*3.5 stars
I am a miscommunication trope HATER. I liked these characters, but not necessarily how they interacted with one another. The concept was fun, and so was the execution, but it still fell a little short for me. I'm always down for sports romance though, and I enjoyed this. I probably wouldn't read another book by the author because I didn't like the pacing and that seems to be a common thing with the other books from reviews, but I'd read a similar book as I liked the concept.

An adorable, sexy sports romance with a pair of completely useless (in a good way) lesbians at its heart, Cleat Cute has engaging characters with distinctive voices, playful banter, and plenty of sweaty athleticism on display.
Phoebe is the first round draft pick for the New Orleans Krewe, whose captain and star veteran, Grace, she’s idolized since she was 14. Phoebe is determined to shine as brightly as she can, with her sights set on a spot on the national team. Grace can’t help her immediate attraction to her team’s most talkative rookie, despite her reservations about getting involved with anyone, much less a star-struck teammate who can’t manage to be on time to her first day at training.
Cleat Cute has a lot to offer. Phoebe is incredibly endearing when she throws her whole heart into something, which is easily and often. Grace has a powerful need for control in her personal life, and watching her reevaluate her rules in the face of Phoebe’s whirlwind energy is lovely and satisfying. Their chemistry is instant and palpable, and the sex they have is both hot and believable. Cleat Cute is full of explicit consent and occasional awkwardness and missteps that felt absolutely true-to-character, earnest, and real.
What Cleat Cute doesn’t offer is an actual rivalry, believable conflict, or a compelling supporting cast. Grace and Phoebe are never in actual competition with one another— they play the same position on the Krewe, but Phoebe is obviously intended to fill in when Grace moves up to the national team for the World Cup, not replace her before the season’s first game. Most of the conflict in the first half of the relationship stems from Phoebe overstepping dreadfully, and then from both of them misunderstanding the other so badly it honestly felt willful. Both Phoebe and Grace leap to wild conclusions about what is happening and what’s best for the other party over and over again, which I found really frustrating. Grace’s wariness and fear that she’s being used made sense to me, but Phoebe’s constant pushiness about Grace’s injury and her media appearances was just grating to me. Additionally, the rest of the cast felt a little flat to me. The teammates were difficult to keep track of, didn’t have much impact, and felt a little underdeveloped for a team sports focused romance.
What I found most disconcerting about the novel, however, was the complete lack of tension around Grace and Phoebe’s power imbalance. Grace is Phoebe’s team captain, four years older than her and ten years deeper into her career, has considerable sway over the national team’s head coach, and Phoebe still has a poster of Grace in her childhood bedroom. None of this is ever really addressed by either character other than occasionally touching on their differing financial positions, but mostly just to highlight how bad Grace is at understanding the complex social dynamics around money. I would have really liked to see it impact their relationship more!
I was also put off by Grace’s behavior around Phoebe’s ADHD. Without ever asking her about it, Grace assumes that Phoebe has ADHD, is taking medication for it, and that it’s Grace’s place to manage Phoebe’s time for her, all of which seems absolutely wild to me in light of the fact that Grace has a sister with ADHD with whom she is on good terms.
I did, however, really love how Grace course corrected once she realized what she’d messed up, asked for help, and planned out the rest of her big gestures in ways that were thoughtful, sweet, and appropriately dramatic without being invasive.
I also really enjoyed Grace showing Phoebe around the city, and the ways that showcased the strong contrast between the two— every “date” they went on was flavorful, unique, and showed us a new side of the pair. Grace and Phoebe also had really distinct internal voices, which I absolutely love seeing.
While Cleat Cute was a bit of a mixed bag for me, ultimately I really enjoyed it, and the last few chapters absolutely stuck the landing.

Would I recommend Cleat Cute?
YES, if:
“She said she loves me and only wants to be with me and we’ve had sex five times this week and I’ve met her mother but she was probably just being a good friend” is your favorite lesbian romance dynamic.
You love an iconic ADHD 4 Autism pairing.
Explicit consent and soft power exchange is your jam.
NO, if:
You want an actual sports rivalry.
You like to see stark real-world power dynamics play out in your romance novels.
The term “babygirl” makes you gag.

Really cute, spicy, and fun soccer/celeb romance. The characters are real and vulnerable, the spicy scenes are SPICY and the struggles feel really legit. Some of the miscommunication and fighting does not feel flushed out enough to me but over a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is a captivating sapphic romance that left me utterly charmed. The characters are wonderfully developed, and their love story is simply delightful.

Wilsner's authentic storytelling brings the romance to life, portraying the ups and downs of the protagonists' relationship in a heartfelt and relatable way.

The writing style is enchanting, and the pacing keeps you engaged from start to finish. Cleat Cute celebrates love, friendship, personal growth, and self-acceptance with warmth and sincerity.

I highly recommend Cleat Cute to fans of sapphic romance. Meryl Wilsner has crafted a remarkable tale that will leave you with a smile and a renewed belief in the power of love.

4.5 Stars Grace Henderson and Phoebe Matthews must be protected at all costs! I loved this sapphic rom com about soccer rivals/teammates turned lovers.

Grace Henderson has been the star player of the US Women’s National soccer team since she was 16; now ten years later, Grace is temporarily sidelined due to an injury and is unsure what to make of her new teammate, Phoebe Matthews. A 22 year old rookie, Phoebe is like literal sunshine: she’s always smiling, laughing, smirking, and flirting, especially with Grace. Grace is worried that Phoebe might be aiming to take her spot if the injury keeps her out for more time, but Grace is even more worried about her attraction to Phoebe. Having been burned before by a relationship with a teammate, Grace is hesitant to act on her feelings. Luckily, Phoebe has no such qualms and makes her attraction to Grace perfectly clear. The two start a friends with benefits relationship, partially because neither wants a relationship and partially because Grace isn’t publicly out, preferring to keep her life private despite her celebrity status. Grace starts to catch feelings for Phoebe and both can feel the tension surrounding their relationship grow.

I absolutely loved these characters! The story did a wonderful job balancing the romance between Grace and Phoebe, while also highlighting Grace’s and Phoebe’s growth as individuals. They were both perfectly imperfect people, with many wonderful qualities but room to grow and change. Both characters clearly cared for one another and went about making sure the other knew how they felt in a way that fit with that character’s love language. For instance, Grace clearly doesn’t like to talk about her feelings much, but she vocalizes it for Phoebe, who loves to talk and get words of affirmation. Meanwhile, even though Phoebe can talk a lot and even says I love you at one point to Grace, Grace needs action and Phoebe demonstrates that by being the one to take care of Grace, who usually is too busy taking care of others that she doesn’t take care of herself. I loved this story and didn’t want it to end!

i love women, i love soccer, i love romcoms & this book is the joyous thruple that combines all my favourite things

it was so easy to read, i devoured it in a matter of hours. i really loved grace & her growth. i also liked phoebe, but she was occasionally a bit too chaotic for me. the romance plotline felt realistic and sweet with the perfect amount of spice. i loved the diverse representation & especially liked that the diversity was not “explained away” - the characters were just who they were, same as any cis-het characters in the book. i loved, loved, loved all the soccer talk!! more books about female athletes please!!

i do think the book on the whole was so pleasant and easy to read that it might not have done enough to remain memorable but only time will tell!

overall, a great read especially right before the womens champions league finals ⚽️🏃🏽‍♀️🏆🎉

*thank you netgalley for the ARC*

Grumpy x sunshine soccer romance, but make it sapphic? Sign me up any day.

This was so fun. I enjoyed the entire time I was reading it. Grace and Phoebe were adorable together, and I really appreciated the way the miscommunication trope was used in this (definitely a refreshing take on that!!!). I now also really want to visit NOLA .

Definitely my favorite Meryl Wilsner romance so far! While I found some of the neurodivergent rep to be a bit shoehorned or stereotypical at times, overall this was a lot of fun and packed with GREAT sex scenes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am not a huge soccer person, so I was worried about the sports aspect of the plot, but I was drawn to this book because of the title and cover art. Wilsner did a great job at making the soccer details consumable for someone of my knowledge.

The two main characters both had good development, and I loved the chemistry between the two. That being said, I felt they were lacking just a little depth, and I wish we had more interaction with other friends, family and teammates. Regarding spicy scenes, there was a good amount and I would rate those scenes a 4 out of 5. Overall, this was the first book I've ready by Meryl Wilsner, and it has made me add her other books to my TBR list.

My thoughts, I thought that it was really cute. However, I did find that it was slightly difficult to follow because of the different names that the characters go by. I don't do very well with one character going by multiple names. It also made me a little uncomfortable with how comfortable Grace was with diagnosing and controlling Phoebe's health and ADHD. That is more of a personal problem because of personal experience. I loved the representation of ADHD in women, but it felt a little bit like overstepping.

Give me more books like this!!! I will definitely be reading more by this author. After being a bit let down by a YA queer soccer book recently, I was so happy with this NA queer soccer book. This book is sporty, spicy, and so very fun! There is a lot of inner monologue-ing, but I honestly enjoyed being in the characters’ heads. Phoebe and Grace feel like old friends at this point. I have a hard time reading ebooks (even though I wish my brain would just let me read them as fast I can pour through physical books and audiobooks), but that did not hinder my love for this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cleat Cute is the sapphic soccer romance I didn't even realize I needed so deeply. As a queer romance reader and women's soccer fan, this was a perfect read for a World Cup year. The grumpy-sunshine, veteran-rookie dynamics between Grace and Phoebe were a delight to read. I also really appreciated the unexpected neurodivergent representation.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review*

I’ve always been a huge fan of soccer and I thought – what better way to celebrate the Women’s World Cup starting this July than to read a “meet cute” book featuring soccer? Also, the title is appropriately titled Cleat Cute, which, you know, I love me some puns.

So like the total oblivious person that I am – I went into this book not realizing it was adult and not YA. Nothing wrong with that at all, I was just the idiot who was not expecting the level of spiciness this book was going to offer. If that is what you’re looking for – you’ve picked up the right book! This is an adult, romance book that follows our two main POV characters – Grace and Phoebe. Grace is the veteran soccer player and Phoebe is the newbie with big dreams of making it into the US Women’s National Team. The book is written in third person and, for the most part, switches between Grace’s and Phoebe’s POV.

The best way I can describe Grace and Phoebe is very simple – Phoebe is your lovable golden retriever and Grace is the grumpy black cat that loves her. I’ve always enjoyed this trope and this book is no different. I really enjoyed their back and forth and watching their relationship unfold throughout the book. And speaking of tropes, there are a few sprinkled throughout the book but the one I wanted to mention was the miscommunication trope. Now, I normally despise this trope because I feel like I’m always screaming at the book or tv show but the way Meryl handled it was just *chef’s kiss*. The miscommunication was cute and funny and no one’s feelings were hurt and it wasn’t this big, over dramatic thing. It was tasteful and I was here for it. Grace and Phoebe’s chemistry was off the charts and the spiciness level is four out of five ghost peppers. The side characters didn’t detract from the story and it was nice to see friends actually being supportive of one another. Obviously, this book has great LGBTQ+ representation.

The overall story was cute and I didn’t find myself getting bored. I enjoyed exploring the setting through Phoebe’s eyes. New Orleans has always held a special place in my heart and it was fun to visit those places in the book that I’d also been to. I really enjoyed getting a peak into the lives of professional women soccer players. The hard work they put into and the little they get paid when they’re first starting out compared to their male counterparts is just asinine to me. The book did a really good job of tackling mental health issues in a nuanced way.

Overall this was a cute, sapphic romance read. From time to time it’s nice to have a palate cleanser where my mind isn’t trying to figure out who the murderer is – à la red strings attached to a cork board connecting plot points and people. I would recommend this book to anyone who, as my friend loves to call them, wants a beach read – as long as you don’t mind being a little hot and bothered at the beach. ;)

*Check out my podcast, Badass Literature Society, available wherever you listen to podcasts soon for an episode over this book!*

It’s no secret that I adore sports romance novels. I see one, I have to read it! This is the first time I’ve experienced a sapphic, soccer romance. I know next to nothing about soccer, but that didn’t matter in Cleat Cute. It isn’t necessary to know the ins and outs of the sport. You get the perfect number of glimpses of that part of the world, but Grace and Phoebe tugged at my heart from the first pages.

Oh, one other thing? The New Orleans rep?! Holy smokes. Wilsner is either a native to the area or she was a transplant who has lived here for years. The accuracy. One thing I do disagree with her on, is the king cake. Randazzo’s is my absolute favorite, but only on the Northshore. Duong Phong has some amazing King Cakes. But, there was a little French bakery in Madisonville that had old school, traditional King Cakes to die for. Try one if you ever have the opportunity.

On to the story!

Phoebe Matthews is in her rookie year, drafted to the New Orleans Krewe. Before the season starts, she’s called in to be on the national team, meeting her Captain for the first time. Where Phoebe is loud, energetic, and a bit all over the place, Grace is quiet, reserved, and entirely focused on soccer.

I related to both Grace and Phoebe. I teeter towards intent focus, with little bursts of energy here and there. I felt Grace’s struggles socially and the weight of the world that was rest on her shoulders. Phoebe knew she needed to fight hard for her place on the national team and on the Krewe. There was something about her determination.

Now, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read anything with particularly spicy scenes, but this had some of the best romance scenes that I have read in a sapphic romance over the past year. There were times I was laying in bed reading and had to set the book down because my partner was rattling on about the day and I just needed to focus. Five out of Five for these two women. *fans self*

The only reason I gave this one a 4.5 star rating is I forgot about the rest of the cast of characters. I’m just as interested in the secondary characters as I am the main characters. But I just felt as though they weren’t pushing the story along. They were just there. Which is my only complaint and it’s hardly something to complain about.

This was my first book by Meryl Wilsner! I love a good sports romance and this was perfect. It’s centered on an experienced soccer player Grace and a new rookie Phoebe.

What I loved:
🌟Phoebe’s joy for the sport and how that inspired Grace to remember what she loved about playing
🌟 I loved the soccer aspect and the teammates relationships with each other
🌟 how Queer positive this was
🌟the spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

What frustrated me:
They just needed to say what they were thinking! Lol by the end it just made me grumpy!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!

Love this book. Such a fun and entertaining sports plot, which I love. And the romance is perfect. This author
‘S humor and chemistry skill is outstanding.

Steamy soccer romcom from Meryl Wilsner and I'm here for it! Grace an established player captain/star, Phoebe is wildly ADHD newby to the team. The book follows friendship, love, mental health and so much more. Highly recommend for all who love a cute sappic novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I definitely enjoyed this the romance was cute and I had a great time. I don't know if I'd call this quite rivals to lovers there isn't a lot of rivals in this book. It's very character-driven, which I loved, and if you know anything about me, I LOVE a good soccer sapphic romance. The ADHD rep was really amazing to see. And Of course, Wilsner delivered amazing spice!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Meryl Wilsner is a sapphic romance pro, with Cleat Cute being their latest iteration. Phoebe is a soccer rookie on the team with Grace, her childhood hero. The two quickly become inseparable, while miscommunications ensue. It is clear that their chemistry is very strong, but that does not prevent them from having several arguments stemming from poor communication. While I did enjoy reading about Phoebe and Grace, the amount of soccer interspersed throughout every page of this book did wear me down due to my own lack of knowledge and emotional investment in the sport.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
This was a really good sapphic romance. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship these two shared, from enemies to acquaintances, to friends, to lovers and everything that occurred in between.
This book surrounded both Grace and Phoebe’s love for soccer and how they made it where they were. But I feel like the romance really covered the soccer stuff. There was a lot of soccer talk at the beginning and as the book continued on, the soccer quickly became replaced with romance with the occasional “oh yeah this is supposed to be about soccer comment” here and there.
Either way I really enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC of this book.