honestly, the only thing i really enjoyed about this book is learning about soccer. i don't really like third person pov, but i can deal with it when it comes to some books. however, it didn't work for this one. the dialogue was kinda obnoxious... like no one actually speaks like that in real life. and the inner monologues were so descriptive over the tiniest things, it was a complete overkill. lastly, i couldn't really feel any solid chemistry between grace and phoebe, and i find it hard to believe that they fell in love with each other that quick.

I have no words for how much this book touched my heart and soul. Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this before publication - I just finished it and I still have happy tears running down my face.

Meryl Wilsner has created diverse characters who are as real as your friends, neighbors, and coworkers, flaws and all, and placed them all in a story that - despite being about professional soccer - at its core, is something to which everyone can relate. Soccer is the thing that keeps the story going, but the personal hardships, struggles, and victories are what bring it all together.

As a person with ADHD and anxiety, Phoebe's twist at the three-quarter mark of the book hit home really hard and really accurately. (Granted, I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of four, but the struggles remain the same.) Watching Grace learn to navigate the unfamiliar in so many ways, to learn and adapt in a way that is positive and helpful - Ms. Wilsner, I cannot thank you enough. I felt like you were telling MY story as part of Grace's and Phoebe's.

This book is about so much more than romance. It's friendship, learning to trust again, opening yourself up to new experiences, love in many forms, and a reminder that there are always people in your life who will forever have your back. Cleat Cute is a phenomenal story that I cannot wait to pester my friends to purchase once it's released (after I get a copy for myself, of course!), and it's one you'll want to read again and again. It's finding your place and coming home.

Omg. Meryl Wilsner you did the thing! The lesbian sports romance we deserve! Had so much fun reading this one.

Cleat Cute was an absolute burst of cuteness and wholesomeness that left me completely in awe!! Grace and Phoebe stole my heart – their characters are just so incredibly lovely and endearing. This book is an instant addition to my stack of comfort reads; I adored every second of it.

I mean, seriously, what more could you ask for?? Wholesome, lovesick, and sappy lesbian soccer players. It struck the perfect balance between romance, drama, and spice!! The autism and ADHD representation holds such significance to me. Wilsner did such a great job portraying queer neurodivergent characters. Seeing this representation is an absolute treasure, and it's hard to put into words just how much it means to me to be able to read it. And in books like this, I can practically step into the characters' emotions. From tears to laughter, giggles to blushes, I was right there with them every step of the way. It's an indescribable feeling that this book managed to capture so perfectly.

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABT HOW THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS?? THEY ARE SO INTERESTING!! I just wanted to keep reading about them. I just didn’t want this story to end! I WANT MOREEE The complexity and depth of the cast left me wishing for extended narratives, and I couldn't bear the thought of this story ever coming to an end!

I'm completely in awe of how Wilsner crafted these characters – their richness and complexity were simply amazing. The way they intertwined and developed throughout the story left me craving for more of their journey, especially when Grace and Phoebe were together in a relationship. I genuinely didn't want the story to conclude; it felt like these characters had become friends I didn't want to say goodbye to.

Trust me, I had the biggest grin plastered on my face the entire time. Those butterflies in my stomach?? They were definitely fluttering too. The giddiness I felt while reading this was simply unparalleled.

I usually let my thoughts about a book "marinate" before writing a book review, but I suppose this book is an exception. This book is such a lighthearted and sweet read. If you're on the hunt for a heartwarming and feel-good sapphic romance, Cleat Cute is an absolute must-read. It's like a warm hug on a chilly day. 💗

Overall, I wanted to love this book but found it needed some substantial edits. It was hard to find either character likeable and although the steamy scenes were steamy... it didn't save the issues with the plot.

This is a fun one! Grace is a veteran professional woman’s soccer player who went pro in her teens and is feeling burned out by the jobs she doesn’t love in a sport she does. Phoebe is the team rookie who has had a poster of Grace on her wall for years. They’re very opposite but balance each other out - if they can get their act together to admit their feelings.

A delightful read. I loved learning a little about soccer while watching these two work through their stuff!

This was a great Sapphic soccer romance! I'm a casual soccer fan, so I loved that our setting was two professional soccer players, who were both really competent and loved the sport.

I loved both of our main characters, and how they were completely different, but both totally believable as people. Phoebe's POVs were a joy to read, and she was confident without being arrogant/awful. Grace was also a great perspective to have, and it was so fun to read as Phoebe pulled her out of her shell. All of the teammates were great, and I loved how family like they all felt.

I think the spice was really well written and good, but I do think that we borderline might've had TOO much spice (at least for me). Phoebe was so confident and sexy, and I loved how she treated Grace. I loved how the author let the characters have realistic conversations about sex and then also included a person who could get too in their head to climax. Those situations were handled really gently and well and I love how caring both of our main characters were for eachother.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it's characters!

Grace Henderson has been the star of the IS Women’s National Soccer team for the last 10 years. She has everything going for her - until her new teammate, Phoebe Mathews shows up. Grace is sidelined with an injury and Phoebe takes her spot on the team. The two couldn’t be more different from one another - Phoebe is a jokester where Grace is focused and determined. The last thing Grace expects is to befriend Phoebe. But when the two start to hit it off, the unexpected happens. Quickly Phoebe finds herself looking at Grace as more than friends. Will these two figure things out or put themselves at odds?

I related so much to Grace and loved her determination and drive. Phoebe drove me nuts to begin with but I soon fell in love with her and was rooting for her and Grace. This is a fantastic book, especially if you’ve been following the World Cup and Ted Lasso.

I LOVE soccer, which is the main reason I wanted to read this book. There is definitely soccer included here, but it's more of an "on the side" part of the main story. That's totally fine for how the book was written and if that's how the author wanted the story to play out, just a fair warning of what to expect.

The things I liked:

I loved the author's ability to present neurodivergent characters and really delve into how those traits affect their everyday lives.

Overall, I thought the relationship between the to MC's was cute. I loved the friendships between teammates even more and found them to be very realistic.

Things I didn't like:

Although I love neurodivergent representation in a book, I hated the way that the author brought about self-diagnoses via the characters looking at tik tok. Of course people can use tik tok to realize things about themselves, but over-generalizing mental illnesses can be very problematic and I wish she would have had a professional viewpoint for this part of the storyline.

The dialogue was super annoying at times. The amount of inner monologuing got to be way too much. Show me what's happening between the characters, don't just give me "she said this", give me actions.

On a personal "me" note, some of the dialogue and language used was pretty cringe.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and had fun with it. I found I was annoyed at times and cringed more than I would like to admit, but it was still a good time. I could have used more soccer, but the connections the author made between personal actions and how they stem from deeper things I found to be very insightful and well done.

✨book review✨

Cleat Cute By: Meryl Wilsner
5/5 ⭐️ stars

Soccer. Amazing diverse queer representation. Neurodivergent representation. Sapphic romance.

I have different points I like to hit in my queer romance books, and Meryl did it for me. Strong badass FMC’s, hot chemistry with the FMC’s, great side characters, great character growth, just Phenom *wink face*. The soccer references and descriptions were on point. This truly gave me my soccer fix after my USWNT World Cup run. I was so stocked to have the honor of getting an ARC from @netgalley for this book.

Grace is truly my favorite person in this book. She has built up this entire shell of how she thinks she is supposed to be for everyone else, she has never taken a second to think she even has the ability to change her life. Change is hard for Grace, she is comfortable in her routine, it is all she knows. Then comes in Phoebe the most chaotic ball of red hair fun that Grace never knew she needed. The person Grace becomes because of Phoebe just warms my gay heart. Grace will always have a spot in my heart. I am just so dang proud of her for her character growth. I just love how sweet Phoebe is with Grace and makes it all about her. “Every time Grace shares a new personal fact, it feels like a nugget of gold.” I love Phoebe’s internal thoughts and her outwards thoughts.

The neurodivergence representation was so close to my heart, it felt so good to see it in print. I also LOVED all the queer representation, from non-binary to trans, lesbian and bisexuality. The hardships of insurance and coverage for top surgery. I just loved all those did bits to pieces. Thank you for this Meryl.

Other random thoughts and notes.
-THAT. LOCKER. ROOM. SCENE. Just YUM.
-Also their goalkeeper Ash sounds incredibly HOT, their confidence is just *chefs kiss* melts me in a puddle. Wouldn’t mind a novella about Ash. 😉
-I just loved the team dynamics and loved that they have such a tight knit group. It gives me all the warm feels I had from playing group sports. The bond you make with teammates is forever.

PLEASE go pre-order this book! It comes out September 19th, 2023!

▪️About this book:
-Sapphic Romance
-Rivals to Lovers
-Teammates
-Friends with Benefits
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Opposites Attract
-HFN

▪️Thoughts:
Cleat Cute caught my attention with its amazing cover Phoebe and Grace looked so fierce and strong I just had to read it! I'm not usually someone who reads sports romance related books, but I had to, the rivalry plus the tension of friends with benefits situation had me wanting more of this romantic comedy.
Phoebe is 22 years old who's full of energy. She's living in Indiana and is excited now that New Orleans drafted her. She gets the call of her life which may possibly even lead to her playing with the US Women's National Team.
Grace is 26 years old considered a veteran athlete has been playing professional soccer for 10 years. She is a serious player and someone who likes to keep her life private. She is also the captain to the New Orleans soccer team and it comes with many responsibilities which she takes very seriously.
Phoebe is funny and a bit all over the place all at once and on top of that she has a lot on her plate. I loved how she gets along with everyone and fits right when she's on the team. Grace is quiet and reserved which makes her and Phoebe complete opposites. While Phoebe is late for everything Grace is the type of person to say if you're on time you're late.
These characters help each other in many ways. Grace at first is very hesitant to let Phoebe in. And Phoebe feels that. She doesn't let that stop her, on the contrary is makes her fight more wanting to know and talk to Grace and be her friend.
I really liked how mature these two characters handled a lot of the situations. As issues and uncertainties arouse they may have not spoken about it immediately but when they did talk about things they were very understanding. Overall it was funny with a bit of miscommunication but these characters made everything blend in perfectly by the end clearing up the friends with benefits situation so yay to a HFN! And did I mention these characters are strong and brave? I loved that so much!

▪️Quote:
💬 Actions speak louder than words anyway, right? Phoebe doesn’t need to say I’m worried about you. I am glad you’re taking care of yourself. This, being there— she’s showing it.

I received this book as an ARC, all of this is my honest opinion.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is the LGBTQ Sports Romance of my dreams. Grace and Phoebe are so much fun to read - each character exudes confidence and wit, and the way the author makes the characters excitement jump off the page had my heart racing more than once. This enemies to lovers, same team, same position book had me rooting for everything! For fans of F/F Romance, this is a must read. For readers who are curious about F/F Romance, this is a fantastic place to jump in. The love! The passion! The excitement! The drama!

i was super excited to read this considering i’d loved another sapphic football romance earlier in the year (you don’t have a shot by racquel marie), but i’m sad to say that i kinda had a love-hate relationship with the book throughout my time reading it. i was so convinced i’d love it when i started the first chapter, i liked and connected instantly with phoebe as a character, but as the story went on i kinda got frustrated with her at some points. and the same goes for grace, too. i liked and then disliked the writing style at times. this was also spicy which i don’t like much, and wasn’t really expecting, but should’ve been, to be honest. the miscommunication was interesting to say the least. i loved the neurodivergent rep! i think the book could’ve been a good chunk shorter. overall, i guess the whole book was a bit up and down for me?
thank you to the publisher st. martin’s griffin and netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, heartwarming, SPICY, enjoyable novel that I will be recommending to my audience. I enjoyed watching the character development throughout and loved the realistic dialogue between the mains. I loved that there wasn’t a third act breakup and that the mains made it through a miscommunication at the end without it tanking their relationship. Very fun book!

I really enjoyed this one! The relationship was sweet, and I loved how they each learned from the other.

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the ebook! With the FIFA Women's world cup going on this was such a perfect timed read. I love soccer and reading made me miss playing again. Overall a really solid book, it was a bit slow in the beginning for me but it picked up beyond the 50% mark and I enjoyed it more after that point. While the smut was amazing reading the progression of Pheobe's and Grace's relationship grows beyond friends with benefits was the best and impressed me the most instead of their relationship immediately jumping from sex to girlfriends, seeing the sex positivity, matureness of characters, and their realization that they want to do better for the other made my heart melt.

Phoebe Matthews has been called up to the National Team Camp, a dream come true! Make it even better by getting to play along side Grace Henderson, her idol - both on and off the pitch as a steamy romance seems to stir up between them.

With Grace working her way back to ensure she makes the World Cup Roster after injury, and Phoebe ensuring she does enough to make the World Cup Roster tensions are on high.

There was great chemistry between the leading ladies, as well as enough interaction from the side characters to feel like a full read - entirely about Phoebe & Grace.

This was such a fantastic & fun read, I'm so glad I got my hands on it and will be purchasing when it comes out next month!

A big thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press

Such a cute and light read. It did take me a while to get into it but the characters made it worth while in the end. I liked that we were able to see how both leads felt throughout the story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

DNF @36%
I didn't like the pacing of this book. It was boring and the characters had no chemistry. I can see why some people might like it, but it just wasn't for me.

Meryl Wilsner does it again. I really didn’t think I’d find another book that matched the hype of Mistakes were Made, but this surpassed all my expectations.
I’m so grateful that I got the eARC- I remember my friend getting this and how jealous I was that I still hadn’t heard back. This book made me feel cozy and warm. I’m a retired competitive figure skater and this brought back all the feels of being completely devoted to a sport.
This book touched on so many layers- ADHD representation, LGBTQ+ relationships, coming out stories, meaningful friendships… and so much more. This book had it all. Anything Meryl writes- I will read. I can’t explain how I felt when I finished this book. I wanted more phoebe and grace- I felt like they were my friends and I’m sad to see them go.
I loved this book and I hope that I can get my hands on more books by Meryl in the future. Thank you for this incredible read!