3.5⭐️

I'll update with a longer review closer to the release date. But this was such a lovely read!

This is a great book for those looking for a variety of representation in a sapphic romance story.
As far as I’m aware, the main characters are both lesbians. There are also some brief moments where non-binary, and trans folk are mentioned.
While never explicitly stated, both of the main characters are clearly neurodivergent - one is autistic while the other is ADHD. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite portrayal of either disability - I felt that it played a little into stereotypes.
Regarding the story itself, I felt that the plot dragged a little.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who loves sapphic romance.

there were things I equally loved and didn't like about this book and i'm sad that I didn't enjoy it more. i loved grace's character mostly, I connected to her more but I also feel like she wasnt explored much either. i feel like there was so much fighting and they distracted from it with a sex scene right afterwards and it would throw me off. i wish there was a slowburn build up instead. i also feel like the way they handled pheobe having ADHD was very odd. the third person pov was also very confusing for me too. overall, i think the book just isn't for me. I dont connect well with friends with benefits or third person pov but if you like those things id say give it a try.
thank you netgalley and st martin's press for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Out of the three Meryl Wilsner books I've read so far this one is my favourite - which is saying a lot because I am usually not one for sports romances. The chemistry between Grace and Phoebe was great so I had fun reading and rooting for them as a couple, but they also had solid character arcs of their own which made them compelling individually as well as a together. Phoebe is new to the world of professional soccer trying to figure out her career, while Grace is a veteran who is overcoming injury and emotional burnout of being a high profile athlete. The two bring out the best in each other and support each other through challenges. There was also really good mental health rep in this book which I very much appreciated!

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 out of 5 stars for what promised to be a good book, but just didn't hook me fast enough.

Meryl Wilsner is one of the new greats in romance authors out there. They (pronouns on their Instagram) know how to hit a book out of the park.
Cleat Cute has everything that should have caught me up and forced me to never put it down: LGBT rep, Neurodivergence rep, sports romance-- particularly women's soccer!
Unfortunately the timing of me reading this has a negative effect on my ability to get through this book. I am DNF-ing Cleat Cute (for now) and hope to be able to pick it up in the future.

Third time's the charm for me with Meryl Wilsner's book, apparently, and I couldn't be happier about it! I've been wanting to love their books so much and not really connecting, and I'm so happy I finally did.

Something about this romance made me soft from the start. I wasn't sure exactly what appealed to me so much, but then I realized "hey, Phoebe has ADHD". And somewhat later I started thinking "hey, is Grace autistic?" Which for me explains why I loved this so much, because that's my absolute favourite dynamic (being autistic myself).

I loved how much of this book was focused on the characters and the romance, with the plot taking somewhat of a backseat, because while I love sports romance, I don't really care all that much about sports in itself, and especially not about soccer.

Sapphic girl fall!!! I was so excited for this one. As someone who found Bend it like Beckham FORMATIVE, the moment I saw this cover, I knew i had to read it!

...Except I didn't like it that much. There was a LOT of telling-not-showing, and I couldn't handle it. Everything felt so insular to the chracters, that nothing ever felt like it was developing between them. I would hear about how good they were, what they did, but was never SHOWN this.

I just don't think I was buying their chemistry. And it felt so long. maybe that was just the style of the writing, and not the actual length of the story, but sadly this was a miss for me.

I can see it appealing to other folks, so I am excited for it to come out and to stock it at the store, but its not the new fav I thought it would be.

Overall, this was cute and I enjoyed it! I liked the two main characters and their relationship was interesting and felt believable.

I liked how although it was a sports romance, soccer wasn’t a main focus and the story didn’t get too bogged down by the technical details of the game.

The sex scenes were really hot and well-written. Sometimes the dialogue was a bit clunky and sort of threw off the scenes, but it wasn’t too bad.

However, there were some misses - the internal monologuing was almost unbearable. It was so excessive and unnecessary - show don’t tell!

I also felt the mental health component came weirdly late in the story and it kind of threw off the whole relationship dynamic really late in the story.

Cleat Cute is a winner! From the first page, I was charmed by Grace's awkwardness and Phoebe's exuberance. These two are magic together and will have readers rooting for their happy ending, both on and off the field.

Even liking futbol, I'm not a fan of sports related books. This one has me a bit over the fence and I have to revisit it and my review. BRB.

I didn't know that I needed a sweet and sexy Sapphic novel featuring sexy soccer pros until I read this book! Cleat Cute is just the right mix of sport content and romance with a touch of fan fic vibes for those of us who love women's soccer. Grace, the quiet young but seasoned pro, and Phoebe, the loud up-and-coming phenom, make a great couple in this opposites attract pairing. I did NOT want it to end! I loved the messy, neurodivergent characters in this novel. They had me laughing and swooning and coming back for more. I enjoyed every page!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This book was a pretty middle of the road romcom for me. I loved the premise, but I really struggled with the author’s use of the miscommunication trope throughout the book. Both main characters struggle with communication with each other throughout the book, and it felt repetitive at times. Despite this miscommunication, I did find myself rooting for our main characters and their banter. I felt like the pacing was a bit off, it was a little slow at the beginning and then a little abrupt at the end, and I wish we got more depth from the great cast of side characters.

I just didn't vibe with this book. It was just annoying me the whole time. It wasn't in first person so it was a little bit difficult to get into. I feel like if we had 2 povs, things would be better. The characters never actually talked things out. Whenever a problem occurs, it's like the solution always involves sex.

Thank you for allowing me to read this title early!! I really enjoyed the soccer, forced proximity romance!

Phoebe was really fun to read. I feel like “the talker” isn’t a common character. I enjoyed tapping into her brain. I would have liked a little more from Grace when we were in her head though.

Overall, I loved it! The steamy parts were fantastic!

This was my second novel by Meryl Wilsner and not my last.

Cleat Cute follows Phoebe Matthews who is starting her first season as a professional soccer player. Phoebe didn't take the usual route when it came to playing professional soccer. She went to college instead of pursuing soccer right out of high school. Phoebe had been preparing to leave home because she was drafted for the American Women’s Soccer Association, when she gets a call from Amanda Greene, inviting her to come to the training camp with the national team. Once there, Phoebe works to impress everyone in order to make the U.S Women’s National Team for a chance to play in the World Cup, and that includes captain, Grace Henderson. On a whim, the two end up becoming teammates with benefits, but this evolves overtime. When Grace ends up with an injury, Phoebe ends up taking her spot on the team leading to some tension in their relationship.

As the World Cup approaches and as Grace is working on healing from her injury, the two end up with varying perspectives on their relationship as well as vying for the same spot on the team for the World Cup.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found myself finishing the book in less than 2 days. The novel was romantic, steamy, funny, and an overall great sapphic novel. I highly recommend picking this up when it comes out in September.

A massive thank you to Meryl Wilsner, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 ⭐️

I have to say, I loved this book. I was reading it on my breaks at work which proves I’m really interested to know what happens. Was it perfect? Not necessarily. I would say there wasn’t a whole ton of conflict other than the original characters not really talking at first, along with a bit of miscommunication but I think that more of technicality, because I loved seeing the characters interact and do their own thing and go to soccer practice and I didn’t need a whole lot of plot in the background.

I think this book is perfect for people wanting a sapphic, sports romance, just along for the ride as well as the steam factor. Definitely held up in that department.

I have read the author’s other 2 books, and I would put it in the middle of the two, definitely worth the read though!

Reading the blurb for this book made me so excited and I really wanted to love it, which is part of why it felt like a bit of a let down to me. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of things I really enjoyed here: the cast was diverse in their sexuality, gender identity, race, and neurodiversity and it was all written in a really authentic way that didn't really feel like an "oh, yeah, and I need to fill this type of representation" type of diverse; the main couple had a ton of chemistry and, while I'm not usually one for spice, those scenes didn't make me feel overly awkward like they usually do, and I liked how it included them constantly checking in with each other and making sure they were both on-board with whatever happened; going off of that, I also enjoyed the addition of the concept that the spicy scenes didn't have to be about the ending, the journey there was just as important, which is a concept I feel like doesn't get brought up in books a lot; and for the most part, I really enjoyed the plot, there were just a few details that made it fall a bit short for me.

The things that didn't quite hit the mark mostly fell in the plot and the characters. There were characters that I enjoyed reading, and the voices of the two MC's felt very authentic to me, however, many times it felt like the characters (side characters included) were very wishy-washy with their characterization. In one chapter someone would do one thing and then two chapters later they would do something else that would completely contradict their past characterization. As for the plot, I really enjoyed the premise, however, many of the things that are hinted at in the blurb don't happen until at least halfway through the book, and some of it doesn't even happen until the last couple of chapters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it delved a little deeper into these sections of the story rather than focusing on the lead-up to the actual plot, as referenced in the blurb. There were also a few too many conflicts for my taste, at a certain point some of it just felt unnecessary and like it was only there to prolong the ending.

Overall, Cleat Cute wasn't exactly a bad book, and I would still recommend you read if it you think it looks interesting, it just wasn't the book for me.

If you are looking for a secret FWBs-to-lovers romance with a side helping of soccer and a diverse cast of characters, Cleat Cute is the book for you!

This book is about two soccer players. I found that I couldn't get as into this book as I could Meryl's previous books. The main characters, but especially Grace got on my nerves so bad. I guess that's just typical girls in their 20s though.

4.25 stars

Did I happen to read two sapphic soccer romances in a month? Yes. I think sport romances may be in my wheelhouse, because this book was so great.

I absolutely LOVE Phoebe & Grace together. Phoebe, constantly late and enthusiastic about everything, meets Grace, soccer star & Phoebe's idol, at the USWNT soccer camp before the professional season starts. Chemistry is sparked from their competitiveness, and the two meet up again as Phoebe joins the professional team Grace is captain for in New Orleans. As Grace helps Phoebe discover her new city, the two get closer and closer... 👀

Alright, I will officially read anything Meryl Wilsner writes. I devoured Cleat Cute by the pool in a single day, and it is the perfect steamy romance read! Is competitive teammates to lovers a trope? If not, it should be, and then I'll proceed to read every book in that category.

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

MERYL WILSNER DOESN'T MISS, BABY. This is another slam dunk (I don't know the appropriate soccer term) of a sapphic romance novel. Grace and Phoebe are heroines you cannot help but to love, with all of their faults and features, and only the most stone-hearted of readers wouldn't immediately root for their relationship to work. Love that Wilsner is playing with 'age gap' in such a different way from MISTAKES WERE MADE. Wilsner also shines with regard to secondary characters--everyone from Grace's teammates to Phoebe's brother is so fleshed out and lovable and funny. New Orleans is a beautiful setting for this story (and dear GOD the descriptions of food were delicious and effective). As always, the spice is on point. What a book!!!