Our first review of a repeat author! Last summer, I reviewed Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner, and now we’re back with another work by the queen of sapphic novels. In her newest romance novel (thanks again to Netgalley!), Wilsner manages to make even the most bookish of queer nerds interested in – gasp – a sports book. Two members of a professional soccer team – one the captain, established in her career but not out to her fans, and the other an excitable new recruit, sort out their feelings for each other and the game.
Interestingly, there is some vague mental health representation in this book, alluding to autism and ADHD. It is not nearly as clear or celebratory as, for example, the works of Helen Hoang – there is a level of outrage at being “accused” of having a diagnosis that doesn’t jive with the destigmatized world I thought we had reached on these things. It was only a minor plot point, but worth mentioning.
When I reviewed her last book, I applauded Wilsner for writing characters who were already out of the closet and had love lives complicated by other, more interesting drama. In Cleat Cute, Wilsner veers dangerously close to losing that praise. One of the main characters is out to her family but not her fans and considers this when making relationship decisions. Usually, I hate reading coming out of the closet narratives, because they don’t match my experience (shout out to my super inclusive family) and seem to make the entire queer experience about coming out. This is not that other people don’t have more fraught coming outs, just that it isn’t the singular experience that defines queer identities. Many of us have a lot of living and loving to do after the coming out process is well over. Wilsner gets a bit of a pass, however, for complicating the issue by questioning how a minor celebrity may feel about coming out to her fans.
I had assumed this was an easy choice in 2023 – lots of young people identify as queer and support their queer favs, and the stigma and hate against queer people had abated. Why wouldn’t a celebrity come out to her public? However, in the time between reading this book and actually sitting down to write the review, things have changed. At the time of this writing, there have been 533 bills anti-trans bills introduced into legislation in 2023, in 49 states (thank god for Delaware). So far, 54 have passed and 382 are still active (stats from https://translegislation.com/). These bills range from banning transgender athletes from playing for the teams they identify with, to policing bathroom access, to limiting what teachers can say and how much dignity they can provide their trans students, to removing access to life-saving medical care. It is quickly becoming very scary to be out as queer in this country.

This is my first Meryl Wilsner book. I went in blind just going off the description. I thought no harm in trying. I honestly struggled to read this and I fought to finish it.

Grace and Phoebe are the grump/sunshine. I'll start with I typically love this troupe. In this story Phoebe was too much sunshine and it honestly turned me off big time. She was scattered brain which was from her ADHD, but still it was way too much. She was focused on 3 things: soccer, Grace, and sex. I don't mind sex un books at all. I love reading spice, but I feel like it was used as a distraction when it was not needed.

There was a lot of miscommunication as well which I struggled with. With all that miscommunication I feel like sex was used in that equation of "just have sex and don't think about it."

I did love all the LGBTQ+ representations. That is a positive I wish there was more in depth of.

Cleat Cute is a fast-paced, super enjoyable read!! Wilsner always writes amazing chemistry and they certainly didn't disappoint this time!

This book was so fun. The characters were flawed but so lovable and the romance was so believable. There was great chemistry between the main characters. I also loved the found family aspect with the teammates.

Cleat Cute is a grumpy and sunshine / rookie and veteran / friends with benefits soccer romance. I am such a big USWNT fan as soon as this book was announced I knew I had to pick it up! I don’t know if it’s because I don’t typically read romance but I wanted it to be longer! There were multiple events I wanted to see that were completely skipped over and some important social conversations that I felt could have been explored more. I was particularly disappointed with how Grace’s autism is never stated plainly in the text or engaged with in a meaningful way. It felt as if it was only there for marketing buzz words. And with the story relying so heavily on miscommunication I would have loved at least one conversation acknowledging how their neurodivergency has affected how Phoebe and Grace are able to communicate with one another and can lead to those frequent misunderstanding.

I have a new favorite sapphic romcom! I devoured this book - I absolutely love it! Phoebe - rookie to the team - and Grace - veteran and captain - are the cutest ❤️I love the way their relationship develops and the way they grow as individuals. Theirs is a beautiful love story about finding what you love, being out publicly, and learning to adapt to and grow in unknown situations. I found myself identifying personality-wise with Phoebe and dating-history-wise with Grace. Finding bits of myself in the characters definitely endeared their story to me more, and gave me the hope I need to pursue my own dreams. Again, I absolutely love and adore this book - I will definitely be getting a physical copy when it comes out to add to my collection. We need more sapphic sports romances in this world!

If you're looking for a delightful, spicy, romance novel, "Cleat Cute" by Meryl Wilsner is definitely worth checking out. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good love story.

One of the things I loved about "Cleat Cute" was the perfect balance of spice and cuteness between the two main characters, Grace and Phoebe. The chemistry between them was undeniable, and their playful banter and flirtation kept me hooked throughout the entire book.

The story follows Grace, a star athlete who is sidelined with an injury and replaced by the charming and talented Phoebe. Despite initially seeing each other as rivals, Grace and Phoebe soon become friends with benefits, and their relationship quickly blossoms into something more.

As the World Cup approaches, the women must decide if they can play together on the same team or continue to compete for the same position. Meanwhile, their off-field relationship becomes more complicated as Grace struggles with her growing feelings for Phoebe.

Overall, "Cleat Cute" is a heartwarming and engaging romance novel that will leave you smiling. I give it 4.5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good (and spicy) love story.

I have read all of Meryl Wilsner's books at this point, and I'm starting to notice some patterns.

1) There's always a lot of internal angst. Lots of internal dialogue, one dimensional characters, very little plot outside of the relationship between the leads.
2) A lot of smut. Your mileage will vary here, but this one didn't work for me personally.
3) A reluctance to focus on the most interesting scenes. The big stand out here is that Grace films a commercial and we skip the whole thing! That could have been like a fifth of the book, something super fun and an opportunity to build out the world and Grace's relationships with other people, but we skip it in favour of more internal dialogue.

I feel badly speaking negatively, because this is not a bad book, and I had a good time reading it, but after three books I can't ignore the patterns. And they're such easy fixes.
Specifically speaking about this book, though, I thought that the soccer angle was really fun. I liked the dynamic of the team (though I wish there was more of it), the New Orleans setting was dynamic and the conflicts were interesting.
Of course I'll pick up the next Wilsner, but this one wasn't for me.

As a gay woman and a huge soccer fan I was thrilled to see this book coming out. I am a big Meryl fan and for me they did it again. I love a dual POV and a good grumpy sunshine! Big fan of the neurodivergent representation as well. So much of Phoebe and Grace’s inner monologue speaks to how they process life differently than others and it hits home in such a relatable way. Also love that the side characters and teammates feel so genuine to some of the real friendships on the National and league teams too. Thankful to be given the ARC and can’t wait to buy it for my shelves when it is officially out.

Cleat Cute is a LGBQT+ romcom about two women who meet at a soccer training camp and fall into a teammates with benefits situationship. I really enjoyed this book and it was exactly the kind of book I needed. I absolutely loved how confident and hilarious Phoebe was and her passion for soccer was absolutely adorable! My personality is a mix of both Grace and Phoebe so I related to both characters. I also loved that even though I don't watch soccer, I still understood everything that was going on and I wasn't left confused. The author explained the sport so well, I felt like I followed it my entire life.

I didn't see the rivals to lovers as much as I just saw relunctant friendship to lovers on Grace's side. Phoebe was just happy to be there which, again, is absolutely adorable. Phoebe was definitely a favorite for me, personally.

If you enjoy fun spicy romcoms, this is definitely the book for you!

This book was so stinkin cute!!! Huge fan of rivals to lovers in my sports romances, especially when they’re teammates. I loved how different Phoebe and Graces personalities were but how they were still able to open up to one another and accept each other for who they were. They just seemed like such real individuals because of their flaws which I love to see in a book. It was such a quick and easy read that had so much heart! Meryl Wilsner has done it again. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me receive an ARC of this adorable romance.

Cleat Cute was such a sweet, fun read! I LOVE rivals-to-lovers romances, and this one was no different. I especially liked the opposites-attract dynamic between the two leads! Introverted, responsible Grace Henderson is a soccer star, the team captain who's been playing professionally for years. Her career means everything to her, but after she's sidelined by an injury, she can't help but wonder if it's all worth it. Bubbly, energetic Phoebe Matthews has just graduated college and is very new to the professional soccer world, but she's idolized Grace for as long as she can remember. Now, the two women are teammates—but could their working relationship turn into something more?

Despite their differences, Grace and Phoebe had such great chemistry and brought out the best in each other in so many ways. I thought both of their perspectives were really well-developed, even when the miscommunication between them was frustrating to read about sometimes! I also enjoyed the neurodivergent rep we got from each character and seeing how that affected their relationship. The New Orleans setting was a highlight for me, too, and was always fun to read about! Overall, if you are a fan of romance, soccer, or both, be sure to check out Cleat Cute! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve read and enjoyed both of Meryl Wilsner’s books but this one just wasn’t for me, and I’m sad about it. I found both of the characters to be incredibly annoying and the dialogue was super cringy in parts. I had to DNF about 60% of the way through. I just couldn’t get invested in Grace and Phoebe’s relationship no matter how hard I tried. I found the soccer storyline fun though, I just wish the dialogue and characters were better. Thanks to St. Martins and NetGalley for the ARC.

***I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. The book had the ideal amount of spice, comedy and drama. I really enjoyed Grace’s character development that was mostly due to Phoebe being so stubborn. The relationship status topic caught me off guard but I’m definitely siding with Grace on that one. While the book did deliver on the romance, I think it equally captured the world of women’s soccer and female sports in general, by tackling things like pay gaps and how many athletes still require a second job. Overall a great book that I’d recommend to friends!

Cleat Cute is the perfect romance novel for fans of Ted Lasso! This sapphic sports romance between soccer rivals turned (sort of) friends with benefits is such a great read. Meryl Wilsner is back with a spicy FF romance that brings the spice to these complex, multi-faceted characters. Cleat Cute is an opposites attract romance between a grumpy veteran soccer star and a sunshiney rookie on the team. These two are so cute together and I love their banter so much! I cannot wait to read what Wilsner writes next :)

✨3.5/5✨

Rivals to Lovers / Rookie & Veteran / Grumpy & Sunshine / Miscommunication

As a former soccer player who is obsessed with a Megan Rapinoe fantasy, this was right up my alley!

I'd love to give this a higher rating, cause the spicy scenes were indeed spicy, but they were also a little cringy. The internal dialogue was too much at times. The continuous asking of permission & the use of anatomical words were cringe. With those aside, I did indeed enjoy the witty banter and the storyline. The rivals to lovers caught my attention and kept me hooked. Absolutely LOVED the Neuro-spicy/ Neurodivergence of the characters, definitely a plus to see representation in the literary world.

4.5 stars! Read this a week ago and it has still stuck with me. I loved the way the relationship between Phoebe and Grace developed and how they were able to grow individually and as a couple. I've never read a book by Meryl Wilsner before, but the writing style reminded me a lot of Casey McQuiston, so I enjoyed that familiarity. The one thing that confused me was how Phoebe is only four years younger than Grace even though she's her childhood icon which...just felt a little off. But overall I thought it was really strong and so cute!

I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this book since it’s based on soccer, but I will literally love anything Meryl Wilsner writes. They did such a fantastic job of embodying both ADHD and ASD/OCD. Phenom and Hendy are such goals!

This book started off so strong and I was excited to see where it went, but after a few chapters it lost me.

I found both of the main characters to be extremely unlikable and couldn't connect with them at all. It felt like most of the characters weren't fully realized, and the internal dialogue was very repetitive and dull.

The story relied heavily on the misscommunication trope, to the point that the main characters actually didn't seem to communicate at all. Many aspects of the plot were told to the reader rather than shown, so I had a bit of a hard time buying into a lot of what was happening.

Despite all that, I do still give this book points for having so many LGBTQ+ identities represented.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5/5

This was an overall cute read and not a bad romance. Definitely spicy!

My biggest gripe with it however was the constant miscommunication. It just made it frustrating to read. I also felt like there was so much potential in terms of storylines that just didn’t get addressed. It was definitely a tell don’t show type of story which made some of the characters and arcs fall flat. I found myself getting bored and I wasn’t that invested in the main character’s relationship. I found myself caring more about the side characters and their dynamics than Grace and Phoebe.

Despite this, though, it was still enjoyable for what it was.