This book made every part of my competitive athlete lesbian heart soar and sing. Phoebe is the adhd young phenom with wild hair and an unapologetic personality that everyone loves. Grace is the Type A, identity questioning injured athlete that I saw so much of myself in. These two are the most perfect, lost in communication couple I’ve seen out together on a page. This would have more than 5 stars if there were an option. Thanks to MacMillian Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook eARC!

I absolutely loved this! I am not a huge sports romance kind of gay but Meryl Wilsner can do no wrong in my eyes so here I am. This book was absolutely perfect. It was smart and sexy and had some amazing adorable bits. I loved the relationship not just between the mcs but on the team in general. Things felt very much like what a real professional team would feel like.
I also lover the mcs. The chemistry between them was on fire and the dual pov just made that even more apparent. I especially appreciated the late in life ADHD rep. I realized I had ADHD in my twenties as well so I felt the rep really resonated with me.
Overall this was a fantastic romance. This may be my favorite Wilsner yet!

I IMMEDIATELY downloaded this when I saw it was available on Netgalley. I remembered reading Mistakes Were Made and that was all I could think about. Unfortunately it was also the downfall for this for me. I spent a lot of time comparing the two and it made me not enjoy it as much. But I still did like it.

First things first, because this was my favorite part….. The romance. It was so much fun. I will say it was just them “having fun” over and over. I wanted more on that front. I guess I wanted more plot. Even if they were just talking more about soccer. But I loved seeing them together and I legit cheered out-loud when they both realized they liked each other and were accepting of what and who they were and who they were with. I really think that was the best part. Not when they were getting together, but when they were finally accepting that they liked each other.

The plot was what made me rate this what I did. I just wanted more. A more in-depth exploration of some of the things that were going on would have made this. I know this was catering to those that say they’re not reading the sports romance for the sports, but I am and I think that’s why I had issues? Like yeah she mentioned some of the positions, and the hierarchy of who could be in what position if this person doesn’t perform, but it wasn’t the main focus. I’m assuming it was because it wasn’t what Grace really wanted, but at the same time, I think it should have had some more explanation or some more competition between them. I mean like they were supposed to be competing for a spot on the field.

I also liked the representation of the ADHD. I am someone that was newly diagnosed, so when I saw Phoebe’s behaviors I knew exactly what she had. I also really related to the way she was hesitant to accept the fact that she had it. I was the same way. I was like I’ve survived all these years and no one ever said anything, why is it a problem now? I don’t need anything…. And then when my world changed, it made all the difference. I was happy to see she changed her mind and listened in the end. The autism rep I can’t speak for, but I did feel and see from other own voices (authentic voices) reviewers that it was done respectfully.

The narrators were fun too. I am a sucker for dual POV and dual narrators, so this was right up my alley. And it looks like they’re new to narrating, so that was cool too. I think they did a bang up job. They were easy to listen to, they packed emotion into their words, and so much more. I really loved them.

This was fun, but I could have done with more. There were some things I loved and others I thought could have used more. And other things it was my own fault because I knew I was just comparing it to a previous work from Meryl. It seems that they’re a hit or miss for me, but fortunately this was right in the middle.

Sapphic, Sexy, Soccer. This was so good. You have opposites attract and mental health rep! Also, soccer players! The narrator did great! I loved this! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I think I’m just now enough of a sports-romance fan to have enjoyed this as much as others have. While I did enjoy it mostly, I found my attention lost after the initial tension between Grace and Phoebe is gone, and that happens rather early on in the book.
The middle is very “internal monologue” heavy and I just found myself not reaching for the book to continue as much. I did enjoy the initial spark and tension between Grace and Phoebe and I liked the exploration into later-in-life ADHD and autism diagnoses. But ultimately the soccer part just didn’t hold my attention, and I’ve never been the biggest fan of internal monologue heavy stories, but if that’s you’re thing, I think you’ll really enjoy this.

I was so so excited for this book that I had pre-ordered it before I had seen it on the netgalley list. I'm utterly obsessed with this book and these characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Meryl Wilsner for this ARC audio!

I absolutely enjoyed Cleat Cute! Grumpy/Sunshine one of my favorite tropes so it was a given that I would enjoy this book! The chemistry between Phoebe and Grace is amazing! I felt like this book had a little bit of everything. It was sweet, funny, emotional and some spice. I highly recommend this book!

I absolutely loved ‘Cleat Cute’ by Meryl Wilsner! Tropes galore (sunshine/grumpy, one of my top favorites), the chemistry between Phoebe and Grace, laugh-out-loud humor, mutual pining, fluff…this book just had it all. It was sweet, funny, spicy, emotional, and so much fun. The audio was fantastic. Highly recommend!

📚Review: Cleat Cute ⚽️

By: Meryl Wilsner
Published: September 19, 2023

Grace Henderson has been the star of the US Women’s National Team for years. Phoebe Matthews is a new draft pick, eager to show off her skills to secure her spot on the World Cup team. To everyone’s surprise, Grace and Phoebe end up reluctant teammates with benefits with some hilarious communication issues. However, Grace gets sidelined from an injury and has to work through reconsidering her love of soccer, feeling Phoebe is coming for her spot on the team, trust issues from a previous relationship, and her maybe (very) real feelings for Phoebe.

What a fun, sporty read! Truthfully, the description said this would be good for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, so I was sold on it already.

There’s so many fun parts to this one. To start, I loved the banter between our MCs and appreciated the care taken to writing characters working through things in their own individuals. A lot of the story does revolve around poor communication skills, so be warned if that’s something you’d rather stay away from.

While I know absolutely nothing about soccer, I didn’t find the book to be inaccessible because of it. The sports team dynamics were fun, especially because I only recently watched all of Ted Lasso (taken from us too soon).

The other standout piece of this book for me was the exploration of NOLA, a city I love to visit and eat my way around. I’ve come to really appreciate books set in places I’ve spent time with and connect to them more.

Shoutout to my main squeeze and model, @zac_smiles! My thick legs would not fit in these tube socks. 🤣

Verdict: Loved It! ❤️

Thank you so much @wednesdaybooks for this #gifted copy! 🥰

Cute.

This story was a cute sports romance between Phoebe and Grace. The premise of this book was really interesting, and I actually really enjoyed the first 30 percent of it. After, it just became very repetitive and I kind of lost interest.

I really enjoyed the chapters with Grace, her story line was really interesting. The chapters with Phoebe are the ones that lost me. Her story line could’ve been interesting but it just felt flat. Also I feel like I should have found her endearing or quirky, but her internal monologue actually was kind of annoying.

Some parts were really good, and then not so much. It was not a bad book at all, I just don’t think it was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing me with a ARC of this book, in exchange of an honest review.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is a sapphic contemporary sports romance featuring neurodivergent soccer players. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Dana Varden and Zim Avaltrades. We follow our two main characters with alternating points-of-view.

Soccer star Grace is sidelined by an injury, and a new player joins the team to fill her spot. Phoebe just wants to keep her head down and focus on her first professional season, but she's had a crush on her idol, Grace, forever.

Though the short version of the book blurb might make it seem this is an age-gap romance, the characters are only about four years apart. Grace has been playing major league women's soccer for ten plus years at this point in the story, but she was drafted before she was able to graduate high school. I played soccer for many a year when I was growing up, and this book brought back a lot of fond memories for me.

There's some great diversity in this book. Outside of our two main characters both identifying as lesbian, one comes to realize that she's on the autism spectrum and the other comes to realize that she has ADHD. As a neurodiverse reader, I LOVE seeing people who are like me on the page. Both the New Orleans soccer team we follow and the Women's National Team are made up of women and non-binary folks from different races and nationalities. Some are even straight!

Miscommunication is frequent throughout the book, but even though that's one of my least favorite tropes, I didn't mind it as it seemed more true to life between two neurodivergent individuals.

However, one place there wasn't miscommunication was in the bedroom, with both characters repeatedly checking in with one another for enthusiastic and explicit consent. I also appreciated Wilsner for showcasing a sexual relationship that isn't about tallying up orgasms and making sure things are "equal," as some people can struggle with reaching orgasm but still enjoy the pleasure and intimacy with their partner.

This was my first read from this author, but I'm absolutely going to check out their other work.

Tropes in this book include: forced proximity, office romance, miscommunication, grumpy/sunshine, FWB

Meryl Wilsner is back again with a fantastic sapphic romance! Grace and Phoebe are female soccer stars and find themselves crossing paths and making memories while they fall head over heels for each other. However, an old injury of Grace's, that she would rather ignore, and Phoebe's big mouth cause a bit of divide with the couple.
I don't think Meryl could write I a book I wouldn't read.

Full review on Pages n' Pages podcast (episode post date 10/3/23- Chapter 118).

This book was sexy and spicy while also being heartfelt. I loved the chemistry between the two love interests and Grace's journey as she starts doing things for herself rather than what she should do. Love how the author handled undiagnosed behavior as well as some class privileges commentary sprinkled in.

4.5 rounded up

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e arc of this one.

When Phoebe gets the chance to play soccer professionally after college, she also gets the chance to play with the amazing Grace Henderson...who Phoebe may or may not have a poster of in her childhood bedroom. And yeah, maybe they both find each other incredibly hot, but the focus is obviously soccer, not a relationship...right?

This was so stinking good I absolutely love the voices of both Phoebe and Grace. I love the neurodivergent rep (Grace is autistic and Phoebe has ADHD) and the discussions about that later in the book.

The relationship between the two feels like it develops really organically and the miscommunication is kind of good? Which I don't usually like but it was well done and funny.

This book did make me laugh out loud a few times and made me cry once, which I don't usually expect out of a romcom but I am also a bit of a baby.

I did think there was like a little too much of the sex scenes but that would probably not be a deterrent for most people!

CW: sexual content, unmanaged ADHD

Cleat Cute follows soccer star, Grace, and her newest teammate Phoebe. The two very quickly start up a friends-with-benefits relationship. Emphasis on the “very quickly.” The two carry on despite the fact that Grace isn’t publicly out.

One things that I immediately noticed was that this book is not a slow burn romance. Grace and Phoebe hook up at a bit before the 30% mark. Because of this and the fact that I’m reading a modern romance, there is little worry that they won’t be together by the end of the book. Unfortunately this sucked a ton of tension out of the book, making everything that happened after this seen small potatoes. In addition to that, I checked out about the 60% mark. While I appreciate a good sapphic romance, I don’t think this book was for me. I don’t think any book that I fall asleep in the midst of is for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. While Dana Varden was a fine narrator, I struggled with Zim Avaltrades.

Thank you to netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I DNFd this book halfway through. I was intrigued by the premise, the soccer, and the sapphic representation, the spice. The spice was spicy and well written but I was really just not getting invested in the story and the characters. A lot of the story was written in third person so I felt detached.

Phoebe is a rising soccer player who was drafted to play for New Orleans in the first round. With spunk and grit, she's someone who won't take no for an answer. Grace is a soccer player who's been in the game for a bit. Also playing for New Orleans, she's team captain and won't let her team down.

Phoebe and Grace meet at the women's national team practice. What started out as a quick bet, later turns into a friends relationship. With Grace sidelined with an injury, Phoebe has the door wide open for a position with the national team. Turning from rivarly to friends however; both players want to work together. But will everything stay "cleat cute?"

I enjoyed reading and listen to the audiobook of Meryl Wilsner's latest novel, Cleat Cute. This latest lgbtqia + romance has all of the spicy scenes but also depth of characters. It was fun to get into spunky Phoebe's point of view and you couldn't help but root for Grace to find her voice with others. The pacing of this story had me turning the pages and not wanting to put the novel down.

ugh, i am in my sports romance ERA.

Cleat cute is such a fun rival to lovers' soccer romance. Funny and filled with tons of sexual tension this is an impossible-to-put-down romcom that needs to be on every romance lover's tbr. highly recommend this one.

I switched between audio and ebook and enjoyed both.

This was a fun sapphic romance. I loved the enemies to lovers and forced proximity aspects.

We meet Pheobe, a rookie soccer player to the New Orleans Krewe, and Grace, a veteran and captain of the team. Grace struck me as a bit grumpy and standoffish at first. But when Phoebes asks if Grace can show her around NOLA, I feel like we get a better feel for Grace.

They become friends-ish, which eventually develops into more.

I also loved the soccer aspect!

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for an ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Grace is a 26-year-old curmudgeon, convinced she's fine living a life of relative solitude while "getting older" in her soccer career. Pheobe is 22 with no filter who can barely believe she has a chance to soccer with people as impressive as Grace *freaking* Henderson. This chaotic, will they/won't they story of love on and off the field is so much fun to listen to, the narrators did a fantastic job capturing the emotions running high, as well as the heat of the game. I also loved the exploration of undiagnosed neurodivergence and the repercussions said neurodivergence being undiagnosed until later in life.