way, the last 20% of the book kind of threw off the whole vibes of the book. And on top of that, I was not a fan of having the characters trying to diagnose themselves of mental illnesses through Tiktoks.

I felt like I was skimming the second half of the book, more than I was reading it. I really did want to like this book, but in the end, it wasn't for me.

That was a super cute book. The tension was nice although I wish there was a little more nemies to lovers, but still cute. Grace got a little annoying at points. I liked the representation, but didnt like how much soccer there was. i know i know lol. Im not a fan of sport romances usually but the spice was great which is what i expect from Wilsner.

Lesbians, USWNT, and Ted Lasso vibes? Count me in! I thoroughly enjoyed this romance and will be returning to read more of Meryl Wilsner's work in the future. I loved the dynamic between Phoebe and Grace, especially how the author played off the differences between the two. Phoebe and Grace's growth throughout the book was fantastic. From Phoebe coming into the world of soccer to Grace grappling with whether she can hold onto her stardom.. I loved Phoebe's energetic give no fucks behavior contrasting to Grace's introvert, introspective personality. And it was perfect reading all about women's soccer coming off a summer of binging Ted Lasso. Everything about this book was just fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this advanced readers copy!

4 stars

I've yet to read a Meryl Wilsner book I did not thoroughly enjoy, which is why I couldn't wait to tear through this, even though the only soccer content I've been able to consume previously is _Ted Lasso_ and Megan Rapinoe interviews. So, I'll keep my sports "expertise" in mind, avoid a poorly played metaphor, and just reaffirm that this is absolutely another win for an undefeated author (oops).

Grace and Phoebe are on the same soccer team, but they're also on a team of two, though they have different ideas about their goals and rolls in that pairing. Their burgeoning relationship is apparent to all (readers, characters, and so on) but one of them, and their internal thoughts about the state of their bond and themselves are pretty charming overall. This runs a little more R-rated than PG-13 at times (which, live your lives!), so don't make the mistake I did and pull out an earbud to say hi to a neighbor while walking your dogs, so that you could BOTH unintentionally hear part of a steamy scene. LOL.

There's some nice rep happening here in terms of queer identity, and that is an added bonus.

This is a pretty easy, lighthearted (overall) read, and I'm already looking forward to whatever Wilsner gives us next!

I adored the different themes and representations in this book! Even though I’m not a big soccer fan, the sports references and scenes were easy to follow along and added such an intense atmosphere to parts of the book.

Also, I would die for Phoebe, just saying🤭🤭🤭

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tbh, I was immediately drawn in by the name and cover of this book—which is gorgeous yes, but totally does the book a disservice; it looks way more lighthearted and playful and young than this book reads. In reality, it's definitely an adult romance, with plenty of smut, "adult" problems, and a generally heavier atmosphere.

Things I loved:
1. The look into professional soccer! It was super refreshing to a) learn about the sport and b) read a sports romance that brings something other than the typical heteronormative POV. This niche of sports romance absolutely needs more exploring...
2. Grace's position as a veteran. I really enjoyed her perspective on her place within the public and sport landscapes. Watching her come to the realization that she could take ownership of her name (read: fame) and make her own choices regarding her career and how she wants to present herself was so. gratifying.
3. The miscommunication trope. Usually this drives me CRAZY, but I have to say, the way it went down—Phoebe thinking they were dating for over a month—was actually hilarious. I really appreciated that it wasn't the basis of the third act conflict and instead sweetened their actually getting together.

Things I didn't love:
1. The chemistry between Phoebe and Grace felt kind of awkward and almost exclusively sexual till around 50%. While I'm all for sexual attraction, it felt like it was the only thing going for them; the dynamic slowly improved once they started the whole friends-with-benefits relationship, but felt like forever to get to that point.
2. The lack of friendships. There were so many potentially interesting characters, but I felt like we didn't see enough of them, like they were never utilized to their full potential. The bit with Kayla sticking up for Phoebe and Grace consulting Fish and the others about her feelings were great scenes in a book otherwise devoid of real friendship and support systems.

With all that said, I'm glad I read this book; turns out this is my new favorite niche! While the reading experience was a little lacking for me, I ultimately connected to the romance in the end, so I'd give this a solid 3.75 stars.

I tell myself I’m not a giant sports fan, but every time I get some gay sports media, I eat it up. (Yuri!!! on Ice, my beloved.) So while I went in to this story a bit tepid, I came out on the other side *loving* this story. (I don’t know why I didn’t think I would, but nonetheless.)

The first thing I really liked is how consistent these characters were. Grace was grumpy and Phoebe was sunshine throughout the entire book. Even when Grace found herself getting “soft,” her character was still consistent. It’s not that authors don’t keep to how their characters act, but I know, as a writer, I find myself having a hard time keeping my characters grumpy. So, I really liked this.

Also, I know someone else said they didn’t like the inner monologue, but I did. Why? Because I can relate to both Grace and Phoebe. As a matter of fact, I’m going in for an ADHD screening soon and while Grace only mentioned in passing she think she may have autism, I find myself having a lot of symptoms as well. All of this to say, the inner monologue for me is non-stop and it’s really not something I noticed until another reviewer pointed it out. So, while it may be annoying to some people, I think other neurodivergent people understand it!

The only thing I wasn’t thrilled about was how the whole “Phoebe telling Dawn about Grace’s injury” thing was handled. I kind of wish that that was the “dark before the light” moment. Grace seemed somewhat unbothered (or monumentally less bothered than I expected) about Phoebe telling her about her injury. I know that Wilsner writes happily ever afters, but I think that could’ve been reworked a bit. This is actually why I gave it four stars instead of five.

Nevertheless, I was grinning like a fool at the end of the book and will definitely keep an eye on Wilsner’s other books. Thank you for such a cute book! I may need to start watching women’s soccer now.

Meryl Wilsner has nailed it once again. I feel as though their books get better every time they write one. I absolutely loved Cleat Cute. This fun sports romance had me hooked from the first page with the witty banter between the players with Phoebe Matthews, a young hot shot rookie, and experienced women soccer player Grace Henderson playing front and center. With lots of banter and the sexual tension that Wilsner is known for this book did not disappoint. Wilsner also very subtly reminds the reader of the inequities between men and women in professional sports and the resources and pay female athletes face every day.

Every time I decide to take the leap to read a Meryl Wilsner, it solidifies the fact that I cannot get behind her writing style. I really wanted to enjoy this one because of the premise alone but unfortunately, it just didn't meet my expectations. It had potential, it just failed to reach it.

This was one of the best sports romances I’ve ever read, plus the queer representation was absolutely incredible. I felt as though this book was real with how fleshed out and complex Grace and Phoebe were. The settings were also detailed down to the littlest things. You can tell how much heart and soul was put into this book with every page. This is a book you don’t want to miss out on! Thanks again for NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the absolute pleasure of reading this book, and I cannot wait to read more from Meryl Wilsner!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this arc!!!!!

I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. There was a lot of inner dialogue, which made it really hard for me to stay engaged and entertained in the story. There were a few "that's so me" moments I had, but overall I felt like the constant and longggg inner dialogue kind of made it tough for me to feel really connected. Which feels weird to say, I feel like I should've felt more connected to the characters with seeing how their inner thoughts worked, but because of how often it happened, it more so bored me at some parts.

Grace and Phoebe were two characters that I liked for different reasons separate, but together they didn't make much sense. I love a good grumpy x sunshine, or opposites attract book, but this felt like 80% lust, and 20% love. To me, it seemed like their differences were pretty important things. How they chose to live their lives seemed pretty different, and although I think that makes them ending up together all the more sweeter, I think it also made it hard to understand why they were together. There was more telling me what was happening, and the changes in their mindsets, (specifically grace and how she liked to live) vs showing me. I didn't see enough of their relationship change to make me really fall in love with them together.

Some things I did love:
- the representation! people of all different identities were in this book, and i loved seeing that.
- grace's journey of rediscovering her love for soccer, and the love and kindness she learns to show to herself.
- phoebe's honesty! she was so honest about things, and as someone who is terrified of literally ever saying my inner thoughts, i admired her ability to do so!
- the found familyness within the team! (i wish we got to see more of this) but i loved kaylas show of support to phoebe.
- the SPICE!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, not my favorite Meryl book I have ever read, but I am a fan and will continue to read everything they put out, thank youuuuuu

This was a fun, spicy, and entertaining character-driven read. Cleat Cute was my first soccer romance, but definitely won’t be my last. I really enjoyed the references to soccer. I also enjoyed the New Orleans setting. It’s one of my favorite cities to visit.

Grace and Phoebe made a sweet couple, but boy did all that miscommunication drive me nuts. The communication problems did allow for growth for both characters. So that was nice. Friends with benefits is always messy if you can’t communicate.

If you’re a reader who enjoys character-driven plots, fun banter, rival lovers, spicy sapphic romance, and sports, then I definitely recommend you check this book out.

I look forward to diving into Meryl Wilsner’s backlist.

✨Thank you @smpromance e-arc to read and review.

I wanted to like this book SO MUCH. After reading Mistakes Were Made last year I couldn't shut up about how much I loved it and recommended it to anyone who would listen. While I'm not a huge fan of a third-person book when I read MWM I found myself loving the way Meryl was able to write the character's feelings, inner dialogue, and interactions in a new way.

The concept of the book was probably my favorite part of it. 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.

Where it fell flat was the inner dialogue that felt unnecessary. It was clear that Wilsner was trying to paint Grace as a commitment-phob character that 'cares too much but how she's perceived and Phoebe as a 'high functioning ADHD queer who is loud and proud' and while it worked in the first half it felt like as their relationship went on the more it felt like they maybe shouldn't be together.

I think my least favorite sub-plot was Phoebe's ADHD and how that was addressed and treated, it felt like it wasn't flushed out enough and when you get to the turning point of the discussion it was swept under the rug everything was made fine - there was no conflict or argument that felt like a natural progression to the story.

I felt like there was an obvious plot point that could have played out to show the growth of both the characters and advance the story in a much more natural manner (Kelsey's storyline and the effects it had on Grace & Phoebe) but it was just looked over and forgotten.

Overall, I didn't hate the book I just was looking for more from Wilsner especially with how they made me feel after reading Mistakes Were Made. I will always read anything they put out.

This book is so sweet! Finally a friends with benefits arrangement that doesn’t start out with at least one of them already practically in love with the other. I love that Phoebe and Grace begin their arrangement with no intentions of it developing into a committed relationship because it’s so much more rewarding to read about their feelings evolving from genuine friendship to romantic. It’s also nice that their feelings change roughly around the same time so the reader doesn’t have to feel sorry for them having unrequited love.

Phoebe was the perfect blend of chaotic and fun. Her energy and personality led her on the kinds of adventures where you didn’t have to worry about her getting in trouble or getting hurt. Pairing this with Grace’s curiosity and her seeming inability to stay away from Phoebe leads to a bunch of adorable “not” dates. My favorite thing about their relationship is how hard they try to understand each other despite the vast differences in their personalities and upbringings.

The diverse set of secondary characters in this book are also complex and interesting. Perhaps it’s because they are mostly family members and teammates but the ways in which they support and comfort the two main characters are heartwarming see.

Overall, this book is light and fun and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I’m going to recommend to anyone who will listen and I can’t wait to read it again myself.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.75 Stars

So, I have a feeling I’ll be an outlier with this one because I didn’t love this.

I admit that I’m not a sports fan so I was a little skeptical about accepting this arc. But I enjoyed Meryl Wilsner’s last two books and decided to give this a chance. Luckily, there’s not too much actual soccer. However, there are enough technical terms that if you know nothing about the sport it will all go over your head. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the soccer aspect that was the issue for me.

The biggest issue I had was Phoebe. She is a lot. I had a similar issue with Cassie in “Mistakes Were Made” in that the character just annoyed me in the beginning. Cassie eventually grew on me but Phoebe never did. I don’t know if it’s just that my personality has limited patience with Phoebe’s personality traits or what but I never liked her. She’s loud and can be overbearing and I just kept wanting to tell her to back off and give Grace some space. There is a lot of internal monologue and I would get annoyed every time it was Phoebe’s turn. I know that she was probably written this way on purpose as she has ADHD but it seemed like too much.

The miscommunication was also quite annoying. It seemed like anytime something serious came up they would have sex instead. Things would have been a lot smoother for both of them had they taken a few minutes and just talked rather than always jumping into bed.

For the fans of steam, this one is for you. I know Wilsner is getting to be known for their steam and they don’t hold back. The thing that threw me off was Phoebe starts this “baby girl” thing that felt very ick to me.

What I did like was the representation we get from Wilsner. There are also quite a few side characters with the soccer teams and just about every gender identity and sexuality it represented. I liked that we are getting more and more neuridivergent characters as well. Although the assumptions Grace makes about Phoebe and how the whole conversation happens really didn’t sit well with me.

I also enjoyed the mutual pining that happens. Even after they start their friends-with-benefits relationship, they both just really like one another and wish for more (if only they would’ve actually talked sooner.)

While this ended up being just an okay read for me, I know others will enjoy it a lot more. I’m looking forward to whatever Wilsner comes up with next.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was good. It didn’t blow my mind but I had a lot of fun reading it!!! Easy read, lots of steam, loooooots of internal monologuing, and the miscommunication trope (not my favorite but personal pref). It was giving Ted Lasso x Chloe Liese vibes and I was here for it.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my
honest review.

Eleventy billion stars!!! This book was NOT what I was expecting, but in the best way! Phoebe is a rising Soccer star who has always idolized Grace, and when they meet to play on two separate teams the sparks fly. Or should I say, a freakin wild fire starts! The smut in this book was just *chefs kiss* perfection, and I also really loved the neurodivergent representation. This is going to be one of those books that you want to reread time and time again!

This has been my favourite Meryl Wilsner book of all the one's I've tried. It's still a bit too heavy on the tell-don't-show which can be quite grading (especially when it could shave off a lot of the unnecessary inner monologues) BUT i loved these main characters! And I loooove a good realizing-I-have-feelings-when-I'm-not-supposed-to storyline! Also - girls playing sports? immediately my cup of tea. :)

THIS BOOK. OH MY GOD.

This may have been the first time I've received a digital arc, and I am genuinely, truly falling in love with it and counting down the days until I can get a physical copy!

I adored everything about this book. From the plot, round characters, romance, tropes, everything! Not one of the main characters was flat. They all were so well developed, making the relationship feel right. I adored how they explored the complexities of coming out, fame, and ADHD.

AND LETS TALK ABOUT THE SPICE. Genuinely the best spice I've ever read in any book.
If you're sapphic, seeking books with more mental health rep, and love romance, read this!

Another hit by Meryl Wilsner! I absolutely adore their writing style. The book is told in close third person, and some of the author’s thoughts and ways of saying things are downright hilarious–even when the scene itself isn’t meant to be funny.
I love how this book is quite spicy, and even though Phoebe and Grace don’t officially get together right away, their relationship heats up right from the get-go. I typically prefer slow-burn romances, but I discovered that I love Wilsner’s fast-burns with “Mistakes Were Made”, and I’m here for the ride. Please write and publish these books faster! 🥺
I did feel like the angst of the relationship between Grace and Phoebe was a little forced. There was no real rule that teammates can’t be in a relationship. That said, I did appreciate the backstory behind why Grace was so reluctant to be in a relationship with Phoebe. And I adored how the entire thing went down!
Honestly, the reason why this book doesn’t quite get five stars from me was because of all the soccer stuff. This would be okay, if the author had explained some of it a little more. There are a lot of assumptions made. It’s a stylistic choice, to simply assume the reader knows the ins and outs of professional soccer. I’ve read some other soccer romances (Kulti by Mariana Zapata is an all-time favourite), and I’ve felt like those authors didn’t assume the reader would know anything about the sport. Honestly, I know that the sport involves a black and white ball and little else. After reading this book, I still don’t understand training camps, nationals, training and… stuff, though I feel like I should have picked something up while reading this. Oh well, my strengths lie elsewhere. The point of this little paragraph is that I was confused a few times, and I wish that the soccer stuff were either explained more, or glossed over more. This in-between had me feeling stupid. 😂
Despite (still) not knowing anything about soccer, this is a fun, spicy, and lightly angsty sapphic rom com!