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 fall 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.

Listened to the audiobook and the book is more palatable in that format,but it is still a four-star read.

I enjoyed this one - I love that it is a sapphic sports romance and while I'm not the biggest fan of soccer, I was happy that there were just enough references to include the sport and complexities of the game without it bogging down the romance. I also loved that we get some neurodivergence rep in this book! Phoebe is absolutely endearing even if she is chaotic! I also liked the fact that there were a bunch of complicated feelings in this book - Grace, scared of being replaced by this new young talent she is getting the feels for, Phoebe going from idolizing Grace to playing with her and then DATING HER (pretty sure if that were me, I would explode). I listened to the audiobook of this one and enjoyed the narration. I need to circle back and see what else Wilsner has written!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Mistakes Were Made, but it was fun!

Soccer isn’t a sport I know much about, but that didn’t matter here. I enjoyed the ADHD representation, queer representation, and the relationship between the characters. There was some spice and I enjoyed it.

I love grumpy sunshine! Overall enjoyable!

The audiobook was good. It didn’t detract from my experience at all.

Phoebe can’t believe she’s been drafted to Grace Henderson’s team - Grace’s poster has been hanging in her room since the star joined the national team at 16. Now, Phoebe has been called up to nationals camp, and she’s playing beside her idol. Grace seems less than enthused, but a bet between them makes sparks fly, and neither can hold themselves back.

Big thanks to Macmillan Audio for gifting the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This book does such a good job of making the conflict between the way their characters’ brains work and the society they grew up in. Grace carefully constructs a mask so no one will guess she has no idea what’s going on, and doesn’t understand subtle social cues. Phoebe’s brain has already skipped past bits of conversation that she assumes are mutually understood. It’s their slow learning of each other’s communication style that helps create the beautiful connection of this book.

This spicy romance is giving Ted Lasso and Bergman Brothers, but make it sapphic. It’s about letting someone else really see you, and features a beautiful cast of diverse queer characters to band around.

The one thing I didn’t love was that I WANTED MORE AND THERE WASN’T ANY. I could read about Grace and Phoebe continuously.

The audiobook was fantastic, and both narrators embodied their characters really well. I’ll love listening to this over and over!

If you have way too many throw pillows, or need to set 17 alarms to maybe make it somewhere on time - this book is for you!

Grace has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, but when she’s sidelined with an injury, Phoebe takes her spot. When they end up playing for the same professional team, they end up in a teammates-with-benefits situation.

I enjoyed this one - the audiobook was well done! I love a sports romance, so this was a fun take.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙊𝙬𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙪𝙥.

📍 Read if you like:
• Sapphic Romance
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Rivals To Lovers
• Soccer

I was so excited to read this book mainly because of the soccer element. This one involved the Women’s World Cup and I was so entertained by that part. I also loved the idea of two teammates (rivals to lovers) ending up catching feelings for each other.

What I loved, was how these characters were neurodivergent and written in a lovable way. I liked the whole rivals-to-lovers trope in this one, and I found both characters to be interesting. The romance in this book was top notch and oh man, I was not expecting it to be as steamy as it was.

Unfortunately, I feel like I had mixed feelings about the book. There was so much internal monologue that lost my interest in the book. I feel like at times the story dragged. I also didn’t love the way the story was told.

Overall, this was a solid read. I would definitely recommend this to those looking for a sapphic romance with enjoyable characters and representation. I wish the soccer aspect was a bit stronger, but as a whole the story was good.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Injury/Injury Detail, Alcohol, Ableism

I absolutely adore cleat cute! Meryl does a great job creating characters that feel so real. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing them to life.

“…so what is this supposed to be? She has no idea, but she is letting herself have it. It feels too good not to.”

Wilsner has wooed me once again with CLEAT CUTE, a tender, sexy sapphic romance between two soccer lesbians. Grace is the star veteran, stoic, private, and rule-following; she’s perfectly balanced by the Phoebe, the ambitious rookie whose chaotic, bubbly charm sneaks through all of Grace’s defenses. While this story takes place in the context of high-stakes women’s soccer on a national and global scale, the focus of the novel is on Grace and Phoebe’s interiority and development and their powerful, simmering connection. This novel makes use of the miscommunication trope in a way that’s frustrating and delightful; when the two finally get on the same page by the end of the novel, I was smiling and satisfied. This works so well in part because of Grace and Phoebe’s emerging awareness of their neurodiversity (autism and ADHD, respectively). I loved how this was represented, for them as individuals learning more about how they tick and for the two as a couple figuring out how to love each other well. Wilsner has an incredible knack for incorporating delicious external power dynamics into relationships that feel internally balanced and equal, and CLEAT CUTE is no different: Phoebe has looked up to Grace for years and has a poster of her on her childhood bedroom year, they’re in some ways competing for roster spots, Grace is her captain - and yet Phoebe undoubtedly pursues Grace and steers their dynamic. There’s so many small elements that I adored: the hair braiding, the shared love of soccer, the joy in playing the game together, the lovable trans and enby side characters, the sheer amount of queer energy across the teams, and more. Whole-heartedly recommend this one! Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the review copies; this book is out 9/19.

Content warnings: toxic relationship, injury, panic attack

I loved reading Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. This novel is a delightful mix of sapphic romance and hilarious romantic comedy. This book is filled with various tropes like friends with benefits, forced closeness, and the irresistible pull of opposites. The book is written in 3rd person and in the point of views of the two main characters Pheobe and Grace. Pheobe who is a energetic and talkative is a newcomer to the New Orleans Krewe soccer team, and Grace is the team's skilled captain and seasoned player. As Phoebe and Grace start practicing and hanging out together their bond blossoms into a beautiful friendship that gradually transforms into something deeper as they uncover each other's true selves. I highly recommend reading this book and I rated this it 5 stars.

Phoebe Matthews is fresh out of college and was offered a place on a professional soccer team in Georgia. Grace Henderson has been the star of the US Women's National Team for ten years, but she's only 26. Phoebe has had a celebrity crush on her forever. When Grace has an injury and can't play she has to decide what she wants. Phoebe is a constant annoyance slash interest for Grace. Grace doesn't want a girlfriend but she also can't stay away. This was an awesome love story. The team was fun and learning more about professional soccer was cool. I enjoyed the writing and can't wait to read more from this author.

OOOOOF. This had me until it absolutely did not. The last 20-25% was far too easy when a lot of that was really not okay. Grace literally accused phoebe of having adhd without knowing that and started talking about her meds (that she is not on) and her apology was…bullshit. And phoebe accepting it so easily was also dumb. AND THEN! Grace takes it ANOTHER step further and just makes her an appointment for a doctor????? How are you going to assume you know what’s best for someone you won’t explain your feelings to because THAT WOULD MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR DIGNITY??????

I loved this until all of that started happening. It was too easy with big issues and it felt half hearted.

Did not finish the audiobook and switched to ebook format.

I found the narrators to just not work for me. They sounded a little too similair to my ear so I was having a really hard time keeping the characters straight.

I'm definitely still interested in the story though and will be switching to my ebook copy.

well, i shouldn't be surprised i loved this book! the grumpy x sunshine vibes were amazing!! grace & phoebe are both amazing characters with so much depth! the autism & adhd rep were 10/10! these two has the funniest banter & miscommunication. it was super enjoyable perfect for sports romance girlies!! i cannot wait to read more by meryl wilsner just phenomenal. 💕🥰

This was a cute sapphic sport romance with some quite steamy scenes. I thought it was good that the girls relationship developed slowly over time, and that even though the girls were very different they brought the best out of each other. I really liked that both Grace and Phoebe had so much to learn about themselves before they could be there for each other.

Dana Varden and Zim Avaltrades narrate Meryl Wilsner’s sapphic rivals-to-lovers rom-com Cleat Cute in dual POV about two US Women’s National Team soccer players competing for a position on the team who stumble into a friends-with-benefit relationship—never expecting to fall in love.

At only 26, Grace Henderson is in her tenth year as a US Women’s National Soccer Team star player. Feeling her age because of a nagging injury, the last thing she can deal with right now is an upstart, bold rival coming along to try and take her spot. But when her hip injury finally sidelines her, and she’s taken off the schedule, Phoebe Matthews, who’s everything she isn’t, takes her spot. And to her surprise, Grace becomes friends-with-benefits with her frustrating teammate, who confuses and makes her feel excited and alive. Friendly and unable to take anything seriously, Phoebe plays with all the excitement and joy that Grace doesn’t remember losing somewhere along the way. Why is she so drawn to this girl, her rival? Phoebe Matthews can’t believe she gets to train—and play soccer—with her idol whose skill she’s admired for as long as she’s loved soccer. She can barely hide how starstruck she is with Grace. In no time, Phoebe begins to see Grace as more than her teammate, especially after they kiss. Everything about Grace is what Phoebe’s been wanting and waiting for in her life, even if she didn’t know it.

Grace takes advantage of time off to heal and work her way back from injury while the team prepares for the World Cup. Most importantly, she and Phoebe discover how to play with each other on the team instead of competing for the same spot. Things are going great with their friends-with-benefits relationship, but Grace and Phoebe aren’t on the same page. Phoebe thinks they’re dating, while Grace increasingly fears that she’s catching feelings, and she doesn’t know how to feel about it, believing Phoebe isn’t serious about her—about them. This divide increases the tension between them. Will Grace and Phoebe discover that their feelings for each other have become more important than making the World Cup Team?

Narrators Avaltrades and Varden bring Wilsner’s steamy and romantic novel to life with animated narration. Avaltrades primarily narrates Grace’s POV and Varden Phoebe’s, and they alternate for each other and secondary characters with accents, dialects, pacing, inflection, intonation, and emotion to give them distinct voices, revealing their personalities, feelings, quirks, and moods. Avaltrades’ accents are excellent, especially her Welsh, which is just gorgeous. Her lovely voice and expressive narration perfectly fit Grace and the other characters. Varden’s Phoebe narration makes her sound older than expected. But her pacing and inflection are spot on for Phoebe’s sunny, fast-talking personality.

The novel’s tone ranges from humorous to intimate, intensely emotional, and sizzling hot, and the narrators deftly shift between them without affecting the novel’s excellent pacing. Additionally, during the novel’s intimate scenes, Avaltrades and Varden use their full vocal ranges to express/portray the intimacy between Phoebe and Grace and their chemistry, desire, and passion for each other. While both narrators wonderfully capture Wilsner’s emotional and romantic story, and the narration between them is consistent, I love Avaltrades’ narration for both women better because her narration/voice is more vibrant and engaging for all the characters. Avaltrades and Varden give life to every emotional beat within Cleat Cute in such a way that I can’t imagine anyone else narrating.

I loved every minute of this beautifully written opposites-attract novel with a perfectly developed relationship/romance. Cleat Cute may be one of the best and most fun romances I’ve read this year and in a long while. It’s steamy, sweet, sexy, hilarious—a legit rom-com with the perfect balance of steam, humor, angst, sexiness, pining, and sports. Wilsner’s lively and colorful dialogue, vibrant description, worldbuilding that takes advantage of her settings, and entertaining interactions between her complex, fallible, and likable characters make this a captivating page-turner. Wilsner skillfully develops the relationships between her diverse characters.

Grace and Phoebe share an immediate connection. Wilsner captures fire and passion in their first kiss, sparking with chemistry, anticipation, and excitement, then smoothly transitions their relationship from rivals to friends-with-benefits to two women falling in love who don’t understand how they got there. Their sweet, intimate, sexy, passionate, funny, emotional, steamy make-outs/love scenes and snarky interactions shimmering with chemistry, fiery heat, and tenderness reveal Grace and Phoebe’s characters and connection, evolving their relationship and story.

Complete opposites, they balance and help each other grow. A playful, talkative jokester with endless energy, Phoebe is extroverted and loud and loves winning people over with laughter. However, she struggles with time management, quitting when things get hard, and lacking focus—except in soccer. Disciplined, patient, and responsible, Grace is an intense introvert who loves privacy and quiet. She’s driven, wary, prefers control, plays with grit and perseverance, and isn’t comfortable with feelings, relationships, or showing weakness. Grace is what Phoebe’s been wanting/waiting for—judgment-free acceptance. Phoebe plays with all the excitement and joy that Grace doesn’t remember losing.

Hilarious, fun, sweet, sexy, steamy, and romantic, Cleat Cute is an excellently paced multi-layered romance I highly recommend for fans of rivals-to-lovers, friends-with-benefits to lovers, steamy sapphic romance, and sports romance.

Wilsner explores themes of self-discovery, identity, falling in love, doing what you love, following your dream, finding happiness, soulmates, friendship, sexual exploration, being loved for who you are, and first love.

Advanced review copy provided by St. Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley for review.

I fell in love with this author when I read "mistakes were made".
Although this book is a little bit more cutesy than her last book, I loved it just the same - but different.
First of all, I immediately resonated with Phoebe in her beginning chapters. Before it was even mentioned in the book that she might be ADHD, I knew Phoebe and I were in the same club.
Grace's character was a little harder for me to love and understand (but not impossible). Grace is a hard shell with a type A personality that I find myself just not aligning with. Eventually Phoebe softened her up and showed her there's more to life than soccer.

I really liked the dual narrators individually for the characters, but I didn't think their voices matched in chemistry. I just couldn't picture those voices in a relationship.

Go girl, give us nothing!!

I hate to use the word cringe, but that's the overwhelming impression that I got— a romance between a star soccer player and her fangirl-turned-teammate, characters who are too wildly stubborn to accomplish anything without an immense push, miscommunication galore, and weird plot points that you think are going somewhere but ultimately do nothing to the story at all. It was a bizarre Gift of the Magi story, but instead of gifts, it was physical gifts, it was the lead couple scheduling doctors appointments for each other and making bold assumptions about the other's mental health diagnosis.

This book had a lot of potential, but the highlight for me was honestly me ability to get all the way through it. For a book that was billed as rivals to lovers so heavily when I first heard about it, it really never delivered on anything.

This book was everything I wanted and then some. I'm such a huge fan of Wilsner's books - this is the second I've read and I can't wait to pick up another. Wilsner's writing style just makes me feel comfortable, it makes my insides feel happy. I truly can't express how much I loved listening to the audiobook and reading along with the ebook. It was magical and exactly what I needed.

Love this wonderful, spicy story of professional female soccer players. Sooo hot 🥵 and a great plot too

DNF @ 31%

Thank you to SMP Romance, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Meryl Wilsner has been a hit or miss author for me. And unfortunately this one was a miss. One of the things I've struggled with in their books is their characters... and that's where this one went wrong for me too.

First of all, this book has very little plot. You're following Phoebe as she starts her professional soccer career with her long time idol. And that's it. It's practice, her traveling the city, and talking to Grace. No driving plot...

Which I'm okay with. As long as the characters are strong enough to stand on their own. And these 2 just.... weren't.

Phoebe was borderline obnoxious. She was almost too peppy and happy go lucky. To the point she didn't feel real.

And Grace had no personality until it was necessary for an interaction or scene. She was so inconsistent - at time cold and direct, then suddenly jealous and petty, and then sometimes completely incapable of social interaction. It was like her personality was there to be whatever the story needed to progress.

So I felt literally nothing toward the book.

I want to love this author because I'm desperate for more steamy sapphic romances, so I will continue to pick them up. Hopefully the next book will be another win.