3.5 stars

I am a HUGE women's soccer fan and love a good sports romance, so my excitement for this sapphic romance was SO HIGH. I think, though, that may have hurt my experience of this book? This had the set up that I love. Phoebe is the newbie on the national team and a professional team and has idolized (and had a crush on) Grace for years. She even had her poster in her bedroom, which is one of my favorite super-specific tropes in a sports romance. Grace has been playing professionally for ten years and takes her job very seriously. Phoebe, though, is a whirlwind of a person who crashes into her life and makes her feel things. I loved their dynamics and the moments we got of them at practice and playing together. The beginning of this book? Perfect. But as the book went on, the plot really slowed down and I just wanted so much more. This book is definitely spicy, which I always love, but I wanted so much more from them as the story went along. Grace was injured and that's where the plot was just them more separate and just dealing with their own feelings. They are both neurodivergent, which I really appreciated about their characters and the exploration of their identities they had, and they were both so lovable. It just felt like that took over the plot and the romance started to lack. I can't put my finger on exactly what was missing, but this was not the epic soccer romance I was expecting.

I’ve been drafting a review since I started reading this book, largely because I anticipated enjoying it but myself mentally willing it to end. Like Meryl Wilsner’s previous book, Cleat Cute was a huge miss for me.

I’d like to start by saying that I admit that after the third time, I am simply unlikely to enjoy Wilsner’s future work thus acknowledge if my review has more bite than others. I haven’t vibed with their work and I can now say conclusively that it’s simply due to their style and how unlikeable I find one of their two main characters (literally every time).

I have come to realise that Wilsner’s books are almost like reiterations of their previous works. Their characters all have the same personalities (grumpy versus sunshine) and end up as unoriginal copies of other popular works. In this case, I found Phoebe almost unbearable. She was Cleat Cute’s sunshine character; she was objectively beautiful but everything about her personality made her incredibly annoying to me. As I read I felt like Wilsner themselves couldn’t really pinpoint Phoebe’s personality only really nailing her “being really good at sex,” wearing the cringiest outfits, and being generally corny. Phoebe sounded—and seemed—like her preceding sunshine characters and I was too annoyed too early on.

To be very honest I cringed every time Phoebe called Grace “baby girl” and would have DNFd this book were it not for my commitment to giving it a fair shot. The more I read the less chemistry I found between the main characters and Phoebe had a lot to do with it.

While I liked Grace a lot more, I sensed a weird shift some 40% into the book where suddenly her personally became heavily—almost extremely so—coded for autism. Upon checking the author’s Instagram I did see that this was intentional, and that’s not where the problem lies, but rather that it felt like the author decided on that way later into their writing. They exacerbated her personality as if to make it as explicit as possible without revising the earlier chapters. As someone who is VERY similar to Grace in personality, and also undiagnosed, this is coming not from a place of resentment at representation but confusion at its execution.

Despite the cover and the synopsis, this book is loosely about soccer. There were zero stakes when it came to the soccer “plot” and even less overall presence through the book. Realistically speaking—please mind mild spoilers ahead—, Cleat Cute was 1/4 soccer (and that’s being generous), 1/2 sex, and 1/4 Phoebe’s undiagnosed ADHD subplot. None of them were all that brilliantly executed.

I will say, positively, that this relationship’s age-range and its execution were much more realistic. I’d say the author succeeded in making this relationship more believable than their age-gap romances.

At this point I want to make sure I note that this author is popular for a reason and their books are enjoyed for a reason, but I simply cannot bring myself to do so. Their style isn’t one I love, let alone like, and that’s okay.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to honestly review this ARC: thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin.

3.5 this was a lot of fun to read, do I care about soccer? not really but I did care about watching these two characters' relationship blossom.

This book begins with our main character Phoebe being called into a training camp who just so happens to run into her idol; Grace a veteran soccer player- she's been playing for at least a decade and has everything sorted and scheduled until Phoebe arrives in her life, 10 minutes late to practice.

Why would you want to read this?
- Sapphic relationship
- Neurodivergent representation
- Grump x Sunshine
- Lots of inner monologue (if you like those...I like those)
- Dual POV
- Steamy scenes if that's what you're into
- Lots of queer representation

What I liked:
- NB Rep, I always love seeing it even if it's small
- I felt like the miscommunication trope was handled pretty well (I usually hate this trope but I didn't mind it so much with this story)
- I personally loved all of the inner monologing, it was easy to tell Grace and Phoebe apart which was such a big plus
- I learned about soccer, which was cool


What I did not love:
- As things stand a lot of characters are autism-coded but aren't really ever confirmed to have it; Grace fell into that (I still love the girl though)
- Characters beyond Grace and Phoebe felt a bit flat

Overall it was a really cute story and if you're interested in literally anything mentioned above I would recommend checking it out.

Reading this book and watching Ted Lasso are probably the only two times I remember caring about soccer. While this book would definitely be perfect for any sports fans or sports-romance lovers, it also totally won me over as neither of the two. And if you're already a Meryl Wilsner fan, I think you'll love this book just as much as their past ones, if not more.

This novel had everything I hope for in a romance book. There's great tension, the story holds your attention even when you could guess where it's going, and the characters make you root for them every step of the way. When the characters finally get together, it's definitely spicy and deserving of the build-up to the moment. But even if you took all those scenes out of this book, I think it would still really hold up as an innovative story of characters getting to know each other while getting to know themselves better in ways that I've seldom seen represented in books before.

*Thanks to St. Martins and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I have nothing but positive things to say about this!! It was amazing! I loved the premise, the settings, the pacing, the characters, and the neurodivergence rep. Quick touch on the rep real quick, this was handled in a way I haven’t really seen yet in that it was a part of the story but it wasn’t THE story. And it was more of a journey while still staying a tad understated in such a normalized way.

I loved the dynamic and budding relationship between these two, truly a joy to read. The conflicts are well placed in that there is character development but the angst never gets too high.

The spice… y’all. This is incredible! Yes it’s fire in the hot pepper sense but more importantly it’s just straight up beautiful and so intimately accepting. It was a real expression of who the characters are and their connection to each other.

This is the sapphic romance of my dreams. I also found the world of USWNT so fascinating and it was such a compelling premise for me, I did not want to put this down. Thank you so much to st martins press and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would.

I'm not really sure where to start with this one....
I was excited for the Rookie/Veteran aspect between the two love interests, but there was so little chemistry between Phoebe and Grace that I wasn't invested in their relationship. There's also very little soccer going on, either. What there is a lot of is internal monologues. And I mean a lot. You are reading their stream of consciousness and it's repetitive and borderline annoying.

I had heard such amazing things about Mistakes Were Made, but Cleat Cute fell short for me.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Griffin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meryl Wilsner does it again! I was absolutely reveling in the tension between Grace and Phoebe’s will-they-won’t-they flirting. And when they finally did… it’s not often that I blush from reading romance but WHEW. Such a beautiful story of what it means to love a person, not simply the idea of them. Maybe I’ll watch some women’s soccer games now.

This reading experience was like riding a rollercoaster that ends by exploding. Some highs and some lows throughout the story till the end in which I figuratively through my kindle across the room and screaming "WTF".
Things I loved- Phoebe's energy was contagious and I LOVED having a confident and sex positive main character. Also loved the soccer of it all. That was fun. Accurate? I have no idea, I haven't played soccer since second grade. But still very entertaining.
Things I didn't love- the pacing was off. Major relationship moments happened super early in the book while others basically never came up. It was odd and not very believable. Also Grace was supposed to be a grump but instead she just kind of talked down to Phoebe and treated her like crap.

**** Spoilers ahead *******

What I DETESTED was the ADHD bit (I will not refer to it as representation) of the story. The audacity of Grace to assume a diagnosis and treatment for Phoebe with out even asking?? And then Phoebe set a clear boundary that she didnt want to discuss it and Grace goes and talks to her sister about Phoebe's personal information?? This left absurd and turned into problematic and ableist. This line, (in response to Grace's sister saying it's a big deal that she is going to make a drs appointment for Phoebe behind her back), was the real kicker for me: "No, it's not. That's the point. It's not a big deal to someone without ADHD, that's why I can do it."

Anyways...that's it.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, my favorite rep here is the adhd girlfriend autism girlfriend trope because as someone in that relationship I called it in a fucking second, and was so excited to see it actually talked about in the boom. I loved loved loved this book. It was steamy and sweet and I adored this. I don't know anything about soccer but this didn't make me feel like I had to. Phoebe and Grace were electric and I couldn't get enough of them. I didn't want this book to end.

I don't know how I feel about this one because plot-wise it goes above and beyond what one would expect from a traditional romance. Wilsner took us from slow burn (Something to Talk About) to sex in the first scene (Mistakes Were Made) to something with a more expected pacing.

The sex scenes were good, but I was unimpressed by the writing itself. Phoebe was too immature and it was hard for me to think that Grace could for her... The listening to TikToks without headphones would have tested my sanity. However, I was able to go with the story which just goes to show that I'll forgive Wilsner a magnitude of sins. Having said that, this was the first of their books that I did not give a five-star rating to... and now I want to read Mistakes Were Made for the fourth time.

Starting this review has been daunting, because how exactly to articulate how much I love this book? Meryl Wilsner has hit it again with the top-notch quality, and even if Mistakes Were Made had the tropes I love more than the soccer players dynamic here, I have to say that Cleat Cute is my favourite from them yet. It's clever, witty, and the way our loveable protagonists dance around each other is funnier than it has a right to be. But it's also thoughtful, in the way that Phoebe and Grace introduce new perspectives to each other, the way they think about different issues. Wilsner's writing is so comfortable and easy to fall into. And the chemistry? It's vivid, and grounded, and sparks some really hot scenes. Cleat Cute is the perfect light read... though maybe not in public, unless you're fine with crossing your legs a lot.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cleat Cute is probably my favorite romance read of the year so far! Our two female leads are so adorable and have such big personalities in different ways. I have loved watching Pheobe and Grace fall in love from page 1 and their chemistry is insane. By far, my favorite part of this book was seeing characters speak about ADHD and autism diagnoses. Slight spoiler but won’t ruin your read:
as a reader with ADHD (and potentially autism haha) Pheobe’s neurodivergency was plainly obvious in a refreshing way. Same with Grace’s! Reading the two of them fall in love with each other’s quirks made this book all the more endearing.

I rate this book a 4.5/5 only because I would have loved to see more development on the side characters! Perhaps the author is setting up for other books in the same universe, but I especially would love to see more about the other characters as they relate to the various soccer teams.

This book was really cute. It felt too redundant with other sports romances at first, but I ended up really enjoying it. Grace and Phoebe were complex and interesting and, while their miscommunications and stubbornness sometimes bothered me, I was glad to see how their relationship developed and they both grew.

I do wish that the disability representation had been more explicit. Grace definitely read as an autistic character if you're familiar with that representation, but since it was never really explicitly said, I didnt want to make assumptions. I did find a tweet from the author confirming it, but it just felt disconnected. Same with Phoebe's ADHD. I was still happy to see both of those represented and some of the internalized ableism that can come from facing those potential diagnoses.

overall, this was another great hit from Meryl Wilsner and I look forward to seeing what they write next.

Cleat Cute is a sports romcom standalone. It goes between the POVs of Grace, a long-term professional soccer superstar, and Phoebe, the rookie on Grace’s team.

It all starts with a bet: who will win the beep test? Shouldering her loss, Grace corners Phoebe in their hotel, but instead of a peck on the lips, Grace kisses Phoebe’s neck. From that point on, the women circle each other, neither truly wanting a relationship, but Grace also doesn’t want a friends-with-benefits situation either. Deciding to be friends, Grace shows Phoebe around New Orleans, taking her to all of her favorite places. On and off the pitch, feelings are rising, an tension comes in the form of their rookie/captain status and Grace’s refusal to take care of her injured hip.

A FIVE STAR READ!!!!

I absolutely LOVED this book. Meryl Wilsner as usual, did not disappoint. I may be a little biased as I have always loved a sports romance, but this book exceeded all of my expectations. The soccer terminology and setting was done really well. I really enjoyed the story line and the talk about disorders was done really well. The spice was top notch, phenomenal, and realistic. Overall this was a great Sapphic romance and I can't wait to get a physical copy in hand!

*Received a copy for review.*

I really struggled with this book.
The things I loved:
The sex scenes are well done. They are hot but also realistic. It's not the typical everybody has an orgasm or the sex was bad set up.
The ADHD rep was solid

The things that didn't work for me :
The team is all cardboard characters. If you aren't an MC, you are flat
The attempt by one MC to diagnose the other. Yes SO's often recognize things a person can't see but she is not a clinician.
The constant inner monologues mixed with the tense of the novel just didn't work.

I am a huge fan of Ted Lasso and this book gave me those vibes but the execution just didn't work for me.

As a lesbian obsessed with the NWSL this novel is GOOOAAAALLLLLSSSS!!! Meryl Wilsner struck gold with this sapphic soccer centered romance. We first meet Phoebe a Rookie signed to the New Orleans Krewe the same team as Veteran Star Grace and when a bet takes place between the two at a next level training camp things take an unexpected turn. But once they are back to basics in the Big Easy can they keep their heads in the game or will they get stuck on the sidelines? The atmosphere of Mardi Gras and the southern humidity hang in the air all throughout Wilsner's writing. The descriptions of place make you feel like taking a trip to NOLA. The descriptions of play including breakdowns of strategy and rules would help any reader unfamiliar with the sport and paint a detailed picture for the avid sports fan. And the spice? Let's just say it's getting hot in here and I'm so so gay. I highly recommend this book and will be picking up any Meryl Wilsner book I see in the future!

I will always recommend Meryl Wilsner books. This one is no different. I love their writing style and the unique voices they give to their characters. I love seeing queer love and I might even develop a newfound love of women’s soccer after this.

The neurodivergent representation in this book was also done so well and in a way that felt natural and unforced.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star was that I didn’t have quite the same connection to the characters as I have had with previous Meryl Wilsner books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this cute and steamy read! Sporty story but make it sapphic! Will def recommend to my audience.

This book was highly highly anticipated by me after reading this authors previous book. Although I didn’t strongly dislike this book, it was definitely a bit of a let down for me. It’s one of those cases where I can’t really put into words why it didn’t work out for me, it just didn’t unfortunately. However, I can totally see why it would for someone else! I am not normally bothered by third person POV at all, but I think that being combined with a lot of internal dialogue and just the general writing style is what initially lost me, and once I got lost it was very hard for me to connect with and I found myself a bit bored.

NOW, with all of the issues out of the way I would still like to point out that this isn’t a bad book at all and there are of course aspects that I liked. I thought all of the representation in this book was done well and handled with care, which is a huge plus! There were also many times I found myself smiling throughout the book, which is simple but a really good sign for me. And let’s just get it out of the way that yeah the sex is good, great even. One thing about this author is that they know how to write a sex scene!!!

Overall, I would still recommend this book to you if you’ve been anticipating it or it generally looks good. Although it didn’t work for me personally I can see what it has to offer and come on, you can’t pass up that cute cover!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC copy!