I appreciate NetGalley for providing this ARC!

This story features a classic enemies-to-lovers theme, highlighting the contrast between the optimistic "sunshine" character and the grumpy one. Francesca is an art teacher at a new school, while Jade is trying to become the head coach at her Southern high school. When Francesca also seeks that position, tensions arise.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any chemistry or friendship between Francesca and Jade, and their romance seemed forced by the plot rather than developing naturally. However, I did enjoy the storyline itself; it was unique yet relatable. Overall, it was a nice and quick read.

I loved the enemies to lovers story that Jade and Francesca had built together. I personally felt like their dynamic was unique and not like any story in the trope, that I’ve ever read before. Although, I am not a huge football fan, I felt as their passion for the sport was apparent and spilled over into their passion for each other. I definitely would recommend if you love spicy sports romance!

I very much wanted to like this book. It has all the elements I usually love. A rivals-to-lovers, sports, LGBT relationship sounds perfect to me. But I struggled with the writing, which I found to be pretty choppy. Also, I could not make myself like Fran. The name "Franny" alone bothers me (an arbitrary complaint that I don't even consider in my reviews), but her attitude just sealed it. I just wasn't a fan.

you could not pay me enough money to give enough a fuck about football for this book to have emotional pull with me, even as a lesbian, im so sorry but not at all actually. sorry sports gays

I loved Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter so I was excited to read this book. Though I i like an enemies to lovers book, I don't when adults act childish and actively try to hurt the other. I more like it when misunderstanding makes people "enemies." So this book was not for me. I found the main characters unlikeable, but not in an antihero way. I was excited to see queer women in a sports book but just didn't connect to this one. I will read other books by Slaughter, this one was just a miss for me.

i don't really understand this one? normally it's fine w me that a book is abt sports even if i don't know much about it, but this one just didn't work for me and I'm not sure if its because i don't know enough about sports or what. 3.5 stars. tysm for thea rc.

I really wanted to love this book far more than I did. What claimed to be an enemies to lovers romance felt more like a bully romance - if I really even want to use the word romance. Enemies to Lovers is not mean, vicious, and just plain cruel actions against another - at least it's not in my world! The bingo incident left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth as the sheer embarrassment that resulted just wasn't worth anything. But then when Franny ACCIDENTALLY spilled her juice? That was cruel and plain vicious. They wouldn't work, and I just really was so disgusted. I kept being told by the author that there was chemistry - but it was never shown and so many actions were just belittling and rather ick.

The football talk was also incredibly way too long - it was like it was used as filler but it was just very extensive.

Then - why on earth was the Smart Board referred too so often? Why can she fund the school but not get what she wants? Why was it mentioned at all if she was just going to moan about not gettiing funding? I'm so confused.

Really what I loved was the representation and lack of white men. I LOVED a female football coach - especially at the high school level as that is just SO delicious to me. I also love that the challenges faced by minorities was touched on! Overall, I think this novel will work for a lot of people, and think that it could even be seen as fun, it's just not the book for me!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I never liked football more. 4 stars!

I appreciated the tension between the two main characters-- although most of it felt one sided in comparison to other "enemies to lovers" plots I've read. Jade's uncertainty, and downright hostility, towards Francesca was believable. I also liked that Francesca "Franny" would brush it off casually-- she's better than me!

I really enjoyed learning about the town, the student athletes, and the diverse dynamics the MCs had with their families.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

Ready to Score by Jodie Slaughter follows Jade Dunn and Francesca Lim, two queer women of color teaching at the same high school and vying for a coveted coaching position with the football team. Where Francesca thinks they are stronger together, Jade is stuck in the mindset that there's only room for one queer woman of color in the football program and so if Francesca succeeds, she will fail. This leads to some pretty silly choices, with Jade setting Francesca up for failure and ignoring the spark that she feels between them.

Enemies-to-lovers is a trope that can be hard to pull off, in my opinion. Sometimes the enemies are just too cruel to each other to ever make me believe that those feelings could turn into love in a remotely healthy way. At times, Jade's childish actions came close to being just a step too far where I struggle to see how Francesca could forgive her, but there were also genuine apologies, admission of wrong, and enough sweet moments between them that I was still rooting for them by the end. While football is not my sport of choice, Slaughter made the football content relatable and focused on the dynamics between the players and coaches rather than the sport itself, and I appreciated how fleshed out the various side characters felt - they were full people rather than just props for the main couple.

Ultimately I'd recommend this book to those who like their enemies to be on the harsher side, love some sports drama, and are interested in a slow burn turned high heat. Thanks NetGalley and SMP for the eARC!

DNF. Found one of the FMC immediately unlikable and kind of mean and didn't feel the romantic connection between these two.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for early copy for review*

Things I loved:
The Characters felt like real people denying their feelings over petty reasoning. Their chapter perspective were easy to differentiate with their unique personalities.
The spice scenes also were very realistic and without the use of cringy pet names.

Things I wanted more of:
Pining! I needed more pining. These two had great sexual chemistry, but little romance. I needed to see them like each other more. This is of course a personal experience being on the asexual spectrum, but I need more than lust in my romance.

Things I wanted less of:
The football games. I know that they were coaches, but football bores me and reading it describe to made those chapters a snooze fest.

TLDR: Good spice lacks romance

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 2.5/5
Tropes: workplace, slow burn, rivals to lovers

The. Freaking. Tension. It was definitely there. Unfortunately Jade and Franny had different perceptions on that tightrope pulled taut between them. One saw rivalry. The other saw undeniable attraction.

Ready to Score is a slow burn, mostly because our characters are hyper focused on who's getting the head coach position of the high school football team.

In the end, they caved and teamed up on the field and in the bedroom. They wound up having a sweet romance between them.

Ready to Score also highlights misogyny among men's sports and the good old boys clubs it protects. Our leading ladies overcome those obstacles with strength and resilience.

I enjoyed this novel for the most part. The main characters were vying for a coaching position on a football team. They realize they would make a good team if they worked together. I enjoyed the BIPOC representation.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the eARC of Ready to Score!

I’m not the biggest football fan, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a sports romance—and I was pleasantly surprised. The LGBTQIA+ and POC representation really stood out to me and added so much depth to the story.

The FMCS are navigating a male-dominated field and are constantly having to prove they belong there. I wouldn't quite label this as an enemies-to-lovers story—it felt more like a one-sided competition. Jade, in particular, seemed to put up walls to protect herself, especially since others were often quick to label her as the villain when in reality she is a sensitive woman who has trust issues and is misunderstood. However, it was great to see Jade grow throughout the book.

I especially appreciated how Franny showed Jade grace, which was a really refreshing dynamic. Instead of reacting to Jade with hostility or judgment, Franny offered understanding and support, which helped Jade soften some of her defenses. Franny show patience in moments where Jade felt vulnerable.

Overall, I’m excited to read more from Jodie Slaughter and see how both the characters and the author continue to develop!

I just do not love Jade and Lim. I love the premise of this story- two females from minority races are trying to win a coaching spot for the boys football team. It’s got football, bad**s women, and LGBTQ+ representation. Individually, all of the elements are things I love. Unfortunately, my desire to root for the characters and care about what happens to them just fizzled out.

Ultimately, I could not connect with these characters or the events of the book. Many of the scenes felt totally unrealistic and I was particularly turned off by the location of one of the spicy scenes. It would never happen in real life, but I was also so grossed out by the thought! As far as a sex scene goes, despite the locale, it was A+!

That said. These women didn’t feel real to me in the slightest, which was my primary reason for DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!

Sports, small-town drama, and irresistible chemistry are all expertly woven together in Jodie Slaughter's humorous, spicy sapphic romance, Ready to Score. Devoted assistant football coach Jade Dunn is aiming for her ideal position. Former coach turned art instructor Francesca Lim has her own goals and a fierce rivalry with Jade. Both are seeking to coach the football team and are fighting for what they want. 
Ready to Score is a gripping romance about taking chances, both on and off the field, with incisive dialogue, profound passion, and lots of spice. For those who enjoy humorous, slow-burning love stories, this is a must-read. The banter between these two was hilarious.

Ready to score by Jodie slaughter
Publication: 06/03/2025
4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book was a women named jade trying to get the couching position on a kids football team. Her only obstacles are boy politics and an art teacher Lim who she assumes is trying to take her spot. A chemistry they try too ignore to get where they need to be. I feel Lim is a jokester a tik of tac type of a person. She definitely changed slightly but only because she fell first. She is a sweetheart though and she been through her share of trials as well. Jade is what people will call an “angry black women” but she’s so much more. She build up this wall so she’s not hurt or disappointed she definitely let Lim get under her skin too much. Underneath all that was a sensitive girl just wanted to do what she loved. She grown too as the book went on and I’m glad. The plot was okay it kept me engaged a little but I loved the banter between them way more. I feel like the pacing of this book was great it wasn’t too fast the love was forced or insta loving at all. The only thing I would have like is to see jade come out her shell a little more, she’s so reserved and I would have like for her to be excited for herself a little more. But this was a great book I’ll definitely recommend to reading it.

#netgalley #StMartinspress #readytoscore #booklover #arcreviewer #jodieslaughter #bookish

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book overall. I went back and forth about how I felt about Jade’s character and how she behaved towards Franny. I convinced myself there was an underlying reason for her behavior towards Franny. That when people are confused about their feelings or unsure how to act around certain people, they behave poorly. My biggest gripe was just how fast Franny forgave Jade and how quickly they seemed to have fallen in love.
I consider myself someone who falls in love pretty easily, but the way Jade treated Franny was just mean. I think people can have redeeming qualities that make them attractive, but Jade displayed behaviors that I feel like should have taken some time for Franny to trust her.
The spicy scenes were also enjoyable. They were a bit out of my comfort zone, but they were different from most of the other sapphic novels I’ve read, which I enjoyed.
Lastly, one thing I really disliked was Franny referring to Jade as “my girl”. I’m not sure if it was the context in which it was used or the fact they’re both teachers, most likely a combination of these things, but I just didn’t like it.
I was nervous the sports aspect of it was going to be too heavy and make the book less enjoyable, but I thought it was enough that the story would be enjoyable for women who like sports, but not so much for those who don’t. I picked this book up because I was looking for a sapphic book by a new to me author and would read another by this author again.

What a cute sapphic sports romance!

Jade and Francesca navigate both going after the same coach position for the high school football team. Jade has instant beef and does not believe there’s enough room at the top for two female coaches.

I enjoyed the dual POV and the queer, BIPOC representation. I feel like it could have been 80 pages shorter. The ending dragged out a bit after they got together. I was mostly there for all the sapphic tension 🌈✨

I had high hopes for this enemies-to-lovers romance, and while the small-town setting and supporting characters were charming, the central relationship didn't quite resonate with me. Jade's character didn't fully engage me, and I struggled to see the depth of Franny's attraction. While a decent read overall, it didn't entirely deliver on the satisfying redemption arc or compelling character dynamics I hoped for.