I’m so thankful I got this ARC during Pride month because it was the perfect read in honor of everything Pride stands for.
I’m not queer, and everything I know about sports has been against my will, but this book was still one of my favorite reads so far this year!
On the surface it’s your typical rivals to lovers sports rom-com, but underneath there is an expertly done story about messy people still striving for healthy relationships, class issues, LGBTQ issues, the pressures we face and put on ourselves to be perfect, family dynamics, and the way a sports team can become a family all in their own. I really, REALLY dislike stories where a message or theme is being shoved down my throat, and one of the coolest parts of this book was how it dealt with heavy and hot-button issues in a way that felt organic and true to the characters and the story.
I don’t know if this book will be a standalone or the beginning of a series, but either way, it was one that I wholeheartedly recommend!

This is such a lovely, fun read. I'm not usually one for sports romances, but I actually started to care about soccer a little bit LOL. I loved the characters, and not to mention, the spice!! This is such a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Phoebe Matthews has always dreamed of playing soccer professionally, and during a World Cup year, it all starts to line up. The beautiful and talented Grace Henderson playing on the same team? Well that's Phoebe's childhood crush come to life. Once they start to spend more time together, it gets harder and harder to keep away...

This book is so warm and fuzzy. The main characters are wonderful and you root for them the entire book. I loved their banter and Phoebe's energy. I also love soccer, so that aspect of it was enjoyable for me too. This book is so fun!!!

3.25 stars
Unfortunately, out of all of Wilsner’s novels this is my least favorite.
Their relationship and attraction to one another is believable and realistic. I just didn’t particularly care for either of the women. With their quirks I didn’t find that they had any charm to appeal to the reader. I think their chemistry lacked the most out of all of Wilsner’s books. The soccer wasn’t enticing. I felt no excitement or anticipation from their games. It seems like the author used a sport as just a (empty) background setting to draw in readers.
Nothing really happened now that I think of it. They were just friends with benefits for a long time. Grace acted annoyed by Phoebe sometimes and Phoebe nagged her to take care of her body. That’s all.

As a bisexual woman who loves sports, I can say that this book was written FOR ME. I love a good "rivals to lovers" romance and I loved every second of this book. It was fun to read the dynamics of the couple and these two took my breath away with each romantic scene. The writer knew how to work very well on the characters and delivered everything she promised. Despite everything, I found the book a little slow, I didn't feel like reading some parts (which became tedious), but that's something I feel in many romance books. Maybe it's my problem and not the book's? All in all, it's a good book. A good read to pass the time and with great sapphic representation. We women who love women need more books like this!

3.5 stars, rounded down. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Meryl for letting me read and review this ARC!

I liked the premise of the story and it was executed pretty well overall, but the pacing seemed a little off (especially at the end). Grace has been a professional soccer player for the last ten years. She’s also introverted, very particular, and craves being in control. Enter Phoebe- an AWSA rookie who’s outgoing, the life of the party, and can barely get anywhere on time. When the women first meet, Grace is prickly and distrustful twisted Phoebe. Phoebe is undeterred, however, since she has looked up to Grace for years now and truly wants to learn everything she can from the other woman. But then they both start to realize they’re attracted to one another and the end up in a FWB situation. They both catch feelings but neither knows really how to tell the other, so they dance around it for a long time. When it finally comes up, it’s very abrupt and the story ended really suddenly with them being in love & playing together for the AWSA and the US Women’s National Teams. I think I would’ve enjoyed this more if the ending had been a little more fleshed out, instead of feeling like it ended mid-thought. However, I did enjoy their banter and spicy scenes together.

This book was ADORABLE -- absolutely loved both characters and of course I love queer sports romance. Super cute!

I really enjoyed this book because it touches on a topic that isn't really talked about in books. (That I've read, at least.) Many books with smut and spicy scenes all have HAPPY, amazing, mind-blowing finishes every 👏 single 👏 time 👏, yet I love how the Author describes a struggle when it comes to orgasms for some people. Some people get stuck in their minds and can struggle to reach climax, and I enjoyed that I've finally read a book that has some intimacy issues within that department!

The only issue I had was for a 330-ish page-long book; I looked at the page numbers and wondered if I was almost done. I was engaged and interested in it, but not 100%. I'd lose myself a little bit until I had reached interactions then I was all in.

Received this as an ARC from Netgalley: This book was such a good time, super entertaining! I really liked the build up to the two characters getting together, and each of them felt unique and flushed out (cute quirks, behaviours given their different abilities and absolute love of soccer). You don’t need to know soccer in order to be motivated by the plot or engaged with the parts of the book that are game time, practices. It did feel that a few things were introduced that weren’t really resolved…like Grace hinting that she was going to look into an autism diagnosis for herself or her comment about how Phoebe’s family treats her. And Phoebe felt quick to forgive and forget. But overall, would recommend this book!

I found the story dragged for the first few chapters and got bogged down in sports terminology and details. I would’ve liked a more compelling story right from the beginning.

rivals to lovers?! sign me up! i couldn’t put this book down! i think it’s the perfect summer read and the new orleans setting?! i’m a sucker for anything that takes place in new orleans! i loved the banter, the will they won’t they, and just about everything else! truly an awesome sapphic read!

This was everything I wanted it to be and more. The writing was fun, the characters were superb and it handled heavy subjects with the perfect amount of levity.

My single complaint is that the back blurb is really poorly written and doesn’t properly embody the books themes or tropes well. They’re not truly enemies. Nor does it play out the way the back implies. I think bad marketing in this way is going to give people the wrong impression about a good story.

I very much wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

I really appreciated the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent rep. That made me really happy to see. I also know practically nothing about soccer, but I was able to easily keep up with the plot and never got lost.

I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between the two main characters, especially at the beginning. The extended internal monologues also got old very quickly. I also felt like there were too many side characters. I couldn’t keep track of them all, and they all felt more or less the same. I wanted them to have more individual personalities.

I loved this!! I was excited for the premise and the real thing knocked it out of the park. The plot was interesting, the characters were so engaging and real, I loved it. The soccer part was present, but didn’t make me feel dumb for not understanding soccer and it wasn’t the focus. They did give me some secondhand anxiety, from some miscommunication issues, but not much and it was so worth it.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Yall from the first "kiss" Grace and Phoebe shared.. I did not think Wilsner could outdo the heat of her other book I've read, Mistakes Were Made, but she quickly proved me wrong! This was the perfect read for both pride, and to get pumped up for the upcoming women's world cup. Unlike her last book, Wilsner did an excellent job fleshing out her side characters; I loved everyone on the team, especially the goalie, Ash. I immediately latched onto Grace, and I really connected to her autism coding. I loved watching their bond grow and them come to trust and rely on each other more.
Ugh, I cant wait for more sporty rom coms!
5 stars!

Sapphic soccer romance. I did not grow up playing or watching soccer, why do I love soccer romances so much?! And this one has a bit of grumpy/sunshine going on, which is one of my favorite tropes.

Grace and Phoebe are new teammates, and Phoebe is excited to be playing with her idol. But as they get to know each other better on and off the field, they realize they have different views on relationships and Grace has to work through some trust issues.

Also note, this one is steamy!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Cleat Cute to come out September 19, 2023.

I don’t know anything about soccer, but girl, I am living.

Phoebe’s alacrity was as enamoring to read about as Grace’s grumpiness. Their opposite personalities added to their appeal as a couple, but individually, they were compelling characters.

Grace begrudgingly liking Phoebe and Phoebe bullying Grace into a friendship was such a fun dynamic. Sometime after Phoebe and Grace’s first sexual encounter, the story becomes less about their relationship and more about their character journeys. The romance is still very present, but it’s static for a significant potion of the book. Once they get on the same page (near the end, mind you), the chemistry they had in the beginning returns in full force.

Despite the characters having a full—and beautiful—arc, nothing (and somehow a lot) happened plot-wise. It can be boiled down to: Grace and Phoebe were either unsure about where they stood in their relationship or unsure about where they stood on their team.

They would have deep conversations about their hesitations and fears that didn’t communicate any of their insecurities. Their miscommunications made sense with their thought processes, but it was a bit frustrating to read such an in-depth monologue where their explanations were crystal clear only for them to not bother to fully explain where they were coming from. Phoebe and Grace were so understanding that had they just taken time to share their thoughts, they could’ve solved so many of their issues.

Regardless, I was enamored by the characters and constantly rooted for them. Grace getting to a place where she felt comfortable in her life was just as fulfilling as Phoebe finally having an explanation for why some things seem harder for her than they are for others.

Meryl Wilsner’s portrayal of the queer community and of neurodiversity in <i>Cleat Cute</i> offers almost any reader the chance to see themselves represented respectfully and with love.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for this ARC of <i>Cleat Cute</i> by Meryl Wilsner in exchange for an honest review.

Grumpy/sunshine, rivals-to-lovers, sapphic sports romance by the author of Mistakes Were Made? Sign me up. I had high expectations for this, but unfortunately they weren’t quite met. The soccer talk was relatively interesting, and it was spicy, and the cover is so cute. But there was little plot? And little conflict? And honestly little romance? There were just hot people who slept together and didn’t know how to communicate for the first 80+ percent of the book.

3.5/5

I’m still willing to give Meryl Wilsner another chance.

SO swoonworthy and the visibility is just chef's KISS! My queer heart is on fire and singing. The perfect beach read with everything you could ever want. Precious MCs, mental health and LGBT+ visibility, a fun and wonderful cast of characters.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this, I think I have to admit that sports romances are not for me. I just find myself so bored of all the sports talk. So, take my review with a grain of salt. I had really enjoyed Meryl Wilsner's Mistakes Were Made and was really excited about her new book. I loved the romance in Cleat Cute as much as Mistakes Were Made, but I wasn't able to sink in and enjoy it as much because of the sports stuff. Overall, this is a great with book with a great romance and great writing. Wilsner knows how to write yearning and I'm here for it! If you like sports romances, I highly recommend Cleat Cute, it just unfortunately didn't hit with me as much as I wanted it to.